Stir-fry Fajita Chicken: Second place winner in public school recipe competition

Recipe: Stir-fry Fajita Chicken, Squash, and Corn:

Second Place winner from "Recipes for Healthy Kids Cookbook for Homes" provided by the USDA's Team Nutrition.

Ingredients:

• 1 ¾ cups brown rice, long-grain, regular, dry
• 1 ½ tsp salt-free, chili-lime seasoning blend
• ¼ tsp granulated garlic
• 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 cup fresh onions, peeled, diced
• 4 cups cooked fajita chicken strips (16 oz)
• 3 ½ cups fresh butternut squash, peeled, seeded, diced ½ inch
• ½ cup fresh red bell peppers, seeded, diced
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• ½ cup canned diced green chilies
• ½ cup canned low-sodium diced tomatoes
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• ¾ tsp ground cumin
• ¼ tsp garlic powder

Directions:

1. Combine brown rice and 4 ½ cups water in a large pot and bring to a rolling boil. Turn heat down to low. over and cook until water is absorbed, about 30-40 minutes. Sprinkle with ½ tsp salt-free seasoning blend, granulated garlic, and cilantro. Mix well. Keep warm. (A rice cooker may be used with the same quantity of brown rice and water.)
2. Heat canola oil in a large skillet or a wok. Cook onions for 2 minutes or until translucent.
3. Add chicken, squash, and remaining salt-free seasoning blend. Stir-fry over high heat for 10 minutes or until squash is tender.
4. Add red peppers, corn, green chilies, tomatoes, pepper, cumin, and garlic powder. Stir-fry over medium-high heat for no longer than 2 minutes so vegetables will remain crunchy. Do not overcook. Reduce heat to low and let simmer 2 minutes. Serve hot.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes Cooking Time: 1 hour Amount: Makes six ¾-cup servings stir-fry and six ½-cup servings brown rice (¾ cup stir-fry and ½ cup brown rice provides 1 ¼ oz equivalent meat, ¼ cup red/orange vegetable, 1/8 cup starchy vegetable, ¼ cup other vegetable, and 1 oz. equivalent grains).

Nutrients Per Serving: Calories 396, Protein 20 g, Carbohydrate 59 g, Dietary Fiber 7 g, Total Fat 10 g, Saturated Fat 2 g, Cholesterol 62 mg, Vitamin A 7347 IU (359 RAE), Vitamin C 44 mg, Iron 2 mg, Calcium 58 mg, Sodium 574 mg.