Recently I invited a friend to dinner.  I was delayed at the store and got home literally five minutes before she arrived at my house, and we were heading out to something that evening, so time was of the essence!  Well, dinner was on the table in 30 minutes and my friend kept saying, “I can’t believe you made dinner that quickly.”  Roasting the chicken is why it took that long, and it occurred to me many people bring home “fast food” because they don’t think they can make good food fast.  Here’s the dinner I made that evening.  Nothing extraordinary, as you’ll see, but yummy, colorful and healthy too.

Dinner for 2

4 chicken thighs	2 large organic carrots
Spike seasoning (sprinkle with gay abandon)	1 bunch organic Swiss chard
2 C water, 1 tsp Celtic sea salt	2 small organic zucchini
1 C organic roasted buckwheat groats	1-2 tbsp coconut oil, optional

Turn oven to 450 degrees.  Put chicken thighs in a pie plate or little shallow roasting dish.  Sprinkle liberally with Spike.  Spike is a Gayelord Hauser-brand seasoning I grew up with, which has seen a renaissance since Oprah Winfrey’s cook, Rosie, discovered it some years back.  Pop chicken into oven and roast 20-25 minutes, or until skin is brown and crispy.

In a small pot with tight-fitting lid, bring two cups water to a boil.  Add teaspoon Celtic sea salt (rich in minerals).  Bring water to a boil and then pour in buckwheat groats (otherwise known as kasha).  My mother always served kasha with chicken, so that’s how I love it.  Turn heat down to low and cover pot.  Simmer 10 minutes ? that’s all it takes for kasha to absorb water and be ready to eat.  Turn off heat.  Let kasha sit while chicken roasts.  You will have kasha left over for breakfast or lunch.

Shake chard under water.  Wash carrots and zucchini with a scrub brush.  Halve carrots lengthwise.  Slice thickly.  Don’t peel.  Who has time?  Nor do you want to waste all those vitamins in the skin.  Put carrots in skillet and add 1 cup water.  Cover and turn heat to medium.  Simmer carrots while you chop chard into large bite-sized pieces.  Slice zucchini.  Add chard and zucchini to carrots.  Add another cup of water if necessary (depends on how tightly your lid fits).  Simmer five minutes.  You can serve veggies plain, beautifully colored and crisp-tender.  Juicy.  Refreshing.  Easy to digest.  For added richness and inner moisturizing, add a spoonful or two of coconut oil right into the pot.  Stir to coat veggies.

When chicken is done (poke with a knife and press if juice runs clear, chicken is done.), dish out.  Place a cup of cooked kasha next to chicken, and dress kasha with chicken broth from pan.  Using a slotted spoon, fill plate with a heaping amount of those lovely, juicy vegetables.  Voila!