by jphilo | Jun 10, 2015 | Church Newsletter Columns, Recipes
June isn’t usually considered soup weather. But I’d been wanting to try this recipe for Red Thai Soup with Ginger Meatballs ever since a friend posed it on Facebook. The ingredient list included fresh parsley, basil, and cilantro, all of which are ready for harvesting in my herb garden. So we had soup one night, and it was good.
The meatball prep took some time, but the soup went together quickly. Since the recipe makes enough meatballs for 4 batches of soup, several bags of frozen meatballs are ready for quick soup suppers when the weather turns cool again. Both the Man of Steel and I found the soup delicious and filling.
Red Thai Soup with Ginger Meatballs
Ginger Meatball Ingredients:
1 pounds ground beef
1 pound ground pork
2 cups baby bella mushrooms, minced
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 egg
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoonground black pepper
Heat oven to 425 F. Mix all the ingredients by hand in a large bowl. Form into 1-inch balls. (Makes 35–40) Place at least an inch apart on broiler pan. prepared cookie sheets. Cook for 12-15 minutes. Divide into 3–4 quart freezer bags and freeze.
RED THAI MEATBALL SOUP
2-4 tablespoons coconut oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cups Yukon gold potatoes, cubed
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1-2 cups stir-fry vegetables•
4 cups chicken or turkey broth
9-12 juicy meatballs
2 tablespoons red Thai curry paste
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 can coconut cream
Chopped cilantro or basil leaves
Sauté onions, potatoes and mushrooms in coconut oil over medium heat until onion becomes translucent. Add stir-fry vegetables* and cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken broth, meatballs, curry paste, salt and white pepper. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Add coconut cream, cook on medium-low until hot enough to serve. Stir in cilantro or basil right before serving.
*I used sweet red pepper and broccoli. The broccoli was a bit overpowering.
by jphilo | May 20, 2015 | Recipes
This recipe is another that comes compliments of the allergy elimination diet that’s ruled my life for the last month. The good news is that the reintroduction part of the diet is now in full swing, and rice, whole wheat, corn, carrots, potatoes, apples and bananas are now fair game. However, most sugars, all yeast, and alcohol (including vinegars) are still off limits. So to ease my hankering for whole wheat spaghetti noodles topped with marinara sauce, I made up my own version because the prepared sauces contain sugar. I’m still playing with the ingredients, which received the Man of Steel’s coveted seal of approval, to make it even more tomato-ee, but this recipe has added some much needed variety to our menu.
Way Too Healthy Tomato Sauce
1 pound ground beef, pork, or turkey, browned (I used pork)
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 Roma tomatoes, peeled* and diced
1 large onion, diced
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, sliced thin
1/2 cup sweet pepper, diced (optional)
1 cup water
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
Brown meat in large dutch oven. Drain off grease, if needed. Add garlic, onions, and peppers. Saute for 3-4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, water, salt and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a slow simmer. Simmer on stove for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve hot over whole wheat spaghetti noodles.
*Blanch tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minute before peeling and they will peel much more easily.
by jphilo | May 13, 2015 | Recipes
Though the picture above may not be the most exciting foodie shot ever, the events leading up to the picture were pretty exciting. At least for me. Because I’ve slowly been adding foods back into my diet and the introduction of whole wheat was a rousing success. Which means homemade, whole wheat tortillas are now a menu option. Which means tacos are, too.
Or at least I thought they were until I read the ingredient list on the taco seasoning packet and discovered the ingredients included potato starch and sugar, two foods I’ve not yet reintroduced into my diet. And whey. Which comes from milk. Which means no go for this girl.
But since the thought of tacos had me salivating like one of Pavlov’s dogs, I did a quick internet search for DIY taco seasonings and found pages of them. The one I chose came from allrecipes.com and used ingredients already at hand. Though I didn’t have paprika. So I made it without the paprika, banking on my mother’s often stated opinion about the spice. “It doesn’t have any flavor. It’s just for show.” Which could also have been code for “It’s too expensive. We’re not buying it.” But the taco seasoning was delicious without paprika, so maybe she meant what she said.
Anyway, here’s my paprika-free version of the taco mix. For meat, I used one whole chicken breast, cut into very small pieces (smaller than stir fry) and pan fried in a little coconut oil.
DIY Taco Seasoning
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon coarse ground pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 pinch red pepper flakes
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Add 1/4 cup water and spice mix to browned meat. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes until water is evaporated. Serve in whole wheat taco shells with whatever you like for toppings.
by jphilo | May 6, 2015 | Recipes
This recipe comes courtesy of my two weeks spent on a candida elimination diet. With my diet limited to twigs, bark, and leaves meat, veggies and nuts, I didn’t expect to create a new and tasty recipe. But several days in, I needed to add something new to my basic recipe or risk ending the diet early.
So, I took the carcass of the chicken the Man of Steel had smoked on the grill and boiled it down into some very tasty broth. (My original plan was to use canned broth, but one of the ingredients listed on the label was “yeast extract,” a big no-no when eliminating candida.) The broth, combined with some of the leftover chicken and what seemed like the entire contents of the vegetable crisper, created a very healthy and tasty soup. One I plan to make now and then even after the diet ends.
Chicken and Vegetable Soup
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups cooked,, cubed chicken
4 Roma tomatoes, peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves, mashed
2 teaspoons salt
1 large onion, chopped
1 red, yellow or orange sweet bell pepper, diced
2 cups kale, ribbed and coarsely chopped
2 cups baby spinach, coarsely chopped
salt and coarse ground pepper to taste
Bring chicken broth to a boil. Add cooked chicken, salt, crushed garlic, onion, and roma tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1/2 hour. Add bell pepper and simmer at least 15 minutes longer. 5 minutes before serving, add kale and spinach. Stir well so the greens put their bodies under water for a few minutes. Serve hot with salt and coarse ground pepper to taste. This recipe freezes well and heats up well, too.
by jphilo | Apr 29, 2015 | Recipes
Today’s recipe has been on the back burner (no pun intended) for several months. Not because it needs that long to cook. But because in the busyness of the the past several months–weeks spent helping 2 mommies adjust to life with our 2 new grandchildren, book deadlines, and spring speaking engagements–the camera where the above picture was stored disappeared.
I’d given the camera, a really nice Canon Rebel, up for lost. Until a couple weekends ago, when my husband texted some good news while I was in DC for a special needs conference. “Found camera in trunk of my car.”
Hallelujah! The lost is found.
Now that I’ve been home for a while, I’ve been able to dig through the piles that accumulated in my months of Grammy duty, book edits, and travel for work. So now’s the time to pass on this very delicious, nutritious, easy, gluten-free, dairy-free, freezer meal-friendly recipe for chicken enchilada soup which I found at the gimmesomeoven website. The Man of Steel likes the recipe because he can sprinkle his helpings with cheese and sour cream. See what you think.
Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
1 whole boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
2 cups chicken stock
1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce (read the label to be sure it is gluten-free)
2 (14-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, with juice
1 (15-ounce) can whole-kernel corn, drained
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt, or more/less to taste
Place all ingredients in the slow cooker. Stir to combine. Cook for 3-4 hours on high heat or 6-8 hours on low heat, until the chicken is cooked through.
Remove chicken from slow cooker, setting it on a plate to cool for 10 minutes. Use two forks to shred the chicken. Return shredded chicken to slow cooker and stir well.
Serve warm, with optional garnishes: chopped fresh cilantro, diced avocado, diced red onion, shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla strips/chips
Or freeze in a gallon, zippered freezer bag for up to 3 months.
by jphilo | Apr 22, 2015 | Recipes
Today’s recipe falls into the McGyver category of culinary experiences. In other words, it’s one of those recipes made up on the spur of the moment to compensate for a lack of ingredients.
The kind of recipe that can be a total bomb or the start of a new and beautiful creation.
Thankfully, the blueberry pineapple pie I made during the ten days at my daughter and son-in-law’s after the birth of their son was almost as new and beautiful as our grandson.
If the pie pictured above looks familiar, that’s because it looks a lot like the crumb top blueberry pie featured in previous posts on this blog. It is in fact, the very same recipe, except for the addition of a cup of pineapple to compensate for not enough blueberries.
Rather than go to the store (which I had visited numerous times already) for more blueberries, my daughter and I decided to dice some fresh pineapple in with the blueberries stir well, and see what happened.
What happened was very, very good. Delicious even as the the intense flavor of the pineapple along with its distinctive texture, was the perfect contrast to the smoother, blander blueberries.
We decided that when we make it again, and we will, we can cut down more on the sugar and dice the pineapple even smaller. (The recipe below reflects those changes.) And probably make two pies because one doesn’t last very long.
Blueberry Pineapple Pie
3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 cup fresh pineapple, finely diced
2 1/2 tablespoons instant tapioca
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine all ingredients and stir well. Place in an unbaked, nine inch pie shell. Bake for 25 minutes.
Mix together 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup flour. 1/4 cup rolled oats, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 3 tablespoons softened butter (or Earth Balance Buttery Vegan Stick). Sprinkle on top of pie. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes more, until fruit is bubbling in the middle. Cool and serve.
