Spicy Black Bean and Chicken Soup

I am so glad to be back to my blog!  My laptop has been acting up and wouldn't connect to our WIFI for more than 5 minutes. I finally found time to take it in and got it fixed, or so they said.  One day back with my computer and I am already having connection issues.  So this sucker will probably be back to be repaired this weekend.  Everyone keep your fingers crossed that they will finally just replace the dang thing and Steve can help me pick out a computer that actually works!

I am very excited for this recipe!  It was easy and one of my new favorites!

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup salsa (we used medium salsa)
• 1 package taco seasoning (we used a chipotle taco seasoning)
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese (optional)
• Tortilla chips (optional)

1. Place chicken in crock pot. Pour broth, beans, corn, salsa, and taco seasoning over chicken. 
2. Cook on low for 6 hours (or high for 3 hours). 
3. Remove chicken and shred. Re-add chicken.
4. Add almond milk to crock pot and stir (if you are not dairy free, add sour cream and cheese)
5. Serve with tortilla chips (we had rice and tortillas with our soup)

We had left overs of this which I ate for lunch the next day.  It thickened up over night and made a wonderful rice bowl.

Because we used medium salsa and chipotle taco seasoning it was extremely spicy!  I had to eat every bite with rice.  Steve loved it, but he loves spicy!

Enjoy!
Bry

Gluten Free CHINESE!!

Since we have both gone gluten free Steve has complained over and over again that he misses Chinese food.  And by Chinese food he didn't mean soy sauce and rice and veggies, he meant noodles and breaded chicken orange chicken.  I was waiting at the doctors office a couple weeks ago and was looking through a health magazine when I found a Vegetable Lo Mein recipe!

Gluten-Free Vegetable Lo Mein

8 ounces gluten free spaghetti
1 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons soy free soy sauce (I use San-J Tamari)
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon oil
16 ounces mix stir fry veggies (I bought fresh peppers and broccoli and onions and sliced them up)
2 cups mung sprouts (optional)
3 scallions, chopped (I left these out)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
Pinch of salt

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook pasta.  Drain and set aside.  In a bowl combine broth, soy sauce, and honey, whisking to dissolve.  Add cornstarch and whisk well.  Stir in red pepper flakes and set aside. (I made extra sauce since we like our pasta saucy)
2. Heat a nonstick wok over high heat and add oil, heating until almost smoking.  Add veggies, sprouts, and scallions and cook 2 minutes.  Add garlic and ginger and saute for 2 minutes.  Toss in pasta, then sprinkle with salt and cook until heated through. 
3. Add broth mixture and simmer, stirring often, for 4 minutes until sauce has thickened.

I also made gluten free orange chicken.  I do not have a good recipe for this yet, still in the trial and error phase.  I used Applegate gluten free chicken nuggets and San-J gluten free orange sauce.  I precooked the nuggets and then added both the nuggets and sauce, with a couple small cloves of minced garlic, in the crock pot but the sauce became to thick and started to burn so we had to add water.  It turned out fine, but not great! 

 Enjoy!
Bry

Onion Rings!

Steve and I made a really yummy recipe last night!  I found a recipe for a onion ring batter in my gluten free cookbook.  We both love onion rings and haven't had them in over a year.  I did cheat last summer and get an order of Walla Walla onion rings from Burgerville.  Wel used two large Walla Walla onions at the store for our onion rings.  We made them at Steve's parents house and they enjoyed them too.

Steve hard at work frying the onion rings! All those years making elephant ears at the zoo has finally paid off ;)

Ingredients:

2 large onions (sliced into 1 inch thick rounds)

Batter:

1 cup potato starch (we used Bob's Red Mill)

3/4 cup sorghum flour (Bob's Red Mill)

1 tsp sea salt 

1 tsp baking powder 

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp xanthan gum

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

1 tsp onion powder

1/8 tsp turmeric

1 1/4 cup milk

Directions:

Mix all the batter ingredients in a big bowl and whisk until smooth.  Let sit for 5 minutes to allow thickening.

In a deep skillet or sauce pan heat enough oil to cover at least half of the onion rings to 350 degrees.  Be careful not to let the oil get to hot or the batter will burn.

Dip onion slices in the batter and coat thoroughly.  Add battered onion rings to the oil.

Watch carefully and when golden brown flip to the other side.  And finish cooking.

When once cooked place on paper towel to drain.

We saved some of the batter and dips slices of chicken breast in it and fried it up as well.

Enjoy!

Bry

Lemon Garlic Chicken and Veggies

I always swear I am going to keep up with this blog, and then bang life gets busy.  Life has been pretty hectic here.   However, since this is not a blog about my life I am going to share some recipes!

I liked this recipe.  I doubled the amount of veggies I used and used just under 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast.  Next time I would cut back on the amount of lemons I use on the bottom of the pan as the veggies soak in the lemon juice to cook, which made the green beans unbearably lemony.  I covered the bottom of the pan with lemon slices, next time I will space them out around the pan, if you aren't a huge fan of lemon cut the slices out completely.  I also used more garlic and olive oil sauce and coated the veggies and chicken very well.

Lemon Garlic Chicken and Veggies

Ingredients

• 6  tablespoons olive oil
• 2 lemons, 1 thinly sliced, 1 juiced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 pounds trimmed green beans (I used frozen ones, however if available use fresh!)
• 1/2 pound of broccoli (I used frozen broccoli as well)
• 8 small red potatoes, quartered
• 4 chicken breasts 

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a large baking dish or cast-iron skillet with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Arrange the lemon slices in a single layer in the bottom of the dish or skillet.
2. In a large bowl, combine the remaining oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper; add the green beans and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove the green beans and arrange them on top of the lemon slices. Add the potatoes to the same olive-oil mixture and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, arrange the potatoes along the inside edge of the dish or skillet on top of the green beans. Place the chicken in the same bowl with the olive-oil mixture and coat thoroughly. Place the chicken, skin-side up, in the dish or skillet. Pour any of the remaining olive-oil mixture over the chicken.
3. Roast for 50 minutes. Remove the chicken from the dish or skillet. Place the beans and potatoes back in oven for 10 minutes more or until the potatoes are tender. Place a chicken breast on each of 4 serving plates; divide the green beans and potatoes equally. Serve warm.          

                 

Enjoy!

Bry

Quinoa Chicken and Sweet Potatoes

I consider myself a vegetarian.  I have been one for 9 years or something crazy like that!  I avoid meat and only really eat cheese and eggs.  You will occasionally see me eat a small piece of local hormone free chicken for dinner.  This is a new thing that started after I cut gluten out of my diet.  So you will occasionally find a chicken recipe on here and even meat recipes that I make for people who are not vegetarian and are yummy enough to share :)

I was excited to find this recipe online.  Being gluten free means NO breaded chicken.  and all though this isn't breaded it has a nice crunchiness to it and plenty of flavor.

Quinoa Crusted Chicken

 Ingredients:

• 4 breasts of Organic Chicken
• 3 cups cooked quinoa (which is about 1 cup uncooked)
• 1 small onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 egg
• 1tsp sea salt (or more to taste)
• 1tsp pepper (or more to taste)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

 Optional:

• 1-2 tsp garlic powder
• 1-2 tsp of any other spices
• I used red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, garlic powder

(Recipe Yields 4 servings)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375*F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Rinse quinoa first. Add a small amount of olive oil to pot and saute the garlic and onions until transparent.  Add quinoa and toast for a couple minutes.  Add water and bring to a boil.  Then set temperature to medium and cover for about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally so the quinoa does not burn.  When most of the water is absorbed turn off heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork when finished (1 cup dry quinoa yields 3 cups cooked)
3. In a separate dish, combine quinoa with salt and pepper (and the other spices that you choose)
4. Scramble raw egg into another dish.
5. Dip chicken into egg, coat well. Then put chicken into quinoa mixture, coat well. Place chicken onto baking sheet.
6. Lightly brush oil over each piece of chicken to help it brown.
7. Bake for 30-45 minutes depending on thickness of chicken.

I adore sweet potatoes and yams.  One of my favorite ways to eat them is to roast them in the oven.  It is easy and they taste great!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

•  Sweet Potatoes
• Olive Oil
• Seasoning

 Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Peel and cut your sweet potatoes into chunks.  I usually make them about 1/4-1/2 inch thick.  Coat potatoes with olive oil and place on a cookie sheet.  Place in oven for 10 minutes.
2. After 10 minutes take the potatoes out and flip them.  I also sprinkle some salt, garlic or garlic powder and red pepper at this point.  Place back in over for another 8 minutes.
3. Take potatoes out, if they are the desired softness take them out, otherwise continue to check them every few minutes until thoroughly cooked.  Depending on how thick I cut them they usually take 20-30 minutes to cook all the way.

 Enjoy!

Bry

Chicken Bites

This recipe that Steph and I made for Kendra's meet and greet baby shower was a favorite pick.  Unfortunately it is not allergy friendly in ANY way.  Between the dairy, gluten, meat I couldn't have any so I take people word for how good it was.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 2 tsp (or more to taste) garlic powder
• 2 cup cooked shredded chicken
• 3 cans refrigerator crescent rolls

Instructions

1. Mix cream cheese, garlic and chicken until well blended.
2. Unroll crescent rolls and cut each triangle into 2 triangles (when you unroll the crescent rolls, 2 triangles are attached making a big square, I just cut from there following the perforation for one cut and made another cut from the other corners = giving you 4 little triangles)
3. Place 1 tbsp of chicken mixture on the center of each triangle and fold the corners in over the creamy mixture.
4. Place on cookie sheet, lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with no stick spray. Bake at 375 for 10-14 mins.

Bry

Quinoa Enchiladas

I am not a usually one to invent a recipe, but I have failed to go grocery shopping for the last say week and my poor family has been eating rice and beans and other left overs.  So scraping together what I could find I made this awesome quinoa enchilada!  Use as a taco filling or eat plain or with lettuce.  Anyway this recipe is a keeper in my book.

Ingredients:
 
Enchilada Sauce:

• 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 6 ounce can tomato paste
• 1 packet of enchilada seasoning
• 1 cup of vegetable stock

Quinoa Mix:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 small onion
• 1 small zucchini, pepper, corn or any veggie you want 
• 2 minced cloves or garlic
• 1.5 cups uncooked quinoa
• 3 cups water or vegetable stock
• 2 cups of cooked black beans, rinsed

Sour Cream Mix:
(I made half vegetarian, half chicken)

• 1 cup of sour cream
• 3.5 cups of cheese
•  Lime juice, about 1 lime
• 1-2 cups of shredded chicken (optional)
• 1 small can of sliced olives (optional)
• 1 small can of green chillies (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat up olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium high.  Add onion and zucchini and saute for a few minutes until slightly browned.  Add garlic and cook for about a minute more.  Add quinoa and cook for a few minutes on medium until toasted.  Add 3 cups of water and the black beans to the quinoa.   Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low.  Let cook for about 15 minutes until most of the moister is soaked in, stir and turn off heat, cover til all the water is gone.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. While the quinoa is cooking in another small sauce pan mix the diced tomatoes, tomato paste until it starts to bubble.  Add enchilada seasoning and 1 cup of vegetable broth and bring back to a simmer and allow to thicken.
4. When the quinoa and sauce are done cooking mix quinoa, 2.5 cups of enchilada sauce together.  Add cheese, sour cream, lime juice (chicken, olives, chillies if using).  Mix all together and transfer to a large greased baking pan.  Top enchiladas with left over sauce and sprinkle with cheese.  Bake in the over for about 20 minutes until cheese is melted and center is hot.

Bry

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Chicken Enchilada Soup

• 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 10-ounce package frozen whole kernel corn
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow, green, or red bell pepper
• 1 10.75-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup (I used cream of mushroom, gluten-free recipe posted below)
• 1 1/2 cups milk 
• 1 cup shredded Pepper jack cheese (4 ounces)
• 2 chicken breasts

1. In a 3 1/2 to 5 quart slow cooker, combine drained beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, and bell pepper.  Place 2 chicken breasts on top of mixture.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together enchilada sauce and soup. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Pour sauce mixture over ingredients in cooker.Cover; cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.
3. Remove chicken and cut or shred into bite sized pieces. Add chicken back into soup. Note: if the soup is too thick for you, just add a little more milk after it’s all cooked.

Top with pepper jack cheese and serve. Can also be topped with avocado, sour cream, or crushed tortilla chips.

 

Bry


** I just found this recipe for a gluten-free cream of mushroom.  I have never tried it but it looks good

Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 3 mins

Total time: 8 mins

Serves: 3

Using only a blender and a microwave, you can make your own condensed cream of mushroom soup. Easy to customize to your needs and tastes.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to your taste)
• Pinch of sugar
• 8-ounces 2% evaporated milk
• Handful (approx. 3/4 cup) fresh mushrooms, sliced

Directions

1. Put all ingredients except the mushrooms in a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth. Add mushrooms and pulse 2-3 times until mushrooms are chopped.
2. Pour into a 2-quart Pyrex bowl and microwave on HIGH for 3 minutes, whisking well after two minutes and again at the end of cooking time. If not thick enough, add 30 seconds and whisk again.

Sichuan Cashew Chicken with Angel Hair Pasta

Prep Time:5 min
Start to Finish:30 min
Makes:5 Servings
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 pounds)
1 tablespoon chili or vegetable oil
1 bag (1 pound) frozen broccoli, carrots and water chestnuts (or other combination)
1/3 cup stir-fry sauce
6 ounces uncooked angel hair pasta or 2 cups hot cooked brown or white rice
1/4 cup cashew halves, if desired
1. Remove fat from chicken. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in oil 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until juice of chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut. Remove chicken from skillet; keep warm.
2. While chicken is cooking, cook pasta in separate pan in boiling water as package directs.
3. Add vegetables to skillet; stir-fry about 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Stir in stir- fry sauce; cook and stir about 30 seconds or until heated through.
4. Cut chicken into 1-inch diagonal slices. Serve chicken with vegetables and noodles. Sprinkle with cashews.

I also added fresh veggies to the frozen veggie mix, since my mom ate half of the frozen veggies before I could make this!

Honey Mustard Chicken Nuggets

1 cup Fiber One® original bran cereal (or any other kind of bread crumbs, crackers etc etc)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1/3 cup honey
1 package (20 oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 25 (1 1/4-inch) pieces
1. Heat oven to 400°F. Spray cookie sheet with sides with cooking spray.
2. Place cereal in resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag and finely crush with rolling pin or meat mallet. Add salt and pepper; shake to mix. Pour into medium bowl.
3. In small bowl, mix mayonnaise, mustard and honey.
4. In medium bowl, stir 1/4 cup of the mustard mixture and the chicken to coat chicken thoroughly. Toss chicken in cereal mixture to coat. Place on cookie sheet.
5. Bake 10 minutes; turn chicken. Bake 8 to 10 minutes longer or until chicken is no longer pink in center.
6. Serve chicken nuggets with reserved sauce for dipping.

 

Eggplant

I am not a fan of eggplant however my mom really likes it so I like to use it in recipes from time to time.  I had some left over eggplant and made both of these recipes that use it.  The first one is a side dish of eggplant and tomatoes.

Roasted Eggplant and TomatoesServe with a green salad and crusty rolls.

Servings: 6

• 1 - 1 3/4 pound eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 large plum tomatoes, cored, quartered lengthwise
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Sherry wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven to 450°F. Place eggplant and tomatoes on rimmed baking sheet; toss with oil and vinegar. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons oregano, salt, and pepper. Roast until eggplant is tender and golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Transfer eggplant and tomatoes to platter. Sprinkle with feta and 2 teaspoons oregano and serve.

 

Preheat oven to 450°F. Place eggplant and tomatoes on rimmed baking sheet; toss with oil and vinegar. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons oregano, salt, and pepper. Roast until eggplant is tender and golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Transfer eggplant and tomatoes to platter. Sprinkle with feta and 2 teaspoons oregano and serve.

Charred Ratatouille & Grilled Chicken

Servings: 6

• 2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise

• 1 medium Japanese eggplant, halved lengthwise

• 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

• 1 red onion, peeled, cut into wedges

• 2 medium tomatoes, halved crosswise

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each)

• 1/3 cup basil (chiffonade)

• 1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar *

Prepare grill (medium-high heat). Place vegetables in large bowl and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Grill vegetables until tender and slightly charred, about 4 minutes for peppers and 7 minutes for remaining vegetables. Transfer to cutting board. Place chicken breasts in same large bowl. Turn to coat with any remaining oil in bowl. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Grill chicken, covered, until cooked through, about 6 minutes per side. Let stand 5 minutes.

Coarsely chop vegetables and transfer to another large bowl. Add basil and vinegar and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Slice chicken into 1/2-inch-thick slices and serve with ratatouille.

COOKS NOTE: For you traditionalists, go ahead and use the balsamic vinegar.

 

~Bry

Green Beans, Zucchini, Pasta and Chicken! Oh My!

Tonight I have 3 recipes I am going to post.  I love when the vegetables in peoples gardens turn ripe!  We had fresh green beans and zucchini tonight, both home grown! YUM!  The first recipe I made with fresh zucchini.

 Baked Zucchini Spears
 3 medium zucchini sliced into 3" x 1/2" sticks
1 large egg white
1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 tablespoon grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Cooking spray
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Kosher salt, Fresh ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 425°.
In a small bowl, beat egg whites and season with salt and pepper. In a ziplock bag, place breadcrumbs, garlic powder and cheese and shake well. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
Dip zucchini sticks into eggs then into bread crumb and cheese mixture, a few at a time and shake to coat. Place the breaded zucchini in a single layer and spray more cooking spray on top. Bake at 425° for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve a prepared pizza sauce for dipping. (We ate them plain)

The second side dish I got to use fresh green beans from a family friends garden.  I found a lightly flavored garlic recipe with almonds in it. 
Garlic Green Beans with Almonds
1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed and microwaved for 4 minutes
2 - 4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/8 - 1/4 cup water or chicken broth
Coarse sea salt, to taste
Pepper (to taste)
In a large pan over medium high heat, heat oil adding almonds and toss till for 1 minute add garlic to lightly brown add beans and water or broth cover for 5 minutes on low heat.
Season with salt and pepper.

I also found a garlic, lemon angel hair pasta dish.  I really enjoyed this dish and am deffinately adding it to my favorites.  It has a nice blend of lemon and garlic flavors. Lemon Garlic Angel Hair Pasta
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup chopped fresh tomato
8 ounces uncooked angel hair pasta
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan cheese
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
As water is coming to a boil, place olive oil and garlic in a non stick sauté pan and cook over medium heat just until garlic begins to brown. Remove from heat and pour in wine. Return to heat and cook on high heat for another 1 to 2 minutes until reduced by half. Stir in lemon juice and tomato and remove from heat.
Place pasta in the boiling water and cook to desired doneness, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Angel hair doesn't take long. Drain the pasta and put it into a warm serving bowl. Add the wine, garlic and tomato. Add the basil, Parmesan cheese and black pepper. Toss and serve immediately.

For the meat eaters in my family I cooked up some chicken.  To add a bit of flavor i poured some lemon juice on it before cooking it and then some in the pan while it cooked.   

 

I also heated up a loaf of warm sourdough to eat with the meal :)

~Bry