I am someone who loves to cook. I always have. I feel eating is one thing we all have in common as humans, no matter your gender, your weight, your sexual orientation, whether you are married or single, whether you rent or own, no matter your religious belief, the size of your bank account, or your skin color. We all need to eat. We love to eat. Sometimes it’s hard to get some inspirations to cook for dinner. I have some friends who never cook and some who cook the same 10 meals. I however, cook millions of things. Some are my own creations (I even have enough to publish a cookbook- darn recession) and some are others’ creations.  I thought I would share a couple of dishes you might want to try out. Here’s one Vegetarian, One Chicken, and One Fish. Hope you enjoy something tonight!

Island Kale and Sweet-Potato Soup by Food & Wine Magazine – 4 Servings

Inspired by Caribbean callaloo, this tropical, coconut-milk-spiked soup can be mildly or wildly spicy, according to your taste. If you like it hot, add some or all of the jalapeno seeds or a splash of Tabasco sauce.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeds and ribs removed, sliced thin
• 3/4 pound kale, tough stems removed, leaves washed well and shredded (about 1 quart)
• 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 3), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 1/2 quarts canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 cup long-grain rice

DIRECTIONS

• In a large saucepan, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and jalapeño and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Stir in the kale, sweet potatoes, broth and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Add the coconut milk and just heat through.
• Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Stir in the rice and boil until just done, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain. Put a mound of rice in the center of each bowl. Ladle the soup around the rice.
• Notes: Crinkly kale leaves are wonderfully sturdy and flavorful, making them especially well-suited to soups. Remove and discard the thick stems and then wash the leaves really well before adding them to a dish. The twists and turns of kale leaves are great places for dirt to hide.

Slow Cooker Chipotle-Lime Chicken Thighs Jamaican Rice and Peas by Robin Miller

1 cup sliced onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
4 pounds skinless chicken thighs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce with 1 teaspoon sauce from can
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 avocado, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Lime wedges, for garnish

Arrange onion, celery and carrots in bottom of slow cooker. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper and arrange over vegetables.

In a medium bowl, whisk together tomato sauce, lime juice, chipotle chiles with sauce, and garlic. Pour mixture over chicken.

Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours. Serve half of the thighs with this meal (topped with diced avocado and cilantro and garnished with lime wedges) and reserve remaining thighs for another meal.

Jamaican Rice and Peas:
2 cups instant white rice or instant brown rice
1 (14-ounce) can low fat coconut milk
1 cup water
1 (15-ounce) can Kidney red beans, drained

½ c of peas
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
1/4 cup chopped scallions
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a medium saucepan, combine rice, coconut milk, water, beans, thyme, and lime zest. Set pan over high heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, add peas, cover and simmer 5 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Fold in scallions and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Jay’s (Yes that’s me) Baked Orange Roughy

4 large Carrots cut julienne style

4-5 celery stalks cut julienne style

1 med. onion, thinly sliced

1 T of Fresh Chopped Basil

1 T of Fresh Chopped Parsley

2 to 4 fillets of Orange Roughy

2 T of No Sugar Added Orange Marmalade

1/4 c. Lemon Juice

1 T of Lime Juice

1 garlic clove minced

1 tsp of honey

1 tsp. tsp sea salt

1 tsp of black pepper

2 tbsp. Melted Smart Balance butter or reg butter

Toss carrots, celery, onion, and basil together. Spread 1/2 of this mixture in a shallow casserole pan. Place fish on top. Cover with the rest of the remaining vegetables. Combine in a bowl the butter, lemon juice, lime juice, garlic, honey, sea salt, pepper, and Marmalade. Cover and bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes until fish is opaque and flakes with fork. Remove the Veggies and discard. Spoon Sauce over fish and then Serve.

Tags: Chicken Dish, Chicken Recipe, Cooking ideas, Dinner Ideas, Dinner tonight, Eating, Fish Recipe, Food & Wine Magazine Recipe, recipe, Robin Miller Recipe, Vegetarian Dish, Vegetarian Recipe, What to cook