Whole Fennel, Whole Lemons, Whole Lotta Taste

Several years ago, I became interested in fennel at a restaurant when I tried the the most flavorful salad with razor-thin-sliced fennel, oranges, and olives. While I don't eat it often, those types of amazing recipes occasionally flood my memory and I'm reminded I should experiment with more veggies. So, I added a fennel (a whole fennel - bulb, stems, fronds) in my Imperfect Produce box, and knew I had a lot of interesting possibilities ahead of me. After a few minutes of looking for ideas, I decided on this one pot roasted chicken recipe.

Sadly, I was so into cooking, I forgot to take pictures until halfway through! Fortunately, the recipe link has multiple photos and even short videos to illustrate each step. 

First, let's look at our fennel stems and fronds. The fine leaves may look like dill, but sniff the stems, and you'll realize there's an entirely unique smell and flavor here, almost like anise. (Remember, fennel seeds are what's used to flavor Italian sausage, if you're trying to identify it.)

We're going to finely chop the fronds to make a simple sauce. (The fennel bulb is used in the main recipe, which means we'll use almost the entire thing.)

And add the juice from half a lemon. The rest of the lemon is used elsewhere in the recipe. And if you want to maximize your use, zest the lemon before juicing. Pro tip: I zest all my citrus before juicing and keep the zest in a small container in the freezer. It's always available then if I want to sprinkle some lemon zest on my avocado toast, lime zest into cilantro lime rice, or orange zest into cream cheese frosting.

You stir the fennel fronds, lemon, juice, some olive oil, salt, and pepper to create a simple herb lemon sauce, which is a great finish to add some "oomph" to the already flavorful roast chicken. Note: most root veggie tops (think carrot greens) can make a great addition to your salad greens or become the herb in your pestos and sauces.

For the main dish, we roasted chicken thighs over a bed of fennel bulb, shallot, thin lemon slices, and tomato slices. This is a super flavorful veggie combo which also makes this one pot a complete meal.

A closeup of the caramelized fennel and roasted lemon slices. Note: the lemon doesn't just add flavor to the dish. When they are roasted like this, you can eat the whole lemon. The skins become soft and the pith loses most of its bitterness.

Verdict: While this dish is pretty enough to serve to guests, it is easy enough to make on a weeknight. Total cook time was about 40 minutes, with 20 minutes active and 20 in the oven. And you can feel good knowing you used the whole fennel and whole lemon, with minimal waste. 

What are your favorite recipes using produce scraps or whole foods?

Sustainably Stylish, Head to Toe

I'm pretty stoked about this outfit. Not only because I continue to aspire to Noel Fielding's quirky fashion greatness, and lucked out with this bird print kimono, but also, this outfit exhibits 4 different ways to make great, sustainable choices. 

First, a close up so you can see the great bird print on this Noel-inspired purchase. The classic black and white makes this easy to wear day to night, and pair with color or keep a monochrome look. I'll show more detail below, but this is a Wet Seal kimono-style cardigan, purchased for $10 on Poshmark (compare at $25 new).

Starting at the bottom, the shoes I'm wearing are Rothy's. I've written about them before, but essentially, Rothy's are made out of recycled water bottles. You would never know - they feel like pretty standard fabric. This pair is about 5 years old, and they've still held up because you can throw them in the wash! Buh-bye sockless shoe funk.

Next, I'm getting plenty of wear out of the Mugsy jeans I wrote about in April. The skinny jeans style pairs well with the oversized kimono.

Moving to the top, there's something you can't see, and that's ultimately the point... the black tee I'm wearing has been mended more than once, to fix tiny holes. The mend is impossible to see unless you're specifically looking for it. For a tutorial, check out Brightly, and you'll also see how easy it is and how well-hidden it can be. 

Here, you can also see the full kimono, with the fun wide sleeves, which are both unique and super comfy. Pardon the restroom selfie - sometimes you have to take advantage of that full length mirror!

In total, this outfit demonstrates 4 ways to dress more sustainably: 

• kimono - thrifting saved us $15 and keeps fast fashion in circulation longer
• jeans - gifted through Buy Nothing (previously saved $108 when I received these)
• shoes - constructed from upcycled materials, these are an investment, but have maintained their value by being washable and durable
• shirt - purchased new, but mending extends the life