Roasted Chicken with Vegetables

(from my recipe archives)
This is one of my favorite fall recipes. It's been featured on my blog before but it's back again because it's so good! You should add it to your menu rotation: tender chicken, delicious sauce (love the thyme and mustard combination), and wonderful vegetables. The house smells divine while it's baking and feels so cozy! I used a variety of vegetables I had on hand (potatoes, carrots and mushrooms). Sometimes I add onions and sweet potatoes or fingerling potatoes to the mix. You can start the chicken and veggies at the same time, and bake for about an hour. I usually double the amount of veggies so we can have yummy leftovers.
Mustard Roasted Chicken with Vegetables
The Ingredients.
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
5 T. whole-grain mustard (I use Mailles)
3 T. low-sodium soy sauce
Kosher salt & pepper
1 bag small carrots
1 box whole mushrooms
4-6 small red potatoes or small Yukon Gold, or both, quartered
1 red onion, cut in wedges (optional)
12 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme)
4 T. olive oil
The Directions.
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Wash chicken in cold water and pat dry. Combine the mustard, soy sauce, 1 tsp. pepper and salt to taste, in a large bowl. I also sprinkle in a little dried thyme if I don't have the fresh. Whisk and add chicken to coat. Place chicken in a 9x13 pan.
3. Mix olive oil with 1 tsp. salt. 1/2 tsp. pepper and 1/2 tsp. dried thyme. Add carrots, mushrooms and potatoes to coat and place around the chicken. If using fresh thyme instead of dried, lay a stem on top of each chicken breast and place remainder in with the vegetables. I do an extra pan (jelly roll pan covered with foil for easy clean-up) with just veggies and put it in the oven with the chicken.
4. Roast until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are fork tender, about 50-60 minutes. Serve with a tossed salad.

A Fall Feast ...

This is a repost of one of my favorite chicken recipes. And it's absolutely delicious, if I don't say so myself. It's perfect to serve as soon as the weather turns cool. The temps around here are finally falling back into the normal range after being unseasonably summery for a week or two. There's nothing like the warm days and cool nights of Indian Summer in Minnesota. And the blue sky is spectacular! Add a tossed salad and rolls to the chicken and you've got a real feast!

MUSTARD ROASTED CHICKEN WITH VEGETABLES
INGREDIENTS:
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4-1/2 T. whole-grain mustard (I use Mailles)
3 T. low-sodium soy sauce
Kosher salt & pepper
1 small bag baby carrots
1 box whole mushrooms
2 onions, cut in wedges
12 sprigs fresh thyme (or dried thyme)
4 T. olive oil
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Wash chicken in cold water and pat dry. Combine the mustard, soy sauce and 1 tsp. pepper in a large bowl. Whisk and add chicken to coat. Place chicken in a 9x13 pan.
3. Mix olive oil with 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Add carrots, mushrooms and onion to coat and place around the chicken. Add thyme to olive oil mixture and lay a stem on top of each chicken breast and place remainder in with the vegetables.
4. Roast until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender, about 50-60 minutes.

Thinnest Crust Pizza for Meatless Monday

Time seems to be spinning out of control. August is flying by and it's almost time for the Minnesota State Fair to open, which always signifies the end of summer for me. The days have been hot and humid. I don't feel like cooking anything heavy. These little pizzas are so easy and light and delicious you'll want to make them often. Add a tossed salad and it makes a tasty supper!

Thinnest Crust Pizza with Ricotta and Mushroom/repost
Makes 2
2 teaspoons olive oil
2-12 inch multi-grain tortillas (Mission brand)
2 oz. Italian-style shredded cheese blend, mozzarella & Parmesan (Market Pantry)
10 dabs low-fat or part-skim ricotta
1 package mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced or sliced canned mushrooms, well-drained
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
fresh basil and/or fresh parsley (or a sprinkle of dried basil)
Sprinkle of pepper
1. Preheat oven to 400°. For easy cleanup, line baking sheet with foil. Brush both sides of tortilla with oil. Place on baking sheet.
2. Sprinkle with shredded cheese, then dollop with ricotta. Add mushrooms, red onion, tomatoes, basil; season with pepper.
3. Bake pizzas until crust is crisp and brown all over, about 10 minutes, rotating sheet from front to back during baking. Cut with a pizza cutter or knife; serve one per person. You can add more or less of all the ingredients to suit your own taste.

NOTE: You can also add sliced olives, banana pepper rings, artichokes, broccoli ...

Roasted Zucchini, Green Beans and Mushrooms

I had a vegetable bin overflowing with zucchini, green beans and mushrooms. I decided to roast them in the oven with a little olive oil and dried thyme tossed in for good measure. I ended up with a savory side dish to serve with grilled chicken.

Roasted Zucchini, Green Beans and Mushrooms
Ingredients:
1 large zucchini, sliced
1-16 oz. box fresh green beans, ends snapped
1-8 oz. box whole mushrooms, cleaned
3-4 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme
Parmesan cheese, optional
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme in a large bowl, stir and add veggies. Toss to mix well. Using a large cookie sheet with sides, cover with aluminum foil or nonstick cooking spray and spread vegetable mixture over the pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Stir the vegetables and cook for another 15 minutes, until veggies are tender and nicely browned. Sprinkle top of each serving with a little grated Parmesan cheese. Serve hot.

Encore presentation ... one of my favorite recipes!

This is a lovely recipe. I made it last Sunday and we had the leftovers on Monday. Two meals out of one recipe is always a bonus! This is really perfect for Sunday dinner with the family. We always ate dinner together on Sundays when our children were young. I'd set the dining room table with the "good" china and silverware and make it a special occasion. We all had our regular places and still do, even now that both of our kids are grown and on their own. I really miss those days when life was so busy but oh so sweet!

MUSTARD ROASTED CHICKEN WITH VEGETABLES
INGREDIENTS:
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6-1/2 T. whole-grain mustard (I use Mailles)
4 T. low-sodium soy sauce
Kosher salt & pepper
1 bag small carrots
2 red onions, cut in wedges
1-8 oz. box fresh mushrooms
12 sprigs fresh thyme (I don't always have fresh thyme. You can substitute dried thyme, about 1/2-1 tsp.)
8 T. olive oil
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Wash chicken in cold water and pat dry. Combine the mustard, soy sauce and 1 tsp. pepper in a large bowl. Whisk and add chicken to coat. Place chicken in a 9x13 pan.
3. Mix olive oil with 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Add carrots, onion and mushrooms to coat and place around the chicken. Add thyme to olive oil mixture and lay a stem on top of each chicken breast and place remainder in with the vegetables. I do another pan of just the vegetables, in addition to the chicken pan.
4. Roast until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender, about 50-60 minutes. I served this with a tossed salad and rolls.