I’ve been doing a lot of cooking lately. Call me domestic, no wait, call me Natasha the Nifty Housewife. I found a bunch of low-carb cookbooks at the library and I’ve been tweaking the recipes to better suit what’s in my fridge. This recipe called for jarred artichokes. That is a fancy item you’d never see in my cupboard, so I improvised the whole thing. It turned out pretty tasty.

Oh, and move over Kelly and Kasandra. My new best friend is smoked paprika. I have literally used it every day for the past two months. It goes on EVERYTHING and makes it amazing.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, or chicken parts that you prefer

1 Tbs. butter

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 cup baby portobello mushrooms, sliced

1/2 onion, sliced

6 mini bell peppers, or one yellow bell pepper, sliced

1/2 cup white wine or chicken stock

2 Tbs rice vinegar or lemon juice

salt and pepper

1 Tbs. smoked paprika

1 zucchini, chopped

3/4 cup cream

In a heavy saucepan, heat the butter and oil and brown the chicken. Flip the chicken and add the onion and mushrooms. Season with salt, pepper and paprika. When chicken is brown, add the wine and vinegar and bring to a simmer. Turn down the heat, cover and cook for 25 minutes or until chicken is done. Add the zucchini and recover. Cook for a few more minutes till zucchini is tender. Stir in the cream and reheat, but don’t let it boil or simmer. Serve with green beans and brown rice.

Note: You could also add jarred artichokes if you’re feeling fancy.