A rose for me?

As I sit here watching The Bachelor, I think an obvious solution to Ben's dilemma would be to have a cook-off between the four remaining chicks.  Ohhh sure, they may have perfect hair, perfect makeup, and a penchant for drama, but can they roast a chicken???

With my husband gone up north for the weekend, I had plenty of free time to clean and cook this weekend.  I, circa 2006, would slap myself for being super lame.  Whatever.  I roasted a chicken and made both a wild rice chicken salad (recipe posted back in December), and this stew.

Moroccan Chicken and Butternut Squash Stew (adapted from Cooking Light February 2012)

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 3 (4 oz) skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces (I used chunks of leftover roasted chicken)
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 3 cups (1/2 inch) cubed & peeled butternut squash
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup uncooked couscous
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 small zucchini, cut in quarters lengthwise and into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil

1. Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add oil to pan; swirl to coat.  Add onion and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add chicken; cook for 4 minutes, browning on all sides (ignore the "browning" piece if you're using already-cooked chicken).  Add cumin, cinnamon, and pepper to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

2. Add butternut squash and tomato paste.  Stir in chicken broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until squash is tender.

3. Stir in couscous, salt, and zucchini; cook 5 minutes or until zucchini is tender.  Remove pan from heat and stir in chopped basil.

Christmas bowl returns!  Makes six servings.  Per serving: 320 calories, 32 g carbs, 8 g fat, 33 g protein.

Now that I've proved I can cook, where's my rose?  Then again, who needs a rose when you've got a rock.