Roast Chicken with Curried Lentil Soup, Israeli Cous Cous and Pumpkin Cheesecake

Our friend Melissa was kind enough to pick me up from the airport after my trip to Oregon with Mike (and by "kind enough," I mean she was a saint for waiting until 12:30AM), so we invited her and a couple of friends over for dinner and a board game to thank her. Roast chicken is one of my go-to dinner entrees for guests, since it's universally appealing (unless you're vegetarian - but there are plenty of other meatless options for those occasions) and relatively simple to prepare. The Israeli couscous is a recipe we obtained from Mike's mom while we were visiting Portland - we prepared it for a cookout they planned in honor of Mike's visit, and it was so good we couldn't wait to make it again.

The pumpkin cheesecake dessert is Mike's favorite to make, and it's so delicious that I can almost never refuse a slice of it.

Overall, the dinner and game night was quite a success. I can't wait to do it again!

Roast Chicken
(adapted from My Favorite Simple Roast Chicken from Epicurious.com )

1 whole chicken
salt and pepper to taste
1 long piece of butcher's twine
a meat thermometer

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Using two small bowls, pour salt into one and cracked black pepper into the other. Set aside.

Rinse the chicken under cold water, then pat it dry with paper towels - it is very important that the chicken is as dry as possible, inside and out, to ensure a crisp skin.

Salt and pepper the inner cavity of the chicken, then truss it using the butcher's twine. When I was learning how to truss a chicken, I used the below video from Chow.com. You will notice there are comments about this being the "wrong" way to truss a chicken, but I don't care - it's easy and secures the chicken and turns out perfectly.

How to truss a chicken

Once the chicken is trussed, set it in a 9x13 baking dish, legs pointing upward. I love the way the original recipe describes salting and peppering the chicken, so I'll repeat it here: Rain the salt over the skin, being sure to get some granules on all of the appendages - this is key to extracting all the flavor of the chicken and to crisping the skin. Then, repeat the technique with the black pepper.

Stick the meat thermometer in between the leg and the breast - you want to make sure it's deep in the meat of the bird so you get an accurate temperature reading. Place the chicken in the oven. You want to meat to reach 165 degrees. I usually set a timer for 45 - 50 minutes, check on the thermometer, and set it for another 10-15 minutes. I try to remove the bird from the oven when the thermometer registers 163-164 degrees - it will continue to cook for a few minutes before it starts to cool.

Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest 15-20 minutes before serving.

Curried Lentil Soup
(Originally posted on Epicurious.com)
Serves 4-6

Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped and divided
2 tbsp (or more) curry powder
1 cup green lentils

4 1/4 cups water, divided
1 15-16 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp butter
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Heat a tbsp of olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Saute the onion and carrot and sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Once translucent, add half of the garlic and cook until the veggies are soft. Stir in 2 tbsp of curry powder and cook an additional minute. Add the lentils and 4 cups of water. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, increase heat until the soup boils, reduce to medium and simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are cooked through.

Meanwhile, puree the chickpeas, lemon juice, 1/4 cup water, remaining garlic, and 2 tbsp of olive oil. Once the lentils are done, stir in the chickpea puree and butter. Season with salt, pepper, and additional curry powder to taste. Serve with green onions and lemon wedges.


Israeli Couscous with Asparagus, Peas, and Sugar Snaps

serves a lot

4 tbsp lemon olive oil, divided (if you don't have lemon olive oil you can add the lemon juice to the oil when it's shimmering hot)
4 garlic cloves, minced and divided
1/2 tsp grated lemon peel
1 1/2 cups (6-7 oz) Israeli couscous
1 3/4 cups vegetable broth
14 oz (2.5 cups) asparagus, trimmed and cut into 3/4 inch pieces
8 oz (2.5 cups) sugar snap peas, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup green peas
1/2 cup chives, chopped
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Whisk 2 tbsp olive oil, half the garlic, and lemon peel in a small bowl and set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add the couscous, sprinkle with salt, and saute until most of it is golden brown. Add 1 3/4 cups broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the couscous is done in about 10 minutes. More broth can be added if it is all absorbed before the couscous is fully cooked and tender.
Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet. Cook asparagus, snap peas, green peas, and remaining garlic. Season with salt and pepper and saute for a few minutes until crisp-tender. Mix the vegetables with the couscous and dressing in a large bowl. Add the chives and cheese and toss together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.


Pumpkin Cheesecake
by Mike!

Crust:
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tbsp butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Filling:
3 packages (24 oz total) cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
4 eggs
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin (Try to avoid the pre-flavored cans. It doesn't turn out as well)
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix all of the ingredients for the crust in a medium sized bowl. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 10 inch springform pan and set aside. Do not bake! I know a lot of pie recipes involve the pre-cooking of the crust, but do not bake!
To make the filling, beat the cream cheese and sugars in a large bowl on medium speed until fluffy.
Brit's amazing grandparents recently bought her a Kitchen-Aid, so I no longer have to do this with a ridiculously old electric mixer that smells like it's burning up every time I use it. (Thanks for giving it to me mom! At least I had one, right?!)
Add the eggs, one at a time, while mixing on low, until each egg is just blended. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix until smooth. I would occasionally stop and scrape down any bit of the filling that had gotten stuck near the top of the bowl and wasn't properly incorporated.
Pour the filling into crust and bake for 70-75 minutes when the top is lightly browned. Run a small knife around the rim of the pan to loosen the cheesecake and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate the cake for at least four hours before serving. NOMS!

Chana Masala with Brown Rice

I found this dish in another of my food blogs and knew I had to make it. It fit perfectly with our love of Indian food and my latest obsession with eating any dish that included chickpeas.

Chana Masala

(Originally posted on the Closet Cooking food blog)

Makes 6 servings

1 tbsp oil
1 onion, diced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger, minced
2 green chilies, roughly chopped
2 tsps cumin
2 tsps coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp amchoor powder (we used the juice of half a lemon on the suggestion of the original recipe author)
2 tsps paprika
1/2 tsp garam masala
28 oz diced tomatos
1/2 cup water
2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
salt to taste
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 lemon, juiced
cilantro, chopped

Over medium heat, saute the onion until tender. Add in the garlic, ginger, chilies, cumin, coriander, cayenne, turmeric, amchoor, and paprika and garam masala and saute for a minute.
Add the tomatoes, water, and chickpeas and simmer 15 minutes while the sauce thickens.
Add the remaining salt, garam masala, and lemon juice and remove from heat. Garnish with cilantro.
We served the dish over brown rice that had been seasoned with smoked paprika, curry powder, and cumin.

Tilapia fish tacos with Grilled Peppers and Onions

We found this recipe in the August 2011 issue of Cooking Light. We have always loved making tacos and this simple, minimal ingredient dish, looked perfect.

Tilapia Tacos with Grilled Peppers and Onions

Serves 4

Onion, sliced
Bell pepper, sliced
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 lb of tilapia fillets
8 corn tortillas
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 lime, cut into wedges
1 avocado, sliced


Preheat a grill pan to high heat. Grill onions and peppers, turning occasionally until cooked. Cut veggie slices into smaller pieces and combine with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper in a bowl.

Sprinkle fish fillets with additional salt and pepper and cook on grill pan over medium-high heat. Cook approximately 3 minutes per side until fish is flaky.

Warm up tortillas and fill with veggie mix, jalapeno pepper, fish pieces, avocado, and then garnish with lime.

Harira with Israeli Salad

Tonight's meal is another recipe from the Moosewood Restaurant cookbook that Brit has fallen in love with. Harira is a traditional North African soup served during Ramadan and is a very hearty and tasty meal. Brit and I cooked most of this dish the night before and let it sit overnight to help soften all of the protein and help the flavors evolve. Brit also quickly chopped up a light and refreshing Israeli Salad that was really nice in this hot weather that we've been suffering through.

Harira

Serves 6

1 cup onion, chopped
4 cups veggie stock
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp grated ginger root
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 cup carrot, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
15 oz diced tomatoes, undrained
1.5 cups potatoes, diced
pinch of saffron (we actually forgot to include this)
1 cup lentils
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper
1-2 tbsp cilantro, chopped (we also didn't include this as a last second decision)
lemon wedges

In a large soup pot, simmer the onions on 1 cup stock for 10 minutes. Mix the cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, and cayenne with a few tbsp of hot stock. Stir the spice paste into the pot and add the carrots, celery, and remaining stock. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, potatoes, and lentils, recover, and cook for 15-20 min. At this point the saffron should be added (if you remember to do so). Stir in the chickpeas, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. We waited to season with salt and pepper until the following day. At this point we let the pot sit overnight and transferred it to the fridge during the day.

When we were ready to eat, we re-heated the soup, seasoned with salt and pepper, and squirted some fresh lemon juice before eating. We should have also included the cilantro as a garnish, but were too hungry to wait.

Israeli Salad

1 cucumber, chopped
1 tomato, diced
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Handful of parsley, chopped
1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients together and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.


This soup was fantastic. Really hearty. Really tasty. Really good. And there were a lot of leftovers for future lunches. The next time we make this dish, which we definitely will, we'll add extra lentils and garbanzo beans. The salad that Brit made was actually her own variation on an Israeli salad that she first learned from her Norwegian grandmother. The addition of the tomato makes the dish more similar to an Israeli salad, but the rougher chopped veggies and garlic make this her own unique recipe. Ultimately, it was very tasty and perfect to eat in the heat.

Chickpea Patties with Israeli salad

We originally made this dish before our vacation to Oregon and really enjoyed how well the vegetarian patties turned out. The tzatziki sauce was really flavorful and we had added some chili pepper to give it some more spice. Since the recipe makes more patties than we can eat, we froze the extra patties raw for a future dinner. Thankfully, that meant all we had to do was thaw the patties under running water and we were ready to finish cooking our dinner. Brit made a delicious side of veggies that is very similar to an Israeli salad; details of the salad will come later.
Chickpea Patties with Tzatziki Sauce
(Originally posted on the Macheesmo food blog)

makes 8 patties

Patties
2 15 oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup bread crumbs, toasted
4 scallions, minced
1/2 cup greek yogurt (we got the non-fat kind from TJs)
3 tbsp cilantro, minced
Salt

Toast the breadcrumbs in a dry pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes until a light brown color. Then, whisk together the eggs, garam masala, oil, and pinch of salt into a small bowl. Mush the chickpeas in a large bowl with a fork until mixed well. It's ok to have it be chunky.

Stir together the chickpeas, egg/spice mixture, breadcrumbs, and all the other ingredients to make a paste. Divide the mixture into 8 equal parts and form round patties about 3/4 of an inch thick while trying not to press the mixture together too much. Over high heat, add 2 tbsp of olive oil to a pan. When glistening hot, add the patties and cook 4-5 minutes per side until browned.

Tzatziki Sauce
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1 cucumber, shredded
1 tbsp scallions
1/2 tbsp cilantro
salt

Peel the cucumber and shred using a large pored grater into a colander resting over a bowl. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Placing the colander over a bowl is crucial as the cucumber will lose a lot of its moisture while it sits. Mix all the remaining ingredients together in a large bowl and spice with chili pepper powder if you so desire.

Poached egg on Toast with Chipotle Mayo, Bacon, and Avacado

I've become a huge fan of the Closet Cooking blog and I'm always impressed with how the recipes turn out. After seeing this blog entry I had to try it myself and thought it would be great as a brunch entree. Instead, we cooked this as a dinner entree (who doesn't like breakfast for dinner?) and I'm so glad we didn't wait for the weekend.

Poached egg on Toast with Chipotle Mayo, Bacon, and Avacado
(Originally posted as a Closet Cooking blog recipe)

Serves 2

4 eggs
4 slices of bread, toasted
Chipotle lime mayo (see below)
2 avocados, sliced
8 slices of turkey bacon, cooked

Poach your eggs in a large pot of boiling water. We poached ours by adding some vinegar to the water, cracking the egg in, and using a spoon to try to contain the yolk and white together while the white cooks. After 2-3 minutes the white should be cooked and carefully remove the egg without cracking it.
Assemble your sandwich and be satisfied!


Chipotle lime mayo

1/2 cup mayo (we use the low-fat TJs variety)
1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, chopped
2 tsp adobo sauce
Juice from half a lime

Mix everything together.


The chipotle mayo is really awesome and a great idea. It would go well on a variety of sandwiches and burgers as well. The taste from the runny poached egg, avacado, bacon, and mayo is so good. I can't wait to make this dish again and especially during one of our regular brunches.

Mexican Quinoa with Beans and Pico de Gallo

Tonight's recipe was another suggestion from the great Closet Cooking blog: Mexican Quinoa with Beans and Pico De Gallo. As soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to eat it. My mother and brother even found the recipe printed out and also grew interested too.

Mexican Quinoa
(Originally posted by Closet Cooking)

Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 cup quinoa
1.5 cups veggie stock
1/2 cup tomato, diced
1/2 tsp oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Handful of cilantro, chopped

Saute the onions in the oil until soft. Add the garlic, cumin, and chili powder and cook for another minute. Add all the remaining ingredients except for the cilantro and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. The recipe normally calls for the cilantro to be added as a garnish, but we refrained because we were making a pico de gallo instead.

Pico de gallo

1 tomato, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
3-4 cloves garlic, diced
Handful of cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste.

Mix everything together and enjoy!


The Mexican quinoa was mixed with the pico de gallo, a can of black beans that were drained, and a dollop of sour cream. Everything mixed together was delicious and such a great meal.

Cream of Broccoli Soup, Bulghur Wheat & Greens, and Herbed Fish in a Packet

After a long, action-packed vacation to Oregon and a full week of frozen TJ's dinners while I anxiously awaited Mike to get back from his additional week at home, I decided to go "all out," so to speak and prepare an appetizer and a meal for the evening of Mike's return.

While we were in Oregon, Mike's mom bought us the Moosewood Restaurant Low Fat Favorites cookbook, so I decided I'd try three brand new recipes from there. This book's definitely a keeper.

Cream of Green Vegetable Soup with Broccoli
(ever-so-slightly adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low Fat Favorites)

2 1/2 cups chopped onions
6 cloves of garlic, minced
3 cups diced potatoes
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
3 cups water
5 cups chopped broccoli (florets and stems)
a couple tablespoons chopped thyme
about 1/4 cup chopped basil
handful chopped parsley
2 cups buttermilk
salt and pepper to taste

In a soup pot, combine the onions, garlic, potatoes, celery & water. Bring to a boil, then cover, lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the broccoli, thyme, basil and parsley and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes more, until the vegetables are tender. Working in batches in a blender or food processor, puree the soup with the buttermilk. Return it to the soup pot. Add salt to taste, reheat, and serve.

Cook's Note: This soup was creamy, rich and very filling. We will definitely make it again, but I think I'll do a soup-and-salad or soup-and-sandwich dinner next time - we were full by the time we got halfway through the fish and bulgur greens.

Bulgur with Savory Greens
(from Moosewood Restaurant Low Fat Favorites)

2 1/2 cups chopped onions
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound Swiss chard, rinsed and chopped (about 8 cups)
juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 cups bulgur
2 1/2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste

lemon wedges
fresh mint leaves
red wine or balsamic vinegar

In a large skillet, saute the onions and garlic in the oil for about 8 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the greens and lemon juice, cover and cook until greens have just wilted. Stir in the bulgur. Add the water, cover and cook on medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, until the bulgur is tender and most of the water has been absorbed. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and add more lemon juice to taste. Drizzle with vinegar and serve garnished with lemon wedges and mint.

Herbed Fish in a Packet
(from Moosewood Restaurant Low Fat Favorites)

2 tuna fillets (next time we'll use salmon)
about 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
salt and pepper
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tomato, thickly sliced
4 lemon slices
4 fresh rosemary sprigs
4 teaspoons capers

Rinse the fish fillets and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. For each fillet, fold a 12 x 15-inch piece of parchment paper in half to form a 12 x 7.5-inch rectangle and trim the corners to form a half heart shape, the way you would cut a large Valentine heart. Open the parchment on a flat working surface and place a fish fillet to one side of the center fold. Top the fillet with 1/2 the basil, 1/2 the thyme, sprinkle with salt and pepper and squeeze the juice of 1/2 the lemon.

Cover with a slice of tomato, 1 or 2 slices of lemon, a sprig of the fresh thyme, and 1/2 the capers. Fold the parchment over the fish and then, starting at one end and working you way around to the other end, carefully fold the cut edges twice to form a sealed packet.

Place the packets on an unoiled baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. The packets will become puffed and golden brown. Avoid the steam as you open the packet to check that the fish is cooked. When the fish flakes easily with a fork, open the packets and serve.