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.

Indian chicken and spinach curry + herb and spice quinoa

Do you ever see a recipe and you are oh-so-excited to make it, but then as you realize you are not even a quarter of the way through cooking, you realize this meal is going to be a bit of an ordeal? Let's just say, it's always good when such recipes turn out well. And delicious. Especially on a weeknight. Because if they don't, doing dishes afterwards is enough to undo you. That is, if eating the meal hasn't already.

I love when cookbooks include a "goes well with" note at the end of a recipe. It's like free, professional help with food pairing. It's nice. Just remember not to bite off more than you can chew on a weeknight. This is more of a reminder to myself than anything.

All that being said, this curry and quinoa creation was pretty tasty. Maybe try it on a weekend.

Indian chicken and spinach curry

As adapted from Mighty Spice Cookbook - Fast, Fresh, and Vibrant Dishes Using No More Than 5 Spices for Each Recipe

Serves 4.

Ingredients for the curry:

10 oz. baby spinach

1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 large onion, roughly chopped

2 large tomatoes (or a few small ones), quartered

4 garlic cloves

1-inch piece ginger root, peeled and roughly chopped

1/2 jalapeño, sliced lengthwise and seeded 

2 tablespoons coconut oil

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 lb. 2 oz. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces

1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)

Bring large saucepan of water to boil and add spinach. Cook briefly, just until wilting, then strain, reserving cooking water. Put spinach and a scant 1/2 cup of the cooking water into a food processor and puree until smooth. Transfer pureed spinach to a bowl and set aside to cool. Using the same food processor (don't worry about washing), blend garam masala, salt, onion, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, jalapeño, and a little water until smooth. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and throw in cumin seeds. Wait a few seconds until they start crackling, then pour in tomato mixture. Stir, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Tip in spinach, chicken, and cream (if using), and stir well. Turn up heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, 12-15 minutes until chicken is cooked through and tender.

Herb and spice quinoa

As adapted from Mighty Spice Cookbook - Fast, Fresh, and Vibrant Dishes Using No More Than 5 Spices for Each Recipe

This side dish recipe actually calls for basmati rice, but I decided to try quinoa. The quinoa was great, but be warned - it definitely does not look as pretty as the pilaf rice.

Serves 4.

Ingredients for quinoa:

1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup cashew nuts
2 cardamom pods
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 cups chicken stock
1 large handful parsley leaves, finely chopped
2 large handfuls cilantro leaves, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Toast cashew nuts in a large skillet over medium heat. Shake pan constantly for 1-2 minutes. Add almonds and continue shaking pan 1-2 minutes longer until nuts are golden. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Split open cardamom pods on a cutting board with the flat side of a knife. This helps release their flavor. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat, add split cardamom pods and cumin seeds. Stir-fry 10-20 seconds until seeds start to crackle, then add onion, cooking 3-4 minutes until soft. Bring chicken stock to boil in a medium saucepan. Add quinoa, and onion and spice mixture. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until quinoa is tender and has absorbed all liquid, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat. Fluff quinoa with a fork and toss together with toasted nuts, parsley, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.

First of all, cumin seeds. They are so fragrant, not to mention the way they crackle in the pan. They are the epitome of the word "crackle." Even more so than Rice Krispies. For real. If you haven't cooked with them, you should give it a try. They're fun. Secondly, cardamom pods - at first I thought I was just going to take the easy way out and use the ground cardamom I had on hand. But then I thought, "No, this is Explorations of an Amateur Cook; I should be willing to try anything!" So I did. The funny part is that I snatched two cardamom pods out of a loose leaf tea I also had on hand to use in this recipe. No judging. Ha ha.

It was also quite humorous that the chicken thighs I had purchased for the curry went missing. Not quite sure where they got left or ended up. But Zack, being the wonderful husband and sous chef that he is, picked up some more for me on his way home from work making this meal possible.

This curry and quinoa was a little ambitious for a weeknight, but it was very tasty. Lots of steps, but satisfying in the end. And I cooked with cardamom seeds for the first time, not to mention putting my own spin on the herb and spice pilaf rice (quinoa, in this case). Plus, mixing up my own garam masala spice mixture (follow the link to it as seen in my ingredient list). An Explorations success if I do say so myself.

The recipes are coming at full force, so don't be too long before you check back here again. Cheers.

Week One: Split Pea Soup with Cilantro, Chicken with Snap Peas, Greek-Style Halibut, and Iced Oatmeal-Applesauce Cookies

This week: Split Pea Soup with Cilantro (you may recognize this from a February 2012 blog post), chicken with snap peas, Greek-style halibut, and iced oatmeal-applesauce cookies. One grocery list, four recipes, three dinners with lunch leftovers for the next day, cookies for dessert, and even extra split pea soup to freeze for later.

First of all, the split pea soup comes from Nordstrom Flavors, a cookbook which continues to impress me and was gifted to me from my mom. And again, see my past blog post (link above) for more information about the recipe. It's a really great spin off of your traditional split pea soup; think, finely diced vegetables like potato, red bell pepper, carrot, celery, and jalapeño. And then add the great flavors of coriander, dry mustard, Tamari soy sauce, and cilantro.

Secondly, Chicken with Snap Peas. I found this recipe through Whole Living; I have this website in my Pulse News favorites on my phone. This is a great weeknight recipe...one pan, 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Heat safflower oil (or vegetable oil as the recipe calls for) over high in a large skillet. Season chicken with salt and fresh ground black pepper. I just used skinless, boneless chicken breasts, but you could use whatever chicken you have on hand. Cook chicken on one side (skin side down if not using skinless), until deep golden, about 8-10 minutes. Flip chicken and remove skillet from heat. Remove any fat with a spoon, then return skillet to heat. Add garlic, vinegar, a little bit of sugar, and crushed red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, then transfer skillet to oven. Bake for 17 minutes, then add snap peas and some fresh basil, baking for 5 minutes more. Remove from oven and sprinkle with more basil.

This dish has really great flavor, which was maybe even better the next day. I also made some quinoa cooked in chicken stock with diced carrots as a side dish.

Next, Greek-Style Halibut (which you may have seen coming if you've read previously about the frozen wild salmon and halibut fillets Zack and I have been getting from Costco). This is a "tear-out" recipe I've been saving for awhile and it comes from the January 2011 issue of Sunset magazine.

It's another easy one with awesome flavor and good next day quality. And this was also my first time cooking with fennel bulb, which I guess is like an onion with some grassy stuff growing out of it...? Uh, yeah. It has almost a licorice-like quality though, which really adds to the halibut.

Heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Rub halibut fillets with salt and fresh ground black pepper before browning in the pan on one side. Transfer to a plate. Add a little more olive oil to pan, along with fennel (trimmed and cut into wedges/slices). The recipe calls for adding a little ouzo at this point, but I just used white wine. Cook, stirring frequently, until golden and tender. Add finely chopped garlic. Add diced tomatoes with juice (low-sodium preferred), a little water, chickpeas (drained and rinsed), and fresh oregano. Reduce heat and simmer, lay halibut fillets (browned sides up) in sauce and simmer until fish is cooked through, 5-10 minutes.

And lastly, these amazing cookies. I'm telling you, you can't go wrong with Martha Stewart when it comes to cookies. Zack and I were thinking we wanted to make some sort of iced oatmeal cookie, and when I found these, with applesauce, we were sold. And they were not disappointing. Find the recipe here: Iced Oatmeal-Applesauce Cookies. These are the perfect fall cookie.

Well, that's all for week one of my meal planning, and believe me, week two is turning out to be quite lovely. Stay tuned.

Foods of late summer's past...

Well, it's been awhile. Again. People seem to be asking me if I'm still cooking, and despite the inaction on the blog, I am! Really.

Summer was a bit crazy. Work of course (that's one thing that's different from when I was in school). Not working, but real work. Grown-up work. And then we had a sort of spur-of-the-moment move that ended up not being quite as quick and easy as we initially thought it would be. But the good news is we now have a new kitchen to play in! Packing all our kitchen equipment and utensils in is a bit of a puzzle, but it's working for us.

Above photo courtesy of Evelyn Kritler.

There were also some lovely trips down to Oregon and to the coast with my family for our annual trip to Arch Cape. We had fun cooking for the family again this year, but the food pictures are definitely lacking from that week of the summer, unfortunately. However, Zack had an incredible cooking endeavor...think homemade marshmallows. Uh yes. He had talked about it for awhile and I'll admit, I was kind of like, "whatever." Call me crazy, but I am not the hugest marshmallow fan. When we have s'mores at the coast, I'd rather just eat the graham crackers and maybe a couple pieces of chocolate. Ha. Well, let's just say...huge success. And Zack's cool factor increased even more so after that trip.

Pearl barley risotto with corn, parmesan, basil, and sliced turkey breast.

The photos you see here are just a scattering of some yummy things we made in August and September. My first risotto (with pearl barley), which consisted of a lot of standing in the kitchen whilst stirring. There was also some killer chicken salad, a recipe for which I need to re-find in a library book that has been returned. We had some really tasty grilled sandwiches; one had ham, thinly sliced granny smith apple, and swiss cheese. Lots of muffins..."French toast muffins" (which didn't really taste like French toast, but were very delicious), banana chocolate chip muffins (best banana muffin recipe I've found thus far), and blueberry cornmeal muffins (which was just a must taking my corn obsession into consideration).  Whole wheat penne with skinny asparagus and tomatoes. Salmon with a cilantro sauce and carrot quinoa to name another. I'm telling you, Costco has wild salmon fish fillets (packaged separately and frozen), and it's a good way to go. Pull out a few fillets at a time and it's always fresh. We just got some halibut, so you may see some creations with that coming soon.

Healthier chicken salad sandwiches.

Ham, swiss, and granny smith apple grilled sandwiches with succotash.

"French toast" muffins.

Banana chocolate chip muffins.

Blueberry cornmeal muffins.

Whole wheat penne with skinny asparagus, tomatoes, and basil.

Salmon with cilantro sauce and carrot quinoa.

Moving on. I'm on a new endeavor. Meal planning. Okay, I know this is making me sound ultra-organized and maybe slightly obsessive compulsive, and I was thinking the same thing until I read this Seattle Times article titled How to create a customized meal plan. And yes, this article is probably geared towards families or people with kids, but whatever, what they talk about is really helpful.

Now I'm not going crazy with this, but I have extracted a few great ideas from this article. It makes a lot of sense to create a sort of "weekly menu" and then save these menus (if they turn out to be good) to re-use in the future. I mean if you think about it, sifting through recipes and really planning for meals takes time. Especially if you are trying to eat healthily, and even more so if you shop at multiple places to save money and/or to buy fresh. So obviously this could get really boring if you just use your old menus and don't continue to search for new ways to cook and new ingredients to try. But I'm not too worried about that. Be back soon. Cheers.

Asian-Style Salmon with Sauteed Carrots and Leeks

And the Asian-inspired dishes continue.

I found this recipe in a cookbook put out by the American Institute for Cancer Research; it's titled The New American Plate Cookbook. And this salmon dish is actually one of the recipes featured on the cover. The book is really beautiful and has awesome pictures (I'm not going to lie; I only buy or check-out cookbooks with plenty of pictures). The visual catalyst - whether it be fresh, colorful ingredients or a luring picture - is what makes me want to cook. Okay, I know I sound like some sort of dork saying that, but it's true.

Anyways. This cookbook challenges the traditional American plate (a.k.a. large slab of meat with potatoes and a vegetable) with recipes full of vegetables, whole grains, herbs, and nuts (which should make up at least two-thirds of your plate). Some lean meat can make up the last third.

This salmon recipe had Zack's co-workers jealous the next day when he brought leftovers to work. It's good. And it's different. Combine low-sodium soy sauce, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, Chinese-style mustard, and Chinese five-spice powder. Marinate salmon fillets in this mixture for up to an hour in the refrigerator. Broil until cooked through.

Toast sesame seeds in a canola oil coated skillet until golden, stirring constantly. Transfer to a small dish. Saute julienned carrots and leeks until tender for about 5 minutes in the same skillet used for the sesame seeds. Add chicken stock, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer until no liquid remains. Spoon over salmon and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with rice and/or quinoa.

What made this recipe so incredible was the crust that developed on the salmon. The marinade gave it a beautiful browned quality, and I have to say, this may have been some of the best salmon I've ever had. In the sense, of its preparation; it was so flavorful and the texture was perfect. Just pull one fillet apart to be sure it's cooked all the way through (good thing we did so because ours took a little longer than expected). And the vegetables were a perfect match. The Chinese flavors are so aromatic and delicious. Definitely making this again. Cheers. 

Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry with Sprouted Rice and Quinoa Blend

Well, my latest culinary tendency is to browse through recipes, pick one for it's framework, and then put my own twist on the ingredients. This spicy stir-fry was originally supposed to contain soba noodles and tofu (which would have been equally as lovely), but we had a rice and quinoa blend on hand, and I decided to throw in chicken for some meatiness.

This is all about the vegetables: bell pepper, broccoli, and bok choy. And an incredible sauce, which has the texture and feel of a peanut sauce, but actually calls for almond butter (which I love) instead.

Just heat a bit of grapeseed oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add bell peppers, broccoli, bok choy, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt. Cover and cook, tossing occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender (about 8-10 minutes). Meanwhile, whisk together almond butter and a little bit of water, then whisk in rice vinegar and soy sauce. Add cooked chicken and toss until it is heated through, 2-3 minutes.

This was a really excellent stir-fry creation. And the nice thing about a stir-fry is that you can make it in many variations. I would definitely like to try this with noodles and maybe even some other vegetables. Here's to stir-fry heaven. Cheers.

Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry with Quinoa

Since I started cooking, I've sort of gone through phases. During the summer, we enjoyed a lot of fresh Mexican-inspired dishes. Tostadas, burritos, fish tacos, etc. Then, I went through an I'm-in-love-with-pasta phase, but soon realized Italian isn't always the most light and healthful. Throughout November and December, I made stews and soups non-stop; they're just all I want on a cold, crisp day. Now, let the Asian-inspired phase commence! Don't get me wrong, I'm all over the place when it comes to cooking, so Zack and I are not going to be solely eating rice and sushi. But do prepare to see some good stir-fried dishes.

First off, beef and broccoli from Power Foods. Heat a neutral-tasting oil (such as canola) over medium-high. Saute minced garlic, finely julienned ginger, and red pepper flakes until golden. Stir frequently. Increase heat to high, add sliced beef and broccoli, and cook until beef is seared and broccoli is crisp-tender. Stir in tamari soy sauce and fresh-squeezed orange juice. Serve immediately over quinoa or brown rice.

I've never really stir-fried before. I think the one thing you've got to know is this: have all ingredients ready (measured, set out, chopped, etc.). Thank goodness I had the sense to do so. Because once you increase that heat to high, you're throwing things into that saute pan so fast and it's cooking so fast. And you're stirring like a crazy person. Or making those mad chopping movements in the air like you see Asian chefs do on TV.

For a split second, I think I actually thought I was a chef in an Asian restaurant. My stainless steel pan was sizzling, clanging, and steaming like none other. In fact, Zack (who has good experience making stir-fries) happened to leave the room when I was throwing in the garlic, and by the time he came back in, I was done. I'm like, "Oh hey, dinner's ready. Yeah, I made it in like 2 minutes. And yes, my face and hair have been steamed to the maximum." Definitely used that overhead fan for like the first time. On high.

Well, the adventure continues tonight. How about some chicken? With a little almond butter, rice vinegar, and tamari soy sauce mixture? Oh yes. Hot steam facial #2.

Quinoa Tabbouleh

Lots of blog writing catch-up to do. The holidays are here!

For now, here is another lovely side for a packed lunch. Tabbouleh.

I love quinoa. It's a great alternative to rice or couscous. And it's high in protein. I basically just cooked the quinoa, rinsed, drained, and added tomatoes, cucumber, scallions, and an easy dressing (freshly squeezed lemon juice, sea salt, and extra-virgin olive oil).

More lunch sides like these coming. They're light and fresh, and go great with a pita or sandwich. Cheers.