Roasted Cauliflower

I am in a phase of experimentation, with my husband on the other side of the planet. Here, I attempted to roast cauliflower, and it turns out this is a great way to enhance the flavor and maintain the integrity of this oft-maligned vegetable.

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Relegated, for the most part, to vegetable platters, cauliflower has posed certain obstacles for me in the past. I have tried to make "creamed" cauliflower to serve as a most nutritious substitute for mashed potatoes, but without using a dense cream (I just used a touch of milk), the texture and consistency were never quite right. But I longed for a way to serve this toothsome treat that didn't require an abundance of butter, milk, or effort. Enter: roasting.

I cut my cauliflower trees from their hearty trunk and laid them out on a cookie sheet (sprayed with a little cooking spray). I dusted them with black pepper, garlic powder, and tiny bit of salt. I slid the pan into the oven (preheated to 350-degrees) and let them roast, unattended, for about thirty minutes. When I pulled them out, the sides against the pan had turned a beautiful brown, and the stalks themselves maintained a bite that I like in my vegetable sides. The seasoning was unobtrusive and acted as a mild balance for the timid cauliflower.

I'm counting this experiment among my successes. I'm excited to build meals with the addition of this texture and flavor, which is (to my estimation) pretty unique. I suspect I'll be attempting to roast a few more vegetables before this chilly fall (and surely frigid winter) are over, and I hope you'll join me with fork in hand.

Stuffed Butternut Squash

Last year, I took the standard 'bite' of squash at Thanksgiving dinner, primarily to appease my mother, who felt that "If you just try it enough, you'll like it." Fast forward to today: I can not get enough of this fruit. I have begun purchasing squash in every imaginable form: frozen cubed squash, frozen pureed squash, and fresh from the produce department squash. And I am in love with them all.

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This time of year, squash is cheap. Last week I purchased a small butternut squash for $.39 a pound, and, after much deliberation, I decided to try stuffing and roasting it. For the stuffing, I concocted a mixture I've made before. It consists of frozen corn, whole grain bread crumbs, rosemary, and black pepper (this time I threw in a little cinnamon) tossed in a dry frying pan. No oil necessary! I let the corn warm and the bread crumbs attain a fantastic nutty flavor. For me, it hits all the flavor notes of a delicious homemade stuffing.

I preheated the oven to 400-degrees and dusted my bisected and devoid-of-seeds squash with some fresh cracked black pepper and cinnamon. I stuffed the hollow with the corn and breadcrumb mixture, then baked the whole thing for about an hour. (I was paranoid that it wouldn't be spoon-soft, but it was. In the future, I think 45 minutes is enough to bake it through.)

I served this dish with a side of just black-pepper-dusted salmon (and shrimp for me). It was the perfect fall dish, and it's a "set it and forget it" kind of side dish. I think it would make a great entree, too, with added protein in the form of diced or shredded chicken or chickpeas.

However you choose to prepare it, be sure to take advantage of the season's best offerings with fork in hand.

Guacamole

It's the quintessential Mexican food accompaniment, and a certain chain restaurant charges $1.99 per quarter cup. You know me: I want healthy food with great flavor that doesn't break the bank. Making homemade guacamole takes a little effort, but it is not expensive-- and it's a crowd-pleaser!

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Guacamole starts with a ripe avocado. I always look for one with dark skin, and you want to press it to make sure it gives a little. (Nothing thwarts guacamole efforts like a too-hard avocado.) To open the avocado, I use a trick I garnered from many hours watching Food Network. I use a nice, sharp knife and cut through the skin to the pit. I keep the knife inside the avocado and turn it so that the cut forms a circle around the fruit. I then remove the knife and twist both halves until they pull apart. Here's the tricky part: I hold the half of the avocado that contains the seed, and I carefully stick it with the knife (holding the knife as if about to cut something, blade down). When the knife is stuck in the seed, twist until the seed pulls loose. Sometimes it will come out, still stuck to the knife. Sometimes I have to use a spoon to coax it out. (If all else fails, since you're going to squish the avocado anyway, you can just use a spoon to pull it out bit by bit.

The next step is to use a spoon to scrape the flesh out of the skin. Add finely chopped onion and tomato (if you like them), a dash of salt and pepper, the juice of a lime (if you have one), and some dried or fresh cilantro. Any of these ingredients can be omitted or substituted. I have used lemon juice instead of lime, and it came out fine, just slightly different in terms of flavor. But the citrus does add a kick to the creamy, earthy avocado. And cilantro tends to be a controversial herb, so if you don't like it, leave it out. The final step, of course, is to mash the avocado and to mix everything together.

Avocado is a fabulous fruit (the seed technically makes it a berry, according to sources). It contains so-called "healthy fats" that may actually help to lower cholesterol. It also contains lots of potassium and folate. Besides that, it tastes great. If colors can have flavors, then green tastes like avocado.

Ram and I ate our guacamole with a taco pizza (chicken prepared with taco seasonings, onion, and tomato atop a small naan). It was a delicious casual dinner, perfect for our traditional Friday movie night. The 'guac' was my favorite part of the meal, and I hope you'll consider crafting your own-- with fork in hand.

"Gourmet" Chicken Nuggets & Potatoes with Lemon Sauce

Well, blog readers, as you can see, it's getting more difficult to blog now that I am back to work. But I promise I am still cooking, and I strive to blog more. This I pledge to you!

Tonight's post is brought to you by my blog-absence-guilt. I have wondered how people make great sauces, so I designed this meal, first, as an excuse to make a sauce. I started the sauce with a cup of chicken stock. I let that come to a simmer in a small chicken fryer, then I added lemon rind (shaved over a grater-- I'm still waiting on a microplane) and squeezed in all the lemon juice I could. I added a bit of black pepper and a quarter teaspoon of minced garlic. I let all of this combine, using my hand to waft the smell toward myself like a fancy TV chef. When it smelled right and the liquid was starting to reduce, I whisked in a little corn starch and let the whole thing thicken over a very low heat. It came to the consistency of a gravy, and I was pretty proud of myself. The flavor, when we finally ate, was tart and lemony. Because we're trying to reduce our salt and oil intake, I didn't add any salt. You might want to add salt to taste.

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I wanted to pair the "fancy" potatoes with something spicy and (more importantly) easy. I decided to take the chicken breasts I'd thawed in the fridge all day and cube them. Then I tossed them with a "gourmet" bread crumb mixture: whole grain bread crumbs, fresh cracked black pepper, and a mix of lemon and herb spices (a Hannaford Inspirations mix I had in my cupboard). You can add anything you like-- including a salad dressing or taco spice packet. The point is to flavor the bread crumbs so much that you might not need a dipping sauce. (Hey-- I'll cut calories and salt wherever I can!) Bake your homemade chicken nuggets for 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees. It takes about the same amount of time as slicing open a frozen chicken nugget bag and arranging them on the pan-- but it's all natural. PS: It's also delicious!

I hope you'll give one or both of these recipes a try. Enjoy-- with fork in hand.

Stuffed Turkey Loaf

Today I bring you a special-edition meatloaf: stuffed with delicious green herbs and spinach. It is simple and delicious. It is also healthy.

I saw a picture of a stuffed turkey meatloaf in a "Cooking Light" cookbook my mom purchased for us. I decided to give it a try, then proceeded to close the book. You know I'm not much for recipes.

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I mixed some ground turkey meat with half a cup of whole wheat bread crumbs, a tablespoon of garlic powder, and a small amount of tomato sauce. I kneaded it just long enough to incorporate the ingredients, then I patted it out on a piece of plastic wrap, making a rectangle about six inches by eight inches. When I had the desired shape, I covered the entire thing with chopped fresh spinach and basil. I then used the plastic wrap to roll the meat, keeping the greens tucked inside. If you've seen someone roll sushi, you know the technique. I was able to keep a tight hold (and a tight roll) in the meat by sort of sealing it with the plastic wrap. When I was finished, I turned the meatloaf into a bread pan (sprayed liberally with cooking spray) and brushed a little tomato sauce on top. I baked it for about 30 minutes at 375 degrees.

I served this delicious and juicy meatloaf with mashed carrots and russet potato, mixed with a little garlic and tiny bit of tomato sauce. It was simple and hit all the right flavor notes. It was a simple way to incorporate a little more fiber (and a ton of flavor) into an otherwise typical dish. I hope you will enjoy it with fork in hand.

Butternut Squash Soup

I wish I had been able to get a better photo of this soup, but I think no photo could do it justice. If you are a fan of squash, you must try this super-easy pureed butternut squash soup. Here's how I made it.

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Boil one bag of frozen butternut squash (I used Hannaford brand) and half an onion (roughly chopped) in a couple cups of water. Add a chicken bouillon cube or boil in stock to deepen the flavor if you want. I also threw in a couple cinnamon sticks because we had them in the cupboard. Add a table spoon of cinnamon to the finished product to achieve the same flavor. When the squash is soft, remove the pan from the heat. Let it cool for a half hour or so.

When the squash is cool, use a slotted spoon to drop the squash and onion (without the liquid) into a blender. Puree for ten seconds. If it looks like you need a little liquid to make the squash move, add it by the tablespoon. It won't take much liquid (if any) to loosen up the squash. Add some black pepper and puree until you achieve a smooth consistency.

I packed this soup up in a Lock-and-Lock (which don't leak!), along with turkey burgers and veggies with hummus for an easy picnic dinner. The soup was filling, flavorful, and 100% satisfying. A lot of people add some kind of cream to their pureed soups. Forgo the cream to get a dense and honest flavor. I'm telling you, this soup is to DIE for-- and super easy! You will enjoy it with (or without) for (or spoon) in hand. Trust me.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

On Saturday, I started to panic (internally) a little. My tightly budgeted grocery list, purchased on Monday, was starting to thin out, and I was concerned that I didn't have anything to make for dinner on Sunday. I started to think about the handful of things I had still left in the refrigerator, and I decided that I'd keep it simple: baked chicken breast with a couple of fibrous sides.

Taking advantage of one of the sauces my co-workers gifted me back in June, I marinaded two chicken breasts (I took them off the bone) in sweet and sour sauce. I cooked them, like usual, on a rack atop a cookie sheet. I love that this allows the fat to drip away and the heat to circulate around the meat. After a short time marinading (even twenty minutes is acceptable, when you're trying to keep it quick), I put the chicken in the oven at 350-degrees for about 25 minutes. I use the old "press on the meat" trick to determine when it's done. You've probably seen chefs do this before: make a tight fist, looking at your down-turned thumb. Press the skin just above the last thumb knuckle. You should feel that it's firm with a slight give. If your chicken feels like that, it's cooked through. Of course, chefs also recommend letting your meat rest after taking it out of the oven, which lets the juices redistribute and the meat carry-over cook for a bit. These tricks really do work. I use them all the time, and I rarely overcook or undercook a piece of chicken.

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All that said, I cooked the meat for about 25 minutes, until I felt that familiar firmness. In the meantime, I threw some sliced potatoes in the oven as well. Because I also cooked the potatoes on the oven rack, I didn't bother to toss them in olive oil (which you would normally do to keep them from sticking to the pan). I just sprinkled them with garlic powder and a little dried cilantro. This means I added zero oil and zero salt to the potatoes-- and they were tasty!

The second side was my favorite part of the meal, actually. I added a tablespoon of olive oil to a frying pan, then threw in two handfuls of frozen corn, half a really finely diced onion, and a small head of broccoli, sliced and diced super-small as well. I saw Michael Voltaggio prepare broccoli in a similar way on Top Chef last season, and it looked great-- and easy! The small bits of broccoli mixed so well with the corn and onion, and some bits of the mixture caught on, giving the whole thing a delicious, rustic flavor. I loved every bite-- and saved the side dish for last so I could savor it.

This meal was borne out of desperation, but necessity is the mother of invention, right? I am convinced that if we use our imaginations (and, usually, a little more advanced planning), we can create home-cooked meals and avoid that drive-thru nonsense we all know we shouldn't be eating. But I know you're busy. This meal took thirty minutes to cook, plus twenty minutes of marinading (skip this step if you really want to, and glaze the chicken a couple times as it's baking), plus ten minutes of clean-up. That's one hour total. You can do it! I'll keep churning out easy-to-make, healthful, and budget-conscious meals if you'll keep giving them a try-- with fork in hand.

Chicken Cacciatore

When I was a kid, my mom once made something that sounded awfully fancy to my childish ears: chicken cacciatore. Little did I know the classic dish was really very simple. I decided to add it to the menu last week because I could cram in a lot of fiber, and I knew it was another opportunity to use the quick-fix side dish miracle product: couscous.

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To make the chicken cacciatore, I started with some oil in a hot pan (chicken fryer, again). I added chunks of chicken breast and sprinkled in freshly cracked black pepper and a tablespoon or so of rosemary. The rosemary, for those of you with limited pantries, was something I happened to have on hand, but any Italian spice will do. Oregano, basil, and parsley would be fantastic, for example. I let the chicken brown on all sides, and I added in large chunks of onion and green pepper. I'm not personally a fan of cooked green peppers, but Ram loves them, and they are traditional components of this dish. I let the vegetables start to cook down and soften and then added two 16-ounce cans of stewed tomatoes.

For what it's worth, I am obsessed with cooked tomatoes. The stewed were heavenly. When they hit the pan, I reduced the heat and covered the pan so that all of the components could work together. About twenty minutes later, it was ready to plate. It's truly that simple. Certainly this dish would be delicious over egg noodles or a side of pasta, but couscous is a great (and way simple) variation. In this case, I boiled a cup-and-a-quarter of water, then turned off the heat and added a cup of couscous grains and a handful of frozen peas. I covered the concoction and let the grains soak in the water for five minutes. With a fluff, the couscous was ready. The peas were an easy way to add fiber and flavor-- and the color was electric!

This dish was a Ram-pleaser, and it was extremely easy. If you're looking for something that's quick to pull together and that can please almost any palate, give this a try! It's a classic Italian dish that's delicious to eat with fork in hand.

Mango Salsa Chicken

Talk about a winner! This easy and healthy meal is one of Ram's favorites, and when I need a surefire hit (to balance out all of my other trials-and-errors), I add this to the menu. It is a pan-fried chicken with mango salsa, couscous, and simple salad greens. The couscous is out of a container; one cup of grains to one cup of boiling water, turn off heat, cover, fluff in five minutes. Couscous could not be any easier. The salad greens were fresh from Karalynn's garden (so grateful!), tossed with my favorite blush wine vinaigrette from Cape Cod dressings.

So the real star is the chicken, and it really has two components: the chicken itself and the sweet salsa. Ordinarily I butterfly my boneless chicken breast and pound it to create a flat and even cooking surface. I dredge (coat) the breast with flour, then dip it into a mix of egg and water, and, finally, coat it in breadcrumbs. The breadcrumbs can simply be from the container, but I like to add spices, too. Fresh cracked black pepper, garlic powder, oregano: anything you like can work. Chili powder would be delicious-- and a great accompaniment to the cold salsa.

At any rate, this three-step process for breading chicken might seem excessive, and you are free to bread it however you prefer. The three-step process is one that I've seen professionally trained chefs use on television. The reasoning behind this is that the egg mixture won't stick to an average piece of chicken; think slippery upon slippery. The flour gives the egg something to grab onto.

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To cook this pounded out, butterflied chicken, simply pan fry in a chicken fryer or wide-bottomed pan. I like to pan fry in olive oil with a bit of margarine, to impart a saltiness. If you've pounded the chicken thin, this will take maybe four or five minutes on each side, at the most. Keep the heat about medium so you don't scorch the outside (done that a couple times).

Now, in the photo above, I chose not to butterfly and pound the chicken (laziness after a long day in the city). I still used a pan fry to put some great color and crisp on the outside of the breast, but I finished them off in the oven. Total cooking time was 20-25 minutes. This preparation of chicken imparts the crunch we all love in a good piece of fried chicken, but it eliminates the 'deep fried' oil overload.

I prepared the salsa ahead of time. I chunked some mango, added finely chopped onions, dried cilantro, lime juice, and small diced tomatoes. I added salt and pepper to taste and set it aside-- covered-- in the fridge about an hour before I cooked the rest of the meal.

This is a crowd-pleaser. Homemade salsa always feels like a special treat, so folks with a taste for mango and/or salsa will love it. Folks who lack that affinity will still enjoy the meal, perhaps with another sauce (sweet and sour would be great, BBQ would be sufficient). At any rate, with a little presentation and elbow grease, you'll win over everyone at the table... with fork in hand.

Turkey Meatloaf

When I made my weekly grocery list on Sunday afternoon, I asked Ram if there was anything special he wanted me to add to the list. "Green stuff," he said. By that he didn't mean mint chocolate chip ice cream, unfortunately. He meant vegetation: peas, broccoli, lettuce, etc. He wanted some fiber.

As I designed my meals for the week, I made a conscious effort to devise ways to include more fiber in our diet. Not only is fiber the "stuff" that keeps our bowels regular, it's also responsible for helping our bodies process carbohydrates. So, for example, if a slice of bread has 9 carbohydrates and 5 grams of fiber, you can subtract the fiber from the carbs for your net carbohydrate intake. We all know that balance is the tricky and essential goal of eating healthfully, and this little mathematical trick is something I like to keep in the back of my mind.

That said, I decided to sneak some extra fiber into one of my favorite meals, made even more my favorite by the fact that it's my grandmother's piece de resistence: meatloaf. It's a super-simple recipe that allows the meat and the sauce to be the stars, and I doctored it up to increase the healthiness. Start with a pound (enough for three to four servings, depending on the size of your slices) of ground meat. In my gram's case, ground beef. In my case, ground turkey. I truthfully do not notice a difference, except, of course, that I know ground turkey is healthier, and I really prefer the flavor of turkey to that of beef. At any rate, the choice is yours.

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In a large bowl, plop down the meat. Add a small handful of diced onions, some garlic powder, black pepper, and a quarter cup of tomato sauce. My gram swears by Prego pasta sauce. Me? I'm frugal, so I use Hunt's. At $.89 for a can, you can not go wrong. It's looser than Prego, but that also means it stretches a little further, too. With your hands (c'mon! Roll up your sleeves!), squish it all together until the sauce and onions are distributed. Form it into the ubiquitous meatloaf shape (rectangular-ish with rounded corners), and place it on a baking rack in a casserole dish. Be sure to spray all the surfaces with cooking spray, because the fat and sauce tend to bake onto the dish's surface. Place casserole in a 400-degree oven for about 1.25 hours.

For my fiber-rich meatloaf, I added half a can of spinach to the meat mixture, which I first drained thoroughly in a strainer. You don't want to add the liquid from the spinach, so take a little time to squeeze all of it out. I also added a little tomato sauce to the top of the loaf before baking it; Gram adds, like, a whole jar of sauce, but since I don't want to reuse the sauce that contains fat drippings, I just opt for the top.

For sides, I again wanted to increase our fiber content. I boiled three Yukon gold potatoes (chopped them a bit first the speed up the cooking time) and mashed them with the other half of the spinach and a few tablespoons of margarine. I could've done with a bit more margarine, but for the sake of health-- and to preserve the great flavor of potato and spinach-- I used a light hand. The other side is simply quickly-boiled carrots and one small head of broccoli, drained, then heated with a tiny bit of margarine and tons of garlic salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

For what it's worth, I didn't peel the potatoes or the carrots. I like to think the peels add a bit more nutritional value, but they're a matter of preference. Some people hate peels and crave a nice, smooth mashed potato, and I think that's perfectly reasonable. Use a handmixer to get the job done if you're one of those types. As far as mix-ins are concerned, mashed potatoes can be delicious with just about any soft vegetable. I've boiled carrots and mashed them along with the potatoes, and I have regularly had boiled cabbage mixed in too. For some, this might be a good way to sneak in the veggies that people tend not to love (spinach, for example). And cooking is nothing if not an art, right? What's a little craftiness between friends with fork in hand?

BBQ Chicken Skewers

Last week was a blog failure of epic proportions. IOU big time this week. Starting with kebabs.

I have an affinity for bbq chicken on the grill. It's one of my favorite things about the summer. In fact, as long as the grill is accessible, regardless of the season and the weather, I like to use it. Alas, in my move to Massachusetts, I lost one great love in my life: the outdoor grill. To make matters worse, we aren't allowed to have a grill here, so a summer of great grilling ideas comes to a screeching halt.

But just because I can't grill doesn't mean I can't put to the test a couple of my favorite grilling techniques: marinading and skewering.

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Marinading is something a lot of us have been instructed to do by countless TV chefs. But it does take a little advanced planning. I like to take a look at the big picture and to make time to prepare my meats (in this case, chicken breasts) by removing the skin, trimming to size, and soaking in a scrumptious sauce. When it comes to grilling, to some extent, size matters. In order for meats to cook evenly, the pieces should be relatively the same size and thickness. A chicken breast, cooked whole, for example, can be folded under on the thin end to create an even thickness. For kebabs, the pieces should be cut to the same thickness on each kebab. Ending up with one kebab with smaller end pieces and one with larger pieces means two different cooking times, but at least you won't have over- and under-cooked meats on the same stick. It's the lesser of two evils.

I tossed this chicken with bottled BBQ sauce. Hannaford makes a cheap and delicious Sweet and Tangy sauce that I love. To dress up a marinade, add minced garlic, ginger, onion, or herbs/spices. If someone at your table likes it hot, set aside a little marinade with crushed red pepper or chilis. If someone else is trying to watch their sugar or calorie intake, use a dry rub of spices instead of a sauce.

Either way, let the meat set. Let it soak in some of the goodness. After a few hours (or overnight, if you're really thinking ahead!), you're ready to skewer. I'm fairly new to skewering, but I love the concept. I used wooden skewers, which I soaked before loading up with meat and vegetables to prevent scorching. If you're grilling outside with flames lapping at your meat, you do not want to skip this step. Almost nothing can ruin a BBQ faster than skewers on fire. Or so I'm told.

I skewered with onion in this case, but you can literally use any vegetable that suits your fancy, provided that it can be stuck through with a stick. Similar to the rule of thumb with meat, you want to keep your vegetables a similar size. Some vegetables cook a lot faster than others, too, so keep that in mind when you're selecting your veg.

To circumvent the no grill issue, I simply baked this chicken. But I have also used the trusty George Foreman Grill, which, while not infusing the grill flavor, does at least provide the grill marks and thus the illusion of my charcoal smoking friend.

Simple sides here include steamed corn on the cob-- on sale the week I conceived this meal-- and cucumbers tossed with balsamic vinaigrette, a summer staple. Super-simple, but delicious.

So, whether you've got an outdoor grill (in which case, I am jealous) or you long to get one, remember to apply and perfect the techniques so you can enjoy your meals with fork in hand.

Cod Cakes

For what it's worth, my efforts are often unsuccessful. Cooking without a recipe-- my process, I'll call it-- means cooking instinctively, and sometimes my instincts are off.

I saw someone on Food Network make cod cakes, a knock-off of crab cakes, which I love. I've never worked with crab, and I've certainly never made a crab cake, but I've eaten a few, and I was determined to try this recipe. Cod is fairly mild fish, which I say as a person who does not eat fish. The finished product (spoiler alert!) had a taste reminiscent of crab cakes, and if they had been served properly, they probably would have been delicious. More on that later.

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I purchased frozen cod fillets at Hannaford. They came two to a package, and I ended up using just half of one piece (which means we'll be attempting this recipe again). Step one is to put a frying pan (one for which you have a lid) on the stove with maybe 3/4" water. Place the frozen fish (or fresh, if you have it) in the pan, and cover it until the fish has poached and is cooked through. While that's happening, I poured maybe a half cup to a cup of breadcrumbs into a bowl, along with seasoning: garlic, lemon peel (dried and crushed), and black pepper. When the cod was poached, I pulled it out of the water and plopped it into the bowl. I used a potato masher to pulverize the fish, then I used my hands to incorporate all of the ingredients. I added one egg to bind the mixture together, so that I could form four palm-sized cod cakes. The mixture did not hold together as well as I'd hoped, but I really didn't want to add more crumbs or another egg, so I squished and formed the cakes until they held together well enough to gingerly move them. I heated some olive oil with a teaspoon of butter (for flavor-- love that saltiness), and when that sizzled, I put my cod cakes carefully into the oil. A couple minutes on each side, and the cakes were brown and hot through.

Here's the rub. The sides were not done yet, so I placed the cod cakes in a pan and stuck them in the oven to keep them hot. Big mistake. When everything was eventually ready, the cod cakes were dried out and hard. The flavor was still there, and I believe in this process, but I would wait until the last possible minute to fry them. Lesson learned.

The sides were simple. I took two white potatoes, sliced into rounds, and sprinkled them with black pepper. I placed them on a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet so they would be elevated and not fester in their own droppings. They took longer to cook than I thought they would, hence the dried cod cakes. But they tasted fine. With a little more seasoning and a little more time, they would have been delicious.

The other side was another coleslaw. I chopped the cabbage into small-ish pieces and tossed them with a mixture of Dijon mustard, honey, and lemon juice. I have never been a huge fan of Dijon mustard (unlike its yellow cousin, which I adore), and this was too much for me. But Ram loved it, and if you enjoy Dijon, you will too.

So those are cod cakes. Next time (and there will be a next time) I'll fry them off at the last minute so that we can enjoy the sizzling, hot, flaky cakes, with fork in hand.

Spicy Chicken Legs

My friends regularly ask me for the recipes behind my food. What friends, you ask? Well, for a few months, I've been taking pictures of the dishes I crafted and posting them to Facebook, usually with a brief explanation of the dish. Below is a dish I made a couple nights ago, when the temps in Massachusetts reached into the 90s. Turning on the oven was certifiably crazy, but the results were worth the sweat.

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I don't usually use recipes when I cook. I approach food organically. Typically, I think about the ingredients we have in the fridge or the items that are on sale at the grocery store, then I develop what I hope will be a well-balanced meal around that. Ram has been on a health kick for a while now, and he prefers to eat meals that are very low in salt, sugar, fat, and carbohydrates. Talk about throwing a wrench directly into the path of my tastebuds! But the truth is, his preferences (usually) help to sway me in the way of healthier eating, and I have to admit, I often need that push.

This meal is composed of three things, each with its own spices and style. The common thread is the spice, though. For me, the food on the plate needs to be complementary. I wouldn't, for example, throw an Italian-style meatball on the same plate as a teriyaki chicken kebab and an Indian samosa. With the exception of a potluck, where incongruous dishes end up sharing a plate, this hodge-podge is not harmonious, and I want my food to make sense.

The coleslaw was the starting point. I saw a chef use cabbage on Food Network over the weekend, and I thought, "There's a vegetable with a ton of fiber [which Ram will love] that also stretches a long way." I immediately started to develop my week's meals around the cabbage: slaw with roasted chicken, Asian lettuce wraps, and slaw with cod cakes. Ahh-- the other beauty of cabbage (besides being fibrous and hefty enough for several meals) is that it can take a variety of flavors to match the direction of the dish (while still maintaining its own flavor and texture).

So I shaved the cabbage with my chef's knife and just tossed it with a few tablespoons of jerk marinade. I received the marinade a few weeks ago at my going-away party at work. The essence of jerk marinade is Latin-inspired spices; mine lists coriander, red pepper, ginger, and thyme among its ingredients. Talk about simple! I take all the help I can get in the kitchen, provided that the help isn't full of chemicals and preservatives.

After setting aside the coleslaw, I de-skinned and washed six chicken legs. Hannaford had them on sale this week, and I bought a large package that included six legs and six thighs (see tomorrow's post for my thigh treatment). I patted the legs dry, preheated the oven to 450, and coated the legs in another going-away party gift: a rub of garlic powder, paprika, and lots of black pepper. I think the balance is something like 1 part paprika, 2 parts garlic powder, and 3 parts black pepper. Because the chicken was dry, it took the rub really well. I placed the spicy legs (this is sounding dirtier by the minute) on a baking rack atop a cookie sheet (elevating the chicken above its fatty droppings not only saves us from ingesting the fat, but also preserves the spices on the underside of the legs). I set the timer for 45 minutes, and when I pulled those legs out, they were piping hot and juicy-- not to mention burning-my-lips-and-tongue spicy! I drank a small glass of milk with dinner, trying to keep the tears at bay. If you recreate this spice rub and don't like a ton of spice, reduce the black pepper to 1 or 2 parts.

The final element of this dish was a super-quick saute of corn. We had two ears left over from a meal last week, so I sliced the kernels off (into a bowl, otherwise they'd have migrated to the floor) and tossed them in a small frying pan with a tiny bit of olive oil, a nob of butter, and some black pepper and chili powder. Maybe a couple minutes later, I plated it all up.

Cooking this meal was virtual suicide, considering the temperatures outside. And the heat of the spices certainly heated up the palate. But the meal was extremely economical and healthy. The chicken legs cost about $3.50, the cabbage was $.69 a pound, and the corn was $.38. We ended up using the leftover slaw the next night with our chicken wraps, and we each had a leg leftover for lunch. As far as I'm concerned, flavor is paramount, but to satisfy diners with healthy food while staying under-budget is a super-big bonus.

Even though chicken legs require no fork, I leave you with fork in hand.