Cooking

I think I am a contrarian at heart, often in spite of my own better interests.  When it comes to cooking, I automatically scan the recipe and make mental notes of what ingredients and/or quantities I will change before any cooking begins.  For some, this approach is what makes a sophisticated cook, but I don't make food enough to warrant any kind of higher status.  It's just a given that me and the recipe start off on an adversarial foot.  I've only been enlightened to this fact for a few months.  In the past, the whole improv thing never seemed to get me into too much trouble and sometimes I might have even improved a recipe here or there.  With the kid, I've learned that improvisation plus distraction does not always taste nice.  The good news is, the at-times inedible results have made me think about why I'm always trying to break the rules.  Recently, I've tried, with success, to actually follow a few recipes...contrarian be damned.

Tonight however, I was up to my old tricks.  And it came out yummy!  I didn't have a recipe at all.  I will call it "Contrarian Chicken with Green Vegetables".  One big disclaimer is that the quantities were not actually measured - and I am counting on you to make adjustments according to your better judgement...

Contrarian Chicken with Green Vegetables

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup Trader Joe's bruschetta "tomato topping" (or any chunky tomato sauce)
1/4 - 1/2 cup breadcrumbs with Italian herbs
1/4 - 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (you could do a mix with parmesan cheese - I didn't have any)
1 egg, beaten

4 oz pasta of your choice (I like Eden Organic Kamut Udon - it has 10g of protein and 3g of fiber per serving)

1 1/2 cups green vegetables of your choice (I used a mixture of frozen peas, broccoli and spinach)

1 TB butter

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Boil water for pasta and prepare according to the directions on the box.

Slice the chicken breasts horizontally once or twice to make two or three thin fillets from each breast (you may also have little extra bits - use these too), set aside.  Cover the bottom of a pyrex pie dish with the tomato topping or sauce.  Arrange the chicken fillets to cover the tomato so they are touching but not overlapping.  Brush the chicken fillets with the egg (you will have extra egg, discard it or use it for something else).  Sprinkle an even layer of bread crumbs over the egg covered fillets.  Sprinkle the shredded cheese over this.  I added another dash of breadcrumbs for good measure.  Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

While the chicken is cooking, steam the veggies in a medium sauce pan with 1/4 inch of water and 1TB butter until done to taste (approximately 10 minutes or less).

Mix the pasta and veggies together.  Depending on the age of your diners, serve a portion of chicken over the pasta and veggies OR dice the chicken into small pieces and offer with ketchup alongside the pasta and veggies.

Serves 3 - 4

M and I were solo tonight and this was easy to make "with" her and she seemed to enjoy eating it too! The only shortcoming was that I didn't take many pictures.  

Dessert