Cilantro Lime Rice

Horror of horrors, we were cleaning out the freezer and found a pack of chicken legs. Just to get rid of them, we marinated it is a simple vinaigrette dressing and grilled them up, and served them with a simple rice dish, similar to the recipe used at Chipotle. It was supposed to be a meal just to get rid of the chicken, but it turned out so good that we are already planning to have it again soon.

Cilantro Lime Rice

1 teaspoon vegetable oil or butter
2 tsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
2/3 cup rice (or barley, wheat, or other whole grain)
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Lime

Cook the rice with the salt in a steamer, then stir in the butter, cilantro and squeeze the lime over the rice. Toss to fluff and serve.

Artichoke Chicken on Whole Grains

This recipe comes straight from the FlyLady emails. It is one of our favorite meals, and we use it whenever company comes over because it makes us feel fancy. We usually bat our eyelashes as they say it looks good, then smile demurely and thank them for the wonderful compliment.

Never mind that we eat cold cereal just as often as a real dinner. Please don't let our secret out.

We get the jars of artichokes at Aldi's, and it comes with olives, pimento, and artichokes. We then leave out the red peppers and mushrooms. The sauce made out of the artichoke marinade is what makes it yummy, so we experiment with the other ingredients.

Artichoke Chicken

1 jar of marinated artichokes

3 chicken breasts

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1 jar roasted red peppers, sliced

3/4 C chicken broth

1/2 C apple juice (or more chicken broth)

1 T cornstarch

2 cups barley, steamed like rice

Drain the artichokes into a skillet on medium high. Cube raw chicken with kitchen shears, then cook it in the liquid for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in mushrooms. Cook 4 more minutes until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in artichokes and peppers.

In a medium bowl, combine apple juice and corn starch. Gradually stir into chicken mixture. Boil, stirring constantly for 1 minute until thickened. Put grains on your plate and top with chicken mixture.

Manhattan Clam Chowder

The first time I ate clam chowder I had the misfortune of getting some dirt in my bowl. It was from the cafeteria at work, and I was already leery of that food. Then it happened again - and again - and again. EVERY time I somehow ended up with a little bit of dirt in my bowl. Granted, I grew up in a home where we ate red meat, so I wasn't used to a lot of meaty flavors or textures. In fact, the first time I cooked chicken (in middle school) I completely freaked out when it started to turn white. Luckily, Kristin's boyfriend was there to tell us it was just starting to cook. *WHEW* That was a disaster barely averted.

Anyway, back to the clam chowder. In 1939 the good people of Maine were so upset when they heard of a tomato based clam chowder that they proposed a bill to outlaw tomatoes in clam chowder. When I heard that, the rebel in me perked up her ears, and here we are - making Manhattan Clam Chowder. It is my first time eating the Manhattan version, so I am not sure how it compares to other recipes, but this one is pretty darn good. It comes from Dr. Mirkin's website. . .

This is really more like clam stew. It doesn't sound as good as the word "chowder" but when I hear "chowder" I think of a thick, creamy soup. This is beef stew where all the beef has been usurped by clams.

Don't they look funny in the can? I had one can of chopped and one can of minced and upon close inspection, I can't tell the difference. If you don't like the grainy texture of clams, give them a few taste tests. They grow on you until you feel sad when you don't get a grainy bite.

Manhattan Clam Chowder

3 C chicken or fish bouillon

2 carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 C potato, chopped

2 cans of stewed tomatoes

1 t oregano

pinch cayenne

1/2 C barley, cooked

2 cans green beans

2 cans chopped clams and their juice

Combine the bouillon, carrots, celery, potato, tomatoes, oregano, cayenne and barley and simmer until the vegetables are tender. Add the green beans and the clams with their juice and heat about 5 minutes until warm. Revel in the knowledge that you are a wild, crazy rebel as you savor each bite. Then hope you get to travel to Maine someday to eat the blueberries. Make a mental note to not mention MANHATTAN clam chowder when you are there.