Balsamic Vinegar Date Chicken with Roasted Carrots and Parmesan Brown Rice

Here I go with the baking again, but I just love it for feeding large numbers of people because it requires less unwieldy handling of large hot skillets. Meat and fruit are a combination that make me really happy, stone fruit cooks at the same rate as meat and releases juices that make the meat taste so yummy. Pair a roasted meat with a roasted root vegetable and it is a match made in heaven, all it needs is a carbohydrate and it is a well rounded and seasonal meal that leaves you time to clean up while things cook. Fantastic!


Parmesan Brown Rice
Serves 12

Ingredients:
4 cups long grain brown rice
8 cups water
1 1/2 cups shredded parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. In a large pot combine water and rice; bring to a boil.
2. Cover and reduce heat to low, simmer for 50 minutes.
3. Fluff with a fork and add parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.


Balsamic Vinegar Date Chicken
Makes 12 servings

Ingredients:
6 lbs skinless chicken thighs (if you go boneless, you only need 4 lbs)
salt and pepper
3 Tbs white cooking wine
1 Tbs minced fresh peeled ginger
1 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 package dates (about 1 lb), pitted
1 Tbs corn starch

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Wash and pat dry chicken. Place into a deep baking dish and sprinkle the dates on top.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the wine, vinegar, and ginger.
4. Cover the chicken and dates in the liquid, then cover the baking dish with tinfoil.
5. Bake for 45-60 minutes until the juices run clear and there's no pink when the chicken is cut into.
6. Remove the chicken and dates to the serving plate.
7. Cook down remaining liquid in a skillet. Add cornstarch to thicken the gravy. Strain to remove any ginger chunks and unincorporated cornstarch globs.


Roasted Carrots
Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 large bag of baby carrots (about 1 lbs)
2 Tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 Tbs fresh rosemary removed from the stem and chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (if you have to, 425 F will work)
2. Open the bag of carrots, pour in the oil, garlic, and rosemary, seal the bag and shake to mix thoroughly. Salt and pepper the carrots while in the pan for an even distribution.
3. Pour carrots into a baking dish and bake for 20-30 minutes until able to pierce easily with a fork, moving the carrots every 10 minutes to prevent them from burning to the bottom.
*Optional: replace garlic and rosemary with 2 Tbs of fresh chopped dill.
*Optional: replace carrots with other root veggie, like potatoes, beets, yams, or parsnips, or a sturdy veggie, like eggplant, zucchini, squash, pumpkin, or asparagus. Cooking times will vary with different veggies, so keep an eye on it.

Baked tilapia, kale, brown rice, mango cucumber salsa

Today I made baked tilapia on a bed of kale with a mango cucumber salsa and a side of brown rice cooked in homemade chicken broth with shredded carrots & zucchini and almonds and sunflower seeds. The whole meal was gluten free and dairy free, which takes a bit of innovation if I do say so myself. The tilapia is buttery and light, which goes great with the cucumber mango salsa (one comment on the salsa was that it was like a burst of sunshine and lightness), grounded by the rich kale and veggie packed brown rice. Overall, this is a delicious and healthy meal which is light on the love handles and the wallet. 


As far as timing is concerned, start the brown rice first, since it takes the longest. 


Brown Rice with Veggies and Nuts

Ingredients:
1 cup long grain brown rice
2 cups chicken broth (I like to make my own when possible, but whatever you have works, use veggie broth for a vegetarian version of this dish)
1 or 2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup shredded zucchini
3 Tbs slivered almonds
3 Tbs sunflower seeds
1/4 tsp red chili flakes
2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro (1 bunch with stems removed)

Preparation:
1. Bring brown rice and broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover and reduce heat to low, simmer for 50 minutes or until all of the liquid has been absorbed and rice is tender. 
2. In a skillet heat olive oil and cook carrot and zucchini (just a couple of minutes). 
3. Add almonds, sunflower seeds, and red chili flakes. Cook over medium heat until aromatic.
4. Add brown rice and cilantro to skillet and combine. 


Baked Tilapia Over a Bed of Kale
makes 9 filets (I doubled this for 12 people, figuring about 1.5 filets per person)

Ingredients:
9 tilapia filets (fresh or thawed from frozen)
chopped kale (about 1/2 a bag)
olive oil
salt
pepper

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Coat baking dish in a thin layer of olive oil, then put down your kale so that it fills the baking dish.
3. Lay the tilapia on the bed of kale then season the filets with a light coating of olive oil, salt, and pepper.
4. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the flesh flakes easily with a fork. 


Mango Cucumber Salsa
makes 4 cups

Ingredients:

3 mangos diced (see video at side)
1 cucumber peeled, seeded, and diced
2 jalapeno peppers minced
1 large sweet onion finely diced
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbs lime juice
dash of salt and pepper to taste

1. Combined mangos, cucumber, jalapeno, onion, garlic, and cilantro. 
2. Season with lime juice, salt, and pepper
3. Refrigerate 1 hour to let flavors mature.