Chicken Nuggets

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

(All measurements are estimates. I eyeball everything)

Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs cut into 2x2 inch pieces (approx.)

In a gallon-size freezer ziploc bag, dump generous amounts of:

- Onion powder (2 tbs)
- Paprika (2 tbs)
- Salt (1-2 tsp)
- Herbs de Provence (1 tbs) (or whatever assortment of dried herbs you have handy)
- Olive Oil (1/2 cup or so)

Throw chicken pieces in and shake vigorously to coat.

Toss in scant 1/4 c rice flour and shake again.

Place in single layer in roasting pan.

Bake for 8 minutes, turn pieces, bake for additional 5 minutes, or until done.

Coconut Muddy Buddies

(Also known as "Puppy Chow")

I've made this with Sunbutter in lieu of peanut butter and my kiddos loved it. I'm not a Sunbutter fan, so I didn't care for it. When I stumbled across the concept of Coconut Butter, I made it with this very recipe in mind.

We were not disappointed. Oh. My. Goodness. If possible, this is actually *better* than the original recipe! Think Mounds Bar + Crunch Bar.

There's a bit of leg work in getting the ingredients together, if they're not readily available in your pantry. That aside, this recipe is just as quick and easy as the original found here.

Directions:

Follow the recipe for original Muddy Buddies, in the link above.

Substitute Coconut Butter for peanut butter

Substitute Coconut Oil for butter

Enjoy!

Note on sourcing ingredients:

-Trader Joe's Chocolate Chips are dairy-free, $1.99/bag

- If you don't want to process your own coconut butter from scratch, you can either:
a) Buy Coconut Butter from Amazon.com (no, I don't get a cut of that)
b) Buy plain coconut flakes and blend it into butter yourself.

They. Ate. Thirds.

I was floored, flabbergasted and ecstatic. Two of my three kiddos are light eaters and one in particular generally takes aaaaaaas looooooong aaaaaaas possible to finish his dinner, even if he likes it. Having thirds of anything - really, anything - is unheard of.

We've never read Calvin & Hobbes to the kids, but as my oldest climbed the basement stairs and entered the kitchen, his first question, wrinkly nose and all was, "What's that smell?" 

Who knew Italian sausage could smell repulsive. I personally think it has a pleasant comfort-food aroma. Much to his chagrin I announced that it was dinner and yes, he would be eating it.

Dinner was actually a variation on a theme - the adults in the house being the only members of the family who could actually enjoy the entire dish (due to allergies).

Roasted Potatoes:

Med. Red Skin potatoes (roughly 2-3 lbs) cut in large-bite-size pieces (skin on)

Tossed in:

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Paprika

Oregano

Basil

Parsley

Onion powder 

(basically every savory herb I could quickly grab, except garlic which one of the kiddos is allergic to)

Roast at 400 degrees for about 30 min, on parchment covered baking sheet. Turn a couple times for even roasting.

Italian Sausage:

Bulk-style (no skin). Pan-fried over med-low until cooked through and crumbly

Eggs:

Sunny-side-up (2 each for the adults, 1 for a non-allergic child)

Shredded cheese for non-dairy allergic folks.

Assembly:

The kiddos who ate thirds had potatoes with sausage on top. They LOVED it. Yes, that grouchy boy who knew he was going to hate dinner, loved it.

It was one of those moments where you want to bang your head on something because you try to make elaborate meals that everyone can eat (and will like) and apparently all it takes is a 99 cent bag of potatoes and some sausage. Well, what's not to love, right? No head-banging ensued because honestly, thirds?!?!?!?! I really can't complain!

Hubby and I had the Potatoes, sausage, shredded cheese and eggs on top. Delish! Garlic-allergic kiddo had potatoes, cheese and an egg (no sausage for her). She had seconds on potatoes.

Meatless Friday

This recipe for Smoked Salmon Hash with Guacamole was in the paper, recently.

I thought it would be a good Meatless Friday meal. I like that Wolfgang Puck suggests dicing and sautéing the veggies the night before - he sounds like my kind of cook!

I'm including the recipe here, in case they remove the link at some point in the future:

1 c. red pepper
3/4 c. red onion
1.5 c potatoes
All diced fine
Saute peppers and onions first, set aside
Saute potatoes, covered for 5 min until tender (season with salt&pepper to taste)
Add to peppers/onions

1/2 lb cold smoked salmon, coarsely chopped
1 Tbs minced fresh dill
4 eggs, whisked
Combine
Scoop mixture, 1/2 cup at a time into saute pan drizzled with olive oil (med-high heat) cook 2-3 min, flip, repeat.

Garnish with Guacamole (he includes a recipe for this, but I prefer a simpler version)

1 avocado, mashed
squirt of lemon juice
salt&pepper to taste
(may throw in some red pepper or garlic powder)

"Chipotle" Burrito Bowls on the Cheap

This is definitely a multi-step meal. It's one of those recipes that only seems manageable if all the stars align. Apparently they did, today.

One of my children is allergic to garlic, so when I had a bunch of tomatoes that needed to be used, fresh garlic-free salsa seemed an obvious choice. I bought fresh cilantro and lime juice for the recipe, which sparked the idea for the rest of the meal...

Salsa: Fresh Tomato Salsa - I omitted the jalapeños. I made this in the a.m.

Meat:
Roast Beef* seasoned to taste with cumin, dried oregano, a bay leaf, salt & pepper.

Rice:
Basmati rice, cooked as usual, with an added bay leaf.
After cooking, squirt lime juice over rice (to taste). Add finely chopped fresh cilantro. Fluff rice with a fork.

Black Beans:
Open can, warm.

Fajita Veggies:
Green pepper and onion, sliced and sautéed in olive-oil.
(Not normally something I'd bother with, but what else do you do with a leftover 1/2 a green pepper?)

Put everything on the table and assemble in your own bowl! Sour cream, shredded cheese and chopped lettuce were available to add as desired.

This was a huge hit, especially with the kids since they never get the real deal from Chipotle. My garlic-allergic child was over the moon about "her" salsa!

*Roast Beef:
I had previously crock-potted a 3 lb. beef chuck roast overnight on low, with a bit of beef stock, a couple bay leaves, salt & pepper.

In the morning I divided the roast into 6 wide-mouth pint-size canning jars (3/4 full), distributing the juices among the jars.

I put these in the chest freezer for later use.

To use: run lower part of jar under hot water for about 30 seconds. The frozen meat/juice then slides out easily to be thawed/warmed in a covered pan over low heat, stirring occasionally. At this point, you can add whatever seasonings you like to make the beef suit your meal.

Why a canning jar? - No plastic flavor!

For this recipe I used 2 jars for 2 adults and 3 young children. This was more than enough; in the future I'll stick to 1 jar.

Meatless Friday

Pancakes and fish. Not normally recipes I would put in the same post, but since they're amazing, I'm eating both of them today (for different meals) and they're meatless, here you go!

High-Protein Gluten-Free Pancakes

*contains eggs and dairy products*

Follow this recipe from Whole Foods website with the following changes:

substitute 1 cup of wheat flour for 1 cup of gluten-free flour (link found here).

I eyeball the milk, adding a bit at a time, since GF flour takes different amounts of liquid than wheat flour. I'd guess I use roughly 1/3 cup.

I skip the oil ever since I forgot to add it once and it didn't make any difference whatsoever.

I also add 1-1.5 tsp vanilla extract. I love vanilla extract.

Cook on a griddle over med heat until the batter bubbles, then flip (2nd side cooks quickly!)

Dad's Amazing Swai (fish)**

*allergen-free, aside from fish*

I'm not sure if he invented this or got the recipe elsewhere, so credit goes to my dad. Thanks Dad!

Cover baking sheet in aluminum foil for easy clean-up

Heat oven to 400 degrees

Ingredients:

Thawed Swai fillets, approx 1 per person
- bought at Aldi, $5.50 for a 2 lb bag

Olive oil heated with onion (I'm using powder) and dried parsley to infuse flavor

Crushed potato chips

Directions:

Blot fillets with paper towel to get rid of excess moisture

Coat fish with olive oil and cover liberally in potato chip crumbs, both sides.

Tuck under smaller tail ends so they don't dry out

Bake for 12-15 minutes.

How tough is that?! ...and it's melt-in-your-mouth, tastes like a-million bucks AMAZING!

P.S. All 3 of my children had seconds!

**Never heard of Swai? I hadn't either. Here's a brief introduction to this delicious, inexpensive fish.

Amazing Slow-Cooker Potatoes

I needed a mostly make-ahead, quick-finish brunch recipe for after church yesterday.

Inspired by the skillets I love at Ann Arbor's Café Marie, and combining this family-favorite recipe with this technique, I ended up with mouth-watering potatoes and a great brunch-food base. Potato recipe first, and then I'll tell you how I made a meal out of it.

Amazing Slow-Cooker Potatoes

• 2-3 lbs. thin-skinned (gold) potatoes, scrubbed, rinsed, and cut in 1/2" pieces
• 4 Tablespoons olive oil or butter
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed fine [optional]
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• generous sprinkling of garlic powder [optional]
• 2 teaspoons medium-coarse salt

Put olive oil or butter in the slow cooker and turn it on high while you wash & cut up the potatoes.

Mix the seasonings together in a bowl.

When the butter in the slow cooker is mostly melted or the oil is warm, add the potatoes to the slow cooker and stir around to coat with the butter / oil. Add the seasoning mixture and stir to coat.

Put the lid on and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-5 hours.

Slow-Cooker-Potato Brunch (serves 6)

• Slow-Cooker Potatoes, as prepared above
• 6 eggs
• 1 package baby spinach
• grape tomatoes, washed and sliced in half (I use kitchen shears)
• cheddar cheese, grated [optional]
• butter / oil for cooking

When the potatoes are done:

Cook 6 eggs in butter / oil in a skillet, sunny-side up.

Melt butter / heat oil in another pan (I used my enameled cast iron dutch oven); add spinach and grape tomato halves. Cook until spinach is wilted. 

Add spinach & tomatoes to potatoes (or vice versa), and stir to combine, along with cheese, if desired.

Top serving of potatoes/spinach/tomatoes with a sunny-side up egg.

Finish with a slice of the apple pie that your brunch guests brought. Yum!

GF Flour & Perfect GF/DF Pie Crust

GF Gluten-Free, DF Dairy-Free

This flour mix is wonderful for quick breads, pancakes, roux, etc. Use 1:1 for wheat flour substitution.

Gluten-Free Flour Recipe

Note: I don't add the baking soda or baking powder, as not all recipes call for these.

I recommend multiplying the recipe and storing it at room temp in an air-tight container.

The following flours/starches are made by Bob's Red Mill, available at Whole Foods and amazon.com:

White Rice Flour

Sorghum Flour

Potato Starch

Xanthum Gum (a little goes a long way, so don't like the price shock you!)

For the Tapioca Starch/Flour I use Ener G brand - available at Whole Foods, walmart.com, amazon.com

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I got the basis for the pie crust recipe from the bottom of a Morrell Snow Cap Lard box - yes, lard. yum.

The Perfect Pie Crust
yield: 2 single crusts or 1 double pie crust

2 c Flour (Wheat or the above Mix)

1 tsp Salt

2/3 c Lard or cold Butter (in pieces)

5 or so Tbsp ice water (see note)

Note: Before I begin the recipe, I fill a small bowl with cold tap water, put an ice cube in it and pop it in the freezer. By the time I'm ready for the water, it's ice cold

Directions:

Mix flour and salt.

Cut in lard or butter with pastry blender or forks until mix resembles small peas.

Add water a small amount at a time just until mixture sticks together when pressed agains the side of the bowl.

Lay 2 baking-sheet-size pieces of plastic wrap on counter. Divide mixture between each sheet. Gather plastic wrap and press dough into a flattened ball. Wrap the plastic wrap around the ball. Place both balls in the fridge to chill.

Lightly flour a Pastry Cloth and Rolling Pin Cover.

Roll out chilled pastry dough to 1/8" thick. Trim to size and invert into pie plate or freeze for later use.

Bake in pie plate at 450 degrees for 8-10 min, or follow your pie's recipe.

TO FREEZE FOR LATER USE: Place rolled dough on parchment paper and roll up paper. Place in a freezer ziploc bag. Freeze. Defrost on counter in bag, until soft enough to unroll, about an hour.

Lard:

Yes, I use lard as a butter substitute in crusts for my dairy-allergic children. I tried going to a local  butcher in hopes of buying real (non-hydrogenated) lard. Unfortunately, he explained, since everyone's scared of lard, I'd be lucky to be able to buy the leaf-lard fat (to render myself) from a butcher who does their own slaughtering. Who knew. Well, there's an education for you. Real lard: Rarer than gold.

If you know of a source of real lard in the Twin Cities, please let me know!

I did find one source in Mankato: Prairie Pride Farm...also as expensive as gold (ok, not quite).