I saw a blog post recently (and for the life of me I can’t find it again to give a mention). In this post she was talking about needing to expand her vegetable rotation above the green big three – spinach, green bell peppers and broccoli. At the time I laughed because that is basically the same rut that I have been in (well toss in yellow onions and you would have it down cold).
So that inspired me to dig up one of my old favorites that has morphed into what I call a New Mexico Chicken Stew. I think that it originally called for salsa and that was the primary spice driver. This stew version takes on more of a Southwest flavor as I loaded up on cumin, coriander and New Mexico Chile Powder.
I like New Mexico chiles as they have an earthy almost sweet flavor and these are not hot chile peppers as they only come in at about a 2-3 on the heat scale of 10. Cumin has a distinctive flavor that is warm and spicy-sweet with a slight bitterness to it. Coriander has a warm, citrusy, spicy flavor.
But best of all this dish is loaded with mostly non-green vegetables – sweet potatoes, tomatoes, corn and green peas (well the one token green vegetable). Sweet potatoes are a complex carb that takes longer to digest and longer to burn off. Sweet potatoes are one of those “power fat burning foods” that give you a boost of energy without over-loading your system like some simple carbs tend to.
What You’ll Need
- 18 oz. of skinless chicken breasts (raw)
- 1 Large Sweet Potato (or two small)
- 1 Can Low Sodium Diced Tomatoes
- 1 Cup Diced Yellow Onion
- 1 Can Black Beans
- 4 oz. Frozen Corn
- 3 oz. Frozen Green Peas
- 3 Tbsp Dry Roasted Almonds (sliced)
- 3 Tbsp New Chile Powder
- 1 Tbsp Ground Cumin
- 2 Tbsp Ground Coriander
Directions
- Cut your chicken into ½ – 1 inch cubes
- Spray your skillet with Pam no-stick spray and turn on medium high
- Cook your chicken until it is no longer pink
- Cut your sweet potato in thin slices (this will help them cook faster)
- Dice your onions
- Remove the cooked chicken and place in a separate bowl off to the side
- Add your sweet potato, onions and diced tomatoes to the skillet and stir frequently until the sweet potato is starting to soften (can still be a bit crunchy)
- Rinse your black beans
- Add the chicken, black beans, corn, green peas and spices to the skillet
- Stirring frequently cook for about 10-15 minutes
Serves 3 large or 6 small servings
Nutritional Information per serving
| Large | Small | |
| Protein | 60 g | 30 g |
| Fiber | 18 g | 9 g |
| Carbs | 85 g | 43 g |
| Fat | 9 g | 5 g |
| Calories | 644 | 322 |
This wasn’t one of those super fast and easy meals but it is loaded with texture (especially if the sweet potatoes are left just a bit crunchy). This is also not an overly hot, spicy dish and you can certainly use a bit more chile powder if you desire more heat.
Do you feel that you have gotten stuck in a vegetable rut? Let us know how you’ve broken through.
