I guess one of the most fun things about cooking is creating something on the fly from what’s in the refrigerator. Dinner last night was a perfect example of just that.

I had done my weekly shopping, taken Victor’s mom to the Dr in Bryn Mawr, worked on a website for a friend, and suddenly started getting those hunger pangs… I had eaten my bowl of Shredded Wheat with Bran mixed with Grapenuts and a banana, but had somehow missed lunch. The stomach started rumbling…

Not quite sure what I was making – only that it involved chicken – I put on a pot of TJ’s Brown Rice Trilogy. Whatever I made was going to be derved with rice.

I opened the fridge and there was the fresh asparagus I had bought (on sale – $1.99/lb) and some fresh Italian peppers. In the cabinet was a bag of fresh bread crumbs Victor had made a few days ago. A plan was forming…

I breaded the chicken breasts with the crumbs – I added some Italian seasoning, salt and pepper – and lightly sauteed in olive oil to brown, and then popped them into the oven to finish.

In the meantime, I steamed the sparagus, and made a quick ricotta cheese sauce to top everything.

I chopped about 1/4 cup of Italian pepper, 2 scallions, and a clove of garlic and sauteed quickly in a tad of olive oil. I then added about 2/3 cup of part skim ricotta, a few tablespoons of nonfat milk to thin, and a bit of salt and pepper, and heated it all through.

The presentation was simple. A bed of rice, topped with the chicken breast. Asparagus on the side, and sauce on top. It was yummy!

Start to finish was under 30 minutes – not counting the rice that took longer – but required nothing. I did dirty 4 pots and pans, but… sometimes quick dinners require a few utensils!

At any rate, it was a great dinner!