Saturday Dinner

Over the weekend, I was thinking about what I had on-hand and what would taste good together. I came up with Apricot Glazed Chicken, Snow Peas with Toasted Almonds, and Basmati Rice with Peas. I started preparing the ingredients around 04:30 and had dinner served at 05:30 - so this was a pretty quick meal to make.

Almond Glazed Chicken
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
cooking spray
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon garlic
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup apricot preserves
2-3 tablespoons chicken broth
toasted almonds to garnish

• Spray a large, non-stick skillet with cooking oil and heat over medium-high. Add garlic, rosemary and chicken. Season the chicken with salt & pepper. Brown the chicken on both sides (3-4 minutes per side).
• Heat oven to 375 degrees and spray an oven safe cooking dish with cooking spray.
• Once the chicken has browned, remove from the skillet and place in the prepared baking dish. Add apricot preserves and broth to the hot skillet to deglaze it. Allow the preserves to bubble slightly.
• Pour the sauce over the chicken, cover with foil and cook in the oven for an additional 25-30 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and sprinkle with some toasted almonds (about 1 tablespoon).
  

Snow Peas with Toasted Almonds
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted (reserve some for the chicken)
1 tablespoon peanut oil (vegetable oil or sesame oil can also be used)
1 cup snow peas

• In a medium sized non-stick skillet (or wok), heat oil over medium-high to high heat. Add the snow peas and stir fry for about 3-5 minutes; stir often.
  
• Right before removing from heat, add toasted almonds and mix well.
• Serve immediately.
  

Basmati Rice with Peas
2 cups chicken broth (I prefer low sodium)
1 cup Basmati rice, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup frozen peas

• Bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Add rice, reduce heat to simmer, and cover.
• Simmer rice for 15-20 minutes.
• About 1 minute before removing the rice from heat, add the peas and allow to simmer; cover.
• Serve and enjoy!