Brown Rice and Broccoli Casserole with Chili Lime Corn on the Cob, Day 41, 7/8/11

Today I noticed that I can improve my blog by starting with a picture of the finished product first.  Then, that's the pic that accompanies the new post notification on Facebook, enticing you to want to read my blog, rather than a picture of some cut up produce.  Did it work?

Anyway, with my last Door to Door Organics order I received lots of broccoli.  And I've been trying to decide what I wanted to do with it. 

Today when I opened the pantry and saw a bag of brown rice laying there, it occurred to me.  I have ALWAYS loved a cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole.  And I've been wanting to try brown rice.  I had never made it until today.  I've always eaten white rice, but as I get older, I hear more and more people rave about brown rice.  And it's supposed to be so much healthier for you, so I've decided to try to convert.

I cooked 1 cup of brown rice according to the directions on the package.  Then I added to that 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, about 3/4 of a can of milk (I used the soup can to measure,) 1/4 cup diced fresh mushrooms, and 1/4 cup green onion slices.  Then I seasoned it with onion powder, some dehydrated garlic, a little cayenne powder and some of this great seasoning mix I buy at Aldi.  It says it's for pizza and pasta, but I use that stuff on everything.

And finally, I mixed in about a cup of fresh broccoli, 1/2 cup Swiss cheese and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese.  Then I poured it into a glass dish, covered it with foil and baked it at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.  I removed the foil for the last 10 minutes. 

I cooked it, covered with foil, because I used fresh raw broccoli and covering it will keep the heat in and help the cook the broccoli.  It came out perfectly for me this way.  The broccoli still had just a little crunch to it, so if you don't like it that way, you'll want to parboil it first.  I also didn't top it with cheese because I decided that the cup of cheese in it would be more than sufficient.  If you prefer cheese on top, just cut back a little bit on the amount you put inside and throw a little on top.

This was truly one of the best cheesy broccoli rice casseroles I've ever had.  I don't know if it was the brown rice or the cup of cheese.  Is a cup too much?  Wait, we're talking about cheese, no, it's not too much.  Just call me Paula Deen... you could consider using less if you'd like.  Whatever it was, it was honestly delicious!

While trying to decide what to make with my Brown Rice and Broccoli Casserole, I remembered seeing a Chili Lime Corn made a couple of different ways on some of the cooking shows I watch.  I always thought it looked tasty, but I had never made it myself- until tonight.  My Door to Door Organics delivery this week included 2 ears of sweet corn and I since I had a lime in the fridge too, I decided I would finally give Chili Lime Corn a try.  And "tasty" is an understatement.  This stuff is SO good.  Warning:  after you try this, you might never make corn any other way.

After I cleaned up the ears of corn, I spread a little butter on them, and sprinkled them with salt, pepper and chili powder.  Then I wrapped them up in foil like you do when you're going to grill corn.

But, I didn't grill this corn.  It's Kansas, in July and it's approximately 739 degrees outside.  The last thing I want to do is stand outside, in front of something putting off even more heat, to grill.  I love my air conditioner.  So instead, I cooked it in the oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.  I turned it about a quarter of a turn every 10 minutes.

When I removed the corn from the oven and unwrapped it, I squeezed a little lime juice on it.  I took 3 or 4 passes with my lime wedge rotating the ear of corn a little each time.  You really can taste the lime and the chili powder, but neither one overpowers the corn.  It's a perfect combination.

Tonight I enjoyed a really flavorful meal of comfort foods.  I think if you give either one a try, you'll agree with me when I say, "Umm, umm, good!"