Time is always short. Work. Relax. Eat. Sleep. Work. Who has time to plan, shop, and cook? I do.
And out of the goodness of my heart, I’ll do the planning for you and
share two tongue tingling recipes.
Your job is simple. All you have to do is stop by your favorite
grocer on the way home. When you get
home, blast through the door and even before you take off your coat, pop the
oven on to 375ºF or 190ºC. You’ll be
able get this exciting, lip smacking meal ready in about 30-45 minutes,
depending on how fast you chop.
Your spouse won’t even have
time to complain. Hey, even Dominoes
doesn’t deliver this fast!
If you’re not married, even
better. You get to impress the man or
woman of your naïve dreams. But first
hand a glass of splendid wine to your significant other, or the date you now
recognize as a momentary lapse in judgment.
Or do what I did last night and mix a pitcher of Bloody Marys. That’ll keep the conversation flowing while
you prepare to impress.
Oh, yeah, these recipes are
especially delicious and if the person you’re cooking for doesn’t like ‘em,
either show ‘em the door, or if you’re married, cry and plead for
forgiveness. No problem if you’re the
man of the house. You’re used to
begging.
First
do the chopping and other prep for the salad.
1 Eggplant, split and then
thinly sliced
2 Cans chickpeas, drained,
rinsed, and dried
Cherry tomatoes cut in half
(your choice how many)
1 Red onion, peeled and thinly
sliced.
2 Cloves of garlic, peeled and
roughly chopped
- put
the sliced onion and garlic in a bowl and marinate with 1/3 cup of seasoned rice vinegar. Toss the mixture around from time to time. Add a sprinkle or two of garlic powder.
1 lemon, juiced and part of
the rind grated (I use a rough grate)
Small handful of fresh mint,
leaves roughly chopped
Handful of sliced almonds (or
slivered) browned in a pan with a bit of oil
Olive Oil
Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper
as desired
Set
the salad makings aside.
Then
make the Chicken.
Seductively
Simple Chicken
3 Boneless, skinless chicken
half- breasts will feed two people
Salt and pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper and powdered Cumin
to taste
Olive oil
Yellow corn meal
Use a baking pan (glass or
metal) that comfortably holds the chicken, with room to spare. Slice the chicken breasts in half,
lengthwise. Splash some olive oil in the
baking pan and add the chicken. Season
with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and cumin.
Dust loosely with cornmeal.
Splash with more olive oil and mix everything together by hand. Pop the chicken in your pre-heated oven and
set the timer for 30 minutes. That’s it
for the chicken!
If you’ve got another oven,
use it, otherwise let the chicken finish cooking.
Set the cooked chicken breasts
aside and cover with foil to keep them warm.
I love warm breasts.
Reset the oven for broil.
Putting together the Minted Eggplant and Chickpea Salad
Sliced Eggplant popped in the oven |
Splash some olive oil on a
large baking sheet/pan and spread the sliced eggplant evenly. Splash more olive
oil over the eggplant. Place the pan
under the broiler and let the eggplant get golden brown. Flip the slices and brown the other side. Remove
the eggplant and put the slices in a large bowl.
Put the chickpeas on the same
baking sheet/pan you used for the chicken, then put the chickpeas under the
broiler until they are golden brown. Add
the chickpeas to the eggplant bowl.
Don’t drain the onions and
garlic, just add them to the bowl, along with the tomatoes, and mint. Splash on some olive oil, all the lemon
juice and grated rind. Add the
seasonings and mix well. Sprinkle the
toasted almonds over the top.
Bout time to top-off the wine
glasses, don’t ya think? Salude! Prost!
Cheers!
Here’s
a conundrum. If the stomach is the way
to a man’s heart, what’s the way to a woman’s heart? Look for the answer in your next life.
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