Chicken Cacciatore with Brussels Sprouts Gratin (gluten free)

 This meal was so good and fun to make!!  I seriously finished my plate in 5 minutes and went back for seconds!! 

Ingredients for Chicken Cacciatore:

1 1/2 lbs of chicken thighs and/or chicken breast tenders

• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup almond meal flour, for dredging
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large bell pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 ( 28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons drained capers
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves
• 
  

Directions: 

Sprinkle the chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour to coat lightly. I used my handy Cajun Batter Pro for less mess! Chicken on one side flour mix on bottom then shake! 

In a large heavy saute pan, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the chicken pieces to the pan and saute just until brown, about 5 minutes per side. If all the chicken does not fit in the pan, saute it in 2 batches. 

Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. Add the bell pepper, onion and garlic to the same pan and saute over medium heat until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 

Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice, broth, capers and oregano. 

Return the chicken pieces to the pan and turn them to coat in the sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Continue simmering over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through, about 30 minutes 

Ingredients for Brussels Sprouts Gratin:

2 Tbs butter

1 Tbs almond meal flower

1 Tbs arrowroot (thickening) 

1 Cup Milk 

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper 

directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350

Clean, trim stems of Brussels sprouts. Cut in half and keep all of loose leaves. Fill medium stock pot half way with water, bring to boil. Add Brussels sprouts , stirring in hot water and blanch quickly for about 2 minutes or until they turn bright green. Immediate drain. Do not cook Brussels sprouts and make them soft! 

 In large pan melt butter, then add flour and quickly stir with whisk to combine and remove clumps. Turn off heat.

Add milk, salt, cheese, and black pepper. Stir until cheese is melted.

Add Brussels sprouts and combine with cheese mixture. Pour into baking dish and bake for about 30-45 minutes or until Brussels sprouts are tender.

For extra cheese crust, sprinkle cheese on about 10 minutes before Brussels sprouts are finished. 

There you go! An absolutely delicious and nutritious meal! I hope you will try. 

-Rachel 

Mongolian Beef

I decided to do something with beef. I was getting kind of tired of chicken and plus the Hub loves him some beef!!  For some reason he thinks it's more manly. Like unshaven, rough & rugged manly.  So I made him a beef recipe and ya know what???  He said its one of my best recipes I've tried and I agreed with him!  Nice!  It was super easy and really didn't take that much time to make. I just steamed some Cauliflower and Broccoli to go with it but you could do any veggies. Or add in some rice or quinoa if you choose. So here it is Brads Fav Mongolian Beef...

What you will need...
-1 lb Sirloin Steak sliced 
-3 Tbsp Arrowroot Powder
-1/2 tsp Sea Salt
-1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
-1/2 cup Olive Oil
-1 Tbsp Ghee or grass fed Butter
-2 Tbsp Chopped Garlic
-1 tsp Fresh Grated Ginger
-Dash of Red Pepper Flakes
-1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
-1/2 cup Coconut Aminos ( or Gluten Free Tamari sauce)
-1/2 cup Beef Broth
-1/3 cup Honey
-3 Green Onions chopped 

Cut the Steaks into 1/4 inch slices.  Add the Arrowroot Powder to a bowl and blend in the Sea Salt & Pepper.  Dip each of the pieces into the mixture shaking off excess powder and lay aside.  Leave coated steak to sit for 15 minutes this allows the coating to really adhere to the steak.    

 Now make the sauce while the steak is sitting. Melt 1Tbsp of Ghee in saucepan over medium heat.  Add garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes and cook for about a minute.  Add Sesame Oil, Coconut Aminos (or gf Tamari) and beef broth and honey. Turn heat up and stir until sauce thickens slightly about a couple minutes.  Turn off heat let sauce stand while you cook your steak. 

Take your 1/2 cup Olive Oil and heat up in pan on medium or until hot. Using tongs gently drop the steak pieces in and cook for about 2 minutes on each side or until slightly browned. 

 Remove the beef and place on Paper Towels to remove excess oil.  Clean oil out of pan and then return it to the heat.   Add the beef back into the pan and add your sauce to the same pan. Cook a couple more minutes for beef to be fully cooked and add green onion then cook for one more minute. 

There will be extra sauce so you can use it for your veggies If you'd like or rice/quinoa if your having that. 
And there you go.. Mongolian Beef.. 

Don't be too surprised how good it is I warned you :)
Enjoy!
-Jessica 

Kung Pow Chicken

I  am always looking for meals that I can cook under 30 minutes for those days when I am in a hurry which quite frankly is MOST of the time. So one thing I always keep on hand for days when I need quick meals is frozen cooked chicken breast strips. Trader joes sells some that are barbecued and it is great! I use it often to put on top of salads, but a few days ago I decided to make Kung Pow Chicken with it. Yum!

I started by putting the frozen chicken breast strips in the pan on medium heat to start cooking. While that was cooking I chopped I large onion and a bellpepper. Throw the veggies in and sauté for 5 minutes.

 

Then I added 1 tablespoon of chipotle paste (adobo sauce) for a bit heat! 

Then I added 2 tablespoon of gluten free soy sauce. 

Then 2 teaspoon of sesame oil. 

Then for a little bit if sweet I add 1/3 cup of pure maple syrup. 

Then add 1/3 cup of peanuts!

Then I season all of it with about 1 tablespoon of cumin and then salt and pepper to taste. 

 

Then sauté for a few more minute and you will have delicious Kung Pow Chicken!! Serve over brown rice or quinoa if you like!!

-Rachel 

Peppermint Chocolate Protein Balls

I've been seeing all these recipes for protein balls and I was kinda like, "what the heck do you need a protein ball for?"  But they looked kinda good so I thought I would try it. I reviewed a few recipes and took a little bit from a couple different ones and well made my own.  I have digestive issues with Whey Protein so I ended up making mine with Hemp Protein. I think if you can tolerate Whey then they would probably be that much better because typically Whey tastes better anyways. Now these protein balls are not baked so they have kind of a thicker cookie doughish texture to them. You keep them in the refridgerator and just take them out as needed. So I have to say I'm kind of a fan of Protein balls now. For one, they are pretty tasty and they are extremely convenient when you need a snack. For two,  when your tempted to eat something bad they are just right there for eating so you don't put something in your mouth that you will regret later. Brad even liked them which is a big plus!  So it's  a super healthy little snack of Protein and Omegas with the Chia seeds and you get a little coconut and dark chocolate in the mix. Oh and peppermint.  Definetly don't forget the peppermint!!  I swear it makes everything good! 


Ingredients:
1/2 cup Coconut flour
1 scoop Chocolate Protein Powder (or 4 Tbsp of Hemp Protein)
1 cup Coconut Milk
4 tsp Natural Cocoa Powder
1/4 cup Chia Seeds
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp of Natural Vanilla Essence
1/4 tsp of Peppermint Essence
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp Coconut Palm Sugar
1/2 cup Shredded Coconut 
100% Dark Chocolate for drizzling 

So basically your going to put in a bowl all your dry ingredients then add the Coconut milk and vanilla and peppermint and honey.  I just took a butter knife and started slicing through and mixing the ingredients together then moved to a fork and made sure everything was super mixed. If you have a food processor this would probably be a great time to use it but I'm still in need of one.  Now it should be like cookie dough, thick enough to stay together and moist enough to not crumble apart. So if you find yours is crumbly add more coconut milk. And if you think it's to moist add more protein powder or even coconut flower.  They aren't going to be baked so make them to a consistency that they will stay in a ball. Then roll them in your shredded coconut, drizzle with your melted dark chocolate and place in the refridgerator. And eat whenever your feeling like you need a protein ball :)
Enjoy!
-Jessica 
 

Chipotle Cauliflower Soup

There is seriously nothing better then hot soup on a cold fall night and I have been deliberating between making two of my favorite soups, Chipotle Corn Chowder and Cauliflower Soup. So I decided, hey why not combine my two favorite recipes together! Get ready for it yall! It is beyond delicious! Chipotle Cauliflower Soup! Here is what you need.

Ingredients:

5 strips of Applewood Smoked Bacon
1 yellow onion (chopped)
1 Cup chopped carrot
1 Cup chopped celery
1 head of cauliflower (chopped)
1 small can of diced Chilis
2 Chipotle peppers with Adobo Sauce
2 Cups Chicken Stock
4 Cups Coconut Milk (sub regular milk if you prefer)

First thing I did was spray the bottom of my dutch oven put with a little olive oil and chop the bacon into pieces and drop them in. I like using the applewood smoked bacon, because it adds to the smoky flavor of the soup.

While the bacons is cooking chop your onion, carrots, and celery and toss them in the pot.

Then chop up the head the cauliflower and toss it in as well.

Give it a few stirs. Then you will want to add in your 1 can of chilies.

Next add the Adobo peppers with two table spoons of the adobo sauce from the can. I usually just take two peppers out of the can and chop them up finely. The peppers are pretty spicy so you can either add just one pepper or even just add the two tablespoons of adobo sauce by itself. You cannot skip this step! This absolutely MAKES this recipe! It gives it the yummy smoky chipotle flavor! 

Stir it a few more times and then let everything sauté for about 10 minutes. Then add in your 2 cups of chicken broth and 4 cups of coconut milk (or regular milk if you prefer).

Put the lid on your pot and let it simmer for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want to make sure that the cauliflower is very tender when you get ready to use your hand blender.

Blend it until you get the thickness and texture that you like. I blended mine really well.

 Then salt and pepper to taste. You can add any of your favorite seasonings or hot sauce if you like! I added a bit of my favorite Cajun seasoning, Tony Chachere's and Louisiana hot sauce. Then get ready to dig into this super smoky and spicy delicious soup! It has such a kick and I love love love it! I think you are going to love it too so give it a try!!

Rachel

Chunky Olive Hummus

This is my "go to" healthy snack. Hummus is so tasty and super healthy if you eat it with your favorite veggies! I make a batch at the beginning of the week when I do my food prep and then when I need a quick snack I have it all ready to eat! Trader joes also makes a great chunky olive hummus, but if you feel like making it yourself this is the recipe I use! 

• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas) drained and rinsed
• Juice of one lemon
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1 cup pitted Queen Spanish Olives (or any brand of large green olives)
• 1 cup black olives

Add the garlic to the food processor. Pulse until the garlic is finely chopped. Next, add your garbanzo beans, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Process until all ingredients are blended and smooth. The final step is to add your olives, and pulse for only one to two seconds at a time to make sure the olives stay chunky. Taste the hummus and adjust flavoring with salt & pepper to taste. 

Serve with your favorite veggies!

-Rachel