THRIFTY RECIPES: Spicy Chicken Breasts . . . Apple-Dijon Pork Roast with Potatoes and Broccoli

Spicy Chicken Breasts

SPICE MIXTURE:

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground caraway seed

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

CHICKEN AND ONIONS:

1 cup olive oil

½ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 4 lemons)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded evenly to ½-inch thickness

2 large red onions, peeled and cut into 1-inch-thick slices

8 wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes

2 cups cooked couscous

½ cup chopped dried apricots

½ cup currants or sweetened dried cranberries

½ cup chopped green onions (white and green parts)

¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Prepare the grill on high heat. Oil a perforated grill rack and set it aside, if using.

In a small bowl, combine all the spice mixture ingredients.

In another small bowl or glass measuring cup combine the olive oil and lemon juice, whisk to blend and set the mixture aside.

Place the chicken on a doubled-sided baking sheet (the bottom one will be for the cooked food) and drizzle each breast with about 1 tablespoon of the olive oil mixture. Then lightly sprinkle both sides of each chicken breast with about 1 tablespoon of the spice mixture. Set the chicken aside.

Skewer each onion slice widthwise on a wooden skewer and place them on the perforated grill rack, if using, or on a separate platter. Reserving 2 to 3 tablespoons of the olive oil mixture for the couscous, drizzle the onions with some of the olive oil mixture.

Mix the couscous with the apricots, cranberries, onions and parsley and drizzle the mixture with the remaining olive oil mixture.

Grill the chicken about 3 minutes per side or until cooked through, depending on the size and thickness of the breasts.

Grill the onions 3 to 4 minutes per side, turning once, or until you have good grill marks and the onions become tender.

Transfer the cooked food to the clean baking sheet. Serve with the couscous.

Note: You will have leftover oil-lemon mixture. You can drizzle more on the chicken and onions during grilling if desired or keep it for drizzling over salad greens.

Yield: Serves 4.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 558 calories, 30 percent of calories from fat, 19 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 56 grams carbohydrates, 40 grams protein, 105 milligrams sodium, 96 milligrams cholesterol, 6 grams fiber.

Apple-Dijon Pork Roast with Potatoes and Broccoli

1 (about 2½-pound) pork shoulder roast

½ cup water

½ cup applesauce

¼ cup apple juice

¼ cup Dijon mustard

6 red potatoes

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 heads broccoli

Place roast and water in the insert of a slow cooker. In a small bowl, whisk together applesauce, apple juice and mustard; pour over the roast. Cook on the low setting for 8 hours.

About 30 minutes before you’re ready to serve the roast, scrub the red potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes. Saute potatoes in the oil in a skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through.

Remove stems from broccoli and separate it into florets. Steam or microwave until tender, 4 to 5 minutes.

Cut the roast in half. Slice one of the halves, dividing the slices into four equal portions. (Reserve the other half for another use.) Arrange the slices on 4 plates. If desired, skim fat from sauce. Top pork with sauce and divide the potatoes and broccoli among the plates.

Yield: Serves 4, plus pork for another meal.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving (consuming half of the pork): 645 calories, 28 grams fat (9 grams saturated), 90 milligrams cholesterol, 35 grams protein, 66 grams carbohydrates, 9 grams sugar, 10 grams fiber, 320 milligrams sodium, 130 milligrams calcium.

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