After such a long break, I really never know how to begin writing a new post. Say sorry? Tell you where I've been all this time? Just jump right in like nothing ever happened? Maybe I'll start by telling you that I'm working full time for the first time in years, and it's an interesting juggling act teaching preschool, getting my kids to daycare, back home, dinner on the table, clean up, bath, put kids to bed and prepping for a new day of school the next day. Many many people have this busy schedule, I know, it just took a while for me to figure out the ropes, get my bearings and let the dust settle. Now that I've got the new routine figured out and I'm not falling over dead tired by 8pm, I'm adding more to my plate! My husband and I are gearing up for our first mission trip and will be going to India in late November. We'll be working with children in the slums and have been raising money to bring milk to the children. Not to mention my husband and I lead a church small group in our home once a week and I'm co-leader of our children's ministry at church. My plate is FULL!
With all that going on, you can imagine I've been on the lookout for quick meals so I can actually get food on the table for my family. I borrowed Robin Miller's cookbook Quick Fix Meals
from my Dad months ago and perused it this summer, bookmarking recipes like crazy and taking note of dinner strategies. I've been so impressed with some of the recipes I went on a cooking spree today just so I could photograph and share them with you. This great coconut lime chicken is done in about 20 minutes and doesn't require a ton of ingredients. Don't let the word "chiles" scare you off if you don't like spice. It's really quite mild.
Recipe from Robin Miller: Quick Fix Meals
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Serves 4
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tsp curry powder
1 14 oz can light or regular coconut milk
1 4 oz. can diced green chiles
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and garlic and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the curry powder and cook, stirring for 1 minute, until it is fragrant. Add the coconut milk, chiles, lime juice and zest, bring to a simmer, and simmer until the chicken is just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat, stir in the green onions and cilantro. Serve over rice.
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THE RESULTS?
The sauce on this chicken has a really great smooth and coconutty flavor with a kick of lime. I even punched up the lime by adding a bit more juice. While you do add curry powder, this dish is not really a curry, per se. It just adds a subtle warm flavor. The diced green chiles add flavor rather than heat, and it wasn't too spicy for my spice-wimpy children.
I should tell you that this dish was met with mixed reviews. Both myself and my kids ate this and thought it was great while my husband thought it was just okay. He wanted it to have more curry flavor, but that's not the point of this dish. It's NOT a curry, it's COCONUT LIME. He also wanted it spicier. I wouldn't have minded more spice either and think a great solution would be to saute sliced jalapeno's with the chicken....but then it wouldn't be so kid-friendly anymore. When it's six of one and half a dozen of the other, I'll take "no complaints from my kids" on a busy weeknight for sure.
I really loved how quick and easy this was to prepare. I brought the leftovers to work the next day and my co-worker exclaimed "WOW that smells good! Is that recipe on your blog?"