I feel like these past few weeks I might have reformed from my former sweet tooth ways. For I, Ella Penman, have managed to write two blog posts in a row that do not involve baked goods or sugar. That’s not to say that I’ve quit sugar or anything, quite the opposite in fact. I guess I’ve just been in the mood for trying out new dinner recipes lately as opposed to baking things. As depressing as that might be to some, I think it is helping me to diversify my portfolio of recipes. And I’ve read somewhere that diversification decreases risk, or does that only apply to the stock market?

Anyway, I seem to be craving mushrooms lately, which isn’t anything new for me, as I seem to be quite obsessed. It seems to link up to my craving for comfort food, partially I think to do with winter being almost over, and also because I’ve been a bit stressed out. So what better to ease stress than some delicious, healthy comfort food? And mushrooms always lend themselves to those rich, comforting flavours. So it really was a win win situation. I could have my cake and eat it to, without actually baking any cake. Actually, there was no cake, which makes me a little sad now that I think about it.

I decided to make this dish before coming home and so was able to go to the store and get all the ingredients I needed, which was a novelty for me. But I realised once I had decided to cook this dish that my partner was coming around, and I became concerned that perhaps he might not be too keen on the whole kale thing. My boyfriend does like my cooking, especially the sweet stuff, but he does tend to be a little funny about health foods. He will try it, but he is a little sceptical whenever I make anything too healthy. So I decided that he would become the perfect tester of whether this healthy dish actually tasted any good.

So here it is, my recipe for a perfect one pot Chicken, Mushroom and Kale dish. This has fresh and comforting almost Italian flavours, thanks to the garlic and lemon, and is quite easy and quick to make, which is always a plus in my book. It also involves minimum washing up, which is another even better plus! I was surprised by how well the ingredients came together into something so delicious, so without further a do, here is the recipe:

Garlic Chicken with Mushrooms and Kale

Adapted From	The Roasted Root
Preparation Time	15 minutes
Cooking Time	15 minutes
Serves	4
Ingredients ·         1 tablespoon of olive oil or coconut oil ·         6 cloves of garlic, minced ·         2 teaspoons of dried thyme ·         3 cups of brown mushrooms, or anything on hand, roughly chopped ·         500 grams of chicken breast, sliced into thin strips ·         ¼ teaspoon of salt (plus extra for seasoning of the chicken breast) ·         ¼ teaspoon of pepper (plus extra for seasoning of the chicken breast) ·         Zest of one large lemon ·         4 cups of kale leaves, roughly chopped Method 1.      In a medium fry pan, heat the olive oil on a medium heat. 2.      Add the minced garlic cloves and thyme, and cook for 1 minute until it starts to sizzle and brown. 3.      Add the mushrooms in and stir frequently for about 5 minutes, until they have browned and started to go soft. 4.      Season the chicken breast with some additional salt and pepper, and add the chicken to the fry pan and brown both sides, this should take about 3 minutes. 5.      Add the chopped kale and cook for another 3-5 minutes, or until the chicken is completely cooked through. 6.      Stir in the lemon zest, salt and pepper. Cook for an additional minute and remove from heat. 7.      Serve with potatoes, vegetables or with pasta.

This most certainly passed the boyfriend test for tastiness. He really enjoyed it, despite the absence of cheese or pasta, and when normally he complains when something is a little too healthy, he was actually telling me that he really enjoyed it. So I think this dish might be boyfriend safe, if his reaction is anything to go by! The flavours were delicious, even if they are a little simple, this really made for a tasty and comforting weeknight meal. And I mean what’s not to love about something that’s easy, healthy, fast and tastes great? It ticks all the boxes for me, and I really hope you enjoy it as much as I did if you try to make it!So as you can see this is another one of those great quick dishes that is perfect for a weeknight meal. It is a really simple recipe, and more importantly it is really quite healthy. It’s full of good ingredients and doesn’t really have anything fatty in it. Plus, I’ve heard kale is a ‘super food’, whatever that means, so it must make the dinner extra good for you. I find kale a lot easier to eat when it’s cooked in garlic and thyme and served with mushrooms, so this dish is a perfect way to introduce more ‘super foods’ to your diet.

Until next time, happy cooking!

Ella xx