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2 garlic cloves, smashed

¼ cup coarsely chopped tomato

1 pound baby spinach leaves, very well washed

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

½ cup unsweetened coconut milk salt and pepper to taste

2 ounces fresh cheese squares (farmer’s cheese, string cheese, or Cuajada an Terron)

Black sesame seeds for garnish

Stir together the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl. Cut the chicken thighs into 1-inch-wide strips. Coat them with the dry rub, reserving any remaining mixture.

Heat a large skillet over very high heat. Add the oil and preheat. Cook the chicken strips, turning them with tongs, until cooked through and golden on the outside, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a warm plate.

Add the onion slices to the hot pan and cook until they begin to brown, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a few minutes more. Add the tomato and cook, stirring a moment longer. Add the spinach in handfuls, stirring until it begins to wilt before adding another batch. Once all the spinach is in the skillet, sprinkle it with the reserved dry rub, stir, then cover and cook 2 to 3 minutes longer.

Stir in the grated ginger and half of the coconut milk. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Transfer to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Remove the blade and stir in the cheese squares, cover, and set the mixture aside.

Meanwhile, add the remaining coconut milk to the hot pan and boil over medium-high heat until reduced by one-third, about 5 minutes. Return the chicken pieces to the pan. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.

To serve, divide the spinach mixture between two warmed dinner plates. Place chicken and gravy alongside. Sprinkle the plate with black sesame seeds.

Nutritional Analysis: 519 calories, FAT 29 g, PROTEIN 51 g, CARB 15 g, FIBER 8 g, CHOL 169 mg, IRON 9 mg, SODIUM 1,099 mg, CALC 462 mg

Cooking Lesson

This dish yields 115 percent of the vitamin A, 46 percent of the vitamin C, 28 percent of the iron, and 23 percent of the calcium needed daily for a healthy diet. You can make it ahead, store covered in the refrigerator, then reheat it in the microwave a few moments.

Menu Suggestion

Serve a cooling raita alongside this dish. That’s simply slivers of cucumber in plain yogurt. A pot of tea, some fresh honeydew melon for dessert. Including the raita, total calories: 382.5. Total carbs: 15 grams.

Quatres Épices-Grilled Chicken on Cabbage and Red Pepper Salad

If you have ever wondered how to make a chicken breast stand up and whistle Dixie, this is it. Bright flavors, bold colors, and lots of crunch make this a dinner you’ll want twice a week. That’s a good idea, because the salad makes enough to feed four—it keeps well in the refrigerator and makes a great “free lunch” the next day. You can double the spice blend and cook four pieces of meat at one time, saving two for lunch. Shred all the salad ingredients in the food processor using the slicing blade, and you’ll have the work done in no time.

MAKES 2 SERVINGS

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Chilling time: 30 minutes (concurrent)

Cooking time: 10 minutes

4 cups finely shredded green cabbage

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

½ cup thinly sliced red bell pepper

DRESSING

One 1.7-ounce can flat anchovy fillets, drained

6 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (10 ounces total), split and pounded to ¼-inch thickness

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon quatres épices seasoning (see note)

Freshly milled black pepper

Kosher salt to taste

Sprinkle the cabbage with vinegar, then toss in a large bowl. Arrange the pepper on top of the cabbage, cover, and refrigerate until serving time. To make the dressing, crush and blend the ingredients with a mortar and pestle (or use a food processor with the steel blade). Set it aside.

Dab the chicken breasts with the olive oil, then rub in the quatres épices, salt and pepper. Heat a ridged grill pan or a sauté pan over high heat. Cook the meat on one side without disturbing,