Basic Baked Chicken in Wine Sauce

Don't be put off by the purple sauce -- very easy, very tasty.
Kind of an embarrassingly easy 'recipe' to post.

Basic Baked Chicken in Wine Sauce

5-6 chicken drumsticks, skin on or skin off
1 medium red onion, sliced thinly
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
big pinch dried thyme
small pinch dried tarragon (or instead of these herbs, use whatever herbs)
1/2 cup leftover red wine
salt + pepper
1 tbsp cornstarch if desired

Preheat oven to 350. If you want to be really fancy, you can brown the chicken in a pan on the stove, but because we never eat the skin anyway I do not. Scatter half the onions into the baking dish. Lay the chicken drumsticks on top. Scatter the rest of the onions, and the herbs, on top of the chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the red wine over and around the chicken. Bake, covered, about 20 minutes, then uncovered 30 -50 minutes, until done. (50 minutes if, for example, the 'fresh' chicken you just bought turns out to be partially frozen.) Take out the chicken and onions and keep warm in the turned-off onion. Pour the juices/wine into a sauce pan and boil for a few minutes, until reduced and thickened to your liking. Add cornstarch, made into a slurry with cold water, if you'd like a thicker sauce. Arrange chicken and onions on a platter; pour sauce over. Serve immediately with a sharp green salad.

Serves 2.

Quick Savory Bean Soup

This is the kind of soup to make when it is cold out, you are hungry, and you need to make soup NOW -- in half an hour or less. It's an excellent dinner when topped with cheese and accompanied by a baked sweet potato. Since the refried beans are already pureed, you end up with a silky, thick broth studded with onions and tomatoes.

Quick Savory Bean Soup

1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic,chopped finely
1 can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1 to 2 cups water
1 can vegetarian or fat-free refried beans
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp soy sauce
2 dashes hot sauce (I used Sriracha)
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp to 1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 to 1 tsp cumin

In a saucepan, saute the onion and garlic in the oil until quite translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce and hot sauce and cook another two minutes. Add the tomatoes, beans, 1 cup water, and herbs and spices. Turn the heat to high, and bring to a boil, stirring vigorously until the beans are well incorporated. Turn the heat to low and simmer 15-20 minutes, until the soup has reached the desired consistency. If you want a thinner soup, add more water.

Garnish with cheese, cilantro, baked tortilla strips, etc. If you have leftover spicy sauteed chicken, add that as well!

Serves 3-4.