Give Thanks + Chicken Thighs over Roasted Vegetables

Apparently, I have a thing for chicken thighs. First the chicken thighs over butternut squash and cranberries, and now this. But I don't deny it. Here's why I like them: they are cheap and they taste better than the other parts. My personal preference, I know, but the money thing.. you can't argue with that!

But enough chicken-talk! Let's start giving thanks :)

Day 4:  I am grateful for my close friends who were there for me that day 11 years ago -- whether they grabbed the phone out of my hand as I started screaming or sat me down and got me the help I needed to process what I had just heard. I am grateful for one of my closest friends for holding my hand as I said goodbye to my mom one last time. And I am grateful for my one of my first childhood friends for being right there beside me during the funeral, the only person who could truly understand as she had lost her mom a few years before, and for saying the words I needed to hear: It's hard and it sucks, and it was going to suck even more before it was over, but one day it would get a little easier. Thank you.

Day 5:  I am grateful for Dang, the Hertz Rental Car employee who observed how much trouble I had getting a vehicle for a field trip in the morning -- 1 1/2 hours late and not cleaned -- and not only gave back a good portion of the money upon my return (before I could even ask), but then came around from behind the counter, sat down in the seat across from me, and listened while I explained why I was frustrated. He didn't make excuses, he didn't blame it on others (even though it was not his fault), he JUST LISTENED. 

Who/what are YOU thankful for today?

CHICKEN THIGHS OVER ROASTED VEGETABLES

Recipe inspired by Everyday Food’s PorkChops with Fennel and Carrots

SERVES 6 •  PREP TIME: 45 MINUTES  •  TOTAL TIME: 55 MINUTES

ingredients

• 2 fennel bulbs, trimmed and cut into ½-inch wedges
• 1 pound carrots, trimmed and halved lengthwise
• 1 large red onion, cut into 1-inch wedges, root end left intact
• 12 garlic cloves, peeled
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper
• 6 boneless chicken thighs
• lemon wedges, for serving

directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  On a rimmed baking sheet, toss fennel, carrots, onion, and garlic with 2 tablespoons rosemary and 4 tablespoons oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Roast until vegetables are tender and browned in spots, about 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat.  Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper and sprinkle with remaining rosemary.  In batches, cook until cooked through, about 4-5 minutes each side.  Check to make sure it is fully cooked.
3. Serve chicken on top of roasted vegetables.  Squeeze lemon juice on top, if desired.

                                                                                                         

COST: $14.81              COST PER SERVING (6): $2.47

Unprocessed    //    Gluten Free    //   Dairy Free

Introducing Farmer's Market Fridays... (Carrot Soup with Ginger & Lemon)

I have a recent obsession: Farmer's Market.

When I have something that I think about a lot I wind up talking about, a lot.  Which means this new obsession of mine has led me to say, "I really like going to the farmer's market!" about 10 times a day, and "Man, I love farmer's market!" about another 10 times per day.  Yesterday, upon hearing me proclaim my love for farmer's market again, my husband said, "I know.  You told me.  Every single day."

But just in case you missed it, let me proclaim from the rooftops: I LOVE FARMER'S MARKET.

Really, I do.

Which is why I am introducing Farmer's Market Fridays to you.

This will be our chance to come together across the county and hopefully the globe to explore the local farmer's markets in the communities in which we live, to share our fabulous finds and new recipes.

Here is the plan:
Each Friday (or most Fridays -- you know how it goes) a different blogger will be sharing their local Farmer's Market with us.  The task will be to show how much they can get with $10... this will give us the chance to see the similarities and differences that abound, both in produce and in price, while virtually travelling from sea to shining sea.

At the end of each post you will be able to link up with anything Farmer's Market related (from the past two weeks) to allow us to hop on over to each other's blogs and see what is going on in your neck of the woods. You can showcase what you bought, share a recipe that used Farmer's Market ingredients, or anything else you can think of, as long as the post is somehow related to a recent trip to the Farmer's Market.

My hope is that through all of this we can foster a sense of community while supporting the local communities we come from AND get some great food on our tables while keeping our hard earned cash in our wallets.

Please, come join me on this great Farmer's Market adventure!

To start us off today, I have the most incredibly delicious soup that my taste buds have ever encountered.  Most of the ingredients -- carrots, garlic, onion, tomatoes, and lemon -- I picked up last weekend while meandering my way through my local Farmer's Market.  All I needed to add was the stock, yogurt, and ginger.

This was my first time cooking with fresh ginger and IT.WAS.AMAZING.  The smell, the taste... oh my oh my!

This was also the very first time I moved beyond my comfort zone of Martha and Rachael and attempted something from Bon Appetit.  Holy freaking cow.  This stuff has expanded my eyes to a whole new level of soup.  And it was really simple.  Nothing too complicated, jam packed full of flavor, healthy, and super tasty.  Not to mention cheap.  SCORE.

So when you browsing through your Farmer's Market this weekend (if you have them yet -- I just found out today that many states don't actually get them until the Summer.  Naive California girl, right here) pick up some carrots and ginger.  It will be worth every penny, I promise.

Let's get this party started!  Link up below with any (date doesn't matter this week!) Farmer's Market post you want to share and let's start enjoying this great thing together :)  (Link-ups will be open until Sunday night.)

CARROT SOUP WITH GINGER & LEMON

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit, June 1997

SERVES 4  •  PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES  •  TOTAL TIME: 35 MINUTES

ingredients

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 1/4 pounds medium carrots, peeled, chopped (about 3 cups)
• 2 tomatoes, seeded, chopped (about 1 1/3 cups)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 3 cups (or more) chicken or vegetable stock
  
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  
• 4 tablespoons Greek yogurt 
• 1 small carrot, peeled, grated

directions

1.      Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes. Add ginger and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add chopped carrots, tomatoes and lemon peel; sauté 1 minute. Add 3 cups stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover partially and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly.

2.      Puree soup in batches in blender. Return soup to pot. Mix in lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)

3.      Bring soup to simmer, thinning with more stock, if desired. Ladle into bowls. Top each with Greek yogurt and grated carrot.

 COST: $5.43           COST PER SERVING (4 bowls): $1.36

Nutritional Information
calories 220   •    total fat 12.5 g    •    fiber 5.4g    •    sugars 8.8g   •    protein 6g
(Click here for full nutritional analysis)

Carrot Coconut Cupcakes... HAPPY EASTER!

Carrots, coconut, walnuts.  A teeny bit of orange juice, and a whopping bit of fresh cream cheese frosting...

... here are some cupcakes that every Easter Bunny, big or small, can enjoy this year :)

Whether you are hunting for eggs or singing in the choir at church, I hope today is a very special one for you.  Happy Easter!

Recipe from Everyday Food, May/June 2003

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut, plus more for garnish 
• 8 ounces bar cream cheese, room temperature
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a standard 12-cup muffin tin or line with paper liners. In a bowl, combine sugar, vegetable oil, orange juice, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, and eggs.
2. Stir in baking powder, baking soda, allspice, and salt. Add flour; mix. Stir in carrots, walnuts, and coconut.
3. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 25 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.
4. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.
5. Frost cupcakes, and garnish with shredded coconut.
   
   

   COST: $5.72        COST PER CUPCAKE (12): $0.48

Viva Farmer's Market! (Carrot and Pea Soup with Dumplings)

Two weeks ago I found a farm stand on the side of the road on our way to the beach.  (Yes, farm stand and beach appeared in that sentence, and yes, two weeks ago was January.  Man, I love living in California!)  We have driven past it many times but always found some good reason why we couldn't stop.  Too cold from the ocean, too hot from the sun, too... lazy.  But we did, and it rocked my world.

$12.15 later, we walked out of there with bags and bags of produce... tangerines, sweet potatoes, leeks, garlic, onions, pears, apples, and more.  That week, instead of making my menu first and then finding the produce to go with it, I looked at what I had and thought, "What can I do with these leeks?  How about these sweet potatoes?"

Success.

Since we weren't going to drive past this farm stand this past weekend we walked down to the Farmer's Market.  In the last city we lived in the farmer's market was kind of hoity-toity.  Sure, there was good stuff there, but mostly it was orchids and perogies and $5 heads of lettuce.  But where we live today it is a whole different story.  It is what I truly want from a farmer's market -- fruits and veggies, honey and cheese, all grown/made in our own backyard, sold at a good price.  We walked out of there, once again, bags full of produce, pockets still full of money.

Radishes, beets, carrots, more sweet potatoes (as you can tell, I have a thing for them...), onions, cilantro, and whole lot more.  And once again I made my grocery list based off of that.  Broccoli beef stir-fry one night, sweet potato and arugula pizza the next; salads galore and fresh garlic cheese to munch on.  My grocery list for the store?  Nine items.  NINE.

My menu planning will never be the same.

One of those nine items on the list: peas.  That was all that was separating us from being able to make one of our favorite soups.  The farmer's market supplied us with the carrots, onions, celery, and parsley; my pantry provided the flour, baking powder, and vegetable stock.  And in the fridge we found milk, butter, and Dijon mustard.  Put it all together and we had ourselves some warm, hearty soup.  Perfect for these cold winter evenings.

And by cold I mean 45*F ;)

Carrot and Pea Soup with Dumplings
Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray Everyday, March 2011

ingredients

• 2 tablespoons EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)

• 3 tablespoons butter

• 3 carrots--peeled, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

• 2 rib  celery, chopped

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• Salt and pepper

• 1 fresh bay leaf

• 2 rounded tablespoons flour

• 1 32 ounce container  (4 cups) chicken or vegetable stock

• 1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard

• 1 cup frozen peas
• FOR DUMPLINGS:

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley or dill

• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 3/4 cup buttermilk (or milk +bit of white vinegar)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

directions

1. Heat a couple of tablespoons EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat in a large soup pot or dutch oven. Add the butter to melt, then add the carrots, celery and onion; season with salt, pepper and the bay leaf. Cover the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots soften, 7 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle the flour on the vegetables and stir for a minute, then whisk in the chicken (or vegetable) stock until thickened. Stir in the mustard and peas. For a thinner soup, add 1 to 1 1/2 cups water with the stock.
2. Add the chopped fresh parsley to the flour, buttermilk, baking powder, and salt.  Mix well to form batter. When the soup is bubbling, form the batter into small dumplings using 2 spoons, then drop onto the surface of the soup. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and cook the dumplings, gently stirring, until just firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the soup and dumplings to shallow bowls; discard the bay leaf.

COST: $4.19  COST PER SERVING (4): $1.05

Carrot and Sweet Potato Bisque

It all started when I wanted soup.  Simple request, usually.  But with October Unprocessed I was a little worried that it would be much more complicated.  I mean, I would have to make my own stock first!  That seemed like a lot of work...

Except it is NOT.

I took all the odds and ends of veggies I had laying around in the fridge, dumped them in a soup pot, covered with water and added some salt, then let it boil for about an hour.  While I watched TV.  Yes, that's how complicated it was.

But what kind of soup did I want to make?  Well, I wanted to make I-don't-need-to-go-out-in-the-rain Soup.  The perfect kind for a day like yesterday.

Cupboards and fridgedoors were opened.  Kale?  Nah... enough of that recently.  Beet?  No.  I did not want beet soup.  But I did see those beautiful, colored carrots I got for a buck at Farmer's Market a few days ago.  And there were a few sweet potatoes hiding in the bottom of my pantry.  The perfect ingredients for the perfect soup.

In the end I wound up with a creamy (thanks to pure Greek yogurt and a blender) sweet potato and carrot bisque.

Guess what?   It was delicious, unprocessed, and cost about 75 cents per bowl.

And I didn't have to go out in the rain...

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 2 T butter
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t nutmeg
• 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 5 medium carrots, cut into medium-sized pieces
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt, plus a little more to top the soup
• sprigs of fresh herbs, your choice, to top the soup

DIRECTIONS

1. In soup pot, melt butter and saute onion and garlic, about 5 minutes.  Add cinnamon and nutmeg and cook another 2 minutes.
2. Add potatoes and carrots to pot and cover with stock.  Add up to 1 cup water, if needed.  Bring to a boil, and then reduce to low and simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are soft.
3. In a blender, working in small batches, puree the soup mixture.  Be careful to let the steam out before blending to avoid any explosions. 
4. When finished, stir in yogurt and salt/pepper.  Top each bowl with a small dollop of yogurt and fresh herbs of your choice.

COOK'S NOTE

To save time, use bullion cubes.  Otherwise, make your own.  It tastes AMAZING!

COST: $2.98   COST PER bowl (4): $0.74

Potato and Zucchini (and Squash and Carrot) Pancakes

Remember when I went to Vegas?  Of  course you do, because what I do is the highlight of your life, I know.  So off to Vegas we went and to the kitchen I did not go.  Not too shabby of a trade, but not so good for keeping up with my Sundays with Joy baking group. 

Here is the thing: I am committed to seeing these 100 recipes through with these girls!  Why?  Because I am having a lot of fun, I made a personal commitment and want to see it through, and I am learning tons.

I am about three months in and I took a moment to stop and think about what I have learned from this process so far.  Some of these things I learned explicitly (like, Joy told me in her book) and some of these things I learned from personal experience (remember those sour muffins that I had to throw away?  Not something Joy told me to do in the book).  But all of these things have come directly from my attempt at baking my way through the Joy the Baker Cookbook. 

And the best part?  It is continuing on...

like these potato and zucchini (and squash and carrot) pancakes.

Thank you, Joy.

Potato and Many-Veggies Pancakes

Recipe adapted from Joy the Baker's Potato and Zucchini Pancakes.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups shredded potatoes
1 cup shredded squash
1 cup of shredded zucchini
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
4 T of olive oil, divided
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon of salt, divided

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix shredded potatoes, squash, zucchini, and carrot and put into colander with 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  Let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, saute onion and garlic in 1 T of olive oil.  Set aside when translucent.
3. Beat eggs together with baking powder and flour in large bowl.  Add onion and garlic.
4. After veggie mixture has sat for 10 minutes, push down to squeeze excess water out.  Add to the large bowl with rest of salt (1/2 teaspoon). 
5. Heat half of the remaining olive oil over medium heat and turn oven on to 170 degrees with a plate in there to transfer pancakes when they are done. (This will keep them warm without extra cooking.)
6. Taking a 1/4 cup scooper, scoop out potato mixture and put in skillet and flatten out.  You can fit about 4-5 pancakes per batch.  Flip when bottom is golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.  Cook both sides and then transfer to plate in oven.
7. Continue until all are cooked up.  Top with sour cream and enjoy! :)

COST: $5.26      COST per serving (6 servings of 3 pancakes each): $0.88

Brown Sugar + Carrots = Yum

I have never been a fan of carrots.  They were always either too crisp (and hard to bite) or too mushy (and tasted like cardboard).  So for a good part of my life I avoided them.  That is, until my grandma made me carrots one night.  Oh man, suddenly carrots had a place in my life... until I forgot about that recipe and moved on.  But a year or two ago I stumbled across the same recipe in my Better Homes & Gardens cookbook.  I whipped that little dish up and it was a hit.  Paulo loved it, I was reminded of how good carrots can be, and this vegetable I once avoided was given a prominent place in our lives. 

As you can see, there are three simple ingredients.  Rather unusual ingredients for a vegetable dish, to be sure, but the right ones.

Here is how it goes --

Chop 3-4 carrots.
Boil for 5-6 minutes (long enough to soften, short enough to not make it too mushy).  Drain.
In the bottom of the pot, over medium-low heat, add 1T of butter and 1T of brown sugar.  Stir until melted together.  Add carrots and a dash of salt, another dash of pepper. 
Cook for 1-2 minutes. 
Enjoy!  (Trust me, you will!)

PS - I like carrots raw now, too.  But I still always have the fear of breaking my teeth when I bite into them.  (Can that actually happen?)

COST: $0.90            COST PER SERVING (4): less than a quarter