RECLAIM YOUR KITCHEN (and your health!)

     After a long day of work, whether at the office or at home caring for children, you’re probably pretty exhausted.  Sometimes the last thing you want to do is cook - and for many of us this means reaching for convenience foods or eating out in restaurants more often than we’d probably like.  These fast foods are quick and easy, but they can get expensive and take a toll on your energy levels and well being.

     Cooking at home is the first step to take if you're interested in eating healthier and cutting costs.  Home cooking is hands down the best way to save money. Whether you're considering dining out or bringing home prepared food, you're paying for someone else to do something you can do yourself — and, with a little practice, probably do better. Buying prepackaged frozen foods or restaurant meals means you are paying for the processing, packaging, and advertising of that product — none of which adds value to the food itself. So, when you cook, you are saving money, and when you cook sustainably, you're taking those savings to the next level. When you buy locally raised and produced food you're not footing the bill for transporting ingredients across the country or around the globe. Another way to save money by making your own meals is  “using the whole thing.” The bones from tonight’s chicken and the trimmings from fresh vegetables can be transformed into a mineral rich stock, the ultimate “must have” in every kitchen and the basis for a pot of delicious and nutritious homemade soup. If you compost and do any gardening, some of your dinner waste can be repurposed as free fertilizer too! 

     Another benefit to cooking at home is that you have more control over what goes into your body. By buying organic, sustainably raised or minimally treated meat, dairy and produce, you can reduce your consumption of food contaminated by chemical fertilizers, hormones, or antibiotics. Your food will taste much better too because it won’t contain artificial colours or flavours, texturizers, preservatives, or packaging. Making homemade meals from fresh foods means they will taste superior to frozen foods and will be more nutritious.  When you leave it to corporations to cook for you, your food will be of lower quality (they will use the cheapest ingredients they can get away with) and it will be full of salt, sugar, or fat. Cooking at home means you can keep an eye on these types of ingredients which is especially important for people with medical conditions or food allergies.

     Another amazing thing about cooking is that it activates your body’s powers of digestion.  Taking the time to prepare your food will help your brain get your digestive juices flowing. During the first phase of digestion, called the cephalic phase, the sight, sound, smell, and thought of food triggers the brain to transmit signals down your central nervous system to prepare your body for digestion.  So not only will you meals cost less, taste better, and have higher nutritional value, but you will actually absorb more nutrients from your food with better digestion!

     What percentage of your meals are cooked at home? And I don't mean fish sticks and frozen pizza!  How can you take a small step to upgrade your choices, even if for only one or two meals per week?  I could go into a long list of foods that are better to eat or worse to eat, but at this point, as long as you cook it yourself from scratch, nothing is out of bounds. Happy cooking!

CHICKEN BROTH

Properly prepared chicken broth is a storehouse of nutrients liberated from the bone and connective tissues which accelerates overall healing and supports our own bones, teeth, joints, digestion and immunity.  Pretty amazing for leftovers!

1 whole chicken (preferably free range/organic) or 2 to 3 pounds of bony chicken parts (such as necks, backs, breastbones and wings leftover from dinner)

Gizzards and/or feet from one chicken (optional)

4 quarts cold filtered water

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped

1 bunch parsley

sea salt

Optional add-ins (Nova Scotia kelp, reishi mushroom, shiitake mushrooms)

Method:

If using a whole chicken, cut chicken parts into several pieces. Place chicken or chicken pieces in a large stainless steel pot with water, vinegar and all vegetables except parsley.  Bring to a boil, and remove scum that rises to the top. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 6 to 8 hours (I like to leave it overnight on low).  The longer you cook the stock, the richer and more flavourful it will be.                

     About 10 minutes before finishing the stock, add parsley. This will add additional mineral ions to the broth.  Remove whole chicken or pieces with a slotted spoon. If you are using a whole chicken, let cool and remove chicken meat from the carcass. Reserve for other uses, such as chicken salads, enchiladas, sandwiches or curries. Strain the stock into a large bowl and reserve in your refrigerator until the fat rises to the top and congeals. Skim off this fat and reserve the stock in covered containers in your refrigerator or freezer.

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SWITCHING IT UP

     This whole grain reducing lifestyle thing can be challenging at times, but I find dinner time the easiest meal to plan for and make.  Eliminating grain options from my diet has actually made meal preparation simpler in a lot of ways.  For instance, dinner usually consists of either beef, lamb, chicken or fish which I generally broil, and either a salad or cooked vegetable, or both.  Pretty simple.  Good thing too because all the mental strength I have left is used up the rest of the day trying to think of snacks and foods to feed the kids and I.  We've been eating a lot more eggs, raw cheeses, apples, nuts, seeds, and vegetables.  My favorite go to snacks are apple segments dipped in almond butter, boiled eggs, apples and cheese, applesauce, frozen blueberries, and yogurt.  When we do indulge in grains it is usually some sourdough bread I recently made (I will share that recipe one day soon) either spread with almond butter, or my favourite, topped with camembert cheese and apple slices.  Speaking of which, I can't believe how much better the French camembert cheese made from unpasteurized milk that I bought from the boulangerie at the market tastes compared to the other French one I bought at the supermarket.  It is like night and day, and doesn't cost much more.  This week we've also been loving Carrot Raisin Manna Bread made from sprouted grains spread with almond butter.

     Anyway, so back to tonight's dinner.  I've noticed that when it comes to chicken, we usually eat wings, drumsticks and thighs, or whole chickens (can you tell we all like dark meat?) .  But this week, I picked up a couple of packs of organic skinless, boneless chicken thighs from the health food store and made them tonight in a wicked molasses and marmalade marinade. 

MOLASSES and MARMALADE MARINATED CHICKEN THIGHS

8 organic skinless, boneless chicken thighs

1/8 cup organic molasses

1-2 Tbsp organic tamari

2 Tbsp organic orange marmalade

2 Tbsp grated organic ginger root

a couple of squeezes organic fresh lemon juice

1 clove organic garlic, minced

freshly ground organic black pepper

Method:  Place the chicken in a large bowl.  Squeeze as much juice as you possibly can out of the grated ginger over top of the chicken.  Then add the rest of the ingredients.  Toss to coat each piece of chicken. Allow to marinate for at least 2 hours.  

     Preheat the oven to 375*.  Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and place in a cast iron skillet.  Place in the oven and cook for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.

MASHED ROOT VEGETABLES

1 large organic carrot, chopped

1 large organic parsnip, chopped

1 medium organic rutabaga, chopped

1 large knob of organic salted butter

1/2 Tbsp umeboshi vinegar

fresh organic parsley, chopped

sea salt

Method:  Place the vegetables in a pot of salted water and bring to a boil on high heat.  Reduce heat to medium and boil the vegetables until fork tender.  Strain the water and then mash the vegetables with the butter and vinegar.  Stir in the parsley and serve.

SPRING IS HERE!

Happy Spring Equinox!  After a long winter of hibernating and gestating, I am so glad spring is here.  To celebrate the first day of spring, the sun shone brightly and I cleaned my house.  Nothing says spring like a little spring cleaning.  Oh, and nothing says spring like fresh local spinach at the Farmer's Market.  I can't tell you how excited I was to see that.  To top off my excitement about the spinach, I was delighted to see it being sold in bulk, so no plastic bag!  Woo hoo.  I filled a paper bag and have been happily consuming spinach at every meal thus far.  Spinach in my crepes this morning, spinach in my tomato salad last night, spinach salad for supper tonight......mmmmmmmm spring.  Oh, I also came home from the market with some local, pesticide free, greenhouse tomatoes yesterday too.  I can't wait to see what else is in store at the market next week.  But until then, I am content to still eat winter squash.  It shined tonight next to our Equinox feast of Lemon Chicken and Spinach Salad.  That is the beauty of spring.  Just as the days are still sometimes gray and cold, the sun still feels that much warmer.  The gradual shift from winter to summer is what spring is all about, and so our diet should reflect this too.  The slow emergence of spring's bounty mingles beautifully with the last few remains of fall's harvest.

SPINACH SALAD with a Yogurt Pear Vinaigrette

1/2 pound local organic spinach, washed and torn

1 organic carrot, grated

a sprinkle of organic sunflower seeds

3 Tbsp organic whole milk yogurt

2 Tbsp e.v olive oil

1 Tbsp organic pear cider vinegar

1/2 Tbsp local honey

sea salt and pepper

Method:  Whisk the yogurt, oil, vinegar, honey, sea salt, and pepper in a bowl.  Drizzle it on salad.  Serve.

GREEK LEMON CHICKEN

4 organic chicken thighs

1 clove organic garlic, minced

juice of half an organic lemon

3 Tbsp e.v olive oil

1 Tbsp dried organic oregano

sea salt and pepper

Method:  Preheat oven to 375*.  Marinate chicken pieces in the lemon juice, olive oil, and oregano in the fridge for 2-4 hours.  When ready to cook, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Drain the chicken from the marinade and cook in the oven for about 30 minutes or until juices run clear and skin is browned.

FIREPIT ROTISSERIE CHICKEN

Scott was at it again, this time trying out the automatic spit my dad gave him after our wedding.  He had this vision of roasting some chickens over the coals and so was eager to make supper for us this evening.  Scott spent the afternoon rigging up three levelled wooden supports to rest the spit on.  I was quite impressed.  I was so hungry watching them cook, I could hardly wait for them to be done.  We used the cast iron skewers my mother sent me from Ontario to grill some boiled potatoes, zucchini and mushrooms.  The delicious fresh cucumbers I picked up at the farmer's market this Saturday tasted yummy in a garden fresh salad with feta cheese.  Summer doesn't get any better than this.

CORN BREAD SLOPPY JOE

     Every now and then I feel like I am stuck in a rut when it comes to the ingredients I buy to cook with.  Our freezer is chock full of frozen organic meats which is very nice and very handy, but when it comes to chicken all we have are whole chickens which can be limiting when you're in the mood for something different.  So this weekend I decided to pick up some Holdanca Farms Pastured Perfection Ground Chicken.  I have to say I think this is the first time I've ever bought ground chicken if you can believe it. 

    Flipping through my cookbooks I came across this recipe and man was it ever good.  After making it though there are a few things I'd change in addition to my interpretation of the original.  I didn't have any tomato sauce so I used half tomato salsa and pureed canned tomatoes for the other half.  I also added the spinach and carrot and omitted the green pepper because they're not in season and I didn't have any.  Since I love my own cornbread recipe so much I substituted making it from scratch rather than using a boxed corn muffin mix, while at the same time omitting the fresh corn kernels because I didn't have any of those either.  The original recipe also calls for way more cornbread, as you can see in the photo.  Scott and I both ended up cutting the bottom crust off so we could have thinner pieces and it was way better that way so the recipe I've included uses a smaller batch.  Enjoy!

 BBQ SLOPPY CHICKEN PAN PIZZA

(adapted from Rachel Ray 365: No Repeats)

1 cup organic finely ground cornmeal

1/2 cup organic unbleached flour

1/2 cup organic whole wheat flour

2 Tbsp coconut sugar or maple syrup

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 cup organic milk

2 organic eggs, lightly beaten

3 Tbsp melted organic butter

2 Tbsp e.v olive oil

1 pound ground pasture raised and/or organic chicken

3 cloves organic garlic, smashed and chopped

1 organic onion, chopped

4-5 cups organic frozen or cooked and chopped fresh spinach

1 organic carrot, shredded

sea salt and pepper to taste

1 Tbsp organic chili powder

1 1/2 tsp ground organic cumin powder

2 tsp hot sauce

1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce

1 cup tomato sauce or salsa

3 Tbsp local honey

10 oz shredded organic cheddar

3 Tbsp chopped organic cilantro

Method:  Preheat oven to 400*.  In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flours, baking powders, sea salt and sugar.  Mix in the eggs, milk and butter.  Rub some olive oil into a large cast iron skillet, pour in batter and bake until the cornbread becomes light golden in colour 12-15 mins.

     Place a second skillet over medium high heat and the 2 Tbsp of olive oil.  Add the chicken and break it up with a wooden spoon.  Once the chicken begins to brown, add the garlic, onion, spinach, carrot and season with salt and pepper, chili powder, cumin and hot sauce.  Cook for 5 minutes then add the worcestershire, tomato sauce, and honey.  Stir to combine and reduce the heat to low.  Simmer until the cornbread is ready.  Adjust the seasonings to taste.

     Remove the cornbread from the oven and cover it with the chicken, then sprinkle with the cheese.  Put the pan back into the hot oven and cook for 5-10 minutes longer to melt the cheese. Remove from oven and top with cilantro and serve.

Mom's Kitchen Post #2 Chicken Soup

So my camera broke today, I have a feeling my son banged it with a hammer.  Anyway, so I will be buying  a new one, but until then, enjoy my mom's posts........

MY MOM'S KITCHEN - POST #2

Chicken soup has always been at the top of my comfort food list. Today I decided that I needed a little of that comfort.

CHICKEN SOUP

1 whole organic chicken
3 stalks organic celery
3 organic carrots
1 large organic onion, or leek
3 cloves organic garlic
fresh organic parsley
2 organic bay leaves
8 cups filtered water
6 whole organic peppercorns and sea salt to taste
1 1/2 cups organic kamut orzo
3 organic spring onions, sliced
fresh organic lemon juice

Place all ingredients  except last 3 for broth in a stock pot, cover with cold water over medium heat and bring to a slow boil. Simmer until chicken is tender. Strain the ingredients, set the chicken aside until cool enough to handle. Bring broth to a boil, add orzo, and simmer until tender. Separate the meat from the chicken and add to soup. Serve with chopped spring onion garnish, or parsley ,or both if you wish, a little fresh ground pepper,and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Serve with some nice crusty bread....now that's comfort!

The Best Panini

Okay so here are two pics of our amazing supper tonight.  One picture is of Scott enjoying his awesome panini and his hurly burly carpenter hands.  The other is with me and my oh so delicate yoga teacher/baker hands.  In the summer I made a few jars of homemade sauerkraut and decided to crack one open tonight to add to the paninis...........sooooooooo good.  The pictures do these sandwiches no justice.

ROAST CHICKEN AND SAUREKRAUT PANINIS (makes 4)

8 slices homemade organic spelt or whole wheat bread (I decided to try out making spelt bread this week...check out my bread post and just substitute spelt flours!)

2 Tbsp organic mayonaise

2 Tbsp organic dijon

1 1/2 cups sliced roasted organic chicken

1/2 cup organic sauerkraut ( I used the recipe found in Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions cookbook)

e.v olive oil

1 cup organic swiss cheese, grated

Method:  Preheat panini press.  Combine the mayo and dijon in a bowl.  Smother one side of each piece of bread with the dijonaise.  Then top this with some cheese, then some sauerkraut, some chicken and end with more cheese.  Close the sandwich and spray each side with some olive oil.  Grill in your panini press until all the cheese is melted and the sandwhich is warmed through and golden.

Our Own Chicken

Our brood of chickens needed to be thinned out.  When we picked up our chicks in the summer, we weren't sure how many hens there were, as they were unsexed.  And so we waited patiently as they grew until the day came that we realized we pretty much had a 50/50 split of roosters and hens.  It was also at this point that the hens were due to start laying.  I figured there was no way they were going to start laying eggs unless we got rid of some of those aggressive males that were crowding the hen house.  So Scott spent one Saturday afternoon learning how to butcher chickens.  We said a little prayer to remind ourselves of the sacredness of all life, and by the end of the day we found ourselves with a whole lot of chicken meat, and very little freezer space!

     Since then, we've made three attempts at eating the meat.  The first I used for stock and soup, the second Scott roasted which only resulted in a very tough bird, and tonight I tried out an Italian inspired Chicken Stew which was the best one yet.  We give thanks.

ITALIAN CHICKEN STEW with Black Olives, Capers and Rosemary

1 organic chicken, cut into 8 pieces

1 bottle of organic red wine

8 organic bay leaves

2 sprigs of fresh organic rosemary

4 cloves organic garlic, smashed

1/4 cup e.v olive oil

1 cup organic all purpose flour

7 anchovies

2 Tbsp capers

1/2 cup black olives, pitted

1 can diced organic tomatoes

sea salt and pepper

Method:  Place the chicken in a bowl, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cover with the wine, bay leaves, rosemary and 1 clove of the garlic.  Let sit for one hour.

    Preheat the oven to 350*.   Heat a dutch oven over medium high heat.  Reserving the marinade, pat dry the chicken and dredge in the flour.  Add the olive oil to the pot and brown both sides of each piece of chicken (about 5 minutes). Remove each piece of chicken and set aside until they are all done.

     Add the garlic and anchovies to the hot pan.  Stir quickly and then add the olives, tomatoes, chicken and the reserved marinade.  Bring to a boil , cover and bake in the oven for about 2 hours.  Serve over polenta with some grated romano cheese.

CREAMY POLENTA

2 cups organic chicken stock or broth

1 cup organic whole milk

sea salt and black pepper

1 cup organic cornmeal

2 Tbsp organic butter

1/4 cup grated romano cheese

Method:  Combine the stock and milk in a saucepan, stirring in some sea salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil and reduce to low.  Whisk in the cornmeal and cook, stirring for about 15 minutes. When it almost reaches desired consistency, stir in butter and cheese.

Tonight we ate this with the curly endive/escarole salad from an earlier post......with added orange segments!

Sunday Family Dinner

     Growing up my family owned a restaurant called The Octagon.  It was famous for high quality fine dining, specializing in steak and seafood.  As kids, we always looked forward to the garlic bread and ceasar salad, which the waiters used to make right at the table on a cart they wheeled up to your table.  It was very cool and very good.  Tonight, I decided to make caesar salad.  It was amazing, but in a very different way from the Octagon's, which was made with egg and anchovy.  I don't have anything against eggs and anchovy, I just prefer to make mine this way.

     We also roasted one of the organic chickens taking up all the space in our freezer.  Along side it I made a lovely gratin with the Jerusalem artichokes I picked up at the market this weekend.  A feast indeed, but I still managed to fit in some dessert, chocolate ice cream with peanut butter.  Ouph!

 

CAESAR SALAD with Whole Wheat Croutons 

 1/2 cup fresh squeezed organic lemon juice

1-2 cloves organic garlic

2 tsp capers

1/2 Tbsp organic dijon

1 tsp nutritional yeast

1/4 cup e.v olive oil

1/2 cup organic vegetable oil

1 Tbsp local honey

sea salt and pepper to taste

 

Method:  In a blender combine all the ingredients except the vegetable oil, which you add gradually in a thin stream until incorporated.  Taste for flavour, adding salt as necessary.

 

WHOLE WHEAT CROUTONS

 2 cups organic whole wheat bread, cut into cubes

1/2 tsp dry oregano

1/2 tsp dry thyme

1/2 tsp dry basil

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp e.v olive oil

 

Method:  Preheat oven to 350*.  Toss all ingredients in a bowl.  Spread cubes on baking sheet and bake, turning occasionally, for 15 minutes.  Let cool.

 

Sprinkle some chopped romaine lettuce with romano or parmesan cheese, some grated organic carrot, the croutons and drizzle with the caesar dressing. 

 

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE GRATIN

6 organic Jerusalem artichokes, peeled as best as you can and cut into 1/4-inch slices (about 3/4 pound)

2 large organic russet potatoes,peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices (about 1 1/4 pounds) 

Sea salt and pepper

1/4 cup e.v olive oil

1 Tbsp organic butter

1/2 cup organic onions, chopped

2 cloves organic garlic, chopped

1 cup organic cheddar cheese, grated

1 Tbsp organic unbleached white flour

1/2 cup organic whole milk

1 cup organic whole wheat bread crumbs

2 Tbsp organic parsley, chopped

Method:Preheat the oven to 400*.  Place the Jerusalem artichokes and potatoes in a mixing bowl and season with the salt and pepper.  Mix in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and toss to coat.

Butter the bottom and sides of a 2 quart baking dish. Put half of the artichoke-potato mixture in the bottom of the pan, then sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the chopped onions, 1 teaspoon of the chopped garlic, and 1/4 cup of the cheese and the flour. Top this with the remaining artichoke-potato mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup onions, 1 teaspoon garlic, salt and pepper and the rest of the cheese. Pour the milk over the mixture.

In a bowl, mix together the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil with the bread crumbs, parsley and season with salt and pepper. Spread this topping evenly over the mixture. Bake for 1 hour, or until the potatoes are tender. 

ROAST CHICKEN with Herbs

1 organic chicken

handful of fresh organic herbs (parsley, oregano, thyme, marjoram)

2 cloves organic garlic

e.v olive oil

sea salt and pepper

mixed vegetables chopped

Method:  Preheat oven to 400*.  In a mortar and pestle smash the herbs, garlic, some salt and pepper and olive oil.  Lift the skin on the chicken breast and smear the herb paste all over the meat of the bird.  Rub the remaining herbs all over the chicken with some olive oil and some more salt and pepper.  Place the bird in a large cast iron skillet with some vegetables and roast for about an hour and a half, depending on the size of your bird.

Autumn Supper

I love it when I go from having no idea what to make for supper, to making some of the best meals ever!  Tonight was one of those nights.  I had some organic chicken legs that I didn't know what to do with.  I discovered another bowl of cherry tomatoes in the kitchen that needed to be used up so I decided on Goulash.  I still had some pumpkin puree left over from this afternoon so I decided to make a Pumpkin Polenta to serve as a base for the saucy goulash.  I had a bunch of escarole in the fridge from the market last week which I usually boil, but tonight I wanted something raw.  I was a little skeptical that this salad would be awesome, but I was wrong.  It was awesome.  Very awesome.

CHICKEN GOULASH

2 organic chicken legs and thighs, separated

3 organic onions, sliced

2 cloves organic garlic, sliced

4 organic carrots, sliced

1 zucchini, sliced

2 organic green peppers, chopped

3 Tbsp organic sweet Hungarian paprika

1 tsp organic caraway seeds

1 tsp sea salt

fresh ground black pepper

1/4 tsp organic chili powder

1 cup organic chicken stock

1 can stewed tomatoes or 3-4 organic tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup organic sour cream

2 Tbsp organic unbleached white flour

2 Tbsp chopped fresh organic parsley

Method: In a Dutch oven, brown the chicken in some olive oil over medium high heat.  Remove from pan, set aside.  Add onions and garlic, fry over medium heat until softened.  Add carrots, green peppers, paprika, caraway, salt, pepper and chili powder.  Fry, stirring for 2 minutes. Add chicken stock and tomatoes.  Return chicken to pan.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 40 mins.  Transfer chicken to a platter and keep warm.  In a small bowl, combine sour cream and flour.  Stir into the sauce and simmer, stirring until thickened.  Pour over chicken. Garnish with parsley.

PUMPKIN POLENTA

3 cups organic chicken stock

2 Tbsp organic unsalted butter

14 oz organic pumpkin puree

1 cup organic cornmeal, if coarse, grind it to make it finer

1 cup romano cheese, grated

Method:  Bring the stock and butter to a boil.  Add the pumpkin and stir.  Whisk in the cornmeal.  Lower heat and cook about 20 minutes or until thick and the polenta starts to come away from the sides of the pot.  Stir in the cheese and serve.

WARM ESCAROLE SALAD with Pecans and Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/2 head organic escarole

1 cup organic pecans

2 Tbsp organic unsalted butter

3 Tbsp organic balsamic vinegar

about 1/8 cup olive oil

2 Tbsp minced organic red onion

sea salt and pepper

Method:  Wash and dry the escarole.  Cut escarole into 1 inch pieces and place in a salad bowl. Saute the pecans in the butter for 5 minutes.  Make a vinagrette with the vinegar and oil, then stirring the onion into the dressing.  When the pecans are done, turn off heat and pour the vinaigrette into the pan.  Heat for 1 minute then pour the dressing over the salad and toss.

The same question every night..."What shall I make for dinner?"

Last night I roasted an organic chicken.  We like to do a whole chicken every now and then so we have left overs for sandwiches or soup.  There is this neat trick when roasting a chicken where you lift up the skin on the breast and even the the legs if you want and stuff it ... in our case I just gathered some fresh herbs from the garden (parsley, marjoram, thyme and basil), chopped them up and stuffed it under the skin.  It is also a good idea to sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper and rub some on the skin with olive oil.  Around here we use my grandfather's spice blend (I will post the recipe tomorrow) which is white pepper, granulated garlic, sea salt, onion powder and mustard powder.  We use it on everything.

     Anyway so we needed to eat tonight and I knew I wanted to cook a spaghetti squash from the garden.  I needed something that would go with that......this is what I came up with.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH SORT OF SALAD

1 medium organic spaghetti squash

1 organic green onion, sliced

1 organic red pepper diced

1/2 organic jalapeno pepper, chopped fine

1 cob of organic corn, decobbed

1/4 cup chopped parsley

2 Tbsp organic sesame oil (not toasted sesame oil, the raw stuff)

1.5 Tbsp brown rice vinegar

1/2 Tbsp honey

salt and pepper

Method: Preheat oven to 350*.  Split the squash in half, seed it and place in face down in a large cast iron skillet or other pan.  Roast for about 45 mins or until you can easily prick the skin with a fork.  Let cool slightly and then scoop out the filling and let it drain in a colander.  Place in a bowl with all the other ingredients.  Toss and serve.

CHICKEN MELTS

1 cup leftover chicken, in small pieces

5 slices homemade whole wheat bread (or if you must, store bought :S)

3 Tbsp basil pesto

3/4 cup grated organic cheese

10 slices organic tomato (we used a lovely yellow one)

1/2 sliced onion

grandpa's spice blend

Method: Slather the bread with pesto.  Layer with onion first, then chicken, tomato, spices, and finally with cheese.  Melt in 350* oven for 15 mins.