Herb Roasted Chicken & Vegetables

Herb Roasted Chicken & Vegetables
1 whole chicken (I used a small 2.5 pounder)

1 lemon

2 T melted butter

2 T olive oil

¼ c fresh chopped herbs (I used parsley, basil, thyme & sage)

3 garlic cloves, minced

3-4 carrots, cut in 2 in lengths (split lengthwise if they are fat carrots)

3 celery sticks, cut in 2 in lengths

10 (or so) fingerling potatoes cut in half lengthwise

1 onion, chopped

1 T parsley

Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Tony's Cajun Seasoning

Preheat oven to 425

Put all veggies in a bowl and toss with 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 T parsley, and a sprinkle of each seasoning.

Make sure chicken is at room temperature & that you've removed giblets if there are any.

Drizzle 1 T olive oil, the melted butter, and juice of the lemon all over the chicken (save the squeezed lemon).

Shake some salt & pepper into the cavity & add the squeezed lemon pieces + any extra herb pieces (such as the stems).

Sprinkle the entire chicken with each seasoning. Rub it in good.

Then pat on the minced herbs & garlic. Loosen the skin on the breasts of the chicken by sliding your fingers in and make sure some seasonings, herbs and oil get in there. Rub those herbs & garlic all over the chicken.

Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Tuck the lil wings in toward the body so they don't burn.

Spray or oil a roasting pan and put a small layer of the veggies down.

Place the bird breast side down on the veggies. Disperse the rest of the veggies around the chicken.

Roast for 30 minutes, then flip the bird breast side up and roast another 30-40 minutes. (adjust time to size of bird)

Let rest with a lid or foil tent over it for 10-15 minutes before carving.

Coconut-Citrus Roasted Carrots

Coconut-Citrus Roasted Carrots

Here's a rundown on how I made these cute lil itty bitty roasted carrots (you could use any sized carrots, just note that the cute factor will be affected).

Leaving some of the greens attached gives a fun crunch to the dish and their slight bitterness counters the sweetness of the carrots nicely. 

Take one bunch of washed carrots w/greens.  

Cut the greens off, leaving a few inches attached. (I like to save the greens for juice or pesto)

Toss carrots in a Tbsp or so of coconut oil (melt it if it's solidified), about a Tbsp of orange juice (or grapefruit), sea salt & fresh cracked pepper.

Roast at 375 for 30 mins or until they look like the picture & are tender (but not soft).

Valentine-Inspired "Beet-heart" Salad

I'm not big on Valentine's Day- I'm one of those who thinks you should show people you love how much you care every day of the year.  But, my sweetheart had been out of town a few days and I missed him while he was gone, so I decided to do a lil something special for dinner- nothin' too crazy.

So, I used what I had on hand, a few ingredients from the garden and whipped up this fun little salad that I am calling the "Beet-heart Salad." That's because the stars of the show are beets and artichoke hearts, but for added lovey dovey-ness I cut the roasted beets into heart shapes... I just couldn't help myself.

Below are instructions on how to make your very own "Beet-heart Salad" for your sweetheart! (It looks lengthy, but that's just 'cause I babbled... it's really quite easy!)

Here's whatcha need: 

2 medium beets

1 c quartered artichoke hearts

a couple handfuls of salad greens

(I used some red-tipped lettuce & pretty red-veined sorrel from my garden)

2 Tbsp (more/less) goat milk feta cheese (or any other feta)

Dressing:

1 Tbsp fresh orange juice

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp sherry vinegar (or white wine vinegar)

1 tsp lemon thyme (from my garden- can use dried thyme if fresh unavailable)

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 clove minced garlic

sea salt + cracked pepper (to taste)

Here's whatcha do:

Roast the beets:

Preheat oven to 375, wash beets, rub 'em down with a lil oil (I use coconut, you could also use olive), sprinkle with a lil salt, wrap 'em in foil. 

Bake for 30-40 mins or until they start to feel soft- not too soft though!

(This should be done ahead of time if you want a cold salad. Could even do it up to a couple days ahead. I was in a hurry, so they were still a lil warm and it was good that way too.)

Make the dressing:

Put all dressing ingredients in a dressing bottle or jar w/lid & shake, shake, shake.... shake, shake, shake... shake yo boo---ottle. 

Cut out the hearts:

Let the beets cool. I repeat- let the beets cool!!

Rub the skin off the beets w/your hands (your hands will turn a lovely shade of fuschia, but hey it's festive!)

Now, you can either cut notches out of the entire beet so that when cut into slices they all resemble hearts, or you can cut slices first and then shape them into hearts with kitchen shears. I used both methods not really coming to a conclusion as to which worked best- so do what you want!

Assemble salad:

Toss salad greens in a little dressing just to lightly coat. 

Place a bed of greens on each plate. 

Toss the artichoke hearts in a lil dressing. 

Arrange them on the bed of greens all pretty-like.

Toss the beet-hearts in a lil dressing.

Arrange them on the artichokes (for contrast) even prettier-like.

Sprinkle feta over each salad like it's magical fairy dust. ('cause it pretty much is)