Two of my Favorite "F" words...

Friends and Food.  Preferably combined.  On Saturday evening, I hijacked my good friend Christa's kitchen to cook dinner for Christa, her wonderful roommate Jeremy, and myself.  It turned out to be quite the adventurous evening, including dining outside on the deck, a long walk, delicious, fruity frozen yogurt, and a viewing of Psycho.

For dinner, I chose a recipe from my Eat-Clean Cookbook by the lovely Tosca Reno - Moroccan Chicken and Lentils.  The full recipe makes 12 servings, so I cut it down, but I will post the full recipe here:

Ingredients List:

• 8 cups water
• 3 tsp. sea salt, divided
• 1 lb. dried lentils
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp. ground cumin, divided
• 2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. chili powder
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken breast or turkey breast, thinly sliced
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Instructions:

• LENTILS - Combine water and 1 tsp. sea salt in stock pot over high heat.  Add lentils and bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat to medium.  Simmer until lentils are soft, about 20-25 minutes.  Drain well.  Rinse under cold water and drain well.  Place in a large bowl and set aside.

• SAUCE FOR LENTILS - In small bowl, mix 1/4 cup of the olive oil, the red wine vinegar, 2 tbsp. cumin, 2 tbsp. chili powder, the garlic, and 1 tsp. of sea salt.  Pour this dressing over the lentils.  Toss gently and let cool.

• CHICKEN - In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp. olive oil.  Add onion and saute until well cooked, about 5 minutes.  Onion should be dark brown and soft.  Add chicken or turkey and saute 2 minutes more.  Add 1 tsp. sea salt, 1 tbsp. cumin, 2 tsp. chili powder, and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon.  Saute until chicken or turkey is cooked through.

• SERVE - Arrange lentils on the plate.  Place sliced chicken on top of lentils.  Use remaining dressing and pour over chicken.  Serve at room temperature.

This dinner turned out so delicious, and I was happy to see that it came out looking just like the picture in the cook book!  Christa and Jeremy enjoyed the meal just as much as I did, which is always a plus :o).  Just  a note, I didn't follow the recipe to the letter in terms of quantity of spices.  I just sort of threw stuff in, and it wound up perfect!  Best of all, the recipe is healthy and completely CLEAN!

Lentils Tossed in Sauce

Finished Product :o)

Friends!