Discovered this meal from one of those “send me everything and instructions” food companies, and I was so impressed with this one I thought I’d save it here.

*Pro tip for anyone like me who have moved homes a lot: a blog is way better for saving recipes than an old red binder which I didn’t think was even possible to lose since it’s always eventually turned up but that finally happened taking my very old and best brownie recipe into the black hole it’s now existing in. Also, saves the kid some effort when they want a recipe they had at my place. 🙂

DINNER FOR TWO, INGREDIENTS (takes about 25 minutes)

12 ounces carrots

1 clove garlic

1 thumb ginger to get 1 TBSP of minced (or you can use the kind you bake with, but fresh is better)

2 scallions (AKA green onions)

1 lime

1/2 cup Jasmine or Basmati rice

10 oz chicken cutlets (or chicken strips, like in the photo. But cutlets are prettier on the plate.)

*Note on chicken: the results are better when chicken parts are thoroughly dry. You can pat dry with paper towels, or even better, let chicken sit uncovered in refrigerator for a few hours before cooking.

1/4 cup Miso broth

1-2 tablespoons apricot jam or preserves

2 tablespoons butter or Earth Balance (non-dairy “butter”)

DIRECTIONS

Set oven to 425 degrees with rack on top setting.

Cut carrots in about 1/2-inch thick pieces on diagonal (because it looks nice. And yes, presentation is important even if you’re cooking only for yourself!)

Get produce together:

• peel and mince ginger and garlic (not together)
• trim and thinly slice scallions, separate white from dark green
• zest and quarter lime

Toss carrots on baking sheet with some oil, salt and pepper. Roast on top rack of oven until browned, 20-25 minutes. (I find if you leave them on the longer side, the carrots get sweeter.)

Melt 1 tbsp butter in a pot, then add garlic and half of the ginger until it smells lovely. @30 seconds.

Add rice, 3/4 cup water and some salt. Bring to boil, then let simmer until rice is tender, @15-18 minutes. When it’s done, take off heat and cover until you’re ready for it.

Heat a bit of oil in a large pan. Add some salt/pepper to chicken and cook until browned and done, usually about 3-5 minutes per side. Remove from pan. I usually take the pan off the heat for a minute to let it cool down a bit before using the same pan for the sauce. You can wipe out the pan if you’re using non-stick, but I think you get more flavor (but a darker sauce) if you don’t.

Using the same pan, heat a small bit of oil and add scallion whites and remaining ginger until it smells great and onion is soft, about a minute.

Add miso stock and a squeeze of lime until thickened (or at least a little reduced,) 2-3 minutes.

Remove the pan from heat, add 1 Tbsp of butter and let it melt – then stir it in. You can add more lime if you want, here, too.

Plate your dinner! Carrots and rice should be done around the same time, and the chicken is pretty fast. Add sauce to the chicken – and it’s great on the rice, too – and add the scallion greens and lime zest over the top.