In the Kitchen (Crispy Rosemary Chicken and Pineapple Chicken)

Here are a few recipes we have really been enjoying lately.

Crispy Rosemary Chicken and Potatoes

          This is a really easy, really tasty dinner.  Start with about 8-10 bone-in, skin on thighs or drumsticks, or a 9x13 dish full of wingettes/party wings/drumettes (anything boneless or skinless will turn out dry).  Scrub and slice up some red potatoes into thin wedges.  Mix up 1/2 cup olive oil, the juice of half a lemon, 1 teaspoon dried, whole leaf rosemary (or 1 T. fresh whole leaf rosemary), 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1 1/2 t. fresh), 1/4 t. garlic powder, and a few dashes salt and pepper.  Put the chicken and potato pieces in two gallon sized Ziploc bags and pour some of the olive oil mixture into each bag and coat evenly.  Put it in the fridge for half an hour or more.  When you're ready to bake, empty the pieces and olive oil mixture into a 9x13 casserole dish (we use two--one for chicken and one for potatoes because the potatoes bake faster and crispier that way) or cookie sheets with sides.  Sprinkle everything with herbed sea salt (we use Herbamare) and bake uncovered at 400 degrees for one hour (less if you're baking wingettes).  Steam the veggies of your choice while it bakes and you've got a delicious dinner!

Pineapple Chicken and Rice








You will need:
3-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut up into bite-sized pieces
pinch of garlic powder
3-6 tri-color bell peppers, sliced into bite-sized pieces
2- 6oz. cans of pineapple juice
1-20 oz. can of pineapple tidbits w/ juice
3 T. cornstarch (due to corn intolerance we use arrowroot starch)
2 cups uncooked brown rice
1-2 t. worcestershire sauce
(optional) 1/4 t. chinese five spice, onions or garlic
(optional) 1 T. finely ground flaxseed
(optional) brown sugar to taste

          Cook rice according to directions.  On a side note, I've found that the key to making brown rice more tolerable (if you are used to white rice) is to soak it first.  This makes the nutrients in whole grains more readily absorbed by the body but it also makes the texture softer to eat once it is cooked.  For example, for 2 cups of uncooked brown rice, we soak it in 2 cups warm water and 2 T. apple cider vinegar for at least 7 hours prior to cooking.  Start it soaking in a warm place the night before or right after breakfast in the morning to have it ready for dinner.  When it's dinnertime, drain and rinse it, then cook it like you normally would.  Meanwhile, cook the chicken breast pieces in a large skillet with a bit of olive oil (and any other seasonings you like--chinese five spice, garlic, onions, etc.) until no longer pink.  Add the sliced peppers, put a lid on it, and let it simmer on low until the peppers are as tender as you like.  In a separate sauce pan, put your starch, (sugar, if you are adding it), worcestershire sauce, and pineapple juice (including the juice from the can of tidbits) and stir well.  Heat until boiling and thickened.  Once thickened, add the tidbits (and ground flaxseed).  When the peppers are tender enough, add the sauce to the skillet and serve it all over rice.  We love this dish saucy so you may find that this makes a lot of sauce!  Also, I tend to adapt recipes and eyeball ingredients when I cook so the ingredient amounts may need slight adjustments.  On a final note, finely ground (as opposed to coarsely ground) flaxseed is an easy way to add fiber and omega-3s to any meal (soups, chili, salad, spaghetti sauce--anything!) without anyone noticing.  Since it's finely ground, adding a tablespoon or two to the pot doesn't change the taste of the food at all.

I hope you enjoy these dishes as much as we do and no matter what you eat, remember Romans 14:17-18!