One-Pan Stir Fry: Chicken & Spinach

Contributor: K. Cox (K_Commenter)

Author's Notes: These improvised recipes came out of a need to make a family dinner that was (1) quick, and (2) primarily healthful.  This quantity feeds about 2.5 adults.

Chicken & Spinach Stir-Fry

You will need:

• 1 bag pre-washed baby spinach
• roughly 0.5 lb trimmed boneless, skinless chicken breast
• minced garlic (I buy jars and keep 'em in the fridge)
• olive oil
• lemon juice
• crumbled feta (I buy low-fat or fat-free)
• white sugar
• 1/3 box whole-grain pasta of your choice (I like rotini)

1.) Cut the chicken into very thin slices

2.) Put the pasta on to boil

3.) Put roughly 1 tablespoon of minced garlic into a lidded pan (I use one like this) and add roughly 3 tablespoons of olive oil.  (I never measure either.)

4.) Sauté the garlic in the olive oil over medium heat.  When the garlic is mainly starting to turn golden-brown, add the chicken.

5.) Toss the chicken regularly while cooking.  During this time, sprinkle with lemon juice and with crumbled feta.

6.) When the chicken is cooked through (and cooked to taste, I prefer mine slightly browned on the outside), use tongs to remove it from the pan into a bowl.  When the chicken's out, dump in the bag of spinach.

7.) Mix the spinach while you cook it, to make sure it wilts relatively evenly (rather than one half being overcooked) and to make sure the sauce flavors all of it.  Sprinkle in more olive oil, crumbled feta, and lemon juice while cooking the spinach.

8.) When the spinach is cooked, remove it from the pan and put it into the bowl with the chicken.

9.) Take your hopefully cooked-and-drained pasta (from step 2!) and dump it into the bowl with the chicken and spinach.  Toss thoroughly.

10.) Go back to your pan.  Add another couple of tablespoons of olive oil and lemon juice, and a few more sprinkles of feta.  Also add 1/8 tsp (seriously, it only takes a tiny bit) of white sugar.  Stir thoroughly, then put the lid on and crank the heat until all that liquid is boiling like mad.

11.) Once it's boiling like mad, remove from heat.  Remove lid and let sauce sit at least 2-3 minutes (more if you have the patience).  Then spoon sauce over pasta-chicken-spinach mixture and enjoy.  Serve sprinkled with further feta if you like.

Samosas

Contributor: gnikivar

Author's Notes:

Samosas

1 Kilo Potatoes
.5 lbs Peas
Black pepper
Fennel Seeds
Canola Oil
Garam Masala (can be bought at any Indian store)
Ginger
2 Cups all purpose flour
1 cup durum wheat flour

1) Boil potaotes, and peel
2) Cut potatoes up into little pieces, or mash
3) Put in half lb of frozen pease
4) Add 4 tables spoons of Garam Masala
5) Add table spoon of black pepper
6) Add teaspoon of salt
6) Take a small pot, and put one fourth cup worth of oil. Add similar amount of fennel seeds
7) Find ginger, peel ginger and cut into itty bitty pieces
8) Pour all of these elements and mix until well mixed.
9) Should be very dry, if not, cook for a few minutes to take off moisture
- This is the filling for Somosa

The exterior is kind of tough to make, if you don't have practice with Indian food.

1)Take two cups of all purpose flour, and one cup of durum wheat flour. Add one cup of water, and three tablespoons of oil.

2) Knead, until doughy enough.

3) Take rolling pin, and roll into thin circular sheets. I figure this is similar to how tortillas are made. This can be really difficult and time consuming.

4) To do so, break off a small piece of the dough. Roll into sphere, and then flatten

5) Place onto cutting board, (I don't know if there is a western equivalent to the Patlo, which is what you role breads on)

Tips: Keep a soft hand, roll fast, but but very little pressure on the dough while rolling. Also, keep some flour and sprinkle onto the dough you are rolling from time to time. Also, flip dough over from time to time. This will keep if from sticking.

6) Cut resulting circular object in half with a knife. Take one end and connect it to the other. This should form a cone. Pour stuffing into cone, but do not fill all the way, so there is still some room to close the cone. This should get you the triangular Samosa. If you can't get this to work right, just roll stuffing into sphere and wrap the circular dough around. This will get you Kachori (typical of Gujarat) rather than Samosas (typical of Punjab). They will nevertheless taste the same.

7) Deep fry. Wait until the Samosa turns a browninsh pinkish color before taking out.

8) Eat Samosas / feed them to other people.