By Lisa Golden Schroeder

I was inspired this weekend by a lovely Hmong farmer who makes the rounds of the local farmers markets with her gorgeous produce. Baby bok choy, Asian cabbages, slender Chinese eggplant, fat cucumbers, incendiary chiles, spicy radishes, and all nature of pungent herbs—peppery Thai basil, amazing bunches of lacy cilantro, a fragrant array of mints. Her table sat next to mine, where the children’s garden kids were selling their herbal vinegars. So we chatted about the growing season and how she cooks with her own harvest.

Because she’s a working mom, her kitchen repertoire relies on as little real cooking as possible this busy time of year.  And as the mercury has cleared 90˚F this past week—and the steamy weather promises to continue into this one—I’m all about avoiding the heat of the oven or stove.  Turning to the grill is easy, but so are quick marinated chicken thighs sautéed in a hot skillet. I’ve found that my kids will eat lots of tender fresh greens if they’re wrapped around a savory chicken filling, topped with crunchy raw veggies and toasted nuts. So here’s my take on refreshing lettuce-wrapped chicken, the answer to a “dog’s day in August” evening. Put out a platter of lettuce leaves, herbs, sprouts and carrots, along with a bowl of toasted nuts to sprinkle in. A little dab of additional condiments, like more chili garlic or Sriracha sauce, or even some sweet hoisin or toasted sesame seed would allow everyone to customize their wraps.

Lettuce-Wrapped Asian Chicken

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons toasted dark sesame oil

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons tamari or low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon grated fresh gingerroot

1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce

1 package (20 ounces) Just BARE® Hand-Trimmed Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs

8 large leaves butter or Boston lettuce

1 cup mixed fresh mint and basil leaves

1/2  cup bean sprouts, rinsed

1/2  cup shredded carrot

1/3 cup toasted chopped cashews

1 large lime, cut into wedges

INSTRUCTIONS
•    Mix oils, vinegar, tamari, ginger, and chili garlic sauce in medium bowl; reserve 1/4 cup to use as a dipping sauce. Add chicken, turning to coat with marinade (or place marinade and chicken in large resealable plastic bag). Refrigerate at least one hour.

•    Heat grill to medium-high heat or a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade; place on hot grill. Or sauté in hot skillet with 1 tablespoon of marinade (discard the rest). Cook about 15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center and juices run clear, turning once.

•    Chop chicken; serve wrapped in lettuce leaves, garnished with herbs, sprouts, carrot, nuts, reserved dipping sauce and a squeeze of lime.

By Lisa Golden Schroeder

Boy, the life of a chicken ain’t bad! I had a chance to visit Gold’n Plump Poultry’s (the company behind the Just BARE® brand of chicken) feed mill last week, in preparation for a video project that will tell the entire story for the chicken brand. I’d never been to a feed mill or even gotten close to a grain elevator—which is basically what holds the incredible amount of dried corn, soybean meal and other ingredients that go into the nutrient-dense food for the farms that raise Just BARE chickens. The young and enthusiastic manager of the mill toured us through the huge facility, explaining how carefully they formulate the meal they feed to their chickens at different stages of their growth.

As we walked through the side door of the main mill where they grind the meal (we had to wear protective plastic goggles because of the bits of fine grains that are airborne), I swore that it smelled like a bakery. And sure enough we learned that the chickens not only eat whole grains (Just BARE chickens eat a totally vegetarian diet), but also bakery and brewing “by-products.” In other words, those lucky birds get to eat leftovers from bakeries, which the feed mill guys simply call “cookies” for short. So the “cookie” delivery that arrived just before us, explained the delicious aroma as we entered the mill.

We watched the enormous machinery that takes the ground meal and presses it, with the aid of steam, into pellets that the birds can eat. We wondered why that was necessary—why not just throw loose grains out for them? And the answer made me laugh and completely understand. The pellets ensure that they get all the important nutrients they need to stay healthy. Otherwise, they’re like little kids; they’d just pick and choose what they want to eat. And speaking of kids, Just BARE even prepares “baby sized” pellets that crumble and make it easier for their chicks to eat and digest.

Overall, I was really impressed by the care that’s taken to feed Just BARE chickens. They are given a diet that guarantees what we, the consumers, put on our dinner table is as good as it can be.

By Lisa Golden Schroeder

As our Just BARE® team rode in the inaugural Nice Ride bicycle tour down Nicollet Mall a few weeks ago, I spied the first-of-the-season farmers market stalls. For downtown Minneapolis workers, there’s nothing more convenient and Mary Tyler Moore-esque than when the flowers and produce appear on the walking mall in the spring and summer. Buckets of gorgeous bouquets stand proudly alongside bins of fresh, Minnesota-grown green beans, asparagus, broccoli, beets, potatoes and apples.

Each Thursday throughout the growing season it’s easy to pick up ingredients for a weekend’s worth of meals, plus a few sweet-smelling lilies or wild stalks of gladiola to bring the summer inside. I had my friend Marcela from Argentina with me that day, and she marveled at the overflowing baskets of early produce. In particular she loved the plump sugar snap peas, which she told me are never available in Buenos Aires. In fact she said that they don’t have farmers markets like ours in her city, which is in a cattle ranching region. So while we navigated our way through the market and the Nice Ride bikers, we loaded our arms with bagfuls of snap peas, spring onions, radishes, strawberries and a precious find of a few wild mushrooms.

We also grabbed a crusty loaf of locally baked bread, then headed home to turn our bounty into a screened porch supper (it was rainy that day)—roasting a whole Just BARE® bird rubbed with olive oil and some dried herbes de Provence, a blend of rosemary, lavender, oregano, thyme and fennel seed. We tucked a halved lemon and some fresh sage leaves from my garden inside the bird and slid it into a 425 degree oven for about an hour. Then we quickly sautéed the sugar snap peas with some sliced green onions and coarsely chopped mushrooms, just until they were tender and juicy. We enjoyed our supper with a lovely Malbec wine that Marcela brought to us from her home. It was a delicious celebration of our locally grown food—and a splendid conclusion to a very fun day.

By Lisa Golden Schroeder

What’s more exhilarating than a raucous parade on a warm spring day, followed by sitting outside on a blanket to eat? My favorite parades feature homemade floats, flags and noisemakers, a high school marching band and a local queen. My boys love the Trout Days celebration just south of us, a wild romp complete with candy raining down upon them. So it’s finally May, the sun is shining, and parade season is gearing up. May Day, Cinco de Mayo, or Syttende Mai (May 17, or Norwegian Constitution Day) all provide perfect excuses to line the streets—and plan a picnic.

I think the epitome of portable outdoor fare has to be fried chicken—so unpretentious, yet so delicious, eaten with sticky fingers under the leaves of a shade tree. And surprisingly, fried chicken is a current passion for chefs. Seeking foods to comfort their diners during these troubled economic times, they’re adding twists of refinement that are fun, but not needed for such a simple dish. Good fried chicken is truly basic, but not “fast food.” The real deal is made with a really good chicken, not too large (so the pieces cook evenly when deep-fried), with a mildly seasoned coating that becomes golden and crisp—creating a wonderful contrast of moist, juicy bird to the crackle of the breading. But here’s my confession: I hate to deep fry. The spatter, the clean up afterwards…I hear my oven calling!

My mom taught me to oven-fry chicken when I was a burgeoning cook—her version adding a hefty glug of corn oil to the baking dish as she slid it into a hot oven. I’ve been playing with my own version for years, landing on a recipe that my family really likes. And the seasonings can be switched up as my mood changes—lots of ground pepper and garlic one day, Indian spices the next. The technique is the same, no matter the flavors. I won’t say that I’m competing with a blue-ribbon Southern cook’s classic fried chicken, but I think my version is pretty darn tasty. And it’ll be ready to pack into my picnic hamper, along with the big chunks of watermelon, bug spray, sun screen and a tolerance for ants—the next time a parade comes to town.

HONEY LEMON OVEN-FRIED CHICKEN

This version of fried chicken is simple, mess-free and easy to customize to your favorite seasonings. A touch of honey with tangy buttermilk coats the chicken before tossing in crisp Panko breadcrumbs to bake. Look for Panko in the baking aisle with other dried breadcrumbs.

4 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 package (3-1/2 to 4 pounds) Just BARE™ Whole Chicken

3/4 cup buttermilk

¼ cup honey

1 egg

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

3-4 drops hot pepper sauce, if desired

1-1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs

½ teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large lemon, cut into wedges

Additional honey for dipping

INSTRUCTIONS

• Heat oven to 375˚F. Grease a large rimmed baking sheet.
• Cut chicken into 8 pieces, using heavy poultry shears or a knife.
• Beat buttermilk, honey, egg, garlic, and hot pepper sauce together with a fork in a shallow dish until well mixed.
• Mix breadcrumbs and rosemary together in another shallow dish.
• Dip chicken pieces in buttermilk mixture, then dredge in breadcrumbs to coat well. Arrange chicken on baking sheet.
• Drizzle chicken with oil; bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until juices run clear when pierced with a knife. The breast pieces will be done before darker meat, so check doneness at 30 minutes and remove from oven. Keep warm until remainder of chicken is done.
• Serve chicken with a squeeze of lemon and dip in honey, if desired.

By Lisa Golden Schroeder

In February I had a great time talking to visitors as I cooked Just BARE™ Chicken at the Minnesota Monthly Food & Wine Experience. There’s no better place to chat about really good food than at an event that celebrates the pleasures of community at the table. I have to say I enviously eyed the glasses of wine passing by (and the luscious tidbits that people were tasting), but I had a job to do. Everyone loved the two recipes we sampled—the Mediterranean-flavored salad with toasted Israeli couscous and garlicky chicken, and the quick pan-sauté of boneless chicken breasts.

To sauté means literally to “jump out of the pan”—but really it’s just quickly cooking food in a small amount of oil in a skillet over high heat. A perfect way to cook on a weeknight—or if you want to cook for friends without a lot of fuss. The recipe we made was the Maple Cranberry Glazed Chicken which I posted around New Year’s. In the winter that combination of maple syrup and wine, deglazing the skillet after I brown the chicken, is so delicious and comforting. And stirring in sweet-tart dried cranberries or cherries adds texture and another layer of flavor to the dish. But now it’s spring—and gorgeous fresh berries are coming into the market. So I’m thinking that I can transform this recipe into a terrific dish for patio entertaining—and I’ll either sauté the chicken or maybe I’ll grill it. If I cook outside I can make the sauce separately in a saucepan—on the nifty new side burner of my gas grill.

To make the sauce on it’s own, just sauté the chopped shallots in a bit of olive oil in a small pan or skillet until tender. Stir in the maple syrup and wine (or use that unsweetened pomegranate juice in the refrigerated juice case). Simmer for a few minutes, then thicken with the cornstarch dissolved in water. The final touch is adding a handful of fresh juicy raspberries or blackberries, instead of the dried cranberries. Serve with the tender chicken, with a spoonful of aromatic rice and a farmer’s market salad on the side.