Mexican Stir Fry

It was the end of the work week and I was thinking e.a.s.y. was the way to go for dinner. I had been planning to make a frittata, but then G, on his way to a shower, said, "Hey you should put together these ingredients to make a Mexican amalgamation." And he ticked off some chicken, rice, onions, egg and seasonings. After a chat about the word amalgamation (is it a word? It is. And didn't he really mean amalgam? He didn't and he was right or we would have been eating something with mercury in it, and yes, this is how our family rolls at times. It's both a trial and a tribulation, depending on the word conversation. Someday I will tell you more about Easter and Shakespeare egg hunts.)

Anyway, I decided to go for it, and I have to tell you it was reviving, which completely surprised me. I got into thinking about the recipe and how much and what type of seasonings I would use. At one point, I yelled up to G, "What do you think about black beans?" and he yelled, "Go for it."

G, a newly-minted college grad and a young man with a growing awareness of his body and mind and how they operate (ideally together), has been interested in cooking since graduation, and it's been fun to share that with him. We've cooked more together and he's had more suggestions about healthy eating. As he used to say as a boy, "It's all good." It really is.

Anyway this is the rough recipe. It's loose because I was winging it as I went along and because, frankly, this recipe screams for some ad libbing. Let us know what you decide to add....

Mexican Stir Fry
serves 4-5

ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 chicken breasts, no skin, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 onion, sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, diced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
1 cup rice
1 16 ounce can black beans, rinsed
about 1 teaspoon chili powder
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes to taste
a couple of good dashes of Frank's hot sauce to taste
4-5 eggs, one per serving
about 1 cup of grated sharp cheddar cheese

method
Put two cups of water and a little salt in a pot. Add one cup rice and cook.

While the rice is cooking, heat up the oil and add the onions and chicken in a large skillet. Saute for about 5 minutes. Add the peppers and spices. Continue to saute, stirring periodically. When the rice is done, add it to the skillet and stir around.

Now you can either add the eggs to scramble them in (G's original idea, which I didn't get) or do what we did, which is fry the eggs in a separate pan just before you're ready to eat. Then dish out the stir fry, add some grated cheese, and plop the egg on top. Maybe add a little more Frank's and all you need is a cervasa to complete the meal. Enjoy!