Bacon-wrapped smoky chicken thighs + shredded brussels sprouts salad

Zack and I have been eating paleo-style for three weeks now. And it just keeps getting better. We are reaping the benefits. Honestly, I didn't think it would last more than a whopping two seconds, but it's actually turning out to be a well-worthy endeavor. I mean, really. Wouldn't you like some bacon-wrapped goodness for your dinner tonight?

Bacon-wrapped smoky chicken thighs

As adapted from Balanced Bites.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

4-5 (depending on size) bone-less, skin-less chicken thighs (I got mine at Trader Joe's)

4-5 slices of Trader Joe's apple smoked bacon

Ingredients for smoky spice blend:

Approx. 1 teaspoon chili powder

Approx. 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

Approx. 1/4 teaspoon paprika

Pinch of ground cinnamon

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, place a rack on top, and grease rack with cooking spray. Combine spices for smoky spice blend in a small bowl. Rub chicken thighs with half of the spice blend. Wrap each thigh in a piece of bacon, rub with remaining spice, then place on baking sheet rack. Bake for 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Easy as that. Enjoy. 

Shredded brussels sprouts salad

As adapted from Power Foods.

Serves 4.

Ingredients for salad dressing:

1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1-2 lemons)
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Ingredients for salad:

8 ounces brussels sprouts, very thinly sliced (about 3 cups, I used pre-sliced brussels from Trader Joe's)
3 cups of spinach, Swiss chard, and kale (or a combination, thinly sliced if desired)
1/3 cup raw hulled sunflower seeds, toasted if desired

Stir together mustard, lemon juice, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and maple syrup; whisk in oil until emulsified. In a salad bowl, toss together brussels sprouts and greens. Add salad dressing and sunflower seeds; toss to coat and serve.

Spinach, Swiss chard, and kale mixture (buy this "power greens" mix at Trader Joe's)

First of all, this chicken might be one of the most wonderful things I've ever eaten. Why I don't buy chicken thighs more often is beyond me. Seriously, consider trying chicken thighs in place of your usual chicken breast sometime; they are so incredibly flavorful. And I didn't even use bone-in thighs, as the original recipe recommended. Not to mention how tender they are. Now, I know the bacon and spices added a little something special, but I am now convinced that chicken thighs are the way to go. You will not be disappointed with these.

And this salad is great too. It's so simple, but definitely a salad that I would take to friends' houses for dinner, or even for a holiday meal (don't brussels just scream holidays...?). I know many of you may be questioning raw brussels sprouts, but don't question it; they add great crunch, similar to that of broccoli or cabbage, and they blend in beautifully when thinly sliced. Lastly, this salad dressing is delicious - a great, versatile dressing that could be used on many salads.

Well. There are more great paleo-friendly meals coming your way. Whether you're full blown into it, or not, prepare for some delicious and healthy recipes coming soon, here. Cheers.

Walnut and rosemary oven-baked chicken + house salad

So I kind of have a crush on Sara Forte, author of The Sprouted Kitchen - A Tastier Take on Whole Foods. My mom gave me her cookbook for Christmas, and she thought it was perfect because Sara's husband is a photographer and, naturally, does the photos for her cookbook and blog. And they cook together, and it's just so wonderful - basically, Zack and I are just like them. (Ha ha.)

Anyways. Her 'house salad' is on the cover of the cookbook and I just had to make it. It's funny because as healthy as Zack and I eat, we rarely have salads during the week. I'm big on soups and meals that can be contained in one bowl or mass, for lack of a better word. I mean, we eat a lot of veggies, but it's not very often that I am whipping up a homemade salad dressing. That's all changing. Prepare to see more salads and salad dressings. Because you really don't need to buy store-bought salad dressings. They don't taste nearly as fresh, and who know what's in them. It's never too late to switch! That's the end of my rant (and I'm a new convert too).

And along with the salad, I made a great baked chicken recipe that I've been holding onto for awhile, for a time like this. You may remember my walnut and pecan-crusted chicken breasts from awhile back, but I think this new recipe takes the cake. Or the chicken...you know. The addition of rosemary and Dijon mustard makes for great flavor, and I felt that this recipe held together a little better. Check it out.

Walnut and rosemary oven-baked chicken

As adapted from the November 2012 issue of Cooking Light.

Serves 4.

Ingredients for chicken:

1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk

2 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard

4 (6 oz.) organic chicken breast cutlets 

Heaping 1/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

Heaping 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts

2 tablespoons grated fresh parmesan cheese

3/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cooking spray

Rosemary leaves (optional, for garnish)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Whisk together buttermilk and mustard in a shallow dish. Add chicken to buttermilk mixture, turning to coat. Toast panko in a pan over medium heat until golden, about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Combine toasted panko, nuts, and next 4 ingredients (through pepper) in another shallow dish. Remove chicken from buttermilk mixture, discarding buttermilk, and dredge through panko mixture, turning to coat. Arrange a wire rack on a large baking sheet; coat rack with cooking spray. Arrange chicken cutlets on rack and bake for 13-15 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Garnish with rosemary leaves, if desired, and serve.

The house salad

As adapted from Sprouted Kitchen - A Tastier Take on Whole Foods.

Serves 4.

Ingredients for salad:

1 large head (or two small heads) butter lettuce (I used one green and one red/purple)

1 small jicama, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch matchsticks (roughly, 1/2-3/4 cup)

1/3 cup pomegranate seeds

1 cup large shavings Parmesan, Romano, and Asiago cheese (I got mine from Trader Joe's)

Ingredients for house dressing:

2 1/2 tablespoons creme fraiche

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon honey

1 scallion, white part only, finely chopped

2 tablespoons good apple cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To make dressing, whisk together creme fraiche, olive oil, and honey. Add scallion, vinegar, salt, and pepper; whisk to combine. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

Gently pull lettuce leaves from the head, making sure they are dry. Gently toss the leaves and jicama with the dressing (if saving two servings for lunch the next day, only toss half of the salad with dressing). Assemble leaves in a stack for each serving, largest leaves on bottom to create a base. Garnish each salad with a quarter of the pomegranate seeds and cheese shavings. Serve immediately.

First of all, this chicken is great. Like I said before, the rosemary and Dijon add such great flavor, and the combination of nuts and panko make for great crunch. Furthermore, the crumb coating holds together really well. A great alternative to your usual chicken breast.

Secondly, I've never really used butter lettuce before, but it has such a smooth texture while maintaining a good crunch. You could also use bibb lettuce. And given that your lettuce leaves are clean and dry, the house dressing clings on beautifully. This dressing is like a vinaigrette, but the creme fraiche brings the thinnest amount of creaminess. It is really good, and very different. Plus, I had never had jicama before; it is mild, but adds a wonderful crunch to the salad. And come on - we all love pomegranate seeds. They're a juicy explosion of flavor. Right?

Check back here soon for some pot pie action. Cheers. 

Thyme-scented roast chicken + chopped salad

This last week, I found a recipe for this wonderful-looking, complex salad from The Sprouted Kitchen. This is another cooking blog that I have grown to love and also treat as a mentoring blog, similar to The First Mess. It has a few of my favorite things (a.k.a. quinoa, sweet potatoes, and apples), so I had to try it. Thus, I was trying to think of what I would make with it, so I perused through some of my cookbooks for ideas.

Lately, I have been all about making things that I could easily buy pre-made at the store. Or using ingredients that have an easy substitute, but instead pushing myself to not use the substitute, such as using actual cardamom pods not ground cardamom spice. So when I saw a recipe for roasted chicken from Nordstrom Flavors, it was just the ticket.

I had never roasted a whole chicken before. I don't know why. I guess I was afraid of what I might find inside. (Ha ha.) I think it's similar to my not really wanting to deal with a whole fish. Eyeballs, skin and scales...it just frightens me a little. It's just a little too close to the real (alive) thing. Well, now that I have kind of embarrassed myself (and am now sort of accountable to tackling a bigger challenge in the future), we should talk more about the chicken.

Are there meals or foods, or even specific scents that just remind you of someone or somewhere? I think a lot of people could list such examples. For me, roasted chicken reminds me of Nana, my grandma on my mom's side. When I was little, I can remember her roasting chicken. I don't know how she did it; I was too young to have any comprehension of the ways of cooking, but I remember it smelled so good. Furthermore, I remember my favorite part was the crispy chicken skin. The funny thing is I don't tend to gravitate towards fatty things or fatty parts of things. I trim the fat off everything. But chicken skin is one thing I can't stay away from. It's just so nostalgic. It's perfect. She would always give me the chicken legs to gnaw on; it was my favorite part. That and a cold can of 7-Up from the garage refrigerator with a straw. It was the greatest.

I guess this chicken, my first whole roasted chicken, is dedicated to Nana. I miss her and am sometimes caught off guard when I am reminded of her through random, little things. Like this.

Thyme-scented roasted chicken

As adapted from Nordstrom Flavors - An Artful Celebration of Food

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

Extra-virgin olive oil for preparing the roasting rack

1 bunch fresh thyme, about 25 sprigs

10 garlic cloves

1 whole chicken (about 4 1/2 lbs.), preferably organic

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 lemon, quartered lengthwise

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Oil roasting rack and place in a roasting pan. Chop enough thyme leaves to measure 1 tablespoon; reserve stripped stems and remaining sprigs. Mince 3 garlic cloves; cut each of remaining 7 garlic cloves in half. Season cavity of chicken with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Stuff cavity with reserved thyme stems and sprigs, garlic halves, and lemon quarters. In a small bowl, stir together oil, remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, chopped thyme, and minced garlic. Spread oil mixture evenly over the outside of the chicken. Place chicken, breast side down, on the prepared rack in the roasting pan. Roast chicken for 30 minutes. Turn chicken, breast side up, and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a thigh without touching bone reads 170-175 degrees F, about 1 hour and 10 minutes more. Remove from oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes. Carve and serve.

Chopped salad with quinoa, sweet potatoes, + apples

As adapted from The Sprouted Kitchen - A Tastier Take on Whole Foods, who "barely" adapted their recipe from the November 2012 issue of Food & Wine

Serves 6.

Ingredients for salad:

2/3 cup quinoa, rinsed

1 lb. sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 large apples (granny smith, fuji, honey crisp, etc.), diced

8 cups packed baby greens (spinach, arugula, kale, red romaine, etc.)

1/8 cup flat leaf parsley

1/4 of a medium red onion, thinly sliced

Ingredients for dressing:

1/4 cup good-quality apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons whole-grain dijon mustard

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Drizzle olive oil in a pot and add quinoa to toast over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add 1 1/3 cups water and bring to boil. Turn down to simmer, cover, and cook for about 15-18 minutes until all liquid is absorbed. Fluff quinoa and cool (be sure to place in a cool place - don't want your greens to wilt when you add the quinoa later). On a rimmed baking sheet, diced sweet potatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake in upper third of oven for about 30 minutes, until golden. Remove and allow to cool. In a large bowl, whisk together cider vinegar, mustard, olive oil, and pinch of salt and pepper. Add cooled quinoa, potatoes, apples, greens, parsley, and onion. Toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Note: everything can be prepared in advance, kept in bags, and then tossed together when time for dinner, lunch the next day, etc.

I loved this salad. Again, as previously mentioned, it is complex with so many textures and flavors. If you're not a big fan of apple cider vinegar (it can be pungent), you may opt to use some other type of vinegar, such as red wine vinegar. Sara, from The Sprouted Kitchen, used this as a holiday salad; I definitely think it would be wonderful for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Or any other time of year for that matter. Give it a try. 

And the roasted chicken. There's nothing like a home-roasted chicken. The flavor is immense and wonderful. I'll be making it again. And you should too. Cheers.