Roasting a chicken is easier than you think (if you’ve never made one before). The recipe I have for you today is simple, but it makes one really tasty chicken.

The key is in the basting and roasting. The recipe starts off on high heat, but after a few minutes it comes down to allow the chicken to roast slowly, locking the juices in and resulting in a moist, tender, juicy chicken. Depending on how large the chicken is this will take 1–2 hours to roast or more. The oven will have something to say about it too.

Basting the bird during the roasting helps it stay moist throughout, especially in the white meat area, as that tends to cook quicker and dry out faster. At first you’ll only have the oil and butter to baste the chicken with, but after about 15–20 minutes or so the chicken will start oozing drippings, perfect for basting back on.

And about the oils, am I sure that’s not too much? YES! It’s not. I like it that way. You will too. The butter and oil infuses so much buttery flavor into the chicken, as well as making the skin turn a crisp, golden brown. Watch the video. You’ll see.

If you want to, cube a few potatoes and roast them with the chicken.

If you want to make gravy though, don’t add potatoes. Potatoes are extremely greedy and gulp all the drippings down. They won’t spare you very much in the way of drippings, if any at all.

So what are you waiting for? Check the video out for a step by step tutorial and make this for your next dinner, along with a side of rice, popovers, or potatoes. I’d do the popovers. They’re perfect for soaking up any extra gravy.

Enjoy!

Sarah 🙂

Roast Chicken with Coconut Oil

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1 small yellow onion, quartered
• 1 stalk celery
• 4 garlic cloves, cut in half
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 cup chicken stock or water (or combination)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the giblets and wash the chicken in warm to hot tap water and dry thoroughly. Liberally season the cavity with salt and pepper. Stuff with the onion, celery, and garlic.

Brush melted butter and coconut oil all over chicken and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Place in a roasting pan or a 9 x 13-inch glass baking pan.

Roast for 11 minutes at 425 degrees F. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and baste the chicken. Roast for 1 hour or until juices run clear when pricked between the leg and thigh. Baste chicken with pan juices every 10–15 minutes or so, but stop basting around the last 10 minutes. You can increase the temperature to 375 degrees F during the last 1/2 hour or so if you need to “hurry” it up.

Pour pan juices into a small saucepan and add chicken stock or water. Adjust richness by adding more or less stock/water. Make a slurry by adding the cornstarch to the water and whisk into the gravy to reach the desired consistency. Add more if needed. Add more stock if needed and whisk and boil until gravy has thickened. Serve with the roasted chicken.

Recipe courtesy of Sarah Shilhavy

Recipe prepared by Sarah Shilhavy and photographed by Jeremiah Shilhavy.

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Coco-NUT-ty, Sweet Potato, and Brussels Hash

Servings: 1 hungry person
Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup coconut peanut butter cottage cheese blend (recipe to follow)
• 1 large sweet potato, cubed
• 1 cup Brussels sprouts, quartered
• olive or coconut oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 2–3 mushrooms, chopped
• salt and black pepper
• balsamic vinegar
• handful dried berries (or raisins, or Craisins)
• 1 egg, (large)
• handful cheddar cheese

Coconut Peanut Butter Cottage Cheese Blend:

• 1 part Dijon mustard
• 1 part honey
• 1 part apple cider vinegar
• 1 part coconut peanut butter
• 2 parts cottage cheese

Directions:

First you have to make the coco-NUT-ty part of this dish. Just blend all the ingredients for the coconut peanut butter cottage cheese blend together. I just gave ratios so you can make as little or as much as you want. I made a big batch, and stored it in an empty salsa jar.

I put a pot of water on to boil, threw the sweet potato cubes in there, and boiled it for about 4 minutes. Then I threw the Brussels sprouts in and cooked it all for another 1–2 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Next, heat oil in a large skillet. Cook the garlic, onions, and mushrooms together. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Increase the heat to high. Toss in the Brussels sprouts, sweet potato, and dried berries with a splash of balsamic vinegar and cook over high heat.

In the meantime, in another skillet, fry up an egg just the way you like it. When the Brussels sprouts and sweet potato have a bit of sear to them, turn off the heat. Stir in a few dollops of the coconut PB cottage cheese blend; stir to coat.

Ladle the hash onto a serving dish. Top with egg, sprinkle with cheese, and drizzle more of that coconut peanut butter blend on top.

Recipe and photo submitted by Sophia, Los Angeles, CA.

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If you’re on a sweet or chocolate craving looking for something quick and easy to make, then come over here. I have something for you.

It’s called Quick Chocolate Coconut Pudding/Fudge, and there’s no cooking whatsoever. And it can be made in under 5 minutes.

Seriously!

Just watch the video. It’ll walk you through the whole recipe. This recipe is so quick and easy; it can be made whenever you so desire (providing you have Coconut Cream Concentrate, of course. You cannot substitute for it).

And as the name says, it can be either a pudding or fudge.

Chocolate Coconut Pudding

Look at how creamy that is. But it’s dairy-free! Sshhh, don’t tell. No one will ever know. On top of being naturally dairy-free, this is gluten-free also.

If you’re not a pudding person, pour the pudding into a small parchment paper–lined pan and refrigerate or freeze until firm. Then you get this:

Chocolate Coconut Fudge

No, I didn’t put nuts in there (I’m not too crazy about nuts in my sweets). Those are little coconut oil clumps. You can mix and mix and mix and mix (depending on how solid the oil is) to fully blend them all in, but I don’t bother. It tastes phenomenal just the way it is: creamy, rich, soft, and sweet. Not a sickeningly sweet like a lot of fudge; it’s just right. And unless you use more Coconut Cream Concentrate and Virgin Coconut Oil (instead of Expeller-Pressed Coconut Oil), the coconut isn’t noticeable. Even coconut haters will eat this if you don’t tell them there’s coconut in it.

That’s it! It’s just a 3-step process. Measure, mix, and eat. Unless you’re making fudge, then there’s one extra step. But I doubt that it’ll make it to the fridge. *grins*

Enjoy!

Sarah 🙂

• 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 4–6 teaspoons honey, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons Coconut Cream Concentrate
• 2 teaspoons Virgin Coconut Oil
• coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients well except the nuts. Add nuts, if desired, and mix through.

This makes 2 small servings. (It is very rich.)

When eaten at room temperature, this is something like a rich pudding.

To make fudge: double or triple recipe, pat into a pan, and chill until firm; cut into squares. Depending on the temperature of the room, let it stay at room temperature a while before serving.

Recipe submitted by Simi, Los Angeles, CA.

Recipes prepared by Sarah Shilhavy and photographed by Jeremiah Shilhavy.

Submit your recipe here!