l.a.a.a.cuisine

a little help, here . . .

sometimes i like to make dinner all by myself. other times, it is just too lonely in the kitchen. tonight was one of those nights and josh was very cooperative and helpful and we crafted an AWESOME dinner together. we had:

Chicken and Asparagus in White Wine
october 2007 cooking light

except i used broccoli where it says 'asparagus.' it worked.

Ingredients
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound asparagus spears, trimmed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation
Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Sprinkle chicken breasts evenly with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place flour in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in flour. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add wine, broth, and garlic to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; cook 2 minutes. Add asparagus; cover and cook 3 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Remove from heat; stir in parsley and juice. Serve asparagus and sauce with chicken.

i also made this, from the same magazine:

Hearty Quinoa with Sautéed Apples and Almonds

Ingredients
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup finely diced carrot (about 2)
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson Certified Organic)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups finely diced unpeeled Granny Smith apple (about 1)
3 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation
Place quinoa in a fine sieve; place sieve in a large bowl. Cover quinoa with water. Using your hands, rub grains together for 30 seconds; rinse and drain. Repeat procedure twice. Drain well.
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and garlic to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender and carrot begins to brown. Stir in broth, quinoa, salt, and cinnamon; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat. Fluff with a fork; keep warm.

Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add apple to pan; sauté 7 minutes or until apple begins to brown. Add apple, almonds, and pepper to quinoa, tossing to combine. Serve warm.

our mutual verdict on quinoa was: it's good.

posted by sarah (SHU) @ 6:18 PM