That’s a Wrap!

One of the challenges of cooking for one is that most recipes are designed to serve several people. True, some recipes can be cut down relatively easily, but as a “right-brain” type, I try to avoid processes that require more than the most rudimentary math. So when I’m planning a week’s worth of menus, I tend to look for dishes that divide neatly into single servings that I can freeze for later or eat over the course of several days without getting bored.

My new favorite recipe that meets this criteria is Cha Cha! Chile Chicken Wraps, from the Simply Five 10-Meal Kit. (This kit is great for people like me, because all the dishes can be made in 30 minutes or less and require just a few ingredients.)

These chicken wraps are essentially a crunchy chicken salad served in a tortilla. Cha Cha! Chile Lime Seasoning adds a zesty pop of flavor to the chicken, and the simplicity and flexibility of the recipe makes it a winner with me.

For instance, the recipe calls for chopped or shredded chicken breasts. Depending on how much time I have, I can cook chicken breasts specifically for the recipe, or use pre-cooked chopped chicken I’d made and frozen previously. I can even get really radical and sub in leftover pork or beef.

Then there’s the “salad” part of the filling. In the small town where I live, I’m not guaranteed to be able to find the broccoli slaw mix the recipe calls for. No biggie. There’s sure to be some kind of crunchy slaw available – or in a pinch, I could roughly chop up a head of lettuce.

The recipe calls for mini sweet peppers. Not really my thing. But I can toss in something else I like better, such as some slivered almonds, sliced black olives or halved green grapes.

Then there is the wrap. The spinach-flavored variety specified in the recipe is tasty and an attractive light green color. But why limit yourself? There are lots of flavorful alternatives available, including sun-dried tomato, roasted garlic, jalapeño pepper and more. No tortillas on hand? The salad can be stuffed in a pita, served in a bun or eaten “naked” with no wrapping at all.

Bottom line: Tastefully Simple provides the basic framework for delicious dishes like this – and it’s your choice to enjoy it as the recipe specifies or “doctor it up” with your own favorite ingredients.

Check out this and all the delicious recipes in the Simply Five 10-Meal Kit. I know you’ll find them a great starting point for simple, quick and extraordinary meals everyone will love.

As they say in the movie biz, that’s a wrap!