Caramelized Cabbage on the Stovetop

Caramelized Cabbage is making a weekly appearance on our table.  It's super delicious and easy to make.

Start by thinly slicing a cabbage.  Usually I use half and put the remainder back in the produce bag for an even quicker meal prep the next time.

Heat a cast iron skillet to almost high -- like 8 on a scale of 10.  You want the skillet to be smokin' hot.  Then add a fat that can withstand heat.  I'm loving using avocado oil these days.  Ghee, lard or tallow would all be good choices, too.  Olive oil will smoke so I don't suggest that.  Don't be skimpy on the oil.  If you're stingy with the oil your food will stick.  Usually I'm stingy and eventually add more oil while it cooks.

When you add the cabbage, it should make a nice loud searing sound.  Maybe some popping and cracking.  Don't be afraid.  You want that sound.  It tells you the pan is hot.  Now let it sit.  Resist the urge to stir.  Sprinkle a hefty amount of sea salt on there.

Once it begins to smell quite fragrant then it's time to flip. I use tongs. Hopefully when you flip, you'll see some charred bits emerge.  That's where the yum is.  It's caramelizing!

If you find it sticking, add more oil.  Let it all sit again and caramelize on the bottom.

I repeat: resist the urge to stand and stir.  Let it sit and roast on the bottom then flip one spatula-full at a time.

When plating, serve an extra pat of butter on top.  Don't be afraid of fat.  Without fat, your body cannot absorb the minerals and nutrients you're eating.

On this night, we ate caramelized cabbage with Change Your Life Chicken.  Yes, it will change your life.  Add that recipe to your weekly line up.  (Phone camera:: chicken thighs are not as pink as they appear in this picture.)

If you're on Instagram, these pictures were originally in my Story.  Follow along for impromptu cooking lessons: @mommamajors

-Julie

Nutrient Dense Breakfast Ideas

No doubt, you've heard that "breakfast is the most important meal of the day."  Breaking the fast in the morning helps to jump start our metabolism.  We can agree that we need to eat something.  But what?

Photo take at the recent Wise Traditions conference by the Weston A. Price Foundation.

Eggs are nutrient dense and an inexpensive source of protein and good fat.  We can enjoy them in many forms and usually without much prep time.  How does your family prefer them? Boiled, scrambled, over-easy, fried, in a quiche (or quiche bites).  Eggs alone are not usually a fav in my house so I try to add diversity the plate: bacon or sausage is always a winner and my people love oven fried potatoes.  They don't take much prep time but you do have to allow for time in the oven.

Here are some ideas that have already been posted on the blog:

Breakfast Cookies (Brookies)
Breakfast Cookies (gluten, dairy, & egg free, no added sugar)
(Christmas) Brunch Casserole
Granola
Granola Bar Cookies
Oatmeal Bake
Whole Wheat Muffins (soaked)

It seems that we make smoothies more in the summer than winter.  I suppose we want to eat something warm in winter.  People often ask what ingredients I use for smoothies.  It depends on what's in my fridge or pantry.  Usually we start with a base of dairy kefir (or yogurt), add frozen fruit (almost always bananas because they're sweet and cheap).  From here, it just depends on the person: nut butter, raw pastured egg yolk, coconut oil or cream, good quality whey protein or sprouted pea protein.  The most important thing with a smoothie is do not skimp on the fat.  Fat will help stabilize your blood sugar and help you feel full longer.

We eat more cheese grits in winter.  Granted the grits are not traditionally prepared, the corn hasn't been soaked or sprouted.  But man, I'm a southerner and love me some cheese grits.  You can even make a casserole so it includes eggs.

Truthfully, breakfast is not my favorite meal.  I'm not usually hungry until about 10am. My preference is to make something in advance so we can eat something nutritious without much fuss.

New ideas that I've been using lately:

Coconut Flour Blueberry Banana Breakfast Bar (GAPS and Paleo) -  It uses 7 eggs! I'd all but given up on liking coconut flour.  This is the first recipe I have tried and liked.  After making it the first time, I am now using chocolate chips (for the kids).   As with any gluten-free recipe, follow the directions exactly for best results. If your bananas are very ripe you do not need any honey.  This recipe is yummy warm or cold.  **I enjoy this blogger - mom of young children, eats GAPS, has classes/videos.  I used her e-book to help with our intro to the GAPS diet.**

Emily's Warm Chia Pudding (can use alternative milks) - I like this recipe for its convenience and speed; easy to eat in a mason jar during your commute.  If you're used to sweet things for breakfast, you'll want to add some sugar.  Bananas and/or dried fruit is enough for me.  Chia seeds are amazing and nutritious seeds.  Wellness Mama has a blended variation and detailed info on chia.  You can even sneak in a raw pastured egg yolk for more nutrition. Sometimes I send blended chia chocolate pudding in lunches.

Dutch Baby - It's basically a giant magical pancake in a cast iron skillet.  You can google for a recipe.  My people like this one with apples on the bottom.  I love that it calls for so many eggs.

I'm always game for new ideas.  What have you been making lately?  What can you add to this list?  Please share!

Julie

PS - Recently I posted a list inside my cabinet door of everything we like to eat:  breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, veggies, etc.  This helps immeasurably with menu planning!

A Salad Dressing for Mexican Night

If you would like a light dressing to compliment a Mexican meal, look no further.  This one is simple yet flavorful.

Often I encourage people, who want to take baby steps towards healthier living, to make their own salad dressing.  Store bought salad dressings are made with unhealthy oils and usually chocked full of corn syrup.  When you make your own salad dressing you know what's in there, the quality is much higher and saves you money.

The 4-Ingredient Salad Dressing

1.  lime juice

2.  honey

3.  olive oil

4.  sea salt

Lime juice = When I made it this week, I juiced 2 limes.  Some limes can be really dry but these gave me about 1/4 cup lime juice.  You could also use bottled lime juice.  I think fresh is more flavorful (when I can remember to grab them while I'm at the store!) but also fresh limes have enzymes that help you digest your food.  The bottled lime juice has been pasteurized for longer shelf life.

honey = I used about 2 tablespoons of honey.  You can add more, or less.  Just don't omit.  Whisk the honey  into the lime juice.

olive oil = about 1/3 cup.  If you can think of the lime juice and honey as one, you want about equal that amount of olive oil.  [I buy a gallon of Chaffin Family Olive Oil once a year.]

sea salt = about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of sea salt.  Please add the salt.  It's a game changer for this dressing.  Also, making the switch to sea salt is another simple, painless baby step toward healthier living.  The sea provides many trace minerals our modern diets are lacking.

The Salad

Start with green lettuce.  I went to the grocery store specifically to buy jicama but they were out [I've written about jicama here.]  So I decided to add green onions and thin slices of apple, since those are the flavors that jicama imitates.

Easy peasy.  

Hope you try it.

Julie

2 Quick & Easy Veggie Recipes Plus a Kitchen Tip

Remember me raving about Table 28?  I tried to recreate one of our favorite dishes: Brussel sprouts and bacon with pecans.  I started with this recipe but forgot to add the balsamic vinegar.  However, I remembered the pecans and then I added...wait for it...blue cheese.  Heaven, y'all.  Rush to the grocery store now and buy some sprouts and swine.  If you're not a fan of the blue cheese, don't use it but make this recipe.  If you're out of pecans, no worries, make this recipe.  Bacon and Sprouts will do you right.  Pinky swear.  EDIT: Add blue cheese and toasted pecans after roasting Brussel sprouts, just before serving.

Secondly, also the in cruciferous family, is roasted cabbage.  It is only recently that I have become a lover of roasted cabbage.  HB and I took a cooking class at 42 (restaurant at Clinton Library) and the chef quartered heads of cabbage, slathered them in pats of butter, wrapped it in foil then put it on the grill. Wow.  Delish and super easy.

In case you haven't been outside in a while, baby it's cold outside.  And I don't want to grill.

So I bring to you: Roasted Cabbage in a cast iron skillet.

Super easy and fast.

1.  Heat your skillet.  Get it HOT.  (medium high or high setting)
2. Quick chop your cabbage. (or do this ahead)
3. Plop some fat into the skillet, something that can withstand the heat.  Bacon grease is my preference for this dish.  Lard is good.  Ghee.  Coconut oil works too but it will taste coconutty if using unrefined coconut oil.
4.  Drop the cabbage in.
5.  Don't push it around.  Be patient.  Let it sear and get bits of brown crusties.  Use tongs to grab and flip.
6.  Season with sea salt.

I used about 3/4 a head of medium cabbage in this 12" square skillet.  It was probably too much cabbage and crowded the pan but I wanted to clean out the fridge (can I hear an amen from the mommas?)  Waste not want not.  My 2 year old ate the most and there was enough for Hubby to take for lunch today.

Lastly, my tip.  A 25ft roll of parchment paper is $1 at the Dollar Tree next to Michael's on Markham.  Parchment paper has changed my life.  It makes the difference with cookies, the edges are perfect.  Using parchment when you roast anything drastically reduces clean up time.

-Julie

Plantains Are My New BFF

Plantains are my new best friend.  Have you ever tried them?  They're the huge green banana looking things.  When ripe, they are black.  I found some at the Colony West Kroger this weekend.

Last night at a dinner party a friend said, "When we were in Costa Rica, we ate them at every meal."  I've eaten plantains as chips and even fried my own but I didn't know the extent to their versatility.

I am learning they are quite adaptible, especially if you are trying to eat grain-free.

Today I tried a couple new (to me) recipes from The Paleo Mom.  I highly recommend her blog if you haven't checked it out.  She earned a PhD but now stays at home and can explain the science behind food.  She just released a cookbook.  Here's a video where she explains a bit about plantains -- how to choose and cut them, etc.

I made her nut-free, coconut-free paleo (grain-free) muffins.  They were really good and not grainy like some gluten-free recipes.  Many times with gluten-free treats you have to buy lots of random ingredients.  In this recipe, the most random ingredient was a plantain.  And if you can't find plantains, you can use a green banana (or so it says in the comments.)  The recipe recommends 3-5 T of dry sugar.  I used 5 T of sucanat and they were plenty sweet with the additional 2+ cups of blueberries.  Next time I make these muffins I will use even less sugar.

For dinner, we had herbed chicken savory crepes with mushroom "cream" sauce.  Delish.  I used to make crepes frequently but since we are trying to be grain free, I'd written crepes off my menu.  I will say, this meal was perfect for a weekend and would be too much work for a weeknight meal.  My eldest son ate the remaining crepes with butter and maple syrup.  We'd all eaten blueberry muffins before dinner so we weren't that hungry.  With the remaining filling, I added more chicken and broth for a hearty soup for my husband's lunch one day this week.

**Haven't tried it yet but just saw this recipe for Simple Paleo Tortillas...will try soon.

Tonight I also made The Paleo Mom's grain-free Swedish Meatballs.  I used way more fresh herbs because the recipe as written seemed a bit bland.  The meatballs we will eat tomorrow night.

My kitchen looked like a bomb had gone off when I was finished.  The fridge is stocked with good food.

Any new recipes you're making I need to try?
Julie

PS - By way of reminder, I do not make any money from this blog.  I endorse books and blogs just because I think they are helpful.

Grain-Free Tabbouleh

Who knew it was cauliflower season?  In my FarmShare basket yesterday, I had a bounty of cauliflower.  I'd seen this post from The Kitchn where they made couscous from cauliflower and wanted to try it with tabbouleh. 

 Chop cauliflower into florets and put these in your food processor.

 Pulse until you have grain sized particles.

 Bring to a boil a small amount of water in a giant sauce pan.

 Add pulverized cauliflower and steam (with lid on) for about 2 minutes.  I checked and stirred with 30 seconds remaining and needed to add more water.

It's plenty yummy to eat simply steamed.

I decided to add traditional tabbouleh ingredients for a salad.  Yummo.

Grain-free Tabbouleh recipe:

1 head cauliflower, steamed

1 bunch of parsley, stems removed and chopped 

1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved (or red pepper, chopped)
1/8-1/4 c lemon juice
1/4 c olive oil, or more
feta cheese crumbled, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste.

Serve warm (right away!) or refrigerate.

Up next: lacto-fermented cauliflower with curry.  :)

Breakfast Cookies {gluten & dairy free, no added sugar}

My first experience with this cookie was from reading Bread and Wine.  Shauna Neiquest says she was inspired by this recipe for Nikki's Healthy Cookies.

Since then, I've seen variations in several places both in print and on the web.  If you haven't tried something like this lately, you need to whip it up.  Seriously good without the guilt.

Because the cookie is sweetened by bananas, it is not a sickly sweet cookie.  Just prepare your taste buds for something muffin-like instead of super sweet cookie.

Here's a general recipe but use what you have on hand:

2 cups oats (quick or old fashioned. If you are gluten sensitive, be sure your oats are GF.)

2/3 cup unsweetened coconut (use sweetened coconut if that's what you have)

2/3 cup almond meal (I've also used pecan meal.  Can omit this.)

1/2 t sea salt

2/3 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds - what's in your pantry?)

2/3 cup dried fruit or chocolate chips (I've used raisins, currants, craisins, cherries, dates, white and dark chocolate chips)

3 ripe bananas, mashed (the riper, the sweeter! I've also used frozen bananas, about 1.5 cups)

1/4 cup melted coconut oil (or butter, if you're not dairy free)

1 t vanilla (or almond extract)

Often I will mix the dry ingredients at night then slop it all together in the morning just before baking at 350* for about 15 minutes, until edges are golden.  Smaller cookies will cook quicker.  I use an ice cream scoop and this makes about 16 giant cookies.  If you have 3 or more children, I promise you won't have any cookies by lunch time.

-Julie

Try also:

- Brookie (breakfast cookie) 

- Granola Bar Cookies

Thai Red Curry:: My New Fav Recipe

One time I made too much Indian Curry.  Finally we have eaten our way through the quadruple batch.  Needless to say I have felt a little burned out on curry. 

 Until I remembered that it's an entirely different dish in southeast Asia.

Run, don't walk, to your nearest grocery store and scoop up some Thai red curry paste and coconut milk then make this recipe ASAP.  I bought the above jar at Whole Foods for around $3, but some larger Krogers will carry it.

The recipe written below is how I made curry for a recent dinner party.  Just remember, making curry is similar to making chili - everyone has a method and preferred ingredients.  Feel free to mix and match what you like! Or whatever is in your fridge. :)  Key ingredients are Thai red curry paste and coconut milk (full fat, your tongue will thank you later.)

It comes together quickly and is the perfect recipe to prepare/chop ahead of time and can be on the table in mere minutes.

Yield: enough for 6 women with 5+ cups leftover
(you could easily halve this recipe)

Ingredients:

2-4 T red curry paste
2 cans full fat coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth (or water)
(optional for thickness: 1-2 T corn starch)
2 cups sliced carrots
1 diced onion*, or white parts of bok choy
1 lb asparagus, in 2 inch pieces (green beans, zucchini, or broccoli would be good, too)
1 red pepper, roughly chopped
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups cooked chicken, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

optional: cilantro for garnish
I had mango and peanuts also for garnish but forgot them!

Instructions:

In a large pot, bring to a boil 1 cup chicken broth (or water) then add sliced carrots.  Cook until tender, about 2-3 minutes.  Add 2 cans of coconut milk and stir.  Because I like for the sauce to be thicker, I like to add a couple tablespoons of corn starch.  (Remember when adding corn starch to hot liquids, first stir it in something cold.  You could stir it in a bit of coconut milk in the can, or water then add to your hot liquids.)  Bring all the above to a boil, constantly stirring so that the corn starch doesn't settle on the bottom of your pan.

*If using onion instead of bok choy, I recommend boiling the onion and carrots together to tame the onion.  I used bok choy and its flavor is much milder than onion.

Now that the liquid is thickened a bit, begin adding the red curry paste.  Start with a heaping teaspoon, taste then add more.  I used about half the jar.  The first time I made this recipe, I added a lot more red curry paste after removing my children's portion.  My husband and I prefer more flava than the children can tolerate.

When your sauce tastes perfect, add the reminder of the vegetables and keep stirring until you reach desired tenderness.  I prefer my veggies on the crunchier side so they were cooked in about 3 minutes.  Then add in cooked chicken and garbanzo beans.  Keep stirring until it's warm through.

Serve with rice.

Here's the recipe I used for inspiration, which used boneless chicken breasts.

Go ahead, run for your red curry paste.   Hurry and make this curry. (I crack me up.)  Seriously, try it this week.

-Julie

In My Kitchen: Quinoa Quiche Bites & More

Just before the local produce started rolling in, I bought organic green leaf lettuce from the grocery store.  Look for yourself at how much greener one is than the other.  I am so glad the local produce is now available.  We had some of the best asparagus tonight - thank you Kellogg Valley Farms!  Be sure to hit the farmers markets this weekend.

I made quinoa quiche bites last night and we ate outside.  The fam loved them, and so did I.  This recipe was my inspiration.  I changed many of the ingredients and ratios...so I'll write below how I made them.  Quiche is really hard to mess up - make them with what you have on hand.  The quinoa added a bit of texture to otherwise squishy eggy quiche.  I really liked the texture addition.

I soaked 1 cup quinoa in water for 6-8 hours (until it sprouted), drained and rinsed it then cooked it 20 minutes in 1.5 cups of chicken broth.

In a large bowl, I combined quinoa with:

~1.5 cups of chopped ham

8 eggs

~1/4 c cream

chopped a bunch of green onions

chopped ~1 generous cup kale (wilted it in the quinoa while quinoa was hot.  This step isn't necessary.)

1 large carrot, grated

1/2 c grated cheddar (or more)

1 teaspoon salt

fresh cracked pepper - lots 

I sprayed regular sized muffin tins with olive oil then filled them level to the top of the pan.  Bake at 350 until the eggs look set.  I started checking at 30 minutes but they probably were in the oven more like 40 minutes.

Served with a green salad.

Shoppers Tip

I bought a box of 18 mangoes tonight for $10 at the Asian Market (next to Drug Emporium) on Reservoir.  Click here for how to cut them up.  Erin left a comment on that post saying, "I have to wear gloves when handling mango. Mangoes are in the same botanical family as poison ivy so the skin/peel contains urushiol, a skin irritant. I learned the hard way. :/ Still love to eat the flesh, though."

Just for bonus, here's a picture of my children in their Easter costumes.

-Julie

Creamy Salsa Chicken

My friend Erin brought this meal after my third baby was born.  Today I'm taking it to a new mom.  I love that this recipe yields a lot of food, has real ingredients, and best of all most people like it (even my pickiest kid!)

There are many variations when making this recipe.  It just depends on your likes, preferences, and let's face it: what's in the pantry or fridge.

The basic outline is:

 - chicken
 - beans
 - salsa
 - corn
 - cream cheese

Here's how I made it recently.

Cook a whole chicken (mine was about 4.5 pounds) in a crock pot until the meat is falling off the bones.  Mine was still partially frozen when I started at 8am.  I turned it to high then turned it off around 2pm.  I probably would have turned it off sooner but I was away from home from 11-2.

Debone the chicken, saving the bones to make broth.  You could also cook the chicken on low over night and debone first thing in the morning.  And let your broth simmer all day.

If you're in a hurry to get dinner on the table, mix everything else in a stock pot for the stovetop and stir until warm through.  Since it was 2pm, I put it all back the crock pot and stirred every hour or so until dinner.

More details

I used black beans that I'd soaked and boiled earlier in the day.  I just kept adding them until it looked like the ratio I wanted.  If you're using cans, I would plan for 3 or so cans, rinsed and drained.  Of course a mixture of beans would be great, too - pinto, kidney - whatever fits your fancy. Another option is to use only part of the chicken and save the rest for another meal, which would minimize the amount of beans but also leftovers.

As for the corn, I am so fortunate because my mom grows and freezes the corn for me!  If you don't have that option, then buy a bag of frozen sweet corn.  I recommend organic since corn is a very popular GMO.

On hand I had a 16 oz jar of salsa but it wasn't quite enough.  So I added another 15 oz can of diced tomatoes.  It would have been even better if I'd used 28oz.  Or more salsa.  Use what's in the pantry.  If you use tomatoes, be sure to add additional flavor like chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder (or fresh).

I used 1.5 bricks of cream cheese but two whole ones would have made it even creamier.  If using less chicken, one block will suffice.

Taste, salt, and adjust.  This recipe is really about ratios and what your taste buds like.

Optional if you want to get fancy:
I had some frozen diced peppers that I added, as well as a chopped onion that I quickly sautéed with 4-5 cloves of garlic.  Serve with avocado or guacamole.  And of course some kind of ferment.  We enjoy radish relish and banana peppers with Mexican food.

Serve with rice made in bone broth.

-Julie

Beef Curry for the Crock-Pot

Before breakfast, I mixed this up and we enjoyed it for lunch after church.  Delicious.  As written it served 2 adults and 2 children with an adult portion left over.  I guess we were all hungry.  Next time I will double the recipe to ensure plenty of left overs.

--1-2 lbs stew meat*
--1 yellow onion, cut in chunks
--1 can coconut milk, full fat
--1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
--1-2 sweet potatoes cut in chunks
--2T lime juice (about one lime), lemon juice is OK
--2 cloves chopped garlic, or more
--1 tsp curry powder
--1/2 tsp ground coriander
--1 tsp cumin
--1 1/2 T chili paste, or 1-2 tsp red chili flakes - I omitted and served hot sauce on the table for the adults
--1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated or 1 tsp ginger powdered

Mix everything in the slow cooker, cover and turn on.  It will cook in 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.  I didn't add salt because I knew my family likes soy sauce on their curry.  If your family doesn't like soy sauce, or if you don't have a ferment to garnish the top, then add about 1 teaspoon of salt.

Serve with white or brown rice, made with chicken broth.  I also served steamed veggies (a bag of frozen "California Blend") with a generous portion of butter.

*If doubling this recipe, it might be cheaper to buy a small roast and cut it up yourself -or cook the roast and shred it.  Of course you could substitute chicken for beef.

Garnishes, all optional:
-- fresh cilantro
-- soy sauce (fermented, I use San J brand)
-- lacto-fermented banana pepper relish
-- hot sauce
-- chopped peanuts
-- wedges of lime
-- toasted coconut
-- if you like your curry sweet, pineapple tidbits

Enjoy, y'all!
Julie

Bok Choy & What to Do with It

My first introduction to bok choy was several years ago when we lived in Phoenix.  A neighbor friend roasted baby bok choy and delivered it along with a meal.  I was delightfully surprised how much I liked it.

If there's a "bok choy season," spring and fall are it.  This week's Farmshare basket delivered a generous portion.  What will I do with it?  What do you do with it?

 As the name suggests, it goes well in Asian dishes or stir fries.  Last week I stir fried a couple heads of napa cabbage (also 'tis the season!) so I wasn't in the mood for more stir fry.

Pictured above are the two parts of bok choy - stems and leaves.  The stems are crunchy like celery, without the fussy strings, complete with a slight hint of onion or garlic.  The leaves are versatile like spinach and can be eaten raw or wilted.  It is from the brassica family, so those with weak thyroids should always cook their bok choy.  Read more.

Putting on my thinking cap, I decided to use this portion of bok choy, or at least the stems, as I would celery.  The leaves I have reserved to wilt with a batch of kale and turnip greens - also from this week's Farmshare basket.

While browning meat for chili, the bok choy joined in on the fun.

Once cooked through, my family won't know I've pulled a fast one on them.  The bok choy looks like a cross between cooked onion and celery.

Other ideas for using bok choy:

-use like spinach in a stew or soup

-eat raw in salad, along with other greens

-juice it

-in recipes that call for celery, like beef tips

-stems cut in sticks and used as crudités with veggie dip or peanut butter

-make a frugal and quick dinner of crepes, using the leaves instead of spinach. 

What do you do with bok choy?

-Julie

One Dish Wonder: Chicken, Potatoes, Green Beans

There are two ways to make this dish, both explained below.  

Life with three small children seems to zip past at break-neck speed.  I meant to pull a chicken out of my freezer last night.  Laying in bed, I vowed to do it first thing in the morning.  It was 11:00am when I finally remembered and took action.

Fearful the slow cooker would not cook the 4.5 pound frozen-solid chicken in time for dinner, I opted for using my 5.5 quart dutch oven or stock pot. [Max temps in a slow cooker are 200-250*.]  Turning my oven to 290* I plopped the frozen bird in the covered pot and set to peeling potatoes.  For a woman in the kitchen without children, peeling 5 potatoes takes mere minutes.  For this woman with 3 needy children under foot, it took the better part of an hour.

So, frozen chicken in the pot [check], 5 peeled and cubed potatoes [check], one pound frozen green beans [check].  These aren't magical numbers per se, it's what I had on hand and what would fit in my pot - other root veggies would be delish as well. 

For the seasonings you can use whatever fits your fancy.  Lately, I've been loving Good Season's Italian Dressing.  You can buy a packet in the spice aisle or whip up your own concoction (minus the sugar.)  In all, my one dish wonder of chicken, potato and green beans were in the oven about 4 hours at 290*.  You know it's all done when the meat pulls easily away from the bones and the potatoes are tender.  If you aren't in a rush - or if you remember to start your one dish wonder earlier in the day - this would be a perfect slow cooker meal.  A frozen bird and veggies would have cooked just fine in 8 hours on high.

If a whole bird still makes you squeamish below are pictures of how to make it with boneless breasts in a 9x13 pan in a bit over an hour.

You can also use cutlets but I had breasts in my freezer.  I don't think arrangement of the food matters much, I tried to make it appear a bit balanced.  Once the breasts and potatoes were in the pan, I sprinkled mightily with my homemade Good Season's Italian Dressing without sugar.  Don't be stingy. It's what really gives the yum to this dish.  Last of all, I sprinkled about a pound of my mom's frozen green beans on top and decorated with a stick of butter and more seasoning.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 for at least an hour.   If you are using boneless skinless breast, you will need the extra fat, moisture and seasons from the butter.

My family of 4 eaters (baby is only eating yogurt these days) gobbled up this 9x13 pan and why I decided to use a whole bird today.

'Cuz if I'm gonna be making a mess in the kitchen I want enough for left overs, amen?

-Julie

Baba Ghanoush

The right spice can add so much flavor to a dish.  Smoked paprika (from the bulk section at Whole Foods) brings out the best in baba ghanoush.  This middle eastern dip can be eaten as a dip with veggies, chips, pita, or toasted bread.  If you wanna be wild and crazy, spread some on your sandwich!

Last week I made baba ghanoush with larger eggplants (or are they regular size?)  This week I made the dip with fairy tale eggplant.  Either one works well, though the fairy tale ones may be a bit more work removing the pulp from the skin.  The extra work is not arduous so plunge in either way.

First pierce the skin with a fork so that as it roasts steam can escape.

Next roast.  Last week I did it on my stovetop (very HOT kitchen idea) this week I decided to give it a go on the grill.  You could also broil the exterior for a few minutes as this food blogger recommends.

Below is what they looked like after 5 minutes.  Be sure to give them space so as to cook evenly.  The fairy tale eggplants roasted about 15-18 minutes on the grill.

The little buddy below exploded, I suppose because I didn't poke enough fork holes in him.  Thankfully he was roasted through so it didn't really matter.

Once cooled, the skin peels off easily.  Discard the skin.

Here's the roasted garlic.  I lopped off the top of a garlic bulb, drizzled it with olive oil then squished foil around it and put it on the grill as well.

 Squish.

 Squishy yummy goodness.

 My bowl of roasted eggplants.

 Transformed into baba ghanoush!

Recipe:
It's hard for me to write a recipe for this because I taste and adjust along the way.  Here's a general outline.

1-2 large roasted eggplants or a bunch of little ones
1 bulb roasted garlic or 1 raw clove
1/4-1/3 cup tahini
1/4+ cup full fat plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (found in bulk spice section at Whole Foods and makes a HUGE difference in this recipe.  Go out of your way to procure some.)
1 teaspoon (to taste) salt
drizzle of olive oil - optional

Mash all together with a fork or in a food processor or blender.  Taste and adjust.  Enjoy!
-Julie

Eggplant Ideas

These fairy tale (mini) eggplants were so pretty I couldn't stuff them in a cold, dark refrigerator drawer. They adorn my dining room table and greet guests as they walk in the door.  What a conversation piece!  The plan is to use this recipe but I'd love to know other recipes you've tried.

Last week, I roasted larger eggplants right on my stovetop for baba ghanoush.  Starting with this recipe, I added a bit of yogurt and paprika (like Yaya's does).  Also, Pioneer Woman never disappoints.  (Note to self, roasting eggplant inside in August in Arkansas is not the smartest idea.)

Go to the farmers market this weekend and find some fresh food treasures.
-Julie