Beer Roasted Chicken with Beer gravy

Beer Roasted Chicken with Beer Gravy

-1 full chicken (2 to 3 pounds)
-1/2 lemon
-1/2 onion
-1 clove of garlic
-1 tablespoons herb de Provence
-1 tablespoon soft butter
-salt and pepper
-1 tall boy can of beer
-2 cups chicken broth

-Wash the chicken, pat dry.  Salt inside of the chicken and place the lemon and onion inside the cavity. Place the chicken in a roasting pan, pour in the 2 cups of broth and half the can of beer.  Use a small amount of salt to rub the skin of the chicken, then apply freshly ground pepper.  Take the herb de Provence and sprinkle over the chicken and into the beer and chicken broth.   Then lift the skin and rub the whole chicken with the butter.
Cover and place in a preheated oven at 400 degrees.  Cook covered for 60 minutes then take off the lid ad allow the skin to become golden brown, about another 20 minutes.  Make sure you check the temperature of the chicken to ensure it is cooked, which is about 180 degrees Fahrenheit.  Turn the oven off and place chicken in the oven to keep warm while you make the gravy.

To make the beer Gravy

-remove the liquid from the bottom of the pan and place in a sauce pan, I poured through a wire colander to remove some fat and chicken pieces.  Place in a sauce pan on medium heat, add the rest of the beer and bring to a boil.  In a small jar that has a tight fitting lid add 2 tablespoons of flour, salt and pepper, and 1/4 cup of water.  Shake this mixture until no lumps and pour into the chicken dripping beer mixture, reduce to simmer and once thick serve over the chicken.  The gravy did have the herb de Provence in it and the flavour was just incredible.

This gravy was amazing, words of advice pick a beer that you enjoy the flavour of.  The alcohol is cooked off, so this recipe is suitable for the whole family, but is not gluten free.  There was not one drop of chicken wasted and even the pickiest eater ate the gravy and the chicken.

Parsnips french fries

Parsnip French Fries

-1 pound of parnsips, peeled, sliced, and chopped
-optional sweet potatoes peeled and sliced
-4 tablespoons vegetable oil/coconut oil
-salt and pepper to taste
-chili powder or cajun seasoning sprinkled

Preheat oven to 400F.  Peel and chop parsnips, place in a bowl and coat with oil.  Add seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.  Cook on a cookie sheet in a single layer.  Turn after 10 minutes.  I cooked mine for about 20 minutes.  Cook until golden brown, serve with your favourite ketchup.

Fried Green Tomatoes

My Mom, who has a large garden came over with several Green Tomatoes.  The weather has changed in Toronto and her garden's growth has ended for the season.  So what to do?  I started thinking about a movie from my childhood, Fried Green Tomatoes.  I realise that availability of green tomatoes is low, but my cooking is about what I have in my house, to be inspired by the season, the flavours and this is no exception.

Fried Green Tomatoes

-Green tomatoes sliced
-1/2 cup breadcrumbs
-1 tablespoon chili powder
-1 tablespoon garlic powder
-2 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
-salt and pepper
-oil to coat the bottom of the pan
-1 small purple onion chopped

Mix all the dry ingredients together and ensure that the mixture is thoroughly mixed, so the flavour is consistent.  Cut the tomatoes, if it is the bottom piece peel the skin off so that you can have the mixture stick to the tomato.  I did not want to use eggs, so for each piece of tomato I placed it in the dry mix and used some pressure to ensure that the coating sticks.  I then heated olive oil in the pan and sliced up the onion, I started cooking the tomatoes and place the onions around, I flipped the tomatoes after a few minutes when they browned, stirring the onions at the same time.  It took about 6 minutes in total cooking time.  These were delicious, especially with the addition of the onion.  I also dipped them in sweet chili sauce.

Baked Chicken Legs

These were a real hit with my kids, and myself.

Baked Chicken Legs

-Chicken legs
-chili powder lightly sprinkled on top
-salt and pepper
-herb de Provence
-the juice of half a lemon
-1/2 cup of beer poured on top
-lightly coated with cumin

-season the chicken, spray with lemon and then pour the beer over.  Bake at 350 for an hour.  I basted the chicken with the beer a few times, the chicken was moist and delicious.  for sweeter version add 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar to mix.

Crispy Citrus Chicken

My children loved this meal.  The ate have the chicken between the two of them.

Crispy Citrus Chicken

-1 whole chicken
-1/2 onion
-1/2 orange
-3 cloves of garlic
-2 tablespoons soften butter
-1 teaspoon chili powder
-1 tablespoon fresh thyme
-1 handful of fresh thyme sprigs
-1 teaspoon rosemary
-salt and pepper

Wash the chicken and loosen the skin from the chicken.  Stuff half an onion, 1 clove of garlic, salt ans pepper and the sprigs of the thyme and lemon inside the chicken, add the orange at the end, so yo ucan see the orange.

Rub

Mix the softened butter with 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme chopped, 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper.  Rub the chicken with this mixture and rub it underneath the lifted skin.

Preheat the oven to 375 and cook for 1 hour and 10 minutes.  Make sure it is cooked and then serve.

Tabbouleh Salad

I was given fresh herbs by a friend this week, so a bundle of fresh mint brought me thinking to tabbouleh.  This is my version that was refreshing.

Tabbouleh Salad

-1 cup of quinoa
-the juice and zest of two lemons
-1 cup parsley finely chopped
-1 cup mint finely chopped
-1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
-1 red onion
-3 tomatoes
-salt and lots of pepper

-in a large pot bring 2 cups of water to a boil, then add quinoa and reduce to simmer for 20 minutes.  Chop the tomatoes, the parsley, mint and the onion.  Place a bowl.  Add the cooked quinoa and mix.  Zest the 2 lemons and add the juice.  Then add the tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and oil.  Mix well and add salt and pepper.  I love the pepper in this salad.

Salmon in a Dill Orange Rum Sauce

Salmon in a Dill Orange Rum Sauce

-1 piece of salmon (about 1.5 pounds)

-fresh dill

-orange slices

-juice and zest of half an orange 

-orange slices

-salt and pepper

-1 oz of dark rum

Place the salmon in a pan.  Cover with fresh dill.  Squeeze the orange juice over and orange zest.  Then pour the rum over.  Add slices of orange.  Salt and lots of fresh pepper.  Bake at 425 for 10-15 minutes.

Autumn Veggies

This was a delicious autumn veggie dish.  It had all the colours of the rainbow, amazing flavours and beautiful colours.

Autumn Veggies

-1 large leek chopped
-1 sweet potato chopped
-4 beets (boiled, peeled and sliced)
-1 medium zucchini
-1 bunch of kale
-1 tablespoon sesame seeds
-1 tablespoon poppy seeds
-1/4 cup blanched almonds
-salt and pepper
-1/2 small pomegranate

Sauce

-1 tablespoon sweet and smoky mustard
-1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
-3 tablespoons olive oil
-juice of 1 lime
-3 tablespoons maple syrup
-salt and pepper


In a frying pan add a small amount of oil, add leeks, sweet potatoes and zucchini.  (I had boiled the beets for 20 minutes already, I boil them by just cutting the greens off and when boiled I cut the top and root off and the skin will slide off with your hands).  Allow to cook until sweet potato is soft, then add the beets sliced.  Allow to cook and the colour to blend with the rest of the veggies. Add the poppy seeds, sesame seeds and almonds.  Allow them to brown.  Then add the kale.  When the kale has cooked a bit, drench with the sauce and top with the pomegranate seeds.  So delicious.
 

Eggplant Parmesan topped with a Mozzarella onion mushroom and pepper sauce

This was not a typical eggplant Parmesan, there was no tomato sauce, I covered them with onions, mushrooms, red, yellow, and orange peppers.

Eggplant Parmesan topped with a Mozzarella onion mushroom and pepper sauce

-1-2 eggplants (I used the round eggplant that is short and a light purple skin) sliced thinly
-flour
-2 eggs
-1 cup breadcrumbs
-2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese finely shredded
-salt and pepper
-olive oil

In a bowl scramble 2 eggs.  On one plate place about 1/2 cup of flour, on a second plate place bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and salt and pepper, mix together so that the flavour is evenly distributed.  Have a frying pan on medium heat coat the bottom with a thin layer of olive oil.  Take each individual eggplant and dip in flour to coat both sides.  Then dip in the egg and coat in the bread crumb mixture.  Place in frying pan browning each side.

Mozzarella onion mushroom and pepper sauce

-1 onion chopped
-1 cup mushrooms chopped
-1-2 garlic cloves chopped finely
-1 red pepper
-1 yellow pepper
-1 orange pepper
-olive oil
-1 cup red wine
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
-Paremsan cheese
-1 teaspoon chili powder (more if you want a little more flavour)

In a frying pan on medium heat add a few tablespoons of oil and heat, add onions and mushrooms and Sautée until onions soft and clear.  Add peppers and garlic.  Once peppers start to soften add chili powder, trying to evenly coat mixture.  Allow to cook for a few more minutes.  Add the wine and salt pepper, continue to stir occasionally.  Then add cheeses and mix well.  Top the eggplant these veggies.

Lemon Balsamic Basa Fish

Lemon Balsamic Basa Fish

-4 basa fillets
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-juice of 1 lemon
-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
-salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix olive oil, balsamic vinegar and and lemon and pour over fish lightly season with salt and pepper.

bake for about 10 minutes.

Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar Salmon

So I was making salmon and I made this delicious salmon.  Again I have been cooking really healthy foods lately, trying to eat local, in season veggies and fruit.  So I wanted something a bit different and sweet

Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar Salmon

                                                                            -2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-1 oz dark rum
-salt and pepper
-juice of one lime

-I mix all together and marinated salmon face down (Skin up) in the mixture.  Then I turned the salmon over and cooked at 425 for about 12 minutes.  The rum, with the lime and sweetness of the raspberry vinegar was so refreshing and light.

In this picture: Raspberry balsamic vinegar salmon, organic broccoli in olive oil and pepper, 

cinnamon sweet potatoes and portabello mushrooms

I think I would have made a small batch of raspberry vinegar and olive oil to pour over and lime to spoon over the salmon now looking back.

boiled beets with balsamic vinegar

I bought these baby beets at the Brickworks Farmer's Market.  They are small and different colours and full of sweetness and flavour.

I used a handful of beets.  Boiled them and splashed white balsamic vinegar and olive oil, salt and pepper.

Boil until you can fork them, remove skin.  ii just lightly drizzles with both olive oil and balsamic.  salt and pepper to taste.

BBQ Potatoes

So this is a fantastic BBQ recipe

New Potatoes BBQ in a foil container

-1-2 pounds of new potatoes chopped in half
-1-2 tablespoons of olive oil or butter
-1 onion chopped
-salt and pepper
-red and yellow peppers chopped
-1/4 cup cheese grated (parmigiana, Swiss, cheddar, Gouda)


In a pan (I used a tin foil pan) places the potatoes, oil, onion, peppers and covered with cheese.  I used what I had available, the cheese is what made the dish, on medium high heat on the BBQ, stirring frequently.  Cook until potatoes roasted through out, pierce with a fork.  Took about 30 minutes.  To speed up partially boil potatoes.


Was amazing!