Pip's Plate

I’m on a budget. There, I said it. I have been for some time now, but now I’m actually paying attention to it. And it starts with food and cooking. I have so much stuff in my cupboards and refrigerator that I really should cook up things I already have instead of rushing out to the store to buy a whole bag of groceries for one dish that I’m dieing to make.

So last night I was rifling through some CSA veggies and trying to figure out what to do with a lot of stuff I have on hand. The list was fairly random: potatoes, winter squash, parsnips, dried cherries, beets, carrots, garlic, and on and on.

What I found out was I don’t have to sacrifice flavor or quality when making a dinner from what I have on hand. I did end up making a trip to the grocery store but only to pick up 3 items: chicken, onions (which were on sale yay!), and canned tomatoes.

This recipe is fairly easy and dinner can be on the table in under 60 minutes – and it’s all in one pot so clean up is super easy. You can vary the spices if you want, and I might even try adding a little vanilla bean next time since I have some in my pantry, but we’ll see since I rarely make the same dish twice.

I also thought this would only make 2 servings, but it made quite a bit more than I expected and easily serves 4. Round it out with a green salad for a complete meal, but to be honest there’s enough veggies in here that you’ll get plenty of vitamins.

The best thing about this is that you can vary this depending upon what kind of veggies you have around – root veggies would work the best since they can stew for awhile. And the chicken stays nice and tender. Oh, and it’s very healthy! It’s only 3 Weight Watchers points per serving.

One Pot Moroccan Chicken

Serves 4

Time: under 60 minutes

1 T olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 small onion, cut in half then sliced

1/2 pound organic skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into strips

1 t chopped fresh thyme

1 t ground cumin

1/4 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1 large potato, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)- I used purple Peruvian potatoes and the color was just amazing

1 small (bordering on teeny) winter squash, peeled, seeded and diced (about 1 cup) – I used Delicata and left the skin on

1/4 cup dried cherries

14.5 oz canned diced tomatoes

1 cup chicken broth

2 cardamom pods

2 whole cloves

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat 1 T oil over medium heat in large deep skillet. TIP: if you use stainless cookware, remember “hot pan, cold oil” to keep food from sticking to the pan – heat your pan and when you’re ready to start cooking, add the oil then immediately add the food. It works really well.

2. Combine 1 t fresh thyme, 1 t cumin, 1/2 t salt and 1/2 t pepper. Coat the chicken with this mixture.

3. Add 2 cloves minced garlic and 1 small sliced onion to the oil in the pan. Saute for 1 – 2 minutes or until starting to soften. Move the onion and garlic mixture to the side of the pan and add the chicken to brown it, turning once and cooking about 2 minutes on each side.

4. Add the squash, cherries, potatoes, tomatoes, broth, cardamom and cloves to the pot, combine. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until veggies are tender and chicken is cooked through.

Serve with rice. A new thing I tried for cooking rice and really like was instead of using water, I made African Rooibus tea and cooked my basmati rice in that. It added a lot of flavor and was quite delicious. Just heat 2 cups of water, add 2 teabags and let steep for 3-5 minutes. Then add 1 cup basmati rice and cook like normal.

I’m not sure what’s gotten into me, but I’ve really been into chicken and rice the past couple weeks. Maybe because I’m trying out some healthier options? Dunno. But this was really easy and delicious. You could grill the chicken and pineapple, or cook inside.

Jerk Chicken with Grilled Pineapple and Basil Lime Rice

serves 4

CHICKEN

4 organic chicken breasts (about 6 oz each)

about 2T Jamaican Jerk seasoning – I love the Pampered Chef Jamaican Jerk Rub, but you can use any kind

2T olive oil

chicken broth

1 lime, sliced

PINEAPPLE

1 medium pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1″ strips

1T olive oil

1T honey

2T chopped fresh mint

BASIL LIME RICE

1 cup long grain white rice (like jasmine)

2 cups water

2T chopped fresh basil

1t lime zest

PREPARATION

1. Preheat broiler to high with oven rack 2/3 to the top.

2. Place 1 cup rice and 2 cups water in rice cooker; cook for 20 minutes.

3. Warm 1T honey in microwave for 10-15 seconds. Whisk in 1T olive oil. Toss pineapple in honey-olive oil mixture. Place on baking sheet and place under broiler. This will cook for about 12-15 minutes. You can turn the pineapple half way through cooking to get even browning. Don’t let this burn, but check on it to make sure the pineapple is getting nice an browned (this is where the pineapple juices bubble out to combine with the olive oil and honey, creating a sweet caramelized flavor – and OH it’s good).

4. Heat 2T olive oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken breasts with jerk rub and, using your hand, rub onto the chicken on both sides. The amount you use is up to you, but a good rule of thumb is to cover the chicken breast with the seasoning, then when you rub it, the extra falls off. Place chicken breasts in saucepan and cook until done, turning over halfway through. Cooking the chicken this way gives it a nice brown crust. If the chicken is somewhat thick and is taking too long to cook, you can add 2T chicken broth at a time and cover the pan so the chicken doesn’t dry out.

5. Add basil and lime zest to the rice and mix it up. Place rice on a plate, top with chicken and pineapple, then sprinkle with mint. Serve with a slice of lime.

Mmmmm….gotta love tacos. If you’ve read any of my blog, you know that tacos are one of my favorite things to make. I don’t even know if I’ve ever made the same taco twice – it always depends on what I have in my fridge.

I was looking for something to make the other week (yeah, I know, I’m way behind on blogging) and came across this recipe on Food Network. I will definitely be making it again! It’s really easy, and the tomatillo “pesto” (if you will) is divine. The honey makes this piece of the recipe top notch.

This is not only a very healthy recipe, it’s extremely quick. It took about 25 minutes to make this meal. Add the rice, and you’ve got a complete meal. Heck, start out with some chips and salsa if you’re feeling snacky. Oh, and don’t forget some Mexican beer to wash this down.

The taco recipe calls for grilling most of the ingredients, but I made do with a stove top and I’ll include my notations.

Shredded Chicken and Tomatillo Tacos with Queso Fresco

Serves 4

6 tomatillos, husked, washed, and grilled until blackened*

1 serrano, grilled until blackened*

olive oil

1/2 small red onion, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 lime, juiced

2 T honey

1 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken**

8 tortillas

1 cup crumbled queso fresco

Preheat the grill to medium. Add the blackened tomatillos and serrano to a small saute pan and briefly saute in a little olive oil on the grates of the grill.

*If cooking inside on stovetop: using tongs, hold tomatillos and serrano over open High flame until blackened (they’ll pop so be careful). Cut the tomatillos in quarters and roughly cut the serrano. Add to saute pan with a little olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute until soft.

Place tomatillos, serrano, onion, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, and honey in a blender and blend until smooth. Place tomatillo mixture in a large saute pan and place on the grates of the grill. (Alternately, add to saute pan on medium-high heat on stovetop). Bring themixture to a simmer, add the chicken, and heat through.

Place the tortillas on the grill (or warm in a 200 degree oven, wrapped in foil) and grill for 20 seconds on each side. Spoon the chicken mixture into the tortillas and top with a few tablespoons of the queso fresco.

**You can also purchase 1.5# organic chicken breasts and poach them in water, then shred. This keeps it healthier and you can control what additives are in the meat. In a medium pan, heat water over high heat, add chicken, when boiling, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook through. Remove chicken breasts from water. Using two forks, pull the chicken apart.

source Food Network

Toasted-garlic Rice with Fresh Herbs and Lime

Serves 6

You can really use any combination of fresh herbs, keeping cilantro and parsley as the base. My grocery store didn’t have mint or marjoram that day, so I substituted fresh tarragon. You could throw some basil in this too and I’m sure it would be delish.

You can also make this dish in a rice cooker (which is WAY easier). I’ve noted the changes below.

1 1/2 cups uncooked long-grain white rice

3 cups low sodium chicken broth

2 T fresh lime juice

2 T extra virgin olive oil

12 large garlic cloves

3/4 t salt

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

2 T chopped fresh mint

1 T chopped fresh marjoram

1 1/2 t grated lime peel

IF NOT USING RICE COOKER

Place rice in strainer. Rinse under cold water until water runs clear. Drain well. Bring broth and lime juice to simmer in medium saucepan.

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; saute until golden and sticky, about 1 minute. Add rice, stir 2 minutes. Add hot broth mixture and 3/4 t salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover. Cook until rice is tender, about 20-25 minutes. Turn off heat; let stand covered for 10 minutes. Add herbs and lime peel to rice. Fluff with fork. Season with additional salt if desired.

IF USING RICE COOKER

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; saute until golden and sticky, about 1 minute. Place rice in rice cooker. Add garlic and oil, stir to coat rice. Add chicken broth and lime juice. Cook for 20 minutes. Let stand for 5-10 minutes. Add herbs and lime peel, fluff with fork.

source Bon Appetit March 2003 on epicurious