Sharing Plate – Your Cooking Coach |

I am always looking for different ways to cook chicken- I guess so is everyone else. It is easy to pick it up while doing your weekly shop- or in my case- daily shop. I have to admit- I prefer chicken thighs to any other part of the bird. I find it very versatile, forgiving and full of flavor. I especially use it when making ethnic dishes.

I love making chicken tikkas- my daughter loves them- and I feel good about giving her delicious, organic meat with some veggies on the side.

I felt like eating tikkas but I wanted to prepare them a little differently than my usual. The cooking method is the same- it is the marinade that is completely different- sky is the limit when it comes to flavoring the yogurt. I made a spice mix which is similar to pickling spices used in Indian pickles. It is a classic mixture of fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds with onion seeds, etc. It gives the chicken a delicious sweet, savory and liquorice flavor.

These are best if marinated over night- if you didn’t plan ahead, no worries- a couple of hours will be fine as well. Keep this recipe in mind as you start thinking of grilling outside- enjoy!!
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I continue to cook super healthy in this New Year. This one is a simple meat sauce I whipped up in no time. My daughter’s friend was coming over on a Sunday and was going to stay for lunch. Kids love pasta- we all know that. It is always hard to come up with new and interesting dishes to serve them.

I had ground turkey in the fridge and decided to make a quick meat sauce. I also had a big container of freshly made marinara sauce. Instead of serving vegetables on the side, I added it into the sauce. I love making one pot meals- especially for kids. I have also noticed they tend to eat the veggies if they are incorporated into the dish.

I sauteed an onion and garlic with the meat- added the tomato sauce and spinach. That was it- so simple and delicious.
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Swiss chard is my new favorite greens to buy. For a very long time, I would walk by it in the super market and not think about it.

After I took part in a farmer’s market program sponsored by my daughter’s school- I found myself convincing kids to pick up the Swiss chard to take home. I did the same myself and forced myself to come up with recipes using this delicious green.

When I made this pasta with sausage and Swiss chard, my daughter asked me what the green was- I told her it is like spinach and served her a big portion. She loved it!

This dish is very simple with homemade tomato sauce and a pack of chicken sausages- both are a staple in my house. I had the pasta cooked in no time and again, this is a one pot meal- yay!!
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This dish was a big success. It was easy to put together, extremely delicious and it took not time to cook. Best of all, it is one-pot meal. I wanted to make the meal extra healthy so I roasted a couple bunches of asparagus on the side. I served my daughter some crusty bread on the side with the chicken and some asparagus. I ate it just with the asparagus and it was extremely satisfying.

I had a tray of chicken thighs and legs which I marinated in some garlic, olives, lemon juice and oregano- all the flavors I think of when Greek cuisine comes to mind.

I then cut up some tomatoes and potatoes, mixed it all together and had an amazing dinner. Some delicious red wine made it even better- enjoy!
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I love using chicken sausage. It is hard to tell the links are made with chicken instead of pork or beef. They are healthier and honestly, more delicious. I love using them for all sorts of things including in pasta.

For this dish I bought fresh linguini from Whole Foods. My plan was to make the sausage ragu with pappardelle but while ordering it, the lady behind the counter got confused and gave me linguini instead. I didn’t have the heart to correct her and decided to go with it. Somehow when I make ragu I always envision it with the wide, pappardelle like pasta.. but linguine works really well.

I served this delicious pasta with a big green salad and some red wine… it was a great week night meal…
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