A Comfort Food Dinner
When fall turns to winter the nesting instinct takes hold of me. I spend Sunday afternoons in the kitchen whipping up dinners filled with favorite comfort foods, and it’s even better to prepare family favorites with an added nod to bone health. It’s a welcomed weekly tradition in my home and I’d like nothing more than to share it with you.
Glazed Roast Chicken with Mixed Sweet Potatoes and Clementines
Serves 4-6
Ah, the humble chicken, the workhorse of Sunday suppers and weeknight leftovers. Great for all seasons, but especially when that seasonal chill sets in, there’s nothing better than roasted chicken and veggies.
I had been brushing my chicken with olive oil for years until I read about how important an alkaline diet is for supporting bone health. I thought this would be the perfect time to add a bone-boosting tweak with organic apple cider vinegar. I used Vermont Village’s “Organic Cider Vinegar Shots with the Mother Ginger and Honey” to baste and glaze the chicken and potatoes. I prefer this product over others for two reasons: its minimal amount of honey is just enough to achieve the beautiful, burnished caramelization that we all look for in a glaze, and the amount of ginger adds just a touch of fire to enliven the recipe.
Sweet potatoes are at the top of my super-bone-building carbohydrate list. Their calcium, magnesium (which piggy-backs with vitamin D for calcium absorption), and alkalizing potassium pose a triple threat to bone resorption (breakdown). I love serving them with roast chicken.
3-lb.chicken
½ cup apple cider vinegar shot with ginger & honey
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper
2-3 clementines
2-3lbs. sweet potatoes- orange, purple, white or a mix, quartered
2-3 sprigs rosemary
Wash and dry the chicken. Tie legs together with twine, and place in a zip-top bag. Pour in cider vinegar and olive oil. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1-4 hours.
Heat the oven to 400 degrees and pop a rimmed baking sheet for the sweet potatoes on the bottom rack to warm up. Remove the chicken from the bag and place in a gratin or roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour leftover marinade into the pan and add halved clementines. Place in oven once it comes up to temperature and cook for 20 minutes, then reduce to 350. Baste the chicken every 15 minutes or so with the reducing liquid in the pan. Cook till skin starts to caramelize and internal temperature in the thigh reaches 165 degrees, about 40-50 minutes.
While the chicken is in the oven, toss the sweet potatoes with olive oil and rosemary sprigs, then spread on the hot pan to roast. After about 20 minutes, you can spoon some of the liquid from the chicken roasting pan over the potatoes to impart some of the flavor. Toss the potatoes when they start to brown on the bottom, lifting with a spatula so you don't lose that crispy side to the pan. Cook potatoes till the chicken is finished, about 40 minutes.
Sautéed Sweet Bell Peppers With Turmeric
Serves 4-6
You’re on the road to osteoblast enhancement with quick vegetable sautés. Here are two to make this meal a bone building staple!
I’ve fallen in love with the multi-colored mini peppers that are abundant in supermarkets these days. I cut them into wispy rings for salads and wider slices for sautéing. I added peppers to this menu for their colorful appeal and nutritional value. Their vitamin C makes the collagen in our bones more supple, and that keeps the spring in our step and fractures at bay. (Do keep in mind that cooking foods for a long period of time can cause them to lose their vitamin C, so a quick blitz in the panis all you need.) Peppers also contain phosphorus, a mineral that strengthens bones by pairing up with calcium.
There’s been quite a buzz about turmeric’s place in the pantheon of healthy spices. Its many benefits include alkalinity, which slows down osteoclast activity, making it a compelling choice for this pepper sauté. Nutrients in fresh turmeric are more easily absorbed than in powdered turmeric, so use fresh if you can. (The flavor of fresh vs. powdered is indistinguishable once cooked.) Either way, it adds a nice layer of complexity without being overly assertive.
2 lbs. assorted bell peppers
1 jalapeño or serrano if you like a little extra heat
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh grated turmeric root, or 1 tablespoon turmeric powder
1/2 lemon
4 scallions, both white and green parts, sliced
Slice large peppers into 1-inch strips, baby peppers into thick rings, and hot chilies into thin rings, removing seeds from all. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil, then garlic, and let it flavor your oil for a minute or two. Add peppers and stir. Let them sit in one spot for a minute or two to develop a little brown “char.” Add turmeric, salt and pepper, give it a toss, and cover with a lid to soften the peppers. Heat through, about 4-5 minutes.
Uncover. Squeeze in fresh lemon juice,stir in scallions, and serve.
Sautéed Broccoli Rabe
Serves 4
Green vegetables are a sure bet for added calcium, potassium and magnesium, so they are ever present on my dinner table. Add beautiful yellow and red grape tomatoes for an easy, extra Vitamin C boost.
1 bunch broccoli rabe
3 large cloves garlic, sliced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
Salt
Slice off bottom 1/4-inch of stalks and discard ends. Rinse, then dry the entire bunch with a kitchen towel. Break off the skinny stalks and set aside. Peel the thick stems. Combine and rough chop the entire bunch (this does not have to be precise at all).
Sauté garlic in olive oil until golden, or more well done if you like garlic chips. Carefully add broccoli rabe (it might spatter from clinging water), a scant pinch or two of salt and a little more olive oil if needed. Toss with metal tongs and sauté 4-5 minutes, tossing every now and then. Make a well in the center of the pan, and add a splash of water (or lemon juice). Loosely cover and let cook for another 4 minutes or until the broccoli raab is tender. To serve, toss in a bowl with another splash of olive oil and a variety of small tomatoes if you like.
And for dessert…
Mixed Nut Tart with Buckwheat Crust
Makes 1 9”-10” tart
For a sweet indulgence I offer this protein-packed nut tart, filled to the brim with calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, copper and manganese. Where some tarts may use honey, I use D’vash Sweet Potato Nectar. It’s made entirely from organic North Carolina sweet potatoes, and rightfully boasts higher levels of calcium, iron, and potassium than other sweeteners. Plus, its subtle sweetness perfectly compliments the inherent earthiness of the nuts and buckwheat crust.
Buckwheat Pie Dough
1-1/4 cups buckwheat flour
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
3/4 cup butter or coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
5-6 teaspoons cold water
Nut Filling
6 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 cup packed coconut sugar
¾ + ½ cup sweet potato nectar
Pinch or two of sea salt
3 cups (225 grams) mixed unsalted, unroasted nuts, divided
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs
Make the pie dough:
Pulse flours, salt and sugar together in a food processor. Add the coconut oil or butter, and pulse until mixture resembles a coarse meal and the largest bits are the size of tiny peas. With the machine running, add the cold water and run just till the dough starts to clump together. (It will stick together when you press it in your hand.) Remove from the bowl and scatter loosely into a 9-10 inch tart pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and use the bottom of a glass measuring cup to press crust flat, into the corners and up the sides of the pan. Chill in the freezer until solid, about 20 minutes.
Pre-bake the crust:
Heat oven to 400°F. Remove plastic wrap, then line the frozen crust with foil or parchment. Fill with pie weights or dried beans, place on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake for 30 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and let cool on a rack before filling.
Prepare filling:
Spread nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in a 350 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring once or twice so they toast evenly. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine butter, coconut sugar, ¾ cup sweet potato nectar and pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Remove from heat and stir in cider vinegar, vanilla and bourbon (if using). Add 2 cups nuts, and set the mixture aside to cool a little, about 5 to 10 minutes. When slightly cooled, add one egg at a time, stirring well so that the egg does not scramble, until combined. Pour mixture into prepared pie shell.
Place pie in the 350 degree oven. Bake 45- 50 minutes till the edges are set and puffed slightly and the center is slightly firm to the touch. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack.
Make the topping:
While the pie cools, heat the remaining ½ cup sweet potato nectar in a pan till it starts to bubble and boil. Stir in the last cup of nuts, and coat in the syrup. Remove from the heat. Spoon and spread the shiny nuts over the top of the pie; they will stick and remain glossy as they cool.
As a visual creative consultant and photo stylist for food and still life photography and creator of OsteoBlast, I get to work with amazingly talented people— great photographers, food stylists, recipe developers, graphic designers and artisans. They are wonderful people who have contributed their time and talent to the making of this blog: Food Stylist and Recipe Developer Leslie Orlandini, Photographer Mark Ferri, Ceramicist Gina De Santis for her black bowls and plates, Logo and Graphic Designer, Zoe Miolla. My menus and prop selections sing because of you.