What To Cook When You’re Tired or Busy: An Off-The-Cuff Recipe For Spiced Ground Chicken with Broccolini and Butter Beans
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Hello, Brain Health Ambassadors. When I left home for my book tour three months ago, there were four-foot snow banks surrounding my house. Now there are just a few piles strewn about the yard, and more grass than snow. Three months is a long time for a homebody like me to be away, but it was totally worth it. The best part of touring the country with the BHK book was getting to meet so many of you, and even cook with some of you, too!
A while back, one of you emailed me to say you’d like to know what kind of simple meals I cook at home. For example, what do I make for dinner when I’m pressed for time, tired, or not in the mood to cook, but still want a nourishing tasty meal that’s good for the brain?
One of my goals in writing the Brain Health Kitchen book and this newsletter is to help you make easy, nourishing meals with minimal effort. While many of my recipes are written very precisely (because I want them all to work in your own kitchen), there is much room for variation based on what you have on hand or feel like cooking. The journey of a home cook usually starts by following recipes, mastering certain techniques, and appreciating how to cook with whole foods. The ultimate goal is to be able to cook off-the-cuff with whatever you have on hand in your (well-stocked, brain-healthy) pantry.
So on Sunday, bone-tired from a 3:30 am Uber to the airport and a long travel day, I was thinking about this very question as I swung by my local grocery store. These items called to me: shallots, a bunch of broccolini, a carton of strawberries, and a jar of Bulgarian whole milk yogurt. And, a mini-baguette from my local bakery (because: comfort food!). Most of the meals I enjoyed while on book tour were vegetarian or pescatarian and I realized I was craving chicken. So I grabbed a container of lean ground chicken and tossed it into my bag.
When I got to my house, I was happy to find Rao’s marinara sauce and a can of butter beans in the cupboard and a wedge of Parmesan cheese in the freezer. I was so hungry that I immediately started cooking before I even unpacked. Here’s what happened next, if you want to cook it. (This makes enough for 2 people.)