Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Radishes and Cauliflower

1 pound Brussels sprouts
1 bunch radishes
1/2 head cauliflower
1 onion, cut into eighths
2 tablespoons, olive oil or coconut oil
2 teaspoons sea salt

Trim Brussels sprouts of woody stem as well as any yellow leaves.  Cut in half.  Clean and trim radishes.  Wash and cut cauliflower into similar sized pieces as the Brussels sprouts.  In a gallon Ziploc bag or a large Tupperware container, place 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon sea salt and 1/2 of the veggies.  Toss to coat completely.  Place in a oiled shallow roasting pan.  Repeat with remaining olive oil and sea salt.  Top veggies with a few more sprinkles of  sea salt.  Roast at 425 between 30 and 40 minutes depending on the doneness.  Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Notes:

Can serve with freshly grated Pecorino Romano OR with English walnuts or toasted almonds or pine nuts.  Pecorino Romano cheese is made from sheep's milk and for my family this is considered dairy free.

Roasted Apple Chicken

1 whole chicken (5 to 7 pounds), cleaned inside and out, patted dry inside and out
6 stalks of celery, cleaned and trimmed
1 sweet apple, sliced
1 semi sweet apple, quartered
1/2 an onion, cut into chunks
4 - 5 garlic cloves, skins on
1 - 2 tsp freshly ground salt
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp ground pepper

Combine salt, thyme and pepper.  Rub the inside cavity of chicken with this mixture.  Loosen the skin from the breast of the chicken, lay the sliced apple between the skin and the breast meat.  Fasten the skin to the breast of the chicken with toothpicks so that the skin does not recede back during the breast meat as this will dry the chicken out during the roasting process. Stuff the cavity with the remaining ingredients:  celery, quartered apple, chunked onions, garlic cloves.

Roast at 425 for approximately 90 minutes.  An instant read thermometer should read 170 when checking the thigh.  Juices should run clear.

Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Truffle Risotto

Ever buy an ingredient for some dish only to store it in the pantry for weeks waiting for that moment when the fear of cooking that one dish is gone?  Been there.  Yep, I have!

Arborio rice meant for risotto has graced my pantry shelves......well, let's just say a long time.  Finally last week, I took the dive.

OH MY!  Yes, it was labor intensive but so worth it.  Coupled with a roasted chicken and roasted veggies it was not too labor intensive for the meal.  By pairing it with "easy" dishes that require little labor at the time meal prep, risotto can be quite calming to make.

Basic Risotto
compliments of Giada deLaurentiis

• 4 cups of gf chickenbroth
• 2 tablespoons of butter or dairy free butter
• ¾ cup of finely chopped sweet onion (about 1 small onion)
• 1½ cups of Arborio rice
• ½ cup of dry white wine
• ½ cup of freshly grated Pecarion Romano cheese
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• In a Medium saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer. Cover the broth and keep hot over low heat.
• In a large heavy saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until tender but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes.
• Add ½ cup of simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the rice adding the broth ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next, until the rise is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes total.
• Remove from the heat. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, the remaining tablespoon of butter, and the salt and pepper. Transfer the risotto to a serving bowl and serve immediately.
  

My notes:

(1) I used my cast iron dutch oven.

(2) Per Giada's notes in her Everyday Italian Cookbook, I decided to saute my portabello mushrooms in the Dutch oven before beginning the basic risotto.  I sauteed them in about 2 -3 teaspoons of Truffle Oil.  Oh my was that good!  After sauteing the mushrooms, I removed them from the pan and set them aside for later.  Cooking veggies for 30 minutes in the risotto will result in overcooked, limp and flavorless veggies.  By cooking them prior to the risotto, you maintain the flavor and the texture of the veggies.  This is also true if you are planning on adding any type of seafood, prosciutto or already cooked chicken.

(3) Due to the dairy allergies that exist in our family, I substituted Earth Balance Buttery Spread for the butter and Pecorino Romano cheese for the Parmesan cheese.  I also only used a small about of the Earth Balance, substituting some Truffle oil to enhance and deepen the flavor of the risotto.

(4) I ended up using closer to 5 cups of chicken broth before the risotto was done.
 
(5) Once the risotto was done, I added the previously sauteed mushrooms with a small amount of truffle oil.

Frugal Tip: Leftover Tomoato Juice

Let's be honest tomato juice is probably not your most favorite juice to drink.  So when a recipe calls for tomato juice, do you stop and think before deciding to try the recipe?  What to do with the leftovers?  Do you wonder:  Will I just end up throwing it out again because it went bad before I was able to use it all?

Sooooo.......

I like drinking tomato juice but have to be very careful how much I drink straight as it can at times give me a migraine.  So when I was doing the monthly fridge clean out, I pondered what to do with that last little bit of tomato juice.

An epiphany occurred.

Pulling out a mini muffin tin, I filled up the holes with juice.  Problem solved:  Frozen tomato juice to use in future recipes.  No wasting the leftover tomato juice.

Avocado Shake

The very first time that I visited Portland, Arthur took me to all his favorite restaurants.  Oh what fun he had introducing me not only to his favorite restaurants but also new ethnic foods.  One of which was an avocado shake from Thien Hong and then later at Pho Van.  I was skeptical to say the least but wanting to be a good sport I agreed to try it.  Oh my, was I glad! 

Later when my mom vacationed in Portland with me, Arthur and I introduced her to avocado shakes.  Like me she was quite skeptical.  After two sips, my avocado shake migrated to her place at the table.  I just turned to Arthur and asked him to order another one. How I wish I could find that picture of her enjoying that shake.  The caption would read:  Pure Bliss!

So before you write me off as crazy, which I probably am, try it!  You will not be disappointed!

Here is the recipe for Pho Van's version. 

1/2 ripe avocado
1T condensed Vietnamese milk
1/3 c water
1 1/2  - 2 c ice
1 T sugar

Mix thoroughly in a blender.  Serve in chilled glasses with a mint sprig.

Poultry Seasoning

Growing up many of the lessons that I learned about frugality in the kitchen had roots in the Mennonite community.  Mixed seasonings were made at home NOT bought at the grocery store.  Here is a way to stretch your pennies although minimally but still... :)  It also helps use up the spices in your rack so that they do not go stale before they are used.

3/4 tsp rubbed sage
1/4 tsp marjoram OR thyme

Mix together as needed.

Chicken Adobo

While living in the Philippines in 1990 I fell in love with Filipino food!  Here is one of my favorites which we have not been able to use for sometime because of the soy sauce.  BUT since finding out that our precious girl is not allergic to non-GMO soy that is found in Bragg's Amino Acids, we can make this and many other things again.

(Please note:  I  am not in anyway supporting the health claims espoused on this website.  I just know that for us this is a good alternative to the regular soy sauce found in American grocery and specialty food stores.) 

Chicken Adobo

(Dairy, Egg, Gluten and Soy Free)

(Note:  Only gluten free if GF Soy sauce is used)

2 lbs of chicken legs with skin on
2 T oil - peanut or sesame is traditionally used although I use olive oil
2 bay leaves
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c soy sauce
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 small onion, sliced - we use a sweet onion
1/2 c rice vinegar - occasionally I will use cider vinegar
2 T brown sugar

Heat pan and add oil.  Add chicken, bay leaves and garlic.  Saute chicken for approximately 5 minutes or until lightly browned on all sides.  Remove any excess oil.  Add all remaining ingredients, cover and bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  Stir chicken occasionally to cook evenly.  Serve over hot rice.

Other options:

- Boneless, skinless chicken pieces cut into 2 inch pieces and also be used BUT do NOT overcook.  This will cook much faster.


- Chicken thighs can also be used following the above directions.

-Pork chops or pork loin can also be used.  I use the pork chops without making them smaller.  I cut the pork loin into 2 inch pieces.

-Adding additional vegetables works GREAT although traditionally adobo is served without vegetables in the mix!  Add them toward the end of the cooking time.  Broccoli, celery and carrots are good options as well as green and red bell peppers.  They take about 10 minutes to cook in the pan OR steam them separately and add them before serving.

- Can also add some julienne ginger with the garlic for additional flavor