I have never roasted a chicken after brining it first but I have heard that it is one of the very best methods. So, I bought a whole chicken (not live, obviously)and decided to give it a try!

How to brine a whole chicken-wet brine method

Who knew there were two different ways to brine a chicken? I sure didn’t.

Chicken brine in a pot with a whole chicken, lemons, herbs, and spices.

https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/chicken-brine-recipe/#wprm-recipe-container-18612

Ingredients

• 8 cups of water
• 1/2 cup kosher salt do not use table salt
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 dried bay leaves
• 5 cloves of garlic smashed and peeled
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 sprigs fresh parsley
• 2 lemons sliced
• 4 lb whole chicken

Instructions

1. Place the water, salt, honey, bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme, parsley and lemons in a large pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
2. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the salt has dissolved.
3. Turn off the heat and cool completely.
4. Add the chicken to the cooled brine. Make sure the chicken is completely submerged.
5. Cover the pot and refrigerate for 8-24 hours.
6. Remove the chicken from the brine and rinse with cool water; pat dry with paper towels. Proceed with roasting, smoking or frying the chicken.

How to brine a chicken- dry brine method

Dry Brined Roasted Chicken

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/245410/dry-brined-roasted-chicken/

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken
• 2 tablespoons salt, or as needed
• 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

Instructions

1. Remove chicken from packaging, remove giblet packet from the cavity, and pat thoroughly dry with paper towels. Place in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
2. Mix salt, orange zest, rosemary, and thyme together in a small bowl; rub 3/4 of the mixture all over outside of chicken; rub remaining mixture inside the cavity. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 to 3 days.

How to roast a chicken

Roasting a chicken after the brining process

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/245410/dry-brined-roasted-chicken/

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Remove plastic wrap from chicken.
2. Bake chicken in the preheated oven until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, 2 to 2 1/2 hours depending on size. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Remove chicken from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 20 minutes before carving.

Consider pairing your beautifully roasted chicken with this delicious side dish!

Squash Casserole

https://www.thekitchn.com/squash-casserole-22925603

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided, plus more for the baking dish
• 2 pounds yellow summer squash (about 4 large), quartered lengthwise then thinly sliced
• 1 small sweet onion, diced, such as Vidalia (about 1 cup)
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese (8 ounces), divided
• 1/4 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise, preferably Duke’s
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 20 round butter crackers, such as Ritz, crushed (about 1 cup)

Instructions

1. Heat the oven and butter a baking dish. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F. Butter a 2-quart or 8×8-inch baking dish and set aside.
2. Cook the squash and onion until softened. Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the squash, onion, salt, and pepper, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Whisk the eggs, mayonnaise, and cheese together. Whisk the eggs, 1 cup of the cheese, cream, mayonnaise, and cayenne pepper together in a large bowl.
4. Stir in the squash and onions. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the squash and onions into the bowl of eggs and cheese and stir to combine.
5. Coat the crackers in melted butter. Pour off any liquid in the skillet. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in the skillet over medium heat, then add the crackers and stir to coat.
6. Top the casserole with cheese and crackers. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheese over the casserole, then sprinkle with the crackers.
7. Bake until browned and bubbly. Bake until browned and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Yes, another cabbage recipe! But, this one was possibly the most surprising for me.

Who doesn’t love lasagna night with the family? I know I do! But, when you’re on a diet or just trying to eat a little healthier, it may feel like lasagna is out of the question. Not so!

What is lasagna?

Lasagna is possibly one of the oldest Italian pasta noodles. This is a classic Italian dish using the wide and long pasta noodles known as Lasagna noodles. The dish consists of layers of noodles, tomato sauce, cheese, vegetables, and meat (though the meat is optional for vegetarians).

Sounds heavenly, right? Well, yes it is! I have experimented with lasagna several times. I have changed the sauce, the cheese, the vegetables, and I have made it with and without meat. One of my favorite ways to make lasagna actually involves alternating tomato sauce layers with alfredo sauce layers. Yes, two sauces! So good!

This time, though I felt I had to stick with my healthier and happier self mission. I decided to change the noodles and keep the other ingredients on the light (but still flavorful) side.

Low-Carb cabbage lasagna!

Recipe from yours truly! This lasagna recipe is unique and low-carb because it replaces the typical lasagna noodles with cabbage leaves!

Ingredients

• 1 head of cabbage
• 1 jar of your favorite tomato sauce (I used a four-cheese tomato sauce blend)
• 1 small tub of ricotta cheese (part-skim or whole)
• 1 egg
• Tomato basil mozzarella cheese, shredded, fresh
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 pound ground turkey
• ½ cup onions, chopped
• Salt, pepper and Italian seasonings to taste

Instructions

1. Before you can begin building the lasagna, you must prepare some of your ingredients. Start by heating the olive oil in a deep frying pan or skillet.
2. Add the chopped onions and ground turkey. Stir, and separate the chunks of ground turkey. Cook until ground turkey is no longer pink and the onions are nearly translucent. Season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
3. Prepare your ricotta mixture. Dump the ricotta cheese from the tub into a mixing bowl. Break it up with a spoon. Add an egg and mix well with the spoon to combine.  Add salt, pepper, and Italian seasonings if desired.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
5. Select a deep baking dish or casserole dish
6. Pour a small amount of tomato sauce into the base of the baking dish, just enough to lightly cost the bottom.
7. Tear off leaves from the head of cabbage and lay them over the tomato sauce. Repeat until the sauce is covered. Tip: you may want to tear the leaves into smaller pieces to make serving easier later.
8. Spread an even layer of the ricotta cheese mixture over the cabbage leaves, leaving enough to add another layer later.
9. Top the ricotta cheese layer with a thin layer of the ground turkey mixture.
10. Top the ground turkey mixture layer with a thin layer of freshly shredded tomato basil mozzarella cheese.
11. Repeat steps 7 through 10 a second time.
12. Finally, top the second layer with a final layer of cabbage leaves, the rest of the sauce and the rest of the shredded cheese. If you have ricotta cheese leftover, evenly spread it around the edges of the baking dish.
13. Sprinkle parsley flakes over the dish if desired.
14. At this time you can cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze the dish to heat later. Or, you can cover the baking dish with aluminum foil only and bake it at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour or so. Tip: bake the lasagna for longer than an hour. Shoot for an hour ana half if the top cheese layer will allow for it.
15. If you layered your cabbage leaves whole and not turn into smaller pieces, you will need to cut your lasagna pieces with a sharp knife. Serve warm, and enjoy!

Bacon, cabbage, and eggs “pancake”  for breakfast!

This breakfast is super delicious and super easy to make! The eggs are fluffy, the cabbage is tender, and the bacon is crispy! Think it’s not going to work? Let me prove you wrong!

This recipe is meant to be a “pancake” of sorts. However, instead of using batter and syrup, I chose to make this “pancake” out of eggs, cabbage, and bacon.

Bacon and cabbage eggs recipe

Ingredients

• Two to three large eggs
• One tablespoon of milk
• Leftover bacon pieces
• About a cup of cabbage
• Olive oil for cooking
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. To start, heat your frying pan on medium-high heat and add the olive oil, evenly coat the bottom of the pan.
2. Add the cabbage to the pan and use a spatula to move it and turn it so that the cabbage is evenly cooked and coated in the olive oil
3. Season with salt and pepper, lightly.
4. When the cabbage is starting to become tender, add the bacon to the pan. If the bacon is raw, cook it prior to adding it to the cabbage.
5. In a separate bowl, carefully crack your eggs, careful not to drop pieces of the shell into the bowl.
6. Add the milk and any seasonings you desire including salt and pepper to taste.
7. Whisk the milk and eggs together until fully incorporated.
8. Pour the mixture into the frying pan and over the cabbage and bacon.
9. Allow the eggs to cook until you are able to flip the contents of the frying pan as a single “pancake”.
10. Allow eggs, bacon, and cabbage to cook on the other side until golden brown and eggs are no longer runny.
11. Carefully slide the bacon, cabbage, egg “pancake” onto a plate and serve warm!

How does this “pancake” compare to a more traditional type of pancake?

Nutritionally speaking I believe that my “pancake” made with eggs, bacon, and cabbage is far more healthy compared to the traditional pancake because it offers fiber and protein which a traditional pancake does not. Although this is only my opinion so, I think it’s time to look into the facts and see for ourselves which version is healthier.

Nutrition Facts of a standard 6 in diameter pancake (77g)

https://www.eatthismuch.com/food/nutrition/pancakes, 4206/

• Calories 149.4
• Calories from Fat 17.3 (11.6%)
• Total Fat 1.9g  –
• Saturated fat 0.4g       –
• Monounsaturated fat 0.7g       –
• Polyunsaturated fat 0.6g         –
• Cholesterol 9.2mg      –
• Sodium 483.6mg        21%
• Potassium 134.8mg    –
• Carbohydrates 28.3g  –
• Net carbs 27.3g          –
• Fiber 1g           5%
• Protein 4g       

Vitamins and minerals

• Vitamin A 7.7μg          1%
• Vitamin A IU 24.6IU    –
• Vitamin B6 0.1mg       6%
• Vitamin B12 0.2μg      7%
• Vitamin C 0.2mg         1%
• Calcium 97mg 10%
• Iron 1.2mg       16%
• Magnesium 15.4mg    5%
• Phosphorus 257.2mg 26%
• Zinc 0.3mg      3%
• Copper 0.1mg 4%
• Manganese 0.2mg      11%
• Selenium 10.4μg         15%
• Retinol 7.7μg   –
• Thiamine 0.2mg          11%
• Riboflavin 0.2mg         10%
• Niacin 1.3mg   7%
• Folate 28.5μg  8%
• Choline 14.8mg          3%
• Water 40.8g    –

Nutrition Facts for one cabbage, bacon, and eggs “pancake”

https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076

Amount per serving   

• Calories           483
• Total Fat 34.3g            44%
• Saturated Fat 11.2g    56%
• Cholesterol 436mg     145%
• Sodium 1479mg         64%
• Total Carbohydrate 7.5g         3%
• Dietary Fiber 2.3g       8%
• Total Sugars 4.4g      
• Protein 35.3g  
• Vitamin D 41mcg        205%
• Calcium 112mg           9%
• Iron 3mg          17%
• Potassium 630mg       13%

Now, when comparing the two recipe nutrition label information, we can more clearly see how it all plays out. I am choosing to make my final decision based on comparing the highlighted portions.

When I go down the list and begin comparing the two, it seems as though the traditional pancake is the winner because it has fewer calories, less fat, less sodium, and less cholesterol. However, the tables start to turn on behalf of the egg “pancake” as it has fewer carbohydrates, more fiber, more potassium, and more protein. So, my final recommendation is this; the bacon, cabbage, egg “pancake” is healthier, overall. The trick is not to eat the entire meal in one sitting. Perhaps cut the “pancake” in half and share it with your spouse. The meal will still provide all the nutritional benefits and remain a filling and satisfying breakfast!