Cranberry Pork Chops

4 pork chops
1-2 T olive oil
1/3 c dry red wine (can also use balsamic vinegar)
1/2 c honey
1 c fresh cranberries

Trim pork chops of excess fat.  Pat dry and set aside.  Mix red wine and honey completely.  Preheat skillet for 30 seconds before adding olive oil.  Heat oil for 30 seconds.  Add pork chops. Cook pork chops UNTIL 1 minutes after the juices begin appearing on top of the meat.  Turn pork chops over.  Add liquid and cranberries.  Bring mixture to a boil.  Cook for 1 minute when cranberries begin popping.  Remove from pan and serve.

NOTES:

Serve with a green salad or another green veggie as well as quinoa.

Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken

2 pounds of chicken breasts, thighs or legs
1 can pineapple chunks, drained
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1/4 c cornstarch or arrowroot
1/3 c brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T lemon juice
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
1/2 tsp salt

Put chicken into crockpot.  Combine other ingredients and pour over chicken.  Turn on high for about 3 hours or low for about 4-5 hours depending on your individual crockpot.

Garnish:

2 green onions, chopped
3-4 T shredded coconut

Combine and refrigerate until serving

Serve Hawaiian chicken over rice (white or brown).  Garnish with onions and coconut mixture as well as cashews.

Smoked Salmon Pasta

I have not made this in a long time primarily because we have not had any smoked salmon.  But if you received some as a gift for Christmas and have no idea what to do with it, well here is your recipe.

Smoked Salmon Pasta
(If Mimicreme is used, this will be dairy free)

ONLY serves between 3 to 4

8 oz gf spaghetti, capellini or linguine, cooked per directions
1/4 c pine nuts
2 T olive oil
1/3 c shallots, chopped (can substitute white or yellow onions)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 c dry white wine (can substitute pasta cooking water with 1 T lemon juice)
1/4 c cream (we use Mimicreme)
1 T lemon juice
2 T lemon zest (divided)
2 T fresh parsley or dill, chopped
4 oz smoked salmon, cut into bite size pieces
fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:
- Cook pasta per package directions for al dente.  If not using white wine, reserve 1/3 c pasta water for sauce.
- Heat large skillet on medium heat for 30 seconds.  Add pine nuts in single layer.  Stir occasionally until fragrant and lightly brown.  Remove from heat and set aside.
- Add olive oil.  Heat for 30 seconds.  Add garlic and shallots.  Cook for 2 minutes but do not allow garlic to burn.  Add white wine, lemon juice and 1 T of lemon zest.  Increase heat to a boil, reduce liquid by half.  Add cream and boil for an additional minute.
- Add cooked pasta, salmon, toasted pine nuts, parsley and lemon zest.  Season to taste and serve.

Notes:
(1) As previously stated, if Mimicreme is used, this will be a dairy free pasta.  You can also make this dairy free by omitting the cream altogether.  I have done both and it is delicious either way.
(2)  We have made this with shrimp or precooked chicken pieces as well.
(3)  Precooked broccoli or peas can also be added at the end.
(4)  If you would like to add mushrooms, do so before sauteing the garlic and shallots so that the garlic does not burn.
(5) Pine nuts are actually a seed; however, some experience cross-reactivity after consuming pine nuts.  Exercise caution.

Thai Chicken & Coconut Rice

I found this recipe via my friend Bethany's cooking blog:  For the Love of Grub.  It is delicious. I have included Bethany's notes at the bottom as well as a few of my own.

Thai Chicken and Coconut Rice
~ Waiting For The Day - Sonlight Forums

2 14 oz. cans coconut milk
2 c. water
1 t. salt
2 c. uncooked long grain rice
6 T. creamy peanut butter
4 T. Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1-4 t. chili garlic paste (depends on how spicy you like things) **
1/4 c. sesame oil
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed or sliced
6 green onions, sliced
2 medium red bell peppers, sliced thinly

Bring 2 cups coconut milk, water and salt to boil. Stir in rice; cover and reduce heat. Simmer 20 minutes.

OR

Put 2 cups of the coconut milk, water, salt and rice in rice cooker and start cooking.

Meanwhile, whisk remaining milk, peanut butter, Bragg's Aminos and chili garlic paste until blended. Heat sesame oil in large skillet over med-high heat for 2 minutes. Add chicken and stir-fry 5 minutes or until browned. Add onions and bell pepper. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add peanut butter mixture and bring to boil. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Serve over rice.

Bethany's Notes: You could easily cut this recipe in half and use as much chicken as you want. Some people add carrots, green beans, broccoli, pineapple, cashews and/or peanuts for flavor or to stretch the dish a little farther. 

*****

Notes:

(1) For us, the addition of the red bell peppers needs to be later in the recipe as they become too soft if cooked for 10 minutes.  We like ours to have a snap to them.  I suggest adding these after the peanut butter mixture is added and begun to boil.  These only need about 2-3 minutes of cooking.


(2)  If adding bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, baby corn or canned bean sprouts, DRAIN, DRAIN, DRAIN for a long time.  Then pour them out onto a couple of layers of paper towels and pat dry.  The high water content will ruin this recipe if you skip this step.


(3) Chili garlic paste will keep in the fridge for a long time.  Do not skip this ingredient.  We use only 1 1/2 tsp so that it is not too spicy for the younger members of the family.  You can also add some to your individual plate when you eat it.


(4) We will also substitute shrimp for the chicken to change it up.  You could probably also use pork chunks but I have not tried it yet.

Tuscan White Bean and Southern Greens Chicken Soup

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 stalks celery with leaves on, diced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, freshly ground
• 2 15.5-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 cups gluten free chicken broth
• 1 12-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and coarsely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro(optional)
• 10 ounces of southern greens, thoroughly rinsed and roughly chopped
• 2 cups chicken or turkey pieces, precooked

Directions

Heat olive oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add drained beans, broth and chicken.  Bring to a simmer and cook 15 minutes.

In saute pan heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the roasted peppers, minced garlic and cilantro.  Cook until the garlic is soft, about 2 minutes. Stir in the southern greens , cover and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape the contents of the skillet into the pot and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.desired.

NOTES:

(1)  This can be made in the crock pot IF you leave the addition of the roasted peppers and the southern greens until right before you serve the soup.

(2) Southern greens:  I purchase mine from Trader Joe's.  The package includes, spinach, collard greens, kale and turnip greens.  However, you can pick up what you would like at any grocery store.  I started using these because Trader Joe's was out of kale one day.

(3)  This is a great soup for leftovers but only if you add the greens prior to serving them.  When I am going to do this I do not saute the southern greens.  I just throw them into the soup and cook for a few minutes.

Mom's Lentil Soup

This recipe is compliments of my mother, Esther Ruth (Hostetler) Zook who would often make this in the fall when the Midwest weather would turn crisp and cold or would become cold and rainy. "Good soup day!" would be my mom's comment as she began to pull the ingredients out of the cupboards. I think of her every time I make this soup.

Mom's Lentil Soup


1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic chopped
2 T olive oil
3 -4 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
6 cups boiling, gf chicken broth
1 c lentils
1 pinch thyme
1 large can stewed tomatoes (minimum 14.5 ounces) *Personally I like to use Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes because of the flavor that it adds to the soup.

Directions:

(1) Put chicken broth on to boil.
(2) Saute onion and garlic in oil.
(3) Add carrots and celery, saute 2-3 minutes more.
(4) Add chili powder, boiling chicken broth, lentils and thyme.
(5) Cook covered for 35 minutes.
(6) Add tomatoes and cook for 5 more minutes.

Make sure to use boiling water. This decreases that amount of time needed to cook the lentils.

Notes:

This is the basic recipe. There are many things that you can add to make even more yummier soups.

Crock pot Version:   Do NOT use hot water as this will quick cook the lentils.  Use room temperature water or chicken broth.  This should be done in about 4 hours in the crock pot on high.


Lentil and Lamb Stew
Add 1 - 2 cups lamb meat, cooked (Or ground beef, stew meat or sausage.  Even chicken apple sausage is good with this.)
Decrease the water by 2 cups
Add some oregano...Greek oregano if you have it


Today we added cooked chicken, leftover rice and some browned turkey meat. So yummy.


Enjoy!

Chocolate Scotchies

I cannot remember where I found this recipe so I cannot give credit where credit is definitely due!  I apologize.

Chocolate Scotchies

1 c light corn syrup or coconut nectar or honey
1 c turbinando sugar
1 c creamy peanut butter
6 c crisp rice cereal *
1 c semi sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate **
1 c butterscotch chips***

Cook corn syrup and sugar over medium heat until sugar dissolves and begins to boil.  Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter.  Mix thoroughly.  Add crisp rice cereal stirring until well coated.  Press into a 13 x 9 pan lined with aluminum foil.

Mix both chips together in pan over low heat stirring constantly.  Spread melted chips over cereal mixture.  Allow to cool.  Enjoy!

* Make sure to find gluten free crisp rice cereal if you want this recipe to be gluten free.  Brown rice crisp cereal is usually gluten free

** Dark chocolate chips can be found that are dairy free.

** If you make your butterscotch chips from scratch, you will have gluten free chips!