Ahh It's Summer--Make a Quick Meal for Two!

Ahhh, the sound of silence. All of my company for the summer is gone, and although I love guests it's also nice to just sit back and let life get back to normal. That being said, the last thing I want to do is be a slave to my kitchen. Why must we spend an hour in the kitchen to pull a meal together? Do we really have to stick to a recipe? Do we really have to turn on our oven? No, No, No! Stop the madness and give yourself a break--keep tonights meal simple!

Always looking for inspiration of something simple to whip up, last night I went to my garden. I must admit, I have very little patience and prefer to pull off my zucchini and squash when they are still small. The tender, baby vegetables are my absolute favorite. I gathered zucchini, crook-neck squash (the yellow one), cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, and a jalapeño. A little spice goes a long way! Next, I pulled out a bag of Boil-in-a-Bag Brown Rice. Brown rice has more fiber than white, and I really like the nutty taste it can have. I also loved the ease of a boil-in-a-bag approach for last night's meal. For meat, I was originally going to do chicken breasts, but my meeting ran a little long; thus, I decided to use chicken breast sausage. And in 15 minutes I had a meal on the table! Hope you enjoy this, too!

15-Minute Garden Meal

Serves 2 (and 1 leftover for tomorrow!)

Ingredients:

1 boil-in-a-bag brown rice

2 cloves of garlic

1 Tb olive oil

2 baby zucchini squash

2 baby crook-neck squash

1 baby bell peppers

1 jalapeño

6 cherry tomatoes

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Fill a soup pot with water, add your rice bag, and bring it to a boil. My bag needed to cook for 10 minutes, but you should read your directions on your box. Leftover rice would work great here, too!

Slice your sausage into half and then into half-moons.

Next, slice your vegetables. Slice your squashes in half and then in half-moons about 1" thick. Slice your bell peppers in long strips. Cut around your jalapeño to remove seeds and slice in long strands. Halve your cherry tomatoes. Now you are ready to go!

Heat up a skillet with olive oil and add 2 smashed garlic cloves--no need to mince. Add in your sausage and bell peppers. Sauté for 3 minutes. Add your squash and jalapeño and cover with a lid. Cook until your rice is ready. At the last minute add in your tomatoes and serve the mixture over your rice. Quick, easy, and HEALTHY! Enjoy!