Sheet Pan Dinner & Local Meat
life is hard, food doesn't have to be [vol2, 1.1] #37
I love sheet pan dinners for their easy clean up. Grab the ingredients for this one and add to your rotation. I made it on a half sheet pan (13x18), you could halve the recipe for 9x13. If you don’t have a 13x18 pan, make this in two 9x13 pans. Or just buy a couple 13x18 pans. I have about 6 and use them all.the.time.
Ingredients
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs - if using bone-in thighs, roast alone 10 minutes before adding everything else. Fish could be substituted here, reduce roasting time.
¼ c oil (olive oil or avocado)
4-6 garlic cloves, pressed or 2t garlic powder
2t smoked paprika
2t cumin
2t oregano or any Italian seasoning blend
1.5t fine sea salt
Optional spices, but definitely recommended if you have:
1t curry powder
2t coriander
1/4t cayenne pepper or flakes, or more depending on preferences
after chicken is marinated & placed on the pan:
¼ c oil (olive oil or avocado)
2 cans white beans, rinsed and drained (garbanzos, navy, etc.)
2 pints cherry tomatoes
1/2t fine sea salt
1 bunch cilantro, rinsed and blotted dry, chopped and divided in half
1-2 lemons, sliced
Green onions, chopped, optional for garnish
Instructions
Marinate chicken in 1/4c oil and spices for 30 minutes, up to 24 hours in a larger bowl. I like to minimize dishes and use this same bowl for the next step. Best if chicken comes close to room temp before roasting - but this is something I feel comfortable doing. You do you.
Preheat oven to 400* convection (with fan) or 425* conventional (regular oven).
Lay marinated thighs flat on sheet pan, leaving room between each piece.
In the same bowl the chicken marinated in, toss in the remaining ingredients: beans, tomatoes, HALF of the cilantro (save other half for garnish) and pour oil on top then toss together, making sure tomatoes are coated. Dump this on the chicken sheet and spread around. Lay the slices of lemon on very top. This was one small lemon. Two would have been better.
Roast for 20 minutes, less if it smells like it's burning, more if you think it needs it. Below is twenty minutes, 400* convection and my chicken started room temp.
Garnish with green onions and remaining cilantro.
Served with leftover tzatziki (creamy cucumber sauce), red sauerkraut and quick pickled red onions.
Tahini yogurt sauce would be yum too: 1/4c tahini, 2T plain yogurt, 2-4T olive oil, 2-4 T lemon juice and salt to taste (maybe 1/2t). If you’re dairy-free, totally omit the yogurt. It’s a sauce and you make it how you like it.
*For my family of 5 big eaters, I used 2 pounds of thighs. They let me know I must supply more meat. Next time I will use 3 lbs + increase the spices. Also note: I didn’t supply any other side dishes. If I’d made a pan of potatoes / oven fries, two pounds of meat would have been enough.
Readers
My husband reads more than anyone I’ve ever met. He just wrote a blog post on his favorite books of 2020. If you, too, are a bibliophile, I encourage you to sign up to receive his blog posts (about once a month).
Meat Shares for Locals
I’m a fan of meat shares because:
It’s a brainless way to eat quality meat & easy baby step for eating healthier. Often I encourage people to change eating habits by starting at the top of the food chain: meat, eggs and milk are easy to replace.
The meat is in my freezer, I just need to remember to thaw it. No running to the store for protein.
FarmGirl has super amazing animal husbandry standards. This meat is higher quality (more nutrient dense) than anything you will buy at Whole Foods.
Picky eaters? Usually picky eaters don’t want veggies but will eat the meats. If the pickies will eat meat, be sure to give them the highest quality meat you can afford.
If you eat pork on a regular basis, I plead with you to switch to local pork. Grocery store pork never sees the light of day. Vitamin D is supplied by pork grown in sunshine. In fact, it’s one of the best food sources of vitamin D. As we have learned about the pandemic, most Americans are woefully deficient in vitamin D (also needed for bone synthesis & to keep osteoporosis at bay.) Those with healthy stores of vitamin D recover quicker.
Meat shares supports the local economy - Travis and his girls + he donates generously to the food pantry in Perryville.
Local meat shares are better for the earth. Have you ever driven past the nasty smelly feedlots en route to Colorado? It’s enough to make you want to hold your breath for 20 miles. Local farmers give their animals room to roam. Their smell is spread out, and actually the soil loves animal deposits in small increments.
FarmGirl has options for your family size and budget. Don’t want to go to the market twice a month for pickup? Find a friend and take turns, essentially splitting a meat share. Note: the deposit is only if you don’t pay the full amount up front.
Pick up locations: The Argenta Market, Main St, NLR. Saturdays 8-10am or The Whitewater Tavern Market, 2500 W. Seventh St, Little Rock (near Children’s Hospital), Saturdays 11-1pm.
Online options for weekly or haphazard ordering: Arkansas Local Food Network (LR), Russellville Online Market, and Farm Girl Online Order.
Your health is worth it. And it doesn’t have to be hard. Keep making baby steps in 2021.
By way of review, two articles I wrote for 5 Easy Changes for 2021 and Top 5 Tips for Wellness.
Lots of social distanced hugs!
Julie