Dutch Oven Chicken

One of the best items I have been gifted is a Dutch Oven. This is essentially a cast iron pot. Like normal cast iron cookware it is a staple in the kitchen because if seasoned right it is non stick, it can withstand high temperatures, and it has great thermoregulation and conductivity. The pot is like a cauldron when you cook in it. The lid has little bumps on the under side that just continue circulating moisture and heat so the dish gurgles and bubbles and basically cooks itself. This cookware has been around for literally centuries and indispensable in the kitchen.

As I got thinking about recipes to try out in this, I wondered if I could cook a whole chicken in a pot? Turns out you can and it makes the best chicken I have ever had. You start by searing the chicken on the stove top on both sides and then stick it in the oven at low temperature (250 degrees) for about 1.5 hours depending on the size of the chicken. You do not put a drop of liquid into the pan and after 1.5 hours the chicken is soaking in its own juices. Its amazing. The chicken is tender, moist and super flavorful. This recipe is soooo easy too. You can braise some veggies in the pot if you like while it cooks but they get pretty soft so I elect to just throw in garlic, onions and spices and make a separate side dish of veggies.

From a health standpoint, chicken is a little tricky. Much like other livestock, chickens can be raised in poor quality living environments which is compounded by the massive amount of chicken needed for the food industry. The USDA released in August 2017 that the average American consumed approximately 91 lbs of chicken per capita (that's is insane!), compared to 58 lbs of beef and 50 lbs of pork per capita.

When shopping for chicken, it is helpful to understand the labeling. One misconception to clear up is that while hormones are approved for use in cattle, they are not allowed in poultry so if you see a label stating it is 'hormone free', know that it is purely marketing. However, they do allow the use of antibiotics in chickens for prevention of infection, growth and if they get sick. There are many claims that this is causing our antibiotic resistance by creating superbugs in the meat. They say 80% of antibiotics sold in the US are used in meat and poultry production. Yikes.

Here are some common claims you might see on packaging when shopping for a chicken and what they actually mean:
1) Free Range
This unfortunately is not very clearly defined. The term makes you think the chicken roam for miles and are free and happy but really it means they have access to outdoors for a portion of the day and maybe only 5 minutes. If the chickens are allowed to truly freely roam, this is great for the health of the chicken and improves living conditions greatly.
2) Cage Free
Cage free means even less unfortunately and generally applies to only egg laying hens so it is likely marketing if you see it on some chicken meat. All poultry producers are employing this one.
3) Natural
This means there are no artificial ingredients used, no coloring ingredients and no preservatives. Not designated as free range, no guarantee on use of antibiotics.
4) No antibiotics ever
This states the chicken has never received antibiotics from birth to when they are harvested. They may have been around sick chickens but they themselves did not need any antibiotics. Not designated as free range.
5) Naturally raised
This means the chickens are given vegetarian feed and never given any antibiotics. Not organic feed and not free range necessarily.
6) Organic
This is an actual certification that assures you 2 days after the chicken is hatched it is fed organic feed, free range, and never given any antibiotics. The most superior designation ensuring the proper health and living environment of the chicken in every way.

Keep in mind that not everyone chooses to get an "Organic" certification and so many good producers are employing the same principles. Being informed about where the chicken is coming from may be the best standard you can find.

Now that we can read the labels well...how do you buy the best tasting chicken? First start with quality and then choose based on how you are preparing the chicken:

Poussin: this is a very young chicken approx 3-4 weeks old at time of harvest, mild in flavor and best cooked whole.

Cornish Game Hen: 4-5 weeks old at time of harvest, they are small, mild in flavor, similar size to a Poussin and again best cooked whole.

Broiler or fryer: Between 5-10 weeks old at time of harvest, the most common whole chicken you will find.

Roaster: a much larger bird, it is allowed to reach full maturity so it is harvested at about 8-12 weeks. Their bones have had a chance to fully harden which makes them great for making chicken broth and soups.

Stewing hens or fowl: These are female birds that are post egg laying and approximately 10 months old at harvest. They have tougher meat but more flavor. They are good for slow cooking.

Capon: A neutered male chicken that is harvested at 3-4 months old. These are suppose to be the most tender and flavorful birds.

Here is the recipe I used for the Dutch Oven Chicken;
https://thebarefootcook.com/french-chicken-in-a-pot-adapted-from-americas-test-kitchen/

My final touch is to take some lovely drippings packed full of onion and garlic and spices and throw it in the blender to make into a quick jus. Soooo good.

Here is my plated product and picture of my sous chef:)

In Health! Bon Appetit!

K Raylinsky ND

Green Eggplant?

I went to an asian market a week ago and came across some Thai eggplant. They were a variegated green in color, small, round and fresh looking so I grabbed a bag (not knowing what I was going to do with them).

Turns out there are many different kinds of eggplant, and for the most part they have a similar taste and behavior with cooking but the shape and size give them different textures in different types of dishes. Eggplant is a staple in mediterranean dishes and popular in Indian, Italian, Asian and American dishes too. There are many varieties such as white eggplant (they look like large eggs), stripped purple eggplants,  Chinese eggplants (long, skinny, light purple), American eggplant (large, pear shaped, dark purple), Japanese eggplants (long skinny, dark purple) and Thai eggplants (small, round and light green).

Eggplant is considered a night shade vegetable and part of the same family that tomatoes, potatoes and peppers are in; the Solanaceae family. From a nutritional perspective, night shade vegetables are known to be linked with inflammation as they contain alkaloids. The type of alkaloid found in the Solanaceae family are steroid alkaloids which are associated with inflammation in joints and muscles and can cause gastric irritation. The steroid alkaloids are found in about 250 different species of plants. Alkaloids are produced by exposure to light, potatoes contain them in highest concentrations when sprouted or if turning green (which can be avoided by storing them in dark area). With tomatoes, you have less contact with the alkaloid part as the highest concentrations are in the vine and leaves themselves but do avoid eating green tomatoes because of this. In peppers, the alkaloid content is highest in the capsaicin (contained in the white rib of the pepper). In eggplant, the alkaloids are in the seeds which causes the bitter taste, in thai eggplant they recommend you remove the seeds to reduce this. The skin has no real reflection of alkaloid content when we look at the different varietals. The anthocyanins are the reason for the skin color and are responsible for the fantastic anti-oxidant properties of the vegetable.

The great things about eggplant aside from antioxidants are the fiber, b vitamins (including folate), manganese and potassium. They are great to cook with because of their texture and body. They can provide a nice accent to all sorts of dishes and vegetarian diets. The hard thing about cooking eggplant is that it will absorb oil very easily. So it is recommended to salt the eggplant about 1-1.5 hours before cooking (rinsing before cooking) to draw out some of the moisture and preventing it from too getting mushy.

So what did I do with my thai eggplant? The cool thing about it for me was it's shape. They are small eggplants so they have more firmness and texture. I really wanted to see how they tasted on their own before using them in a recipe so I cut them up into quarters after removing the vine tops and washing them thoroughly. I heated up a cast iron skillet with some olive oil and threw them in. I salted and peppered them well and turned them over frequently careful not to brown them too much. Once the flesh started to get a little soft (about 10 minutes) I threw some fresh garlic and thai basil into the pan. I sautéed them a little longer (another 8-10 minutes) and then garnished with some more fresh basil and drizzle of olive oil. I served them as they are along side some yummy meatloaf I made however in the future I think they would be a great addition to a green thai curry dish.

In Health! Bon Appetit!

-K Raylinsky ND

Banana Chia Quinoa Chocolate Chip Muffins

Looking for something to do with your bananas? I made this recipe into muffins and I changed it overall a little bit. I added 1/2 cup chia seeds instead of that last 1/2 cup flour, I used oat flour instead of whole wheat and I added quinoa instead of millet purely because I had no millet at the house. Oh and I added some chocolate chips:) Enjoy!

Here is my version of the recipe but check out the original Smitten Kitchen recipe link below:

3 large ripe-to-over-ripe bananas
1 large egg
1/3 cup (80 ml) virgin coconut oil, warmed until it liquefies, or olive oil
1/3 cup (65 grams) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup (180 grams) oat flour 
1/2 cup ground chia seeds plus 2 tablespoons coconut oil ( to soak up extra fiber )
1/4 cup (50 grams) uncooked quinoa

https://smittenkitchen.com/2012/09/crackly-banana-bread/