The last meal in this series of 5 in 5 is a delicious Sun-dried Tomato Sauce that I put on chicken, but it would be just as good on pasta. There is a wonderful little Italian restaurant in Ottawa called Zola's that inspired me to go hunting for a sun-dried tomato cream sauce recipe. After having their Sun-dried Tomato Mushroom Linguini for dinner one night, I wanted to re-create it at home. One of my favorite recipe sites, Epicurious had a promising recipe for what I was looking for. After a few tweaks, it was similar enough to what I had at Zola's.

I'm making 5 meals in 5 hours to avoid the "What's for dinner" question. I'll post one meal each day, in the order I made them. Here's the plan:

1. Savory Pot Roast
2. Shrimp Curry (or you could substitute chicken)
3. Chicken Stir-Fry (or you could substitute tofu)
4. Lavender and Rosemary Pork Tenderloin
5. Sun-dried Tomato Cream Sauce on Chicken or Pasta

While the Lavender and Rosemary Pork Tenderloin is roasting, you can make the Sun-dried Tomato Cream Sauce for chicken or pasta.

Recipe

adapted from Epicurious

Serves 6

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1½ pound total)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 yellow onion, finely diced
¼ cup drained sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil; ½ ounce), patted dry and coarsely chopped
¾ teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
¼ cup dry white wine
¾ cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1¾ cup heavy cream
¼ cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
To Prepare and Eat Now:
Dry the meat with a paper towel and season with salt and black pepper. Heat oil in a large sauté pan over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Brown chicken on all sides, about 6 minutes total. (Chicken will not be cooked through.) Set aside.

Add garlic, tomatoes, and red pepper flakes to pan and sauté, stirring, until garlic is pale golden, about 1 minute. Add wine and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up brown bits. Reduce this mixture by half, about 1 minute. Add chicken broth, mustard and soy sauce and bring to a boil, covered.

Add chicken to skillet with any juices accumulated on plate and simmer, covered, until cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Set chicken aside and tent with foil. Purée sauce with either an immersion or stand blender until almost smooth. (Use caution when blending hot liquids in a stand blender.) If necessary, add water to thin to desired consistency. (Can be made ahead up to this point and frozen.)

Stir cream and 2 tablespoons basil into sauce in pan and bring just to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve sauce over chicken and garnish with remaining 2 tablespoons basil.

To Freeze:
Freeze sauce (before adding cream) and chicken. Recommended freezing time: 4-6 months.

To Prepare After Freezing:
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Heat sauce and chicken. Add cream and 2 tablespoons basil to the sauce and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Serve sauce over chicken and garnish with remaining 2 tablespoons basil.

Tips:
To save time, use bottled minced garlic. To save money, mince your own garlic.

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Cost: $21.16 ($3.53 per serving)

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Other Ideas for Sun-dried Tomatoes
• Kalyn's Kitchen: Sun-dried Tomato Pesto
• Look and Taste: Making Home Made Sun-dried Tomatoes
• Smitten Kitchen: Sun-dried Tomato Stuffed Mushrooms

Summary of 5 Meals in 5 Hours
Here is a summary of what it cost me (in Canadian) to make these 5 meals:

• Savory Pot Roast: Cost: $11.29 ($1.13 per serving) 10 servings
• Shrimp Curry: Cost: $21.40 ($3.57 per serving) 6 servings
• Chicken Stir-Fry: Cost: $26.64 ($3.33 per serving) 8-10 servings
• Lavender and Rosemary Pork Tenderloin: Cost: $20.75 ($2.59 per serving) 8-10 servings
• Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce on Chicken: Cost: $21.16 ($3.53 per serving) 6 servings

Total: $101.24
Total servings: 38
Average cost per serving: $2.66