Perfect Roast Chicken- It's What's for Lunch

Roast Chicken is one of the easiest things to make and I believe that knowing how to roast a chicken is essential. I'm lucky enough to be involved in my community to access fresh chicken from local family farms, like McDowell Family Farms. I am very particular about the meat I bring into my house, and in my book, McDowell is hitting it out of the park. I hope you'll try this recipe the next time you want to treat the ones you love, I SWEAR IT'S EASY! (that's for my girl Kim) Enjoy!

 Isn't this a pretty little chicken.

 The aroma in our house when this chicken came out of the oven was incredible.

I roasted this chicken to make salads with for our lunches, but we had to make a quick sandwich and enjoy some of this delectable little bird. Volker's Cottage Cheese Dill Bread, mayo and mustard, fresh greens from the market and Perfect Roast Chicken.

-Perfect Roast Chicken-

3 1/2lb fresh organic, locally raised chicken

carrots (I had 3 hanging out in the fridge)

celery (about 8 stalks cut in half)

1/2 onion, cut into 4 pieces

3 garlic cloves

half a lemon, cut in half

salt and pepper

olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. (Make sure that your chicken has had some time outside the fridge and is about room temp before putting in the oven).

2. I rinsed and dried (with paper towel) the chicken. In a roasting pan place the carrots and celery on the bottom of the pan, also 2 pieces of the onion.

3. Place the chicken on the top of the vegetables. Place the other two pieces of the onion, garlic and lemon in the cavity of the bird. Pour about 3/4c. water into the bottom of the pan. (I think this helps the bird stay moist and not dry out)

4. Drizzle the outside of the little chicken with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

5. Place the chicken in the oven and roast for 1 hour 25 minutes. I used a meat thermometer to make sure the meat reached 165 degrees. Let the chicken rest for about 20 minutes before starting to carve.

-This weeks salad for lunch- I made 8 servings

Perfect Roast Chicken

Fresh Salad Greens from the farmers market

Wyomatoes Cucumbers

Avocado

Fresh Asparagus from the farmers market

House Dressing from Tony Caputo's
Volker's Cottage Cheese Dill Bread , cubed for crouton's

Slow Food Potluck

This is actually the first Slow Food potluck that I have been to, it was a beautiful night for a get together. Here's a couple things I love about Slow Food get togethers:
1. There is always wine
2. There are always vegetables (think about how many parties you go to that lack something green)
3. The food is always delicious, seasonal and local

Here's a few photo's, Enjoy!

 Outdoor fun, these little potlucks are a way to meet others members and hear about upcoming events.

 Lots of new faces.

 Chantelle and I (Chantelle is a core member of Slow Food)

 Racheal and Dave from Edible Wasatch

 Gwen and Larry Crist, my neighbors when I was a kid. Gwen is a core member of Slow Food, and Larry and  Billy are happy to have each other to  hang with at these events.

 Me and my sweetie

 You would think I could have got a photo of the food before it was gone!

 The food is always so great, it disappears.

Lucky for all of us there was plenty of dessert.

The food:

Salad w/ fresh greens from the market w/ homemade dressing

2 Asparagus dishes

Wild Rice dish w/ cranberries

Blue Cheese Walnut bread

Chocolate Pecan bread

Nu Nooz pasta w/ cilantro pesto

Creminelli salami

Lentil Salad- It's What's For Lunch

I needed something fast to make for lunches this week. This Lentil Salad fit the bill, it's fresh, fast and taste like summer. Feel free to use any vegetables that you like, you can also swap out the herbs if you prefer to use different ones. Enjoy!

-Lentil Salad-

For the lentils:
2 c. lentils soaked in water overnight

1. Drain and rinse the lentils, place in a large pot and add 3 c. of water for every cup of lentils. (6c. total).
2. Bring to a boil, add a pinch of salt (and a piece of Kombu-optional), skim the foam of the top of the lentils. Place a lid on the pot turn down the heat to medium or medium low and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. After 30 minutes take lid of pot and pull out a few of the lentils and smash between your fingers, if they mash easily they are ready. If not cook a little longer.
4. Drain the lentils into a colander in the sink, and gently rinse the lentils under cold water. Set aside while you chop the rest of the ingredients.

Mix ins-

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced- use raw
1/2 c. - 3/4 c. diced celery
1 large cucumber, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
fresh parsley, as much as you like
fresh basil, same as above
fresh mint
salt and pepper

1. Scoop the lentils from the colander to a big bowl, add all the mix-ins and toss lightly. Mix well. Taste for salt and pepper- add more if needed.
2. Divide into containers for lunches.

Dressing- I put this in it's own container on the side for each serving

2 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. favorite dressing of choice (I used leftover House Dressing from Tony Caputo's)

First Farmers Market of the Summer- Yippie!

It almost felt like Christmas this morning! Even though Billy and I hate getting up so early on a Saturday morning by the time we get downtown it's totally worth it, so nice to see all our familiar faces and buddies at the market. Let me give a shout out to a few that I forgot to take a picture of, Kyle Lore of Nu Nooz Pasta (I'm actually going to another pasta making class with him on Monday, so I'll get pics then), I also forgot to get an updated photo of our buddy from Wyomatoes but if you scroll down to the bottom of my blog page you'll find a photo of him. Also our good friends Gwen and Larry Crist (Gwen is one of the core members of Slow Food Utah and manages our book club), were my neighbors when I lived at home and are still my mom's neighbors. Great to see everyone, enjoy the photo's.

 It's a beautiful day for the market! Last year it was raining on opening day.

 Just about to enter the park.

 Billy can not resist the samples at the Beehive Cheese Co. booth. Every week whether or not we need cheese we have to stop and chat.

 This is Tamera (her husband was not there today) and I love her booth for fresh parsley and they have the best cherry tomatoes at the market. Today I got lemon balm from her, I can't wait to use it in my tea next week.

 Kathy and Val- The Soap Lady. They are so near and dear to our hearts, like family to us. I have known Kathy for almost 15 years and Val couldn't have been more excited to see Billy and I this morning. There is an amazing photo at the bottom of my blog page of Kathy's booth. If you hit the market this summer you have to check out her creations, truly one of a kind.

 This is Dave of Crumb Brothers, a new friend and fellow pasta class buddy. We are not new to Crumb Brothers creations- delish. There is a photo at the bottom of my page with a close up of their pastries that Billy just can't resist.

 This guy (I think his name is Kyle, we haven't seen him in a while and I couldn't bring myself to ask him his name... next week) is the reason I can make Nori Wraps (recipe not on the blog, this summer I promise). He has great fish and is a true fisherman, he also has a fish market up in Jackson Hole.

 This is Enrico from Creminelli Meats and Christiane a Slow Food Utah buddy. Creminelli will be doing a spot on X96 (a local radio station) August 18, they will be talking about the art of Sausage making. I'll keep you posted on that.

If I don't look happy in this photo it's because I was sad to leave the market so soon this morning, but we had to get to a wedding. Can you believe the size of this kale I'm holding? Beautiful- I can't wait to eat it.

A list of the goodies I picked up:

Kale

Micro greens

Basil

Fresh Garlic

Tomatoes

Lemon Balm

Parsley

Onions

Asparagus

White Bean and Sage Pita Burgers- Cooking Light, June 2011

Sometimes I'm at a loss for ideas on what to make for meals, so occasionally I have to pick up one of my favorite magazines like Cooking Light for divine intervention. I saw these veggies sandwiches and thought they would be right up mine and Billy's alley, let me just say they were a hit. Enjoy!

 I used my biscuit cutter to help me mold the patties, this mixture is very sticky and soft.

 I had to also enlist my 1/4 c. measure and spatula to get the job done. A little harder than I was anticipating, but the final product was worth the work.

 MMM... the yummy yogurt sauce, local goat yogurt and local goat feta.

 Fresh herbs from my garden that I used in the sauce, mint, green and purple basil and a little rosemary.

 No caption needed for these last two photos, my hope is that they speak for themselves.

- White Bean and Sage Pita Burgers-

Olive Oil

1/2 c. chopped onion

2 garlic cloves

1/3 c. raw rolled oats

1/3 c. sliced almonds, toasted

2 T. cornstarch

1 1/2 t. fresh chopped sage (I used more)

2 t. Dijon mustard

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. freshly ground pepper

2 (15oz) cans cannelini beans, drained and rinsed

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 c. reduced-fat sour cream (I used Drake Family Goat yogurt)

2 T. grated fresh onion (I also used some scallions I had hanging around)

2 T. crumbled feta (I use local feta, crumbled it myself)

Pita

Mixed Greens

Tomato (I also sliced more onion, and cucumber and olives would be great on this-next time!)

1. Heat oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat, when ready add onion and garlic to the pan. Cook for just a few minutes until the onion begins to soften. Place mixture in the food processor. Add oats and next 8 ingredients (through egg) process until smooth.

2. Wipe pan with a paper towel. Return pan to medium heat, add oil to pan and swirl to coat. Working with one portion at a time, spoon bean mixture into 1/2 c. dry measuring cup and carefully remove bean mixture with a rubber spatula onto pan. Bean mixture is very soft and sticky, use the spatula to shape mixture into 3/4 inch thick round patty. (As you can see from my photo's I formed all the patties out before hand and I put them in the fridge to set up for a few hours. I just happened to make mine early in the day so they would be ready when I got home late last night.) Cook 8 minutes or until golden turning after 4 minutes. Repeat until all the patties are cooked. (My mix made 8 patties)

3. Combine sour cream (or yogurt), grated onion, and feta in a bowl, (fresh herbs if you have them). Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Using the sauce, pita, greens, tomatoes, (cucumber and olives if you have them) build your sandwiches.

Smoothie in a Bowl- Thanks Kath!

I wish I could take credit for this recipe but it actually came from a blog that I like to follow, 'Kath Eats Real Food'. She calls this recipe her Dough Boy Smoothie, the name almost threw me off because I was worried about the texture. I made a little modification with mine so it's a little less thick, VOILA! This is what has been for breakfast this week, probably next week too! Shh... don't tell Master William, he is missing the Quinoa Breakfast. Enjoy!

-Smoothie in a Bowl- Makes 2 adult servings or 1 adult and 2 kids

In a blender goes:

1 c. raw oats
1 c. milk (I used coconut milk)
2 T. chia seeds
1 banana (I also added about 1/2 c. strawberries)
cinnamon (maybe 1t.)
vanilla (maybe 1t.)
pinch of salt

1. Mix together with a spoon and place blender in the fridge until morning. In the morning pull the blender out and mix slowly and tell increase power, at this point I add 1 more cup of milk (I used Goat Milk Kiefer). Mix until smooth, pour into bowls and top w/ your favorite toppings.

My toppings:

Chopped walnuts
Fresh Strawberries
Coconut Granola (recipe is on the blog)
Coconut Butter

You could use:

Any other nuts you like, pumpkin, sunflower, almonds
Any other fruit, raspberries, blueberries
Your favorite granola
Almond butter

Herbel Iced Tea

This recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks 'Clean Food' by Terri Walters. She says it helps replenish her adrenals, but is refreshing and satisfying too. I agree! I love this tea in the summer, it's easy to make, taste great and is good for you.

Ingredients: (I double the recipe)

10 c. water
1/4 c. dried nettles (I found this at Dave's Nutrition)
1 T. dried red clover flowers (I found this at Whole Foods in their bulk spice section)
2 T. dried rosemary
3 T. chamomile
2 T. dried peppermint leaves
1 T agave nectar

1. In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Remove from heat, stir in herbs and agave, and set aside to brew and cool for at least 1 hour. Pour tea through a fine mesh strainer into a pitcher (I pour mine into and ice tea decanter). Discard herbs, chill tea and enjoy!

*Nettles: Have been studied extensively and has been shown promise in treating Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, asthma, bladder infections, kidney stress, prostate enlargement and tendinitis to just mention a few. Its also has been shown to calm the nervous system and balance hormones.

*Red Clover: Has a good amount of vitamins, proteins and minerals. Contains minerals that assist in bringing about hormonal function. It is also an effective liver and blood purifier.

*Chamomile: Great for asthma, colic, fevers, inflammation, nausea, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-allergenic and has sedative properties.


*Peppermint: Contains a compound known as perillyl alcohol that has been shown to inhibit the growth or formation of cancer. It has a another compound rosmarinic acid, a powerful antioxidant that blocks the allergy-producing leukorienes, the high content of this substance has been shown to help relieve that nasal symptoms of allergic rhinitis, (hay fever).


*Rosemary: Is very useful for people with inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, as well as bronchial asthma ans atherosclerosis. Rosemary also contains substances such as flavoniods and volatile oil that are useful for stimulating the immune system, increasing circulation, and improving digestion. Rosemary has also been shown to increase the blood flow to the head and brain, thus improving concentration.