Moroccan Chicken Casserole

INGREDIENTS


1 head cauliflower
2-3 pounds of chicken
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons ginger root, finely chopped or grated
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne (optional)
1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
28-ounce can of diced tomatoes (do not drain)
1/2 cup minced parsley or cilantro
2 tsp salt
1 lemon


DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

The base of the casserole is cauliflower grated into a rice-like texture. Chop the head of cauliflower into small pieces. Push the pieces through a food processor using the grating blade. Spread the grated cauliflower out in a 9×13 rectangular baking pan.

Salt and pepper the chicken. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a deep pan over high heat. Add the chicken, browning well, about 3-5 minutes a side.

Remove the chicken from the hot pan and set aside. Turn heat down to medium and add onion, ginger, garlic and carrots. Cook until the onions are soft. Add remaining tablespoon of butter and all spices. Stir well.

Add red pepper, the can of tomatoes, minced parsley or cilantro and salt. Return the chicken to the pot and simmer for 3-5 minutes.

Pour the chicken mixture over the cauliflower and mix really well, so the cauliflower is completely covered by the sauce. Slice a lemon into thin slices and lay on top of the casserole. Cover the pan with tin foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the tinfoil and cook for 25 minutes more.

Garnish with more fresh parsley or cilantro before serving.

Sausage and Zucchini Soup

INGREDIENTS

5 links sausage (I used Farmer's Sausage)
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
4 cups zucchini, diced
4 cups chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp basil
salt and pepper to taste

Grated Parmesan cheese for topping soup (optional)

 

 

DIRECTIONS

 

Brown sausage links in oil in until browned. Cut in slices and place sausage back in frying pan and brown both sides of slices. 

 

Combine chicken stock, tomatoes, oregano, and basil in medium stock pot and simmer. Add browned sausage. Put onions in pan you used to brown sausage and saute 3-4 minutes, then add minced garlic and cook 1-2 minutes more. Add to soup. Simmer 30 minutes. 

 

Cut ends off zucchini and cut lengthwise into fourths, then slice (If the zucchini is very young/small, you can just slice it into medallions). Add zucchini to soup and simmer 15 minutes. Taste soup for flavor and add 1-2 cups of water if needed. 

 

Serve soup with fresh grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

NOTE: I've used frozen, grated zucchini with any liquids produced during thawing.

Coconut Flour Pancakes

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs
1/2 tsp oil
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp honey (or maple syrup)
1 Tbsp coconut flour
fresh or frozen blueberries (optional)


DIRECTIONS

 In a bowl, add all the wet ingredients and whisk together until well blended.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, and whisk mixture again until well blended and frothy – this will get them even fluffier!

Add additional oil or butter to a frying pan on medium to low heat and let warm for a few minutes.

Next, pour the batter into small circles in the frying pan without letting the edges of each circle touch. Keep the heat fairly low and let the pancakes heat up slowly and rise – about 3 to 5 minutes.
Wait until there are several bubbles appearing on top of the pancake circles and the edges are cooked, and then flip each pancake to cook the other side. This will not take long, so watch them carefully, and then move the pancakes onto another plate. Continue this until all the batter is gone.

Enjoy!

Cabbage Roll Casserole

Ingredients:


2 tsp olive oil, divided
1 pound lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped fine
1 Tbsp finely minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp paprika
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/2 head green cabbage, coarsely chopped
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes with juice
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
2 cups cooked brown rice
2 cups mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Heat a large frying pan on medium heat; add ground beef and cook until it's browned and cooked through, breaking it apart as it cooks. Remove ground beef and set aside.

In the same pan, add 1 tsp olive oil, chopped onion and cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic, dried thyme, and paprika and cook about 2 minutes more. Then add the diced tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, and ground beef. Add water to the pan. Simmer until it's hot and slightly thickened, about 15-20 minutes.

While it simmers, cut cabbage in half, cut out the core, and remove any wilted outer leaves; chop the cabbage coarsely into 1 inch pieces.

Heat remaining olive oil in a large frying pan or dutch oven; add the cabbage and cook over medium-high heat until the cabbage is wilted and about half cooked, turning it over several times so it all wilts and cooks. Season with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.

When the meat and tomato sauce mixture has cooked and thickened a bit, stir in the 2 cups of cooked rice and gently combine.

Spray casserole dish with non-stick spray and add half the cabbage, half the meat mixture, remaining cabbage, and remaining meat mixture. Cover tightly with foil and bake 40 minutes, or until the mixture is just starting to bubble on the edges.

Remove foil and sprinkle on cheese (if using.) Bake uncovered an additional 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and starting to slightly brown. Serve hot.

Freezer-friendly if you have leftovers. To reheat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then either microwave until hot or heat in the oven in a glass dish covered with foil.


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Food on Friday: Stews and Casseroles

Pork Ribs

3 pounds long spareribs
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp onion powder
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp liquid smoke (Mesquite flavored)

Mix all of the above ingredients together in a small bowl to make a paste. Place your ribs in a large casserole dish. Massage the spices all over both sides. If you want them to taste really smokey you could brush some liquid smoke onto your ribs before applying the spices. Cover the ribs with foil and let them sit in the fridge for a few hours (or overnight).

When you are ready to cook them, preheat your oven to 350. Pour a cup of liquid (water, white wine beer, apple juice, etc.) into your casserole dish with your ribs. Cover with some foil and pop them in the oven, making sure the side with the most meat is facing down. Bake them for 2-2 and 1/2 hours.

While your ribs are cooking you will want to make the BBQ sauce:

3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp liquid smoke

Mix everything together with a whisk in a small saucepan. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will be kinda thin, if you don’t like it that way there is an easy solution. Mix about 1-2 tsp. cornstarch in a small bowl with just enough cold water to dissolve it, then pour it into the sauce for the last minute of simmering. You can make it as thick as you would like that way. Never pour cornstarch directly into a sauce, unless you like lumpy sauce lol. If you would like a bit of a kick you can also add some red pepper flakes to taste.

Once your ribs are finished baking and your sauce is complete, take the foil off and brush your ribs with some of the BBQ sauce. Then flip them over onto a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. This part can get tricky because they are so tender. You may want to have someone help you, or cut your rack of ribs in half to make it easier. The side of the ribs with the most meat should be facing up at this point.

Brush some of your BBQ sauce onto this side, then stick them back in the oven under the broiler (on high). Please do NOT walk away, you will need to check them literally every minute so you don’t burn them. I usually leave them in until the sauce starts bubbling, add more sauce, and put them back in again. I know this sounds like a lot of work but it only takes a few minutes. Again, keep checking them so you do not burn them. I take my ribs out when they start getting little charred spots, like as if they were cooked on the grill. 

Black Forest Pavlova

Ingredients:

For the meringue:

8 egg whites
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons dutch cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the topping:

2 cups whipping cream
2 tablespoons strong espresso coffee
680 gram (24 ounce) jar of morello (or black) cherries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
dark chocolate curls and shavings

Method:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place a sheet of baking paper on two large baking tray and draw 8-inch rounds.

Separate your eggs making utmost care not to contaminate the egg whites with any egg yolk. Any fat in the egg whites will prevent them from beating properly and will weigh them down.

Beat your egg whites until they are stiff and add your sugar slowly, one tablespoon at a time and beat until stiff peaks form. Turn your bowl upside down to make sure the whites are stiff enough. If not, beat another minute or so then check again.

Sift the cocoa powder into the meringue and fold through carefully ensuring you leave streaks of cocoa rather than fully incorporating it.

Shape the meringue into the two rounds on the baking paper/trays. Place meringues into oven and immediately turn temperature down to 250 degrees F. Bake for 90 minutes then turn off oven, do not remove meringues until oven is cool.

Topping:

Drain the cherries into a colander with a bowl underneath it to catch the syrup. Give the cherries a shake to make sure the syrup drains out of them. You will want the cherries quite dry so give them a bit of time to drain.

Pour the cherry syrup into a saucepan and over medium heat reduce it down to a honey-like consistency (about 5-10 minutes). If you over-reduce you can add a little bit of water and whisk through to make it more liquid again. Set aside.

Beat the cream with the coffee until stiff peaks form. With a silicone spatula spread half of the cream over the bottom meringue, place cherries on the cream along with half of the chopped walnuts. Sprinkle half of the chocolate shavings over the meringue.

Place the top meringue layer over the bottom. Spread the remaining cream over it along with the cherries, nuts and chocolate shavings. Top with the chocolate curls. Drizzle the cherry syrup over the entire pavlova.

Crock Pot Brown and Maple Sugar Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients

2 pounds pork tenderloin
salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp real maple syrup
4 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 Tbsp cornstarch


Directions

Place tenderloin in crock pot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Combine together garlic, mustard, honey, brown sugar, vinegar, thyme, maple syrup. Pour over pork. Turn pork to coat. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours or on high 3-4 hours.

Remove pork and cover with foil to keep warm.

Put juices in pan and bring to a boil over heat. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes and then add in cornstarch that has been mixed into cold water. Whisk into juices and cook for one minute longer until thickened. Pour juices over pork.

Merlot Beef Stew

 

Ingredients

 

4 slices bacon, cut into pieces
2 pounds chuck roast cut into 2 inch pieces (or stew meat)
1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp flour

1/4 cup A1 sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cup Merlot

1 1/2 cup water
1 tsp fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound pearl onions

1/2 pound button mushrooms, chopped or sliced
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

 

 

Instructions

In a heavy bottomed pot or a dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy and browned. Reserve bacon pieces in a small bowl lined with a paper towel.

Dry the beef pieces with paper towels and then brown in bacon grease until browned on all sides. Add salt, pepper and flour and toss to coat evenly. Add reserved bacon, A1 sauce, sugar, wine, water, thyme and garlic. Cover and simmer for 90 minutes.

Add onions and simmer for another 20 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and parsley and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

Serve over mashed potatoes.

Allergy-Friendly Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

4 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp flaxmeal
1-1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
1/2 cup millet flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup dairy-free margarine (I used soy-free Earth Balance)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups dairy-free chocolate chips (use a brand like Enjoy Life for soy-free)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line your cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Combine the water and ground flaxseeds in a mixing bowl, and set aside while you combine the dry ingredients.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flours, xanthan or guar gum, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Back in your flax bowl, add the margarine, sugars, and vanilla, beating until nice and creamy. Stir or beat in the flour mixture until well combined, then stir in the chocolate chips. Drop the dough by the large tablespoonful onto your baking sheet, or if you prefer a firmer dough, refrigerate it for at least an hour to firm up.

Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, or until they just barely begin to brown around the edges – they don’t really brown much at all, so do not be tempted to bake them for too long! Cook them for less time (12 min) if you prefer chewy, more for crispy.

Let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 to 15 minutes before removing them to indulge.
They will be soft and chewy while warm, but do firm up after a day on the counter (though still a bit chewy). They can be stored in the fridge or freezer if desired.

Cinnamon Roll Swirl Cake

Ingredients:

For the batter:

3 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup butter, melted

For the topping:

1 cup butter, softened (the softer, the better)
1 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp cinnamon

For the glaze:

2 cup powdered sugar
5 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 pan.

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients for the batter together except for the butter. Slowly stir in the melted butter. Pour into the greased 9x13 pan.

Mix topping ingredients together until well combined. Drop evenly over the batter.
Swirl your topping and cake mixture with a knife going up and down the length of the pan.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Mix the ingredients for the glaze. Drizzle over the cake while it's still warm.