Arroz con Pollo

I love a casserole, some kind of wonderful starch, be it rice or noodles, embraced by a luscious 'Cream of...' soup, with hidden nuggets of meat. All melding together to form a comfort food rest stop on the highway of life. Those days have mostly disappeared from my life with the new diet, but I keep looking for some sort of replacement. This next offering is a viable candidate when you add just a tad more liquid to the recipe. Although it does miss on the 'Cream of...' side of the story.

Now, many of our meals have revolved around chicken in recent years. All of the hype about fats and cholesterol and I don't know what have worked in this house, and red meats have taken a back seat to fish and poultry.

This week I started in on one of the new cookbooks I picked up a few weeks back at the Half Price Book store. The book is from the American Heart Association, titled the Low-Salt Cookbook. My version was published in 1990. There are newer versions of this available at Amazon, the third edition is American Heart Association Low-Salt Cookbook, 3rd Edition: A Complete Guide to Reducing Sodium and Fat in Your Diet.

Like I said, this may well end up being a viable alternative to the 'Cream of..' casseroles I can no longer enjoy.

Arroz con Pollo

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, skinned, all visible fat removed
• 1 tablespoon acceptable margarine
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon acceptable vegetable oil
• 1 cup uncooked white rice
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
• 1/8 teaspoon saffron (or turmeric)
• 1/2 cup cooked green peas

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt margarine. Add garlic, black pepper and paprika. Mix well. Remove from heat and brush on chicken breasts.

Place chicken in an ovenproof dish and bake, uncovered, 20 to 25 minutes, or until meat has turned white throughout.

Meanwhile, in a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat, sauté the onion and green pepper in oil 5 to 6 minutes or until soft. Add rice and cook another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, and saffron (or turmeric) and stir to mix thoroughly. Cover and simmer over low heat 20 to 25 minutes. Add green peas and cooked chicken and cook an additional 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Calories: 299

Fat: 8g

Protein: 28g

Carbohydrate: 27g

Cholesterol: 62mg

Sodium: 90mg

Potassium: 369mg

[Thanks, American Heart Association]