Cheap and Easy...and HOT!

RecipeSo this is the official start of our little nutrition blog!  Being a recent college grad myself, I know how hard it can be to cook, at school, on a budget.  I am here to prove with this blog that healthy recipes can be achieved the cheap and easy way.  Different recipes will be posted using simple ingredients.  Even if you may not like a recipe, I will also offer tips on cooking in general throughout each recipe that you can apply to your cooking skills.  Granted, I may be a dietitian, but I am NO CHEF!  This is my way to prove to students, that you can cook healthfully, no matter what your profession or skill is.  So enjoy our first recipe!

My recipes always go along with an interesting story. They are always conjured up from something that happened during the week...never from a cookbook.  This recipe came from a visit to the Houston Hot Sauce Festival held in Stafford, Tx this past weekend.  Yes, vendors from all over the country compete for the title of having THE best hot sauce in Houston. If you are a fan of spicy and want to try new and interesting hot sauce, BBQ sauce, and dip, all to the sweet sounds of a Louisiana Bluegrass band, I would suggest attending next year. I’d have to say it was a fun yet painful experience (someone dressed as a fireman gave us a taste of his “stupid hot” sauce, and after 15 minutes of crying, burning pain, I think the name was more than justified).  After downing way too many hot sauce shots on tortilla chips, you can cool down with either a cold draft beer, or some ice cream (some vendors even put their hot sauce ON ice cream, which surprisingly worked!) When we were all hot sauced out, we looked for some real food and found SpurTree, a local vendor that makes Jamaican inspired sauces.  Their Jamaican curry seasoning over some grilled chicken really hit the spot and we decided to buy a bottle and take it home. This curry is different because it has the spice of a traditional curry, but almost a sweetness to go along with it.  Its delicious!  The following recipe was inspired from that sauce, but any curry sauce from any store can be substituted.  If you are interested in supporting SpurTree, a local vendor, you can order their products by calling 281-586-7177.

Curried Chicken and Lentils

Ingredients:

2 fresh chicken breast

1/2 cup lentils

2 cups chopped vegetables, anything you like (we used carrots, zuccini, onions, potatoes, peppers)

1-2 tbs olive oil

1/2 cup curry sauce (we used a jamaican curry, you can find these at any grocery store)

Herbs and spices ( garlic powder, black pepper, tumeric, cilantro, basil)*spices are a great way to flavor your food without the salt or calories, try the suggested spices listed here–for added spice try adding Siracha, found in the Asian section

Makes four servings, around 300 calories each.

1. Wash and chop all veggies
2. Add veggies to sauce pan with 1 tbs olive oil, cover and let cook for 10 minutes over medium heat
3. Slice chicken breast *a great way to thaw out chicken quickly is to drop it into a pot of boiling water
4. Cook chicken in a frying pan with a pinch of olive oil or grill it in a George Foreman
5. When veggies are soft and chicken is cooked add them to a large pot on stove
6. Add curry sauce spices and lentils
7. Let cook for about 10 minutes or until lentils are soft

You can eat this recipe with whole wheat pita bread or plain.  Its a great source of lean protein and fiber.