Slightly above average dinner tonight. I wanted to try out one of the chicken rub recipes from an old Real Simple magazine - we've been doing a lot of cooking with cumin/curry powder lately! Decided to get a little fancy with the green beans and add some almonds to them, and of course no dinner would be complete without a little starch, so quinoa (pronounced keen-WAH) it is. You can never go wrong with quinoa.
Moroccan rubbed chicken:
[based on this recipe] Combine 1 Tbsp. cumin, 2 tsp. curry powder, 1 tsp. fresh grated ginger (powdered ok) 1/2 tsp. kosher salt and 2 tsp. EVOO in a small bowl. Smear the rub over chicken breasts (this is enough rub for 1-1.5lbs. chicken, or 4 breasts), bake at 375°F for about 30-40 minutes, until a thermometer inserted at the thickest part reads 160°F.
Almond green beans:
About 15 minutes before the chicken should be done, heat up a small amount of EVOO [you can probably tell from the picture that I used way too much... the beans were so shiny!] in a saute pan over low-medium heat. Chop up a handful of almonds and toast them in the oil until just fragrant. Add green beans (I think we had about 1/2 lb.), 1 clove chopped garlic and a little water to steam them/keep the nuts from scorching. Cook covered on low heat about 10 minutes or until beans are at a desired doneness. I like mine on the firm side.
Quinoa:
Combine 1/2 c. quinoa, a pinch of salt and 1 c. water (or vegetable/chicken broth, if you're into that sort of thing) in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes, stirring once or twice. Compared to other whole grains, it's SO simple and quick, not to mention unusually full of protein and fiber.
