Roast Chicken

Roast Chicken

 Use a fairly good sized chicken - like around 3 pounds or over

The easy way: sprinkle the chicken all over with garlic salt and lemon pepper. Roast in a pan or baking sheet with sides at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour and 30 minutes.

The just a little bit harder way: Mix together 2 tablespoons orange juice, 1 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon oregano,1 teaspoon Kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. and 1 garlic clove put through press. Rub all over the chicken. Place in a pan or baking sheet with sides and roast at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour and 30 minutes. 

Banh Mi Bowl, Citrus Beet Salad & Brown Rice Chickpea Stew

Banh Mi Bowl 

To Assemble Banh Mi Bowls:

1.  For each bowl, cut a fourth of a cucumber into sticks, place in a bowl, cover with rice wine vinegar. Do the same thing for 1/8 of a sliced red onion. Plain or even apple cider vinegar can be substituted for the rice wine vinegar.  On the day I made this lunch, I didn't have any carrots or daikon radish on hand, but they are wonderful to give a soak in vinegar and use in this bowl as well. Set the cucumber sticks and red onion slices aside while they sit for at least 5 minutes. 

2. For each serving, use a heaping half cup of left over cooked chicken, beef, or pork.

Whisk together:

2 cloves garlic, put through a press
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons Maggi, Tamari or soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
pinch black pepper

Place the cooked meat with the whisked mixture and saute together over medium low heat for a good 5 minutes until the meat gets a crispy brown texture on the out side.

3. According to package directions, cook one serving of rice noodles, or even thin spaghetti. Drain and place noodles in serving bowl.

4. Drain the vinegar soaked cucumbers and any other veggies that might have been soaking, and place them on top of the noodles.

5. Add the meat.

6. Finish with a handful of cilantro, Thai (or regular) basil, and sliced radishes. A few slices of a hot pepper such as jalapeno or Serrano look nice on top.

Citrus Beet Salad

Ingredients and directions for each serving:

About 3/4 cup cooked beets - that's about 1 medium beet per person.
1 medium orange, peeled and sectioned
1 medium grapefruit, peeled, sectioned, and cut into pieces if sections are large
Heaping 1 tablespoon of shelled pistachio nuts
Kosher salt
Pepper
Some good olive oil
A handful of washed and dried herbs such as dill, parsley, or basil 

Peel the beets, cut into chunks and either simmer on the stove in a small amount of lightly salted water until tender - about 7 minutes. Or, roast by putting them in a single layer, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with Kosher salt, on a baking sheet at 375 degrees for about 45 to 50 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork.

Place the beets, orange and grapefruit slices on serving plate. Top with a handful of herbs. Sprinkle with pistachio nuts, Kosher salt and pepper. Add a swoosh of Greek yogurt on the side. Drizzle with some good olive oil.

Brown Rice Chickpea Stew

Ingredients and directions for four servings.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 stalk celery, diced (optional)

2 garlic cloves, peeled and put through a press

1 (15 oz.) can broth - beef, chicken or vegetable

1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 cup rice, brown or white

1 cup water

1/2 cup of protein if desired, such as cooked chicken, shredded beef,pork or poached egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

scant 1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, washed and dried

Heat the oil in sauce pan and saute the onion and celery (if using) until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute another 30 seconds. Pour in the broth, diced tomatoes along with their juice, and the drained chickpeas. Add the cup of water and rice. Season with the oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes or until the rice is tender. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle each serving with a tablespoon of cilantro leaves

Two Speedy Soups From Canned Tomato Sauce

Tomato Coconut Curry and Tomato Sausage Soup

Now that all my girls are out on my own - it's weird, I know - but I'm still cooking for them. It's like we are in tandem universes. They are hundreds of miles away, but I still try to make dishes I think they would like as well as approve of! It makes for a lot of sharing and discussion, which is a lot of fun for me. One thing I realize is they come home late, tired and hungry after a whole day of working followed by some kind of exercise class or activity. They want something substantial, but fast and also perhaps Whole 30 compliant or at least healthy. The soups posted here are so easy and with label reading, they can be made with canned tomato sauce that doesn't have bad stuff in it! The trick to the Tomato Coconut Curry is to have already cooked chicken meat on hand and a left over sweet potato. Or, a microwave that zaps them in five minutes.  The smooth broth goes so well with the velvety cooked sweet potato and the subtle spiciness is very warming on a cold day. The Tomato Sausage Soup is an old favorite of Roy's and I've made it for years. I put it together out of desperation one night when all I had on hand was a can of tomato sauce, some sausage, and a handful of mixed salad greens. It turned out to be hearty and delicious! Aidells brand sausage is available at most grocery stores and happens to be Whole 30 allowed. I'd love to know which of these soups people enjoy more!

Tomato Coconut Curry Soup - Serves Two as Main Dish

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped cooked chicken
1 medium sweet potato, cooked and cubed
1 medium onion
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, put through a press or finely minced
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, including juice
1 (15 oz.) can coconut milk
1/2 heaping cup chopped cilantro
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Lime wedges for serving

Procedure

Peel and slice onion. Heat oil over medium low heat and saute onion until tender - about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cilantro and curry powder and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes. coconut milk, sweet potato, chicken, salt, and crushed red pepper flakes. Turn the heat up to medium high to get the mixture up to a simmer, then turn down to medium low and cook for 5 more minutes.

Tomato Sausage Soup - Serves Two as Main Dish

Ingredients:

1/2 pound sliced sausage
2 cups greens - spinach and/or kale
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (15 oz.) can beef broth
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon thyme

Procedure:

Brown sausage over medium heat - about  3 to 5 minutes per side. Add tomato sauce, greens, beef broth, oregano, salt, pepper flakes, garlic, thyme, garlic powder. Bring up to a boil, then turn down to medium low and simmer 5 minutes.

Chickpea Curry with Black Rice

My love of Indian food began when Allison's good friend Ashik presented me with a cook book as a Christmas present. He knew I loved to cook and since he was often around at dinner time, I think he was hoping I might try some of the recipes. Roy claims he doesn't like Indian food, but this is one dish he says is yummy. I didn't find it in Ashik's cook book though. The inspiration came from Jamie Oliver's book Food Revolution. He recommends using Patak brand curry pastes as a quick and easy way to make curries. They definitely speed up the process and the results are delicious. Using black rice is a nice change of pace. Besides adding a ton of nutrients, it's nutty flavor pairs really well with the chick peas. Of course, white rice could be substituted and cooked chicken could be added if an additional source of protein is desired.

Ingredients for Four Servings:

1 (15 oz.) can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 medium onions
bunch of fresh cilantro, leaves and stems
1 small pepper such as a Serrano or jalapeno
1 thumb sized piece of ginger
2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
1/2 cup of store bought curry paste such as Patak brand
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup uncooked black rice
Plain yogurt and wedges of lime or lemon for serving

While assembling the curry, cook the black rice according to the directions on the package. Peel the onions and thinly slice them. Wash and chop the cilantro up, stems and all. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin from the ginger and dice it up. Decide how much of the pepper to use and remove the membrane and seeds, then mince it.

Over medium low heat, saute the onions, cilantro, ginger, and pepper in the oil until they are tender. Add the chickpeas and curry paste. Mix well and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Stir in the coconut milk and turn the heat down to low. Continue to simmer for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with the black rice, wedges of lime or lemon, and a dollop of plain yogurt.

A Craft and a Cheese Ball

Beaded Appetizer Knives

 With Plates to Match

 Beads, craft wire, butter knives, and plates from the discount store

Start by shaping wire in concentric circles

Wrap the wire a few times around the knive

Add the beads, wrapping as you go

Curry Cheese Ball with Mango Chutney


Not much left!

1 eight ounce package of cream cheese              
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 small jar of mango chutney (The spicy kind is nice!)
Mix all ingredients except chutney well. Form into a ball. Place on serving platter. Pour chutney over the ball. Serve with crackers.