Holiday Dinner For One

A good number of folks are celebrating the holidays alone this year as Covid-19 asks that we remain vigilant about social distancing. That means no big holiday dinners with lots of family members and that extra table leaf. Speaking as a former caregiver, I can tell you that I know about lonesome holidays. Never were they the Hallmark fantasy events, projected on TVs across America. Instead they were more likely a meal of one because my dad was a Scrooge and never one to partake in anything other than his beloved peanut butter and jelly. I’d go to great lengths to bring the holiday vibe into our home only to feel defeated by his disinterest. Over the years, this pattern became predicable and I realized that any effort to make things festive was personal. I was the one that wanted to live out the “most wonderful time of year” while my dad and his dementia could care less. In his eyes, the effort was a hassle but for me, engaging with the holiday spirit offered a sense of “normalcy”.

This year has been anything but normal which is why I’m sharing this recipe with you. You might find yourself alone be it as a caregiver or just Covid complainant. But don’t let that stand in the way from feeling celebratory. This one pan chicken dinner, roasted with avocados, and tossed with spinach and whole grains is nothing short of festive. Add the pomegranate-lime vinaigrette and the whole dish is covered in holiday bling! Skip the turkey and the endless sides and opt instead for simplicity. It’s been a tough year so what better gift can you give yourself than less stress?

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breast
• 2 avocados, cut in half with the pitts removed
• 1 bag of baby spinach
• 1 large pomegranate
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• 6 tbsp olive oil + more for the chicken.
• 2 limes,juiced
• 1/3 cup chopped mint leaves
• 1 cup whole grain like brown rice, quinoa, barley or combo.
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Make the grains according to the instructions on the packaging.
2. Preheat your oven to 400F degrees.
3. In a roasting pan, add the chicken breasts and the halved avocados cut side up.
4. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle the crushed red pepper on top.
5. Toss it slighlty so the chicken and avocados are coated, and then sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper on top.
6. Place the pan in the oven and cook for 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
7. While the chicken is cooking, prepare the vinaigrette by combining the olive oil, lime juice, pomegranate seeds,and mint adding a touch of salt and pepper to taste.
8. When the chicken is finished cooking, transfer the breasts and avocados to a plate temporarily.
9. Add the cookend grain to the pan with handfuls of the spinach, mixing in half of the pomegranate-lime vinaigrette.
10. Stir it around in the pan combining all the juices adding more spinach as it wilts from the heat until you have your desired grains to greens ration. I used about 3/4 of the bag of spinach.
11. Slice the chicken and avocado and return them both to the pan.
12. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette across the top and serve it straight from the pan.

The good news is you’ll most definitely have some leftovers so its kinda like the gift that keeps on giving. And if you need a festive dessert for the occasion try the Skillet Baked Pear Custard from a few posts back. ‘Tis the season!

Skillet Baked Pear Custard

If you’ve had enough of all things pumpkin, move on to pears. They are a fall season fruit so why not soak up the last of them while you can with the easiest dessert ever! The pears cook into soft slices of fruit cradled by the warm custard making this a senior friend dessert for elder loved ones. Whip-up this Baked Pear Custard for a low maintenance treat this holiday season that will keep all parties happy. This recipe is seriously simple. Peel and slice the pears and process everything else in the blender. Quickly assemble it and your done!

Ingredients:

• 3 pears, peeled, cored and sliced about 1/4 inch thick
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
2. Oil an 8 inch cast iron skillet or pie pan.
3. Circularly arrange the pear sliced in the pan, slightly overlapping them as necessary.
4. Place the rest of the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
5. Pour the liquid mixture over the pears and and give the it a slight tap on the couter to evenly distrute the batter across the skillet.
6. Bake for 40ish minutes until the top is golden brown and the custard is firm thoughout.
7. After baking, carefully remove the skillet from the oven and dust the custard with powdered sugar.

This custard won’t last long. It’s that good!

If you aren’t worried about dysphagia or sensitive teeth, I’d consider jazzing this custard up with a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds and a few chopped almonds when it’s done baking. The jewel colored seeds really gives the pear custard a wow factor if you’re trying to make an impression. Or, just keep it simple cause it’s still plenty good! Enjoy!

Building Flavor Profiles & Holiday Soup Recipe

What’s the difference between a cook and a chef? This was a question an old kitchen colleague and I were having when he stated quite frankly that a chef is “creative”.  I thought we were going to banter about ideas of technique or execution or knowledge of basic sauces but nope.  Just creativity!  Apparently, those other things can be taught.  Cooks can follow directions but that doesn’t mean a cook can necessarily create.  Creativity requires vision and a chef always has a vision. I’m sure that theory is largely debatable but it’s good enough for me!          

I’m not much of a recipe chef. I love a good cookbook but honestly, it’s the pictures that inspire me.  A photo and a list of ingredients is often enough to get the gears turning and that’s when the fun begins.  And since we are on the topic of cookbooks, I want to introduce you to two of my favorites. The Flavor Bibles!  They aren't exactly cookbooks in the traditional sense, and they definitely aren’t full of picture, however, these books serve as a reference for food items that pair well together.  They are a great place to start when building a “flavor profile”.  A place where your inner chef can start to develop it vision…  The Flavor Bibles, one of which is vegetarian, are books that basically allow you to cross reference ingredients to find flavors that work well together so you can construct you own vision using complimentary ingredients.   Below I've included Amazon affiliate links if you are interested.  

Both books, minus their jacket covers.

The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs

By Karen Page, Andrew Dornenburg

The Vegetarian Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity with Vegetables, Fruits, Grains, Legumes, Nuts, Seeds, and More, Based on the Wisdom of Leading American Chefs

By Karen Page

They both are wonderful and if you are looking to inspire creativity in your kitchen these books are a great place to start. Again, these are not recipe books.  These are reference books to help you develop a foundation for tasty meals.  For example, say you have a head of cauliflower in the fridge and you are wondering what you can add to make it into a full meal.  Well, flip the book open to cauliflower and there you will find a list of ingredients that go well with cauliflower. It includes herbs, spices, vegetables, and meat items (assuming you don't have the vegetarian book) that are known to pair well with cauliflower.  You can then compare the list to items you have in your fridge or pantry and begin constructing your meal. As you gather the ingredients you start to have a better feel of what you can make.  Next thing you know, boom! You just just chefed!   I don't like following directions but I still appreciate guidance and these books allow me to develop my own style.  They have become the backbone of my kitchen and I'm sharing them because I love them and I think budding chefs and the gourmet crowd would love them as well.

All mixed in...

Ok, and now back to this holiday soup recipe.  It's sweet potato, pumpkin, and apple soup topped with blue cheese crumbles, pomegranate seeds, pepitas and a little fresh thyme.  According to the Flavor Bible all these items paired well together and, well... let's just say after my bowl, I agree! 

Ingredients:

• 1 diced yellow onion
• 1 sweet potato
• 1 cup pumpkin
• 1 peeled, cored, and chopped sweet apple
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups water (or enough to thin soup)
• 1 lemon wedge
• 1 tbsp. blue cheese crumbles
• 1 tbsp. pepitas
• 1 tbsp. pomegranate seeds
• ¼ tsp. fresh thyme

Directions:

1. Sauté the onion in a pot with a little oil until it begins to soften.
2. Add the sweet potato, pumpkin apple and the vegetable broth.
3. Bring to a low boil and cook for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
4. When the ingredients have cooked through, carefully blend the soup into a puree with an immersion blender or in batches with a standard blender. Just be sure to let the steam vent if using a standard blender. (Trust me. I’ve made this mistake.)
5. Once pureed add the water to thin the soup. You can add as much as necessary to reach your desired consistency.
6. Squeeze the lemon wedge into the soup and add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve in bowls and top with blue cheese crumble, pepitas, pomegranate seeds, and a sprinkle of fresh thyme

* This page contains two Amazon affiliate links. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This helps maintain the cost of How To Feed A Senior. Thank you for your support.