Repurposed Meals

It's was not only a crazy busy week but also grocery week which means repurposing leftovers and quick, simple meals with anything I can find in the fridge. One of my favorite things to do is cook up a few chicken breast, portion them out and freeze them individually. This is perfect way to incorporate lean protein easily into my lunch or even a lazy night dinner. This week we had a variety of dinners, from tofu to corned beef so when Wednesday rolled around I wanted something simple and quick. To the freezer I went, defrosted two flat bread doughs, if you haven't tried my flat bread pizza please check it out and two chicken breast.

As former vegetarians we have chosen to eat only organic meat. I realize organic can be much more expensive but even if you set aside the numerous benefits such as no antibiotics, all chickens are raised to maturity and allowed to roam free, the taste alone will bring you back time and time again. The flavor of organic meat has so much more depth and deliciousness.

Simple Chicken Breast
3 to 4 Medium Size Organic Chicken Breast (skinless)
1 cup of Chicken or Vegetable Broth
1 tbs of Thyme
2 tbs of Oregano
1 tbs of Olive Oil
1 clove of Garlic (smashed)
Salt and Pepper to taste



In a small to medium size pan heat up your olive oil and garlic, your temperature should be a low to medium as you do not want to burn the garlic. Keep garlic whole but broken because we are just infusing the olive oil with the garlic. After a about 2 minutes pull the garlic out, turn up the heat and place the chicken into the hot pan. Sear the chicken for about 3 to 4 minutes until you see a nice golden brown color add 1/2 the chicken broth into the pan and turn the heat to a low medium and simmer for another 3 to 4 minutes. Until the chicken is cooked 1/2 way through and all the broth has evaporated. Then turn up the heat and flip the chicken and repeat the same steps, sear and add broth. When I am cooking this chicken for my freezer meals, I prefer to have the chicken a bit pink that way after I have re-heated the chicken I am left with a juice piece of meat. 

So tonight I made a Zesty Chicken side salad to go with my pizza.
For the dressing, I used
2 tbs of Greek plain Yogurt
2 tbs of Fire Roasted Salsa
1 tbs of White Vinegar
Juice of 1 fresh lime
This is a great fresh salad dressing minus the oil and calories.

For tonight's pizza I used a ladle full of my simple tomato sauce, 1/2 cup of mozzarella, 1 to 2 ounces of goat cheese and 2 handfuls of arugula. I prefer to grill my flat bread first with a spritz of olive oil. After grilling on both sides I add all my toppings minus the arugula and bake at 350 until cheese has melted. Then finish the cooking process by broiling it for 1 to 3 minutes depending on how hot your broiler is, just until cheese has become golden brown. Finally, topping the entire pizza with fresh, peppery arugula.

This is one of my favorite combination's, though I prefer a ricotta base this is a great substitution when in a pinch. Enjoy your weekend. Feel free to leave any comments, I would love to hear feedback.