Hungry boys no more

Poor Joel. As we headed from co-op to our afternoon of lab classes he asked if I had anything else to eat. He'd made himself a PB and J for lunch and nothing else and we had a long afternoon ahead of us. (He and Matthew are each in one lab and I teach two so we're there all afternoon). I had the remains of the leftover soup I'd heated up back at co-op. It was cold by then, but he ate it. On the way home, four hours later, he was famished. I was, too.

So, dinner needed to be delicious and filling and wonderful. I had a whole cooked chicken in the fridge that I'd boiled yesterday in anticipation of making soup later in the week. Just the ticket for the start of a very good, simple meal.

Chicken salsa saute:
1) Saute an onion, a cup or so of chopped celery, and a red sweet pepper in a little olive oil
2)Add 2-3 cups of the cooked chicken, pulled off the bones (I didn't really measure, just pulled it off til I had a skillet full)
3)Add some salsa, whatever you have. I had a green salsa made with jalapenos and tomatillas (from Trader Joes) and a little bit of very garlicky salsa (also from TJ's)

While this was simmering in the cast iron skillet, I cook brown rice in the rice cooker. And then I made this sauce:

Cheesy Salsa Sauce
1) To about a cup of stock, add a couple of TBSP flour, stir til smooth over medium heat
2) Add a cup more stock and a cup or more of sharp cheddar
3) Then stir in a 1/2 to a cup of the same salsa that's in the chicken. Stir over low heat til smooth and creamy.

So, now picture the chicken saute over brown rice with this lovely flavorful sauce on top. On the side we had roasted broccoli, roasted butternut squash (leftover) and roasted orange ginger glazed baby carrots. (Very simple - just put baby carrots in an oven dish, I used a pie plate, pour a little juice of some sort, orange is good, a TBSP of brown sugar or honey, and dash or two of ginger and roast at 450 til carrots are a little soft.) A meal full of vitamin A and other vitamins that are good for you. I always figure if there is a lot of color, there is a lot of nutrition.

chicken saute over brown rice with lot of sweet red pepper, glazed carrots, roasted broccoli, roasted butternut squash

Joel's face lit up as the food was brought to the table. I love it when I concoct a meal with surprises (like the salsa sauce) that everyone really enjoys. This was one of them.

We sat around the table and Coty read to us while we drank tea for awhile afterwards. Hungry bellies were filled and minds fed, too.