Soup that's good...

can be easy.
This is my variant of the recipe that comes with Kirkland canned chicken breast from Costco.  Not organic at all, but it is grain-free!

(photo from here)

Thick 'n Hearty Chicken Cheese Soup

1 cup carrots, shredded
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup green onion, sliced
3 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup flour (I used potato flakes instead; just add them until it's the consistency you want; you could probably use arrowroot, too)
2 cups milk
1 can chicken broth
1 can Kirkland chicken breast
1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp. black pepper

In a medium saucepan, cook vegetables in butter until tender but not browned.  Add potato flakes, milk, broth, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper. Cook till thickened.  Stir in chicken and cheese.  Cook and stir over low heat until cheese melts.  Serve hot.

This recipe is extremely easy and forgiving.  You could probably just dump everything into a pot except the milk and cheese, cook the vegetables till tender, then add the milk and cheese.  It's a pretty good, fast supper with some sides like muffins and fruit.

Sleep or Die...

Go here to see it full size.

Grain Free Chocolate Chip Cookies...

Image from somethingsweetbykaren

These are SOOO good!  The kind of good that makes you not care whether or not they're grain free.  Really!  Big, soft and cakey.  I guess if you're not into that and you only like thin, crispy, chewy, these aren't for you.  But when you bake grain free, your tastes change somewhat.
These are the best chocolate chip cookies I've made so far.  They are adapted from the recipe for chocolate chip scones in The Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick butter, melted
1/4 scant cup agave nectar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, and baking soda. In a medium bowl, mix together the butter, agave nectar, and eggs. Stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined, then fold in the chocolate. Drop the batter, in scant 1/4 cups 2 inches apart, onto the prepared baking sheets.  (I used my big cookie scoop.)

Bake for 12 to 17 minutes, until golden brown or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let them cool on the baking sheets.

Eat 'em while they're hot!

Snow...

And finally Winter, with its bitin', whinin' wind, and all the land will be mantled with snow.
Roy Bean

Delicious...

Butternut squash recipe.  I made this tonight and it was so yummy!  I got the recipe and photo here.  I didn't make a paste, I just sprinkled everything on the oiled squash because I found this recipe after it was already in the oven with olive oil drizzled over it.


Spiced Roasted Butternut Squash

• 1 large butternut squash
• 1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Cut ends off butternut squash, peel, and slice lengthwise.
3. Remove seeds and chop into 1 inch cubes.
4. In a medium bowl, combine spices, oil and vinegar into a paste.
5. Add squash and toss until coated.
6. Arrange the squash cubes in one layer in a roasting pan.
7. Roast for 20 minutes, toss once, and cook for an additional 25 minutes or until the squash is browned and is tender throughout.

A delicious new grain-free main dish

The latest installment in my fabulously infrequently updated blog...

Jeff and I have been on a grain-free diet for about 2 months now and we are both feeling much better.  He's lost 20lbs or more and I've lost 7lbs.  His blood sugars are mostly normal now, except one time he forgot his meds and it was 131.  Cravings are much less, too.  Catie and Ben are on it also.
This is a main dish I made up last night to take to game night for Jeff, me, Catie and Ben to eat instead of home made pizza. I didn't realize how many others would like it. I wanted to put it down for posterity in case someone else might want the recipe.


I didn't get a photo but, it looked a lot like this image from Noble Pig.

Grain-Free Lasagna

1 ½ lbs. ground beef

½ lb. bulk mild Italian sausage

1/3 c. chopped pepperoni slices (so maybe Jeff wouldn't miss his beloved pepperoni pizza)

1 jar homemade spaghetti sauce

1 c. homemade mild salsa

1 small can tomato paste

3 small zucchini

1 ½ cups chopped fresh vegetables ( I used carrots, red peppers, mushrooms, broccoli)

2 c. fresh spinach

2 c. cottage cheese

2 eggs

½ c. grated Parmesan cheese (not shakey cheese!)

3 c. grated mozzarella

¼ c. chopped Italian parsley

Fry ground beef and Italian sausage until browned. Add pepperoni and cook till it is soft. Add spaghetti sauce, salsa, and tomato paste. Simmer all together for a few minutes while you get the other layers ready.

Cut the ends off the zucchini and slice them thinly length-wise into noodle-like pieces.

Chop the fresh vegetables of your choice. Toss them with a drizzle of olive oil on a cookie sheet then roast in a 400F oven until they look yummy. Don't let them burn.

Mix the cottage cheese, eggs, Parmesan, mozzarella, and Italian parsley together.

Layer in this order in a 9X13” baking pan:

1. meat mixture
2. zucchini slices laid down like noodles
3. cheese mixture
4. roasted vegetables
5. spinach

Repeat these layers, ending with meat mixture. Top with more grated mozzarella and lastly, more Parmesan. Bake 30-45” in a 350F oven or until bubbly, brown and cooked through.

Note: These measurements are approximately what I used. I cook with years of experience behind me, so many things are made up on the fly. This dish is not going to be inedible if your measurements are different than mine were.

Does everyone know...

Why their dishwasher isn't getting the dishes clean anymore?  Whether you use Cascade or Electrasol or something generic, the federal government mandated awhile ago that dishwasher detergents cannot have phosphates anymore (or at least enough phosphates to get the dishes clean).  There may be a white film on them  that won't wash off or your aluminum items may be gray and weird-looking or maybe the dishes are just not getting clean.
You don't necessarily need a new machine.  Try using about a tablespoon or so of trisodium phosphate (also known as TSP) in one cup of your dishwasher along with your regular detergent.  TSP is available at hardware stores because it is used to wash down walls before painting.  I got mine at Home Depot.  No more problems... Unfortunately, I didn't discover this tip until I'd bought a new dishwasher...

Made this...

(She posted this photo on Facebook, but I can't figure out how to get it on here in a larger size.)

Farmstand Greek Salad from Food to Live By again for the doins' at Sarah's last night. It's relatively easy and everyone likes it.

3 romaine hearts
1 small regular cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into ½-inch dice
½ small red onion, very thinly sliced
15 cherry tomatoes, cut in half, or 2 large tomatoes, cut into ½-inch dice
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
30 kalamata olives, pitted
About 1/3 cup Red Wine Vinaigrette
3 ounces feta cheese, grated or crumbled (about 2/3 cup)
1 red bell pepper, roasted and cut into 1-inch strips, for garnish (I use jarred roasted red peppers)

Directions

1. Remove the cores from the romaine hearts. Carefully rinse the leaves under gently running cold water, drain them well, and spin them dry. Cut the leaves crosswise into 1-inch strips.

2. Just before you plan to serve the salad, place the romaine in a large salad bowl. Add the cucumber, onion, tomatoes, capers, and olives and toss to combine. Add about one-half of the vinaigrette. Toss to lightly coat the leaves, then taste them to see if more vinaigrette is needed.

3. Transfer the salad to a platter or individual salad plates. Sprinkle the feta cheese on top and garnish with some of the bell pepper strips. Serve immediately.


Red Wine Vinaigrette

Ingredients

1 small clove garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon finely minced shallot
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of sugar
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Place all the ingredients in a glass jar and seal the lid tightly. Shake the jar vigorously to combine. The vinaigrette can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 1 month. Let it return to room temperature before using.

Look!

http://www.boisestyle.com/2011/06/pink-blue-floral-print.html

It's Micaela!

More delicious food...

Every recipe I've tried from Food to Live By has been so good!  Really, you must buy it.  I first used Catie's copy until she got back then I ordered a used copy for myself.  I've made the aforementioned Albondigas Soup, Farm Stand Cornbread, Farm Stand Greek Salad, and tonight's Cheesy Zucchini.  Since I started getting Bountiful Baskets I have to find lots of recipes for things I wouldn't normally buy.  It's actually fun.