Monday dinner

Roast Chicken and root vegetables with quinoa

Roast Chicken with lemon and thyme

• 1 whole fryer chicken (WF air chilled, 3lbs @ 2.49/lb)
• 1 lemon, quartered
• 1 onion, quartered
• 2 carrots, 1" chunks
• 1 parsnip, 1" chunks
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled whole
• 2 cloves garlic, thinley sliced
• 6 sprigs thyme
• 2 T butter, softened
• olive oil, s & p

Toss lemons, vegetables, and 4 sprigs thyme with olive oil, s&p in baking dish. Strip thyme from 2 twigs, add to softened butter along with more s&p. Snip spine from chicken with kitchen scissors, press down on breast to butterfly. Pat both sides of chicken dry with paper towels. Rub chicken with butter mixture, sliding butter and sliced garlic under skin. Put the chicken on top of the vegetables and roast at 450 degrees. Remove when thermometer reads 160 degrees at a couple of points in the chicken.

Roasted root vegetables with quinoa

• 1 c quinoa (or barley, millet, wheat berries, etc)
• 2 c water
• 2 carrots
• 2 parsnips
• 1 sweet potato
• 4 cloves garlic
• a couple dozen brussel sprouts
• 1 leek
• olive oil, s&p

After chicken is in the oven put 1 c quinoa on to cook (rice cooker or pot, 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water). Dice root vegetables, trim and quarter brussel sprouts, peel garlic cloves, cut leek into half length wise and then into 1/2" strips. Toss all with olive oil & s&p. Spread on baking sheet and roast in oven next to or under chicken. Stir everything up once or twice in 15 minutes until veggies are done. Mix the roasted veggies with the quinoa (when the quinoa is finished cooking) and add more olive oil s&p to taste. 

Enough chicken and quinoa salad left over for another meal and/or lunches the next day.