snowed-in feast

North Jersey was hit pretty hard yesterday with an awesome blizzard that granted us the day off. Since I had to keep occupied in our itty bitty one-bedroom (o, cabin fever!). I Googled two yummy things we had in the kitchen: chicken and lentils, and I found that there's a popular Moroccan dish that combines the two along with some kick-ass spices that we just happened to gave in our itty bitty spice pantry. I put my own twist on the recipe by mixing the lentils with some leftover brown rice and baby spinach (which I put on/in everything. It's pretty.).

Moroccan-style chicken with lentils and brown rice

For the chicken:
1 package of chicken breast tenderloins, rinsed and cleaned
1/2 large white onion, diced
olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the lentils and brown rice mixture:
1 cup brown or red lentils
1 cup water
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups cooked, leftover brown rice
1/2 bag baby spinach
olive oil

For the dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
salt
pepper

Directions!

To make the dressing, put all ingredients in a small mixing bowl, and wisk them all together.

Put the lentils in a small saucepan with the water and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 15 minutes.

Use a frying pan for the chicken: heat up some olive oil and add onions
Cook the onions until brown and soft
Add a little more olive oil, then the chicken - let it cook for about two minutes
Add salt, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon - let cook for another 10-15 minutes on medium heat until it's cooked through.
Add a little of the dressing you just made, and mix it into the chicken.

When the lentils are almost ready, take out your trusty wok (or large saucepan), turn on the heat and add some olive oil
Add the rice, mix it up a bit, and let cook for about 3-5 minutes
Once the lentils are ready, pour them on top of the rice and mix them together.
Add some more of the dressing, but keep a little for later!
Add baby spinach, a little at a time, and mix in more as it cooks down.
Let cook all together for another 3-5 minutes.

PERFETTO!