One meal, four ways

Whenever I'm flying around the world, lounging in first class, I always take time to read the standard airline magazine.

Okay so only one of the above is true.  It's more like when I'm flying domestic, cramped in the middle seat in coach, and I've finished reading both the safety instruction card and the Hammacher-Schlemmer magazine, then I'll pick up the Delta mag.

So basically safety first, then spy pens, then actual journalism.

There's always an article titled "One city, five ways" where there'll be a profile describing where to stay, what to eat, what to do if you are an "arts aficionado," a "trendy hipster," a "sports enthusiast," a "luxury seeker" and the like.  Why yes, I would love to stay at the Hotel Le Meurice and take in the Chagall exhibit.

Right.  My one and only trip to Paris involved a friend's futon and a daily PB&J baguette.  Guess Delta forgets to include the "thrifty graduate student" on their list.

But with Sunday's dinner, I got to thinking that really it could be adapted into a variety of meals.  So here goes: one meal, four ways.

Here are the basics:

Terrible picture.  That would be two medium-to-large chicken breasts, marinated in any spicy pre-made marinade then grilled.  We also have a large poblano pepper, a sweet onion, and a mango.

The Sweet & Spicy Chicken Wrap
-2 large grilled chicken breasts
-1 mango, finely diced
-1 onion, finely diced
-1 poblano pepper, finely diced
-3/4 cup light mayo (I like Kraft Olive Oil)
-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
-pinch of salt and pepper
-4 whole wheat tortilla wraps

Combine all the ingredients and refrigerate overnight (to let flavors come together).  Spread on a wrap with lettuce.

The Southwestern Chicken Egg Roll
(a knockoff of Chili's)
-Egg roll wrapper (about a dozen)- I found these in the produce section of the grocery store
-2 large marinated grilled chicken breasts, finely diced
-2 cups fire-roasted (or plain) frozen corn (I found fire-roasted at Aldi's)
-3/4 cup shredded 2% Cheddar cheese
-1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed

-1 large onion, finely chopped
-1 poblano pepper, finely chopped
-1 mango, peeled & finely chopped
-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
-olive oil cooking spray

1. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat, with about 2 teaspoons of oil.  Add onion and pepper.  Saute until starting to brown.  Add mango and cook for another 2 minutes.  Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine chicken, corn, cheese, spinach.  Add onion/mango mixture.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper and the red pepper flakes.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray generously with the olive oil spray.
4. Taking an egg roll wrapper, lay it out diamond-style, rather than square-style.

Roll up the bottom corner around the filling.  Tuck in the sides, and then completely roll it over.  Dip your finger in some water to "seal" the top corner around the roll.  Repeat until you've used up all your filling.

Spray with olive oil before placing in the oven.  Bake for 20-30 minutes or until nicely browned, flipping once. 

To make the buttermilk ranch dipping sauce (another knock-off of Chili's)-
-1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
-1 Tablespoon skim or 1% milk + 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
-1/2 packet Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix

Stir together.  Easy as that.

White Chicken Chili
-2 marinated grilled chicken breasts, coarsely chopped
-1 poblano pepper, chopped
-1 mango, peeled & chopped
-1 large sweet onion, chopped
-1 can cream of onion soup
-1 can cream of chicken soup
-1 cup skim or 1% milk
-2 cups fire roasted corn
-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
-2 cans white beans (cannelini/white kidney beans), rinsed and drained.

1. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, saute your onion and poblano.  When starting to brown, add your mango and cook an additional 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.
2. In a large stockpot over medium heat, combine soups and milk.  Whisk away any lumps.  Add all the remaining ingredients.  Simmer over low/medium heat for at least 30 minutes.

Southwest Chicken Spinach Pasta
-2 marinated grilled chicken breasts, coarsely chopped
-1 poblano pepper, chopped
-1 mango, peeled & chopped
-1 large sweet onion, chopped
-1 box whole wheat penne or rotini
-1 package frozen spinach, thawed
-3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
-2 cups fire roasted corn
-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
 
1. Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain, and return to pot.
2. Meanwhile, saute your onion, pepper, and mango as previously described.  Add to pasta.  Stir in all other ingredients.  Serve hot.   

So there you have it.  None of these meals might be fit for a hipster or luxury-lover.  They're great for a hungry, healthy family.