Spiced Roasted Chicken

QFC had organic chicken on sale so I decided to make a roasted chicken. This time, I added some Asian inspiration to the recipe. I added paprika, ginger, coriander, and cumin, but you can add five spice to give a kick to the flavor of the chicken.


Ingredients
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 whole chicken (3 1/2 to 4 pounds), rinsed and patted dry, legs tied
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 medium potatoes, halved crosswise, and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
2 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 orange, unpeeled, cut into 8 wedges

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl, combine spices. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then rub all over with spice mixture. Place in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid. Arrange vegetables and orange wedges around chicken and add 1/2 cup water. Cover and roast 30 minutes.

2) Remove lid and roast until skin is golden brown and juices run clear when chicken is pierced between breast and leg, about 30 minutes or temperature reach 165F. Let rest 10 minutes before carving. Serve with vegetables and orange wedges.

Spinach Smoked Mac and Cheese

I got a bunch of organic spinach from the Full Circle Farm delivery and I was thinking what I can do with it outside of preparing it as a salad. Finally I thought I can put it into mac and cheese.

So I went to Trader Joes, and was looking at their cheeses, and I was impressed that they carry raw milk cheese and grass fed cow cheese.
I decided to make this mac and cheese with a twist, so I used a smoked Gouda as part of the cheese mix. You can also add goat cheese if you like.


Ingredients
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely minced sweet onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 cups spinach leaves, cut into 1/2-inch strips
1 cup shredded Sharp White Cheddar Cheese
1 cup shredded Smoked Gouda
3/4 pound penne, cooked

Directions
1. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Whisk in flour until mixture is golden. Add the milk, whisking constantly. Raise heat to medium-high, bring to a boil and continue to whisk until sauce is smooth and thickened, 10 to 12 minutes. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

2. Add spinach to sauce; give it a few stirs until spinach is wilted. Stir in cheeses until melted and well combined. Add cooked pasta and stir. Taste and add more salt and/or pepper, if desired. Serve immediately.

Buttery Shrimp and Radish Pasta

It’s finally summer in Seattle! Well, what I mean is, our summer has been hidden and finally the weather is getting a little warmer (The temperature is getting up to 60-70F with the sun hanging out during the day). I got my first box of produce from Full Circle Farm. You can change out the box contents in advance so you get what you want. But I think it is fun to open a box and be surprised, so I can try out different fruits and vegetables. This time my surprise was RADISHES! I have tried radishes before and I never really liked them. I think it is because I had it raw and it tasted like mud.... I think I over exaggerated.

The next thing I did was to search for a recipe for a food that I don't usually cook with. I chose a Martha Stewart recipe, but I adjusted it a bit to add more herbs to increase the flavor of this dish.


Ingredients
3/4 pound pasta, cooked
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 large bunch radishes, thinly sliced, greens rinsed well and roughly chopped
1 pound frozen large shrimp (peeled and deveined), thawed
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon dry parsley

Directions
1) In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until radishes are crisp-tender, 3 minutes. Add radish greens and cook until wilted. Season with salt and pepper, then add to pasta and stir to combine.

2) In skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add shrimp, season with herbs, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until opaque throughout, 4 minutes. Add shrimp to pasta and toss, adding enough pasta water to create a light sauce that coats pasta.

Pan fried Breaded Cod

The flavor of cod is very different from salmon or any other fish. It is a very bland fish, so we usually deep fry it and dip with a very flavorful tartar sauce. This time, I added more salt to marinate the fish to increase its flavor. I have been using Redmond all natural sea salt for all my cooking. The grocery store had wild cod for sale for $4 a pound, so I immediately bought some and cooked it for dinner.


Ingredients
* 2 pieces wild cod fillet
* salt and pepper
* 3 tablespoons flour
* 1 egg, beaten
* 1 cup bread crumbs

Directions
1) Pat dry the fish. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides. Dust the fillets with flour, then dip in the beaten egg and coat with bread crumbs.
2) Heat saucepan with olive oil. Gently put the breaded fillets in the saucepan. Cook for 2-4 minutes or until golden, turn to the other side and cook for another 2-4 minutes.