Thyme for                         Cooking

Chicken Breasts Balsamic
Fried Potatoes and Onions
Sautéed Asparagus
Cooking time:  30 minutes for menu
Cooking schedule: see below for "menu" instructions

    In keeping with our quick dinners this week here is another: fast, easy and bursting with flavor.  Not quite a repeat of Saturday's Sweet and Sour, but a little bit of brown sugar nicely tones down the vinegar.  If you don't have 3 skillets, you can use a saucepan and cut the asparagus to fit - or roast them.

Chicken Breasts Balsamic                                           Time: 25 minutes
    The little bit of brown sugar tempers the vinegar nicely.  If you don't have Balsamic you can use sherry or red wine vinegar - but increase the sugar to 2 tsp.

2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
1/2 onion
1 clove garlic
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tbs cornstarch (maizena) dissolved in 1 tbs chicken stock or water.

Finely chop onion and mince garlic.  Heat oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken breasts and brown on both sides, about 10 minutes.  Add onion and garlic and sauté 5 minutes longer.  Add stock, vinegar and sugar, cover, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.  Thicken sauce with cornstarch mixture (you may not need all of it) and serve.

Sautéed Potatoes and Onions                                    Time: 30 minutes
      
A simple dish but so easy and full of flavor; cooking doesn't have to be complicated!

2 medium potatoes
1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tbs olive oil

Chop onion and mince garlic.  Sauté onion in oil in nonstick skillet over medium heat until just transparent.  Add garlic and sauté a minute longer.  Meanwhile, slice the potatoes - the long way, first in half, then in half again.  Now slice (the short way) about 1/4 inch thick.  We are aiming for bite size so if you have a huge potato, adjust accordingly.  Remove onions & garlic from pan and add potatoes - with a drop more oil if needed.  Sauté potatoes until light brown, stirring and flipping as needed.  Return onions and garlic to pan.  Continue to sauté until onions start to brown and potatoes are cooked through (taste one) and well browned.  Salt & pepper if desired, and serve.  

Sautéed Asparagus                                                     Time: 15 minutes
 
  I don't know where or when I first discovered this method of cooking asparagus, but it's simple, quick and delicious: Perfect for a spring vegetable.  

8oz (250gr) asparagus
1 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
sea salt

Snap off ends of asparagus.  If white use vegetable peeler and peel the bottom half of stalk.  Put asparagus into a skillet big enough to hold them without cutting, add butter, oil and sauté over medium heat until starting to brown and blister, 8 - 10 minutes.   Sprinkle with salt, remove and serve.
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Cooking Schedule: 30 minutes
Assemble all ingredients and utensils
Chop onion
Mince garlic
Start to sauté onion for potatoes
Start to sauté chicken breasts
Slice potatoes
Add garlic to onions, sauté
Remove onions and garlic
Add potatoes, sauté
Turn chicken breasts
Trim asparagus

Add onion and garlic to chicken
Flip potatoes
Add stock, vinegar, sugar to chicken
Cover, simmer
Dissolve cornstarch in stock, set aside
Return onions, garlic to potatoes,
Start to sauté asparagus
Wee break - but don't forget to toss and flip
When everything is done
Stir cornstarch into sauce for chicken
Finish potatoes and asparagus
Serve!

 

 

 

Cooking for Two?  Or more? 
Our Weekly Menu Planner Service gives you healthy, gourmet dinners, carefully planned to eliminate waste and insure a wide variety of seasonal, wholesome foods each week. 

All text and images are copyright © 2005 - 2007 Kathleen Lerum Zeller.
All rights reserved unless otherwise indicated

 

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Menu for the week of March 28, 2008

Monday's Recipes