It was only Tuesday, so in theory, there shouldโve been options when I opened the refrigerator to figure out dinner. Didnโt we just go shopping, like, yesterday? At this point in my life, Iโm no longer surprised to see Phoebe eat her way through a gigantic container of pineapple chunks before weโve even finished unpacking groceries. But dinner staples? Thatโs another issue. Thereโs usually more to work with than what I was looking at, which came down to a container of shredded kale slaw (impulse buy), a few straggler tomatoes, and three large chicken breasts, each of which was each hiding in three separate corners of the freezer. There was half an onion in a sad plastic bag and there was quinoa. Good old loyal, always-there-for-me quinoa. I submerged the wrapped chicken breasts in cold water and hoped inspiration would come while they thawed.
Sometimes, on days when Iโve done nothing but unload the dishwasher and shuttle the kids back and forth to their various pursuits and worry that Iโm letting my feminist forebearers down with every pair of sock I matchโฆI look at a chicken breast and I think to myself: Iโm not strong enough.
Inspiration never came. Luckily, Abby had to be at soccer practice. So I did what my agent has been trying to get me to do with the rest of my life: I delegated. To Andy.
It was like our own private game of Top Chef โ here are the ingredients, and now itโs Go Time. Best part: I was the landslide winner because two hours later I walked in the house and dinner was ready.
Iโll update later in the week to let you know what that dinner was, but first Iโd like to know: Assuming you had all your basic pantry staples, what would you have made with what you see in the pic? Best idea wins a free copy of Dinner: A Love Story andย Dinner: Theย Playbook. Letโsย say this contest ends on Friday, March 25. Have fun!
Update: Wow, thanks for the suggestions. (We feel so boring compared to all you guys.) Andy made a basic chicken and quinoa bowl with onions, lemon, and homemade stock. (Think chicken and rice but with quinoa instead.) Then tossed the kale in an Asian dressing: rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, Sriracha, grapeseed oil. Served on the side. Nice and bright.
Our winner is Tatiana who chimed in with this entry: ย โIf โbasic pantryโ includes Asian food staples (red curry, coconut milk, fish sauce), then I would make a red curry sauce, poach chicken in it and then let kale cook for just a bit to wilt and add lovely bitterness to the spice and sweetness of the curry. Serve over quinoa to soak up the sauce.โ Yum. Thatโs what weโll do next time. Thanks Tatiana and thanks to everyone who played!
I would cross my fingers and hope I still had a bottle of Trader Joes Red Curry sauce in the pantry! I would slice up the onion and sautรฉ it with oil and some garlic, and then add the cubed chicken. Then add the TJ Red Curry Sauce. I would microwave the couscous because then I could stick that glass dish in the dishwasher. I would add the shredded kale slaw to the pot with the chicken, onions, and TJ red curry sauce with about 5 minutes to go. Then serve it over the couscous with the fresh tomato diced on top.
I would know everyone would be so starving that theyโd wolf it down and love it. Plus itโs an easy cleanup. Because letโs be seriousโฆat that time of night, the clean up is the worst part!
Great idea! I love a challenge ๐
My plan is a winter salad of sorts.
Dressing: chop that onion real fine and get in lemon juice stat. Just before serving add olive oil, dijon, salt, pepper, pinch of cumin and cayenne and drizzle of honey.
Chicken: combine 1 Tbsp zaโatar with 1 tsp of salt and rub on chicken. Let sit all day in fridge if you can. Heat pan with drizzle of olive oil and sear chicken on all sides. pop in oven at 375 degrees until cooked through (10-15min)
Quinoa: i like to toast in coconut oil before adding broth
Assembly: Toss kale with dressing. top with chopped chicken , warm quinoa and diced tomatoes. Empty crisper of any stray fresh veggies (1/2 cucumber, fresh parsley, shred a carrot and dice 1/2 a red pepper.)
Optional: Sprinkle with additional zaโatar.
Feeling fancy? Crumble zaโatar pita chips on top (made with stale freezer burnt pitas, rubbed with olive oil and zaโatar seasoning and baked in hot oven with chicken on separate baking sheet).
I would have made grilled schwarma spiced chicken, tomato and onion kebabs, with quiona, and a tahini lemon kale slawโฆ and a gin and tonic!
I would look up a recipe in Dinner A Love Story or Dinner The Playbook that contains those ingredients and then Iโd make that recipe!
I just showed my husband and he said he would put it all up and make peanut butter and jelly. ๐
I donโt know what I love more- the texts or all of the great responses! It sounds crazy, but 90% of my meals are planned around the weather, and yesterday was no exception! We had 15 minutes of hail right as I was preparing dinner, so grilling would not have been an option! I would have made a rustic soup, throwing in some garlic and thyme from the pantry and serving it with garlic bread made from the crusty ends of bread that my family always leaves me to โwork with!โ
i wouldโve made a thai peanut sauce and set it aside. then i wouldโve prepped the quinoa by rinsing it, toasting it, and pairing it in a dutch oven with chicken broth and some of the kale slaw to simmer on the stove and get all happy with each other. meanwhile, i wouldโve caramelized the onion to golden yumminess in some butter.
i wouldโve baked the chicken in the oven, then sliced it and tossed it in the peanut sauce while it was still warm and served it with the quinoa/slaw pilaf. the caramelized onions wouldโve topped the entire creation as the piece de resistance (imagine the French accent here). the tomatoes wouldโve been apportioned to each member of the familyโ2 each as a garnish.
Option 1: quick coconut curry with chicken, kale, onion, and pantry staples: ginger, garlic, curry powder, coconut milk, plus any other veggies lying around and frozen peas. I would roast the tomatoes separately with more garlic. Serve all over quinoa
Option 2: pollo guisado with onion, chopped tomatoes, kale, and pantry staples cumin, black pepper, garlic (pounded in mortar), and stock, served over quinoa
Option 3: marinate chicken in balsamic citrus mixture, saute/grill/roast/whatever; serve over quinoa; dress salad of kale and tomatoes in vinaigrette on side
Since the weather has warmed up a bit I wouldโve massaged the kale for salad, cooked the chicken with diced onion and pantry herbs / seasonings, cooked the quinoa in stock. Tossed it all together with some dried cranberries or raisins if I had them, dress with homemade honey mustard dressing and called it dinner. Oh, and some walnut or pistachio sprinkled in would be good with it too, if I had them. Looking forward to seeing what transpired. Thanks, Lori
asian stir fry would be delicious!
Iโd slice the onion and halve the tomatoes and get them and the quinoa started in a high-sided sautรฉe pan with minced garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, basil from my windowsill garden, a little olive oil, and water (or chicken stock if I happen to have any saved in the freezer!) a la Martha Stewartโs One-Pot-Pasta. While that cooked, Iโd sautรฉe the chicken and kale with salt, pepper, and some more red pepper flakes in a separate pan, then incorporate them into the quinoa/veggie mixture for the last few minutes of cooking.
And now I want to go buy chicken, quinoa, kale, and tomatoes and make this for dinner tonightโฆ If only the dregs of my weekend shopping trip were as promising as yoursโฆ
Iโve been missing NY style chicken and rice platters a lot recently, so I would probably make a healthier version of that with these ingredients. For the chicken breasts, I would marinate them in a mix of coriander, cumin, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and garlic. I would grill the chicken and onions or cook them in a hot cast iron skillet to get a nice char and color on them. For the quinoa, I would cook it with some tumeric, toasted cumin, garlic and use chicken broth instead of water for some extra flavor. Chicken and rice platters are always served with a sad iceberg salad, so I would dress the kale slaw mix and tomatoes with some olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. If I had some greek yogurt in the fridge I would mix it up with some dill, salt, pepper and lemon juice for a healthier version of white sauce to top the plate with.
I would do a quinoa, kale, roasted tomato, chicken bake โ layer the quinoa, sauted kale and onion and chicken, roast the tomatoes and add them in and add a sauce from cupboard ingredients โ stock, tomato sauce, creamed corn โ add some cheese on the top (I have parm and feta in my fridge which would be great) and bake the whole thing until everything was melded together and the cheese golden brown and bubbly. I donโt normally cook with quinoa so I would have to check whether it needs to be precooked before going in the dishโฆ.
A duo of salads: roasted tomato and quinoa salad and caesar kale slaw with sauteed chicken. Fun brainstorming, thanks!
I love this challenge. First Iโd start caramelizing the onion in a skillet, low and slow with butter and olive oil. Iโd season that chopped chicken very generously with the butt ends of my spice blends (blended for one recipe or another in the last few months). Saute the chicken along with the onions when the onions are close to done. Cook chicken through. Pour out any liquid into a small bowl and add some lemon juice or some vinegar to make a quick dressing in the bowl.
Meanwhile cook the quinoa whatever way is easiest. When done, toss with the dressing from above.
The kale salad gets lightly dressed with olive oil, black pepper and salt and is then massaged a bit and set aside.
In a large bowl lay down the quinoa first, and then the kale salad. In the middle of the bowl lay down a blob of plain yogurt (if you have some) and some hot sauce. Top this with the chicken and onions. Scatter the tomatoes, halved. Add slivered red onions if you have them. Add cubes of cheese if you wish. Enjoy your hearty salad.
I would have made a big Kale quinoa chicken salad
What I would have done is make the quinoa with some Italian-type seasonings. I would saute the chicken with halved tomatoes, onion, garlic, and seasonings, stirring in the kale near the end and served that on top of the quinoa with a big squirt of lemon juice and maybe some Parmesan cheese. It wouldnโt be all that pretty but I feel confident that it would be delicious.
This is usually my go-to when Iโm not sure what to do. Cook down all the veggies and serve it over some sort of grain or pasta. ๐
This is also how I discovered savory French Toast. Cook down all the veggies with garlic and , serve it over french toast, apply cheese. Some people need meat for every meal but for me itโs carbs. Obviously.
Canโt wait to find out what you guys did!
As my city gets pummeled with ice pellets, Iโm thinking we need to warm things up a bit. Hereโs another submission โ one that brings some Southern sunshine to dinner: Marinate the chicken in olive oil, apple cider vinegar, minced garlic, dried oregano (fresh is even better if you happen to have it), salt, and a good grind of pepper. Add a pinch or two of cayenne pepper to bump up the heat.
Meanwhile, whisk together a creamy honey mustard dressing for kale slaw โ half and half mayonnaise and yogurt, honey, your favorite mustard, a dash of lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Dress the shredded kale and throw in some chopped apple, if you have one.
Chop the onion and saute in olive oil and butter until soft. Add the quinoa and water or vegetable stock. Fluff with a fork when cooked, and gently stir in a handful of raisins and toasted slivered almonds. Keep warm.
Thread the chicken and tomatoes on skewers and grill until done. Serve on a bed of the quinoa pilaf, with slaw on the side.
No fresh ideas but I have both of your books
Iโd go Italian. Start the quinoa according to package.
In separate pan, saute onion, then garlic. Add kale, salt, and a good amount of olive oil. Wilt the kale.
In cast iron skillet, sear up chicken with salt, olive oil, and rosemary. Try and get a nice crispy edge on the chicken.
Combine kale mixture and quinoa. Check for salt and olive oil. Top with chicken and halved Cherry tomatoes. One last drizzle of olive oil?
i would have made:
1. make meatballs with the quinoa and chicken (cook the quinoa, small dice and saute onions and garlic, food process chicken, mix all together with eggs, various herbsโparsley, basil, or otherโsmoked paprika, and s/p, mix all and form into balls, bake.
2. make an olive oil, lemon, mustard and parmesan dressing for kale slaw and mix in, massaging kale a bit, then add in some toasted slivered/sliced nuts or chickpeas.
3. snack on tomatoes while doing all of this ๐ (or roast โem with the meatballs, or halve and add to kale slaw as well)
How about something chicken tikka-ish?
Iโd brown the chicken in some vegetable oil for 5 minutes or so, then remove to a plate. Chop and add the onion and the tomatoes to the same pan; let these cook for 3 minutes or so. Add some chopped garlic, grated ginger and garam masala (about a tablespoon of each of these), wait about 30 seconds and add the kale salad. Iโd throw in a teaspoon or two of kosher salt, too. Once the kale wilts, add the chicken with its juices, half a can of coconut milk and let this all simmer for 5 minutes or so or until the sauce thickens.
Meanwhile, cook the quinoa in water or broth. Once its finished, stir in the remaining coconut milk. Let that simmer just for a few minutes so the coconut milk can soak in.
Top the quinoa with the chicken mixture. If thereโs cilantro in the fridge, chop it up and throw it on top. Yum!
I would have cooked the quinoa. Meanwhile, cooked the kale and onions together on the stove, then mix with the quinoa, whisked eggs, and breadcrumbs and formed patties. Pan-fried and served with โchicken tendersโ i.e. chicken coated in the same breadcrumb/egg mixture and either baked or pan-fried as well. Now Iโm hungry!
I would have chopped up the tomatoes and sauteed with the onion, then wilted the kale with a squeeze of lemon. (I think this originally came from an African-style kale recipe which Iโve surely watered down. Then made some kind of spiced chicken kebab to go with the kale and quinoa โ maybe a yogurt marinade if the pantry has yogurt.
Now I have to read the other responses!
Broil the chicken and tomatoes, cook and cool the quinoa, add slivers of Parmesan and a nice viniagrette (use the runoff from the tomatoes to flavor this), have a nice big protein-packed salad.
Check out โThe Flavor Bibleโ. It will add to the fun.