Cashew "Cream cheese" stuffed Squash Blossoms

Coconut lemongrass chicken soup

Ok, so it's been quite sometime and A LOT of changes but I'm back!  In a new city, actually in a new state!  I've found that finding healthy foods isn't as hard as I thought it would be.  I actually have quite a few options right by our new house and even more if I'm willing to drive 15-30 minutes...

  The best thing I've found has been our local farmers market!  I've been to farmers markets before but nothing like this.  I've been incredibly impressed by my findings in Bentonville, AR.  And everyone is so friendly and knowledgeable.  I especially like that I can ask questions.  So far no one has minded answering them no matter how silly they might be. 

  So I ventured to the farmers market yesterday while my hubby was home with the girls. They'd been running fevers and had runny noses so I wanted to make some hearty healing chicken soup. I found fresh lemongrass and went from there. I hope you enjoy this quick, easy meal as much as we did!

Coconut lemongrass chicken soup

1 tablespoon grape seed oil

4 stalks fresh lemongrass, (white part only) crushed with flat part of knife

2 medium onions sliced thinly

1-2 Thai or cayenne peppers (optional) sliced with stem removed you can remove the seeds or leave them depending on how much heat you want

2 lbs shredded chicken breast or 2 lbs raw chicken cut in strips 

3 tablespoons fish sauce (check labels)

6 cups homemade chicken broth 

1/2-1 can coconut milk

Juice of 2 lemons

Sea Salt and pepper to taste

Freshly sliced scallions for garnish

Thai Basil for garnish

  In medium saucepan or small soup pot add grape seed oil.  Heat over medium heat add lemongrass and sweat for 2 minutes. Add onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes more. Add chilies at this time too.  A little crunch is just fine. 

Add chicken and heat through if cooked. If raw cook until white. (1-2 minutes)

Add fish sauce and chicken stock. Simmer over medium- low heat 15-20 minutes until liquid has reduced slightly  This gives it enough time for the flavors to intensify. 

Whisk in coconut milk and lemon juice. Season with sea salt and pepper and garnish with scallions and basil. 

Serve and Enjoy!

Coconut Panna Cotta with raspberry sauce

Panna Cotta has been on my brain lately.  Most recipes call for dairy so I swapped that out with coconut milk.  They also all call for sugar of some sort.  If you lookup sugar free recipes they usually call for Honey.  I'm pretty sure that even if it's raw it still affects your blood sugar.  With my oldest exhibiting signs of type 1 diabetes I'm definitely avoiding all sugar for all of us!  This mean mama isn't even allowing bananas.  She'll get over it though.  :) So I swapped the Honey for Stevita brand Stevia.  it doesn't have a bad after taste like some brands and only has a few fillers.  The fillers are also things I consider ok to use in my diet…

I figured out the hard way that no matter how big of a rush you are in, don't put your panna cotta in the  fridge when they are hot...  They all separated and I had to start over,  thankfully I had a quick and easy dessert to substitute since these wouldn't be ready in time for dinner with my husbands grandmother and Aunt! Thank you Chia pudding! Anyways this dessert is 100% guilt free and actually healthy!

The sauce is best made right before serving your dessert, or before you serve dinner would be fine too.

So while this dessert sounds fancy and hard it's actually really simple.  If you can make jello you can make this.  Enjoy!

Coconut Milk Panna Cotta With Berry Sauce- Serves 6

1/4 cup cold filtered water

1 packet unflavored gelatin or 2 1/2 tsp bulk gelatin

3 1/2 cups coconut milk

pinch of sea salt

Stevita Stevia to taste

1 teaspoon vanilla (check label to make sure its grain free and sugar free)

Metal bowl filled halfway with ice cubes

4 cups fresh or frozen berry of your choice

2 Tbls fresh squeezed lemon juice

Fresh mint to garnish


Place cold water in small bowl, sprinkle gelatin onto and mix together.  Set aside to setup.

Place your dessert bowls, glasses, etc. on a tray with a lip

In a medium saucepan, combine the coconut milk, salt and stevia.  Over medium heat bring to a very gentle boil and then remove from heat immediately.  Whisk in vanilla and gelatin mixture.
Place pan on top of ice cubes and whisk mixture until it is room temperature.

Divide mixture between bowls and cover with plastic wrap.  Carry to fridge carefully and place in a flat spot.  Let chill 5-6 hours or overnight.

Right before dessert place berries, lemon juice in a blender and liquify.  Add water and stevia as needed to get your desired consistency.  You can strain the sauce at this point to remove any seeds, but it isn't vital.

Serve over chilled dessert and top with mint leaves.

Enjoy!!!

Beef stroganoff with sweet potato fries

I had a hankering for Beef stroganoff but definitely needed it to be kid friendly and Dairy free on top of Grain free and Sugar free.  So I decided to do some research (Thank You google!) I decided to do a variation of two recipes and add a little of my own flare.  :)

   

Replacing the sour cream in a standard recipe was easy and thanks to Trader Joe's Coconut Cream I didn't have to work real hard for it either.  That's always a plus.  I don't have many "convenience foods" anymore so I hold on to the few I do find.  

Through looking at all the different recipes I noticed that while most suggested pasta, others said potatoes or rice  That's too much sugar and not enough nutrition for me.  

I settled on Sweet Potato Fries for a little French Canadian Flare.  I remember one of my best friends in high school having meals served over fries thanks to her french-canadian mother  I was so envious!  I usually steer clear of sweet potatoes but this seemed like a nice treat and I was just finishing a cleanse so I was Hungry!  Homemade ones are not as laborious as you'd think and much tastier than the frozen brands plus no preservatives or additives.  (always a plus right?)

If you are still steering clear of sugar or extra carbs another great alternative is Kelp Noodles.  I buy them at the local health food store and they don't have much flavor but add a lot of good nutrients and the kids love them.  Win win in my book!  Riced cauliflower and zucchini noodles are great too.

I also did ground beef and sirloin steak for this recipe so the kiddos (and older folks) had something to eat that they could chew easily.  You can make it either way or with a little of both to please the masses.  Enjoy!!

So here's Beef stroganoff with Sweet potato fries:  

3 or 4 medium sweet potatoes

olive oil/ grape seed oil

cinnamon

sea salt

black peeper/ cayenne

garlic powder

1 lb Beef sirloin cut into strips or 1 lb ground beef

coconut oil

1 onion chopped 

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp arrowroot powder (optional)

1 cup beef stock (preferably homemade, you can use homemade chicken stock too)

coconut aminos (soy free, gluten free "soy" sauce)

1/2 can Trader Joes coconut cream or cream from the top of one can of native forest coconut milk

1 1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp rosemary

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

I would start with the sweet potato fries so they can get into the oven more quickly…

      Cut potatoes however you like, the bigger the longer they will take.

Preheat oven to 400-450 degrees again the higher temp they'll be done sooner just don't put them close to the bottom at the higher temp.

Mix them with olive oil or grape seed oil, cinnamon, sea salt, garlic powder, black pepper any other spices you want.  Bake for about 30-45 minutes mix periodically so they don't burn.  They should finish as the stroganoff does…

While Sweet potatoes bake, put 2  T of coconut oil in skillet over medium heat.  Add onions once pan is hot, sauté for 5 minutes.  When almost done add garlic and mushrooms.  Sprinkle with a little sea salt to release the moisture from the mushrooms.  Once all are cooked through move to a plate while you cook the beef.  

Add 1 Tbsp of coconut oil to skillet and cook sirloin, just a few minutes aside so it's browned  It doesn't need to be cooked through yet.  Move to a plate to rest.  If using ground beef add 1 Tbsp coconut oil and cook until browned and cooked through.  Move to bowl.

Put the veggie mixture back into the skillet veggies, add the coconut cream, coconut aminos and broth and spices.  Whisk it until smooth.  Stir until thickened. Add the beef back in and cook over low heat 7-10 minutes.  Don't overcook or the sirloin will get chewy.  

Serve over Sweet potato Fries, Kelp noodles or riced cauliflower.

ENJOY!!!

OPTIONAL:

If you want your sauce to be more gravy like add up to 1 Tbsp of arrowroot powder to 1/4-1/2 cup broth.  whisk into the mixture the last 2 minutes of cooking.  I did not use this and it all tasted and looked great for me :) 

  

Beef Stroganoff served over sweet potato Fries

Beef Stroganoff served over Kelp Noodles

Meaty veggie Egg bake

On my last day before I start my cleanse I wanted to make something yummy and warming on this cold day. I also wanted to use up my Veggies I won't be using because of doing the cleanse! Justin is going on "vacation" (as Ellery calls it) for the whole week so it's a good week for me to cleanse. No meals to make. The girls will eat freezer meals and leftovers from this yummy dish!


Meaty Veggie Egg bake (Dairy-free)
Adapted from a recipe from A Finn in the kitchen
Serves 6

1 yellow or white onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1cup broccoli florets
1cup sliced baby Bella mushrooms
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound ground beef or ground sausage
1 teaspoon Sausage Seasoning (recipe below - omit if using ground sausage)
5 slices bacon (turkey or regular) chopped into small pieces
8 large eggs
1 1/2 cups almond milk
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, preferably fresh
1/2 teaspoon dried chives
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup nutritional yeast

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 1 1/2- or 2-quart casserole dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until lightly browned, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add mushrooms and broccoli until just cooked through. Remove veggies to a bowl.

In the same pan, add another tablespoon olive oil with beef and Sausage Seasoning. Cook until beef is browned. Cook bacon until it's crispy. Drain.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, mustard, nutmeg, chives, salt, and pepper.

Add your ingredients to the greased casserole dish in the following order: meat, half of your nutritional yeast, veggies, egg mixture, and remaining yeast.

Bake, uncovered for 40-50 minutes. It's done when the top has browned and there is only a small amount of jiggling (if any) when you shake the dish.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes and serve warm.

Sausage Seasoning
From Practical Paleo (not an affiliate link)
Makes 4 1/2 tablespoons

1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon sage
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon black pepper

Combine in a spice or coffee grinder, or small blender. Store in a small covered container.

Enjoy!

Grain Free Fried Chicken

I really had a hankering for fried chicken this week but even my gluten free fried chicken recipe wasn't sugar/starch free...

As fate may have it Trader Joes had organic chicken pieces when I was there this weekend. So the wheels started turning. How could I adapt my recipe so the chicken would be healthy AND crispy and meet our allergen requirements!

Then I realized arrowroot powder could be used in place of corn or potato starch and I could sub the rice flour in my old recipe for a mixture of Coconut and quinoa flours.

Eureka! I struck gold.
I pared it with mashed No-potatoes and roasted broccoli and baby Bella mushrooms. Enjoy!

OK, pay attention – this is a big tip! Once all the pieces have been coated in flour, let them set for 5 minutes then coat once again.

Here’s how I made my chicken:

Gluten Free Fried Chicken Recipe
Ingredients

3 -4 pounds cut up chicken pieces
1 quart dairy-free buttermilk
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon Tabasco (or other hot sauce)
2/3 cup coconut flour
1/3 cup quinoa flour
1/3 cup arrowroot powder
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, plus more for seasoning the chicken
½ teaspoon black pepper, plus more for seasoning the chicken
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
grape seed oil

OK, here is another BIG TIP. Place the fried chicken on a cooling rack placed over a sheet pan lined with paper towels. This will keep you chicken much crispier than laying it on a flat surface lined with paper. You can keep the chicken warm by placing the chicken on the rack into a warm oven.

Directions
Place the chicken pieces in a baking dish and pour on the buttermilk. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk and pat dry with paper towels. Season liberally with salt and pepper.

Whisk the eggs together in a bowl with the Tabasco.

In another bowl whisk together the flour, starch, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder and paprika.
Dip the chicken pieces into the egg mixture then shake off the excess egg and coat well with the flour mixture. Push the flour into the chicken to coat well. Place on a plate and once all the chicken is coated let sit for 5 minutes. Coat the chicken in the flour mixture again.
Line a baking sheet with paper towels and place a wire cooling rack on top. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Fill a large, deep frying pan or Dutch oven halfway with oil. Insert a frying or candy thermometer. Heat oil to 380 degrees. Once the oil is to temperature, carefully lower the chicken into the hot oil, do not crowd the pan. Let cook for 4 minutes and flip over. Cook for 4 more minutes. Larger pieces may take longer. You may have to adjust the temperature to keep the oil at 380 degrees. Remove the cooked chicken and place on the cooling rack, sprinkle with a little salt.

Place in oven to keep warm while finishing up the rest of the chicken. Let the oil come back up to temperature and repeat with remaining chicken.
So there you have it! Crispy, crunchy, juicy, tender, gluten-free fried chicken.
This gluten free recipe serves 6-8 people.