Roast chicken with Vegetables

Don't you love looking at the thanks giving spread in magazines and on TV? I would just drool looking at the amazing spread on the table. But having come from a totally different culture and religious background, I never had the chance to actually be a part of thanksgiving. So, this year we decided to make a thanksgiving meal at home that comprised of roast chicken(since I'm not a fan of the turkey), mashed potatoes, stuffing and cranberry sauce. It turned out really good, and we did not "Indianize"  any of the dishes, so I personally found it to be a bit bland for my palette. However, the chicken was a huge hit, but my personal favorite has to be the vegetables that roasted with it. Really tender and flavorful.

Recipe for the roast chicken:

2 to 3 pound bird

Roasting pan

Seasonings:

Oil - 2 tbsp

Black pepper - 2 tbsp

salt - to taste

Garlic powder: 1 tbsp

Paprika - 1 tbsp

Cumin powder: 1 tbsp

Coriander powder: 1 tbsp

Juice of 2 lemons

Vegetables for roasting:

Carrots,broccoli,onions,celery - cut into big chunks

Clean and wash the bird and pat dry.

Mix all the seasonings together and rub all over the chicken.

Lift the skin and rub the seasoning under it and also inside the cavity.

Place the chicken in the roasting pan and add the veggies to the side.

Preheat the oven to 400F and roast for about 45 to 60 mins, till brown and crisp outside.

Get the guys to carve at the table, which can actually be pretty challenging if you have no idea what to do.

Will post the recipes for the other side dishes soon.

Broccoli and pepper pizza

I love pizza, I mean who doesn't? Hubby dear swears that he has an aversion to cheese, but can't resist a good slice of the pie. Now the pizza that we get from any pizzeria is loaded with cheese and calories, and I feel guilty after just a small slice. So to satisfy my cravings, I make it at home. This time I tried to incorporate some thing healthy too, broccoli. I have tried making the base with just whole wheat flour, but that resulted in a pizza that was dense and totally disappointing. So, I found that the best way to make it is with half whole wheat and half all purpose flour.

Method:

All purpose flour: 1 cup

Whole wheat flour: 1 cup

Yeast: 1 packet

salt: 1 tsp

Sugar: 1 tbsp

warm water: to dissolve the yeast

vegetables: your choice

pizza sauce: 3/4 cup (I used store bought marinara sauce)

part skim mozzarella cheese: 1 cup

Base:

In a bowl, add warm water and the yeast, salt and sugar.

Set aside and leave it till the yeast starts to froth.

Now add the flours and knead well.

Spray some olive oil spray in a bowl, and keep the dough in it, covered for about an hour.

The dough should have doubled. Now punch the dough and roll it out.

Toppings:

I had broccoli, onions,peppers and tomatoes.

Spread some pizza sauce on the base, add the vegetables and top it with cheese.

Bake it in a 400F preheated oven for about 22 min.
Don't mind the shape tho :)