Black Bean Fajitas!

Here's a recipe that came my way back in university from dog-knows-where. It's a high-protein, low-fat, super-fast weeknight meal that uses just a couple fresh ingredients, and lots from the pantry. If you don't have tortilla wraps, have no fear - you could serve this up as a side dish with rice and salad. If you don't have green peppers, any colour will do. I've even made this with chopped zucchini. It's reasonably versatile.

First, chop up half an onion, several cloves of garlic and a bell pepper (colour doesn't matter). Saute those together over medium heat in a little bit of olive oil until the onions are translucent.

Drain and rinse a can of black beans. Add the beans to the onions and mix for just a couple of minutes.

Add some spices: about a teaspoon each of cumin and chili powder, some salt and pepper, and a pinch of cayenne pepper for heat (if you want). Mix well, then add about 1/2 cup of salsa (you choose the heat). Mix together and cook until heated through.

You could serve this in wraps with lettuce, cheese and sour cream, or as a side dish with rice and a salad or yam fries.

Recipe:
1/2 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bell pepper (or 3/4 c. chopped zucchini or celery)
1 12 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
salt and pepper
1/2 c. salsa

Morrocan chicken

Hi all,

This super yummy recipe diverges from I consider "traditional" boonies fare. It is based on this recipe from Bon Appetit. It may seem exotic, but with the exception of the spices, almost everything in it is probably already in your pantry and freezer. I've adjusted the recipe to my tastes by adding more spice and some dried fruit, and leaving out some of the onions. I also use one of the value packs of chicken that comes with 8 thighs and 2 breasts, rather than 8 thighs and 8 drumsticks.

Don't be afraid of the spices in this recipe - it adds so much flavour, but it's not "hot" at all. Spices may be expensive to begin with, but as long as you're not cooking like this every day, I think it's a manageable expense. Don't bother with the fancy out-of-the-ordinary spices (like Hungarian sweet paprika) in the original recipe. Your everyday spices will work just fine.

This recipe calls for an eggplant, which is a delicious luxury if you can get it, but it doesn't store very well. If you manage to pick up a nice, fresh eggplant during your shopping trip, try to make this recipe right away (within a day or two). There are some tips for freezing eggplant on the interwebs, but I suspect the poor thing will be significantly worse for wear if you freeze and thaw it. Although I love it in this recipe, it's ok to leave it out if you don't have it. You could even try it with something less exotic, like zucchini.



First, if you did manage to get a decent eggplant, chop it up into 1" cubes and toss it with some olive oil. Spray a cooking sheet with olive oil, spread the eggplant cubes on it, and pop it in a hot oven (400°F) for about 20 minutes. The eggplant will brown and get this delicious creamy texture.

Next, slice up one large onion and 4 or 5 cloves of garlic and saute them together with some olive oil in a large, deep pan (I use a big wok) over medium heat. Once they've softened, add all of your spices. This will make the onions lovely and fragrant. Stir for a minute, then add a large can of tomatoes, 1 cup of water, and 3 tbsp of lemon juice. Bring this mixture to a boil and add your chicken pieces. I like to heap a bit of the sauce on top of each piece of meat so it gets all the benefit of the flavours. Turn the heat down to medium low, cover, and let it cook for about 15 minutes. Turn the chicken pieces over about half way through.

While that's cooking, coarsely chop some dried apricots and/or some dried, unsweetened cranberries and toss that in with the chicken.

Finally, take your eggplant out of the oven and toss it in with the chicken when it's nearly done, mixing gently. You can garnish this with toasted, slivered almonds, fresh cilantro and serve it with rice and a nice salad or steamed greens (don't forget to eat green things!).

Here is my modified ingredients list:

1 large eggplant, chopped into 1" cubes
1 value pack of chicken, deboned and skinned (roughly 8 thighs and 2 breasts)
1 large onion, sliced
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
1.5 tbsp paprika
0.5 tsp salt
1.5 tsp turmeric
1.5 tsp ground coriander
1.5 tsp whole fennel seeds
several turns of fresh ground pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
0.5 tsp ground ginger
1 large (28 oz.) can of diced tomatoes
1 cup water
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup dried apricots and/or unsweetened cranberries

slivered almonds and fresh cilantro (optional) for garnish.

A Healthy 10-Minute Meal

Roast chicken, root veggies, potatoes and chard - this is a hearty meal that will warm up any night. It's perfect for winter because it uses vegetables that store very well and provide you with lots of great nutrients. As a bonus, this takes about 10 minutes of active prep time, and one hour to cook.

Chard is probably my favorite leafy green - it grows really well in the garden, lasting well into the fall (even through a hard frost). It also stores well in the fridge - just wrap the stems in a damp paper towel and store a bunch in a plastic bag in the crisper. It will stay crisp for at least a week, and is excellent steamed or in salads. The taste is similar to spinach, but a little more flavorful. Usually, I only see it in the organic section of the grocery store, but like I said - it's easy to grow in the garden, so you can enjoy it all summer and fall.

Potatoes, carrots, and parsnips store very well in a cool, dark place - months, if you keep them well ventilated and cool, so buy or grow them and store them in a root cellar, crawl space, or shed (as long as it doesn't freeze).

The recipe for the chicken is the easiest, tastiest one I know. It comes from Epicurious.com and easily feeds a family of 4. Buy whole chickens when they're on sale, preferably in packages of two or more. I got 2 at the wholesale for $14. Separate them out in ziploc bags when you gets home and freeze them.

For the chicken, you'll need:
- one whole chicken
- salt
- dried thyme

Rinse the chicken inside and out, and dry it off really well with some paper towels. You want to make sure it's as dry as possible, inside and out.

Place it in a roasting pan and truss it up. Then take about 1 tablespoon of salt (or the salt shaker) and "rain" salt down on the bird so it's evenly coated on top. This will make a nice, crispy skin.

Then throw that sucker in the oven at about 400° (the original recipe says 450°, but it always seems to get too dry when I cook it that way - could be my oven though).

That's it. Don't baste it, don't look at it.

While it's cooking away, cut up some parsnips, carrots and potatoes into large chunks. You want them to be about the same size so they all cook in the same amount of time. 2" cubes work. Once the chicken's been in the over for about 30 minutes, throw all the root veggies in the roasting pan with in and put it back in the oven for another 30 minutes.

Adding carrots, yams and parsnips

Finally, prepare some chard. Rinse each leaf and tear the green parts off the stem in chunks. Put about 1" of water in a large pot, and put the chard in a steamer basket over the water. If you don't have a steamer basket, just put the chard in 1" of water - you don't want to cover the leaves with water, just have enough in there to steam them. Leave this until the chicken is done.

When the chicken is finished (check with a meat thermometer, or stick a fork in the side and make sure the juices run clear, not pink), take it out of the oven and remove the root veggies from the pan with a slotted spoon. Crush about 2 tsp dry thyme (not ground) into the juices, then baste the chicken with the juice and let it sit.

Cook your chard over high heat for about 5 minutes until it all wilts. You can serve it with a bit of butter, or just plain.

Now serve it all up!