Damn Fine Chicken and Sautéd Garlic Asparagus

I have a confession to make. You know Paleo, the eating style where you don't eat grains? I'm giving it a try. I'm not going as extreme as giving up dairy, too, because I grew up drinking milk with every meal and am not lactose intolerant in the least. But the whole not eating grain thing is hard. That means no cereal or toast in the morning, no pb sandwich for lunch (which I also grew up on), no pasta or rice for dinner, no granola bar snacks, etc.

The principal is that humans have been around for the last 150,000 years. Agriculture has been around for the last 10,000 years. Our ancestors were hunter-gatherers. They ate meat and veggies. They weren't farmers. Our bodies are still better suited for eating meat and veggies than for highly processed foods. For a better/more detailed explanation of paleo, check out Steve Kamb's website NerdFitness.*

I explained the gist of Paleo to one of my friends and she insisted she could never give up pasta and rice. She doesn't cook much, and what I have seen her cook is mostly grain based and made in the microwave or steamer. This summer, I'll be attempting to teach her how to cook. I know she likes balsamic vinegar, and what gets easier than marinading chicken and sautéing vegetables? (For those of you with limited cooking experience, don't worry, it's not as scary as it sounds.)

Here's the original website for the Damn Fine Chicken recipe, and here's my modified version:

Ingredients:

• 2 lb of chicken breasts (making for several nights for myself)
• 3 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
• 3 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• Handful of chopped onions
• Salt, pepper to season

Mix the vinegar, olive oil, fish sauce, soy sauce, onions, and seasonings in a bowl. Plop in the chicken. Using your hands (it's raw meat, wash before and after), mix the chicken in the marinade until it's well covered. Let sit for several hours. Pour the whole thing into a flat baking sheet or casserole dish and bake on 375 F (for non convection dish, 400 for convection dish) for 40-45 minutes. You'll have to turn the chicken over in the middle. Sprinkle any extra seasonings on top and enjoy!

If you're a person relatively short on time like myself, I made the marinade the night before and stuck the whole thing, chicken and all, in the fridge. In the morning before work, I stirred it up and made sure the chicken was thoroughly covered in marinade (kinda tricky because I used a bowl, would use a baggie in the future), and let it sit for the day.

Here's what else I made to go with the chicken:

Ingredients: 

• asparagus
• spinach
• butter
• garlic

I'd recommend waiting until after you flip the chicken before starting this. The asparagus got cut up into more bit sized pieces than the huge stalks. I minced some garlic, too (meaning cut it up into tiny pieces in one direction, then cut up into tiny pieces the other direction, then chopped finely until all the pieces were really small. I put the butter and the garlic in first, followed by the asparagus. Spinach thins down when you cook it, so you can start with something like 2 handfuls and end up with about the quantity that would fit in a Snack-Pak pudding cup (only slight exaggeration). The asparagus takes about 10 minutes alone to cook, more if you like it well done and not as crunchy. Spinach doesn't need as long. Cover the pan and stir occasionally until the veggies are done the way you like them. Serve with the chicken.

*Please read my disclaimer.