An Easy Southern Supper

I have to brag on my dinner last night.

Delicious!

Even better, I wasn't sure what I was making until about 6:00 last night -- so this meal goes together quickly and easily.

I had split chicken breasts and kale in the fridge and a can of black eyed peas in the pantry to work with. I used this Pinterest recipe for "Man-Pleasing Chicken Thighs" and although the name is a bit silly, it certainly lives up to the hype! The sauce was so easy to put together. In a pinch, I substituted red wine vinegar for rice vinegar. Ian just raved about the chicken. Make sure to spoon lots of the sauce over it before serving!

Kale is something I really love the idea of for the health benefits but I just hadn't found a recipe that makes me CRAVE it yet. Well, the day has come. I found the recipe.

I bought several stalks last week to toss some into soup but had quite a bit left over. Last night I tore the leaves from the stalks, washed them in a colander, and let them dry a bit. Then they went into a pot with some olive oil in them for a quick saute. After letting them wilt down a bit with the lid on the pot, I seasoned the greens with salt, pepper, and a few splashes of apple cider vinegar. 

They tasted similar to collard greens and they were absolutely divine!

I've been trying to do more with dried beans rather than canned, but last night I went for the can since I hadn't soaked any dried beans. These BEP's were simmered for about 45 minutes on low with some Worcestershire sauce and a few rosemary sprigs thrown in as well as a little salt and pepper.

Ian asked if we could have this exact same meal every single Monday night.

I can't say that will be happening, but it was a heck of a compliment.

Bon appetit, ya'll!

(Also -- I received a sweet email from someone last week about low-carb cooking ... when I went to reply to it, I could not find the original email! If you sent this to me, would you mind forwarding it to me? I have lots of thoughts to share, and while you can see that we don't dodge carbs completely, we do use healthier versions on weeknights. I'm so sorry for misplacing your email!)