Sometimes, it is easy to get bored with chicken. This recipe infuses the flavors of sage and lemon into chicken, creating an intriguing flavor that is earthy yet bright. Green onions and lemon give this dish a taste of spring before most spring vegetables are available. Sage, along with pasta and broccoli, keep the dish hearty and savory while the weather is still chilly. In Spring, basil and asparagus would be good substitutions for the sage and broccoli.

Sage & Lemon Chicken w/ Broccoli

4 bonesless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh sage  
1 lemon
1 head broccoli, chopped into florets
3 green onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
2 cups uncooked orzo or other small pasta
olive oil

Preheat oven to 450F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place a wire rack on top of the baking sheet.

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In a large ziplock bag, combine chicken, garlic, and sage. Zest lemon into bag, then cut in half and squeeze half of the juice into the bag, reserving the other half. Arrange chicken on wire rack and bake 15-20 minutes until cooked through and no longer pink.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook 5 minutes, then add broccoli. Cook an additional 4-5 minutes until pasta is al dente and broccoli is crisp-tender. Drain and toss with olive oil.

In a small amount of olive oil, saute green onions in a large skillet over medium heat until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add broccoli and pasta to skillet and squeeze remaining half of lemon juice on top. Season with pepper.

Remove chicken breasts from oven and place over broccoli mixture. Serve immediately.

Frugal Breakdown:
4 chicken breasts: $3.20
salt and pepper: negligible
2 garlic cloves: negligible
1/4 cup chopped fresh sage : $0.75 
1 lemon: $0.60
1 head broccoli: $1.67
3 green onions: $0.25
2 cups uncooked orzo: $0.75
olive oil: negligible
TOTAL: $7.22

Verdict: An easy success, considering the deal I found on chicken breasts. Most of the other ingredients are pantry staples, so this was not an expensive dish to make.

This recipe originally appears as Onion-Apple Glazed Pork Tenderloin from the Lipton cook book, and here is my updated version. I added fresh onion and sage, instead of the soup mixture, and also added lots and lots of mushrooms. As apples come in season, I will probably add some fresh apples instead of using juice.

1 (1 1/2 to 2 lb) pork tenderloin
2 tbsp olive oil
ground black pepper
2 pkg (8 oz each) whole mushrooms, rinsed
1-2 sprigs fresh sage
1/2 yellow or Vidalia onion, roughly chopped
1 cup apple juice

Preheat oven to 425F

In a small roasting pan, arrange pork. Season with pepper and rub with 1 tbsp oil. Arrange mushrooms around pork and drizzle with remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and toss. Sprinkle with sage leaves and chopped onions. Roast uncovered for 15 minutes.

Add apple juice to pan, pouring over pork and mushrooms. Cook an additional 10-15 minutes, until pork is done. Serve with drizzle of juice from pan.

From the book Everyday Food: Great Food Fast, here is a quick dish to make with seasonal asparagus and fresh dill. If you can boil water and cut vegetables, you can make this dish! If you don’t have fettuccine noodles, use another thick-stranded pasta such as linguini.

1/4 cup pine nuts
3/4 lb fettuccine
2 bunches asparagus, trimmed
4 oz creamy goat cheese, broken into pieces
2 tbsp grainy mustard
2 tbsp snipped fresh dill leaves

Halve asparagus length-wise and cut cross-wise into third. In a small skillet over medium heat, toast pine nuts, stirring often, until golden, about 3 minutes. Set aside.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the fettuccine until al dente (8-10 minutes), according to package directions. Add asparagus during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain the rest.

Return pasta, asparagus, and reserved pasta water to pot. Toss with the goat cheese, mustard, dill, and toasted pine nuts. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Shown below with Cucumber Onion Salad and home-grown tomatoes:

From Cooking Light magazine: The delicate combination of fresh dill and lemon lend just enough flavor to add interest to plain baked fish. This is one of the first times I served fish, and it was super easy!

 4 (6 oz) salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick)
1 1/2 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill (or 1-2 tsp dried dill)
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
4 lemon wedges
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350F

Place fish on baking sheet lightly coated with cooking spray (do not remove skin). Lightly coat fish with cooking spray. Sprinkle fish with dill, salt, and pepper.

Bake at 350F for 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Thicker cuts of meat will take longer to bake.

Make a heart-healthy meal with steamed asparagus and pomegranate juice!

This is a great recipe to warm you up on a cold day, modified from its original version in Cooking Light magazine.

1 cup apple cider
1/4 cup chopped fresh sage
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper, divided
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup uncooked orzo
2 1/2 to 3 (14.5 oz) cans low-sodium chicken broth, divided
1/2 cup minced onion
2 celery ribs, chopped
1/2 cup dry or semi-dry white wine
1/2 shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375F

Combine apple cider, sage, oil, salt and 1/2 tsp pepper in a shallow dish. Add chicken and coat well, turning in liquid several times. Bake 25-30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

Cook orzo in 2 cans of chicken broth until tender. Drain and set aside, reserving cooked broth. Add enough uncooked broth to equal 1 3/4 cups.

Saute onion, garlic, and celery in a skillet coated in cooking spray until tender. Add reserved chicken broth and white wine; cook, stirring often, 5 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup. Stir in orzo, parmesan cheese and remaining 1/2 tsp pepper. Cook, stirring often, until thoroughly heated. Serve immediately with chicken.

Garnish with fresh sage sprigs as desired.

Another option:

Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces and marinate in cider-sage mixture for 2 hours, turning occasionally. Remove chicken and discard marinade. Brown chicken in a large nonstick skillet coated in cooking spray over high heat until done. Remove from skillet and keep warm.

Prepare orzo as directed above. Add chicken to skillet with parmesan cheese and pepper. Stir well and serve in bowls.