Simple Slaw

Need a quick, lightly dressed slaw for a side dish? This one is simple, but delicious. The dressing isn't overpowering, the cabbage stays crisp for at least a day after it's made, and there are no complicated ingredients. 

There's a mystery behind this recipe from my grandmother's recipe box, though. It was placed in the "vegetables" category instead of the "salads" category, but the really interesting thing is this: no one seems to know who wrote the original recipe (the women of my family don't recognize the handwriting--and we're all old enough to have seen and used actual handwriting enough to know whose is whose. My grandmother's usual slaw recipe was a creamy style.)

Even stranger is the recipe on the back of this little slip of paper: it's for fried catfish, but the directions are downright intimidating. Since I live in the Northwest, I'm not likely to wrangle any fresh catfish anytime soon, so that means I'm a'gonna pass on this here gem. See the card pictured below if you're curious--would YOU try this recipe? ;-)

Simple Slaw

2 bags slaw mix

1 bell pepper, chopped (any color; original calls for green)

1 onion, chopped

Dressing

1/2 c. neutral oil (canola, vegetable, etc.)

1/2 c. white vinegar

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. water

Combine dressing ingredients in jar with a lid; shake to combine. Mix slaw ingredients together. Make a "well" or hole in the middle and pour the dressing in. When ready to serve, toss together. Add salt and pepper at the table as needed.

Makes about 8-10 cups slaw

Recipe from the Recipe Box pictured below. Handwriting/origin is a mystery!

Asparagus Dressing

This is a simple Hollandaise-style dressing to serve with cooked asparagus. I roasted my asparagus at 425 degrees (tossed with olive oil and salt, pepper, and garlic salt first) for about 10 minutes. Older/thicker asparagus would need a bit more time. Asparagus can be served at room temperature when prepared like this. Recipe is from The Recipe Box Project and was typed on an old typewriter by PW (I think).

Asparagus Dressing

~from my grandmother's recipe box

1 T. vinegar
3 T. vegetable or canola or other neutral oil
yolk of one hard-boiled egg, mashed
1 t. Dijon mustard
Roasted asparagus

Mix dressing ingredients together, whisking until emulsified. Drizzle over cooked asparagus.

~Makes almost half a cup, enough for a couple pounds of asparagus.

Recipe card typed on an old typewriter

Breakfast Burritos with Greens

Mmm… I can hear you now: nothin' better than taking a cheesy, meaty breakfast treat and adding greens to it (and taking out the meat!). But even the kids scarfed these down. If you're a gardener, regular farmer's market shopper, or CSA shareholder, you're likely to have greens lying about. I'm at the point where we need to eat vegetables at every meal just to use some of our produce up. These burritos are a nice way to chip away at the pile o' greens; they also are a good way to use up some leftover cooked greens as long as they were cooked simply without some sort of sauce.

Breakfast Burritos with Kale

• scrambled eggs with cheese* (about 1 egg/person)
• cooked kale--about 1 leaf/greens-eater's burrito; 1/3-1/2 leaf for non-greens-eaters' burritos
• cooked black beans (drained and rinsed if canned); about 1/4 cup per person)
• whole wheat tortillas
• salsa of choice

*if you make plain scrambled eggs, then sprinkle cheese on the top of the burrito fillings; if there's a lot of cheese in the eggs, you won't need extra on top.

1. If kale is not already cooked, strip leaves from stems and chop. Cook in a small bit of water for a few minutes until cooked. Drain well.
2. Warm tortillas in a microwave. Layer eggs, beans, and kale. Top with salsa. Mmmm

On a side note, if anyone tries to make these and freeze them, let me know. I'm thinking that might work, but don't have time to mass produce them right now.

The Burrito Bowl

Burritos can be filled with just about anything these days: corn, beans--whole or refried/mashed, rice, meat of some sort, various veggies in small pieces, cheese, salsa, etc. And if you're like me, you will always fill that little tortilla to bursting and end up with a messy plate (or lap!). And if your kids are like my kids, they will take forever to learn to hold a burrito in such a way that the entire contents doesn't land in their plate (or lap).

Enter: the Burrito Bowl, one of our favorite Dinner Bowls. Easier to eat, cheaper (good quality tortillas can add up!), and adjustable to each family member. Bonus: the ingredients are easy to keep on hand for quick meals. I keep extra cooked rice in the freezer for these kinds of meals, too, so there's very little cooking involved. We usually make our Burrito Bowls vegetarian and save the meat for our Fajita Bowls (which are essentially the same thing but with slightly different ingredients). The picture above shows some browned, ground meat we threw in because we had some leftover.

The Burrito Bowl

(these are the usual suspects in the full tummies' household; vary to suit your tastes!)

• cooked rice (about 1/2-3/4 c. per person/bowl)
• black beans, drained (about 1/4 c. per person/bowl)
• corn (thawed, drained, whatever; about 1/4 c. per person/bowl)
• shredded cheese
• salsa
• cilantro if you've got it

Layer in order given. If we throw in veggies to this--which we don't usually because this is an "end-of-the-month" type meal or a quick-and-easy-to-throw-together type meal--just chop them fairly small.

Simple Braised Mustard Greens

Even our kids enjoy mustard greens--probably the only "greens" we can all agree on. And this is one of the simplest greens recipes I make. It's enjoyed enough to be requested for birthday dinners! This past week, we got a nice bunch in our share from the Colvins, and tonight we had them as part of my daughter's birthday dinner. I figured it was time I put this recipe here on full tummies.

A few words about mustard greens (and any greens, really). First, start with good greens. Seems obvious, doesn't it. Those big packages of "pre-washed/pre-chopped" greens often yield mostly stems. It's better to buy them loose, even though it's more work (or get them from a local farmer like we do!). And I gotta tell you: the greens we get from the Colvins are gorgeous with all this purple and green. They turn just plain green when cooked, though.

Second, make sure you wash them thoroughly--several changes of water, if necessary.

Third, weigh your bunch. This is helpful if you're not very familiar with greens and their amounts. What I have pictured above is about 12 ounces! That's all--and it's overflowing my 12 cup bowl before it's chopped. Remember, greens cook down considerably. You'll want about 4 ounces, raw, per serving. The above picture is what all those greens cooked down to!

Fourth, remove those larger stems and then chop the greens. I just fold a leaf in half like this.

Then I just slice off the stems--I don't worry if it's not perfect. If your stems aren't big, you may not need to do this at all.

Simple Braised Mustard Greens
(note the ratio, here; you can adjust this recipe up or down quite easily)

• 1 pound washed greens, chopped
• 4 c. water
• 2 t. Paula Deen's house seasoning

1. Chop stems off and chop greens if you haven't.
2. Bring water to a boil in a large pot.
3. Add seasoning and greens, stirring until all greens have wilted (this will just take a minute or so).
4. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes. Baby greens will take less time. You want greens to be tender but not mushy. 
   
   
5. Drain and serve!

 ~serves 4

Roasted Green Beans

Man, oh man, if you've never tried roasting green beans, you're in for a treat. My husband is the one who got us started down this road. As soon as we got green beans from the Colvins this summer, we made these. Mmmmm

Roasted Green Beans

• green beans, fresh or frozen
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• seasonings*

For fresh green beans: trim beans, cut into 3- to 4-inch lengths, and parboil for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. Pat dry.

For frozen green beans: let beans thaw (I leave them out on the counter during the day). Drain and pat dry.

*Seasonings: we like Paula Deen's house seasoning (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder) or salt and pepper plus onion powder or salt plus garlic powder. Alternately, toss the beans in garlic-flavored olive oil and add salt. Salt and garlic are the essentials here.

Toss beans in olive oil and seasonings of choice. Spread out on jelly roll pan or in roasting pan. You don't need a single layer, but you also don't want them piled high. Roast at 400-425 degrees (or even 450), stirring every few minutes, until desired tenderness. The outsides will shrivel slightly. At 425 degrees, they take roughly 20-30 minutes or so (also depends on how soft they are to start with; thawed beans from frozen start out a touch softer).


Enjoy!!

Summer Squash with Basil

YUM YUM YUM

I could stop there, but I'll add that the kids enjoyed this one, too, even though they're not squash fans. It's easy and, in the summer, inexpensive. We got our squash and basil both in our CSA basket two weeks in a row. Thanks, Colvins!

Summer Squash with Basil
~inspired by a similar recipe in the 1997 ed. of Joy of Cooking that uses parsley

Yellow summer squash, chopped into 3/4-inch pieces (we used 4 medium-sized squash)
Olive oil
Minced garlic (2-3 cloves, depending on amount of squash)
Snipped fresh basil (about 1/3 cup)

Pour in some olive oil into a nonstick or cast iron skillet and heat over medium heat. When hot, toss in squash and saute for a few minutes until it's starting to get tender. Raise the heat if you want to cook it faster. We like ours still a touch firm/crunchy.

When squash is pretty much ready, toss in basil and garlic cloves and stir a few times.

Enjoy!

~Serves 4-6

Easiest Salad Ever

Easiest salad ever--for real! The method is the key (and my thanks to my neighbor Lisa for first telling me to mix salad this way). If you're fortunate enough to have flavored oils and/or vinegars on hand, by all means give them a try in this. I need hardly say this is best with super fresh lettuce, but even supermarket lettuce will do in a pinch. Now that our CSA pick-ups have started, this will become a regular feature at our house.

• chopped lettuce, any type
• any other bits and pieces (small pieces salad veggies, bacon bits, whatever)
• olive oil
• balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper
• shaved or shredded cheese, if desired (herb-flavored cheeses like pesto or dill are especially nice)

In a bowl, combine lettuce and veggies. Pour in a small amount of olive oil and balsamic vinegar (I use 1/2 tablespoon each for about 4-5 cups of greens + miscellaneous veggies). Toss all together with your hands. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Kentucky Hot Browns

We had a long-standing Derby Day party with our neighbors every year (until they moved away... sniff sniff). Originally, we got together to watch the Kentucky Derby as an excuse to try mint juleps. Yum! We discovered we liked them, and the annual event grew each year until we had Kentucky Hot Browns and Derby Pie along with our juleps. Forget Cinco de Mayo! Try this easy sandwich this weekend and tune into the Derby for two minutes of horse-riding excitement and fame. Wear a big hat just for fun.

Kentucky Hot Browns
~from Southern Living

• 4 pieces Texas toast or other thick white bread
• 3/4 pound sliced roasted turkey (can use good quality deli meat)
• 1/2 c. butter*
• 1/3 c. flour*
• 3 1/2 c. milk*
• 1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese*
• 1/4 t. salt*
• 1/4 t. pepper*
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 3 plum tomatoes sliced or diced
• 8 bacon slices, cooked

*These ingredients are to make a basic white sauce with cheese (Mornay sauce). You can also use a recipe you already know/like or add cheese to my Microwave Bechamel Sauce. Directions for the Southern Living Mornay sauce here: Melt butter in a 3-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour; cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil, and cook, whisking constantly, 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Whisk in Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.

1. Preheat broiler with rack 6 inches from heat. Toast bread 1-2 minutes on each side.
2. Arrange bread on broiler safe pan or in individual broiler-safe dishes. Top with turkey. Pour Mornay sauce over and sprinkle extra cheese on top. Broil 3-4 minutes or until bubbly and light brown.
3. Top with chopped tomatoes and bacon slices.
4. Eat immediately.

~Serves 4

Chicken Curry with Zucchini

Of course this won't appeal to you if you don't like curry. But if you DO like curry, then this might be a good way to help get that zucchini down! This is a Southeast Asian style curry with fresh basil and coconut milk. Mmmm.... It's also quite easy. It's Aldi friendly as long as you have curry powder and coconut milk on hand (which I always do ☺). If you don't grow basil, I'd just leave it out. Dried won't work, and it will be good without--just a little different.

Chicken Curry with Zucchini
~from coconut milk can!

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 T. curry powder (yes--2 tablespoons)
• 1/4 t. cinnamon
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 c. chicken broth (about 1 can)
• 1 1/2 c. lite coconut milk (about 1 can)
• 1 t. salt
• 1/4 t. pepper
• 1/2 c. fresh basil leaves, torn
• 1/4 c. chopped almonds (we didn't use)
• cooked white (or brown) rice

1. Combine chicken with curry powder and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in skillet over medium-medium high heat. Cook onion and zucchini until crisp-tender (about 4-5 minutes). Remove from skillet.
3. Heat remaining oil in skillet and cook chicken until browned, about 5 minutes. Add broth, coconut milk, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked through (about 5-7 minutes). Add zucchini mixture back in for last minute or so to heat through.
4. Serve over rice and sprinkle with basil (and almonds, if using).

 ~Serves 4

The P3: Pasta, Pesto, and Produce

This is one of our regular features around here and more of an idea than a recipe, really. We like summer squash in this along with some onion and some carrots, but you can use just about anything that sounds good to you. The picture is not awesome because I snapped it in a hurry one night--we make this on the fly, and I'm rarely staging any pictures of the process :-). The combo in the pictures is chicken sausage, kale, carrots, and yellow squash (and pesto, of course). All veggies came from our weekly CSA basket.

The P3

• Pasta of choice
• Veggies of choice (amount is entirely up to you!)
• Pesto
• Extra Parmesan cheese
• protein (sausage, chicken, tofu, etc.) is optional

1. Prepare veggies: thin strips (julienned, deseeded, etc.) work best. Group them in clumps of similar cooking times (carrots and onions with peppers, squashes held until the end, etc.).
2. Cook noodles.
3. Saute veggies in scant amount of oil, beginning with the ones that take longest to cook. I only cook them until just barely tender, especially the squash.
4. When noodles are done, drained, and back in their big pot, add the veggies and toss. Then add a few spoonfuls of pesto and toss.

Serve topped with extra Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes sprinkled on top.

Zucchini Beef Skillet

Another zucchini recipe from my friend Megan (my LiterariTea partner). This looks easy and widely adaptable. I'm looking forward to checking it out. We often use ground turkey in lieu of ground beef, and I'm assuming that would work here.

Zucchini Beef Skillet

~from Megan

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 sm. Onion, chopped
• 1 (16-oz.) can tomatoes
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• ¾ tsp. salt
• dash pepper
• ¾ lb. zucchini, sliced (may also use yellow squash)

In skillet, brown beef with onion; drain. Add tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Mix in zucchini. Cover and cook 15 minutes longer, or until zucchini is tender. Serve.

*(May also add cooked black beans, green beans, corn, etc, or season with herbs to taste.)

~Serves?? Looks like 4-6 or so...maybe  more depending on what you add/serve it with.

Resurrection Rolls (aka Empty Tomb Rolls)

A fitting recipe on which to end my Lenten fast from blogging this year: resurrection rolls. Carrie and I first made these a couple of years ago, and they're yummy! Kids can help, and they are a fun visual reminder of what we will be celebrating this coming Easter Sunday in particular. Recipe can be increased as many times as you'd like. We've served these as snack food, as dessert, or as a breakfast treat.

1 tube crescent rolls
8 marshmallows
melted butter
cinnamon sugar mixture--just eyeball it (remember, cinnamon goes a long way)

Roll marshmallows in melted butter
Roll marshmallows in cinnamon sugar mixture
Wrap up each marshmallow in a crescent triangle, sort of making a rounded ball--seal up every little corner.

Bake according to directions on crescent roll tube--it is best if you make these on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet.... they are quite gooey! The marshmallows melt (if they're not fully melted when you take them out of the oven, let them sit for a few minutes). Then, they look like the empty tomb!

Enjoy

Light and Easy Italian Chicken

Carrie and I both make this a lot; I can't believe I've never put the recipe on here! It's tasty, easy, inexpensive (when boneless, skinless chicken is on sale), and very family-friendly. It's even company friendly. Serve with a pasta or potatoes or rice and a veggie or salad. Enjoy.

~from Heart and Soul: a Memphis Junior League Cookbook

• 6 chicken breast halves, skinned and boned*
• 1/2 c. reduced-calorie Italian salad dressing (or regular)
• 1/4 t. pepper
• 1 t. snipped fresh tarragon or basil or 1/2 t. dried tarragon or basil, crushed
• 1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• extra fresh herbs, if available, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken in a 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Fill dish with about 1/4 inch of water. Pour dressing over chicken. Sprinkle with pepper, then herbs. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake about 20 minutes, or until tender. Garnish with fresh herbs, if using.

~Serves 6*

*I don't even use the recipe anymore. I just use enough chicken for my family and use the same method described. I don't measure; I just pour dressing over and sprinkle herbs and cheese until it looks okay. This is a great go to recipe.

Cinnamon-Apple Chex Mix

While not as ubiquitous as the original Chex Winter Party Mix, alternate versions like this sweet one are showing up premade in grocery stores and gas stations all the time. Now you can make some at home!

~from back of Wheat Chex box

• 5 c. multi-bran Chex or wheat Chex cereal
• 1 c. lightly salted whole almonds
• 1/4 c. butter or margarine
• 1/3 c. packed brown sugar
• 2 T. light corn syrup
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1 c. chopped dried apples
• 1/2 c. vanilla yogurt-covered raisins

1. In large microwavable bowl, mix cereal and almonds; set aside.
2. In 2-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and cinnamon uncovered on High about 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute, until mixture is boiling; stir. Pour over cereal mixture, stirring until evenly coated.
3. Microwave uncovered on High 3 minutes, stirring and scraping bowl after every minute. Stir in apples; microwave uncovered on High about 2 minutes or until apples just begin to brown on edges.
4. Spread on waxed paper or foil to cool, about 5 minutes. Place in serving bowl; stir in raisins. Store in airtight container.

~Makes 16 (1/2-cup) servings

Penne with Chicken and Broccoli

My kids love "dry" pasta dishes; ones with meat, broccoli, and noodles are always a winner. This one is very mild; I added extra adobo seasoning to it after it was done. This is a light meal--serve with raw veggies and fruit for a nice, healthy meal!

~From Better Homes and Gardens Eat Well and Lose Weight

• 8 ounces dried whole wheat or multigrain penne pasta (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 3 c. broccoli florets
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 t. adobo seasoning*
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 c. light mayonnaise or salad dressing
• 1/8 t. black pepper
• 2 T. shaved Parmesan

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, adding broccoli for last 5 minutes. Drain well. Return to hot pot.
2. In a medium bowl, combine chicken and adobo seasoning; toss to coat. In a large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook and stir for 30 seconds. Add chicken; cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink, stirring occasionally.
3. Add chicken to drained pasta and broccoli in large pot. Stir in mayo and pepper. Cook over low heat until heated through, stirring occasionally. 
4. To serve, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

~Serves 4-6

*you can make your own adobo seasoning easily.

To freeze: cut chicken and season and place in small ziploc bag; attach to bag of frozen broccoli and bag of pasta--either raw or cooked. Thaw overnight and proceed with recipe!

Hamburger Stroganoff

This is a favorite around here and a dish I grew up eating. Easy, inexpensive, adaptable--perfect. The recipe below is as specific as I can get--it's very flexible.

• 1 pound ground turkey or beef
• 1/2 c. chopped onion
• 3 T. butter
• 1 T. flour
• 1 t. salt
• 1/4 t. pepper
• 4 oz. can mushrooms*
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 c. sour cream
• cooked rice 

*just for the record, I leave out the mushrooms 'cuz we don't like them. 

1. Brown meat and onions in butter. Add garlic to the meat mixture along with the mushrooms. (Drain mushrooms for a thicker sauce; leave undrained for a thinner sauce.) Sprinkle flour, salt, and pepper over browned meat. Heat to boiling and then simmer 10 minutes, stirring constantly. (My mom and I are puzzled at this "direction" since there's not much to "boil"--so I sort of skip it...or bring things to "boiling" and then just go to the next step.)
2. Blend soup and sour cream together. Add to meat mixture.
3. Heat through.
4. Serve over hot rice.

Serves 4-6.

Smoky Black Bean Dip/Spread

We are BIG black bean fans around here (well, my husband and I are... the kids are coming around). My husband also is a chipotle addict; no matter what the recipe is, he would add a bit of chipotle to kick it up a notch. We use this dip as a quesadilla filling. Spread it on and sprinkle some cheese on top. It would make a great addition to a wrap as well or dip for tortilla chips (MUCH less fattening than queso dips). And, important in this day of increasing grocery prices: it's cheap!

• 2 cups cooked black beans plus 1/2 cup cooking liquid or water (about 1 can)
• 1 T. oil (or less if you're cutting back)
• 1/4 c. chopped green onions
• 1 t. grd. coriander
• 1 t. grd. cumin
• 1/4 c. chopped cilantro (optional but great)
• 1 t. chopped chipotle chile (or just one whole chipotle chile)*
• juice of 2-3 limes
• salt

*from those canned in adobo sauce; keep leftovers in a ziploc bag in the fridge--they'll keep for a few months

1. Heat beans and water in a pot until warm.
2. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat; add onions and spices and cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes.
3. Put beans, onion mixture, cilantro--if using--and chipotle in a blender (let cool slightly) and puree. Add lime juice and salt to taste.

~Makes about 2 cups

Broccoli Salad

Why, oh why, have I never made this before? It's that tried-and-true broccoli salad with the raisins, bacon, and nuts that appears on so many buffet lines. And I love it! And now I know: it's SUPER easy to make. Easy to double or triple! Not so cheap and healthy, but at least it contains real foods :-). And when do we Southerners ever pass up a chance to pair bacon with a vegetable? Add mayonnaise and it's dream food.

~from Heart and Soul, a Memphis Junior League Cookbook (titled "Broccoli with a Twist")

• 1 1/2 c. mayo or salad dressing
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 2 T. cider vinegar
• 1 T. lemon juice
• 5 c. broccoli florets*
• 1/2 c. raisins
• 1/2 c. chopped pecans, toasted
• 1/2 c. chopped red onion
• 12 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled**

*about 2 bunches broccoli or 1 pound of pre-cut florets
**can substitute 1 package pre-cooked bacon here

1. Whisk mayo, sugar, vinegar, and lemon juice together.
2. Toss broccoli, raisins, pecans, red onion, and bacon together. Stir in dressing.
3. Serve immediately or chill until serving.

~Makes 6 side-dish servings

Apple-Glazed Chicken with Spinach

Another simple, healthy, and delicious meal! I have to confess that my kids turned their noses up at the spinach, but I'm going to chalk that up to plain ol' orneriness. They've eaten cooked spinach in the past and this is VERY mild tasting. You really must use fresh spinach here. If you use red-skinned apples, this dish is extra pretty. This is a great option for these progressively cooler nights when you want something warmer than a side salad. I served some potatoes on the side for a starch.

~Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Eat Well Lose Weight Cookbook

• 1/2 c. apple jelly*
• 2 T. reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 T. snipped fresh thyme or 1 t. dried thyme, crushed
• 1 t. finely shredded lemon peel
• 1 t. grated fresh ginger
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (1 to 1 1/4 pounds total)
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. pepper
• 2 medium apples, cored and coarsely chopped (bite-size)
• 1/2 c. sliced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 10-12 ounces fresh spinach

*I subbed in 1/3 c. apple juice concentrate with honey to make it a full 1/2 cup

1. Preheat broiler. For glaze, combine apple jelly, soy sauce, thyme, lemon peel, and ginger in a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on high for about a minute or just until jelly is melted, stirring once. Set aside 1/4 cup glaze.
2. Season chicken with half of the salt and pepper. Place on unheated rack of broiler pan. Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat for 12 to 15 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink. Turn once and brush with remaining glaze during last 5 minutes of cooking.
3. Meanwhile, spray a large saucepan with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat over medium heat. Add apples, onion, and garlic; cook and stir for about 3 minutes. Stir in reserved 1/4 cup glaze and bring to boiling. Add spinach and toss just until wilted. Sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper.
4. Serve chicken over/with spinach mixture.

~Makes 4 servings