In European countries, sometimes the planning of a meal is the main purpose for the day...to procure needed items not for the whole week but just for that meal.
So in the pursuit of living well today, I made the procurement process part of the experiment. Simply stated, I avoided rushing into a busy grocery store to snatch a dozen items off the shelves to then bustle through the checkout's conveyor belt in the 10 items or less line.
Today, I didn't breeze past the flower bin...I stopped...I enjoyed...and I moved on.
I knew that for my first blog post recipe - it would be the Chicken Basil Soup with Coconut...a sweet yet hearty and colorful expression of one-pot-wonderment.
My journey into the market was different today. I have a mission now - to report and share and bring life to what was otherwise a mundane task in my life.
I might have been the only person today in the potato section taking pictures of a bin full of yams (see photo below) but today I let the grocery store's cornucopia of shapes and colors be canvasses of art rather than items on a list.
So in keeping with my experiment to make a scruptuous dinner for $5 and under, I purchased one yam (.74), fresh spinach (.50), one small yellow squash (.54), one can of coconut milk (1.54)and I used 1/2 a chicken that I had roasted the evening before (2.52). If you are adding, you will see I went over budget a few cents on this one. But there will be enough left over for lunch so I will let that slide for the experiment...it will be even more fabulous tomorrow anyway!
Note: I am starting this experiment in Spring in Austin with a healthy herb garden (basil, thyme, sage, dill, chives, oregano, and rosemary).
Recommendations for making this a fabulous culinary experience:
1. Enjoy the hues of the yam juxtaposed to the green basil. Lay them out on your own pallet before cutting...just because.
2. Music - with this meal - I love Zydeco or Cuban (the Buena Vista Social Club.)
3. Serve with: Brown Rice and a lemon sorbet or fresh berries after the meal...for added color fusion!
4. The conversation: keep it light...fresh...hopeful...playful...
5. Afterwards...curl up on a sofa and watch a movie or read a book that has been calling to you - you know the one that is sitting next to your nightstand that you haven't opened in along time - yeah - that one. (Tonight it was a raining. I heated up left over brownies and drizzled hot fudge on top with a dash of cream.)
This is a good sweet life.
4 chicken thighs
1 yam - cut into cubes
1 yellow squash (cut into cubes)
onion optional
garlic - lots (like 4 cloves)
handful of spinach
4-6 sprigs basil
1 can coconut milk
(2 cups rice optional)
Simmer chicken till tender in 4-6 cups of water...with salt and pepper and 1 cube chicken boullion. (Take chicken out and debone.) Add cut yams and then add squash 5 minutes later. (When yams are soft but not too mushy...add spinach and basil and cook another 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Add coconut milk and stir in. Serve immediately (over rice optional for thicker consistancy). Salt and pepper to taste - a little tabasco is good too! (Total cooking time about 40 minutes)
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