This week I am thinking about goals. I think about goals a lot, including fitness goals. It’s easy to get stagnant. I have a couple of fitness goals I am working towards: running a sub nine minute mile and lose the extra weight I gained during the menopause time. I’m pretty disciplined already. However, I can always do more. My timeframe is by the end of the year. I believe if you want to meet your goals, you need to give yourself plenty of time to do it. Too short of a timeframe and it only ends in frustration.

This week I wanted to use some of the dried chilies I purchased after the holidays. I am starting with a recipe for Chicken Breasts with Yellow Mole and Roasted Vegetables from Rick Bayless. I wanted to do a Mexican recipe with these chilies and Rick Bayless is a good place to look. I plan to change the veggies to alter the vitamin profile. I may also do some other things to bulk things out a bit. I like that this recipe has plenty of sauce, but without more food, it could be lacking. Finally, if you have ever seen him make one of his recipes, he shovels in the salt. I plan to use far less than he does.

Here are the original stats:

Here’s what I changed:

• I removed the tomato and replaced it with a can of pumpkin puree to remove the tomato and add in vitamin A.
• I reduced the sodium to 1/2 teaspoon to lower the sodium.
• I replaced the small potato with a sweet potato to increase the vitamin A.
• I replaced the chayote with butternut squash to increase the vitamin A.
• I added red bell pepper to increase the vitamin C.
• I increased the amount of green beans to bulk out the dish.

Here are the final stats:

Here is the final recipe:

Chicken Breasts with Yellow Mole and Roasted Vegetables

Serves 12

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 medium bone-in, skin-on (about 2 1/2 pounds total) medium chicken breast halves without wings
• 1/2 pound sweet potato, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil (divided use)
• 8.5 ounces butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 3 red bell peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 pounds green beans, ends cut off, cut into thirds (about 1 packed cup)
• 4 dried (1 ounce) dried guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded and torn into flat pieces
• 1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
• 2 medium (4 ounces total) tomatillos, husked, rinsed and cut in half
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
• 2 cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 large (10- or 12-inch) hoja santa leaves OR 4 dried or fresh avocado leaves
• 6 tablespoons dried masa harina or plain fresh masa

Poach the chicken.  Pour 5 cups water into a large (4-quart) saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, nestle the chicken breasts into the pan, making sure that they are completely submerged. When the broth returns to a boil, turn off the heat, cover the pot and let stand for 25 minutes (it’s fine if the chicken stays in the pot longer) while you’re roasting the vegetables and preparing the mole. 

Roast the vegetables.  Heat the oven to 425 degrees.  In a large bowl, toss the potatoes, bell pepper and butternut squash with 1 tablespoon of the oil.  Spread on a rimmed baking sheet, leaving behind as much oil as possible.  (I put down a silicone mat or piece of parchment paper to ensure they don’t stick and to make clean up easy.) Roast for 10 minutes.  In the same bowl, toss the green beans with another tablespoon of oil, sprinkle with salt and scoop onto the baking sheet with the potatoes and chayote.  Use a spatula to turn over the potatoes, slide the pan back into the oven and roast for 20 minutes longer, until everything is tender and browned.  

Clean the chicken breasts.  Remove the breasts from the pot and pull off the skin.  Using your hands or a small knife, peel the rib bones and the cartilage-like breast bone away from the meat.  Cut out or pull out the large bone at the top, the one that connected to the wing.  Connecting to that bone is the small wishbone that extends across the top of the breast.  Pull it out.  Cut into bite sized pieces. Pour the broth into a large measuring cup to use in the mole.  You’ll use the saucepan in the next step—no need to wash. 

Make the mole base.  In an ungreased skillet over medium heat, lightly toast the chile pieces: use a metal spatula to press them for a few seconds onto the hot surface until they crackle, release their aroma and change color slightly; flip and toast the other side.  Combine them in the large saucepan with the pumpkin, tomatillos and garlic.  Add a cup of water, set over medium to medium-low heat, partially cover and simmer everything together for about 15 minutes.  Transfer to a blender jar (liquid and all). Grind the spices in a mortar or electric spice milk, add to the blender and blend to a smooth puree. 

Cook the mole.  Wash and dry the large saucepan and set over medium heat.  When hot, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of the oil, set a medium-mesh strainer over the pot, and, when the oil is shimmering hot, pour the puree into the strainer.  Press the mixture through the strainer into the oil.  Once you’ve pressed as much as possible through the strainer, discard what remains and stir the mixture in the pot for several minutes until it has thickened to the point that you can clearly see the bottom of the pot with each stir.  Stir in 3 1/2 cups of the broth (you’ll use more when adding the masa).  If you are using avocado leaves, add them to the pot; hoja santa is added later.  Simmer over medium-low for 20 minutes.  

Finish the mole. In a blender, combine 1 cup of the broth with the masa harina or fresh masa.  Blend to combine, then strain the mixture into the simmering sauce.  Whisk constantly as the sauce lightens in color, returns to a simmer and thickens.  If using hoja santa, tear it into small pieces and add it to the pot. Taste and season with salt, usually a generous teaspoon. Remove the avocado leaves if you used them.  Lastly, reheat the chicken breast pieces by lowering them into the mole and the vegetables by sliding them into a low oven.  

Serve.   When the chicken breasts and vegetables are warm, transfer the them into 12 serving plates, ladle on a generous amount of the mole.