School lunch: chicken, chayote and spinach

November 19, 2009 • Hello. I am currently out of the country and unable to respond to comments and e-mails. Rest assured, however, that future posts have been scheduled so new recipes will go live almost everyday during my absence. I'll be back soon with lots of stories and photos. Ciao for now! ~ Connie

As much as possible, I try to prepare school lunches that include vegetables. It’s not really a simple decision because vegetables do spoil faster than dry (grilled or fried) meat or fish. Especially on hot and humid days, I don’t like preparing school lunches that might spoil inside the lunch box even before lunch time. So, when I do include vegetables in the kids’ packed lunches, I stick to sauteed vegetable dishes, stir fries or simple soups with a clear broth.

chicken, chayote and spinach

For my kids’ lunch today, I cooked a modified tinola dish. Instead of chicken pieces chopped through the bone, I used chicken thigh fillets. Then, I substituted chayote for the unripe papaya and spinach for the sili (chili) leaves.

There are times when my kids ask that the rice be placed in a separate container. But with soupy dishes, like this one, they prefer to let the rice absorb the flavors of the broth. In effect, it’s a rice topping kind of dish–a very popular way of preparing packed meals in Southeast Asia.

You will find the basic tinola recipe here.

February 2, 2006  Print This Post   
Tagged:
You may post a relevant comment.
If you want your own pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING A COMMENT

Except for personal use, or as legitimate RSS feeds with link back to this page, NO PART OF THIS ENTRY MAY BE REPRODUCED IN ANY MANNER, whether individually or as part of a collection, without the owner's PRIOR written permission. This blog is a FREE service. Help maintain it by respecting the author's copyright.

Some entries have multiple pages. Most recipes are on page 2; others, on page 3 or 4. Click on the pagination links to view them.

Some entries DO NOT contain recipes.

Sorry, I don't e-mail recipes. However, you may opt to receive a weekly summary of recent Pinoy Cook food articles and recipes by using the link on the left sidebar.