This post is sponsored by Veetee, but all opinions are my own.
This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.
Hello Spring!
It's officially here my people. This means no more snow, cold and wind, right? Right. I'm sure we'll get walloped again, but until then I'm preaching that it is SPRING to anyone who will listen.
I'm starting to get excited about my garden, lounging on my deck with a good book {just finished this book, 5 stars!} and just soaking in all the vitamin D I can doing anything outside. Each year I plant a big basil plant and it basically produces until I finally pull it in late Fall. It's main purpose is for fresh pesto, but I also add it to my homemade spaghetti sauce and to this incredible margarita pizza.
It pains me to have to buy pesto in the store during the winter months {I clearly didn't freeze enough}, but that is what I did this week. I did it for good reason. My third installment for Veetee rice is here!
I wanted to make a dish that literally screamed the following adjectives.
Light.
Refreshing.
Flavorful.
Healthy.
I am fairly certain I acheived all of these wonderful adjectives. Chicken that is marinated and grilled to perfection is always a winner. Fluffy rice that gets bumped up a notch with grated cauliflower and pesto? Always a bonus.
Veetee rice has become a staple in our house not only due to its supurb flavor, but because of its convenience. Microwave or stir-fry in two minutes and it's done! This mama of three will take anything that is that quick.
I wanted to bump up the nutritrional factor of the already healthy brown rice so I added a head of finely grated cauliflower. Not only did it give us twice as much in volume {my family can eat!}, but honestly it tasted just the same. If my family hadn't witnessed me grating the cauliflower I honestly do not feel they would have known the difference.
This meal was the perfect dinner for us. It hit all of the requirements. It fed my hungry family, it was easy, it was made start to finish in under an hour {minus marinating time} and we had leftovers!
The husband was able to take a nice, hearty portion to work the next day. He had actually worked super late the night we had this, so I sent him a photo of his plate for when he would eventually get home...you know, to tease him. I'm sure he was starving having worked a 13 hour day, but at least he knew he was going to eat good when he got home! He gave it two thumbs up.
Healthy Grilled Chicken over Pesto Cauliflower Rice
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 c. Italian dressing
1 c. Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing
10 oz. Veetee Wholegrain Brown Rice {or 1 1/2 c. any cooked brown rice}
1 head cauliflower
10 oz. jar pesto
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. onion powder
salt
pepper
1. Place the chicken breasts in a large Ziploc baggie. Pour in both dressings and marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
2. Using a box grater, grate the whole head of cauliflower into small pieces and set aside.
3. Preheat the grill while making the cauliflower/rice.
4. Heat a large rimmed skillet to medium heat. Add in the olive oil. Stir in the grated cauliflower and sauteed for a couple minutes. Add in the rice, breaking apart, and mix with the cauliflower. Once combined add in half of the jar of pesto, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Stir and bring down to a warm heat and cover with a lid.
5. When your grill is hot place the marinated chicken directly on the grill rack. Cook 10 minutes a side or until juices run clear. Remove from the grill and allow the meat to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
6. To serve, plate a scoop of the cauliflower rice on a plate and top with the sliced grilled chicken. Add additional pesto on top. Serve warm.
I truly hope you try this dish out with your family!
This recipe was a fun one. I have truly been blessed with many sponsorships this year and Veetee was no exception! Their rice is superior and I'm happy to see my pantry is still stocked with it. In case you missed a few of my other recipes using their rice, here they are:
Thank you to Veetee Rice for sponsoring this post.
