By Lisa Golden Schroeder

I’ve been a bug (so to speak) about food safety for years. And in the light of recent problems with food-borne illnesses, I guess I can’t say enough (and loudly) about how to safely handle and cook poultry. Here is my Chicken Safety 101 primer that should ensure you don’t have trouble in the kitchen.

1. All perishable uncooked foods have some microbes on their surface, from poultry and meats to eggs and veggies. Many are naturally occurring since our food comes from natural environments where all living things co-exist—including bacteria. And we can add to this, so washing your hands in hot, soapy water before and after handling food is top on my list.

2. Don’t cross-contaminate surfaces. You don’t have to rinse poultry before cooking it, as you’re going to cook it long enough to kill off any pesky germs. BUT if you cut up a chicken on a cutting board or carry it on a tray outside to the grill, be sure that the cutting board or tray is washed in hot, soapy water before placing anything else on them. I like to use an acrylic cutting board (rather than the large wooden board I use to chop veggies) when I cut up chicken, so I can just pop it into the dishwasher when I’m done. And if I decide to rinse off a whole chicken before roasting, I’m careful to wash the inside of the sink with—yep, you got it—hot, soapy water! I sanitize my sponges regularly, too, by popping them into the dishwasher or microwaving them for 1 minute on HIGH power.

3. Be sure that you cook chicken until it’s DONE. Using an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature of chicken is absolutely the best way to ensure your chicken is cooked all the way through, especially when you’re cooking a whole bird. Just insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh and don’t touch any bones—dark meat should be cooked to 165˚F internally. If the thigh is done, the rest of the bird will be too. Other simple tests to be sure chicken parts, like breast fillets or drumsticks, are cooked properly is to cut into them to be sure they are no longer pink inside. And when you insert the tip of a paring knife into the chicken the juices that run out should be clear, not pink.

4. If you marinate chicken for grilling, it’s okay if you brush some of the marinade on during the cooking process. But stop during the last 5 to 8 minutes of grilling, as the chicken finishes cooking. Always discard marinades, unless a recipe directs you to heat them to boiling on the stovetop to be served at the table with the chicken.

5. There’s lots of good information out there if you have more questions about safely handling chicken and other foods. Go to the Just BARE® website for links to great online resources. There’s no reason why you or your family should get sick from food you’ve carefully prepared in your own kitchen.

By Lisa Golden Schroeder

“Knee high by the fourth of July” didn’t quite hit the mark this corn season. In fact, we had local corn much earlier, thanks to an unexpectedly gorgeous spring. So as each crop this summer has peaked, we’ve gorged on whatever is piled up on tables at the closest corner farmer’s truck. And corn has been hanging around for weeks and weeks—still as sweet and delightful as those first golden ears we sampled in early July.

I got to thinking about simple soup suppers that work in the summer heat—big pots of something that I can count on for quick dinners. Tomato gazpacho is one of my favorites—chilled, spicy and refreshing. But it’s not very rib-sticking, so my gang really enjoys a rich chicken tortilla soup that is heartier and fills up hungry boys. I use chicken tenders, cut into bite-size pieces, but sometimes I use boneless chicken thighs, which have an even deeper flavor. And I’ve been adding oven-roasted corn to the pot this summer—I’ve even grilled extra corn when we’ve got the charcoal on, to have on hand to add to salsas or this terrific soup.

I have to admit that my boys really love the crisp tortilla strips I make to spoon on top of the soup, too. Sometimes we make more than we need, sprinkling the tortillas with garlic salt before toasting them, for snacking long after supper is over.

CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP WITH ROASTED CORN

Makes 4 servings

One way to make a more traditional chicken tortilla soup is to simmer a whole chicken with hot chiles, tomato and lime juice. The chicken is shredded and stirred back into the rich broth. The soup is ladled over crisp tortilla pieces in shallow bowls—but here, thin strips of toasted tortilla garnish the top of the soup. Since summer corn is a natural partner with a Mexican-style soup, ears of corn are roasted and sliced off the cobs to add a touch of sweetness. You can also offer chopped ripe avocado, sliced green onion and fresh cilantro leaves to jazz up each bowl as desired.

INGREDIENTS

For the soup

3 ears corn, shucked

1 package (14 ounces) Just BARE® Chicken Breast Tenders

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large white onion, chopped

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) fire-roasted diced tomatoes with chiles, undrained

1 quart low-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

For the tortilla strips

4 (6-inch) corn tortillas

2 teaspoons olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

• Heat oven to 400˚F. Place corn on rimmed baking sheet; roast 15 minutes, turning once, until browned. Cool; slice kernels off cobs.
• Cut chicken tenders into thirds. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large Dutch oven or soup kettle over medium-high heat. Add chicken, coriander, and cumin. Cook and stir 5 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove from pan.
• Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan; stir in onion and corn. Sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Return chicken to pan, along with tomatoes, broth, lime juice, thyme, salt and pepper. Simmer 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, brush tortillas lightly with 2 teaspoons oil. Cut into thin strips. Place on rimmed baking sheet; toast about 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until crisp.
• Serve soup topped with tortilla strips.

By Lisa Golden Schroeder

As the summer heat finally wanes, our gardens are bursting with more cherry tomatoes, hot chiles and zucchini than we know what to do with! My band of schoolyard gardeners teamed up with our community gardeners for a first-ever potluck supper. The picnic tables were brimming with lavish offerings of briny pickles, creamy potato salad (made from multi-colored potatoes), and plates of insalata caprese, that classic Italian salad of sliced fresh mozzarella cheese, super-ripe tomatoes and basil leaves the size of lettuce! I made a huge bowl of the Garlic Chicken & Toasted Couscous Salad that we sampled at the 2010 Minnesota Monthly Food & Wine Experience. It’s basically a fancy pasta salad filled with tender nuggets of Just BARE® Chicken boneless thigh meat. The Just BARE® brand support of the children’s garden this summer allowed us to introduce the kids to much more than we would have been able to do on our own, and bringing all the gardeners together, both young and more experienced, was a delight.

Nearly 60 community members gathered to share our garden bounty and to just visit with one another. It was a scorchingly hot evening, but that didn’t keep the smaller party-goers from heading over to the playground after eating—swinging and sliding as the grown-ups sipped lemonade and swapped stories about tomato varietals. I was really worried that the heat would keep people away to take refuge in air conditioning, but it seems that the lure of sharing the extravagant outcome of our summer nurturing was much stronger. Anyway, we’ve all been weeding and watering no matter the weather—so an hour or two outside wouldn’t hurt us! I think that this will be just the first of many years of community comradery—there’s talk of expanding the gardens, and one of the children’s gardens is being redesigned for formal teaching, thanks to our corporate underwriting.

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.