Two week ago we celebrated Thanksgiving with our Bible study and we were in charge of the turkey. I cooked a 27lb bird for 16 adults and 18 kids… we ended up with LOTS of leftovers! I’m not complaining! We had some for dinner that week and I froze some for future use! Continue reading “Left Over Turkey – What to do with it!”
This dish has been one of dear hubby’s favorites over the past few years. There is also another friend of ours that always talks about the time we had this dish together. It became one of his favorite meals and most times when we were together it was brought up one way or another! Continue reading “Thai Chicken Basil”
Brian opened his own business doing tree trimming and removal this past winter and calls his company Zacchaeus Tree Service (let me know if you have any work for him! His website is still a work in progress). I’m so proud of him! I will say I wasn’t his greatest cheerleader in the beginning. I like to have money in the bank for a rainy day and starting a new company was not going to help that! I was and am nervous. There are times there is NO work and consequently no income. This leads me to stress and worry. Thankfully I have a great job that always has extra hours and pays well, so when that happens I usually try to pick up some extra work to try and make up the difference. Continue reading “Kung Pao Chicken Tacos”
I had a post awhile ago for Cream of Mushroom Soup from Lindsay at Passionate Homemaking, which turned out great and was so tasty… however… it has flour, milk and butter which are off limits around here… So I played around with it and came up with a new version which is super tasty. Still it’s based of her recipe, just altered to fit our diets.
Along with her post for the mushroom soup, she also has a recipe for a great freezer meal of Chicken Divan. I remember growing up eating this and it’s such a great way to have a 1 dish meal, help the kids eat their veggies (although ALL of my kids LOVE broccoli), be able to prep it ahead of time and a good way to use up leftover chicken! Is that enough reasons for you???
The following recipe is also from Lindsay, but again, altered to fit our diets. I did use quinoa, which I know isn’t quite paleo approved, but we do eat it every now and then. Another option that I haven’t tried, but that I would like to, would be to sub it out for spaghetti squash or julienned zucchini. I think either would work well I just haven’t given it a try yet.
Chicken Divan
Ingredients:
2 or more cups cooked quinoa
2 bunches fresh broccoli, chopped
2-3 cups cooked chicken, cubed
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (see recipe below)
½ cup mayonnaise
1-2 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp curryInstructions:
Combine soup (whether canned or homemade) with mayo, lemon and curry. Keep the mixture relatively thin by adding further coconut milk or water.
Gently steam broccoli until tender.
Layer quinoa, followed by broccoli and then the chicken in 13×9 dish.
Pour creamed soup mixture over the broccoli.
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.
For freezer cooking, leave unbaked and cover to freeze.
Condensed Creamed Soup Substitute
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. coconut oil
1/4 c coconut flour
1 tsp. Celtic sea salt
2 large portabella mushroom tops
1 can full fat coconut milkInstructions:
Heat oil then add flour and salt, stirring to make a roux (not a true roux, because it doesn’t thicken much, but it still works).
Add mushrooms and cook about a minute, just to soften.
Add coconut milk and stir until thickened.
This is a substitute for two 10 oz. cans cream of mushroom soup.
This is a huge hit around this home! Give it a try and let me know what you think!
Granted I haven’t been to PF Chang’s in a few years probably, but if I remember correctly, this recipe tastes pretty authentic. I found a recipe in a magazine somewhere that had an imitation recipe, but it had lots of ingredients that were taboo … like sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce and a few others. Continue reading “Chicken Lettuce Wraps a la PF Chang’s”
Usually cooking a whole chicken is something for winter and not summer… however… northern VA weather took an unexpected turn! It was in the mid 70s in August! That NEVER happens! Since we don’t use (rarely use) the AC it was a nice change. Since it was “chilly” compared to the 90s temps we had been having I decided to have a dinner that needed cooking in the oven. Continue reading “Chicken Salad”
These days we are being over run with fresh basil. Never a bad thing, but it always stresses me out when they start to go to seed, which takes the sweetness out of the basil and results in a bitter flavor. It really bothers me to see things going to waste. I’m constantly nipping the tops off to preserve them for a little longer! So as I attempt to use it all I’ve come up with lots of recipes for fresh basil that we really enjoy in the summer. Even just throwing a bit in a fresh summer salad is delish. Continue reading “Pesto”
Last week was Tonchi’s birthday and he requested chicken wings for dinner. I haven’t made those in forever and the last time was definitely before he couldn’t have gluten! What in the world was I going to do? Continue reading “Breaded Chicken: Wings, Nuggets or Thighs”
Since we have been ridding our home of grains one of the foods we have all mourned the loss of is pizza. It was a super simple relatively healthy (especially if homemade) dinner that we all enjoyed and all kids would eat with gusto. Besides, what American family doesn’t enjoy pizza?
The more we missed it the more I was on a rampage to find a substitution. And a few we have found! The following two recipes are not mine at all and I don’t even attempt to claim them! One is made with cauliflower and the other eggplant. I never would have told you it could be done if I hadn’t done it myself.
These recipes do take some time, but they are simple and easy to follow and it’s well worth the effort. If you have a [amazon_link id=”B00004S9EM” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]cuisenart[/amazon_link] it makes quick work of the process. Most of the time is in waiting on the crust to cook before it can be topped and rewarmed. These crusts do well as left overs as well! I reheat it in the toaster oven (since we have no microwave) and they are crispy, warm and delicious! I will say these crusts are more comparable to a thin crispy traditional crust… no where near the same as deep dish… so if that is what you are going for, read no further… pass and move on! Sorry to disappoint!
Another things I’ve done is purchase a few cauliflower or eggplants and process them and freeze in the amounts needed for a crust. Which makes it super easy to mix up in the future. You will need to squeeze out the extra water before mixing it up, but it’s a minor extra step!
A few weeks ago I made both of these for dinner with friends who can be foodies and definitely enjoy good food. They eat pretty healthy, but not paleo or gluten free or dairy free or any of those. With that said I was a little nervous making a paleo meal we thought was good. It was a hit! I was relieved and it gave a boost to my belief that these really are good recipes!
Here they both are! Give it a try!
GAPs-allowed Cauliflower Pizza Crust
This recipe is from Deliciously Organic. Check out Carrie’s blog for some other great recipes!
(This crust does have cheese in it and my diary free little girl couldn’t enjoy it…. but not to fear… the other pizza was dairy free!)
Makes four 8″ pizzas
Ingredients:
4 cups chopped raw cauliflower
1 cup [amazon_link id=”B0006ZN538″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]almond flour[/amazon_link]
3 cups shredded Fontina cheese
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon dried Italian Seasoning
1 teaspoon coarse Celtic sea salt
Instructions:
Eggplant Pizza Crust
This recipe was from The Food Lovers Primal Palate. Check out Hayley and Bill’s blog for other great recipes.
Ingredients:
1 whole eggplant
1 egg
1/4 cup [amazon_link id=”B000EDBQ6A” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]flax seed meal[/amazon_link](or just grind up some flax seed in a coffee grinder)
1/4 cup [amazon_link id=”B0006ZN538″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]almond meal[/amazon_link]
Salt and pepper to taste
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (to lightly grease the parchment paper)
Instructions:
Notes on the Eggplant crust:
We eat pizza a lot of different ways, but here are some of our favorite toppings!
Our favorite ingredient list:
Meat:
Cheese: GREAT, but not necessary
The other stuff:
How do you make your pizza? Have you tried one of these crusts before? Let me know what you think!
Chicken is an easy winner in our house. It’s a favorite and simple to cook and cheaper than a lot of other cuts of meat. We usually purchase a whole chicken and use all of its parts. By roasting it whole we have one meal, then use the leftover meat for another meal. The bones then go in the crock pot with a few veggies to make some yummy stock!
I really love the fact that we can get three meals off of one bird! It is cost effective and yummy, but I also want to be cautious that we don’t eat too much of the same type of meat. I am a firm believer that all foods (natural, organic and wholesome) should be enjoyed in moderation.
This chapter addresses poultry… not just chicken specifically. I will say that I tend to opt towards chicken instead of other types of poultry. I definitely don’t enjoy turkey as much as chicken and usually only roast one around the holidays. I do like duck, however, I think I’ve only had it a few times in my life and have certainly never cooked it at home. However, it is becoming easier to obtain at farmers markets and local markets in the area.
There are a few recipes for Moroccan Style Chicken, Chicken with Sweet and Sour Sauce and Sesame Buffalo Wings which all look very appealing and tasty in this chapter! Fallon has also included a recipe on how to make breaded chicken breasts, but she uses whole grain bread which we don’t eat and a few other ingredients not on our diet as well.
I have made chicken fingers for the kids in the past which have turned out well and have been a huge hit. I’ve included my recipe for that below.
Chicken Fingers
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 cups (about) almond flour
1 eggInstructions:
Cut the chicken breasts into strips of desired widths
Rinse and dry
Dip in egg
Roll in almond flour
Place on non-stick baking sheet or [amazon_link id=”B00008T960″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]silpat[/amazon_link] and bake
Bake for about 20 minutes or until done at 350 degrees.
I also usually make a mixture of honey and homemade mustard for them to use as a dip or just homemade fermented ketchup. Always a hit and goes well with green beans and coconut flour bread or another side!
Do you have a favorite poultry recipe? Please share!
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Striving to preserve what we have graciously been given.
Striving to preserve what we have graciously been given.
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