Dinner in Just Over 30 Minutes and it is Perfect for Diabetics, Too. Two Bean Chicken and Rice Meal

If you follow my blogs, you know I am trying to encourage busy families everywhere to cut back on trips through the fast food lanes and eat more nutritious family-style meals at home. It is less expensive, much healthier for your family, promotes togetherness as all participate, and gives family members a time to share and bond over the dinner table. Here is another perfect recipe for such a dinner, Two-Bean Chicken and Rice. In this one quick and easy dish, you have the makings of a balanced meal. You have meat, spices, vegetables ie onions, tomatoes, green beans, and garbanzo beans all served over a starchy grain, rice. To make this meal even healthier, use brown or whole grain rice. All you have to add is a quick salad and you have a meal. To include dairy, serve milk as the drink or ice cream for dessert.

TWO-BEAN CHICKEN AND RICE

1 chicken, cut-up

2 tbsps olive oil

2 med onions, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cans (16 oz each) stewed tomatoes

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp ground allspice

2 bay leaves

1 (10 oz) pkg frozen green beans

2 (16 oz cans) chick-peas (Garbanzo beans), drained

1 1/2 cups hot cooked rice

Remove skin from chicken. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add chicken and brown on all sides. Add onions and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes or until onions are brown. Add undrained tomatoes, basil, allspice and bay leaves to skillet. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat. Cook, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves. Add green beans and chick peas to skillet. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until beans and chicken are tender. Spoon rice onto a serving platter. Arrange chicken and vegetables over rice.

Yield: 4 servings