Roasted Chicken

Snapping this photo, I felt like a poultry voyeur indulging in chicken cleavage. I almost yelled out from behind the camera "Ey Bird! Nice Rack!" ...butrestrainedmyself.

Tonight, for the first time in over a year, I roasted a whole chicken. Super basic: washed it, dried it, sprinkled with garlic powder, salt, pepper, Hungarian smoked paprika and cinnamon. Threw it in a roasting pan, dropped it in the oven at 425F then immediately turned the oven down to 350F. Roasted about an hour and a half, then let it rest for 20 minutes. Simple, falling off the bone satisfaction.

What to do with a roasted chicken? Aside from digging into it with a fork and spoon and greasy fingers, I have a few other ideas...



I've been having variations on this sandwich for days now. It's brilliantly tasty as the apple is crisp, crunchy, and tart, the beets are savory/sweet, slightly creamy, punched with dill and rounded by toasted pine nuts. The garlicky, crusty bread and fresh greens don't hurt the flavor combo either.

This sandwich was inspired by my mother's chicken and artichoke heart croissantwich. Usually, this was a special treat made with crisp romaine, and a mix of artichoke hearts, chicken, tarragon, and pine nuts served at music in the park on summertime Friday evenings of my childhood.

This recipe makes enough beets for 2 sandwiches.

Apple, Chicken and Beet Dill Sandwiches

1 cup beets
2 teaspoon mayo
1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

Slices of pink lady apple (or other tart, crispy style)
Slices of chicken breast or thigh
A handful of fresh mixed greens

Chop the beets into 1/8-1/4" dice. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Spread chopped garlic and extra virgin olive oil on a whole wheat ciabatta roll and toast. Add slices of apple, chicken, and beets to the toasted roll. Top with some greens and call it lunch.

As a variation, I've also converted this sandwich into a salad, using a touch of balsamic vinegar and pomegranate molasses as a dressing, omitting the ciabatta, and topping with a scoop of the beets.

Pumpkin Butter

At the Mount Pleasant Farmers' Market Jes picked up some Apple Butter, which is delectable- a little sweet, a little spicy, a little tart... At Trader Joe's I ran into pumpkin butter, which I've heard much about but never sampled. Since I had pumpkin at home already, I whipped some up with stellar results. Most recipes I found online called for traditional ground ginger, but I prefer the fresh flavor the grated root imparts. My new favorite breakfast is oatmeal with fresh chopped apple, a swirl of this tastiness on top, an extra dash of cinnamon and a few chopped almonds.

If you're using canned pumpkin, and want to use the whole can, go ahead and double the recipe.

Pumpkin Butter

1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup mashed, steamed pumpkin
1/4 cup water, apple juice, or apple cider
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt

Combine the maple syrup and the fresh ginger in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Simmer gently about 10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, and stir to combine, bringing the heat up to boil the butter. Once it boils, reduce the heat and simmer another 10 minutes, or until it reaches your favorite consistency.

Makes four 1/4 cup servings.

Nutrition Estimate per 1/4 cup serving: Calories 69. Total fat .1g. Total Carbohydrates 17.7g. Dietary Fiber 1g. Sugars 12.8g. Protein .5g.

Note to Grammy: See, I'm getting my cinnamon in :) Now if only I could find a way to integrate flax seed into this...

Pumpkin Apple Breakfast Muffins

Santa Cruz is a pretty friendly place for dietary restrictions- vegan, vegetarian, raw, gluten-free, no nuts... you can find it all. However, locating a tasty dairy-free muffin was pretty much impossible; oh how I tried. DC has undeniably less options, and I haven't really located a vegan bakery that I love. That said, I got to meet one of the owners from Free For All Cupcakes, but haven't sampled yet. I've resorted instead of continuing the search to making my own, and while I'm sure these are delectable smeared with a pat of butter, they're also moist, crumbly, and complex all on their own. Grab one with an autumn comice pear for a quick breakfast.



Like my other pumpkin recipes, I peeled, chopped, and steamed the flesh before mashing it for these muffins.

Pumpkin Apple Breakfast Muffins Recipe

I made 12 minimuffins from this recipe, but if you're looking for heady, voluptuous muffins, go for making 9 instead.

1 large apple (I used a New York Macintosh), peeled, and finely chopped
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup whipped light silken tofu
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon soy milk


After dicing the apple, add the sugar and let the juices accumulate while you get the rest of the recipe together.

In a large bowl mix the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and baking soda.

Add the pumpkin, tofu, canola oil, egg, vanilla, and soymilk to the apples and sugar.

Add the wet ingredients to the large bowl of dry ingredients and mix just to combine. Don't over stir, lumps are good.

Grease a muffin tin with cooking spray, distribute your batter, and bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes. If you make 9 muffins, you'll probably need to cook them closer to 20, but be careful not to overcook.

Enjoy your muffins! These keep well sealed in the fridge, or you can freeze them and warm them up in the microwave.

Nutrition Estimate for 12 muffins: Calories 85.2. Total Fat 1.5g. Carbohydrates 16.7. Fiber 1.8g. Sugars .1g. Protein 2.5g.