I don’t think anyone is exempt from the winter weather that’s hitting us all at the moment. Between the snow, the cold and the days upon days of rain we’re having here in LA at the minute, I thought a quick n easy soup would hit the spot. I made chicken for dinner last night and had some left over so I thought the obvious choice was to bust out a soup for lunch today and hey presto here it is. If you don’t have any leftover chicken like I did, buy a roast chicken and just use that. You’ll get a great flavour as well as having the carcass to make your stock. Perfecto! This is one of the simplest ways to make a soup as you basically just put everything in the same pot and simmer it.

Did I mention it’s flu season? A bit of homemade chicken soup and vitamin C are sure to help!

RECIPE:
Serves 4

1 organic roast chicken or 4 cups leftover chicken – shredded
6 oz shredded carrot (about 2 carrots)
1 cup celery – thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup thin egg noodles (like spaghetti cut into 2″ pieces. I bought a packet in the supermarket)
S&P
freshly chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS:
Add the broth to a soup pot and place on a medium-flamed burner. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Add shredded chicken, bay leaves, carrot and celery and cook for 20 minutes, partially covered.
NOTE: This can all be done ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to eat. When you are ready bring the soup to a boil and add noodles. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Add noodles and stir soup. The noodles are small and thin like spaghetti so they’ll cook in about 10 minutes. Once noodles are done taste and season with S&P. Remove bay leaves, top with parsley and freshly ground and serve. Easy!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible

On a recent visit to Austin my brother-in-law gave me a packet of dried morels and asked me to create a dish for them. Though this is a dish I’ve made many many times I thought it would be the perfect recipe for the morels plus it’s fairly fool proof. (Let’s see if Ron will try his hand at cooking this!) Luckily, braising meats is dead easy, eliminates the risk of drying out meat and always adds great flavour. The key with slow cooking, as I’ve mentioned before, is layering flavours. Searing the chicken, sauteing the mushrooms, adding garlic, well you get it. The more flavours you add the more intense and tasty the end result will be. Stands to reason, right?

I recently made this for a drop-off menu (did you know I can make dinner for you and drop it off?) and they said their 2 year old loved the mushrooms (if you’re a parent, this got the tot’s seal of approval) and they said it was even better the next day. Gotta love delicious leftovers!

RECIPE:
Serves 4

1 whole organic or grass fed chicken – portioned (2 breasts, 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, 2 wings)
6 shallots – peeled
8 oz baby bella mushrooms
1 ounce dried morel mushrooms or 1/2 lb fresh
1 x 8 oz jar baby artichokes
1 bunch fresh tarragon – wrapped like a bouquet garni
2 large bay leaves
4 cloves garlic – minced
1/2 white wine (whatever’s in your fridge)
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
5 tbsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 380°F.

Begin by seasoning & searing each chicken piece in 2 tbsp olive oil, either on a grill on in a large saute pan (high heat, 3 minutes each side) until browned on all sides. Place in a large over proof casserole dish.

In the same saute pan (if using, otherwise grab one) add 3 tbsp olive oil and saute the fresh bella mushrooms for 3 minutes (3 tbsp might look like a lot of oil but the mushrooms soak it up). Add shallots & garlic and continue cooking for another 2 minutes. Add white wine and cook for another minute. After cooking wine add everything to the chicken along with the tarragon, bay leaves, morel mushrooms, artichokes and broth.

Cover with foil and place in the oven for 1 1/2 hours or until the chicken is fork tender. Pretty straightforward, right?

NOTE: You’ll notice in my photo above the skin looks crispy and dark. It was a little experiment that paid off. Here’s what I did:
As soon as the chicken was cooked in the oven, I removed all the pieces, placed them on a foiled oven tray and put them under the broiler. With the chicken having been braised it’s full of moisture so putting it under the broiler won’t dry it out. It simply makes the skin lovely and crispy while keeping the inside moist. Now I’m not advocating eating the skin because it’s just fat but if you just simply can’t say no to it or even if you’re entertaining guests this method looks and tastes great. This, of course is an optional step.

Ron, here’s your chance to show off some skills my man!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients.

Gobble Gobble (as the actress said to the bishop). It’s Turkey time! If you saw my turkey post recently you’ll now know what type of turkey you should be getting as we know there’s going to be lots eaten over the next month or so. There will be soups, sandwiches, stews, stocks, casseroles and God knows what else we can think to make with Mr. Turkey. Salting, roasting, brining–each American family has their own style to cook the bird. But what if your family is small and you’d rather not cook an entire turkey? I’ve got you covered!

I’ve made stuffed turkey breasts before (here and here) but for this recipe I wanted to give you the idea of stuffing the breast with something a bit more out of the ordinary yet still in keeping with Thanksgiving flavours. Guess you could say it’s a modern twist on the classic turkey & stuffing. I came across Persimmons in my CSA box and though I don’t have much experience with them after one bite I knew I had to use them.  In November and December persimmons are at their peak. I kept expecting the fruit to soften like a peach but as it turns out this type of persimmon, the Fuyu, is eaten like an apple. The taste of the flesh inside reminded me of a sweeter cantaloupe with the texture of a firm pear. The persimmon’s delightful flavour and texture turned out to be lovely addition to this dish.

RECIPE:
Serves 6

1 1/2 lb Organic, Grass fed, or Sustainable boneless turkey breast
1 cup organic chicken broth

1 cup couscous – dry
2 cups organic chicken broth
1/2 lemon – zested
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup celery – fine dice
1/2 white onion – fine dice
2 Fuyu persimmons – sliced and small diced
1 tbsp fresh thyme – chopped
1 tbsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Begin by bringing 1 cup of the chicken broth, lemon zest and salt to a boil. Once boiling turn off heat and add couscous. Cover with lid.

Preheat saute pan on medium heat for 30 seconds and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add celery and onion and saute for 5 mins, stirring, until softened. Once soft add diced persimmons and thyme.
Saute together for 4-5 additional minutes until persimmons are soft. Taste and season with S&P.

Add the cooked couscous to the persimmon mixture along with a drizzle of olive oil. Taste and season. Let cool before adding to turkey.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

To Assemble the Turkey: Lay the turkey on a clean cutting board. Using a sharp knife butterfly the breast by slicing along the side creating a book effect. Do not slice all the way through. Open the ‘book’. Place some plastic wrap on your work surface and lay the open turkey skin side down. Lay another layer of plastic wrap on top. Using a kitchen mallet or in my case a heavy bottomed saucepan, give the breast a few poundings to flatten. Don’t beat the living daylights out of it but you just want to thin it a little.

Lay 5 pieces of kitchen twine, about 12″ in length parallel to each other 2″ apart (If you’re saying, huh?….look at the photo). Lay the open turkey breast on top of the string, skin side down and season with S&P. Spoon enough of the couscous in the center to fill. You may have extra so don’t worry. Pat down the filling.

Fold over the top half and stuff any of the filling that falls out back in. Tie the strings tightly but not where the stuffing falls out too much.

Place turkey on a foiled oven tray. Drizzle olive oil over skin and season with S&P. Rub seasoned oil into flesh.
Add broth to oven tray and pop in the oven for up to 1 hour or until internal temperature of 155F.

Remove and let rest for 5-6 minutes to let juices redistribute back into meat.

Notice those glazed pearl onions? Recipe here. Cheers!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

I’ll admit, sometimes it’s easier to make food choices with blinders on. Choosing a restaurant that makes sustainable efforts is downright work let alone choosing the ‘right’ ingredients at the market. It can be a drag trying to figure out what all the labels mean, but it’s work well done especially when picking out your holiday meals. If you’ve seen the movie, Food, Inc. you know why it’s important to know where your food comes from and it’s important we have a voice in what food we eat. Our purchases are our voice. Plus, there’s nothing better than cooking food from your heart for the ones you love, even if your loved ones are nuts (that’s what the Americans tell me!)

Picking out the right turkey can be a bit confusing. Gone are the days of “fresh or frozen,” which were my choices growing up in Ireland. Today there’s a plethora of labels to go with the many different birds available for consumers. How do you know which one is right for you?

If you’re like me, you’re looking into Local Organic, Sustainable or Heritage varieties. What’s the difference? Even I was confused with all the new labels in these categories. I found a great article on the National Resource Defense Council’s site which cleared up a lot of confusion.

CERTIFIED ORGANIC Turkeys must be raised without antibiotics or growth hormones, eat only organic feed that did not contain chemical fertilizers or pesticides and they must be given access to the outdoors. Organic farming generally falls within the accepted definition of sustainable agriculture, though there is a difference between the two.

SUSTAINABLE Turkeys are usually certified organic turkeys but sometimes a small farm that is not organic-certified might be using organic guidelines and be self-sufficient by recycling all the farm’s waste. This is why it’s important to know where your turkey comes from and what guidelines that particular farm adheres to. “Sustainable” refers more to a philosophy about agriculture than “organic,” which is bound by its legal definition. Sustainable describes the practices of farmers who preserve the land, treat their animals and workers humanely and help support the local community.

There is no single set of standards for sustainable agriculture, there are several labels for which high standards have been set, which go beyond the “organic” label. I was surprised and delighted to see these labels, even more delighted to know exactly what they meant.

• Animal Welfare Approved: Sets high standards for health, shelter and handling, including a requirement that animals spend most of their life in pasture. Prohibits growth hormones; allows antibiotics only for sick animals.
• Certified Humane: Sets high standards for health, shelter and handling; prohibits growth hormones; allows antibiotics only for sick animals.
• Food Alliance Certified: Requires low- or no-pesticide policy; advocates worker welfare, habitat protection, well-managed agriculture and humane care of livestock.
• American Grassfed: Requires that animals eat grass only, and if they receive antibiotics due to illness they must be removed from the program. Growth hormones are prohibited.

HERITAGE Turkeys are like the heirloom tomatoes of the turkey world. In the States there’s a movement to bring back old-fashioned, diversified breeds from small turkey farmers. Ninety-nine percent of all turkeys raised in the US at the present time are the Broadbreasted White variety, sometimes called the Large White. While conventional wisdom would suggest that the heritage turkey might be stringy and the Broadbreasted White juicier, in a blind taste test quite the opposite turned out to be true: Heritage birds–the Midget White and Bourbon Red in particular–proved superior in flavor to factory-farm birds. I hear Jersey Buff’s aren’t bad either. Buying heritage turkeys are more expensive but think about what you’re helping to accomplish, which is helping to preserve small farms and endangered breeds while helping to break the monopoly corporations now have on our food supply. Though it might be too late to order yours for this Thanksgiving think ahead to Christmas or even next year’s feast. Bookmark heritagefoodsusa.com.

Sick of regular roast chicken? Looking for something new to impress the fam bam? Here’s an easy-to-do recipe that’ll give you a delicious falvourful bird. (Sounds like an infomercial doesn’t it?)

That being said, I had a slight mishap with the photos. The bottom line is…..they were not up to scratch. I made this recipe for Spice Month as a simple but delicious recipe highlighting thyme but because I wasn’t happy with the photos I never ended up using it. While I never retook the photos I decided to have a change of heart posting the recipe because at the end of the day the most important thing is is that it’s really really tasty.

So please forgive the photos and trust me when I say “Just Cook It.”

RECIPE:

5lb organic chicken
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 bunch thyme
1/2 an orange

Brine Recipe:

1 gallon water (or more)
1 cup salt
1 bunch of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 cup fresh ginger – chopped
1 large orange – cut in wedges
2 tbsp peppercorns

Brining is my secret weapon to ensure moist and tender birds. It’s a great technique to use especially with Thanksgiving coming up–we can all admit there’s nothing worse than a dry bird!  A wet brine typically uses water and salt sometimes combined with an assortment of herbs and spices for flavor. Submerging chicken (or turnkey) in the flavored salted water for a good 24 hours infuses a ton of flavor and moisture into the flesh so that the bird comes out moist and juicy not dry and flaky.

You’ll want to use a large enough bowl or container for the bird to be fully emerged. Place all brine ingredients in the bowl followed by the chicken. Add more water if necessary to make sure the entire bird is covered. Refrigerate for 24 hours in order to maximize flavor.

DIRECTIONS:

Remove brine from fridge 1 hour before cooking.

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Drain the bird and rinse in cold water. Lay on kitchen towel and pat dry. Stuff some kitchen towels in the cavity of the bird to soak up excess water.
Once the bird is reasonably dry, lay on foiled oven tray. Drizzle olive oil all over the skin, sprinkle with S&P and massage seasoned oil into the skin. Stuff the cavity with the thyme and the half orange.

Pour broth on the tray surrounding the chicken and pop in the oven for 1 hour to 1 1/4 hours. This is another one of my special techniques. The broth will help create steam in the oven and along with the brine, it creates a fantastically moist bird.
Once cooked (internal temp 165°F) let rest for 10 minutes before carving. This allows the meat to relax and the keeps the juices in the bird and not all over your cutting board.

NOTE: To check to see if it’s done, cut between the drumstick and the breast and if the juices run clear you’re good to go.

Don’t forget to save your chicken carcass for making homemade chicken stock!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

I’m really diggin’ our CSA box delivery service. So far the produce has been great and in order to use it all we’ve had to use our noggins and think outside the box a bit, so to speak! Who said you can’t have looks and brains?

This week our box contained organic Fuji apples, spinach, leeks, rainbow chard, broccoli, Valencia oranges & mixed peppers. I turned to old faithfuls for some of these—I used the oranges for Jerk sauce and the mixed peppers went into a pot o’chili.

Each week when our box arrives there’s a newsletter inside from the farm talking about what’s in season and giving tips and such about the fruit n’ veg. They also give a recipe highlighting one of the veggies. I was intrigued by this particular chard recipe not only because I really like leafy greens but also because it used the entire bunch of chard, stems & all. Usually one would remove the stems and either put them in the stock pot as I do or into the compost heap. Either way they’re getting used but I’d much prefer to eat them. They have a lovely peppery flavour and they add brilliant colour to the sauteed chard. I can’t take any credit for this but it did turn out great and I combined it with a rice recipe (below) which uses up some of the apples. Usin’ my noggin!

CHARD & LEEK SAUTE
RECIPE
Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cup sliced leeks – white part only, washed & drained
4 minced garlic cloves
1/4 cup low sodium chicken or veg broth
1 bunch rainbow chard – washed
salt
freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Pull the leaves from the stalks and chop finely. Set aside. Chop the leaves coarsely and rinse thoroughly in cold water. Drain.

Preheat large skillet on medium heat for 1 minute. Add 1 tbsp olive oil. Saute leeks for 3 minutes approx, stirring.
Add garlic and chard stems to leeks and saute for additional 3-4 minutes until softened. Add broth and chard leaves and saute for 4-5 minutes until tender and stock reduced.
Taste and season with S&P.

RICE WITH LEEKS & FUJI APPLE:

RECIPE:
Serves 6-8

2 cups uncooked Brown & Red Rice Mix (I like the Texmati Royal Blend)
2 cups Fuji apple – small dice
1 cup leek – white only – chopped
2 cloves garlic – minced
3 cups low-sodium chicken/veg  broth
2 cups water
1 tsp fresh thyme – chopped
1/3 cup walnuts -toasted & chopped
3/4 chopped walnuts – toasted
1 tsp olive oil
S&P to taste

Directions:
Preheat large saute for 30 seconds on medium heat. Drizzle 1 tbsp olive and saute diced apples for 6-7 minutes until soft. Once softened, remove from pan and add another tbsp olive oil. Saute leeks for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add garlic and continue cooking for another 30 seconds. Add broth, water, thyme and rice.  Stir and cover with lid. Bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes approx or until rice is cooked through.
NOTE: If additional liquid is needed add 1/2 cup at a time.
Once cooked, drain any excess liquid and return rice to pan. Fold in apple and walnuts.
Taste and season with S&P.

SERVING SUGGESTION:
Cajun Catfish or Grilled Organic Chicken Breast
I was able to purchase pre-seasoned cajun catfish at Whole Foods and it was damn tasty! (Even headdaball enjoyed it.) Definitely a meal worth trying!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients.

With it coming into holiday season pretty soon I felt the urge to get in the spirit a little early. Turkey is one my favourites but is one of those proteins that if done wrong can be bland and boring as well as, more often than not, over-cooked & dry. This recipe is pretty straight forward but shows how you can turn a plain turkey breast into a simple delicious healthy dinner. This dish is also perfect for a dinner party and even better as leftover sandwiches and you can easily change it up just like this Turkey Recipe I previously posted.
Alright, enough chit chat. Take a look.

RECIPE:
1 x 3 lb organic turkey breast

1 zucchini – small dice
1 yellow squash – small dice
1 medium leek – whites only, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced – rinsed well
2 garlic cloves – minced
2 tbsp – fresh thyme – chopped
2 tbsp fresh oregano – chopped
S&P
olive oil
1 cup rice – cooked
Cooking string
2 cups chicken broth or water (add 1 at a time and when evaporated add the 2nd cup)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat a large saute pan on medium heat for 1 minute. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and saute leeks for 30 seconds. Add garlic and veggies and continue sauteing for 10 minutes until softened. Add fresh herbs and mix. Fold in cooked rice.
Taste and season. Set aside on an oven tray to cool.

Using cooking string, cut 4 pieces of equal length (16 inches) and lay string 2″ apart on a clean cutting board.

Lay the turkey breast, skin side down on the cutting board. Using a sharp knife slice from top to bottom in the middle of the breast. You don’t want to slice the entire breast in half but more to create an opening for the stuffing, known as butterflying.

Open the flap and season with S&P. Spoon the rice mixture in the center and pat down with clean hands. Fold over the top flap.

Tie each string tightly around the turkey ensuring the filling stays inside.

NOTE: This can be done ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to cook.

Preheat oven to 420°F.
Lay the turkey on a foiled oven tray and season all sides with S&P. Drizzle olive oil on skin and rub in. Add 1 cup chicken broth to roasting pan. Pop in oven for 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 hours approx or until internal temp 160F.
NOTE: If you don’t have a thermometer pierce the center of the breast with a small knife and touch your top lip when removed. If your skin sizzles……you’re good to go (to hospital!).

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients.

For those of you who follow my food blogging ways you’ll know I’m big into these 1 pot meals. To be honest I just try to find ways of not having to do too much washing up. I know most, if not all of you will agree. That being said when I’m not doing the washing up I’ll use every pot n pan I can, but that’s just me!
For this dish I love the sweet flavour from the paprika which while cooking, gels well with the peppers.
This dish is full of flavour and is great served with my Black Beans and Rice recipe.

Recipe:
Serves 4

3 lbs Organic chicken pieces (drumsticks, breasts, thighs)
4 cups low-sodium organic chicken broth
1 cup red onion – fine dice
1 red bell pepper – cored, small dice
1 yellow bell pepper – cored, small dice
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup white wine (whatever you’re drinking at this exact moment)
2 tbsp sweet paprika (1 for chicken marinade, 1 for sauce)
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tbsp chopped fresh marjoram
3/4 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
4 tbsp olive oil

Directions:
Toss 1 tbsp paprika, 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp salt together in large mixing bowl. Add chicken pieces to bowl and toss.
Preheat large non-stick saute pan on high heat for 1 minute. Add 1 tbsp olive oil. Sear each chicken piece for 2-3 minutes each side until golden. Once browned add to large oven proof dish.

Wipe out pan of excess juices and add another tbsp olive oil. Add peppers, onion, garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add tomato paste, 1 tbsp paprika, crushed red peppers & marjoram and stir for 1 minute. Add wine and bring to boil. Once boiling add to chicken in casserole dish. Add chicken broth. Cover dish with foil and pop in oven for 2 hours or until chicken is fork tender.

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients.

Would you believe I’ve made this dish three times in hopes of getting a good photo? Ah well, this is me best. Good thing it’s mouthwatering good! You’ll have to trust me on this one.

Recipe:
1 x 5 lb organic chicken – portioned (2 breasts, 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, 2 wings)
12 oz jar marinated black olives – pitted
1 x 7 1/2 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts – drained (or 1 lb. fresh artichoke hearts – steamed)
1/4 cup marinated sun-dried tomatoes – drained (optional)
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp black peppercorns
1 red pepper – thinly sliced
1 garlic bulb – halved crosswise
1 bunch fresh tarragon – tied together with string
1 quart low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F.

Preheat large saute pan on medium high heat. Season the chicken portions with S&P on both sides. Add 2 tbsp olive oil to pan and and sear chicken for 3-4 minutes each side until golden brown. Once browned remove and set in large oven proof casserole dish. Drain excess oil from pan. In same pan add another tbsp olive oil and saute the peppers quickly for 1 minute. Add wine and de-glaze the pan, scraping all the nice caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan. FOR HOW LONG?  Add liquid to chicken along with all other ingredients. Cover with foil and pop in the oven for 1 1/2 hours approx or until chicken is fork tender.

I like to serve this dish family style with brown rice on the side.

Healthy cooking doesn’t have to be bland nor does it have to be complicated. These types of meals are pretty simple to make and they’re packed with flavor and nutrition.

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

It’s hot enough here that I could, if I wanted to, fry an egg on my bald head, which means barbecue season is still hangin’ in there….. just like the smoke over LA. I’m definitely not complaining since the poor Paddies have barely had a chance to put a flame to the barbecue this year. Ironically my parents have 3 barbecues (couldn’t tell ya why) but unfortunately they’re mostly used as gatherers of rust and leaves. With this being Labor Day weekend everyone here is in full barbecue mode so this is a great easy tasty recipe that can be done in advance and brought to the beach or just throw them on the grill if you have some peeps comin’ over. Either way there’s some good eatin’ here. Shit, I’m starting to write the way my Texan missus speaks, yikes. Think I need a trip to Kerry to sort me out!

RECIPE:
Serves 4

5 lbs organic chicken, portioned

Marinade:
1/4 cup fresh cilantro – rough chopped
1 large garlic clove – minced
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 cup low-sodium tamari (soy sauce)
3 tbsp agave
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1/2 cup olive oil

Directions:
Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Add chicken to bowl and, with clean hands, mix the marinade into the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours up to over night.
Once ready to cook, fire up the grill.
Grill all chicken pieces to desired temperature knowing that any dark meat chicken will take slightly longer to cook.

TIP: When grilling meat I like to cook by indirect heat. I have one side of my grill fired up on high heat and the other side on low heat. I sear or brown the meat on the high heat side on both sides and then move it over to the low heat side. Close the lid. By using this method the grill becomes more like an oven and the meat cooks slowly through thus not burning and remaining juicy and moist.

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.