Happy New Year! - Convert a Traditional Holiday Meal

The traditional meal on New Year's Day in our house is roast pork, sauerkraut and dumplings. This has been a tradition in my family for as long as I can remember. Today, I will prepare a healthier version of this meal. I will substitute what I perceive as not so healthy food items with healthier choices.  And of course, consume less than in years past!

My plan is to use the substitutions below. I have not tried this before, so I will not post the recipes today.  Rather I will try the recipes today, and if I achieve good results, I will post them at a later date.  The meal I will prepare today can be served and enjoyed at family meals throughout the year.

 Substitutions:

Pork Roast
Pork shoulder	Pork tenderloin
Dumplings (don’t be shocked by the amount of butter, this recipe can feed about 10 or more people)
All-purpose white flour	Equal parts all-purpose white flour and whole wheat flour, sifting three times to create a lighter consistency in the final product
Butter-3/4 stick	Smart Balance Buttery Sticks-OMEGA-3 – ½ stick
Sauerkraut
Diced onion, sautéed in butter	Diced onion, sautéed in extra virgin olive oil
Sauerkraut drained of its liquid	Sauerkraut, rinsed and drained (to remove excess salt from the brine)

Now I must get cooking!  Wish me luck!

Herb Roasted Chicken

For this recipe I used a young organically grown chicken, free of additives and antibiotics.  I must say, this recipe produced a very juicy, flavorful, and tender roasted chicken.  If you prefer, you can substitute the whole chicken with bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, and adjust your cooking time.  I have not tried it this way, so I am not sure if you would achieve the same results, but I feel it would be very close.

What makes this recipe healthy:

• Organic chicken
• Low Sodium
• Remove the skin when serving – low fat

Favorite Products:

• Dried herbs and spices

Herb Roasted Chicken
Serving size:  5 – 6 servings

3 Tbls. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tbls. Real Lemon Juice
2 Tbls. Worchester Sauce
1 Tbls. Honey
2 Tbls. Dried Parsley
1 Tsp. Mrs. Dash Original Blend – Seasoning Blend
1 Tsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tsp. Onion Powder
1 Tsp. Crushed Dry Rosemary
½ Tsp. Dry Thyme
¼ Tsp. Cracked Pepper
5 - 5 ½ Lb. Whole Chicken

Herb Mixture:
In a small bowl, combine the first 11 ingredients. Stir until thoroughly combined.  The herb mixture should resemble a loose paste.  Reserve about 1 ½ tablespoons of the mixture.

Preparation:

Clean your chicken with cold water, then pat dry, inside and out.

Lift up the skin on one side of breast meat by running your finger gently under the skin to loosen it from the breast meat, taking care not to tear the skin.  On that side of the breast, place half of the herb mixture under the skin of the breast and message mixture along the entire side of the breast and down along the thigh, coating the entire surface of the meat.  Repeat on other side of the breast. Take 1 tablespoon of the reserved  herb mixture and rub the entire cavity of the chicken.  With the remaining mixture coat the outside of the chicken.

Place a baking rack in a baking dish, large enough to hold your entire chicken.  Place chicken the rack, back side down.  Turn the wing tips under the chicken, allowing the chicken to rest on them.  Tie the legs loosely together using kitchen twine.  Cover the entire dish with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for up to 4 hours. 

Roasting:

Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and place on counter.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Remove plastic wrap from chicken and place chicken in oven.  Chicken is done when you place a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh, not touching the bone, and it registers  165 degrees.  Depending on your oven, this could take about 2 – 2 ½  hours.  Let chicken rest for about 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

I would serve this with a refreshing salad and potato side dish.

NOTES AND REFERENCE:

Test your meat thermometer for accuracy:
Place probe in ice water, taking care not to touch the probe to the container, temperature should register 32 degrees.

 Place probe in boiling water, again taking care not to touch the probe to the container, temperature should register 212 degrees.

If you find that your thermometer is not accurate, adjust your cooking accordingly.

APPROXIMATE CHICKEN COOKING TIMES

USDA Food and Inspection Service

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/images/masthead_interior.jpg

Approximate Chicken Cooking Times
Type of Chicken	Weight	Roasting 350 °F	Simmering	Grilling
Whole broiler-fryer+	3 to 4 lbs.	1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hrs.	60 to 75 min.	60 to 75 min*
Whole roasting hen+	5 to 7 lbs.	2 to 2 1/4 hrs.	1 3/4 to 2 hrs.	18-25 min/lb*
Whole capon+	4 to 8 lbs.	2 to 3 hrs	Not suitable	15-20 min/lb*
Whole Cornish hens+	18-24 oz.	50 to 60 min.	35 to 40 min.	45 to 55 min*
Breast halves, bone-in	6 to 8 oz.	30 to 40 min.	35 to 45 min.	10 - 15 min/side
Breast half, boneless	4 ounces	20 to 30 min.	25 to 30 min.	6 to 8 min/side
Legs or thighs	8 or 4 oz.	40 to 50 min.	40 to 50 min.	10 - 15 min/side
Drumsticks	4 ounces	35 to 45 min.	40 to 50 min.	8 to 12 min/side
Wings or wingettes	2 to 3 oz.	30 to 40 min.	35 to 45 min.	8 to 12 min/side

+ Unstuffed. If stuffed, add 15 to 30 minutes additional time.

* Indirect method using drip pan.