Coconut Chicken Curry—Romertopf style

I gave myself a Romertopf clay pot for Christmas, and I've been enjoying playing with it. My second creation was a riff on a Martha Stewart Curry—simple comfort for a snowy day. You could add garlic, carrots, red pepper, or something else to make it your own. Enjoy!
Ingredients: 6-8 red potatoes, quartered 1 leek, sliced lengthwise then chopped into 1/2 inch-thick slices 3-5 thumb-length pieces of fresh ginger chopped into matchstick-sized pieces 2 large (13.66 oz) cans coconut milk 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts Sweet curry powder Salt Pepper Fresh cilantro

Instructions: Soak lid and body of clay pot for 15 minutes. Add potatoes, leek and ginger to bottom of pot. Pour coconut milk over veggies. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Pat chicken dry and season all sides with salt, pepper, and curry powder. Layer chicken on top of vegetables. Cover, and put in COLD oven. Turn oven on to 500˚ F and cook for about an hour. Let pot rest for a good 10 minutes after you take it out of the oven. Garnish curry with cilantro and serve over rice.

Zingy Blended Breakfast Drink

Since we acquired our VitaMix, we've been making mostly fruit smoothies and ice creams. Turns out, no matter how much spinach you add to those things, it's still a whole lot of sugar. This morning, I thought I'd have a bit of an experiment and make a mostly vegetable breakfast drink. Here's what I tossed in:

1/2 cucumber
1/2 lemon
1 handful spinach
1 bit of fresh ginger (a little goes a long way)
1 generous pinch of fresh parsley
2 small handfuls of blueberries
water
ice

What I got was a buzzy splash of wake-up—a jolt of pretty clean energy to take into my day. Yum.

News Flash

Hi Friends,

Just thought you'd like to know that Whole Foods has initiated a new partnership with Global Animal Partnership to rate meats on a five point scale that tells you more than ever about the quality of life experienced by the animals you're eating. It's an exciting step towards letting us all know exactly what we're buying into when we buy meat. Learn more here.

Garlic Roasted Brussels Sprouts

My friends, I had a strange craving on Friday. It hit me at the Sheridan Costco sometime between 5:30 and 6. And it was for Brussels sprouts.

Until that moment, a good portion of my sense of self was grounded in a strong belief that I didn't care for Brussels sprouts. But research shows that it takes multiple exposures to a food before you can really know whether or not you like it. Apparently, after decades of evaluation, my taste buds and brain had suddenly given these tiny cabbages the thumbs up. Fueled with a new enthusiasm, I picked up a Costco-sized portion of cruciferous goodness and headed home.

I decided to treat my Brussels sprouts to a lovely garlic roasting--an approach that has never failed to turn a good vegetable into a great one. Feel free to take the recipe below and apply it to cauliflower, broccoli, beets, yams, potatoes, carrots, fennel or any other vegetable on hand.

Garlic Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:
About 20 Brussels sprouts, halved
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
Olive oil to coat
Sea salt and pepper to taste (I used my very favorite salt, Le Pere Pelletier Gardener Salt)
Fresh thyme

Technique:
Preheat oven to 400˚F. Toss ingredients in your best roasting pan (the one with the nicest patina), coating the tiny cabbages with oil. Turn the Brussels sprouts cut-side down to encourage them to caramelize on the largest possible surface area. Cook them for about 20 minutes, until they show a nice browning where they come in contact with the pan. Eat them up. Yum!

Dreamy Potato and Fennel Soup

Brrr! It's suddenly cold in Colorado, and after an outrageously long stretch of sunny, 70˚ days, we finally saw our first snow here in Denver this Tuesday. To cut into the gloom and chill, I tried a new soup recipe, modified--to fit what I had in the kitchen and garden--from Epicurious.

I used fennel from our own CSA, Monroe Organic Farms, which we picked up at the Boulder Farmers' Market. I took tarragon straight from the garden (hooray for the cold-heartiness of most herbs!). My fennel seed came whole from Savory, a great spice shop with locations in both Denver and Boulder. I ground it with a mortar and pestle, but you could also use a food processor or wrap the seeds in parchment and whack at them with a tenderizer or rolling pin (this can be good, old fashioned kitchen therapy).

Early on, this soup smelled fantastic and warmed up the cozy quotient in our house. On first taste, Joel immediately put this among my top five best soups ever.

You'll need:

1. 2-3 T olive oil
2. 2 fresh fennel bulbs, chopped
3. 1 medium onion, chopped
4. 5-7 small or medium-sized potatoes (when chopped, should about equal the amount of chopped fennel bulb)
5. 4 cups chicken broth
6. Juice of half a lemon
7. 1 cup heavy whipping cream
8. 1 tsp crushed fennel seeds
9. 1 tsp fresh tarragon, minced
10. Fresh fennel greens for garnish

Place heavy stock pot over medium-high heat and warm oil. Add 2, 3 and 4 and season with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. Sauté about 12 minutes, until softened. Add 5 and 6. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 30 minutes. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, bring 7, 8 and 9 to boil in a small, heavy saucepan; reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Cover, remove from heat, and let stand until flavors blend (about 20 minutes).

Returning to the stock pot, use a hand blender or food processor to puree the soup until smooth. Then, add the cream mixture and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve garnished with fennel fronds and enjoy!

Tortilla—Spanish Style

Hello, friends.

You know what's tasty? Eggs and potatoes and onions, that's what. For this reason, I'm delighted to share with you a wonderful recipe from my dear friend, Gabriella. Gabriella's family comes from Argentina, where she learned to make tortillas. Not flat frisbees of flour or corn, but delicious, gluten-free egg dishes that are both simple and sublime. From my first bite, this tortilla had me rapt (pun absolutely intended).

Spanish Tortilla

Ingredients

olive oil
3 small-medium potatoes, thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
8 eggs
salt and pepper
cheese to top

Instructions

1. Preheat over to 325˚.
2. Beat eggs and season with salt and pepper; set aside.
3. In oven-safe, 10-inch frying pan, sautée potatoes and onion in a splash of olive oil until soft, stirring often.
4. Pour eggs over potato mixture and bake for 10 minutes.
5. Flip on to plate.
6. Garnish as you wish--with tomatoes, cheese or herbs--or serve plain; it's delicious either way.
7. Enjoy.

Bodacious Broccoli

Well, winter is coming early to Colorado. Today, the slopes opened at Loveland, with A-Basin scheduled to follow on Friday. It's the earliest opening in 40 years, a sure sign that this is going to be a tough winter (right on the heels of a sub-par summer; we Coloradans definitely didn't get our 300 days of sunshine this year).

In spite of our recent hard freeze, I still have broccoli going in my garden, which is a good thing, because, when I'm missing the sun, or just feeling a little under the weather, I often turn to this delicious vegetable to cheer me and make me feel in good health.

Why broccoli? Well, it's outrageously good for you (rich in desirables like fiber, vitamins A, C, and K, calcium, and the cancer-fighting compounds cruiciferous veggies are famous for); moreover, I happen to find it delicious. I often stir fry it with ginger, carrots, and garlic, finishing it with a bit of lemon juice. But recently I tried something new, and it was so unbelievably tasty I had to share it with you.

Based on a recipe by the Barefoot Contessa, this roasted broccoli is sure to change the minds of broccoli balkers.

Festive Broccoli Florets

You'll need:

1-2 bunches of broccoli, cut into florets
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
2-4 cloves garlic, sliced or minced
Zest of one lemon
Juice of one lemon
Handful of pinenuts
Pecorino Romano (or any sharp Italian cheese, such as Parmesan) to taste, grated


1. Preheat your oven to 425˚
2. Arrange florets and garlic in a single layer in roasting pan.
3. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. Toss with olive oil to coat.
5. Roast for about 20 minutes, until broccoli is just beginning to brown.
6. Shift to serving dish and dress with remaining ingredients.
7. Serve immediately.
8. Devour with alacrity (but save some for me).