By Lisa Golden Schroeder

My Jewish grandmother always said that chicken soup was good for what ails you. And guess what? Science has actually proved that chicken soup is not only good for the soul, but also your bronchial tubes! The benefits of a steaming bowl of rich chicken broth, especially if spiced up with pepper and garlic, are real. In fact, research shows that it’s a powerful anti-inflammatory agent, helping fight off those pesky winter germs. And I think that just about any grandmother, no matter where she’s from, knew this long before laboratory testing proved her right.

I grew up on a very basic, farm-style chicken noodle soup—a nice bone-in hen stewed with carrots, celery and onion. I sometimes got to help slice the hand-rolled noodles—mine were always a little uneven and never quite resembled the beautifully thick and chewy ones my mom slid into the simmering broth. With fingers of asbestos, she tore the hot chicken off the bones, returning it to the soup kettle, along with a hearty grind of black pepper and sprinkle of coarse salt. Nothing more, nothing less—satisfying, a supper that no one didn’t like.

So when my mom became seriously ill with a flu bug this past summer, I rediscovered my own comfort and sustenance in huge bowls of chicken soup from an entirely different place.  Just a few blocks from the hospital, in the heart of an immigrant neighborhood, I found myself haunting a tiny Vietnamese noodle shop that served up an impressive array of traditional pho. Pho (pronounced fuh) is a soothing and beloved rice noodle soup with beef—a breakfast favorite in Vietnam. Intensely aromatic with charred onion, ginger, and spices, pho is also made with chicken—pho ga—and vegetables if you like.

The chicken version is my favorite—and the best part of the dish, beyond the amazing broth and chewy rice stick noodles, are the classic condiments served alongside them:  fragrant Asian basil, fresh bean sprouts, wedges of tart lime and hot chiles (sliced serrano or Thai bird chiles and ruby red chile paste). Other fresh herbs might be offered, like cilantro, culantro, saw-leaf herb or purple mint. Torn leaves are scattered into the steaming bowl, and I personally love adding a spoonful of hoisin and a big squirt of Sriracha chili sauce. The brilliant, deep flavors definitely have curative powers.  If you don’t have time to leisurely simmer a whole chicken, try this short-cut (I make no claims of authenticity) version of pho to stave off any lingering sniffles or coughs, fortifying your family until spring arrives.

CHICKEN AND RICE STICK NOODLE SOUP (Pho Ga)

Makes 6 servings

I know people who crave diving into vast bowls of this aromatic chicken noodle soup. Stirring in torn fresh herbs, a squeeze of lime, a spoonful of hot chiles, some crisp bean sprouts or a drizzle of sweet hoisin, Sriracha chili sauce or fish sauce allows diners to personalize the flavors in their bowl. The rich broth is deeply flavored all by itself, the perfect pool for the chewy rice noodles. Adding chunks of chicken and some steamed veggies only makes it better—a handful of broccoli florets, snow peas, sliced carrots or chunks of sweet bell pepper would make this a one-bowl meal.

INGREDIENTS

For the broth

2 medium onions

1 large (3-inch) piece fresh gingerroot

1 quart good-quality chicken broth

1 quart water

¼ cup fish sauce

2 teaspoons raw sugar

2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1 package (20 ounces) Just BARE™ Hand-Trimmed Boneless Skinless Thighs*

For the noodles

1 package (14 ounces) dried rice stick noodles, 1/16-inch-wide (banh pho)

1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced

3 green onions, thinly sliced diagonally

Garnishes

6 large sprigs Thai basil

½ pound fresh bean sprouts

1 lime, cut into wedges

Red chile sauce or oil, if desired

Sriracha chili sauce, if desired

Hoisin sauce, if desired

INSTRUCTIONS

• Holding the onions and ginger with metal tongs, roast them over an open gas flame or place them under the broiler until the skin is charred. Peel the blackened skin away; cut ginger into 1-inch pieces and onions into wedges.
• Place broth, water, fish sauce, sugar, peppercorns, and salt in large soup kettle. Bring to a boil; add ginger, onion and chicken thighs. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place rice noodles in a large bowl of cold water for about 30 minutes. Heat a large saucepan of water to boiling.
• When the broth is done, remove chicken. Shred into bite-size pieces.  Drain noodles; place (you can do this one serving at a time) into boiling water. Blanch for about 20 seconds until hot. Place noodles in large soup bowls.
• Top the noodles in each bowl with shredded chicken, along with some red and green onion. Ladle hot broth into each bowl.
• Serve soup with garnishes.

*One (3.5-4 pound) Just BARE™ Whole Chicken, cut into quarters, may be substituted. Simmer broth for 45 minutes, skimming fat and foam from surface occasionally. Remove the skin from the cooked chicken; pull meat from the bones. Shred chicken into pieces and return to soup.

By Lisa Golden Schroeder

No, I promise I wasn’t trying to fool anyone. At the last minute I decided to sprinkle some crumbled feta cheese over the salad we served at the 2010 Minnesota Monthly Food and Wine Experience show in Minneapolis. We had such a good time meeting everyone who stopped by our booth, though we found ourselves almost “in the weeds” when the show opened on Saturday. Hundreds of people streamed in late morning, and we could barely keep up with the hungry crowd. The garlicky chicken and toasted couscous salad we dished up was a hit—the couscous created as much of a stir as the interest in how Just BARE™ chickens are raised. But one lady teased us that the recipe we handed out was missing that important ingredient, like the church basement ladies who give out their best recipes with a crucial step slyly omitted!

The aroma of sautéing shallots drew folks in, too; that maple and red wine sauce for the chicken fillets was a good choice for making an impact. Its simplicity and ease underscored our message of uncomplicating great food. It was sort of funny how we were making and sharing really delicious dishes based on a few excellent ingredients and bold flavors while local chefs battled to win a complicated “Iron Chef”-style cooking competition across the convention floor. And we had not only attendees but vendors from other booths stopping by because they were told we were offering up some of the best food at the show. I think it was because it was freshly prepared and simple—recipes that can be whipped up on a weekend night or ahead of time for families struggling to find extra moments to sit and share a good meal but who really care about what they eat.

I think we had a successful weekend increasing the visibility of our products. And there were lots of avid (and discriminating) cooks who stopped by to say they’re big Just BARE™ fans now as more and more grocery stores have a Just BARE™ section in their meat departments.  As one fan put it, “you can just taste the difference.”

By Lisa Golden Schroeder

I think I’m one of Just BARE™ Chicken’s biggest fans. Knowing where the chicken grows and how it makes its way to my family table is a relief—and a delight—in these days of alarming stories about food safety. And I’m not the only one who recognizes that family-owned farms and companies seem to have the pulse of what careful cooks are looking for—Just BARE™ keeps cropping up in the news as a brand to watch. So I’m very glad to represent such a delicious product at the upcoming Minnesota Monthly Food & Wine Experience.

I always think of this food show for passionate “foodies” as an extravaganza rather than an experience. The event is a fundraiser for Minnesota Public Radio and celebrates its 2oth anniversary this year. And it’s gotten bigger and bigger as the years have gone by. The sheer volume of flavor-packed edibles and quaffable wines, on display and generously served up, is incredible. And the food purveyors—as varied as small local organic farms that produce amazing cheeses, regional spice companies and smoky barbecue pit masters—compete with wine wizards and brew maestros from all over the world.  Just BARE™ Chicken is one of many show sponsors, and I’ll be hanging out in our luxurious show booth, demonstrating and sampling a few of our favorite recipes for crowds hungry to taste new and innovative food.

I decided that since it’s a food and wine show, I’ll cook up the maple and cranberry glazed chicken from the New Year’s post. I’ll deglaze the skillet with red wine and real maple syrup after I brown some chicken breasts, creating a luscious sauce. The aroma is so enticing I thought it would draw people over to see what we’re up to. When I’m not cooking, we’ll sample an addicting salad of tender pearl pasta, chunks of garlicky sautéed chicken thighs, Kalamata olives and sweet teardrop tomatoes tossed with a lemony basil pesto. If you’re in the neighborhood, be sure to drop by and see us.

GARLIC CHICKEN AND TOASTED COUSCOUS SALAD

Makes 6 (about 1-1/2 cups) servings

Pearl, or Israeli couscous, is different from the golden grains of North African couscous. It’s a very small semolina pasta that is rolled into balls, then is toasted to dry. This seals each pearl of pasta so that when it’s cooked in water or broth it retains its texture, while still soaking up the flavor of and sauces and dressings. It’s very quick cooking and makes a wonderful salad that can feed a crowd and keep in the refrigerator for several days without getting soggy.

INGREDIENTS

For the salad

1-3/4 cups uncooked pearl couscous or orzo (Rosamarina) pasta

2 teaspoons olive oil

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 package (20 ounces) Just BARE™ hand-trimmed boneless skinless thighs, cut into bite-size pieces

2 cups grape cherry tomatoes, halved

½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted, chopped

6 cups arugula or mixed baby greens, if desired

For the dressing

1 large lemon

3 tablespoons prepared basil pesto

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon tarragon or white wine vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add couscous; toast until lightly golden.
• Bring eight cups water and one tablespoon salt to a boil. Add couscous; cook for about 10 minutes or just until al dente. Drain and rinse with cool water; place in a large serving bowl.
• Heat two teaspoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and chicken; sauté for about 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Cool.
• While the chicken is cooling, prepare the dressing. Grate the zest from lemon; juice lemon. Whisk together juice, zest, pesto, two tablespoons olive oil, and vinegar.
• Add chicken, tomatoes, and olives to couscous. Toss with dressing until well coated; season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Serve over greens, if desired.

By Lisa Golden Schroeder

My gardening family is an ever changing, squirming and giggling group of elementary school kids. We try to grow all sorts of things in a wonderful space on school property, and my garden kids stick with me as closely as my own children do. We’re entering into year three of a concentrated effort to provide garden-based education for an audience that’s ripe to learn about the wonderful ways that the earth provides for us. And planning starts now, before the snow melts in our neck of the woods.

As more schools offer spaces for digging in the dirt, it’s become abundantly clear that school gardens can improve self-esteem, the health and wellness of communities and the environmental health of our neighborhoods, cities and local farmland. School gardens impact communities through a ripple effect that starts with individual children and families and broadens to improve schools, to green communities and to drive a demand for locally and sustainably grown food, supporting regional economic growth.

It’s so very cool to see the support from the public for school gardens—and watching the Obamas’ White House garden in action only fuels the fire. Serving up a sampling from their first harvest at the first state dinner of their administration—vegetables that were planted by local school children—puts a real face on where food should come from. And it inspires me to continue lending my own little bit of time and energy to introducing my garden family to new, delicious tastes that spring from their containers and garden beds. This year we’re planning a composting project with the grown-up community gardeners and a more organized weeding schedule. No complaints about being garden slaves this season!

We celebrated the end of last year’s garden with a picnic filled with small tidbits of our own harvest. This year I’m hoping to have more regular picnics with both the pre-schoolers and the upper elementary kids. Just BARE™ Chicken will be a part of our menus, thanks to the commitment of the company to encourage this kind of healthy learning – a great investment in our most important asset, our future decision makers.

By Lisa Golden Schroeder

I don’t believe that Valentine’s Day is a greeting-card holiday. Maybe because my wedding anniversary landed, quite unintentionally, close to Valentine’s Day, I feel a special bond with it. The idea of showing my affection to my nearest and dearest, on a specific day laid out just for that purpose, is so perfect. In fact, I gave up trying to send out winter holiday cards in favor of valentines a few years ago. Delighting friends with a bar of chocolate and my annual family update weeks after New Year’s is never a chore in the depth of winter. I’ve also made this slower time of year my moment to throw open my kitchen to guests who are now spending too many quiet evenings at home.

I still rely on my tried-and-true buffets, anchored by some kind of roasted chicken, for my favorite Valentine’s Day suppers. For a really cost-effective dinner party, I’ve found that if I buy two whole chickens and cut them into quarters myself I’m able to generously feed eight people. Each guest gets a sampling of both light and dark meat, and most don’t need to return to the buffet for seconds. Because it’s Valentine’s Day. I’ll want to make the chicken special, with a hint of sweet along with the savory. The flavors of Spain, which often play the sweetness of dried fruits and spices off the richness of meats and poultry, are deliciously addicting. I’ve made variations of my Catalan Chicken over the years, changing up the dried plums for apricots or adding a splash of wine instead of broth. But the sprinkle of dark brown sugar over the chicken stays the same, helping caramelize and crisp up the skin, while the meat stays moist and succulent.

As your guests arrive, settle them in with small glasses of sweet sherry or Rioja wine. Lay out a tray of crackers, a chunk of piquant Manchego cheese and a bit of quince paste—a classic Spanish combination of nutty sheep’s-milk cheese and fruit. Then serve up platters of your aromatic roast chicken, along with a pot of steamed whole-wheat couscous, fluffed with a spoonful of grated lemon zest. A skillet of quickly sautéed winter chard, fragrant with loads of chopped garlic, completes a heart-warming menu for your valentines. Oh, and don’t forget the chocolate!

CATALAN SWEET AND TART CHICKEN

Makes 8 servings

This recipe elegantly feeds a nice size dinner party but is easy to cut in half for a smaller supper. The sweetness of the dried plums (formerly known as prunes), contrasts with the brininess of the olives and capers—delicious with the richness of bone-in chicken. The cooking of Spain, where it’s common to see the combination of sweet and tart flavors enhancing poultry and meat, influences this style of dish.

INGREDIENTS

For the chicken

2 packages (3.5 to 4 pounds) Just BARE™ Whole Chicken

¾ cup dried plums (prunes)

1/2 cup green Spanish olives

1/3 cup small capers

8 cloves garlic, finely chopped

¼ cup red wine vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

2 teaspoons chili powder

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

½ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup chicken broth

For the Garnish

1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon grated orange zest

INSTRUCTIONS

• Cut chickens into quarters with poultry shears.
• Place chicken pieces in a large bowl or jumbo plastic storage bag. Add dried plums, olives, capers, garlic, vinegar, oil, chili powder, and red pepper flakes. Turn pieces to coat with seasonings. Marinate in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 400˚F; adjust oven racks to accommodate two baking pans. Arrange chicken pieces, olives, and plums on two foil-lined rimmed baking sheets. Pour marinade over the top. Season chicken with salt and pepper; sprinkle with brown sugar and pour chicken broth around pieces.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink when cut near the bone. Serve with pan juices, sprinkled with garnishes.

By Lisa Golden Schroeder

When I was in grade school, deciding what to eat for lunch on Saturdays took great deliberation. Eating a bag lunch during the school week meant a soggy sandwich (bologna and mayo topped the list in the sixth grade), maybe a pear or apple, and on a great day some kind of store-bought treat. Hot lunch was not any more appealing – think about the stereotypical lunch ladies with hairnets, slopping up mashed potatoes and gravy. So Saturday lunchtime offered a world of possibilities.

My all-time favorite choice, carefully selected from the freezer case at the supermarket, was my own foil pan of comforting chicken pot pie. Covered with a flaky pastry crust, the creamy chicken filling was flecked with a few token pieces of carrot and celery. It wasn’t gourmet fare, but it was so deliciously special by comparison to my mom’s smelly tuna sandwiches—and all my own! I begged my mom to buy those pies, a real concession on her part. But they became a reward for doing the Saturday morning shopping with her, being her store runner as she leisurely drove the cart up and down the aisles.

Now I’m a grown-up with my own children—and we all find ourselves craving chicken pot pies in the dead of winter (or pretty much anytime). And they are really so easy to make, there’s no need to buy them prepared. I like to find those individual foil pans to fill for the freezer myself, so they’re ready and waiting on a snowy Saturday noontime. But we really enjoy dipping into small ceramic ramekins topped with golden pastry, the chicken filling bubbling up the fragrance of sage and thyme, on a Sunday evening. A simple indulgence, a treat for the whole family.

PERSONAL CHICKEN POT PIES

Makes 4 servings

Making little pastry-covered pies was once a creative way to use leftover chicken or other meats. Now we just love them for their warmth and comfort. The filling for these little ramekins can be doubled and made ahead of time if you want to serve them to more than your family. Or fill a larger casserole or deep-dish pie plate and create one delicious pot pie for a Sunday supper. They can also be assembled ahead and frozen in 5-inch foil pot pie pans, then baked on demand while still frozen.

INGREDIENTS

For the filling

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 leeks, halved, thinly sliced

1 large carrot or parsnip, chopped

2 stalks celery + some leaves, chopped

½ cup baby button mushrooms, sliced

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon dried thyme

¼ teaspoon crumbled sage

Freshly ground pepper

1 quart chicken broth

3 cups chopped cooked Just BARE™ chicken

Pastry top

1 sheet rolled refrigerated pie pastry (from a 15-ounce box)

1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Garlic salt

INSTRUCTIONS

• Heat butter and oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leeks, carrot, celery and mushrooms. Cook for five minutes or until vegetables are lightly browned.
• Stir in flour, salt, thyme, sage and pepper. Cook and stir for about five minutes, until mixture is pale golden brown (mixture will be lumpy).
• Whisk in broth. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook eight minutes or until thickened. Stir in chicken.
• Spoon chicken mixture into four (12- to 16-ounce) baking dishes; refrigerate for 20 minutes or until room temperature.
• Heat oven to 375˚F. Unroll pie pastry; cut into desired shape* to cover filling. Lay pastry on top of each baking dish. Brush with beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with garlic salt.
• Bake for about 30 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbling.

*Cut pastry into wedges or into fluted rounds with a biscuit cutter. You can also use other pastry or cookie cutters to make different shapes.

By Lisa Golden Schroeder

I began really exploring  “ethnic” foods when I was in college. Driven primarily by a vegetarian boyfriend, but also by my experimental mother, I discovered cooking styles that were a treasure trove of what at the time seemed like exotic flavors: foods richly seasoned with herbs and spices and wonderful dishes featuring lean meats, beans, grains and unfamiliar vegetables. There were also so many delicious traditions for simple, satisfying snack foods meant to be eaten on the go—the global tradition of street foods. In just about every country there are regional specialties sold solely by vendors at outdoor markets or from carts on city streets or country roadsides. Chefs have been inspired forever by the foods of their childhood, often reflected in their restaurant menus. (If my children ever become influenced by their snack food, they’d be serving cold cereal and tortilla chips from their food trucks.) And now the populist appeal of street foods has risen to the point of becoming the star of the past year’s Culinary Institute of America’s World of Flavors conference in California.

Granted, most street food is not vegetarian, featuring the most inexpensive meats (or insects in some countries) available in a specific time and place. But there’s no mistaking the comfort of what’s sold—stewed, roasted, fragrant and fresh, defining the most favorite tastes of a cuisine. I fell instantly in love with Middle Eastern foods: hummus, baba ghanouj (roasted eggplant dip), tahini, tabbouleh, briny olives, feta cheese, lots of spices. The appeal of street food is not only the flavors, but that we can pick them up in our hands, licking the dripping juices and sauces from our fingers as we gobble them down just like kids.

I feel inspired this time of year, when we have friends over in the cozy early winter doldrums, to offer up buffets of finger foods filled with layers of taste that increase as each person builds their plate. Unofficially dubbed the “condiment queen,” I like to eat and serve foods that begin with a delicious base—stovetop-grilled or slow-cooked chicken is a perfect foil for flavor-bursting sauces and little bites of delicious (and healthy) sides.  Roasted veggies, fresh herbs and greens, and luscious bean dishes spiked with garlic and lemon, all wrapped up and ready to eat without forks.

CHICKEN SHAWARMA WRAPS

Makes 4 servings

All over the eastern Mediterranean these spiced meat sandwiches are a street food staple. Originating in northwestern Turkey, this style of seasoned meat wrap is so common it’s sometimes called the Middle Eastern taco. The meat is typically shaved off a large rotating cone of roasted layered meat, but here you can create your own with chicken tenders. For a bit of smoky flavor, use a stovetop grill.

INGREDIENTS

For the chicken

1 package (14 ounces) Just BARE™ Hand-trimmed Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Tenders

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

½ teaspoon ground allspice

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon olive oil

For the wraps

1/2 cup prepared hummus

¼ cup plain yogurt

4  (8-inch) wheat pita fold breads

2 cups mixed baby greens

2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges

1 small cucumber, thinly sliced

Crumbled feta cheese, if desired

INSTRUCTIONS

• Place chicken tenders in large plastic resealable food bag. Add seasonings; seal bag and shake to coat chicken evenly.
• Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook for about eight minutes, turning once, until no longer pink inside.
• To make wraps, mix hummus and yogurt in small bowl. Arrange spiced chicken tenders on pita bread, with tomatoes, cucumber, and greens. Drizzle with hummus sauce and sprinkle with feta.

By Lisa Golden Schroeder

My oven is on the blink, right in the middle of one of the worst cold snaps we’ve had in years. I’m hoping for a reprieve in the coming week, but for now I’m thinking about other ways to make hot, comforting food that meets the wild schedule of my family. I read recently that sandwiches are the No. 1 fallback dinner for busy families. Hmmm, scrambled eggs are mine. But sandwiches do qualify for a close second. I also read that sandwiches from other countries—yep, everyone else in the world likes to slap stuff between two slices of bread—are quite trendy. A Vietnamese-style meatball sub is evidently hot—banh mi has qualified as one of the predicted favorite recipes of 2010 by foodies in the know. A crusty baguette filled with highly seasoned meatballs, topped with pickled vegetable slaw and doused with a hot chili mayo, sounds pretty toasty right now.

So I’m thinking about making a great slow-cooker sandwich that’s a riff on my favorite shredded pork—a classic southwestern dish of my childhood. I’m going to use boneless chicken thighs instead, swimming in a roasted green chile salsa with lots of onion and chopped potato. A long, slow simmer will give me tender shreds of rich, dark chicken, along with a sauce that’s thick and spicy. I grew up wrapping salsa verde in warm corn tortillas with shredded Mexican cheese and fresh cilantro leaves. But I’m thinking about making a lightly pickled slaw that has some crunch to top this chicken salsa verde. And maybe my kids will like to spoon everything on top of crisp tostada shells instead of tortillas—they’re fun and make a fine mess once you start eating them. Yes, I like the idea of planning some kind of sandwich (I use the word loosely) for supper, rather than just letting it happen.

SLOW COOKER TAOS TACOS

Makes 4 servings

I really like to make a small bowl of vegetable slaw to provide some texture and crunch to these simple tostadas. The chicken is extremely tender and a bit spicy, so a bowl of cilantro-spiked shredded cabbage, carrot and zucchini—dressed with a little olive oil and mild vinegar—is a perfect accompaniment.

INGREDIENTS

1 package (20 ounces) Just BARE™ Hand-trimmed Boneless Skinless Thighs

1 jar (16 ounces) mild green salsa

1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup)

1 medium russet potato, chopped (1 cup)

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

½ cup chicken broth

1 teaspoon ground cumin

4 (6-inch) tostada shells

Selection of condiments as desired: crisp vegetable slaw (see headnote), chili beans, sour cream, shredded Mexican cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

• Place chicken thighs in 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Mix salsa, onion, potato, garlic, and broth together; pour over chicken.
• Cover and cook on LOW heat setting eight to 10 hours or until chicken is no longer pink in center.
• Shred chicken thighs. Stir back into salsa mixture; serve hot over crisp tostada shells with desired condiments.

By Sally James

We’ve all eaten rather well lately. Thanksgiving became Halloween became Christmas became New Year’s – one long, indulgent grazing and celebration, really.

Now our clothes are a little snugger than usual and we’ve started the new year, once again, with a resolve to eat healthier and exercise more. Tough one to follow sometimes, isn’t it?

After 10 years of working with Australia’s Heart Foundation, I became so disheartened by the amount of people who were depressed after being put on a “healthy eating and exercise regime” by their doctor. It became my mission in life to help turn these words of doom into a life of pleasure, finding ways people could actually wake up each day knowing they were going to enjoy all they ate and did for activity.

The key is in finding your own pleasures and adapting them to be a little healthier each day. It can be as simple as gradually reducing the amount of dressing on your salad, to cutting the cheese and meat on your sandwich by half and making it up with your favorite vegetable – playing with it a bit. Try substituting ricotta cheese for cream in desserts, or bulking up burgers with grated vegetables such as carrot, squash or even potato. Make more sauces with a tomato base rather than cream. Try pizza with a little scattering of goat cheese or ricotta and some cool fruit such as persimmon or fig!

Love your chicken in that can of mushroom soup – it’s even better when you sauté mushrooms in olive oil, add wine and lemon, pour it over sauted chicken and finish in the oven. Serve that over a bed of orzo or couscous and healthy suddenly becomes divine! (Particularly with a little drizzle of truffle oil on special occasions.)

And the gym isn’t the only answer for exercise – walking is simply the most wonderful and therapeutic exercise there is! Just do it quickly enough to get your heart beating. That way you get scenery and exercise. Love to dance? Switch on your iPod and dance without stopping for 30 minutes. We’re talking rock and roll here, not the waltz! See how that feels at the end – a great workout.Enj

Whatever your plan, make sure it’s one you will enjoy or else it will never stick and become a part of your life – and who wants to spend their live in a yo-yo of dieting and extreme treadmill pounding? Not me!

Image: Michelle Meiklejohn/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

By Lisa Golden Schroeder

Supposedly, this has been a horrible decade. The final days of the first 10 years of the 21^st century are slipping away, and I’m wondering if I missed something. I guess as I look back and hear the retrospective news stories, I know that some pretty awful things did happen this decade. But some really great stuff happened too. Like I no longer feel like an old hippy because I shop at co-op groceries, buy whole grains in bulk and hang out at farmer’s markets as much as I can. The rallying cry to buy local, eat organic, shun overly processed foods and create sustainable lifestyles with lighter environmental impact is finally being heard.

So I feel like I’m in my element, with no apologies for serving brown rice, using a cloth shopping bag or digging around in my herb garden. No matter where we live, we can play a part in supporting healthier ways of raising our families and maintaining safe, strong places for regional farmers and food producers to market their goods. Because I live in the Midwest now, I think as a transplant I bond even more closely to local traditions and homegrown foods. Wild rice, hand-harvested on the edges of northern lakes; cranberries, grown in bogs just east of my home; and chicken, raised on family farms within driving distance, are favorites at my holiday table.

Embrace the specialties of where you live and celebrate them as you spend time with your loved ones. New Year’s Eve has always been a bright spot on the calendar for my family. It’s my parent’s wedding anniversary as well as a hopeful time for everyone. I’m already writing my list of resolutions, which I’m determined to keep for at least the first quarter of 2010! But in the meantime, I’m also making my shopping list for a celebration dinner that features as much local food as I can fit on a plate. Happy New Year!

MAPLE CRANBERRY GLAZED CHICKEN

Makes 4 servings

This dish is impressive and easy—and can grace both a weeknight or celebration table. Serve with a garlicky wild rice pilaf that has sautéed butternut squash and chopped winter kale stirred into it.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 package (14 ounces) Just BARE boneless skinless chicken breast fillets

½ teaspoon coarse salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 large shallots, finely chopped

1 cup dry red wine or unsweetened pomegranate juice

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup dried cranberries or cherries

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon water

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick over medium-high heat until hot.  Season chicken with salt and pepper; place in skillet and cook three to five minutes per side or just until browned and no longer pink in center. Remove from skillet; keep warm.

2.  Add remaining oil to skillet; sauté shallots for two minutes. Stir in wine, syrup, and cranberries. Cook and stir over medium-high heat for five minutes.

3.  Combine cornstarch and water; stir into skillet. Cook and stir one minute or until thickened and clear. Reduce heat to medium. Add chicken back to skillet; spoon sauce over and simmer one minute.