Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chimichangas.

When I first saw this recipe I was suspicious.  Whenever a recipe says "vegan"  I start to think, "not a chance in he%$"  Why?  It is a whole psycho-social reactionary thing...but, I can handle vegetarian, but mostly I want healthy and tasty.  I keep trying to find ways to use beans and vegetables in  nourishing and delicious ways, and this is it baby.  Now, I will mention, that I did find a way to make it non vegan, and after a few fixes, ended up making it more chimichanga style.  Yum!

Black Beans and Sweet Potato Chimi's
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp oil
1/2 onion
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
handful of spinach
1 clove of garlic
1 roasted, and chopped green chili or 1 4 oz can of green chilies
2 cups of cooked black beans, or 1 can rinsed and drained (I used black beans with jalapenos to up the spice)
2 chopped medium tomatoes (or 1 can of diced tomatoes)
1/2 cup sweet corn
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper
12 flour tortillas (I used Mission's new blue corn and flax...they were good!)

 salsa


optional toppings:
plain greek yogurt, avocado slices, cheese...anything else that makes you happy.

Saute onion until translucent, add garlic and sweet potatoes.  Saute until soft, add spinach, green chilis, black beans, tomatoes and spices.  Simmer together and adjust seasoning to taste. 

Spray bottom of 9x13 pan with  non stick spray, add a 1/2 cup of salsa to the bottom of the pan.  Place filling in the middle of a tortilla, roll and place seam to the side, place on top of salsa.  Continue with the rest of tortilla and fillings and add to pan.  Place dots of butter to the top of the tortilla's add another quarter cup of salsa.  

Cook at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Flip over and add more butter to the top of the tortillas and add a handful of cheese , if you are non vegaing and desire cheese.  ook until brown and crispy, another 5 minutes or so. 

Add other toppings and eat!  Fantastic!!  I really enjoyed it. 

Curried Chicken Over Spinach

 Well, some more healthy eats brought to by the World's Healthiest Foods website.  This one is both sweet and savory.  I am really picky about my curry powder, if it is too strong, I can not eat it.  I found a wonderful one at Penzeys.  This recipe didn't originally call for sweet potato or quinoa.  I added them to up the complex nutritional level and to make it a little more filling.  I have found that quinoa stays with me a little longer, and with my long days, things that help me not be hungry is important.  So if you don't have quinoa or sweet potato, no big deal, you can still make it as is and it will be fantastic.  So curry away!

Curried Chicken Over Spinach

Prep and Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

·                         3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces (6oz each)

·                         1 1/2 cup chicken stock

·                         3 cloves garlic, sliced

·                         1 TBS fresh ginger chopped, or 1/2 tsp dried

·                         1 tsp curry powder

·                         1 medium sized onion, cut in half and sliced

·                         1 medium sized red bell pepper julienne about 1 inch long

             1/2 sweet potato peeled and chopped...or as I do it, chopped then peeled. 

·                         1/2 cup coconut milk, make sure it is mixed well before using ( used a whole cup since I mixed in quinoa)

            1/2 cup quinoa

·                         4 bunches fresh spinach

·                         salt & white pepper to taste
**after making this, I found the flavors still a little too strong for me, so I added a dollop of plain greek yogurt, it was perfect, and made it a lovely creamy consistency. 

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil for spinach. While water is coming to a boil, cut chicken into bite sized pieces. Healthy Sauté onion in a medium sauté pan over medium low heat for about 5 minutes stirring frequently. Add garlic and fresh ginger and continue to sauté for another minute. Add and curry and mix well. Add , chicken, bell peppers, and sweet potato. Saute for 2 minutes.  Add stock, quinoa and coconut milk and simmer until chicken is done, about 12 minutes. Season with salt and white pepper.
2. While chicken is cooking, cut ends off the bunch of spinach all at once. Don't bother trying to do it one stem at a time. It will take you too long and it is not necessary. Rinse spinach well and drop into boiling water for just 1 minute. Strain and press dry. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Place spinach on plates and top with chicken mixture.

Spicy Black Bean Burger and Vinegar and Salt Kale Chips

I know, I know...I was skeptical also, but for the burger, I trusted the Pioneer Woman's recommendation.  She has never led me astray, and since I wanted to increase my bean intake, I thought this was the way to go.  My bountiful basket provided the kale, and I never know what to do with kale, and these chips were suggested, they just added olive oil and salt, but I like vinegar.  It all worked out and I feel great!  So here is some more tasty, healthy eats!!

Spicy Black Bean Burgers

by EatLiveRun

6 Ingredients

• 1 whole Jalapeno (I didn't have a jalapeno, so I used chipotle sauce)
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 2 cans (15 Oz.) Black Beans, Drained And Rinsed
• 2 teaspoons Cumin
• 1-¼ teaspoon Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Ground Flax
• 3 Tablespoons Water
• ½ cups Panko Breadcrumbs
• 2 Tablespoons Tomato Sauce
• ½ cups Corn, Fresh Or Frozen And Defrosted
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil, For Frying Burgers
• 6 whole Hamburger Buns
• Optional Garnishes: Avocado Slices, Sriracha Chili Sauce And Ketchup

 Preparation Instructions

Seed and roughly chop the jalapeno. Add it and the garlic cloves to a food processor (or high speed blender) and mince finely. (Alternatively, you could chop them yourselves very finely but it’s just easier at this point to throw them into a food processor.)
Add one can of beans to the jalapeno/garlic mixture and pulse to combine. Add cumin and salt and pulse until mixture resembles chunky black bean dip.
In a small bowl, mix together the ground flax and water. Let the mixture sit for five minutes.
Transfer the mixture in the food processor to a large bowl and stir in the bread crumbs, tomato sauce, flax mixture and corn. Stir well until everything is combined. Add remaining can of black beans.
Heat a little olive oil in a skillet on medium high heat. Form black bean mixture into patties and fry for about 4 minutes per side, until golden and crusty brown.
Serve burgers with avocado slices, sriracha chili sauce and ketchup.

Baked Kale Chips

• 1 bunch kale
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 tablespoon of vinegar

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
3. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

White Bean, Tuna, and Onion Salad

A  dear friend of mine, who knows I am working on weight loss and continuing my search for tasty healthy food has been telling me that she has been eating more beans and it has helped her weight loss.  Since I have been working on legumes and healthy proteins, I am now in bean mode...yes, this won't help people be more social with me, but, whatever.  This recipe rocks,!  So go team bean! (you will be seeing more bean recipes over the next couple weeks :)

 

White Bean, Tuna, and Onion Salad

(Fagioli, Tonno, e Cipolle)

SERVES 2

Italians use good-quality tuna packed in olive oil

 1 can of navy beans
1  6-oz. cans olive-oil-packed tuna, lightly drained
1 medium red onion (or sweet onion), halved and thinly sliced
extra-virgin olive oil

juice of 1/2 lime, lemon or tangerine
Freshly ground black pepper

salt to taste

1. Place beans in a large serving bowl, and add tuna. Break up tuna with a wooden spoon. Scatter red onion over tuna; then drizzle with oil, and season generously with pepper add salt to taste.

**this reminded me of creamed tuna that my mom used to make, but with beans, so I decided to warm it up, add a dollop of light sour cream a little chipotle sauce and served on sourdough toast...but one suggestion...don't microwave too long...or you will be cleaning off the beans off the microwave for awhile. :) and served it with my bruschetta with fresh tomotoes and basil from the garden...great dinner!

Quinoa Chili

I am teaching a class on healthy eating for one or two people.  Someone made the joke, that even though I cook for myself, I don't cook for one.  That is true, I then have to feed the world.  I deliver food to all takers.  :)  I am bringing my black bean and corn salad, spinach and sweet potato stir fry and this quinoa chili.  My cousin Brooke just posted this on her health blog on Friday and I have been dying to try it, so I decided tonight would be a good night to make it for myself and share it with others.  It is soooo good.  I only made a few changes, I used kidney beans that I cooked, and I add a dash of chipotle salsa that I had made, because, why not?  I also added extra corn, because I love super sweet corn. .   So try it out (with a dollop of sour cream) and enjoy!  Happy quinoaing!!!!

Quinoa Chili
adapted from Food.com by Brooke Yool
http://youcangetfit.wordpress.com/

2 cans  beans, rinsed and drained  (or cook your own)
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped                                                                  
1 tsp salt
1 bell pepper (any color), chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (more if you like it hot!)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2/3 c quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 c frozen corn (I love BirdsEye super sweet...I like extra)
1 (15.5 oz) can tomato sauce  (If you have any salsa or tabasco sauce add a bit for more kick)
1 c water

1. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onions, and saute until tender.

2. Add salt, garlic, pepper, and spices; saute 5-10 minutes.

3. Add rinsed quinoa and stir. Add corn, tomato sauce, and water to onion/quinoa mixture. Simmer 20 minutes.

4. Add beans to the pot and simmer another 15 minutes.

5. Serve as-is (which tastes perfectly fine!) or with your favorite toppings: cheese, sour cream, avocados...

Spinach and Potato Sauté

mmmmmmm.....I am eating this while blogging it....it is really yummy, and so healthy.  I got the recipe from world's healthiest foods site, and modified the spices a bit to the ones that I like, and added fresh red potatoes from my parent's garden.  Really am loving it.  I paired it with brown rice mixed with quinoa, barley and buckwheat.  If feels satisfying, nourishing and warm.  So get you healthy on!!!

Spinach and Potato  Sauté 

Ingredients:

·                         1 medium onion, chopped

·                         4 medium cloves garlic, minced

·                         1 cup + 1 TBS chicken or vegetable broth

·                         Dash of ginger, nutmeg, turmeric, cumin, curry powder

·                         1 TBS fresh lemon juice

·                         2 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

·                         ½ cup red potatoes, chopped

·                         2 cups fresh spinach

·                         2 TBS chopped fresh cilantro

·                         salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Chop onions and mince garlic and let sit for 5 minutes to bring out their health-promoting benefits.
2. Heat 1 TBS broth in a large stainless steel skillet. Healthy Sauté onion in broth over medium heat for 5 minutes stirring frequently. Add garlic and continue to sauté for another minute.
3. Add seasonings and lemon juice and stir to mix thoroughly. Add broth and sweet potatoes. Simmer covered over low heat, stirring occasionally, until sweet potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Uncover to allow sauce to thicken and cook another couple minutes.
4. Press water out of spinach and add to sweet potatoes. Cook uncovered for a few more minutes to allow sauce to thicken. Add cilantro, salt, and pepper.

Crunchy Strawberry Spinach Salad

One of my fabulous relatives has a fantastic health blog.  She shares recipes, exercise and emotional heath tips that are wonderful.  Her name is Brooke Yool and her site is:  http://youcangetfit.wordpress.com/ 

She posted a recipe recently that I had to try.  So last night I made it for an after Sabino Canyon hike to share with my hiking friend.  This was a great recipe, and I changed it up a bit for me, and it was satisfying, tasty, and heathy.  Fantastic!  It includes ramen noodles, that sounds strange, but the sauteing of them help to change their consistency to a toasted crunchiness.  If I were to do this again, I would replace some of the sugar with honey and add a tablespoon of orange juice and a bit of grated rind.  So good salading!!!

Crunchy Strawberry Spinach Salad

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 3 oz package ramen (noodles only)
1 c almond slices
1/4 c vegetable oil
2 tbsp white sugar                                                                                                           
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp soy sauce

8 strawberries

fresh ground pepper
6 oz baby spinach
2 c sliced strawberries

1. Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat until hot. Crumble ramen noodles (set seasoning packet aside for another use) into skillet. Add nuts. Stir frequently to toast nuts and noodles, toasting for 3-5 minutes. Keep them moving to avoid burning. Remove from heat and let cool.

2. Make dressing: In a blender, place 1/4 c vegetable oil, sugar, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, and a few turns of black pepper, and 8 strawberries.  Blend and place in container with a tight lid. 

3. Assemble salad: In large bowl, combine spinach and strawberry slices. Add cooled nuts and noodles; toss to combine. Top with dressing; toss to mix thoroughly. You are ready to serve!

Cinco de Mayo part dos

I decided to to post all the recipes on separate posts....rock on.

15-Minute Black Bean Salad

Prep and Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

·                         ½ cup minced onion                                   

·                         2 medium cloves garlic, pressed

·                         2 cup black beans or 1 15 oz can (without BPA), drained and rinsed

·                         1 cup frozen corn, thawed

·                         8 cherry tomatoes, quartered

·                         ½ cup diced red bell pepper

·                         2 TBS pumpkin seeds, coarsely chopped (I didn't add this, because I didn't have them)

·                         1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

·                         2 TBS extra virgin olive oil

·                         3 TBS fresh lemon juice

·                         salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Mince onions and press garlic and let sit for at least 5 minutes to bring out their health-promoting benefits.
2. Mix all ingredients together and serve. This salad will keep for a couple of days and gets more flavorful if you let it marinate in the refrigerator for awhile.

Serves 4

Printer Friendly Version of 15-Minute Black Bean Salad

In-Depth Nutritional Profile for 15-Minute Black Bean Salad

Healthy Food Tip

The Latest News About Black Beans

Black beans could not be more succinctly and descriptively named. They are commonly referred to as turtle beans, probably in reference to their shiny, dark, shell-like appearance. With a rich flavor that has been compared to mushrooms, black beans have a velvety texture while holding their shape well during cooking.

Black beans are actually a variety of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) and belong to the popular legume family of plants. Black beans share many characteristics with their fellow bean family members, including red (kidney) beans, white (navy) beans, yellow beans, pinto (mottled) beans, pink beans, and anasazi beans.

What's New and Beneficial About Black Beans

·                         Recent research has shown that black beans provide special support for digestive tract health, and particularly our colon. The indigestible fraction (IF) in black beans has recently been shown to be larger than the IF in either lentils or chickpeas. It has been shown to be the perfect mix of substances for allowing bacteria in the colon to produce butyric acid. Cells lining the inside of the colon can use this butyric acid to fuel their many activities and keep the lower digestive tract functioning properly. By delivering a greater amount of IF to the colon, black beans are able to help support this lower part of our digestive tract. Lowered colon cancer risk that is associated with black bean intake in some research studies may be related to the outstanding IF content of this legume.

·                         The soaking of black beans in water has always found fairly widespread support in food science research as a way of improving overall black bean benefits. Yet, the discarding of the bean soaking water has been a topic of considerable controversy. A recent study that may help put this controversy to rest looked at many different advantages and disadvantages of tossing out the water used to soak beans. It found that the advantages clearly outweigh the disadvantages. On the advantage side of things, getting rid of the soaking water also means getting rid of some of the phytates and tannins that can lower nutrient availability. It also means reducing flatulence-related substances like raffinose (up to 33% removed along with the soaking water) and stachyose (up to 20% removed). A final advantage was the retention of resistant starch. While some of the total carbohydrate content in the black beans was lost along with the discarding of the soaking water, the amount of resistant starch remained unchanged. (Resistant starch is a type of carb that will typically make its way all the way down to the large intestine without being digested. Once it arrives in the large intestine, it can help support the growth of desirable bacteria in that area of the digestive tract.) On the disadvantage side of things was that 15% of total phenols were lost, we actually don't think that that is an amount that is of concern. There was a slight loss of some additional phytonutrients as well as minerals. When adding up all of their findings, the researchers concluded that the many advantages of discarding bean soaking water clearly outweighed the disadvantages and then made this recommendation a firm part of their research conclusions.

·                         We tend to think about brightly colored fruits and vegetables as our best source of phytonutrients, but recent research has recognized black beans as a strong contender in phytonutrient benefits. The seed coat of the black bean (the outermost part that we recognize as the bean's surface) is an outstanding source of three anthocyanin flavonoids: delphinidin, petunidin, and malvidin. These three anthocyanins are primarily responsible for the rich black color that we see on the bean surface. Kaempferol and quercetin are additional flavonoids provided by this legume. Also contained in black beans are hydroxycinnamic acids including ferulic, sinapic, and chlorogenic acid, as well as numerous triterpenoids.

·                         In Brazil, a country that, along with India, grows more black beans than any country in the world, beans have been given an exclusive place on the Brazilian Food Pyramid. In other words, beans are recommended as their own unique food group! The country's 2006 Food Guide for the Brazilian Population recommends that beans be consumed at least once every day. That recommendation is actually quite close to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which establish 3 cups of cooked legumes per week, or 1/2 cup serving six days per week, as the minimum desired amount. Recent research linking bean intake to lower risk of type 2 diabetes, many types of cardiovascular disease, and several types of cancer was one of the key factors used by the Brazilian government and the U.S. government in establishing their bean intake recommendations.

Caramelized Onion and Asparagus Quinoa and Honey Teriyaki Stirfry

It was bountiful basket week again!!!  Which means some awesome fruits and vegetables that I get to create with!  yeehaw!  I had been seeing a lot of quinoa recipes, and had been wanting to cook with it again, since it is a super food, as my mom says.  In my basket was 2 beautiful packs of asparagus.  I wanted to create an asparagus and quinoa dish.  This is super simple, but very tasty.  I also created a stirfry with vegetables also, and made a nice honey sauce to go with it, and mixed it with asparagus and onion.  Delicious!

Caramelized Onion

1 1/2 Tbsp butter
1/2 sweet onion, cut into long slices
1 1/2 bunch asparagus, chopped into thirds, with bottom part being thrown away
salt, to taste


1/2 lemon
2 green onions chopped
1 cup quinoa
1 pinch red pepper flakes
dash of salt
1/2-1 chicken bouillon

Melt the butter in a saute pan, over medium heat, add onions, cook until nice and caramelized, brown and sweet.  Add asaparagus, and saute them with the onions.  When almost done, add a dash of salt and squeeze the half lemon in and stir.

To make the quinoa, put 2 cups water, in a pan over medium heat, add 1 cup quinoa,  chicken bouillon, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.  When the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 12 minutes.

Serve by dividing quinoa into bowls and adding caramelized onions on top of the quinoa.

Honey Teriyaki Stirfry

Sauce
2 Tbsps olive oil
3 Tbsp Teriyaki sauce
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sweet chili sauce
2 Tbsp honey
2 garlic cloves minced
2 green onions chopped
1/8 tsp chili powder
 boil together

1 tbsp butter
1/2 sweet potato
1 head of broccoli chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1 carrot, shredded
1/2 pineapple, chopped

Saute together, until cararmelized, add sauce and stirfry together.

Put on top of soba noodles, brown rice or quinoa.

Fun with Honey-Jalapeno Chicken with Soba Noodles

I am still having fun with soba noodles and went searching the internet for fun recipes.  I like things that are sweet and sassy...so when I found the recipe for honey jalapeno, I knew I had hit the jackpot!  I didn't have enough soba noodles left, so I also used udon noodles, and they are fun also.  I made some changes to the recipe by stir frying vegetables and adding it to the chicken.  It was fun, and yummy!  So hope you try and have oodles of noodle fun!!

Honey-Jalapeno Chicken with Soba Noodles

Ingredients

• 12 ounces soba noodles
• 1 jalapeno, seeds removed(I used a couple of Tablespoons of sliced jalapenos)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 to 3 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 rotisserie chicken, shredded or sliced
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil (I probably would have left this out, I thought it was too strong)
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions, green part only
• 2 tablespoons pickled ginger, minced(I used powdered ginger)
• 
  
• I also sauteed: 1/2 diced sweet potato, 2 chopped celery stalked, 1 chopped carrot, 1/4 up sugar snap peas halved, 1/4 onion, diced and sauteed, 2 cloves of garlic minced. )

Directions

Cook soba noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside (or refrigerate until later in the week).
In a blender or food processor, combine jalapenos, honey, cilantro, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper and puree until smooth. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water to the mixture until desired consistency is achieved. Pour the 2 teaspoons of olive oil into a preheated skillet. Add vegetables, if using and saute.   Add the shredded chicken and the blended sauce and cook until heated through.
In a medium bowl, combine cooked soba noodles, soy sauce, sesame oil, scallions, and pickled ginger. Toss and then transfer to serving bowl. Pour heated chicken and sauce over noodles.

Ray's Soba Stirfry

I was at my friend Ray's the other evening, and he pulled out some random vegetables and soba noodles, and asked, "what can we do with this?"  Well, I had never used soba noodles before, so I said let's stir fry!! (when in doubt...stir fry)   One of the vegetables he offered was a sweet potato.  Ya, I said the same thing you just did, "Sweet potato?  In stir fry?"  But hey, he was willing to let me experiment, so I did.  I diced it up and threw it in with the other vegetables and stir fried it too!  It was amazingly good!  When I got home, I have been planning on experimenting further.  I read up on soba noodles, and found they were made from buckwheat, and pretty good for you, so game on!  I came up with this easy, healthy, satisfying dish, thanks to Ray! :) 

Soba Stir fry

Saute 1/2 onion

when caramelized add to it any awesome vegetables you want! 

I used

2 stalks celery, diced

1 head of broccoli chopped

1 cup of sugar snap peas, cut in half

1/2 sweet potato, diced

1 head bok choy, chopped

1 can water chesnuts

saute together until nice and soft...add some salt to kick it up and your favorite soy based flavoring.  I used a Thai Peanut sauce and a little bit of sweet chili sauce.

Boil soba noodles as directed, I used 1 and 1/2 of the bundles.  Add to stir fry and stir fry it up with the vegetables.

Eat away!!!  (by the way...I have never said stir fry so many times in my life...rock on!)

Lettuce Wrap baby

Still working on the whole healthy food kick.  I had a lot of lettuce, and well, lettuce wrap seemed like a great way to extend my rice and lentil experiment.  Since I often work 12-14 hour days, I have found the brown rice and lentils have really kept me from getting hungry and has been keeping my energy up.   However, I get bored with the same foods, so I have to keep finding new ways to kick up the flavor.  I found this Moroccan lentil dish, and it had me had red wine vinegar...I knew that would help kick it up!  I added some of my own flavors, and served it in lettuce.  It is just right.  So live well, eat well and love well!!!


Moroccan Lentils and Chicken
Ingredients
DRESSING
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
**I added a couple tablespoons of honey for sweet, sassy fun!
LENTILS and Rice
½ onion, chopped
½ bell pepper. Chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot chopped
Vegetables sautéed together, and add 1 tbsp chicken bouillon/ and or salt
4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
½ pound green or brown lentils, 1/3 cup brown rice (I used a brown rice medley, that included black barley and radish seeds)
CHICKEN ( I marinated in polynesian sauce for a couple hours first)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast halves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preparation
1. Dressing: Add the olive oil, vinegar, cumin, chili powder, garlic, cinnamon, and salt to a blender bottle or jar with a tight lid. Shake until ingredients are well combined. Set aside.
2. Saute the vegetables, when soft add rice and lentils: Combine water and salt in heavy large saucepan over high heat. Add lentils; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until lentils are tender and have absorbed the water completely, about 30 minutes. Stir in 3 or 4 tablespoons of the dressing.
3. Chicken: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet over high heat. Add onion and sauté until dark brown and soft, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and sauté 2 minutes. Add salt, cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon. Sauté until chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes longer.
4. Place a serving of lentils on a plate and cover with sliced chicken and dressing. Garnish with chopped parsley.