Cooking Done Light

This meal holds a special place in my heart. First of all, it was one of the first dinners that I ever cooked for John (awwww…) Secondly, it reminds me that no matter how adept you become in the kitchen, you must always remain humble and respect the cooking process. What am I talking about? Well…. when making this dinner one night (in quite a rush, I must add) – I grabbed our container of red pepper flakes and gave it a good hard shake over the pan (John likes his cacciatore a little on the spicy side). The problem was – I didn’t really grab the red pepper flakes. I put in a nice, generous shake of cinnamon instead!!!! Needless to say, (after trying to choke down more than one forkful) the entire meal went down the disposal. John had a sandwich and I had a bowl of cereal instead of our delicious home cooked meal!!!

Since that night, John hasn’t requested cacciatore very often – but I promise you (as long as you leave out the cinnamon) it really is very delicious!!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 large onion, cut into thin strips

1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 pound white mushrooms, thinly sliced (optional)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (14.5 ounce) can whole tomatoes (with their juice reserved), chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (you can add more in you like it zesty)

1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper.

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat, and brown the chicken on both sides, (about 4 minutes per side). Remove the chicken from the pan ad set it aside.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion and pepper; cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften (about 5 minutes). Add the mushrooms and continue to cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to brown. Add the garlic and the tomatoes (and their juice), oregano, and red pepper flakes and simmer the mixture covered for 10 minutes.

While the mixture simmers, cut the chicken into large chunks or strips.

Return the chicken breasts to the pan and simmer, covered, until the chicken is just done, about 5 minutes longer. Serve over brown rice or whole wheat pasta.

Makes 4 servings. Per Serving: 264 calories, 3 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 9 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 0 g added sugar, 44 g protein, 221mg sodium, 22 mg cholesterol