BERRY CRISP (gluten-free, vegan)

I needed a gluten and dairy free dessert to bring to a pot luck and researched variations online. I came across one from the ever talented Minimalist Baker which seemed good so I combined it with a prior recipe I had for a peach and strawberry crisp. It is incredibly easy, incredibly tasty and perfectly set up to serve warm after a meal if desired. Bonus - extra crumb topping is delicious on so many things, including just eaten off a spoon. While tweaked and honed in on my preferences for the ultimate crisp, it is still very similar to the Minimalist Baker version to be sure to give credit where due!

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BERRY CRISP

Adapted from Minimalist Baker
(gluten free, vegan)

Ingredients

Filling

2 Tablespoons maple syrup (a little more if your fruit is on the tart side)

1.5 Tablespoons corn starch or arrowroot powder (gluten free if keeping gluten free)

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

4 -6 cups mixed berries (I used blueberries and strawberries)

Topping

1 2/3 cup organic oats (gluten free if keeping gluten free)

1 cup of hazelnuts

1/2 cup coconut sugar (regular sugar would work fine as well)

2/3 teaspoon salt (I always use Celtic Sea Salt)

4 Tablespoons coconut oil (if not keeping vegan, you could swap for unsalted butter)

2 Tablespoons maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. (or not of you are just preparing the dessert to be cooked later)

Prepare the topping:

Toast the hazelnuts in a dry pan for just a few minutes on low heat. Watch them carefully. Set aside.

In a food processor, combine 2/3 cup of oats and the 2/3 cup of hazelnuts and pulse until combined and relatively uniform. Add the sugar, salt, coconut oil and maple syrup. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the remaining 1 cup of oats and hazelnuts and pulse a few more time to combine but not pulverized the new oats and nuts. This way you get a few different textures in the topping, which adds a lot. If your coconut oil is very firm, you should warm it. If it is semi-soft, you can still work it.

Once well blended but still chunky (see photos) set aside. If preparing ahead of time and using later (and/or traveling with it) put the topping in a container. A large mason jar works well.

Prepare the filling:

Wash berries and dry berries. Lay them out on a clean towel to dry off a bit. If using strawberries, cut into smaller pieces. Place in a large mixing bowl and add lemon juice and maple syrup. Give a light toss. Then sprinkle with corn starch or arrowroot powder, which will help thicken the fruit juices into a luscious sauce. Place into a deep pie dish or 9x9 ceramic baking dish. Set aside until ready to bake. If not baking right away, cover with foil or a beeswax wrap.

Assemble and bake:

Decide when you are going to bake it, and be sure to preheat the oven so it is at 350°F when it is time to put the crips in the oven. I like to time it so it goes in just before we sit down for dinner so it comes out pipping hot around when we’re done with dinner. When ready to bake, sprinkle a thick layer of topping over the berries in the baking dish and bake for 35 - 45 minutes until a little golden brown on top and you can see the fruit juices bubbles at the edges. Let sit for about 10 minutes (longer is fine) out of the oven to cool slightly.

Enjoy … ideally with some good quality vanilla ice cream!

Notes:

• Always buy organic if you can, especially important with strawberries as they are top of the dirty dozen list.

• This makes a lot of topping. If you want a lot of the crisp, you will have it. Or you can enjoy the leftovers another time straight on ice-cream, in yogurt, on some roasted vegetables or right off a spoon. The topping really is super tasty on its own.

COINTREAU CRANBERRY RELISH

Due to some surgery, I found myself with some extra downtime pre-Thanksgiving this year. Naturally, I binged on cooking shows, Thanksgiving specials in particular. I garnered some great ideas to try for next Thanksgiving since I couldn’t cook this year.

However, with some help from my sister, I was able to try out Ted Allen’s Cointreau Cranberry Relish and it was amazing! I always make fresh cranberry sauce, but is has always been very standard (i.e. basic) and often I’m the only one who has any. That is now forever changed with this cranberry relish, which has amazing depth of favor and fantastic texture. It has a perfect balance of sweet, tart and spice from the cinnamon. Even my sister, who always passes on the cranberry sauce, had this adorning her Thanksgiving plate and every subsequent plate the rest of the weekend.

This is really so good you’ll want to make it all fall and winter! I want it in the fridge all the time - great with turkey (of course), roast chicken, pork chops and in sandwiches. I am even tempted to heat it up and use it as an ice cream topping! As I write this I realize little jars full of this tasty relish would make fantastic hostess gifts this holiday season. Awesome.

Cointreau Cranberry Relish

Adapted from Ted Allen’s version, as seen on The Kitchen, and recipe on The Food Network.

Ingredients

12 oz organic Cranberries

1 finely diced Granny Smith Apple

3/4 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of Cointreau

1/2 cup water

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (generous 1/4 teaspoon)

Grated zest from one lemon and orange

Directions

Combine one 12-ounce bag cranberries, 1 diced Granny Smith apple, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup Cointreau, 1/2 cup water and 1/4 teaspoon each ground cinnamon in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the berries start to pop and continue cooking about 20 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the grated zest of 1 each lemon and orange. Taste. If you feel it should be a little sweeter (I decreased the original amount of sugar) add a little more, if it needs a little more cinnamon, add now; cook for a few more minutes. Set aside to keep at room temperature if using shortly for a meal or chill to keep for longer. It is even delicious straight out of the fridge.

Enjoy!

Notes:

• Always buy organic if you can, especially important when using the skin of items, like the lemon and oranges you zest for this recipe.

• The original recipe calls for a peeled and diced apple. We left the skin on the apple, why not? It’s less work and the skin is where most of the nutrition is. But worth mentioning, is that the skin will not breakdown so if you don’t want that texture in your relish, then peel the apple before dicing it.

• Ours seemed a little too sweet when we followed the original recipe, so we added a little more cinnamon and cooked it a little longer. After it was chilled it was no longer too sweet but I reduced the sugar in this version to tame the sweetness a bit more.

• I specified finely diced as the original recipe didn’t specify. Without direction from the recipe, we thought a dice similar in size to the cranberries made the most sense. However, in hind sight, a smaller dice would have been better as the cranberries break up much more easily than the apples so in the end the apple pieces stood out.

VEGETABLES AND VEGAN COCONUT TAHINI DIP

I attended a cooking class a couple weeks ago offered by Haven's Kitchen here in NYC with some friends. The title was, "Good Food that's Good For You" and it really delivered! I am always looking for ways to improve the nutritional value of my cooking without sacrificing flavor and figured this class would provide me with a few new recipes and tips plus its always fun to do an activity like this with friends sometimes instead of the usual dinner out. 

The class and instructors, Mia and Ashton, were so inspiring. I left excited and invigorated. I couldn't wait to remake every single thing we made during the class and apply the tips and ideas my cooking in general. Here's a dip and veggie dish we made. I was honestly blown away by how tasty this dip was while being vegan and full of healthy fats. The herb harissa sprinkle on top took the dip to an entirely new level giving it even more depth. Another surprise was the ever so slightly blanched vegetables, they were still crisp yet were a little more delicate and enjoyable. The combo was perfect. I just made it yesterday to bring to a neighborhood gathering and it was really well liked by all and those who are staying away from dairy were particularly appreciative. 

The line up

If you can get rainbow carrots they will add beauty to you platter, but regular ones are just as good

Firmer vegetables are blanched quickly in salted water and cooled immediately in a salted ice bath

Store the dip in a mason jar and in the fridge until you are ready to serve. 

Vegetables and Vegan Coconut Tahini Dip

(very slightly adapted from Haven's Kitchen)

6 cups of your favorite vegetables for dipping
      Combo ideas:
            1 head of broccoli, 2 bunches rainbow carrots, 1 - 2 cucumbers, a few radishes
            1 cups haricot vert, 1 cups Brussels sprouts, 2 bunches broccoli rabe (~8 stalks)
1 cup full fat coconut yogurt
1/4 cup tahini
2 tbsp lemon juice (have extra on hand)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp fine sea salt (the original recipe calls for 1 tsp but I found it too salty) + more for blanching and ice bath
Harissa spice

Fill a large pot with water and a pinch of sea salt, and bring to a high simmer. While the water is heating, wash and trim your vegetables. When the water is about to boil, add the firmer vegetables to water, starting with the densest vegetables first as they will take the longest to cook. Prepare an ice bath, by filling a large both with cold water, some ice and a pinch of salt, for the vegetables to plunge into when they come out of the boiling water to stop the cooking and preserve their color. As soon as you take the veggies out of the pot plunk them straight into the ice bath. 

Haven's kitchen gave the example of: add Brussels sprouts and cover, add broccoli rabe after a minute and then the haricot vert about am minute after that. Once the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes after adding the haricot vert, drain and run under cool water or put in an ice bath to stop cooking.

I prefer to cook the vegetables separately so, for instance, you don't get little broccoli bits on the other veggies. I found carrots and broccoli only took about 4 mins tops. I might even go with 2 - 3 mins next time. I would leave cucumbers and radishes raw.  

Lay the vegetables out to dry off while you make the dip. You could lay some clean kitchen towels on the counter to do so or put a towel or paper towels on a baking sheet and then lay your vegetables on that and set aside. 

To make the dip: Combine coconut yogurt with tahini, 1 tbsp of lemon juice, 1 tbsp of olive oil (reserving remaining lemon and olive oil for garnish) and sea salt, mixing until fully combined. You can mix all of this in a bowl with a whisk but it is much easier in a food processor. Taste the dip and adjust based on what you think it needs. I added a bit more tahini, lemon and a splash of olive oil. It is very flexible. Over the weekend, i doubled the recipe and my coconut yogurt came in 5.2 oz containers. I didn't want to have just a little yogurt left so I put all four containers in which is a bit more than the recipe called for... which is probably why I had to add a little more tahini, lemon and oil in the end. 

Serving

• Option A (per Haven's Kitchen): To serve, spread coconut tahini dressing generously on the bottom of a plate. Top with cooked vegetables and dress with remaining olive oil and lemon juice. Finish with Maldon sea salt and harissa spice, and serve.
• Option B: Arrange vegetables on a large platter (a wood cutting board would look amazing!) with a bowl for the dip. I squeezed a little lemon juice on the vegetables but left off the olive oil in the original Haven's kitchen recipe as I didn't want guests to get oil on their fingers when they picked up the veggies. Fill the bowl with some dip and top with a couple shakes of harissa spice. I found the dip salty enough so I left out the final sprinkle of Maldon sea salt Haven's Kitchen recommended. I like to include a spoon so people can put some dip on their plates with their choice of vegetables allowing unabashed double dipping.  

Sourcing

• Coconut Yogurt - As with anything, you want to find one with as few added extra ingredients as possible. I wanted to use Anita's coconut yogurt, a local Brooklyn brand, as it has the cleanest ingredients list I have seen. But I couldn't find any in time so I went with CoYo's Natural Coconut Yogurt that I picked up from Whole Foods, which is a good alternative. 
• Tahini - Seed + Mill makes the most amazing tahini! If you can get some, you won't be disappointed. The quality of your dishes really can only be as good as the quality of the ingredients!! They have a store located in Chelsea Market in Manhattan and you can buy through their website to have it shipped to you.
• Harissa - The Herb Harrisa Spice from New York Shuk is used here. It's the perfect complement. Worth buying online if you can't get it in a local store. I picked some up at Hudson & Charles in the West Village, one of our favorite local butchers. 

SIMPLE WHOLE ROASTED CHICKEN

I have been reducing my soy intake and so switched up my roast chicken recipe by swapping soy sauce out entirely in favor of more garlic salt. My family has been loving this new version even more.

 

Simple Whole Roast Chicken

Ingredients 

3 - 4 lb chicken (preferably pasture raised)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
garlic salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Let chicken sit out to come to room temp, pat dry, about 1 - 1.5 hours.

Melt the butter in the microwave or on the stove. Set aside. 

Coat the chicken with a light sprinkling of garlic salt. Then place the chicken in its baking vessel. Then brush melted butter over the entire chicken. Once done, sprinkle some more garlic salt everywhere.

Pop it into the oven and bake for about 45 mins to - 75 mins. Take the chicken out and test for doneness at 45 mins. The chicken is done when an instant-read thermometer reads 165°F when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh and any juices run clear (the legs of the chicken should wiggle easily from the sockets too.)

Once cooked, place the chicken on a cutting board and let sit for about 15 - 20 minutes before carving. It is up to you if you want to tent it with foil when it comes out. It will keep it warmer but it will also cause the crispy skin to loose some crispness. I don't bother to cover anymore. The chicken still stays pretty warm. 

Enjoy!! 

The Next Day

Save the carcass and any left over chicken meat to make chicken soup the next day. Simple start with equal parts water and chicken stock (Brodo's chicken bone broth is divine!), let it come to a boil, add the chicken bones and any left over meat. Add a few large pieces of carrots and celery. After it all comes to a boil, let is simmer for about 3 hours. Remove the soft carrots and celery. Any meat left on the chicken bones should come off easily. Take it all off and then discard the bones. You'll be left with nutrient rich chicken soup and tender chicken meat. I usually leave some in the fridge for my next lunch or dinner and freeze the rest. When I'm ready to eat the soup, I bring it to a boil again on the stove adding some more water and then some vegetables. Even just some chopped cabbage is nice! For my daughter I add in just some diced carrots. Add a little salt for the vegetables and let it simmer until the vegetables are as soft as you want them and serve. Good as is, extra good with a nice piece of bread with butter.  

FLEXIBLE QUICHE

Part of our Easter Brunch spread

Quiche is such a versatile dish to have in your repertoire . They are great for an easy weeknight dinner with a little side salad or as part of weekend brunch gathering spread. I love to serve them at larger gatherings because they are great room temperature, and it is so helpful if you don't have to worry about keeping something warm. It is also easy to make meat filled or vegetarian versions. You can even keep it gluten free by using a gluten free pie shell. 

This is a basic recipe that where you fill in the blanks with your favorite fillings. For large gatherings, we usually make two so we have one with bacon and a veggie only version. 

Flexible Quiche

Ingredients

Ready for the egg mixture to be poured in. When cooking 2, it makes it easier to move in and out of the oven if you place them on a baking sheet.

3/4 cup cooked filling (not including eggs or cheese) - whatever you want to put in in, e.g. asparagus/onion/thyme, bacon/broccoli/onion, mushroom/onion or shallots

5 - 6 eggs

1 cup shredded gruyere

¾ cup half and half

Pie shell (feel free to use frozen store bought, it make everything so easy!)

Salt to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Prepare your 3/4 cup of filling
Cook your filling so you end up with about 3/4 cup worth of filling. If you use asparagus or broccoli parboil them for a just a few minutes to soften just a little. If you are using bacon, slice the bacon into strips and then pan fry until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan onto a plate or bowl lined with a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Then sauté the rest of your filling adding a little salt to taste (if using onions, get that started before your other vegetables) until everything is cooked. Set aside.

Prepare the eggs and cheese
Whisk eggs and half & half together with a little salt.
Grate cheese.

Assemble and bake
Spread most of the cheese on the bottom of the pie shell (which you can use from frozen), layer filling, then pour the egg mixture on top. Sprinkle remaining cheese on the top.  

Bake in the middle of your oven for 30 - 35 minutes until it looks firm and done. Test by poking something in the middle. Let sit for at least 15 mins before serving to finish setting.

DROOL WORTHY ROAST HAM

Photo Credit: Betty FONG

This is super simple yet the rewards ample. You simply baste the ham as it warms and crisps up in the over with a basic glaze, which will has the added benefit of scenting the air with deliciousness enticing everyone as soon as they walk in the door. It presents well on a cutting board and it yummy warm or cold. For my family it has always accompanied our Easter meal, and sometime other holiday gatherings like Thanksgiving or Christmas. It is also the perfect anchor for any large weekend brunch. 

Roast Ham

Smoked Ham

Buy the best ham you can buy, preferably local and pasture raised. It might be more expensive but it really matters as far as nutrition, flavor, texture and of course for sustainability and animal welfare. 

Glaze (courtesy of my aunt Michelle)

1 cup honey

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

(though I will admit, the last time we made it we left out the ginger and mustard and it was still awesome)

Directions

Take your ham out of the fridge for 2 hours before you plan to put it in the oven. It will cook better and more evenly at room temperature. 

Preheat your oven to 280°F. Place your ham on the bottom of a roasting rack. I put the ham right in the rack when I pull it out of the fridge to warm up so it's ready to go later. 

Measure out all of the glaze ingredients into small sauce pan and warm gently to combine into a very thick syrup. 

Baste the entire ham with the glaze using a basting brush or baster. The glaze should be thick so it sticks to the ham versus running off. But it if is too thick to even work with, you can thin by working in a little warm water. 

Cook the glazed ham for about 12 minutes per pound, glazing every 20 - 30 minutes. If toward the end of the cook time it isn't getting crispy on the outside you can increase the temperature a bit to create a nice crispy exterior. 

Let stand until it is cool enough to touch. Then slice on a cutting board and serve. Unless you are portioning out individual plates, I recommend slicing only a portion of the ham to start and then slicing a bunch more as needed. Take a look at the photos to see what I mean. It helps the meat not dry out too much before it is eaten and it looks great. You can leave it on the cutting board if you have a nice one, or transfer to a plate. 

Photo Credit: Kasia Bloom of PROJEKT BLOOM

It is great with mashed or roasted potatoes and Roasted Carrots with Parsley Mint Yogurt Sauce. For a brunch buffet, like the Easter one we had over the weekend, I like to put out a couple types of mustard and some fresh mini rolls so our guests can make little ham sandwiches if they wish. It's a nice option to add a starch yet nothing that needs much effort or to be kept warm, like mashed or  roasted potatoes.  

SLAW WITH JAPAPENO-LIME DRESSING

A fantastic go-to side dish. It is also great on tacos, especially fish tacos. The recipe makes a ton so it is especially great for a big group. As an extra bonus, the dressing itself makes a great sauce to add freshness and tang to many things, it even works as a salsa for tortilla chips.

Enjoy!!!

Slightly adapted from Rebar: Modern Food Cookbook

Ingredients 

Dressing

• Juice and zest of 1 lime
• 3 T rice vinegar
• 1 T honey
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 or 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 cup vegetable oil or 1/2 cup buttermilk plus 1/2 cup mayonnaise

Salad

• 1/2 small head green cabbage
• 1/2 small head purple cabbage
• 1 small jicama
• 2 carrots
• 1 sweet red pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 1 medium red onion
• 1/2 cups minced chives

Directions

Combine the ingredients up to coriander in a bowl or food processor.  Whisk or blend while slowly drizzling in the oil.  If using buttermilk and mayonnaise, simply whisk together all of the ingredients to blend well.  Adjust seasonings and set aside.

Core the cabbages and finely shred them.  If using jicama, peel it, cut it in half and slice into thin, even rounds.  Julienne slides into long, thin matchsticks,   Peel carrots and slice thin, diagonal coins.  Julienne each coin into long matchsticks.  Seed peppers and slice into fine strips.  Slice thin slivers of onion.  Roughly chop the stemmed cilantro.

Toss all of the vegetables in a large bowl and mix in the dressing.  Let the slaw sit at least 30 minutes, then toss again before serving. 

ROASTED CARROTS WITH PARSLEY MINT YOGURT SAUCE

Easter 2018 - Buffet Brunch for a large crowd

Carrots cut smaller and roasted off earlier in the morning, waiting until it is time to assemble the dish just before brunch time

Here's an easy way to elevate your carrot dish. Simply roasted carrots dressed up with some fresh parsley, mint, lemon yogurt sauce and feta - an excellent side dish or vegetarian dish (I would add some toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds if a vegetarian main). An extra bonus is that the carrots can be room temperature which eases the "having everything ready (and hot) at the same time" part of cooking a meal - It would be excellent as a BBQ side to add some light freshness in contrast to grilled meats. Another reason I love this recipe is that it is so easy to scale up for a larger group - just get whatever amount of carrots you think would be good for your group and scale the rest up accordingly. If you need to, split the carrots across 2 baking sheets so they are not too crowded. The sauce is even delicious on raw carrots! 

April 4 2018 - We just served this dish over the weekend at the the Easter egg hunt and brunch we hosted for our neighbors up at our place in the Catskills and were so please with how it turned out! This time I cut the large carrots into smaller long pieces (see photo) so that there were a better serving size for the larger group and I liked it even more than keeping the carrots their full length. It will be my go to method from now on. I would now recommend this dish even more whole heartedly (if that was possible) for a delightful side dish to any meal. You can make the sauce hours ahead of time, you can prep the carrots the day before, it can be served with the carrots at room temperature so they can be roasted off earlier in the day and left on the counter until you are ready to assemble. So it is a really tasty dish that is a breeze to pull together and you don't have to worry about keeping it warm. Oh, and it presents beautifully. What more can you want from a recipe? 

Prepped Carrots, leaving whole

Easter 2016 - sit down meal for 6 people

Roasted Carrots with Parsley Mint Yogurt Sauce

Martha Stewart Living recipe published in the April 2016 issue with my added notes and photos.

Ingredients 

1 1/2 pounds thin carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise if thick
1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, plus optional whole leaves for serving
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh mint, plus optional whole small leaves/chopped larger leaves for serving
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt

Shopping notes:  You should buy carrots with their tops still on, they will be sweeter. Look for pretty bunches for a pretty end result! Also, most of the nutrition in carrots is closest to the outer edges. If you by baby carrots, you loose a lot of that.

Directions

Carrots

Preheat oven to 450°F. 

On a rimmed baking sheet, toss carrots with olive oil to coat and season with salt. Roast carrots, until tender and beginning to brown slightly, about 20 - 25 minutes. Flip carrots once in the middle of roasting. Let cool.

Sauce

Process 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1/3 cup chopped  parsley, 2 tablespoons chopped mint, 2 teaspoons lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to a fine paste in a food processor. Add yogurt and puree. The sauce will be luscious in texture and the color will exclaim spring and summer. 

Serving

Spread some of the yogurt sauce on the a platter, place carrots on top of the sauce. Sprinkle with feta if desired, but the dish is really great even without it. If you wish, drizzle with a little more olive oil (I don't think this is necessary). If you saved any small fresh parsley and/or mint leaves, sprinkle them on top. Put some of the yogurt sauce in a small condiment bowl with a little spoon so your guests can add more sauce to their carrots right on their plate. Serve!  

SIMPLE ROAST CHICKEN (with Soy)

There is something so satisfying about a freshly roasted chicken. My husband improved upon it for me by sharing that his grandmother used to make roast chicken for him as a child and she would serve it with rice and gravy. I made gravy one day with our roast and have never skipped making gravy again. The addition of gravy and rice make this the ultimate comfort food. 

Now you too can make this easily at home for your family and friends. Thanks to my father-in-law who's recipe this is based on. 

Simple Roast Chicken

Ingredients 

3 - 4 lb chicken (preferably pasture raised)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
soy sauce (leave this out if you are avoiding soy, I do now)
garlic salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Let chicken sit out to come to room temp, pat dry, about 1 - 1.5 hours. Also, leave the butter out to come to room temperature. 

Douse with soy sauce, let it sit for 2 minutes and then sprinkle garlic salt over the entire chicken. Let sit for another 15 minutes or so to dry a bit. Then rub butter onto chicken, take your time with this, the butter will not want to adhere to the chicken at first. Continue to try to work it in and it will start to stick. 

Put in a baking dish and bake for 1 - 1.5 hours. Take the chicken out and test for doneness. The chicken is done when an instant-read thermometer reads 165°F when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh and any juices run clear (the legs of the chicken should wiggle easily from the sockets too.)

Cover loosely with foil and let sit for 15 minutes before cutting.

Chicken in the oven

What it will look like when done

What to serve with this dish?

Best served with white rice and gravy. Other nice choices would be roasted potatoes or Yorkshire pudding also with gravy. Of course, you should also have a side of any vegetable to you like. 

Gravy recipe to come soon! 

SUPER SIMPLE PANCAKES (Egg-free)

Our daughter is allergic to eggs so use an easy egg-free pancake recipe in our home. The recipe is straightforward and results in delicious pancakes. Feel free to experiment with add-ins! Our daughter's must have is chocolate chips. Chopped strawberries are also great.

We have also crafted a modified version which swaps out some all purpose flour for almond flour to add nutrition. Find that recipe here: Pancakes with Almond Flour (Egg-free).

Once I was in a bind as I had no all purpose flour and had promised these to my daughter already. I improvised and made oat flour by blitzing some oats in my vitamix. It worked really well, she loved them - so that would be a nice way to make these gluten free!

Ingredients

Here they are as part of an spring brunch spread.

1 cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1.5 Tablespoons Sugar
1 cup Milk (I use whole milk, non-dairy milks work too)
1.5 Tablespoons Vegetable/Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/3 cup mini-chocolate chips (Optional. Quantity is really up to you!)
A little butter (or other fat) for the skillet to cook the pancakes on

Directions

Sift flour and baking soda and powder and salt in a bowl. Add sugar and whisk just to blend. If you do not have a sifter, just whisk these together.

Add vanilla, oil and milk. Whisk together. An optional addition: stir as many mini-chocolate chips you you'd like.

Heat a pan on medium-low heat. Add a little butter to the pan and spread it around. This will prevent sticking and add flavor.  This recipe works best with smaller pancakes (3"-3.5" in diameter). A small ~1.5 tablespoon ice-cream scoop portions the perfect amount (see note below on scoops), or I’d recommend a scant 1/4 cup scoop. Scoop batter onto the hot pan. Cook on one side until it starts to bubble slightly on the edges. Check the bottom, if dark enough then flip and finish cooking on remaining side until desired color is reached. Slightly browner pancakes tend to taste a little better. Add a little more butter between batches. Keep a close eye on your heat if subsequent pancakes are darkening too quickly (i.e. before any bubbling begins), lower the heat - this happens often.

We love them with a little maple syrup and blueberries or strawberries. My daughter eats them plain (with chocolate chips in the batter), with fruit on the side. 

A note on ice cream scoops

It is worth investing in a couple high quality stainless steel ice-cream scoops with a scraper in the bowl to help the filling come out with ease. They have so many uses in the kitchen! They are so handy for scooping out perfect amounts of cookie dough, cupcake batter,  pancake portions and even meatballs. You should get a few different sizes to cover all these uses. 

We recommend Piazza scoops. They are really top-notch. They look and function as they did when we first got them years ago. They feel great in your hand and work really well. A bit pricey but worth the investment since you'll use them over and over again for years to come. 

We used the #40 scoop for these pancakes. For reference the scoop is 1 1/2" in width and it holds about 1.5 tablespoons of liquid. You can purchase if from Amazon: Piazza 1/40 Stainless Steel Ice Cream Scoop. But one slightly larger or smaller will work as well.

PANCAKES WITH ALMOND FLOUR (Egg-free)

Our daughter is allergic to eggs so use an easy egg-free pancake recipe in our home. The recipe (find it here) is straightforward and results in delicious pancakes. However, it is no nutrition powerhouse, so I have been experimenting to add more nutrition into the recipe. First up was replacing a portion of all purpose flour with almond flour/meal. The results were even more delicious than the original recipe! Enjoy! 

Ingredients

2/3 cup All Purpose Flour
1/3 cup Almond Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 cup Milk
1.5 Tablespoons Vegetable/Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/3 cup mini-chocolate chips (Optional. A must as far as my daughter is concerned. Quantity is really up to you!)

Directions

Sift flour and baking soda and powder and salt in a bowl. Some of the almond flour/meal will likely be left in the sifter, just dump what remains into the bowl. Add sugar and whisk just to blend. If you do not have a sifter, just whisk these together.

Add vanilla, oil and milk. Whisk together. An optional addition: stir as many mini-chocolate chips you you'd like.

Heat a pan on medium-low heat. Add a little butter to the pan and spread it around. This will prevent sticking and add flavor.  This recipe works best with smaller pancakes (3"-3.5" in diameter). A ~1.5 tablespoon ice-cream scoop portions the perfect amount (see note below on scoops). Scoop batter onto the pan. Cook on one side until it starts to bubble slightly on the edges. Check the bottom, if dark enough then flip and finish cooking on remaining side until desired color is reached. Slightly darker pancakes tend to taste a little better. Add a little more butter between batches. Keep a close eye on your heat if subsequent pancakes are darkening too quickly (i.e. before any bubbling begins), lower the heat. 

Serve fresh! We love them with a little maple syrup and blueberries or strawberries. My daughter eats them plain, with fruit on the side. 

Feel free to play with these. Some chopped strawberry would also be delicious stirred into the batter. 

A note on ice cream scoops

It is worth investing in a couple high quality stainless steel ice-cream scoops with a scraper in the bowl to help the filling come out with ease. They have so many uses in the kitchen! They are so handy for scooping out perfect amounts of cookie dough, cupcake batter,  pancake portions and even meatballs. You should get a few different sizes to cover all these uses. 

We recommend Piazza scoops. They are really top-notch. They look and function as they did when we first got them years ago. They feel great in your hand and work really well. A bit pricey but worth the investment since you'll use them over and over again for years to come. 

We used the #40 scoop for these pancakes. For reference the scoop is 1 1/2" in width and it holds about 1.5 tablespoons of liquid. You can purchase if from Amazon: Piazza 1/40 Stainless Steel Ice Cream Scoop. But one slightly larger or smaller will work as well.