Cooking with Confidence: What’s in the Fridge?

What to make for dinner? Hmmm. Let's see what I have. Yogurt, lemons, cucumber, tomatoes, yellow pepper, onion, tatsoi, garlic, fresh dill, left-over chicken... I know exactly what I'll make.

For this dish, I'll need yoghurt, cucumber, lemon juice, garlic and fresh dill. Can you guess what this is going to be? Yup - you've got it! Tzatziki sauce..

Auntie Stress - tzatziki
1. Shred the cucumber. Wring it out over the sink.
Auntie Stress - tzatziki
2. Combine yoghurt, shredded cucumber, lemon juice, garlic and dill. Mix well and set aside.

A note about yoghurt: I have a thing about yogurt that has been "enhanced". I always look for plain yogurt without all the extras, like gelatin or carrageenan.

Here's what Dr. Mercola has to say about low or non-fat dairy products: Why You Need to Avoid Low Fat Milk and Cheese.

Some of you may be wondering, "but, how much?" Experiment and learn to trust yourself in the kitchen. I addressed this in Cooking with Confidence: More Soup, Please!

Auntie Stress - tzatziki
3. Saute chopped onion over medium heat in a little bit of oil, until soft.
Auntie Stress - tzatziki
4. Add chopped tomatoes.
Auntie Stress - tzatziki
5. Throw in the roughly-chopped pieces of tatsoi.
Auntie Stress - tzatziki
6. Next, add the chopped pepper.
Auntie Stress - tzatziki
7. Finally, add the cooked chicken. Stir, just until heated.
Auntie Stress - tzatziki
8. Bon appétit!

Substitutions

This is the first time I've tried Tatsoi which I picked up from Zaklan Heritage Farm last week. It's delicious! I hope they have more this week! In the past, I've used spinach, kale or zucchini.

If you don't have cooked chicken handy, you can thinly slice and cook a chicken breast at the same time that you are sautéing the onions. Once the chicken is cooked, set it aside and add it in at the end. Rubber chicken does nothing to enhance the quality of this dish!

Package It!

If you prefer, you can put the chicken mixture into a "package". Do you have any pita bread, flat bread, naan bread, roti or taco shells? Scoop in the chicken mixture, add a dollop of tzatziki and voilà, a fork-free meal. Watch out for the drips, though!

Wondering what to do with the left-over tzatziki? I'm going to use chickpeas in place of the chicken and make this for tomorrow night's dinner.

Stress Effects

Stress can prevent you from seeing the forest for the trees, or in this case, the ingredients for a meal inside your fridge.

Your focus shifts from searching out culinary solutions to whatever it is that is stressing you. Voices of doubt, indecision or perfection can elicit the stress response and cause you unnecessary anxiety in the kitchen and elsewhere.

If stress is ruling/ruining your life, contact me to find out how to make it stop.

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2 Replies to “Cooking with Confidence: What’s in the Fridge?”

  1. Hello Marianna

    “Colors are the smiles of nature” ~ Leigh Hunt #quote.

    With the vivid colors in your dish, I can see smiles abound and stress released!

    Looks like you have a calling not only to help us undress the stress but to be a food blogger, too!

    Happy eating!

    Jackie Yun

    1. Thank you for adding colour and smiles with your comments, Jackie!

      It’s lovely to be treated to a fancy meal, but for everyday, I concur with Julia.

      “You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients.” ~ Julia Child

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