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      the color lab blog — colorful eats series

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      Colorful Eats: Mustard Roasted Chicken Thighs

      Colorful Eats: Mustard Roasted Chicken Thighs - JulRe Designs LLC

      In our current times, I hope that we all can recognize when we need to step away from it all to rejuvenate and refresh. I'm sensing that it's almost that time again for me. It's critical at any time to be able to take a few steps back from it all but especially now when the world is getting better but is still a bit chaotic and frenzied. So my wish for you everyday is peace and harmony - may you find you find your way to your own Shangri-la. And good food.

      Before I make any moves, I just had to share the Home Chef Extraordinaire's latest flavorful take on chicken. This time, he's using thighs but your favorite part of the chicken will do) and he's concocted a dish that's great for lunch or dinner and perfect for kid's meals. The taste key is the use of fresh rosemary. It adds a depth of flavor to the dish and with the spicy brown mustard, provides an aromatic tanginess that is oh-so palate appealing. As is always his custom, to keep the dish healthy and juicy, the preparation is done in an Air Fryer but this main dish can be prepared in the oven as well. While the dish itself is not extremely colorful, you must admit that the addition of steamed brussel sprouts and carrots all on my beautiful serving platter makes it all photo fabulous! You can find the fast, super simple recipe below:

      Mustard Roasted Chicken Thighs

      I hope you love the products I recommend! This blog post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This helps support the blog and allows me to continue to bring you color commentary like this. You can find more about our site, privacy, and disclosure policies here. Thank you for your continued support!

       

      Noritake Co., Inc.

       

       

      Mustard Roasted Chicken Thighs

      (serves 4)

      PREP TIME: 3 MINUTES

      COOK TIME: 20 MINUTES

       

      Ingredients

      2 tbsp Dijon or spicy brown mustard

      1 tbsp maple syrup

      1 tbsp fresh rosemary

      ½ tsp onion powder

      ½ tsp garlic powder

      ¼ tsp paprika

      ¼ tsp salt

      ¼ tsp black pepper

      4 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin on

       

      Directions 

      1.  MIX together the mustard, maple syrup, rosemary, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl.

      2.  COAT the chicken thighs in the mustard glaze and set aside.

      3.  SELECT Preheat on the Air Fryer, adjust to 380°F, and press Start/Pause.

      4.  PLACE the chicken thighs in the preheated air fryer and top with any left over glaze.

      5.  SELECT Chicken, adjust time to 20 minutes, and press Start/Pause.

       

      Until next time, live a color-filled life!

      Love, Juliet

       

       

       

        Noritake Co., Inc.

         

         

         

        Colorful Eats: Wine-Braised Short Ribs With Potatoes

        Colorful Eats: Wine-Braised Short Ribs With Potatoes

        My family would not consider themselves as strictly vegan, vegetarian or pescetarian. We are truly omnivores because variety is the spice of life, right?

        We try to eat healthy foods every day but we are not regimented nor do we have any allergies that would keep us from any food group. However, eating beef is really a once-in-awhile thing.

        It's usually the occasional hamburger or a juicy steak for the Home Chef Extraordinaire. As we've matured, we have found that certain foods are more difficult to digest and beef has become challenging at times.

        But my Wine-Braised Short Ribs With Potatoes are a Fall favorite meal that we all look forward to for special occasions.

         

        Instant Pot

         

        I hope you love the products I recommend! This blog post contains affiliate links and I participate in the Amazon Associate program, which means that if you click on one and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This helps support the blog and allows me to continue to bring you color commentary like this. You can find more about our site, privacy, and disclosure policies here. Thank you for your continued support!

         

         

        As with many of our Colorful Eats recipes, this dish is made in an Instant Pot which means it's simple, quick and incredibly flavorful. It's just right for those cozy Winter evenings when you just want a meal that's warm and savory. 

         

        Wine-Braised Short Ribs with Potatoes - Ingredients

        Wine-Braised Short Ribs 

        I adapted this recipe from the America's Test Kitchen Mediterranean Instant Pot Cookbook . You may already have most of the ingredients for this rich, delicious dish. NOTE: You can use tomato paste instead of tomato sauce if you prefer a thicker sauce. Parsley can be used as a garnish but since the Home Chef Extraordinaire doesn't like the taste of the herb, I left it out. And while I used dealcoholized red wine in my recipe, feel free to use your favorite Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon instead.

         

        Juliet's Wine-Braised Short Ribs with Potatoes

        serves 4

        total time:  2 hours 15 minutes

        INGREDIENTS

        • 2 pounds bone-in beef short ribs, trimmed
        • ¾ teaspoon table salt, divided
        • ¼ teaspoon pepper
        • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
        • 1 onion, chopped fine
        • 6 garlic cloves, minced
        • 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
        • 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
        • 1 (14.5-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained with ¼ cup juice reserved, chopped coarse
        • ½ cup dry red wine
        • 1 pound small red potatoes, unpeeled, leave whole or halved
        • 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (optional)

        INSTRUCTIONS

        1.  Dry short ribs dry by patting them with paper towels. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and pepper. Using highest sauté function, heat oil in Instant Pot for 5 minutes (or until just smoking). Brown short ribs on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to plate.

        2.  Add onion and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt to fat left in pot and cook, using highest sauté function, until onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic, tomato sauce and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and reserved juice and wine, scraping up any browned bits. Place short ribs meat side down into pot and add any accumulated juices. Lock lid in place and close pressure release valve. Select high pressure cook function and cook for 60 minutes.

        3.  Turn off Instant Pot and let pressure release naturally for 15 minutes. Quick-release any remaining pressure, then carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you. Transfer short ribs to serving dish, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest while preparing potatoes.

        4.  Strain braising liquid through fine-mesh strainer into fat separator; transfer solids to now-empty pot. Let braising liquid settle for 5 minutes, then pour 1½ cups defatted liquid and any accumulated juices into pot with solids; discard remaining liquid. Add potatoes. Lock lid in place and close pressure release valve. Select high pressure cook function and cook for 4 minutes. Turn off Instant Pot and quick-release pressure. Carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you.

        5.  Using slotted spoon, transfer potatoes to serving dish (this one is my all time fave!). Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over short ribs and potatoes and sprinkle with parsley, if desired. Serve.

         

         Per serving: Cal 340; Total Fat 13g; Sat Fat 4.5g; Chol 55mg; Sodium 700mg; Total Carbs 29g, Fiber 3g, Total Sugar 7g; Added Sugar 0g; Protein 21g

         

        I hope you try this recipe and if you do, let me know how it turns out in the comments below!

        Love, Juliet

         

         

         

         

        Wine.com

        Colorful Eats: A Simple, Satisfying, Eye-Catching Meal For Any Day of the Week

        Colorful Eats: A Simple, Satisfying, Eye-Catching Meal For Any Day of the Week - JulRe Designs LLC

        I love to cook! Cooking is therapeutic. Dicing and chopping, slicing and dicing, grilling and chilling....it's all so cathartic. Using the finest fresh ingredients and high quality cookware is a thrill!

        Here's the thing. I don't have time to cook anymore and while I try to squeeze in a meal prep on slightly less hectic weekends, my intentions are usually thwarted by some unexpected business task or just utter exhaustion.

        Luckily, I live with the most intuitive home chef I've ever met. I'm not exaggerating when I say his skills with the skillet are incomparable.

        He doesn't use cookbooks and he seems to have no need to plan. (Although he does say that he consults with this cookbook for inspiration from time to time). He can take whatever food is available in our kitchen and make magic.

         

        I hope you love the products I recommend! This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This helps support the blog and allows me to continue to bring you color commentary like this. You can find more about our site, privacy, and disclosure policies here. Thank you for your continued support!

         

        Most of his meals are filled with color. Sometimes the palettes seem to be so expertly coordinated that I have ask if he worked with a color chart to create the dish.

        While he says it's coincidental that his meals have vibrancy and depth, I'd like to believe he has a creative eye for composition and detail and that some of me and my deep love of color has rubbed off. (You should know that I see art in everything, even food.)

         

        My Color Mood at The Color Lab Shop

         

        His latest masterpiece was mindblowingly simple yet tasted just as layered and flavorful as many dishes I've consumed in fine dining restaurants. Also it's meatless so you can add it to your Mondays and vegetarians can enjoy. Perfect for lunch or dinner, this meal can be prepared in 45 minutes or less! 

        Vegetable Color Blast Bowl 

        serves 2

        Ingredients

        1 large sweet potato, cubed

        1/2 cup of fresh corn kernels  (frozen corn can be substituted)

        1 cup of brussel sprouts, shaved

        1 cup fresh carrots, shaved or chopped 

        1 cup fresh kale (frozen kale can be used)

        2 cloves garlic, chopped

        1/2 teaspoon cumin

        1/2 teaspoon curry powder

        1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

        Freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt to taste

        Olive oil spray or 1 tablespoon virgin olive oil

        1 cup brown rice

         

        Directions

        1. Cook brown rice according to package instructions.

        2. Place all ingredients except brown rice and kale in an air fryer (we love this one).

        3. Spray a light coating olive oil on the vegetable mixture and cook in the air fryer at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Alternatively, add virgin olive oil to a saute pan at medium temperature and saute vegetables until tender.

        3. Steam the kale until tender.

        4. Serve by layering brown rice first, vegetable mixture, then top with steamed kale. Enjoy!

         

        Until next time, may your life be filled with joy and color!

         

         Love, Juliet

         

        Wine.com

         

         

        Colorful Eats: How to Master the Charcuterie Board

        Colorful Eats: How to Master the Charcuterie Board - JulRe Designs LLC

        This post is not about a particularly healthy meal. I know I try to highlight foods in this Colorful Eats series that represent our good-for-you way of eating. But in these challenging and uncertain times, occasionally a little decadence is called for. Sometimes demanded.

        So when the Home Chef Extraordinaire was trying to come up with his next creation, he went blank. As he struggled with concepts he thought you would enjoy, his writing pad remaining empty for hours, I tried to make some admittedly lame suggestions and after he returned a long blank stare, I offhandedly quipped "Why not NOT cook at all?".

        It turned out to be the lightbulb in the refrigerator moment he needed. He tossed around a few fantastic ideas with me, some of which will make the blog at later dates.

        Since it's almost football season and we are big fans (Kansas City CHIEFS, y'all), we're always in search of the best game time snacks. And what could be more perfect than a beautifully carved wood board rendered invisible by hoards of artisanal meats and cheeses!

        I hope you love the products I recommend! This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This helps support the blog and allows me to continue to bring you color commentary like this. You can find more about our site, privacy, and disclosure policies here. Thank you for your continued support!

         Charcuterie Board

        We were new to the world of Charcuterie when we started this project, having only experienced these tantalizing spreads at parties. We've admired the creativity involved in the placement of each food element and wondered if we could create our own delicious, colorful (of course) and aesthetically pleasing version for next Sunday's game.

        We set out for our local Whole Foods Market to see what ingredients we could discover. We had no real strategy and no list. And it turns out that's the best way to design your own board. No need to overthink it. Just go with what looks good, tastes divine and appeals to your eye.

        Just remember - if you choose to go meatless, don't call it Charcuterie. There are rules - meat MUST be involved, so sayeth the cured meat gods. It becomes a snack board without them but those are wonderful too! Here's how our Charcuterie experience took shape:

         

         

        Noritake Co., Inc.

         

         

         

        Charcuterie Meats | The Color Lab Blog

         

        1.  We found the right board to build our platter. Large cutting boards, marble slabs, slate boards or ceramic platters are great options.

        2.  We selected a variety of meats. Traditional Charcuterie is all about cured meats but since we wanted to stay nitrate-free, we chose Colameco's prosciutto, sopressata, chorizo and salami. This brand also uses no antibiotics and their meats are minimally processed.

        3.  Cheese? Please! There was an overwhelming array of hard and soft cheeses to choose from. You can't go wrong with your selection. Stay true to your taste buds. We went with cheddars, brie, gouda and gorgonzola.

        4.  Pitted greek and black olives were a must plus some brilliant red Peppadew sweet piquante peppers, roasted garlic cloves, cornichons for good measure.

        Charcuterie Board | The Color Lab Blog

        5.  A sliced french baguette and lightly salted crackers were important for creating bite-sized stacks. With all of the savory-spiciness, we balanced the board with a delectable Blood Orange MarmaladeHot Pepper JellyFig and Ginger Jam and a variety of mustards from Stonewall Kitchen.

        6.  For fresh fruit, we went with grapes because we already had them but berries and dried fruits are good too.

        7.  You can certainly use a variety of nuts but we decided on carmelized walnuts because once we tasted them, nothing else mattered.

        8.  To up the fancy factor, add some fresh rosemary or mint sprigs.

        9.  Serve with your favorite wine or beer. More important than anything else, have fun arranging and eating your Charcuterie board!

        Charcuterie Board | The Color Lab Blog


        Love, Juliet



         

         

        Wine.com

        Colorful Eats: Jumpin' Jerk Chicken Wings

        Colorful Eats: Jumpin' Jerk Chicken Wings - JulRe Designs LLC

        WARNING: This dish is NOT for those with tender taste buds. Stay away if when you think of spicy or hot foods, you think of buffalo wings or chicken curry. This time, the Home Chef Extraordinaire went full on blow-the-roof-off-your-mouth with his version of the Jamaican classic Jerk Chicken Wings. His process is not traditional, meaning these wings were not smoked and slow-cooked over an open fire, but as someone who has had Jerk Chicken prepared in that manor, this rendition is remarkably close.  


        Colorful Eats: Jumpin' Jerk Chicken Wings | The Color Lab Blog

        I hope you love the products I recommend! While this blog post was not sponsored, it may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This helps support the blog and allows me to continue to bring you color commentary like this. You can find more about our site, privacy, and disclosure policies here. Thank you for your continued support!

         

        To achieve the intense level of flavor for this dish, you might think that the prep time would be extensive but even though there are a lot of ingredients necessary to build the savory heat, this meal is so easy to make, you'll want to call on it again and again when you're in need of something fierce and fiery on the menu. As always the Home Chef Extraordinaire kept the cooking simple and healthy with the use his formidable power blender and air fryer. And the beautiful serving platter he selected makes this dish all the more spicy! (The platter seen here is currently unavailable but I love this one too!) Have no fear and give this delectable dish a try. The recipe is ready for you below:

         

        Noritake Co., Inc.

         

        Jumpin' Jerk Chicken Wings

         (serves 4)

        Ingredients

        2 spring onions, roughly chopped
        1 sprig of thyme
        1 fresh red Scotch bonnet, stems removed and roughly chopped
        1 tbsp garlic powder
        1 tbsp ground cinnamon
        1 tbsp ground allspice
        1 tbsp smoked paprika
        1 tbsp ground nutmeg
        1 tbsp cayenne pepper
        1 tbsp dried parsley
        1 tbsp white pepper
        1 tbsp ground cumin
        2 tsp sea salt
        1 tsp ground cloves
        1 tsp brown sugar
        1-12 oz bottle Red Stripe lager or any amber lager beer
        3 lbs chicken wings, cleaned, tips removed, drums and flat separated

        Directions

        1.  ADD all ingredients except chicken wings into a blender and mix well to create a marinade.

        2.  PLACE chicken wings in a large sealable refrigerator bag. Pour marinade into the bag. 

        3.  SEAL bag and toss chicken wings so they are well coated.

        4.  PLACE bag into refrigerator and marinate chicken wings for 1 hour. (Marinate for 12-24 hours for more intense flavor)

        5.  PLACE marinated chicken wings into a pre-heated air fryer. (Alternatively, chicken can be placed on a foil lined baking sheet and baked at 400 degrees, about 45 minutes)

        6.  COOK chicken wings in air fryer on the Chicken setting - 25 minutes at 380 degrees.

        7. SHAKE the air fryer basket about halfway through cooking.

        8. REMOVE the chicken wings and place on a serving platter.

         

        Enjoy!

        Love, Juliet