Category: Main dishes

Black Bean and Cilantro Soup

This is another one of those easy to prep Crockpot meals. It can be vegetarian or you can add chicken if desired.

Ingredients :

2 cans black beans drained or about 1/2 bag (of 1 pound bag) cooked from dry beans

1/2 onion, diced

1 jalapeño, seeded and diced

1 garlic clove, minced

8 oz tomato sauce

1 can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt or more

2 chicken thighs, cooked and shredded (may be omitted or more may be used)

6 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

1/2 cup cilantro

 

Directions:

Place all ingredients except cilantro in Crockpot. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Add in cilantro about 10 minutes before serving.

 

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Red Curry

This is one of my go to simple meals. It requires no chopping and can be left alone for a bit while attending to other things. Variety can be achieved by changing up the meat, using green curry paste instead, clanging the rice, or changing which vegetable mix to use. You can also use this as a way to use up almost any random vegetable you have sitting around.

 

1 T olive oil

1/2 jar Thai kitchen red curry paste

1 can coconut milk

2-4 cups additional coconut milk from a can or carton

2 cups shredded, pre-cooked chicken

3-4 cups frozen Asian vegetables (any mix is fine)

4-5 green onions (optional)

1 cup matchstick carrots (optional)

Juice of 1 lime

2-3 T. Fish sauce

Additional salt if desired

 

Heat the oil and curry paste for 2 minutes. Add coconut milk and stir. Add chicken and vegetables. Add any additional coconut milk that’s needed to cover vegetables and chicken. Cook until chicken is warm and vegetables are to desired tenderness. Add lime and fish sauce. Salt to taste and serve over rice.

 

Roasted whole chicken

This was a delicious chicken . I followed the instructions, but used dairy free butter (earth balance ) instead of regular butter.  Since the instructions are simple and I just changed the butter, I’m referring you to their site (see previous post about children😊) Enjoy ! 

 

Original recipe : https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/83557/juicy-roasted-chicken/

Tomato Basil Balsamic Chicken

This is a beautiful meal that I made for my in-laws awhile back. Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of it at this time because I was taking a break from blogging because I just didn’t have capacity (I recently had my second child. They are lovely and made it much higher on the priority list than my blog 😁).

I actually didn’t change a thing and the directions are simple, so check out the original recipe below!

Original recipe: https://thewanderlustkitchen.com/tomato-basil-balsamic-chicken/

Crispy fried chicken tenders

One thing I miss is fried chicken. Sometimes you can get it gluten free, but it usually has eggs and/or dairy in it. Here is a recipe for fried chicken that my husband and I really enjoyed. It does take some time and requires an apron (I mean, I guess you could make it without an apron, but aprons are fun!)

Ingredients :

1 package chicken tenders-about 3-4 pounds

2 tablespoons kosher salt, divided

3 tablespoons smoked paprika

2 tablespoons ground white pepper

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon celery salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon ground mustard

2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 cups Bob’s red mill 1 to 1 flour mix

Wet ingredients :

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup almond milk, unsweetened

2 flax eggs (2 T. Golden flaxseed and 6 T. water combined)

2 quarts peanut or vegetable oil , for deep frying

 

Directions :

Sprinkle 1 T. salt on chicken tenders. Let sit for 30 minute.  Combine all spices (but not the flour, cornstarch or salt) together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients except oil. Sprinkle half the spice mixture on the chicken. Then add the salt, cornstarch and flour to the rest of the spice mixture. Dip the chicken in the wet mixture and then the dry. Press on the chicken to help the coating stick. Place on wire rack to air dry for 10-30 minutes. Don’t skip that part!

 

Frying:

Place another wire rack over a baking sheet. Heat oil in a deep pot (Dutch oven or a saucepan-not a shallow skillet). Use a candy thermometer to help you get it to 350 degrees. Place one layer of chicken in the bottom and rotate with tongs after 3 minutes. Cook each tender for 5-6 minutes. Check for internal temperature of 165 degrees or you can cut one open in the biggest part and see if it looks done. Put it back in the oil if you are in any doubt. Once cooked, cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Make sure the oil is still 350 degrees before adding second batch. Enjoy!

 

Original recipe :

https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-crispy-juicy-fried-chicken-that-s-better-than-kfc-242602

Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers

I now have two kids and for some reason haven’t gotten around to posting anything in a long time…

Ingredients:

5 bell peppers- any color

1 1/4 c. cooked brown rice

1 pound cooked ground beef (I cooked up some diced onions with the ground beef)*

8 oz. tomato sauce

1 T. Worchestershire sauce

1 T. gluten free soy sauce

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 inch water in bottom of crockpot

 

Directions:

Cut out the stems and remove seeds from the peppers.  Combine all ingredients except water.  Put filling inside of peppers.  Place peppers in the crockpot.  Fill crockpot about 1/2 an inch with water.  Cook on low for 5-6 hours.  May be topped with cheese.

 

*As a time saving measure, I pre-cook a bunch of ground beef at once and freeze it in one pound portions.  I sometimes even cook onions with it.  I can pull together a meal much faster when the beef is already done and then I just dirty the skillet once :-).

 

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Pot Roast

This is my favorite roast recipe. It is so easy and quick. You can also add or take away ingredients and adjust the size of your roast and it should still be fine. Cook it longer if your roast is bigger.

Ingredients :

1 teaspoon each of thyme, oregano, sage, celery seed, garlic salt, onion salt, black pepper, parsley

1 bay leaf

3 teaspoons salt

1-2 cups water

3-5 pound roast

Directions :

Combine all spices and salt. Tub on outside of roast. Place seasoned roast in crockpot and add bay leaf and water. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or until the roast comes apart easily with a fork. You may add in some vegetables in the last few hours if desired.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orange Shrimp Scampi

I think this was the best meal I’ve ever made.  Hopefully I codified it correctly so you too can experience it!  I was scraping out all the extra oil in the pan with spaghetti noodles.  Even my toddler loved the flavor!  And to think it came about because my jar of lemon juice had gone bad!  Hence the experimentation with orange juice.

 

Ingredients:

1 package of gluten free spaghetti (I used HEB brand.)

4 T. olive oil (not extra virgin)

4 cloves garlic, minced (I started using fresh garlic again and it is so much better than the jar!)

1 lb peeled and deveined large shrimp, thawed if pre-frozen

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 to 1 1/2  tsp salt (to taste)

4 tsp dried parsley

1/4 c. fresh parsley

1/4 c. freshly squeezed orange juice and juice of 1/2 a lime

1-2 tsp fresh orange zest (I think it was 2)

1/4 orange, thinly sliced in half rounds (I forgot to do this so it is not pictured)

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

 

Directions:

Cook spaghetti noodles according to package directions.  Heat oil over medium low heat.  Add the garlic and stir for one minute, then add the thawed shrimp, black pepper, salt, and dried parsley.  Cook until shrimp is pink, about 5-10 minutes.  Remove from heat and add the fresh parsley, orange and lime juice, orange zest, and red pepper flakes.  Stir in the drained spaghetti noodles and then add in the orange slices.

Original recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/linguine-with-shrimp-scampi-recipe3.html

Mexican Pineapple Beef

I loved this dish so much I have already made it twice in the last month.  Once again, it looks super fancy, but it’s relatively simple.

2 pounds sirloin or similar steak, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks

1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks

3 cups pineapple, cut into 1 inch chunks

 

Marinade:

3 T. tomato paste

2 T. olive oil

2 T. white wine vinegar

2 T. honey

1 T. gluten free soy sauce (I prefer Kikkoman’s Gluten Free Soy Sauce)

1 tsp. chipotle chili powder

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp fish sauce

1/8 tsp cloves

1 garlic clove, minced

Directions:

Combine the ingredients of the marinade and then stir into the chopped steak, pepper, and pineapple.  Allow to marinate for 4 hours or more in the fridge.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Bake at 450 degrees for 6 minutes, then stir and drain off excess liquid.  Cook for another 6-9 minutes and drain again.  Take it out of the oven and top with cilantro.  Serve with lime slices.

 

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Original recipe:

https://thehealthyfoodie.com/sheet-pan-pineapple-beef-mexican-twist/

Sweet Potato Sausage Bake

So, I had a baby! I took almost a year off from updating my recipes, but I plan to start again although at what rate I don’t know.  Anyway, I have been working on finding recipes that don’t take a lot of time because who wants to spend forever in the kitchen when there’s a cute baby around?!  I used to do a lot of stove top meals, but I have recently found myself drawn to oven and crock pot recipes.  That way I can work on them at times that are more convenient.

I found this recipe the other day based on the ingredients I had on hand. It’s tasty and doesn’t have lots of ingredients.

3 medium sweet potatoes, diced into 3/4inch cubes

1medium onion, diced

1 pound ground sausage, pinched into 1 inch pieces

Few dashes salt

Few dashes garlic powder

Olive oil (maybe 1/4cup)

Lightly oil 9×13 glass casserole pan. Toss all ingredients in a large bowl to coat with olive oil. Spread in casserole dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 400 degrees for 45-50 minutes. The original recipe calls for this to be cooked in the crockpot, so that’s an option too.

 

Original Recipe:

https://blogbydonna.com/slow-cooker-sweet-potato-and-sausage-recipe/

 

 

 

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