BIKINIKITCHEN

By Susan Irby

Copyright Susan Irby, the Bikini Chef 2013

Nutritional
Information
Per Serving:
Serving size: 1 chicken
leg with approximately
1 cup of quinoa ragout
Calories: 534.1
Fat: 15.7 g
Saturated Fat: 3.3 g
Carbohydrates: 59.9 g
Protein: 38.1 g
Fiber: 10.5 g
Sodium: 456.1 mg

Chicken
Quinoa Ragout
(Serves 4)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 whole chicken legs, skin removed
Sea salt (as instructed)
Black pepper (as instructed)
6 slices turkey bacon
4 green onion, roughly chopped
1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cups water plus 2 cups water or chicken broth
cup dry white wine such as sauvignon blanc
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 pound butternut or acorn squash, skin removed, cut into
1-inch chunks
Dash or two of hot sauce
1 cup pre-washed quinoa
2 tablespoons chopped Italian flat leaf parsley leaves

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add
chicken and lightly season with salt and pepper. Brown chicken
on one side, turn and brown on the other side. Transfer to a
plate.

A TIME FOR COMFORT

The words comfort foods conjure up visions of mac 'n' cheese, lasagna,
mashed potatoes and gravy, and a lot of foods that may seem comforting
at the time, but leave your body feeling bloated, sluggish and anything but
comforted. The good news is that comfort foods can actually be comforting
to both the body and the soul and satisfying to the taste buds, too!
A favorite dish for fall is ragout. Meaning a well seasoned dish consisting of
small bits of meat with stewed vegetables, ragout can be made with a variety
of proteins and vegetables including beef, lamb, pork, or make a vegetarian
version using hearty eggplant. Potatoes are common in ragout dishes, yet in
this recipe, they are replaced with nutrient dense butternut squash and super
food quinoa. Flavorful, lean turkey bacon is used in place of high-fat salt pork
and chicken is the protein of choice. Braised and cooked over low heat, this
dish gets an infusion of delicious flavor from fresh herbs of thyme, oregano
and parsley and whole peppercorns.
Perfect for Sunday supper, this is one comfort food that will leave you
feeling satisfied and energized and is the ideal dish to enjoy leftovers at work
the next day. MS&F

2. Add turkey bacon to the skillet and cook until browned and
crisp, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add the
green onion and onion and saute until just browned and tender,
about 5 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch and stir an additional
minute.
3. Add 1 cups water and the wine to the skillet. Bring to a
boil over medium-high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon. Stir
in garlic, thyme, oregano, peppercorns, bay leaves and a pinch
of salt. Add the squash and chicken, return to a boil, cover with
lid and reduce heat to low. Cook until the squash is tender and
the chicken is nearly falling off the bones about 30 minutes.
4. While chicken ragout is cooking, make the quinoa by
bringing quinoa and remaining 2 cups of water to boil in a
medium stock pot over medium high heat. Cover and reduce
heat to simmer and allow to cook for 15 minutes. Remove from
heat and let stand, covered, until ready to use.
5. To serve, remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs from ragout.
Stir the hot sauce into the ragout, place 1 cup of cooked quinoa
on serving plate. Top quinoa with approximately 1 cup ragout
and 1 chicken leg. Finish with a sprinkle of the chopped parsley.

Susan Irby, the Bikini Chef, is a radio host for Bikini Lifestyles on 790 KABC, an author and specialist in healthy bikini cuisine. Follow her at twitter.com/thebikinichef or visit her online at thebikinichef.com.
50 WWW.MAXMUSCLE.COM

OCTOBER 2013