Pantry Envy

I made another new blog discovery! Lydia at The Perfect Pantry (http://www.theperfectpantry.com/) keeps her kitchen well stocked with everything under the sun. Currently, her inventory counter is at 220. Hmmm...mine is at 75. At the rate I'm going, though, I could match that by June! An interesting result from reading stacks of cookbooks is that everytime I'm at the grocery store I pick up an ingredient I remember from a recipe. A few weeks ago, I picked up Coriander but it wasn't until yesterday that I found a reason to use it.

I won't even keep you in suspense here. It was crazy good. And unbelievably easy to make. Oh, and I had everything I needed on hand...or so I thought.


Spiced Chicken & Grape Skewers by Ellie Krieger


2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

8 (10-inch) skewers

1 1/2 cups seedless green grapes

Cooking spray

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves

1 lemon, cut into wedges


In a medium sized bowl whisk together the oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, coriander, and salt. Add the chicken to the marinade and toss to coat. Marinate the chicken for 20 minutes. While the chicken is marinating, soak the skewers in water if wooden.

Thread 4 pieces of the chicken and 4 grapes onto the skewers, alternating them. Spray a grill pan with cooking spray and preheat over a medium-high heat, or prepare an outdoor grill. Grill the chicken until cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Sprinkle with mint and serve with lemon wedges.

• Yes, I'm supposed to be keeping my feet up and the apron off, but it was getting close to 8pm and the metro delayed my hubby. So I chanced it and hobbled around. Thankfully, there were only a few things to grab for the marinade. Hubby came home and took care of the rest.
• If you asked me one thing I must have in my fridge at all times, it's lemons. I love to zest. I love to juice. I am a citrus junkie. It just heightens the flavor of everything.
• Sadly, I didn't have any grapes. They there were this morning...and then there were gone. Hmm? Healthy burglar? Sneaky dog? Nope. Hubby just took them to work.
• I used the broiler instead of the grill. They turned out great! Ten minutes total- turn the skewers halfway through.
• For the sauce, hubby clipped some mint leaves from our plant growing in the dining room and added it to nonfat plain yogurt. He squeezed some fresh lemon juice for a final touch.
• He served the chicken with cooked bulgur (our favorite grain by far!) the sauce and a handful of golden raisins to make up for the missing grapes.