The Let’s Cook series continues with a focus on roasted vegetables and healthy chicken dishes.

This week’s video is full of helpful tips about roasting vegetables and creating a variety of delicious home-cooked chicken dishes.  Learn cooking tips from José Andrés, the most recent chef to visit the White House kitchen with suggestions for nutritious and affordable family menus. Also learn how to make and use chicken stock and create a series of chicken meals throughout the week, including a hearty homemade soup.

Watch the full video to learn how to build an affordable and nutritious weekly menu and create some new family favorites.

Click [+] for recipes, nutrition facts and more.

• SundayDay 1 - Chicken with Broccoli & Cauliflower

  Ingredients:
  4 split chicken breasts, raw, skinless (about 2 lbs) thinly sliced on the bias *
  2  tablespoons olive oil

  Marinade ingredients:
  ½  bunch parsley
  2   cloves garlic
  ½  cup olive oil
  1   head broccoli – cut into bite size florets
  ½  head cauliflower – cut into bite size florets
  3   cups boiling water
  
  

  Dressing for vegetables
  2 tablespoons dill, chopped (or other favorite herb)
  2 tablespoons olive oil
  1 teaspoon sherry vinegar 
  4 cups cooked long-grain rice

  * Use 2 split chicken breasts cut from whole 5-pound chicken fryer and 2 additional split breasts

  Prepare
  Thinly slice chicken breast on the bias.

  Marinate chicken at least 1 hour in advance:
  Marinade: Mix the parsley, garlic and ½ cup of olive oil in the blender until smooth. Marinate the thinly sliced breasts in the parsley mixture for about 1 hour.

  Cut cauliflower and broccoli into bite size florets.  (Can be prepared ahead and refrigerated for later use).  Cook the vegetables in 3 cups boiling water until desired tenderness for about 3 to 5 minutes. Drain vegetables. Toss cooked vegetables with dill, olive oil and vinegar. Place the vegetables on the plate.

  Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with a paper towel to remove excess water.  Throw away used marinade. Sauté the chicken in 2 T olive oil in a very hot pan to get each  side of chicken a nice golden brown on both sides.

  Place sliced chicken on top of vegetables.

  
  

  Source: Recipe and video presented by Chef Sam Kass and Chef Jose Andres

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  Nutrition Facts

  Serves 4

  Per Serving:
  Calories                  465
  Total Fat                 11 g
  Saturated Fat         2 g
  Sodium                   210 mg
  Protein                   35 g

  Food Group Analysis

  Color	Food Group	Amount
  	Grains	2 oz
  	Vegetables	2½ c
  	Fruits	--
  	Milk	--
  	Meats	3¼ oz

  Learn more at mypyramid.gov

  Cost

  Cost: $3.31 per person
  $ 13.25 total cost, full meal

  Your food costs may differ than those shown here.
  Costs reflect Washington, DC Metro Area food prices as of August 2010 

• MondayDay 2 - Tuna and Roasted Vegetables Salad w/ Toast and Allioli (Aioli)

  Prepare in Advance:

  Roasted Vegetables

  Ingredients:
  2 cups  pepper strips          (2 small peppers)
  2 cups  eggplant strips       (about ½ of an eggplant)
  2 cups  sweet onion strips  (2 onions)
  2 cups  tomato quarters     (about 2 medium tomatoes)
  1/3 cup olive oil (extra virgin)

  Preparation:
  Place vegetables in a large shallow roasting pan. Drizzle ½ cup extra virgin olive oil and toss.  Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.  Remove from pan, cover and store in refrigerator. Roasted vegetables and liquids are both used in other recipes.
  
  Cost: $ 7.85 for the recipe
  

  Nutrition Information:
  Calories: 205, Total Fat: 19 g, Saturated Fat: 3 g, Sodium: 8 mg, Protein:  1 g

  
  

  Tuna and Roasted Vegetables Salad

  Ingredients:
  2 cups tuna, canned, water packed (about 2 6-1/8 ounce cans)
  1 head romaine lettuce, leaves torn in small pieces
  4 cups roasted vegetables (roasted pepper strips, eggplant strips,sweet onion strips and tomato quarters -  prepared in advance)

  Salad Dressing
  2  tablespoons red wine vinegar
  ¼  cup juices from roasted vegetables (reserved from recipe), or water
  2   tablespoons olive oil (extra virgin)
  4 slices whole wheat bread with 4 tablespoons allioli

   

  Preparation:
  Divide the romaine onto four plates, divide the vegetables and arrange on around the lettuce.  Drain tuna and set aside. Make dressing by mixing olive oil, vinegar and  juices and set aside.  Divide tuna onto the salads and drizzle with dressing on each plate with vegetables and lettuce.

  Serve with:   1 slice whole toast and 1 tablespoon allioli per person

  For the allioli
  ½ cup olive oil
  1  clove garlic
  1  tablespoon of water
  Season to taste

  Preparing the allioli
  While the rice is cooking, blend together oil, water and garlic in a blender. Or, using a hand blender the garlic, water and olive oil. Season to taste.

  Source:
  Recipe and video presented by Chef Sam Kass and Chef Jose Andres

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  Nutrition Facts

  Serves 4
  
  Per Serving: (Not including Roasted Vegetables)
  Calories             515
  Total Fat            36 g
  Saturated Fat      5 g
  Sodium             415 mg
  Protein              25 g

  Food Group Analysis

   (Not Including Roasted Vegetables)

  Color	Food Group	Amount
  	Grains	1 oz
  	Vegetables	1 c
  	Fruits	-
  	Milk	-
  	Meats	2¾ oz

  Learn more at mypyramid.gov

  Cost

  Cost: $3.80 per person

  $15.40 total cost, full meal

  Your food costs may differ than those shown here.
  Costs reflect Washington, DC Metro Area food prices as of August  2010

• TuesdayDay 3 - Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

  Preheat oven to 400.

  Ingredients:
  8 chicken thighs (cook with skin on - remove skin before eating)
  4  medium potatoes, quartered (Yukon style)                                              
  3  plum tomatoes, cut in half
  3  carrots, quartered
  4  yellow onions (Spanish style), quartered
  2  tablespoons olive oil                                

  Preparation:
  Quarter the onions leaving root intact to hold onion together while cooking. Cut other vegetables to make pieces all about the same size. Toss the vegetables and chicken thighs with 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a casserole. Place onions sliced side up. Push chicken thighs down between the vegetables.  Bake at 400 degrees for 1½ hours. Serve hot.

  Source:
  Recipe and video presented by Chef Sam Kass and Chef Jose Andres

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  Nutrition Facts

  Serves 4

  Per Serving:
  Calories             465
  Total Fat           13 g
  Saturated Fat     2 g
  Sodium             170 mg
  Protein              34 g

  Food Group Analysis

  Color	Food Group	Amount
  	Grains	--
  	Vegetables	2¾ c
  	Fruits	--
  	Milk	--
  	Meats	3¾ oz

  Learn more at mypyramid.gov

  Cost

  Cost: $ 3.27 per person

  $ 13.10 total cost, full meal

  Your food costs may differ than those shown here.
  Costs reflect Washington, DC Metro Area food prices as of August 2010

• WednesdayDay 4 - Gazpacho and Tuna Omelet with Toast

  Gazpacho

  Prepare this recipe a day or so in advance. Keep chilled until served.

  Ingredients:
  1   cucumber
  ½  green pepper, diced
  3   pounds plum tomatoes (or other ripe tomatoes)
  1   slice bread, white
  ¼  cup red wine vinegar
  2   tablespoons olive oil (extra virgin)
  1   clove garlic
  1   cup water

  Season --  to taste

  Preparation:
  Peel cucumber and cut into 2” pieces.  Remove stem and seeds of pepper and cut into 2” pieces.  Trim stem end of tomatoes and cut into quarters. 

  Place all vegetables in a blender and add bread, garlic, vinegar and water. Blend and slowly add olive oil until fully incorporated and smooth.  Refrigerate. 
  Stir well before serving.

  Alternate option in place gazpacho soup:
  Prepare a salad called, pipirrana, by combining the peeled cucumber, tomato and green pepper and toss with olive oil just before serving.  The vegetables will keep in the refrigerator for a few days. 

  
  Tuna Omelet and Toast

  Make the omelets just before serving dinner.  Using a small sauté (frying) pan, make one omelet. Repeat process to make a second omelet

  Ingredients:
  1   (12 oz) can tuna, water packed, drained,
  8    eggs, large
  ½   onion, medium, diced
  4    teaspoons olive oil
  2    teaspoons dill, chopped (or other favorite herb)

  Toast
  4    slices whole grain bread, toasted

  Preparation:  
  To make one omelet:
  Crack 4 eggs into a small bowl, mix well and stir in ½ of the tuna and ½ the dill. In a small sauté pan, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil.  Add half the onions and cook until translucent and soft. Add the eggs and half the tuna mixture, lower the heat. 

  Once the eggs begin to set and the edge of the eggs turns golden brown, flip the omelet.

  To flip the omelet, place a plate over the pan and invert the pan and plate together so the omelet ends up on the plate, uncooked side down.  Slide the omelet back into the pan, uncooked side down.  Once the egg mixture sets, slide onto a plate.  Cut omelet in 4 pieces and serve.  Repeat process again to make a second omelet

  (If possible, use fresh tuna.  Dice the fish into ½” pieces. Begin to sauté onions and add fresh fish and cook, add eggs and follow same procedure as above).

  Serve with:  4 slices toast, or 1 slice whole grain bread, toasted, per person

  
  Source:
  Recipe and video presented by Chef Sam Kass and Chef Jose Andres

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  Nutrition Facts

  Serves 4

  Per Serving:
  Calories             510
  Total Fat            22 g
  Saturated Fat     4 g
  Sodium             620 mg
  Protein              42 g

  Food Group Analysis

  Color	Food Group	Amount
  	Grains	1¼ oz
  	Vegetables	2 c
  	Fruits	--
  	Milk	--
  	Meats	5 oz

  Learn more at mypyramid.gov

  Cost

  Cost: $3.22 per person

  $13.00 total cost, full meal

  Your food costs may differ than those shown here.
  Costs reflect Washington, DC Metro Area food prices as of August 2010 

• ThursdayDay 5 - Chicken Vegetable Soup and Quesadilla

  Prepare in Advance:

  Chicken Stock

  Ingredients:
  1  5-pound chicken carcass (back, ribs, neck, wing tips, etc, not fat or skin
  2  stalks of celery
  2  small carrots
  1  yellow onion (Spanish style)
  3  quarts of water

  Preparation:

  Remove chicken meat from bones (breasts, leg quarters, wings, tenderloins and liver). Separate legs from thighs. Remove and segment wings. Save meat for later use.

  Rinse the chicken carcass parts under running water until the water comes clear (no blood.) Combine chicken parts with the water in a large soup pot.

  Bring to a simmer. Skim any foam off the surface. Add the vegetables to the soup pot and simmer for  2 hours. Taste for seasoning. Strain the broth. Reserve the cooked carcass meat and cooked vegetables for use in other recipes. 

  Makes 3 quarts of chicken stock.

  Nutrition Information:

  Calories:  50 Total Fat:  2 g, Saturated Fat: 51 g, Sodium: 160 mg, Protein: 5 g

  
  

  
  

  Chicken Vegetable Soup

  Ingredients:
  3 quarts of chicken stock (see Chicken Stock recipe above)
  2 tablespoons olive oil
  2 cloves garlic, chopped
  3 small carrots, diced
  2 stalks of celery, diced
  1 green bell pepper, diced
  2 ounces dried pasta (angel hair or thin spaghetti; can be broken into pieces)
  ½ cup parsley, chopped
  ½ cup cooked chicken

  Preparation:
  In a large soup pot, boil 3 quarts of chicken stock for about 45 minutes to reduce by a third or about 2 quarts of broth.  In a medium-sized pan, gently cook garlic in the olive oil over medium low heat. Add carrots, celery and green pepper and gently cook. Add the vegetables and garlic to the soup pot containing the chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Add pre-cooked chicken (from carcass used to make chicken stock) and pasta.  Add parsley. Simmer soup until the pasta is fully cooked.

   

  Quesadilla

  Ingredients:
  8   6-inch flour tortillas
  1-1/3 cups grated mozzarella, part-skim
  2   teaspoons olive oil

  Preparation:
  Divide the cheese and place on 4 flour tortillas. Top each with another tortilla. (This step can be done in advance. Then wrap in plastic wrap and keep in refrigerator for up to a few days).

  In a pan, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil and place a tortilla with cheese in pan.   Flip when bottom tortilla is slightly browned and cheese is completely melted. Remove each quesadilla from pan and cut in quarters.

  Source:
  Recipe and video presented by Chef Sam Kass and Chef Jose Andres

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  Nutrition Facts

  Serves 4
  
  

  Per Serving (Not including chicken stock):
  Calories                  555
  Total Fat                24 g
  Saturated Fat         8 g
  Sodium                  895 mg
  Protein                   31 g

  Food Group Analysis

  (Not including chicken stock)

  Color	Food Group	Amount
  	Grains	2½ oz
  	Vegetables	1½ c
  	Fruits	--
  	Milk	1 c
  	Meats	2/3 oz

  Learn more at mypyramid.gov

  Cost

  Cost: $2.06 per person

  $8.25 total cost, full meal

  Your food costs may differ than those shown here.
  Costs reflect Washington, DC Metro Area food prices as of August 2010

• FridayDay 6 - Chicken Rice with Vegetables

  2 tablespoons olive oil
  2 chicken leg quarters, skinless, cut into 2 thighs and 2 legs*
  2 chicken wings*
  2 chicken tenderloin*
  1 chicken liver*
  1 15-oz can of tomato sauce, no salt added

  20 green beans (about ¾ pound)
  ½  yellow onion (Spanish style), diced
  2   cups cauliflower, florets
  1½ cups green peas, frozen
  4   cloves of garlic
  2   cups of water
  1   cup of rice, long grain

   (* cut from 5-pound whole fryer chicken)

   

  Preparation:
  In a large sauté or paella pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat.
  Brown the chicken thighs, chicken wings and the tenderloins until they take on a littler color. Add the garlic and onion. Cook for a minute. Stir in the green beans. Cook for a minute. Add the chicken liver. Cook for another minute. Stir in the tomato sauce. Allow to cook for another 5 minutes.  

  Add the 2 cups water to the pan and bring to a boil. Once the water begins to boil, stir in the rice. Stir until the ingredients are distributed evenly throughout pan. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes without stirring.

  
  

  Source: 
  Recipe and video presented by Chef Sam Kass and Chef Jose Andres

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  Nutrition Facts

  Serves 4
  
  Per Serving:
  Calories            545
  Total Fat          15 g
  Saturated Fat    3 g
  Sodium            250 mg
  Protein             41 g

  Food Group Analysis

  Color	Food Group	Amount
  	Grains	1¾  oz
  	Vegetables	1¾ c
  	Fruits	--
  	Milk	--
  	Meats	4½ oz

  Learn more at mypyramid.gov

  Cost

  Cost: $2.51 per person

  $10.05 total cost, full meal

  Your food costs may differ than those shown here.
  Costs reflect Washington, DC Metro Area food prices as of August  2010

• SaturdayOptional - Chicken Croqueta Snack

  EXTRA
  Prepare this recipe if there is leftover cooked vegetables and cooked chicken

  CHICKEN CROQUETAS

  Makes 12 1½-ounce coquetas
  Make croquetas in advance, and freeze, to be fried later

  Ingredients:
  2     tablespoons olive oil
  2     tablespoons butter
  ¼    cup flour
  1¾  cup milk, 1% lowfat
  ½    cup chicken stock  - home made
  1       cup cooked chicken
  ¾    cup carrots, celery and onions (left over from stock) 
  Nutmeg to taste
  Season to taste

  For the breading
  6 slices bread, made into soft breadcrumbs
  3 eggs, beaten
  ½ cup flour

  For the frying
  2 cups olive or vegetable oil

  Preparation:

  Prepare and freeze uncooked croquetas

  Make a roux, by heating the olive oil and butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for at least 10 minutes until the flour starts to take on a slight golden color. Whisk in the milk and chicken stock. Cook, stirring continuously, until you achieve a thick, smooth consistency and the flour taste is gone.

  Use chopped chicken and vegetables leftover from the stock. Add to roux croqueta mixture. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add nutmeg and season to taste. Remove from the heat and spread the mixture on a cookie sheet. Place in the refrigerator to chill.

  Once the mixture has cooled completely, take a small amount and roll it into 2 inch cylinders (a little bigger than a wine cork.) Repeat with the rest of the croqueta mixture. Place the croquetas on a parchment lined cookie sheet and freeze. 

  In a blender, blend the bread a little at a time to make bread crumbs.

  When croquetas are frozen solid, bread them by rolling them in flour.  Dip them in beaten egg. Then roll the croquetas in the bread crumbs. Repeat with each of the croquetas. Freeze.

  To fry croquetas: In a saucepan, heat the oil to 375 degrees. Working in small batches, fry the croquetas for about two minutes, until they have a nice golden color. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

  
  

  Source:
  Recipe and video presented by Chef Sam Kass and Chef Jose Andre

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  Nutrition Facts

  For 3 Coquetas
  
  Per Serving:
  Calories            740
  Total Fat          52 g
  Saturated Fat   11 g
  Sodium           390 mg
  Protein            26 g

  Food Group Analysis

  Color	Food Group	Amount
  	Grains	3 oz
  	Vegetables	--
  	Fruits	--
  	Milk	½ c
  	Meats	2-1/3 oz

  Learn more at mypyramid.gov

  Cost

  Cost: $1.04 per person

  $4.15 total cost for this snack.

  Your food costs may differ than those shown here.
  Costs reflect Washington, DC Metro Area food prices as of August 2010 

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