An Ode to Cauliflower

I was feeling a bit lazy yesterday and not quite up for the trek to Manhattan Fruit and Vegetable Exchange. I decided to stick close to home and hit up Garden of Eden for my weekly produce fix.

There wasn't much in the way of produce inspiration, so on a whim I decided to grab a head of cauliflower. Don't get me wrong, it's one of the first things I grab in a crudite (okay, when the carrots are gone) but I never think to make it when I'm home.

I doused it with a liberal coating of non-stick cooking spray, added a generous amount of Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper and garlic powder. About thirty minutes in a 350 degree oven and the florets were cooked to perfection! There was a light caramelization on the florets and I had to stop myself from devouring the entire roasting pan.

It was a great midday snack today and I was treated to a few hits of hidden salty bits within the florets, only to be balanced by a sharp hit of pepper. It was so tasty, that I didn't even bother to heat it up. Oh, cauliflower, please forgive my neglect! I promise to never forget you again!

Chicken with double roasted tomatoes and leeks

I spent the better part of last week eating my way through a refrigerator of leftovers from a dinner party I threw over the weekend.

So this weekend, it was time to try something new to rejuvenate my palate. I walked through the Manhattan Fruit and Vegetable Exchange on Saturday looking for some inspiration.

There were some nice fairly (I stress fairly) inexpensive leeks so I grabbed a bunch and then saw that grape tomatoes were on sale (2 pints for $2.99). The tomatoes looked decent and even though I stay away from them in the "off season" I thought some time in the oven would give them some depth of flavor.

I came home and after washing all the sand off the leeks, sliced them in chunks and filled a cookie sheet with the leeks, the grape tomatoes and some unwrapped cloves of garlic. Some olive oil spray, salt, pepper, garlic and thyme and my work was done. After a good half hour of roasting time the vegetables were tender and my apartment smelled amazing!

The next day, I preheated the oven while preheating my Le Cruset on the stove top. After seasoning some chicken breasts, I placed them in the Le Cruset to sear on both sides.

When that was complete, I added the leeks, tomatoes, garlic, some chicken stock, tomato paste as well as few large capers and olives for good measure. A light mix and it was off to the oven for about twenty minutes.

What came out was juicy chicken in a rich salty sauce. I probably added a bit too much kosher salt but that's nothing a little extra stock won't take care of when I reheat it for lunch this week; making what is going to be a very busy week at the office a little easier to handle.

Real Simple: Mustard Roasted Chicken with Veggies

My November into December eating-and-drinking-with-reckless-abandon has led to my New Year's Resolution to get back on track with meal planning and trying to shake a few pounds.

I loathe that I have the same resolution as basically everyone else on the planet, but honestly, this is my resolution all year, every year. I simply fall off the wagon now and then (most notably around the holidays) again basically like everyone else on the planet.

So while perusing the latest issue of Real Simple, I found an easy low-calorie recipe that I could make and bring as lunch for the week.

I chose the mustard roasted chicken with vegetables recipe featured in the magazine's January issue. It was so easy and many of the ingredients listed are my pantry staples.

I did substitute boneless chicken breasts for the whole chicken to help lighten the caloric load and did not use their "recommended mustard" since any quality mustard would work just fine. I also decided to kick it "old school" and bust out Mom's CorningWare but I think next go-around I might see how it comes out in my beloved Le Cruset.

If you are looking for something quick, easy and guilt free take this recipe for a spin!

Happy Belated Thanksgiving (to me)...

You may think that Thanksgiving is a time for Ms. Foodie to get all fancy with her turkey. And I have. Twice. A port marinade to be exact. However, truth be told, I've traditionally gone out to dinner for Thanksgiving. Yes, I go out to dinner on the biggest food holiday of the year.

Growing up, Thanksgiving was always my Dad's holiday and we would go out to dinner with my Grandparents. RRR and I enjoyed the fact that we can get something besides turkey (which can be abysmal outside of a Jersey diner) and keep our calories in check by not being able to go back for seconds and thirds and fourths. My Mom, however, hated that we went out to eat and would often make us a small turkey before she went off to her Mother's so that we had leftovers to come home to.

This year, I took on my Mom's role and decided I'm going to make myself a pseudo-Thanksgiving dinner; albeit a few days later. So on Thursday, I had a petit filet mignon and shrimp scampi and today's feast consisted of: garlic, lemon and rosemary roasted chicken, cornbread stuffing with cranberries, sage and prosciutto, roasted acorn squash and a mix of balsamic roasted vegetables finished off with pumpkin pie for dessert.

Thighs came over for what is becoming a routine day of dinner and football so I was able to share today's feast (she brought the pie - a delicious leftover from Rockstar's T'giving meal).

First in the oven was the stuffing; a recipe given to me by Contessa and listed below:

Saute 4 carrots, 4 celery & one large onion in vegetable oil

Add about 6 - 7 slices prosciutto, chopped sage, salt, pepper

Add ¾ cup cranberries - soaked, drained & dried (I use dry - you can also use currants or any other dried fruit)

Mix these ingredients with six cups cubed cornbread & one cup chicken stock. Throw into a buttered baking dish and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

It's pretty foolproof.

Once the stuffing was on it's way, I prepped my chicken; slathering it with lemon zest, chopped sage, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, garlic powder, lemon juice and a bit of chicken stock. I also put half a lemon and some of the herbs in the cavity of the bird. While this was starting to cook, I roasted one head of garlic (with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper) alongside it in the oven. Once the garlic had roasted and cooled; I smeared the chicken with it; getting some of it under the skin along with the herbs. Finally, I basted the chicken a few times to keep it moist and you know the drill - let the internal temperature of the bird come to 170, let the meat rest before carving, yada yada yada.

The acorn squash prep was pretty simple too: diced, coated with olive oil spray, salt, pepper, garlic powder, thyme and a generous helping of nutmeg. The balsamic veggies were pretty much the same deal except I used actual olive oil which was vigorously whisked with the balsamic to make a bit of an emulsion, then mixed with chopped fennel, eggplant and yellow squash.

Rockstar's pumpkin pie (courtesy of Fresh Direct) was creamy with an intense fresh pumpkin taste. What a great finish to a great meal!

The result was a post-Thanksgiving feast to remember... and with plenty of leftovers!

Probably not my last word on pizza...

But since it is ridiculously easy to make a savory interesting pizza at a fraction of the cost and calories, I thought I'd share one more recent venture into the world of pizza making.

Keep in mind, I do not own a pizza stone (blame it on NYC space prohibitive kitchens) but this post is pretty much geared at my non-cooking friends and loyal readers.

At my last trip to Trader Joe's, I picked up a pre-made whole wheat pizza crust; basically TJ's rip on a Boboli. Since it was whole weight and Weight Watchers friendly I figured why not? A pizza plus a salad will make a lovely lunch for the week.

When it came time to actually make the pizza, it was an exercise in pantry cleaning. I roasted some veggies - zucchini, eggplant and squash sprayed with Pam Olive Oil spray and seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder and a generous helping of fresh thyme and grated nutmeg.

Then came the fun part. A light Pam spray on the crust then a layer of roasted red peppers, the aforementioned roasted veggies, cured olives, spoonfuls of ricotta, a bit more salt and freshly ground pepper and then a 10 - 12 minute trip to my pre-heated 350 degree oven.

Once it came out I drizzled the top of the crispy pie with some olive oil and called it a day.

NOTE: If you are following along on Weight Watchers, the ENTIRE pizza was 24 points and it made six meals for me (along with a small side salad).

Mangia!