Cycling Foodie

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Had a long day and need a quick, healthy dinner?  Try this.

Wild cod cooked in citrus juice

Fish Tacos

2 nice-sized cod filets
1 each: lemon, lime, small orange
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1/2 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
1/2 to one small red onion, cut into a small dice
Fresh flour (or corn) tortillas
Your favorite salsa and guacamole
Optional: your favorite hot sauce or “crema caliente” (recipe follows)

Quickly rinse and pat dry two nice sized cod filets, then place in a glass baking dish. Zest and then squeeze the lemon, lime, and orange. Sprinkle the zest over the fish, then pour the juice over. Allow to sit for up to 30 minutes, turning once or twice. Add the avocado oil to a thick-bottomed non-stick saute pan and heat on high until the pan is hot. Sprinkle the fish with a little lemon pepper, then add to the hot pan. Quickly sear on one side, then turn and quickly sear on the other side. Pour the juice in the pan, cover, and turn the heat down to low. Allow to cook slowly until the fish is tender and flaky. Turn the heat off and allow the fish to sit in the hot juices.

Preparing the filling

Heat the tortillas and wrap in a towel until you’re ready to assemble the tacos.

We mixed together the fish, salsa, and red onion, along with some of the cooking juices from the fish. This worked out great. Simply spoon some of the fish mixture onto a tortilla, top with a little guacamole, and enjoy!

Fish Tacos

If you like it spicy, top with a splash (or two) of your favorite hot sauce or a little dollop of crema caliente.

Enjoy in good health! These are perfect post-ride … good lean protein (cod), good fat (avocado), great flavor.

Crema Caliente

1 tablespoon chipotle in adobo sauce
1 cup sour cream (natural, no fat, of course!)

Dice the chiles, add with their sauce to the sour cream. Stir.

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Mini Fritattas ... first attempt

Tonight I made a few items for a work party tomorrow:

• Roasted Golden Potatoes with fresh Rosemary & Thyme
• Roasted Curried Sweet Potatoes
• Mini Fritattas – with potato, mushroom, sun dried tomatoes, fresh herbs, and just a hint of cheddar cheese

The fritattas look and smell promising, but I have not tried one yet. Here’s hoping they’re as good as they smell.

I’ve never made these before, but they were pretty easy. I diced a couple of gold potatoes into about 1/4-inch cubes and sauteed in a bit of olive oil to brown and soften them a bit. Then, I diced about 6 ounces of crimini mushrooms into about a 1/4-inch dice and sauteed these in a bit of olive oil to cook out some of the moisture. I chopped a few sun dried tomatoes. It’s important to note that they were just dried, not packed in oil. I like the Trader Joe’s ones that come in a bag. They’re soft, and have great color and flavor. Some dried tomatoes are dark and taste old, for lack of better word at the moment. Whisk eggs with a dash of salt and pepper. Plan on one egg per muffin cup. Generously spray the muffin cups with a non-stick spray.

Assembling the Fritattas

Begin layering the ingredients in the cup: potatoes, mushrooms, dried tomatoes, fresh chopped herbs of your choice, then pour the egg mixture over to cover. Top with a little shredded cheese. Be sure to not overfill the pans. They’ll puff up a bit, but not too much.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. They should be fairly set, but be careful to not overcook.

Let them cool for 5-10 minutes and then gently loosen them from the pan. Serve hot or chilled. I’m thinking a little dash of hot sauce will be really good on these!

Enjoy!

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The Napa Valley Tour de Cure is just 3 weeks from today!

I’ve got brand new Continental Grand Prix Four Season tires and a nice tune-up on my Colnago, so my bike is all set to go. I got a good training ride in yesterday with 85 miles from Davis, Winters, Vacaville, Dixon, and back to Davis. Just a couple of rolling hills in there, so I’ve still got some hill work to feel ready. Next weekend! Today’s ride will be a nice couple of hours spinning recovery ride.

After the ride I made a big batch of brown rice penne pasta with marinara, ground turkey breast, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, spinach, argula, toasted fennel seeds, and herbs. It tasted good, but it was not a very pretty sauce, so no photos. It was just about the perfect post-ride dinner, though.

It’s a bit breezy here this weekend, so that will add to the training benefit, right?!

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True Food Kitchen, Fashion Valley Mall in San Diego

The culinary highlight of my recent trip to San Diego was an exciting restaurant discovery: True Food Kitchen. It was without a doubt the best lunch out I have had in a very, very long time.

I was feeling a little disappointed because some plans had fallen through, so I needed a little retail and culinary therapy. My retail therapy resulted in a very cool pair of shiny black skinny jeans (found on clearance at Macy’s!), so I needed to keep these in mind when choosing my culinary therapy. I wanted a treat, but a reasonably light and healthy one.

Beverages

Cool and refreshing Green Arnie

As I enjoyed my Green Arnie, I relaxed and enjoyed a nice cool breeze on the patio. The setting was lovely and I was quite pleased with the cleanliness and overall atmosphere.

Table centerpiece

Patio seating

Cozy fire pit seating

Fresh herb gardens

There were so many choices on the menu that sounded like exactly what I wanted, but since it was cool outside, a little soup sounded perfect.

Starters ...

Miso Soup

The soup was rich with flavor, but also seemed fairly light. It was so good that I am right now trying to duplicate it at home. Close, but not quite. This will require further experimentation!

When I’m in a new restaurant that serves pizza, one of my tests is to try the most basic pie on the menu. This is the foundation of pizza – if their plain cheese or Pizza Margherita is not good, then it doesn’t matter what toppings you try. Their pizza will not be good. You absolutely have to have the right foundation – the basics: crust, sauce, cheese, fresh herbs.

I am a self-proclaimed pizza snob, but I think for good reason. I started working in pizza restaurants when I was just out of high school. My first was a family-owned restaurant and it was rare for a girl to be allowed to “man” the pizza oven. We girls could do all the prep work, make the subs, and for those of us who so aspired, one day we could run the grill and make the cheese steaks. The pizza men might even let us make the dough. I had mastered the subs. Mastered the grill. I had even mastered the dough. Come on! Let me spin the pies!

One day the “pizza man” called in sick and it was an all-girl crew. I enthusiastically jumped in to take over the oven and proved that a girl can make pizza. The “pizza man” took me under his wing and on occasion invited me to work side-by-side with him so he could teach me his tips and tricks. That’s when my love affair with making pizza really started.

Pizza ...

Pizza Margherita

My Pizza Margherita arrived. The crust was crisp and light. The sauce was rich with fresh tomato flavor. There was just enough cheese and the fresh basil was divine. I had about half of the pizza and saved the rest for later.

My server inquired about dessert. I was not going to have anything, but I love to look at dessert menus. I perused the menu, and politely declined, telling her about my new jeans and how I really should be good. She suggested the Chia Seed Pudding, saying it really wasn’t that bad. Hmm … chia seeds are loaded with all kinds of healthy things like fiber, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants. Hmm … this is a foodie adventure, so I suppose in the spirit of adventure I really should try it.

Chia Seed Pudding with Banana & Coconut

Oh. My. Goodness!

The Chia Seed Pudding was rich and creamy, not too sweet, and the toasted coconut gave it a nice crunch. The creaminess came from coconut milk, so I’m pretty sure it wasn’t as “light” fat and calorie-wise as I wanted to believe, but it was worth it.

I looked up a few chia seed pudding recipes today and have an experimental batch in my refrigerator right now. It will be ready tomorrow. I made it with unsweetened almond milk, low fat lemon yogurt, maple syrup, vanilla, and chia seeds. It thickens overnight in the refrigerator, so we’ll see tomorrow how well it sets up, but an initial taste was quite good!

My server told me that True Food Kitchen will be opening a restaurant in Walnut Creek, California later this year. It will be worth the hour-plus drive to dine there. I am looking forward to dining here again!

The service was awesome – friendly and attentive. The food was fantastic. I look forward to returning.

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

We had a terrific weekend for cycling in Davis – loads of sunshine and warm temperatures, and just a bit o’breeze. The 2014 Napa Valley Tour de Cure is just 7 weeks away, so it’s time to start getting some longer rides in. March Madness is in full swing and I’m now about 2/3 of the way to my goal.

Saturday 80 miles, Davis, Winters, Vacaville, Winters, Davis. We rolled out to Winters on Road 29, out to Vacaville through English Hills and Gibson Canyon, then back to Winters via Pleasants Valley Road, and to Davis by way of Putah Creek Road and the Russell Bike Trail. That was about 68 miles, but I also did about a 12 mile warm up loop.

It was absolutely gorgeous out there, but I did not take a single picture. We got a little bit of a late start and I didn’t want to risk not getting back before dark.

We had a nice rest stop at Steady Eddy’s on our homestretch.

By the time we got home, we were pretty hungry. We had started talking dinner while we were still on the road. Salmon. Asparagus. Salad. That sounded like an awesome plan.

Wild King Salmon.

Roasted Asparagus.

Salad.

Never send me to the store to buy salmon when I am this hungry. I came back with enough salmon to feed an army. Though I bought only two filets, they were huge. As hungry as we were, we could eat only one! We nibbled on the leftovers throughout the day yesterday. For dinner last night, I simply crumbled the last bit on top of a light green salad. It was amazing.

Roasted Avocado

I was craving avocado, but none of my avocados were ripe. At $2.49 each at my local market, there was no way I was going to buy one. I have grilled avocados before, so I wondered about roasting one. It was interesting. Simply cut it in half, remove the pit, drizzle with a little avocado (or olive) oil, season with a little salt, and roast until softened.

This avocado was a little dark on the inside to begin with, so this is not the best photo, but it was very interesting and an idea I’ll try again.

Sunday 44.1 miles, Davis, Winters, Davis … easy spin, recovery ride. It’s a really good thing I didn’t venture further than that …

I stopped at Steady Eddy’s for water and a quick stretch and rest. As I was doing my usual Facebook check in there was a loud BANG! That all too familiar sound of a bike tire exploding just as a large group of cyclists was leaving. They checked their bikes, no flats. Then they started looking at everyone else’s bike to see who the lucky one was. They kept looking at my bike and futzing with it. I walked over to see what was going on and asked why they were looking at my bike, but then they found the exploded tire. Mystery solved. They left happy quite it wasn’t one of theirs.

Oh, dear ... not good.

I stayed a few more minutes, then saw the “lucky” cyclist. I was heading out, but wanted to let him know there’s a bike shop just down the block who could fix him up if he needed it. He wasn’t feeling so lucky.

Well, the luck of the Irish was with me because another cyclist happened to be there when all of the commotion happened and he stopped to tell me that on his way in he noticed this …

I am profoundly grateful that he pointed this out to me. I don’t think this tire would have made it home.

Funny. As I was leaving for my ride, I realized that I did not have my debit card with me, but I didn’t want to turn around and get it. “I’ll be fine! It’s just a quick ride.” I thought. So off I rode with just $39 in my pocket.

The Best Bike Shop in Winters!

So I walked my bike down to Mike’s Velo City Bike Shop in Winters. A while back I had to replace a tire mid-ride and it cost me more than $100. Now wishing I had turned around to get my debit card, I thought I might have to walk my bike home 20+ miles to Davis.

The luck of the Irish was with me. Mike’s Velo City Bike Shop fixed me up with a used tire and got me back on the road for $15.75. I was so, so thankful! I love this bike shop. They’ve helped me out before with minor mid-ride adjustments, flat tires, and other basics like this. I took my Trek in there for a full tune-up a while back and they did an awesome job.

So, a HUGE shout out to Mike’s Velo City Bike Shop in Winters!

Here’s wishing you and yours a very Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! May the luck of the Irish be with you!

Wishing you a rainbow
For sunlight after showers—
Miles and miles of Irish smiles
For golden happy hours—
Shamrocks at your doorway
For luck and laughter too,
And a host of friends that never ends
Each day your whole life through!

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One of my favorite rainy weather recipes is a Pork and Tomatillo Stew. Similar to a Chili Verde, it is rich and satisfying, but with the pork shoulder (or butt) it’s pretty high in fat. I am craving this flavor, but I want to try to lighten it up a bit.

I contemplated using a different, more lean cut of pork, but I think the only one that would produce a decently tender result would be pork tenderloin. I’m sure it would be wonderful, and someday I will try it when I find it on a super sale, but it felt a little pricey for tonight.

My favorite local market in Davis, Nugget Market, had their free range whole fryer chicken on sale, so I was inspired to try this. One of the guys in the meat department (I am kicking myself for not asking his name because his service was so amazing that I would love to call the store management to tell them this) not only did he take the time to chat with me about what meats might make a reasonable substitute to lighten up my recipe, when I settled on a whole chicken he offered to cut it up for me. Really? I love this store. I am perfectly capable of cutting up a chicken on my own, but it was really nice have it done for me. That gave me a few extra minutes to do other stuff this evening. So, thank you!

Chicken and Tomatillo Stew

One whole chicken, about 4 to 5 pounds
2 tablespoons oil
1 to 1/2 pounds fresh tomatillos
1 bunch green onions
2 cloves fresh garlic
3 or more serrano chiles (how hot do you want it?)
1 red onion, diced
1 7-ounce can green chiles
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bunch fresh cilantro, cleaned and trimmed
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cut the chicken into pieces – you will use the drumsticks, thighs, and breasts for this recipe. Reserve the wings, back, and rib bones for stock. Alternatively, you can just use about 4 pounds of bone-in chicken thighs and/or drumsticks, or about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds of boneless chicken breast, or a combination of both. Remove the skin and discard. Cut the breast meat into about 3/4-inch cubes and set aside.

Prepare the tomatillos: remove the husks and discard; rinse and drain the tomatillos. Place in a roasting pan.

Prepare the serranos*: trim the stems and place in the roasting pan with the tomatillos.

Tomatillos, serranos, green onions, & garlic

*How hot do you want this dish? I like it pretty hot, so I use lots of serranos, but I seed all of them. I like the flavor of this pepper, but not the seed.  I always wear gloves whenever handling hot peppers. To seed serranos, you’ll want to remove the stem, then cut them lengthwise in half. Using your finger, remove the seeds and discard.

Prepare the green onions: trim the ends and peel the outer layer. Trim off any of the dark green end that doesn’t look good. This is very subjective, but you will know when you look at the green onions you have. Add to the roasting pan with the tomatillos.

Peel the garlic and add to the roasting pan with the tomatillos.

Place the tomatillos, serranos, green onions, and garlic in the preheated oven and roast until lightly charred. Depending on your oven, you may want to broil these, or even better use your grill to roast them. If you use your grill, you’ll probably want to use a disposable pan.

Brown the drumsticks and thighs

While the tomatillos are roasting:

Rinse the cilantro and set aside to drain.

Heat about 1 tablespoon of the oil in a heavy stock pot. Brown the chicken legs on each side, then remove from the pan. Add the breast meat – depending on the size of your stock pot, you’ll probably want to do this in two additions, adding a little oil (if necessary) between additions. Brown lightly and remove from the pan.

Check on the tomatillos – if they’re ready, remove them from the oven. You’ll want them to cool a bit before putting them in your blender to process.

Foodie confession … I once melted a KitchenAid blender because I did not allow the tomatillos to cool before processing. Please don’t do this – learn from my (expensive) mistake.

If necessary, add a little more oil to the pan, then add the onions and saute until softened.

Cube the chicken breast

Chop the red onion

Briefly saute the chicken

While the onions are cooking, blend the tomatillos, green onion, serranos, and cilantro until smooth.

Return chicken to the pot, then add the blended tomatillo mixture. Give a good stir, but remember that you’ll want the bone-in pieces of chicken (legs & things) to be completely submerged so that they cook fully. Add the dried thyme. Allow to gently simmer for about an hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add the tomatillo mixture

Give a good stir

I like to serve this over brown rice with warm, fresh tortillas.

This also makes a fantastic topping for a quesadilla or burrito filling.

A dollop of plain fat free Greek yogurt will help to cool the heat if you accidentally make it too spicy for you. It may take a few tries to get just the right heat level for you.

Enjoy!

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Dinner ... what's on your plate?

We had another gorgeous morning in Davis for a pre-work ride. Tomorrow and Sunday both look promising for some great cycling weather, too!

I’ve been super hungry all day after my morning ride, but I want to eat a little lighter right now because I feel like there has been too much foodie and not enough cycling lately. It’s time to reverse that trend and get back on track training for my 2014 Napa Valley Tour de Cure.

Are you hungry, but want a low-calorie and healthy dinner entree? Try this – it’s a generous portion, about 20 grams of protein, and only about 260 calories.

Sautéed Greens, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Chicken Apple Sausage
~ One serving ~

1 teaspoon avocado oil
3.5 ounces shiitake mushrooms, rinsed and sliced
1 3-ounce smoked chicken apple sausage, sliced into about 1/8-inch thick slices
5 ounces cooking greens (spinach, kale, chard), cleaned and spun dry

1. Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
2. Add sliced mushrooms and saute, browning slightly.
3. Add sausage and cook to heat through.
4. Add greens, cover, reduce heat to medium-low and allow to steam until the greens are wilted and tender.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

This has about 260 calories:
Oil = 40
Mushrooms = 35
Sausage = 140
Greens = 45

Enjoy! Here’s hoping you get some great cycling in this weekend!

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Perfect after a long, cold, wet day!

We’re finally getting some rain and a nice little storm has settled in. It’s windy, wet, and chilly out there this morning – perfect weather for a hearty, healthy, fragrant, spicy curry dish. Curry powder is a blend of spices widely used in Indian cuisine. Commonly used spices include turmeric, fenugreek, coriander, cinnamon, and ginger. Some blends may also include mustard seed, cayenne pepper, or cardamom. This recipe, by Alton Brown, sounds really good and I’m bookmarking it for future, but tonight I used a prepared curry powder because that is what I had.

Some of the health benefits associated with consuming curry powder include cancer-preventative benefits, cholesterol management, blood sugar control,  and detoxification.

You can easily make this vegetarian or vegan. I’m sure there’s a way to make it gluten free, also, but I like to thicken the sauce with a little flour.

I used lamb because I love it with curry, and because I had some leftover. You can use any meat or fish you like, or none at all. This is a great way to use up leftovers, just be sure to add lots of fresh vegetables to give it good crunch and brightness of flavor.

Be sure you have some freshly cooked brown rice to serve with this.

Lamb Curry

Saute just enough to warm through.

6-8 ounces leftover lamb
8 cups of assorted fresh vegetables*
A few tablespoons of olive or avocado oil
2-3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1-2 teaspoons good quality curry powder
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder (optional)
2-3 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Assemble all of your ingredients.

Cut the lamb and vegetables into bite-sized pieces.

Over a medium flame, heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucier pan.

Add the lamb and saute briefly to warm through. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Set the lightly sauteed vegetables aside and sprinkle with a little curry powder.

If necessary, add a little more oil to the pan. Saute the vegetables briefly in batches – they will cook more later and you will want them crisp-tender to serve. Set them aside for now and sprinkle with about 1/2 teaspoon curry powder.

If necessary, add a little more oil to the pan. Make a roux: sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of flour and about 1/2 teaspoon curry powder over the hot oil. Allow to cook and bubble a little, being careful not to scorch the roux. Whisk together until a smooth paste forms, then slowly whisk in the chicken stock.

Making the roux

Whisking to a smooth paste.

Whisking in the stock.

Bring to a gentle rolling boil and allow the sauce to thicken.

Thickening the sauce. 

Whisk occasionally.

Check the seasoning and spice – remember you’ll be adding a little more curry flavor when you add the vegetables. Check for salt – I did not add any salt to this dish. I found it to be quite flavorful with just the curry and cayenne.

Be careful not to splash - the sauce will be hot.

When the sauce has thickened, add the vegetables and meat and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low and cook gently until the vegetables are crisp-tender and heated through.

Serve in bowls over brown rice

* Use any vegetables you have on hand – I had cauliflower, asparagus, snap peas, and carrots. I also had a few roasted potatoes leftover, so I added them. You could also use frozen vegetables if that’s all you have – just remember to adjust your cooking time.

Enjoy in good health!

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Dressed Up Sauce

So, so glad to have the chance to ride yesterday! I logged only 56.6 miles, but it felt like a little more. More than anything else, I am sure this has to do with my not riding much recently, but we also encountered some of those “Davis Hills” again. The breeze picked up, but then calmed down a bit by the time we were headed back. The ride was nothing too exciting, just my normal warm up loop and then a jaunt out to Winters and back.

I did work up quite an appetite, though. On my warm-up loop I was already thinking about dinner. What to cook? I really did not want to run to the store yesterday – pre-SuperBowl crowds, you know? Hmm … what’s on hand? Greens, of course. Baby spinach and kale. Protein? Some beautiful, light, healthy cod. Shiitake mushrooms. How about a super healthy and light dinner of sauteed shiitakes with spinach, then some pan roasted cod? I picked up a jar of apricot-chile jam the other day and that sounded like it would make a lovely glaze for the fish. That sounded like a great plan!

After my warm-up loop, I grabbed the cod from the freezer and put it in the refrigerator to thaw.

Then we headed out towards Winters. It was a bit slow-going, but at least we were out in the abundant sunshine. There were only a few other cyclists out, so I was especially glad to have company on my ride.

We stopped for snack at Steady Eddy’s for a water refill and snack. It’s under new ownership and they’ve made just enough changes to make it feel different. They moved a few things around. Not to be so picky, but … there is  no more Coca Cola in bottles. Cans, yes, but it’s just not the same. I don’t know why, but it just isn’t. And … no oat cakes?! Hopefully they were just sold out. Oh, well … I guess I just need to come up with my own oat cake recipe. The good news is that there were still lots of familiar, friendly staff faces there.

Oh, yes … the sauce … you’re wondering when I am going to talk about pasta sauce. I got sidetracked.

When we got home from our ride, I made a few snacks. A handful of mixed nuts. A half cup of low fat Greek yogurt. A big bowl of heirloom cherry tomato, cucumber, and avocado salad loaded with fresh thyme and parsley, lightly dressed with a touch of olive oil and balsamic glaze and a sprinkle of pink sea salt. A bite (okay, two) of dark chocolate. Lots of water and a Zevia ginger root beer. I am not much for diet soda, but this one is sweetened with stevia, an all natural and zero calorie sugar substitute. It’s pretty good – light and refreshing. I’m not entirely used to the flavor of stevia, but it’s better than those nasty artificial sweeteners.

By the time it got to be dinner time, the cod was still frozen. Hmm … now I really did not want to go to the store and I was hungrier than I expected to be, so what else could I make?

There is always pasta in this house and a box of whole grain thin spaghetti practically jumped out of the cabinet into my arms. I haven’t made spaghetti in ages! There was also a jar of prepared sauce. Jarred sauce, even really good jarred sauce, just won’t do. I have to dress it up.

Dressed Up Sauce

1 jar of your favorite prepared tomato-based pasta sauce
1 splash of olive oil
4-6 ounces fresh mushrooms
1 large carrot, grated
6-8 small fresh tomatoes
3-4 handfuls of baby spinach
fresh herbs
freshly grated good quality Parmesan cheese
1 box of your favorite pasta

Prepare all of your ingredients – clean the vegetables and herbs. Chop the herbs and set aside. Set a large pot of salted water on the stove to boil for the pasta.

In a large, non-reactive skillet or saucier, heat the olive oil until it starts to shimmer. Add the mushrooms and saute over medium-high heat. I like to brown them just a bit. Add the shredded carrot and saute a few minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook down just a bit. Add the spinach, cover with a lid, and let it steam a few moments to wilt, then add the sauce. Give it a little stir, then cover and cook gently. You don’t want this sauce to boil – that will destroy the texture of the vegetables and make it acidic. You just want it to bubble gently. I like to add about half of the herbs to the sauce when it is cooking, and use the other have for garnish. I used fresh thyme and Italian parsley for this dish. I love fresh thyme with mushrooms.

Grate the cheese and set aside.

Cook the pasta. Drain. If you want, drizzle a little olive oil on the pasta.

Assemble your dinner. This is best served in a large, flat bowl.

Building the Plate

Dinner is Served!

Portion the pasta into warmed bowls. Sprinkle with a bit of cheese and fresh herbs. Top with sauce and a little more cheese and a generous sprinkling of fresh herbs.

Whenever possible, I use whole grain pasta. Spinach pasta would be fantastic with this sauced. If you’re gluten-intolerant, try this with a gluten-free brown rice pasta.

You can make this vegetarian, or it is also great with sausage. To keep it healthy – choose a low fat chicken or turkey sausage loaded with herbs. I had about 1 tablespoon of leftover chopped bacon that I added to the sauce and that added just a nice hint of flavor.

Like Pasta Primavera? Simply add more vegetables. This would be wonderful with zucchini, squash, eggplant, onions, whatever vegetables you like.

Want to make this entirely from scratch? Skip the jarred sauce and use homemade tomato sauce. (That will have to be a different post.)

Enjoy!

Now it’s time to get ready to ride today before the rain starts.

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Sunday night I just really needed to make some comfort food. Not having had a “traditional” Christmas turkey this year, I felt myself longing for roasted chicken. I stopped by my neighborhood market and picked up a free range chicken, some fresh lemons, mushrooms, herbs, and salad makings.

Roasting a whole chicken is actually pretty easy. You want to be very organized and tidy when working with any raw meat, especially chicken. It’s important to assemble all of your ingredients and equipment first and to keep your hands and work surfaces clean. You will need:

Ingredients:

Whole chicken
A few sprigs of fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, parsley)
1-2 lemons
2 large carrots
2 large stalks celery
2 large crimini mushrooms
salt, pepper, or your favorite grinder seasoning

Equipment:

A large cutting board
A good knife
Roasting pan

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. There are different schools of thought on this – some like to start roasting chicken in a hotter oven (425), but I usually just stick with the 350 degree oven and have good results with this.

Wash and dry the lemons, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and herbs. You will want to prepare these and set them all aside before you start handling the raw chicken.

1. Slice one lemon into about 1/4-inch thick slices. Depending on the size of your bird, you’ll want 4-6 lemon slices. Cut the second lemon into halves. Remove and discard any seeds from the lemons.
2. Cut one of the carrots and a stalk of celery into 2-4 pieces, again depending on the size of your chicken. You want these pieces to fit inside the bird. Cut the remaining carrot and celery into about 1 or 2-inch chunks and scatter these in the bottom of the roasting pan.
3. Cut the mushrooms into quarters.
4. Leave the herbs whole – you don’t want to chop them for this step.

Ready to roast

To prepare the chicken, the first thing you want to do is to remove the packet of giblets and set these aside for now. Remove any excess fat and rinse the bird inside and out with cold water, then pat dry with paper towels. Season the bird inside and out with salt and pepper, or your favorite grinder seasoning (ex: Trader Joe’s “Everyday Seasoning” is my favorite). With your fingers, carefully loosen the skin on the breast, then work 2-3 slices of lemon on each side, gently working the slices as far down towards the legs as you can. You’ll want to do this gently so you don’t tear the skin. Then, place a sprig of each herb under the skin.

Some recipes call for butter under and/or over the skin, but I did not do this and this chicken came out beautifully moist and delicious. Maybe it wasn’t as shiny and pretty as it would have been with some butter, but I prefer it without the added fat and calories.

The bird is now ready to roast. This was about a 4-pound chicken and it took about an hour and 15 minutes to cook. You’ll want to cook to an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

My mother always made giblet gravy, so of course this was a must to truly satisfy that comfort food craving. Mom would always place the giblets in a little water with some carrot, celery, onion, and herbs, and simmer gently to make a little broth. You don’t want to cook the liver in here or the resulting broth will be bitter. Save the liver for another use, if you like.

While the chicken is roasting, prepare your giblet stock, side dishes, salad, etc.. We had roasted potatoes and a light, refreshing salad of baby spring greens, heirloom tomato, kalamata olives, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze and extra virgin olive oil.

Herbed Roasted Potatoes

Baby Spring Greens Salad

After I put the chicken in the oven, I got things cleaned up and started on the side dishes. I scrubbed, rinsed, and dried the potatoes. Simply drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle on some fresh herbs, a little salt and pepper, and put them in the oven. These were about 1 1/2-inch diameter gold, red, and purple potatoes, and the timing was just right. They took about 1 hour to roast to perfection, so by the time I got them in the oven, they finished about the same time as the chicken.

If you want mushroom gravy, prepare your mushrooms while the chicken is roasting. I used about 5 ounces of crimini mushrooms for my gravy.

Prepare any side dishes while the chicken is cooking. We had a light, refreshing, and simple salad of baby spring greens, heirloom tomato, kalamata olives, with a drizzle of balsamic glaze and extra virgin olive oil.

Roast the chicken to an internal temperature of 165-degrees Fahrenheit. Remove from the oven, place chicken on a large dish, cover with foil, and set aside. Check the juices in the roasting pan. Depending on your chicken, you may want to pour the pan juices into a separator and pour off excess fat. The chicken I roasted had so little fat that I did not have to do this, which made me very happy! You will want to let the roasted chicken rest for 10 minutes before cutting.

This is a good time to strain your giblet stock. Discard the vegetables and herbs, and if you desire, chop the giblets to add to the gravy.

Mushroom Gravy

To make the gravy, set the roasting pan on the stove over medium heat. If you want, you can remove and discard the carrot and celery that was in the roasting pan, but I chose to leave them in this time just to try that. Add the mushrooms and saute a few minutes to cook out some of their moisture. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour in the roasting pan and whisk to eliminate any lumps of flour. Let this cook for a bit, then whisk in your giblet stock. You will probably need to add additional liquid, so be sure to have some prepared stock available, or if you have steamed any vegetables, you can use this liquid, also. Growing up, we always had some sort of steamed (or boiled, ugh!) vegetables with roasted chicken, and my mom always used this liquid in her gravy. Continue whisking and cooking your gravy until you reach the desired consistency. If you like, add the giblet meat. Adjust seasonings with fresh herbs, salt and pepper to taste.  As you can see, my gravy had a lot of texture because I kept the roasted celery and carrot, and it wasn’t necessarily the prettiest gravy I have ever made, but it was loaded with flavor, but also very light for a gravy.

I hope you have a wonderful day! It is now time for me to get off the computer and get outside for a ride! Happy New Year!

Roasted Chicken