Time For Zoodles

Recently, I got the request to "cut down" on carbs—or rather, to cut them out completely. That meant saying goodbye to rice, potatoes, and pasta. Whew. Last week, in an attempt to be good, we tried chickpea pasta. Oh my goodness... what the heck was that? Let’s just say neither of us was a fan.

Enter my new kitchen hero: the OXO Spiralizer.

This week, I decided to tackle "zoodles" (zucchini noodles) to pair with a batch of our rich, homemade Bolognese sauce.

If you've ever made zoodles, you know the biggest challenge is avoiding a watery mess. My trick? I spiralized two zucchinis, laid them out flat on a paper towel for 20 minutes, and then pressed down with another paper towel to draw out as much moisture as possible.

Once they were prepped, I heated some olive oil in a sauté pan and gave the zucchini a quick toss for about 6 minutes. A simple seasoning of salt and pepper, a pat of butter, and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese brought the flavors together perfectly before I smothered them in our Bolognese sauce.

Let me tell you, this was a 100% improvement over last week's chickpea pasta experiment. I might just survive this carb-free journey after all!

Perfect Sunday Chicken

I think a roasted chicken is the perfect Sunday meal. I know not everyone agrees. The way I see it, any leftovers count as protein for lunch during the week.

I have been buying the Bell and Evans 1/2 chicken. It is the perfect size for the two of us. And as it happens, I like the leg and thigh, and he prefers the white meat.

Now the recipe is from the New York Times, before they had the Times Cooking app. 

It's a recipe from June 21, 1998. 

The measurements listed below are what I used for the 1/2 chicken.

Savory Baked Chicken

Toss chicken parts with a mixture of 2 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp of cumin, 1/4 tsp oregano,

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, a pinch of allspice, and 1/2 tbsp of soy sauce.

Preheat oven to 450˚F. 

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Put chicken on the sheet pan.

Bake for one hour, turning the pieces as they brown.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes

So simple, and the results are always a moist and flavorful chicken.