Oregano-Rosemary Chicken with warm Brussels Sprout salad

For dinner yesterday, I wanted to escape from the mundane. Having had a strenuous exercise session in the morning, I wanted to cook something easy, healthy and tasty. And while thinking about what to cook, a realization dawned upon me. Supermoms of today are not pressurized by anybody else but themselves. We secretly desire to look like supermodels, be the best in what we do in our professional lives, have a sparkling clean home and yet, we want to devote the same amount of time to our kids that our previous generations did. I am not saying that all of these wishes come true at the same time but there is no stopping us from dreaming :) I guess while kids never grow up for their moms, mothers too never see themselves playing any other role across generations -- maybe more but never less.

Oregano-Rosemary Chicken

Ingredients:
Chicken drumsticks - 5
Garlic cloves (large) - 3 (crushed)
Fresh oregano leaves chopped - 1tbsp
Fresh rosemary leaves chopped - 2 tsp
Balsamic vinegar - 1tsp
Olive oil - 1tbsp
Salt & black pepper to taste

Yesterday evening before I picked up my daughter from school, I made some preparations ahead for the family dinner. I marinaded the chicken with all the ingredients mentioned above in a ziploc bag and left it at room temperature. The idea was that it would go in the oven, at 400F, as soon as I was back, for about an hour. Did I tell you moms also love to serve food fresh? :) While making this dish, I realized the key ingredient is freshness -- fresh garlic, fresh herbs and freshly cooked are must. I became so enticed with the smell of fresh herbs while cooking that I am now inspired to grow my own herb garden!

Warm Brussels Sprout salad

Ingredients:
Brussels Sprout (halved) - 15
Red beet (diced) - 1 small
Red onions (sliced) - one-fourth of a small onion
Olive oil - 1tsp
Balsamic vinegar  - 0.5 tsp
Almonds (sliced) - 1tsp
Goat cheese as desired
Salt and black pepper


This salad was easy to make and can serve the purpose of a side dish or salad. In a saucepan of boiling water, I boiled the Brussels sprout until tender (7-8 minutes should do it). Alternatively, you can also soak it in hot boiling water, after turning heat off, for about 30 minutes. The diced beets, sprinkled with olive oil, salt & pepper, were roasted in the oven at 400F, alongside the chicken, in a separate pan. When it was ready to assemble the salad, I roasted some almonds and lightly sautéed the red onions in olive oil. In the end, the Brussel sprouts, roasted beets, sautéed red onions and goat cheese were tossed with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Topped it with the almonds, a pinch of salt and fresh black pepper right off the hand mill.

When assembled together, dinner looked beautiful and eating it made us content. Even though there was nothing Indian about these recipes, the iMom thought it was worth a share for all the supermoms out there while they strive to be the perfect mom for yet one more day.