Couscous with mushroom and Chicken baked with lemon, thyme and garlic

Couscous with mushroom

1. Slice mushrooms, dice onions, fry them in olive oil on a non-stick. Add minced green chilies if you like.
2. Add Chicken broth and salt to taste; bring to boil and stir in the couscous. Cook for 5 min till the grains turn fluffy. 

Chicken baked with lemon, thyme and garlic

1. Clean boneless, skinless chicken thighs, pat dry. Make shallow cuts on the meat.  Sprinkle salt and pepper. Fry both sides in a pan with olive oil. Add a few cloves of crushed garlic, should be enough for each piece of chicken.
   
2. On an Aluminium foil, add the chicken and garlic  pieces. Add slices of lemon (prefeeably organic) and fresh twigs of  thymes.  Add the juice of  a slice of lemon. You may also add a bit of butter. Wrap the foil around the chicken.
3.  Bake in pre-heated oven for 30-40 mins at 350 F. Serve with the couscous. You can fish out the garlic and decorate the couscous with it.

You may also set up the whole thing in a couscoussier or steamer- the couscous on the top camber, and your preferred meat and vegetables in the bottom chamber. The meat will cook below and impart a flavor to the grain above them.

Jalapeno stuffed with cream

1. Halve the jalapenos and remove the seeds, leaving the stalks intact. 

2. I used a French cultured cream I like the taste of. (There is another recipe using cheese)

3. I stuffed the chilis with the cream, sprinkled some bread crumbs and baked till done (20 -30 mins at 375 F). It is a good idea to broil them the last 10 mins for a crunch.

Those who like Bacon, may wrap the jalapenos to make poppers

Chicken Marsala

Resurrecting an old favorite from the Italian restaurants in Boston

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, well pounded
Button Mushrooms, sliced
Marsala wine
All purpose flour
Salt
Pepper (freshly crushed )
Oregano (dry)
Lemon juice
Olive oil
Parsley

1. Pound the chicken thighs to uniform thickness using a meat mallet.
2. Dredge the meat in a mix of  salt, pepper, flour, and oregano.
3. Heat olive oil in a non-stick,  brown the chicken on both sides. Keep aside.
4. In the same oil add sliced button mushrooms, freshly squeezed lemon juice, salt, pepper till the mushrooms brown on edges. (Squeeze the chicken for excess oil and use it to cook the mushrooms)
5. Add Marsala wine, chicken broth (preferably low-sodium). 
6. Add the chicken, reduce the sauce, turning once or twice. Add freshly chopped Italian parsley.

Serve with a light pasta.