Prosciutto-wrapped chicken with roasted green beans

Public service announcement: I am not eating cereal for dinner, nor have I in over a week :)  Not that there's anything wrong with a nice bowl of Cheerios or my current fav, Kashi Go Lean Crunch in the Honey Almond Flax flavor.

Oh my gosh, my love for Kashi knows no bounds.  This stuff is perfectly sweet, with slivered almonds, and stays super crunchy even after sitting in milk for a good 5 to 10 minutes -- love it.  What's your favorite all-time cereal?  As much as I enjoy Kashi, my knees get weak for Rice Krispies Treats Cereal.  Though I haven't seen it for months... sad face.  Does anyone else remember that stuff?  Simply the best!  If any of you ever find it, please purchase the entire stock and I'll reimburse you for the cereal and shipping.  Thanks :)

So, why the cereal talk?  Well, as I mentioned on Friday, Matt is channeling his inner beach bum and spending the week in Florida which means that I'm down a somewhat regular dinner guest... and, you know, a super fun and sweet future husband.  That, too.  Anyway, I usually make dinners that serve four, which means a dinner for me, a larger dinner for him, and lunch for me the next day.  Anything more and I'm sure to get sick of the stuff.  I could've taken the easy way out and made a large lasagna or vat of soup, but I wanted to prove that I could cook a different meal for myself each night.

After surprisingly very little effort, I came up with five different dinners and filled out the rest of my shopping list with groceries to feed me for the week.  All for under $50! 

(Disclaimer: I needed to buy cat food for Stella and dishwashing gloves for myself since the old ones were becoming unsightly.  Since neither of those are going to nourish me, I'm omitting them from the grand total.  Winning!  Sorry, I just had to.)

On Saturday morning, after I bid Matt adieu and spent the day doing spring cleaning (yep, I love it like Danny Tanner did), I wasted no time making my first of five who-needs-a-special-occasion dinners for myself.  Proscuitto-wrapped chicken with roasted green beans was on deck.

Ever since I became friends with the kind gentleman at the gourmet cheese and meat counter at the local Market District, I've been hankering for a reason to return for a) a sample, and b) proscuitto.  I've had bacon-wrapped steaks and chicken, so why not vary the wrapping?  The thin and salty proscuitto kept the chicken so moist during cooking.  Paired with some fresh roasted green beans on the same pan, in total harmony.

I've eaten many green beans in my life, prepared in various ways, but  I must admit that this is the first time I've roasted green beans.  All I've gotta say is this -- what have I been missing?!  So simple, both snappy and soft, and I can't quite put my finger on it but the flavor is different.  Good different.  Fancy restaurant different.  So long, boiled green beans!

Not too shabby for my first dinner.  Quick, easy, and anything but boring.   :)  Catch ya for round 2 tomorrow...



Proscuitto-Wrapped Chicken with Roasted Green Beans
-serves 1

A few notes: Of course, this is easily multiplied to feed a pair or even a crowd, so kick up the always-expected choice of chicken for dinner and wow your fellow diners with this gorgeous and balanced meal.

3 thin slices proscuitto
1 boneless skinless chicken breast (4-6 ounces)
4 ounces green beans, rinsed and stem ends removed
Salt
Ground black pepper
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 425F.  On a rimmed quarter baking sheet, toss green beans with a dash or two of olive oil (just enough to coat all beans) and sprinkled with salt and pepper.  Move to one half of the pan.

Season chicken with salt and pepper, wrap with prosciutto, and place chicken seam side down onto other half of baking sheet.  Cook 15 to 20 minutes until chicken is opaque (cooked through completely) and green beans have begun to shrivel slightly.  Serve and enjoy!