Day 2, Week 1

Creamy chicken tomato stew

(serves 2, double recipe for 4)

My husband calls this one an 'American curry' since the flavors aren't as strong as an Indian or Thai curry, but the cumin and turmeric do add a little twist to the milder taste of a standard stew. You may omit the both ingredients if you would prefer to create a regular stew, as it will still be very tasty! I've put a red + sign next to the ingredients that need to be purchased today.

You should buy vegetables in bulk or bags (carrots, onions, garlic, celery, etc.) as it is much cheaper in the long run, and I will be using them often for this week's menu.

Ingredients:

- Leftover tomato sauce (about a cup) (*if you are starting from scratch you can use a small 14 oz can of diced tomatoes).

+ 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken, cut into bite size cubes (if you cannot find a pound, get 2 lbs and save 1/2 for tomorrow)

- 2 cloves of garlic chopped finely

+ 2 small carrots cut into 1/2 thumb size (buy a bag)

+ 2 celery stalks cut into 1/2 thumb size (buy a bag)

+ 1/2 cup chicken broth

- 1/2 onion

- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

+ 1/4 cup heavy cream

+ 1/2 lime or all of it depending on your taste

+ 1/2 tsp turmeric *optional*

+ 1/2 tsp cumin *optional*

+ 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes *optional*

+ long grain rice

- salt & pepper

Directions:

Prepare rice according to directions on the bag. The secret to great rice is to only stir it once while incorporating to the boiling water and not touch it again until it's ready to serve. I add a tiny bit of oil to mine to keep it from sticking to the pot.

In a medium size pot, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add garlic, onions, red pepper flakes, and cook until onions are translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add chicken and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the outside looks cooked. Add veggies and cook 2 minutes. Add chicken stock, bring to a boil, then add tomato sauce (or canned tomatoes), turmeric, cumin, and season with salt & pepper.

Cover and simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Turn down the heat to very low, add cream, stir. Finish off by squeezing fresh lime juice (as much or as little as you want), season again to taste, stir and serve over rice.

You should have some parmesan, cream, butter, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, onions, celery, and carrots left for the week.