I love to make Garden of Eden but sometimes that is just way too much prep work for me!  And on the Induction Phase of the Atkins diet there are some veggies in Garden of Eden that Luke cannot have so I used the same technique to make this Roasted Root Vegetable dish which tastes every bit as good as the Garden of Eden.

1 Onion, sliced
1 head Garlic, separated – leave peels on, or take them off – I leave them on
2 Parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
1 Sweet Potato, peeled and cut into chunks
2 Beets, peeled and cut into chunks
2 Tablespoons Cider Vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Basil
1 teaspoon Salt
Pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375F.
Coat a 4l (9×13) casserole dish with vegetable oil spray.
Combine all the prepared vegetables together in a large bowl (I used to try doing it in the pan I was going to bake them in but found I made too much of a mess!)
Pour into prepared pan and bake in 375F for 1 hour.

Easy as that!

Note – Yes, you see potatoes in there, those were added for those who are not on Induction.

I went to Fraser Valley Meats, I know, I know, something you thought you would never here me say! They had Whole Fryer Chickens on sale for $8 so I bought one…not that I had the faintest idea on how I was going to get it to the table. I  googled how one is supposed to cook a whole fryer and discovered that you can either fry or bake it. Well, I am not a fan of frying chicken…the less I have to touch the thing, the better!
I do believe this roast chicken was a hit with those consuming it and I will definitely add it to my dinner rotation because it was so easy to do, and easily shared the oven with a pan of  roast vegetables. I like to keep the veggies separate so I can eat them too.

1 2 kg (4 lb) Whole Fryer Chicken
1/2 Onion, thickly sliced
1 Carrot, cut in half
1 stalk Celery, cut in half
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 1/2 teaspoons Rosemary

1 cube McCormicks Chicken Stock

Lightly spray a 4 litre (9×13) casserole dish with vegetable oil spray.
Rinse chicken, pat dry with paper towel.
Loosen skin from the chicken breasts and rub chicken, under the skin, with butter; rub in the rosemary and squirt in the lemon juice.
Stuff the inside of the chicken with the onion, carrot and celery.
Tuck the legs in and secure.
Bake in 375F oven for 1 1/2 – 2 hours, basting every so often and watching that it does not brown to quickly. Once golden brown, tent loosely with aluminum foil and continue baking until cooked through and juices run clear when chicken is pierced and meat thermometer reads 83C or 180F.

Remove from casserole dish and let stand while processing the pan drippings.
Discard onion, carrot and celery.

Pour pan drippings into a small frying pan, scraping bits of chicken into the pan; bring to a boil. Add a 1/2 cup of water and a bit of a McCormicks Chicken cube, continue boiling until it has reduced and thickened nicely.

I made Taco Salad for the Meat Eaters and made this warming Taco Soup with the leftover Taco Beef mixture. It was ridiculously easy to make too! Throw everything in the slow cooker, put the lid on and walk away for 6 – 8 hours! Done deal! I wish making dinner could be this easy every night of the week!
This was very different from the Taco Soup that I normally make loaded with Kidney Beans, Black Beans and Corn Kernels.

450g  Taco Beef
1 each, diced: Green, Red, Yellow Pepper
1 796 ml  can Diced Tomatoes
1.1 litre (1 1/2 of the 796 ml tin) of Water
2 Mc Cormicks Beef Bouillon Cubes
1 teaspoon Chili Flakes
1 teaspoon ground Cumin
1 teaspoon Salt
Pepper, to taste

Toppings:
Cheddar Cheese, shredded
Sliced Black Olives
Sour Cream or Plain Greek Yogurt
Jalepenos, chopped

Combine all the ingredients in the Slow Cooker put the lid on.
Turn on LOW heat for 6 – 8 hours.

Top with toppings of your choice and serve with a Cheddar Cheese and Olive MIM.