by jphilo | Mar 23, 2016 | Recipes
I’ve been making chicken broth for years by boiling the chicken carcass in a big stock pot. But my daughter recently showed me how to make very flavorful broth in a slow cooker overnight. What could be simpler? Not much as this recipe shows, which works equally well with turkey.
Slow Cooker Chicken Broth
Place the carcass of a roasted or slow cooked chicken carcass, including skin and bones, in the slow cooker. Add pan juices and brown bits scraped from the bottom of the roasting pan. Fill the slow cooker with water. Throw in an onion (quartered), three stalks of celery cut into 3 inch lengths (include the leaves), and 6 garlic cloves (halved). It will look a little gross.
Put the lid on the pot, turn it on low and let it cook overnight. In the morning, run the contents of the slow cooker through a strainer into two large bowls. Allow the broth to cool. Pour into pint freezer bags. Seal and lay the bags flat on cookie sheets. Place cookie sheets in freezer until the broth is solid. Remove bags from cookie sheets, stack and keep in freezer until needed. Makes 8–10 pints of broth.
by jphilo | Mar 16, 2016 | Recipes
Soup season will soon be over. But while it lasts, this recipe is one to try before warm weather hits. Especially if you love Thai food. This recipe is my version of one from the Elana’s Pantry website.
This recipe is easy, dairy-free, gluten-free, and bursting with flavor. It makes a big batch. That’s good because The Man of Steel and I would have quibbled over the leftovers otherwise. Needless to say, this version of Thai soup received the Hiram Coveted Seal of Approval. Next time, I may add some red pepper flakes to add a bit more heat.
Thai Chicken Soup
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 bunch green onion, chopped
- 8 sprigs cilantro, chopped
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 28 ounces coconut
- ½ pound crimini mushrooms
- 1 head broccoli
- 1 pound chicken breasts skinless-boneless, halved lengthwise, sliced on bias, cut into ⅛ inch thick pieces
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons red curry paste
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- ½ cup cilantro, minced
Cooking Instructions
- Warm oil in a large saucepan over medium heat
- Add half of the green onions and cilantro, stirring frequently until softened, about 5 minutes
- Stir in stock and coconut milk and bring to a simmer
- Pour broth through a fine mesh strainer and discard solids (green onions and cilantro)
- Return broth to saucepan
- Reduce heat to medium, add mushrooms and broccoli and cook until tender, about 5 minutes
- Add chicken and cook, stirring constantly, until no longer pink
- Combine lime juice, curry paste and fish sauce in a small bowl then stir into soup
- Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with cilantro, chilies and scallions
by jphilo | Nov 11, 2015 | Recipes
This post is the culmination of a three part series that began with DIY adobo seasoning, which was an ingredient in the raspberry chipotle sauce used in today’s delicious chicken recipe. I first tasted this dish at a church potluck and made it for my daughter and her family a few weeks later. We all loved it, and I’m looking forward to making it again soon, and the Man of Steel is looking forward to eating it.
Chicken with Raspberry Chipotle Sauce
2 grilled chicken breasts sliced into thin strips
1 batch low sugar raspberry chipotle sauce
1 red, yellow, or orange sweet bell pepper cut into thin strips
1 large onion, sliced into thick strips
Place grilled chicken strips in the bottom of a crock pot. Place peppers and onions on top of the chicken. Pour the raspberry chipotle sauce over all. Put lid on crock pot and cook on low for 4 hours.
Serve in tortillas or over rice. Feeds 4.
by jphilo | Nov 4, 2015 | Recipes
Today’s recipe is the second in a series leading to a bang up main dish to be featured next Wednesday. The original recipe can be found at the Food Renegade website. I substituted the DIY adobo seasoning from last Wednesday’s post for the Swanson Organic Mexican adobo and upped the jalepeno peppers for more zing. The sauce goes together quickly and easily. It’s delicious on grilled meat or fish, as well as in next week’s main dish.
Low-Sugar Raspberry Chipotle Sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 jalepeño pepper, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 cups of fresh or frozen raspberries
1/4 cup honey
2 teaspoons DIY adobo seasoning
Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add minced jalepeño peppers and cook until caramelized. Slowly add apple cider vinegar and stir gently, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen the browned jalepeño bits. Add raspberries, honey, and adobo seasoning.
Cook down until sauce forms, stirring regularly. Lower the heat and simmer until reduced to desired thickness. Remove chipotle sauce from heat and pour into jar or bowl. Allow to cool before serving.
by jphilo | Aug 26, 2015 | Recipes
Today’s recipe is a great after school snack. It’s perfect for kids who come home hot and hungry the first few weeks of school. The original recipe comes from one of those annoying websites with lots of confusing arrows and pop up ads. The kind of websites I usually hate. But the ingredients were healthy and the recipe was easy to make dairy-free.
So I gave it a try. The frozen pops were tasty and satisfied my sweet tooth. The original recipe suggested freezing them in popsicle molds. Since I don’t have them and don’t want to reclutter my cabinets, I used 3 ounce. Dixie cups and plastic straws cut in half instead. The cups worked beautifully. The straws not so much. Next time–and I will make them again– I’ll use wooden craft sticks instead.
Dairy-Free Pineapple Cream Pops
1 large, ripe, fresh pineapple cut into cubes
2 cans coconut cream (not coconut milk)
1 lime
Stevia to taste
Open the cans of coconut cream (DO NOT SHAKE THEM) and skim off the heavy cream on top. Put it in a small, deep bowl. (Refrigerate the rest of the coconut liquid and use it in smoothies or baking.) Whip the coconut cream with an electric mixer until it is frothy and thick.
Put the pineapple cubes in the blender. Process until you have a smooth, frothy mixture. Add the juice of 1 lime and process for another minute. Add the coconut cream to the blender and process until all ingredients are mixed well. Taste the mixture and add Stevia if it needs sweetening.
Pour the liquid into 3 ounce. Dixie cups.
Put a wooden stick or plastic straw in each cup.
Cover with foil. Put in freezer for several hours. Before serving, peel off the paper. Enjoy!
