Vegetable chicken skillet meal
This one-dish main course offers a variety of colours and delicious flavour.
- 4 chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 tbsp. olive oil, divided 60 mL
- 4 c. broccoli florets 1 L
- 1 yellow bell pepper cut into bite-sized pieces 1
- 1 red bell pepper cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 c. carrots, sliced 250 mL
- 1 tbsp. minced ginger 15 mL
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
Hint: the ingredients of the stir fry should all be cut to a similar size so the cooking time is the same.
Read Also
Restaurant blends zero waste, ancient farming
A Mexico City restaurant has become a draw for its zero-waste kitchen, which means that every scrap of food and leftovers is reused for other purposes.
Stir-fry sauce:
- 2 tbsp. corn starch 30 mL
- 1/4 c. cold water 60 mL
- 1/2 c. chicken broth 125 mL
- 6 tbsp. soy sauce 90 mL
- 1/2 c. honey 125 mL
- 2 tbsp. sesame oil 30 mL
- 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes 5 mL(optional, gives a bit of heat if desired)
In a mixing bowl, combine the corn starch and water. Add remaining ingredients, whisk to combine and set aside.
Add two tbsp. of olive oil to a large skillet or wok and heat over medium high heat.
Add chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cook for three to five minutes or until cooked through. Remove from skillet.
Reduce heat to medium and add remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet.
Add broccoli, peppers, carrots or equal vegetables of your choice and cook, stirring occasionally, just until crisp tender. Add ginger and garlic and cook for an additional minute.
Add chicken back into the skillet and stir to combine.
Pour the stir fry over chicken and vegetables and combine.
Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, and let boil for one minute.
Serve with rice, if desired.
Note: You could substitute vegetables of your choice to make up the required amounts. For example, snow peas, cauliflower, mushrooms, onions and green beans would all be excellent in this dish.
Serves four to six. Source: www.momontimeout.com
Chocolate cake without flour
This brownie-like cake offers a gluten-free option with rich chocolate taste. Did you know that the flavonoids found in chocolate are natural antioxidants that help our bodies stay healthy? However, the more your chocolate is processed, the fewer flavonoids it will have. Dark chocolate has the most flavonoids. Side your dessert plate with fresh berries and of course a dollop of fresh whipped cream.
- 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks
- (I substituted in some dark chips and some leftover pieces of solid chocolate) 250 mL
- 1/2 c. butter, room temperature 125 mL
- 3/4 c. granulated sugar 175 mL
- 1/4 tsp. salt 1 mL
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract 5 mL
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 c. cocoa 125 mL
Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C).
Lightly grease a metal eight-inch (20 cm) round cake pan and cut a piece of parchment paper to fit, place it in the bottom of the pan and grease the top of the paper. Note: you can use a nine-inch (22 cm) spring form pan but the cake will be shorter and the cooking time will be less.
To make the cake:
Melt the chocolate and butter until combined and smooth.
You can microwave for about 40 seconds, or melt over low heat on the stovetop, stirring often. Once melted, transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Stir in the sugar, salt and vanilla, stir.
Then add the eggs, mixing until smooth. Add the cocoa powder and mix just to combine.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake the cake for 25 minutes; the top will have formed a thin crust.
Remove it from the oven and cool it in the pan for five minutes.
Loosen the edges of the pan with a table knife or nylon spreader and turn onto a serving plate. The top will now be on the bottom; that’s fine.
Once cool, sift icing sugar over the chocolate top for presentation. Dress with berries and whipped cream.
Note: You can also do a ganache topping by melting one c. /250 mL semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate with 1/2 c./125 mL heavy cream.
Spread the topping over the cooled cake.
Let set before serving.
I prefer the cake without the ganache due to it being too sweet for me. I get the extra sweetness from the berries.
Serves eight. Source: adapted from www.kingarthurbaking.com
Cinnamon Snickerdoodles without butter
This cinnamon cookie is for those who would like to experiment with using oil to make their cookies. It’s an interesting twist in taste and feel of the dough, but still offering sweet satisfaction.
Serve with hot chocolate, tea, coffee or a tall glass of cool milk.
- 1 1/2 c. white sugar 375 mL
- 1 c. vegetable oil (I used organic extra virgin olive oil for the healthy polyphenols) 250 mL
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract 5 mL
- 3 c. all-purpose flour 750 mL
- 1 tsp. baking soda 5 mL
- 1/2 tsp. salt 2 mL
- 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 7 mL
For sugar coating:
- 1/4 c. white sugar 60 mL
- 1 tsp. cinnamon 5 mL
Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C) degrees.
Mix the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon on top, mix everything together to form a thick dough.
Form the dough into one-inch (three cm) balls and coat each ball in the sugar coating.
Place cookies a few inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet, flattening them slightly if desired. Bake on a cool pan for each batch, otherwise they will spread too much.
Bake for eight to 10 minutes until slightly brown on the bottom. Makes about three dozen cookies.
Source: adapted from Recipes from a Young Poet.
Jodie Mirosovsky is a home economist from Rosetown, Sask., and a member of Team Resources. Contact: team@producer.com.
