Herb Baked Chicken

For many years I didn't eat meat.  My reasons were a combination of several things; farming practices, prices, health reasons, the sound the chicken bones make when they are cracked, the smell of raw meat, and a strong feeling that nothing really needed to die so I could live.  Then I read The Fat Fallacy: The French Diet Secrets to Permanent Weight Loss by Will Clower.  He has a recipe listed in the meal plans and recipes section of his book for a simple baked chicken.

And I began to think chicken might not be so bad because that recipe, in all it's simplicity, looked delicious.  I could imagine exactly how it would taste and I thought about it for days.  I woke up in the middle of the night and thought some more about that chicken recipe.

When I couldn't take it anymore, I justified my "cheating" by explaining to myself that my diet is pretty much the same as many of the Mediterranean diets; lots of fruits and vegetables, good fats, beans and grains.  In fact, my diet nearly reflected the diet Dr. Clower discusses in his book; taking time to enjoy smaller portions of real food and getting some exercise. The only major difference, other than the amount of white sugar, was that they ate some sort of meat or fish at least once a week.  I also decided that if my family was self sustaining in our food practices, we might have chicken once or twice a month.  Right?

So, I drove 20 miles north to a local organic farm and purchased a 5lb cut up chicken.  I drove the 20 miles  back home and recruited my son to clean the bird (I hadn't touched a dead animal in over five years, and I just couldn't bring myself to do it).  He patted it dry and placed it in a 13x9 pan for me.  My son and I followed Dr. Clower's directions exactly, adding the garlic and herbs, salt and pepper.  I reluctantly covered it with foil (it was so colorful and pretty, believe it or not) and put it in the 350F oven.

See?  Isn't that pretty?

An hour and a half later, my whole house smelled so wonderful, so inviting, just like Dr. Clower promised it would.

It looked beautiful and tasted even more amazing than it smelled. It was moist, flavorful, and I couldn't believe how very much I absolutely loved it.  I may have even got a little teary-eyed (but we won't talk about that).

So, thank you, Dr. Clower, for forever corrupting this (now mildly former) vegetarian.  I'd like you to know we eat this chicken at least once a month because it is one of my family's most requested dinners.

Last night we made this chicken with steamed fresh green beans and roasted baby red potatoes (clean the potatoes and poke them with a fork. Place them in a 13x9 pan along with a little olive oil, kosher salt and pepper, and toss them a bit with your hands to coat.  Put the uncovered pan of potatoes in the oven at the same time that the chicken goes in.  They will be ready when the chicken is ready.  Toss some of the roasted garlic from the chicken dish with the potatoes and fork mash them on the plate.)

Herb Baked Chicken

• 1 4-5lb chicken, cut into parts, washed and patted dry
• 1 bulb garlic, cloves separated
• about 1 Tbs kosher salt
• about 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 4-6 sprigs of each: rosemary, sage, bay leaves (I like to add thyme, too)
• 1/2 c. olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Place the chicken in a 13x9 pan.  Toss the garlic into the pan.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Lay  your herbs over the chicken.  Pour oil over all.  Cover with foil and bake for about 1 1/2 hrs.  Remove the foil  and bake another 10-15 minutes.
Be sure to smear those beautiful roasted garlic cloves either on bread, potatoes, or right back on the chicken. Yum.

Vegetarian Lasagna

Lasagna is one of those dishes that doesn't adhere to seasons.  It's also very forgiving when it comes to ingredients as long as the cheeses and the sauce are right.  My absolute favorite lasagna is a mushroom, roasted red pepper and spinach concoction with layers of provolone, mozzarella, cottage and parmesan; it's great in the summer, fabulous in the winter and it rocks the next day.  With this lasagna, fresh, frozen, dried, or jarred works every single time, regardless of what you have on hand.  Except the cheese.  The mozzarella must be fresh.  But doesn't mozzarella always need to be fresh?  If you are still buying the sort-of-soft-but-mostly-hard block of mozzarella, please stop.  If you are still buying it already shredded, you may actually kill me.

Choose a good, hearty, flavorful sauce for this lasagna.  It's the primary source of the herb flavors here, and I have found that when I need to rely on a commercial sauce, the flavors just aren't as bold as I'd like them to be for this dish.  Just to be safe, you might consider jazzing up a jarred marinara with some dried basil or oregano.

Vegetarian Lasagna

• 9 uncooked whole wheat lasagna noodles
• 1 24-28oz meatless marinara (either homemade or a good, organic basil and tomato is great)
• 2 large portobello mushroom caps (about 6-8oz), chopped
• 1 12oz jar roasted red peppers, drained, patted dry, and chopped (or your own roasted, in which case you would use 2 peppers)
• 1 10oz pkg frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 2 cups cottage cheese
• 3/4 c grated parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 tsp Italian Seasoning
• 1/4 tsp salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 c shredded provolone cheese
• 1 c shredded fresh mozzarella
• 1 tsp dried oregano (or 1Tbs freshly chopped)

Preheat oven to 350F.

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• In a bowl, combine mushrooms, roasted red peppers, and spinach. In another bowl, combine cottage cheese, 1/2 c paremesan, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. In another bowl, combine the provolone and mozzarella cheeses.

In a 13x9 pan, spread 1/4 of the marinara sauce. Layer 3 uncooked noodles, 1/3 vegetable mixture, 1/3 cottage cheese mixture, 1/3 provolone/mozzarella mixture, 1/4 marinara. Repeat layers. Top with remaining 1/4 c parmesan and oregano.

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• Cover with foil. Bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 15 minutes before slicing.  
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• Serve with a simple salad, crusty bread smeared with roasted garlic, and a lovely bottle of wine.
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Cucumber Salad with Dilled Yogurt

Cucumbers fresh from the garden are one of life's little pleasures.  The harvesting season is entirely too short, if you ask me; I wish it was all year long.  Of course, there are cucumbers available at the grocery store all year long, but just because they look like cucumbers, doesn't make them cucumbers.  Fresh summer cucumbers not only smell like cucumbers, they taste like them too (which isn't true for the winter cucumbers in the grocery store).

Because it is so crazy hot here right now (90 degrees Fahrenheit and oppressively humid at 10am) , I don't feel like fighting the air conditioning in the kitchen with the heat from my oven.  So, it's going to be a salad sort of day.  I've got some of those luscious cucumbers and some big, beautiful tomatoes resting on my counter, and I can almost hear them calling to me to dress them in yogurt and dill.  They like that.

This version of this salad is simply utilizing what I had on hand.  A squeeze of lemon in the yogurt sauce is nice, too, but I didn't have any.  If you've got a lemon, go ahead and give it a little squeeze.

Cucumber Salad with Dilled Yogurt
(serves about 4)

• 1/2 c plain yogurt (full fat)
• 1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh dill
• 1-2 big tomatoes, sliced about 1/3" thick    
• 1-2 cucumbers, sliced on the diagonal 1/3" thick
• very thinly sliced red onion, (about 1/4 of the onion, maybe less)
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Mix the dill, yogurt, and a little salt together in a small bowl and set aside for at least 15 minutes to give the dill time to flavor the yogurt.*

Layer 2 tomato slices on each plate, topped with 3 cucumbers and a few strands of onion.  Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.  Drizzle yogurt sauce over and top with a little more chopped dill, if desired.

Eat with a fork and knife.

* Note - the longer you allow the dill and yogurt to do its thing, the stronger the dill flavor will be.

Banana Walnut Muffins

Quick breads and muffins aren't really that difficult to build.  We need some heft (flour), some flavor (fruit/vegetable/spices), a riser (usually baking powder) and some glue (an egg).  Easy, right?  Well, a lot of muffin recipes call for sugar.  White sugar.  Processed sugar.  And I don't understand.

It's been a long time since I've used white sugar as anything other than a decoration, if I even care to use it for that much.  As far as sweeteners go, if the fruit itself isn't enough to spread around, I tend to rely on the most natural of all sweeteners; honey.

For as much as I love and use honey, I have to say I have a soft spot for maple syrup.

My grandfather tapped the trees on his land, harvested the sap, and cooked it down to that sweet, delicate, thin liquid we poured on our pancakes and waffles.  I even dipped my bacon or sausage it, and it was good.  Darn good.

But guess what.  Maple syrup isn't just for breakfast anymore.

When my children were born, I started playing around with different natural sweeteners so I could avoid giving those new and perfect little bodies straight up processed white sugar.  Local raw honey and local maple syrup worked as a great substitute in nearly every recipe I tried them.

In your search for real maple syrup (please don't waste your money on "pancake syrup" or amost-but-not-quite maple syrup - read your labels!), look locally.  If you absolutely can't find any within a decent drive-able radius, get online and buy from as close to home as possible.  If you do have to drive far, it's a good idea to stock up.

Here is a favorite muffin recipe using maple syrup from a local source.  They are super moist and just sweet enough to let the flavor of the banana be the star. I hope you like them.

Banana Walnut Muffins

• 1 c whole wheat flour
• 3/4 c rolled oats (not quick cooking)   
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 c chopped walnuts
• 1/4 c canola, olive, or coconut oil
• 1/2 c pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 3 large, ripe bananas
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• Preheat oven to 375F. Grease or line 12 muffin tins.
• In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and nuts. Make a well in the middle.
• In another bowl, combine oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and egg. Using your hands or the back of a fork, gently squash the bananas (don't "mash" them, keep some chunks), and add to the wet ingredients. Stir well.
• Pour the banana mixture into the flour and oat mixture. Stir until just combined.
• Divide batter evenly among the 12 prepared muffin tins. Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Condensed Cream Soups

Ah, cream of mushroom soup.  That tasty little can of magic that can instantly transform everything from turkey noodle casserole and chicken ala king to scalloped potatoes to skillet chicken and rice to gravy into a masterpiece of deliciousness (and bring smiles to your family as they ooh and aah over your gourmet cooking abilities).  And the holidays just wouldn't be the same without all those lovely vegetable casseroles that sometimes call for not just one, but two cans (cream of celery, cream of chicken, cream of insert-anything-you-want) to make it extra creamy, rich, and delectable.

Gag.

I grew up on processed food.  Squishy white bread, boxed macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, frozen pizzas, and the ever-present casseroles made with cream of something soup and an envelope of some sort of instant seasoning.  As I grew older, I was able to skip a lot of those processed food, but the canned cream soups remained a staple.  I had just really never given it much thought - it was always in my pantry with all the rest of my staples of canned tomatoes, canned beans, and jarred spaghetti sauces.  After all, how in the world could I possibly make my favorite scalloped potatoes (my ideal comfort food) without it?

I bought a can for the first time in over a decade last week just for this entry.  In the aisle, I studied the ingredient labels of two brands, a leading brand and the store brand.  The leading brand sported an ingredient list of 13 things, seven of which I could easily identify.  The store brand's ingredient list was much more impressive; it had 16 ingredients, and I could identify the same 7 ingredients.  I chose the leading brand, even though it was 15 cents more expensive, because there were fewer things in the can.  It was almost painful for me to part with my $1.57 as I paid for it.  Oh, and I didn't even have to go to the grocery store to get it.  I bought it at a department store.  Yes, I did.  I also bought a great summer dress on clearance and some socks for my daughter in the same order.

Here are the ingredients in my tab-top, easy open can of cream of mushroom soup:

Water, Mushrooms, Vegetable Oil (Corn, Cottonseed, Canola and/or Soybean), Modified Food Starch, Wheat Flour, contains Less than 2% of: Cream (Milk), Salt, Dried Whey (Milk), Monosodium Glutamate, Soy Protein Concentrate, Yeast Extract, Flavoring, Dehydrated Garlic.

Mushrooms are the second ingredient, so that's good, right?  And vegetable oil I know - but which vegetable oil being used is going to remain a secret; we get to guess.  Wheat flour - good.  Cream and salt - makes sense.  Why the dried milk?  Wasn't cream already added?  Or did you notice that it says "Cream (Milk)"?  Last I checked, cream is the thick liquid that rises to the top, and milk is the liquid beneath it, and they are technically not the same thing, as the listing indicates by placing parenthesis around the word "milk". MSG?  That's a chemical flavor enhancer for those of you who didn't already know.  Gives me migranes.  The ubiquitous "Flavoring" made me laugh right out loud.  Yet another secret of the cream of mushroom soup.

Want to know what's in the condensed version of cream of mushroom soup that I've been using in place of this lovely little can?  Butter, mushrooms, flour, milk, salt and pepper.  That's it.  Sometimes I add a little garlic with the mushrooms, sometimes I add some thyme, because I like those flavors in my cream of mushroom soup, but at least I get to choose.  Not once do I reach for a bottle of mystery oil, a jar of MSG, modified food starch, concentrated soy protein or "flavoring".  And I don't use any water, which is the first ingredient listed.

And guess what.  It tastes better than the canned.  And guess what else.  It costs about the same, maybe less.  And one more thing.  It's easy and quick.  But the coolest thing?  I already had all of those things on hand.  They are all staples in my kitchen.  I didn't spend an extra $1.57 and that's just one more steel can I don't have to recycle.  Oh, and did I mention that my condensed cream of mushroom soup is organic and all natural?  It is because when I shop, I buy organic or all natural ingredients.

• Here is what you do to substitute your own condensed cream soup in your favorite recipes.  
• Heat a sauce pan over medium heat.  
• Melt 3 Tbs of unsalted butter.  
• Toss in one finely chopped portobello mushroom cap (about 1/2 cup) and saute until tender.  
• Stir in 3 Tbs flour* (see note).  Cook for about 30 seconds.
• Gradually add 1 cup of milk, stirring like crazy with a whisk or fork to avoid lumps.  Stir constantly for about 3-5 minutes, or until the soup comes to a very gentle boil and thickens.  
• Add some salt (about 1/2 tsp) and pepper to taste (add a pinch of dried thyme now if you like the flavor). 
• Remove from the heat.  

Saute mushrooms in butter

Stir in flour and cook 30 seconds

Add milk and stir like crazy

Voila!  You now have a condensed cream of mushroom soup.  Use the same as you would use the canned version.

The idea is the same with all condensed cream soups.  If you like cream of celery, cream of onion, cream of broccoli, you add about 1/2 c of the finely chopped vegetable, saute it in the 3Tbs butter (you can use olive oil if you really want to) add an equal amount of flour as fat (in this case, 3Tbs) and pour in 1 cup of milk.  For cream of chicken, you would use about 1/4c finely chopped chicken, the same butter/flour ratio, but  substitute 1/2 c of the milk with 1/2 cup chicken broth.

Click here for the printable Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup recipe.

*NOTE - If you use a dry milled flour with the germ, you will need less than 3 Tbs.  I recently switched to a white flour like this and found I only needed about 2 1/2 Tbs to achieve the desired results.