Community Food Co-op

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      • Community Food Co-op, Downtown Store, 1220 North Forest Street at Holly StreetDowntown Store
        1220 North Forest Street at Holly Street
        Bellingham, Washington
        8 am - 9 pm
        360-734-8158
      • Cordata Co-Op exteriorCordata Store
        315 Westerly Road at Cordata Parkway
        Bellingham, Washington
        8 am - 9 pm
        360-734-8158
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You are here: Home / Archives for delicious

A Recipe for All Seasons: Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

by Jeremy Meadows, former Cordata deli cook

roasted chicken whole rotisserie

Through some wonderful symbiotic alchemy, the aromatic vegetables help to flavor the chicken, and the chicken juices impart incredible richness to the vegetables. It’s just delicious.

At the Co-op we are big fans of eating local, seasonal produce whenever possible, which is in keeping with our status as unabashed sustainable-food-movement warriors. We are also crazy about local, seasonal produce simply because we like food that, you know, tastes good. And a good rule of thumb for determining how good (or bad) your produce is going to taste is to determine how far it has travelled to reach your plate. Remember, veggies get jet-lag too!

In the meager months of winter, eating seasonally is a little more challenging. Many of the winter vegetables—especially the root vegetables like parsnips, carrots, rutabagas, etc.—take a little bit of coaxing and cajoling to bring out their full potential.

Not that this is hard. Indeed, a quick toss with some olive oil, salt, and pepper and a little time in the oven is all it really takes to bring out the sugary, savory deliciousness hidden within these curious ground-dwellers.

But if you want to take things to the next level, try this recipe. Through some wonderful symbiotic alchemy, the aromatic vegetables help to flavor the chicken, and the chicken juices impart incredible richness to the vegetables. It’s just delicious. It’s also really easy to make, and adapts well to use most any sturdy vegetables, which is good because rarely a month goes by when I don’t make it at least once.

Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

INGREDIENTS

1 3–5 pound chicken
Several sprigs of thyme
4 cloves garlic, smashed, peel left on
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons soy sauce
3-4 pounds assorted root vegetables, cut into 1”–2” chunks (see note)
8 cloves garlic peeled
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Note: In the winter months, I like a mixture of carrots, parsnips, and rutabagas, but use whatever sturdy vegetables you prefer (beets are especially good). Just remember that cooking times vary. The vegetables mentioned cook evenly, but if you add less-dense vegetables, like potatoes, just cut them slightly larger, so that they cook evenly with the denser vegetables.

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 450 F.

2. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Season the cavity generously with salt and pepper and place thyme sprigs and smashed garlic in the cavity. Truss the chicken. Let sit at room temperature while you prepare other ingredients. (Alternatively, you can use a combination of bone-in chicken pieces such as breasts, thighs, etc., placed on a wire rack over the pan.)

3. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the soy sauce and set aside.

4. Place the vegetables and peeled garlic in an 8" x 13" casserole, or other high-walled dish that will hold them comfortably. Add the olive oil and a large pinch of salt and pepper and toss to coat.

5. Nestle the chicken on top of the vegetables, breast side up. Brush about half of the butter/soy sauce mixture all over the chicken.

6. Roast for about 50–60 minutes or until the chicken registers 165 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh, basting with remaining butter/soy sauce mixture once or twice in between.

7. Remove the chicken to a platter and let it rest for 10–15 minutes. Meanwhile, stir the vegetables and return to the oven while chicken rests.

8. Remove the vegetables from the oven. Carve the chicken and serve with
the vegetables.

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HOT OFF THE PRESS| MEAT & SEAFOOD| RECIPES delicious| easy| recipe| roasted chicken| root vegetables| vegetables

The Co-op Deli: Fresh, Organic, GMO Free

by Robin Elwood, Downtown deli

salad bar, organic,

Downtown Deli Assistant Manager Robin Elwood resupplies the salad bar fixin’s. The hot bar and salad bar are the same low price per pound, so you can mix and match the just-right amount of any items you desire for your perfect plate.

Your Co-op deli makes it easy. Soup, salad bar, hot bar, or grab-n-go. Join us for a healthy breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

One of the best parts of my job in early summer is watching the procession of the species. I don’t mean the parade in Downtown Bellingham, although that is awesome too. I’m talking about the procession of fresh produce boxes that makes its way into the Co-op kitchens every morning.

In winter, many of those boxes come from places farther afield, such as California, Canada, and Mexico. But around this time of year, more and more of the boxes are direct from the hands of local farmers.

When I ran into Joe Hill, assistant manager in the Downtown deli kitchen, I asked him what was new with the procession of produce. Recently, Joe and the other kitchen managers reviewed the salad bar, hot bar, and deli case to assess the state of our non-GMO and organic ingredients.

It turns out that our bar was already almost entirely organic. “We basically have the least-renowned organic salad bar in Bellingham,” Joe told me with a grin.

Every fresh ingredient in the salad bar is organic and non-GMO certified. The few exceptions—black olives, housemade Breadfarm croutons, and mandarin orange slices—cannot be sourced as organic, but are the cleanest available product the kitchen staff can find.

“That is something we’re very proud of,” Joe said. “What we serve is priced affordably, and we are dedicated to absolute transparency of sources and ingredients.”

Along with the organic produce flooding into the kitchen, Prepared Foods Manager Nick Barrett gave me good news about another change. Both the Cordata and Downtown deli kitchens have committed to a new supplier of organic chicken—Smart Chicken—for all the deli food we make from scratch in our kitchens. That includes the hot bar, salad bar, and the chicken dishes and salads in the deli cases.

Founded in 1998 in the Midwest, Smart Chicken strives to be an alternative to the race-to-the-bottom horror show that is American poultry production. Not only are they certified organic, they are also committed to verifiable humane raising, butchering, and production standards. And, intentionally make their workplace safe and sustainable.

As Nick, Joe, and I finished talking, I heard the background sound of a smoothie being blended. The all-organic, design-your-own smoothie menu at all three Co-op locations has been a hot seller. For example, more than 1,300 people bought a smoothie at the Downtown store in March. As the weather heats up, we’re prepared to make an absolutely ridiculous number of drinks.

If you haven’t visited the Co-op deli, hot bar, salad bar, or organic smoothie and espresso bars lately, we welcome you to stop by for the freshest, tastiest organic food in town made right here in the Co-op kitchens!

Learn more about Smart Chicken.

turkey sandwich with sprouts

Made-to-order or grab-n-go, all of our deli sandwiches are made fresh throughout the day. The Co-op bakery café and Cordata store also have pressed-to-order paninis.

EWG's 2016 Dirty Dozen: strawberries apples nectarines peaches celery grapes cherries spinach tomatoes bell peppers cherry tomatoes cucumbers

Our deli never uses any ingredients from the Dirty 12, unless they are organic.

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DELI & CATERING deli| delicious| fresh| hot bar| menu| non-gmo| organic| salad bar| scratch| soups

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cheese varieties mozzarella Parmesan bread garlic basil

Local Vendor Profile: Ferndale Farmstead Artisan Cheese

The Ferndale Farmstead Artisan Cheese story really begins in the seeds and soil of this family operated seed-to-cheese farm where every piece of cheese is carefully crafted by hand using authentic Italian recipes.

take and bake entree spinach manicotti

Take Home Dinner Tonight!

From the Co-op Deli kitchens to your oven. Choose from a rotating selection of four delicious entrees. Need dinner in a flash? Grab a Co-op deli take-and-bake entree, and simply add a salad or side dish. Boom! You’re done!

wooden board with nuts, sliced crusty bread, cheese cubes, and sliced apples and charcuterie meats

Simple Charcuterie Board

A charcuterie and cheese board makes a welcome appetizer or even a fun snacky dinner. Select your favorite meats, cheeses, nuts, and fruits and enjoy a fun, casual meal.

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HIGH RISK PRIORITY SHOPPING HOUR • 8 am to 9 am daily • both stores
DOWNTOWN STORE & DELI
• map • 360-734-8158 •  8 am – 9 pm; deli service counter closes at 7 pm
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CO-OP BAKERY CAFÉ and CONNECTIONS BUILDING CLASSROOM • map • 360-734-8158 • temporarily closed

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