Today I had the simplest, most deliciousest lunch ever. (Yes, I just coined a new word and used it incorrectly. Sue me.)
I started with half a chicken breast. Mine was from a local farm that raises the most delectable free-range chickens — I’m a firm believer that if you’re going to eat meat, you have a responsibility to make sure that the critters you eat had good lives before they found their way to your table.
I put the chicken breast in my small frying pan, covered it, and cooked it on medium heat until I could hear it sizzle. At that point, I raised the lid and drizzled a couple tablespoons of chicken broth over it. I did that again once or twice, then turned the breast and repeated on the other side. I removed the chicken to a plate, leaving the pan with a lovely layer of carmelized chicken juices.
I deglazed the pan with 1/2 cup chicken broth, then tossed in a fist-sized snowball of frozen chopped spinach. (I roughly estimate this was about 3/4 cup.) I put the lid back on for a bit; when I looked again, the spinach had defrosted.
I stirred in 1 teaspoon minced garlic (I use garlic by the cupful, so I buy it pre-minced in really big jars) and the leftover brown rice from yesterday’s lunch (again, I estimate it was about 3/4 cup). I turned off the heat while I cut up the chicken, and the mixture was warmed through by the time I plated it with the chicken. The flavor was indescribably fantastic! (I realize “fantastic” is a description of sorts, but I’m thinking of it more as a noun, as in “I had fantastic for lunch today.”)
If you’ve already had lunch today, be sure to put fantastic on your menu for tomorrow!
The Daily Compost 