Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

Sunday was a dreary, rainy day.
Perfect day to shop at Target.
And listen to music.
I am completely obsessed with “Turn the lights down low” by MAX.  Obsessed.  Just don’t understand why he needs to use all caps.  Maybe I’ll start calling myself ELIZABETH.
Also a great day to enjoy some comfort food.
Roasted chicken, cauliflower mash (just like potatoes…without all those carbs!) and cabbage made a perfect meal on this soggy day.
And it didn’t require any strange ingredients….everything can be found at the grocery store.
Here’s what I used:
Chicken, obviously!  I bought a whole, organic chicken at Wegmans.  I buy local pastured chicken whenever I can, but this was not one of those days.  Buying organic chicken ensures that they were fed organic, non-GMO food, and at least had access to the outdoors.  Chicken is a great source of protein.  It always tastes better to me when it’s cooked on the bone.
I grabbed an organic cabbage at the market on Saturday morning.  Cabbage is a great source of vitamins B6, C and K as well as tons of minerals.  A large scale study in Denmark recently showed that cabbage consumption can be helpful in prevention of Type 2 diabetes.  Cabbage is also loaded with antioxidants that help prevent free radical damage.  When you think antioxidants think anti aging!
I cooked the cabbage in avocado oil (I like Primal Kitchen brand) because it gives a rich flavor and improves your absorption of the nutrients from the cabbage.  Avocado oil contains beneficial fatty acids and oleic acid.  It has a high smoke point which makes it better for cooking than most healthy oils.
Frozen cauliflower works great for cauliflower mash, and you can always have some on hand.  Cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin K and many minerals.  It is rich in sulphur containing compounds called glucosinolates that have been shown to support our cardiovascular, digestive, immune, inflammatory and detoxification systems.  Cauliflower also rich in antioxidants…already told you what that means!  And the vitamin C and sulphur are awesome for your skin.
Since I was mashing the cauliflower, of course I needed some butter.  Most dairy makes me break out, but I am fine with butter, and my butter of choice is always Kerrygold.  It is a rich yellow color because the cows are pastured, and the taste completely spoils you for other butter.  Pastured butter is rich in vitamin A and conjugated linoleic acid, an impressive immune booster.
All I used for seasoning was pink Himalayan salt, which provides a broad array of trace minerals.  (And it’s pretty!)
This was so easy.  No real recipes, and no crazy spices to track down.  Here’s what I did:
I preheated the oven to 375 degrees while I got the chicken ready.  I just rinsed it, patted dry with paper towels (that way the skin gets nice and crispy!) and plopped down on a broiler pan so the juices would drain underneath.  Sprinkled the whole thing with the Himalayan salt and popped in the oven.
A good rule of thumb is to allow 15 minutes of roasting per pound of meat when cooking a whole chicken.  And this is one case where I actually use a meat thermometer to make sure it’s done.  My chicken was four pounds but ended up taking a bit longer than an hour.
While the chicken was roasting I slowly cooked the cabbage in a large skillet.  I just slice up the cabbage (leaving the hard inner core) and cook in the avocado oil on medium heat stirring from time to time.  When it starts to get soft I usually turn the heat down to low and continue to cook.  Doing it slow and low like this gives it a really delicious flavor…it almost caramelizes a bit the way onions do.  Give it plenty of time…probably 20 to 30 minutes.
The mashed cauliflower goes a lot faster than the cabbage.  Simmer the frozen florets (fresh are awesome too, of course) in a covered saucepan with maybe an inch of water in the bottom.  I usually cook on high until it boils, then turn it down and cook until it’s nice and soft.  Drain and mash right in the pan…I use an old school potato masher and I am totally cool with a few lumps.  If you like a smoother mash you can use a stick blender.  Just throw in a big chunk of that butter while you’re mashing.
This isn’t the prettiest meal, but it tasted amazing!  Depending on the size of your chicken you can easily feed three or four people and have some leftovers.  For bonus points, use the chicken carcass to make some broth…amazing source of collagen and minerals!  Oh, and pour some of those pan juices over the chicken when you serve it…sooooo good.

So, can this chicken dinner help you feel happy, healthy and hot?  Of course it can!
You’ll be happy eating delicious comfort food, especially if it’s a dreary, rainy day.  This meal is a great combo of healthy fat, high quality protein and tons of antioxidants from the veggies.  Eating this way on a regular basis can give you more energy and help you lose weight.  The vitamin C and sulphur compounds from the veggies are awesome for your skin.  And a high energy girl with a gorgeous body and glowing skin is always hot!
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