BiggySmallin on a Budget Recipe- The Epi-Google Episode

Yeah, that's about right....
Photo courtesy of stock xchange

So, one particularly broke “resource strained” week, I found myself in a quite the dilemma:  I had few staples in the kitchen, maybe $10 to my name for the foreseeable future (don’t shake your head like this has never happened to you) and needed to figure out what I could make for dinner that would stretch the few things I happened to have on hand.  It was time to put the Food & Wine cookbooks away and get out the old “BiggySmallin on a Budget” thinking cap (soon in stores… j/k).

Where to turn for inspiration?  The mighty Goog of course! (Can I use the whole name without storm troopers (TM)  coming for me? Can I use “storm trooper” without Lucas coming for me?  I digress.)  I did an “Epi-Google” or a search in, er, that search engine everybody uses with the ingredients I had at home.  And the results were fantastic.  I have a healthy new favorite (and cheap, inexpensive) recipe that I’m only happy to share!

Caveats/Substitutions: Part of being financially challenged broke   meant that I wasn’t completely faithful to the recipe (I’m noticing from previous posts that this is a pattern).  Certain things, like using ginger powder instead of fresh ginger, etc. that foodies would sniff at, I just considered necessary evils to get to the goal (feeding myself!).

I captured the spirit of the recipe and improvised, using dried lentils instead of the peas and boneless chicken thighs instead of breast meat (also cheaper, drain after browning) for richer flavor as suggested in the comments. However, I would not recommend skimping on the curry powder. It is worth keeping around!

What about you?  Have you had a successful “random recipe” search?  Tell me about it!

Happy Fitness (and cooking)!

Ms. BiggySmalls

Epi-Google Challenge: Chicken, Sweet Potatoes

Search result: Sweet Potato Chicken Curry, Courtesy of Cooking Light via myrecipes.com. You can get a calorie count of the actual recipe on the website.

Photo Courtesy of myrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups vertically sliced onion $
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced $
• 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth $
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained $
• 2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato $
• 3/4 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup frozen green peas
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice $

Preparation

1. Combine curry powder, coriander, turmeric, salt, black pepper, red pepper, and bay leaf in a small bowl.
2. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove chicken from pan. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to pan; cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Increase heat to medium-high; return chicken to pan. Cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Stir in ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add curry powder mixture; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. Stir in potato and chickpeas. Cook, uncovered, 30 minutes. Add peas; cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice. Discard bay leaf.