What do I make for dinner?

Last night I made a meal that I make all the time because it’s simple and tasty and fast, so now I share.

Start with chicken breasts or thighs, boneless and skinless. Thighs have more fat so go with breasts if you’re trying to lose weight. Three chicken thighs are enough for our family with two adults and 2 small children. Marinade in the juice of one lime, several drops of jalapeno hot sauce, about a tsp of salt, and if you have it a splash of rum or tequila. Marinade for at least an hour. (I usually defrost the chicken in the marinade by putting it in a Ziploc bag in a bowl of water in the sink.) Remove chicken from the marinade and cut into 1-inch cubes.

Start some brown rice cooking in the rice cooker or on the stove. Put the chicken in a frying pan over high heat with a little bit of oil. Stir frequently. While the chicken is cooking put a can or two of black beans (Or cooked from dry) in a saucepan on the stove. Add salt and pepper to taste, 1-2 tsp of ground cumin, and 1-2 tsp of ground oregano. Stir into beans and simmer for a few minutes.

Place rice, beans, and chicken on the table along with lime wedges, cilantro leaves, and hot sauce. Put the rice on the plate, then the beans, then the chicken, then squeeze limejuice over everything and add cilantro leaves. You can also serve with whole-wheat tortillas and grated cheese as well to make burritos. And salsa and sour cream always help if you want them, as well as avocado wedges. The entire prep time is about 1/2 an hour and it’s one of my favorite meals.

Notes: You can grill the chicken also and cut it after, which we often do in the summer, it takes a little bit longer to cook this way but then there is the lovely slightly black flavor as well.