Outta the Box

Peapod's chef express smart selections chicken with bread dumplings and vegetables

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Suggested retail: $9.99 for 24-ounce dinner for two

Per 12-ounce serving: 380 calories, 13 g fat, 830 mg sodium, 34 g carbohydrates

Peapod has partnered with Chicago chef Michael Foley to create Chef Express Smart Selections.

The entrees, which are portioned for two, are restaurant-quality meals made from fresh cuts of meat and vegetables with savory seasonings.

Foley, formerly of Printer's Row and Le Perroquet restaurants, was one of the city's pioneers in using local, sustainably farmed products. He owns a farm in Michigan and recently opened a "vegetable alchemy" studio for research and development purposes.

The Chicken with Bread Dumplings and Vegetables combines two skinless chicken breasts, dumplings, carrots, asparagus and parsnips in a light chicken gravy.

This is a hearty dish chock full of flavor thanks to herbs such as marjoram, thyme, rosemary, sage and oregano and vibrantly colored vegetables that retain their snap.

Other varieties include Szechwan beef stir-fry; pulled pork enchiladas; turkey meatloaf; sesame-crusted salmon with citrus mashed potatoes, and whole wheat linguini with butternut squash, pecorino and sage.

The entrees cook in 5 to 6 minutes in the microwave or 20 to 25 minutes in a conventional oven.

Find them at www.peapod.com.