Today, most families are having to tighten their belts. Buying ready-made or take-out food is expensive and usually full of unnecessary calories. Easily prepared meals can be made in no time at all, even for the busiest family, after a day's work.
Mediterranean Chicken Pasta uses chicken breasts, store-bought ingredients and three basic vegetables. The recipe is simple to prepare, and the results taste so delicious that people will come back for second servings. Crusty bread can be used to mop up the excess tomato juices. This is a healthy meal loaded with vegetables, meat and carbohydrates. Extra vegetables, such as green beans or spinach, can be served as a side.
For dessert, how about a bread pudding? This recipe uses bread which is too fresh to throw away but not springy enough for sandwiches. At this time of year, there are plenty of apples, so use these to make a cheap and cheerful bread pudding. Raid your pantry for raisins and cinnamon.
Mediterranean Chicken Pasta
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
- Olive oil spray, for coating skillet
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1 red or green bell pepper, cored, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
- 1 14-ounce can chopped tomatoes
- 2 vegetable stock bouillon cubes
- 4 cups boiling water
- 1/2 cup fusilli pasta
- Freshly ground black pepper, for seasoning
- 3 teaspoons dried rosemary
Directions:
- Spray a large skillet with a light olive oil spray. Heat skillet over medium heat and add the cubed chicken.
- Cook chicken until evenly browned on exterior, about 15 minutes. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic to skillet and stir to combine with chicken pieces.
- Add the tomatoes to the skillet and stir to combine.
- Dissolve stock cubes in water and add liquid to the skillet.
- Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes.
- Add the pasta and continue to simmer for 15 minutes or until the pasta is cooked. Season with pepper and dried rosemary.
- Divide chicken and pasta mixure among 4 dinner plates. Serve immediately.
Apple Bread Pudding
The smell of this apple bread pudding is wonderful. When it comes out of the oven, it should be risen, but if it collapses a bit upon cooling, don't worry. It's still delicious. Serve hot with vanilla ice cream.
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, for greasing baking dish
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups whole or skim milk
- 4 slices white or whole-wheat bread, crusts removed, sliced into quarters
- 2 large firm apples, such as McIntosh, Granny Smith or Macoun, peeled, cored and grated
- 1/2 cup dried fruit, such as raisins, cranberries or sour cherries
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon, plus more to taste
- 3 teaspoons honey
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly butter an 8-inch square baking dish and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat together eggs and milk.
- Place a layer of bread in the bottom of the baking dish.
- Cover bread layer with a layer of grated apples and dried fruit.
- Sprinkle 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon over fruit layer.
- Drizzle with 1 teaspoon honey.
- Repeat the layering process three times with the remaining bread slices, grated apples, dried fruit, cinnamon and honey. If you run out of bread pieces, simply add another slice of bread to baking dish.
- Sprinkle the top of the bread pudding with additional ground cinnamon to taste.
- Add the egg and milk mixture to the baking dish and place the bread pudding in the oven. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the bread pudding is crusty and golden brown on top.
Doreen Taylor - Conscientious and committed to good writing, I will endeavour to do my best for all my writers. I adore reading and learning new things ...
