The Double

Tonight I’m not starving for dinner, but I do need to make something to eat during my double I have to work tomorrow.  The goal here is to make something very, very filling since it’s really the only meal I’ll be able to eat during my twelve-hour shift.  I’ve decided on brown rice with spicy chicken and asparagus. 

Brown Rice:

·      ½ cup brown rice

·      1 cup water

Bring the rice and water to a rolling boil in an uncovered pot, then cover and turn the heat to its lowest setting.  Allow it to cook like this for an hour.  Don’t peek!  The cooking is dependent on the steam at this point.  After an hour, remove it from the heat and fluff the rice with a fork.  For some reason this is my favorite part—William always gets me to do it, even if he’s the one cooking dinner.

      Chicken and Asparagus

·      1 tsp. canola oil

·      5 asparagus stems, cut into 1 inch pieces

·      ½ chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces

·      pinch of salt

·      sprinkle of cayenne pepper

Add the oil and asparagus to a pan and allow them to cook for a couple of minutes over medium high heat.  Then add the chicken, salt, and cayenne and allow the mix to cook until the chicken is just cooked through.

      Spicy Sauce

·      ¼ cup of soy sauce (the gluten free kind!  Preferably the kind that William’s uncle sent me that’s made by Japanese monks.  Only the best!)

·      ¼ cup of rice wine vinegar

·      2 tsp. grated ginger

·      1 large clove of garlic, grated

·      1 Tbsp. honey

·      ½ tsp. cayenne pepper

·      ¼ cup warm water with 1 Tbsp. cornstarch dissolved in it

Combine all of the ingredients except for the cornstarch and water in a small saucepan.  Let them get all hot and happy before adding the cornstarch mixture.  Allow the sauce to thicken slightly.

            Now all you have to do is combine the rice, chicken, and asparagus along with some of the sauce (you’ll definitely have leftovers of the sauce), and you’re ready to work from 10 to 10.  The brown rice is filling, and a new food science study shows that spicy foods curb your cravings for fatty foods, meaning that maybe I’ll be able to resist the delicious homemade potato chips we make at the restaurant.  Maybe.