Easy & Nutritious Meal for Holiday Season

It's always nice to be able to have a homemade meal that doesn't take much time to prepare. This is especially true when you're tired for any reason including long work hours, tkr recuperation or illness. Here's a recipe that doesn't take much energy to get ready. Plus, it's nutritious. Can't beat that...I remember eating it as a kid when my grandparents would make it. I've added some modern twists..

Enjoy this recipe throughout the busy holiday season or any time of the year.

Boiled Dinner

6-8 cups water

2 large carrots, peeled and diced

1 - 2” slice of cabbage

2 slices onion

2 potatoes, peeled and however you want to cut them

1 chicken breast, skin removed

1 t. Italian seasoning

¼ t dried basil

3 sprigs broccoli

Place water into Dutch oven, crockpot or large cooking pot.

Add all ingredients.

Cook over medium heat until everything is cooked til tender. If cooking on a stovetop, partially cover. If using a crockpot, fully cover for the duration.

Stir occasionally.

There are a variety of ways to serve this:

* You can serve this as a soup by cutting the protein up.

* Remove the veggies and protein to a serving plate and serve with a dollop of plain yogurt.

*Save the broth for other uses. Use the broth instead of canned broth in any recipe.

* Place a slice of whole grain bread onto the plate and pour some broth over it. Eat this in addition to, or instead of, the potatoes.

Freeze or refrigerate unused portions for later use. Store in airtight containers.

What's nice about this recipe, is you can alter the preparation methods according to how you feel. If you lack energy, simply peel the veggies and place whole into the water.

* Or, substitute peeled baby carrots for the carrots that require peeling.

* You can also buy a package of peeled and prepared fresh veggies to open and place into the water. The choice is yours.

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Oil-Free, Yet Tasty, Stir Fry: Part I

Have you thought about enjoying a tasty stir fry, but didn't want the oil? Normally, stir frys start with a little olive oil or some other oil. Here's an alternative:

Use chicken or vegetable broth instead of the oil. Canned varieties of these broths are available. However, have you seen how much is in even the “low sodium” labeled varieties? Too much for me, thank you.

Make your own broth. It's so easy, it's a sin. Fill a two-quart pot with water. Put in a chicken breast. You can use either the bones or not, the choice is yours. The bones do provide extra flavor. If you want a vegetable broth, obviously, omit the chicken. Add some oregano, basil, tarragon, sage and rosemary. I've added some fresh mint and it's a kicker. :) To the herbs, add your veggies. These include some chopped onion, sliced carrots, broccoli, cabbage and potato. You can actually add any vegetable you want.

Cover and cook over medium heat until a boil starts. Stir to evenly distribute all the ingredients. Lower the heat. Simmer for another 15 minutes, until all the ingredients are cooked thoroughly. Poke with a fork for doneness.

When done, remove from heat. Remove the chicken and veggies onto a serving plate. This can be your dinner. Or, save for later use. The remaining water is your broth.

How easy is that? And...tasty..

Now that we have covered making broth...we have a base for our stir fry. Upcoming post...Stay tuned..:)

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