Mexican Chicken Stew

I have my friend Jenn and my mother-in-law Cathy to thank for this recipe. I first was introduced to it by Jenn when she and her husband invited Michael and me over to their house for dinner. We liked the stew so much that I wrote down the recipe. But somehow I didn't get around to trying it myself. That is, until Cathy gave me a surprise present of the very cookbook containing the recipe. Then I knew that I really had to make this Mexican chicken stew.

In order to avoid ingredients containing corn, I have modified the recipe. However, I think that the flavor is still true to the original. A tip from Jenn is that you can use frozen or semi-frozen chicken breasts; the chicken doesn't have to be defrosted before putting it into the crock pot.

Mexican Chicken Stew
serves 4 to 6 adults

Ingredients:

• 1 jar of medium salsa. Use either Green Mountain Gringo salsa, Amy's salsa, or another brand that contains apple cider vinegar and does not contain any distilled white vinegar or citric acid.
• 1 28-ounce can of Cento crushed tomatoes OR 1 26-ounce box of Pomi strained tomatoes OR another brand of tomato puree that does not contain citric acid, which usually comes from corn.
• 2 15-ounce cans of black beans, undrained. Use cans that contain only black beans, water, and salt.
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder. Or if all you have is hot Mexican chili powder, which happened to me once, then use just 1 tsp.
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 to 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1.25 to 1.5 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts that are kosher, organic, or "all-natural" (about 3 to 4 half breasts depending on their size)
• 1 Tbsp. of lime juice
  
• fresh cilantro (optional)
• sour cream (optional)

Instructions:

Pour into the crock pot the salsa, crushed tomatoes, black beans with the liquid from their cans, chili powder, coriander, cumin, black pepper, oregano, chopped onion, and garlic. Stir these together. Thoroughly rinse the chicken breasts and then place them in the crock pot so that they are covered by the liquid. Put the cover on the crock pot and let the stew cook for 8 hours on low; or for 1 hour on high and then 6 hours on low.

After that time, remove the chicken from the crock pot and shred it using two forks. Return the chicken to the crock pot and stir it into the rest of the stew. Stir in the lime juice and then serve. You can sprinkle some chopped cilantro on the stew as a garnish, and you can also top each serving with a spoonful of sour cream.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Michael requested lemon poppy seed muffins, and I thought that I would try to figure out how to make them egg-free so Sabrina could eat them as well. It took a few tries, but I'm pretty pleased with this recipe now. I've been working on egg-free muffins since this summer, and I'm finally getting the hang of it. The secret ingredient is vinegar, or another acid like lemon juice. The combination of the vinegar and the baking soda causes the muffins to rise. In addition, the use of ground flax seed meal soaked in hot water helps the muffins to hold together and not crumble.

The other lesson I've been learning about gluten-free baking is the importance of sifting the flour. Before I started sifting the flour, I would end up with pockets of dry flour in my muffins. Finally it dawned on me that the flour pockets came from the lumps of flour in my batter. Since I didn't own a flour sifter, I improvised with a fine-mesh sieve, which I gently shook back and forth to help the flour go through the holes. Voila! No more lumps or pockets of flour! I just read on another blog that you also can use a whisk to mix the flour and other dry ingredients together until all the lumps are gone.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
makes 6 muffins

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Tbsp. Bob's Red Mill ground flax seed meal (and 2 Tbsp. hot water)
  
• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp. Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour, sifted
  
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 2 to 3 tsp. poppy seeds
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/2 cup rice milk, warmed
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract. Use Trader Joe's alcohol-free vanilla extract or another vanilla extract that does not have corn syrup and is preferably alcohol-free, since the alcohol could be derived from corn. Recently I have been using Rodelle Vanilla Flavor alcohol free all natural extract, which I found at Stop and Shop.
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• zest from 1 lemon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 6 cups in a muffin tin with canola oil. In a small bowl or mug heat 2 tablespoons of water and then stir in the flax seed meal.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds. In a small bowl combine the canola oil, sugar, warmed rice milk, vanilla extract, lemon juice, lemon zest, and the flax seed meal mixture. Stir the liquids until the sugar dissolves. Make a hole in the middle of the flour mixture and pour the liquid mixture into it. Stir with a spoon just until you don't see anymore flour.

Spoon the batter into the muffin tin cups. Bake for 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into one of the muffins comes out mostly clean. Use a knife or small spatula to loosen the muffins from the tin. Then transfer the muffins to a cooling rack.

Chopped Iceberg Lettuce Salad

Michael really likes iceberg lettuce. If it were up to him, whenever we eat a lettuce-based salad, it would consist of iceberg lettuce. I, on the other hand, like lots of dark green lettuce and other greens that Michael refers to as "weeds." Since I make Michael eat dark leafy salads most of the time, I thought I should try to find an iceberg lettuce salad that I would be willing to eat (i.e. that wouldn't taste like crunchy water). This recipe for chopped salad showed me how. Think of it as being like an antipasto salad but without the salami. The dressing and toppings give the salad a lot of flavor, and the chopped iceberg lettuce gives it a nice crunch. I also like the fact that you can be creative with the toppings. Instead of roasted marinated peppers, you could use marinated sun-dried tomatoes or fresh cherry tomatoes. You could use chopped green olives or pickles. Another similar recipe calls for using marinated artichoke hearts, which sounds great, too. You could even add chickpeas, as another recipe suggests. Be creative and enjoy!

Chopped Iceberg Lettuce Salad
serves 3 to 4 adults

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. dried marjoram leaves (or dried rosemary, if you prefer)
  
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 large head of iceberg lettuce
• 1/2 cup of roasted marinated peppers OR 1/2 cup marinated sun-dried tomatoes
  
• 1 small can of Lindsay's Naturals sliced black olives
• 1/4 cup sliced green olives or sliced sour pickles
• 1/2 cup haricots verts (if you can find them, but these are not essential to the salad)

Instructions:

Finely chop the onion. In a small bowl combine the chopped onion, water, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and marjoram leaves. Whisk in the olive oil. Let the dressing sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes.

Cut the half a head of iceberg lettuce into 1/2-inch to 1-inch pieces, so that you end up with 3 to 4 cups of lettuce. Cut the roasted marinated peppers or sun-dried tomatoes and the pickles into 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch pieces. If using, cut the haricots verts into 1-inch pieces.

In a large bowl combine the lettuce with the cut-up toppings and toss with some of the dressing. Serve the rest of the dressing on the side to let people add to their preference.

Hot German Potato Salad

I've come up with a mayonnaise-free version of another favorite, this time a hot German potato salad. All I had to tell Michael was that it had bacon in it, and he was excited. I really like the combination of salty, sweet, and sour flavors in the dressing, along with the crunchy texture of the bacon. When my parents came up to visit this past weekend, I decided to make them a German-themed meal and served them this potato salad with pork sausages and cooked red cabbage.

Hot German Potato Salad
serves 4 adults

Ingredients:

• 2 lb. of Yukon Gold or other thin-skinned white potatoes
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 2 cups water
• 4 slices of bacon. To find a corn-free bacon, look for one that has just these ingredients: pork, salt, sugar, celery powder, and spices. I recommend a bacon I find at Trader Joe's called Classic Sliced Dry Rubbed All Natural Uncured Bacon. Another corn-free bacon is Hormel Natural Choice 100% Natural Original Uncured Bacon. Be sure that the bacon you use does not have any dextrose, sodium erythorbate, sodium lactate, or lactic acid starter culture.
• 1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1/2 cup of potato liquid
• canola oil (1 to 3 Tbsp. depending on the amount of bacon drippings you have.)
  
• 1 tsp. granulated white sugar
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1/8 tsp. celery seeds or 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds, depending on what you have
• dried or fresh parsley (optional)

Instructions:

Place a large 12-inch frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon of sea salt, and 2 cups of water to the pan and stir. While the liquid is heating, peel and rinse the potatoes. Cut the potatoes into 1/4-inch wide slices. Place the slices of potatoes in layers into the pan of heating liquid. (The top layer of potatoes will not be fully covered by the water.) Increase the heat and let the liquid come to a simmer. Then turn down the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and let the potatoes simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until they are fork-tender.

While the potatoes are cooking, cut the bacon into thin 1/4-inch wide strips and cook over medium heat until the bacon is browned and crunchy. Remove the bacon from the pan and place on a paper towel-lined plate, keeping the drippings in the pan. To make the dressing for the salad, measure the drippings and pour up to 4 tablespoons of bacon drippings into a small bowl. I usually have about 2 tablespoonfuls of drippings; therefore, I add 2 tablespoons of canola oil to bring the total amount of drippings and oil up to 4 tablespoons. Into the drippings and oil whisk the granulated white sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt, black pepper, 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, and either celery seeds or mustard seeds. Finely chop about half of a small yellow onion so that you have 1/4 cup of chopped onion for the salad.

Drain the potatoes in a large colander with a large bowl placed under it to catch the cooking liquid. Measure 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and whisk it into the small bowl with the rest of the ingredients for the dressing. Then take 1/2 cup of the potatoes, mash them thoroughly using a potato masher or a fork, and whisk them into the dressing to thicken it.

Transfer the rest of the potatoes from the colander to a medium bowl. Pour the dressing over the potatoes. Add the chopped onion and bacon and toss gently so that the dressing coats the potatoes. Sprinkle the potato salad with dried or fresh parsley and toss again. Serve immediately, or keep in the refrigerator and reheat in the microwave before serving.

Cooked Green Cabbage

I know it must seem like we eat a lot of cabbage. I guess we do, if you consider about once a week a lot. My reason for eating cabbage regularly, besides the fact that it's good for you, is that Naomi likes it. Naomi is our pickier eater, but she'll eat cabbage in whatever form I make it. This time I had a green cabbage, so I used white wine vinegar and lemon juice to add some flavor. I tried to take a picture of the cabbage, but it didn't turn out all that well, I think because I haven't yet adjusted my picture-taking to the fading light at dinnertime. I guess summer really is almost over when we have to turn the lights on to eat dinner at 6 pm.

Cooked Green Cabbage
serves 3 adults

Ingredients:

• 1/2 of a small yellow onion, chopped, OR the white parts of 4 to 6 green onions, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 pound of green cabbage, shredded (about half of a head of cabbage)
  
• 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. granulated white sugar
• 1 tsp. dried parsley (or 1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped)
• 2 Tbsp. water

Instructions:

If you are using a yellow onion, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Saute the onion until it has softened. While the onion is cooking, shred the cabbage. When the onion is tender, add the other tablespoon of oil, the shredded cabbage, vinegar, lemon juice, sea salt, sugar, and parsley. Toss so that the cabbage is coated completely with the oil, vinegar, and other ingredients. Then add the water and stir.

If you are using green onions instead of a yellow onion, heat the two tablespoons of oil at the beginning and then add the green onion with the rest of the ingredients when the oil is hot.

After you have stirred the ingredients together, cover the pan with a lid and let the cabbage cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it has achieved the texture you prefer.

Broccoli (or Leafy Salad) with Basil Vinaigrette

Our basil plant has been getting quite large, so I've been looking for more ways to use basil. I stumbled upon the following recipe for basil vinaigrette, and it was so good that I want to remember it next year when we buy another basil plant. I've used the dressing on broccoli and on a leafy salad, and the flavors of the dressing have gone well with both. I bet the dressing would taste great on asparagus, too. When I'm cooking for just the four of us, I usually cut the recipe in half.

Basil Vinaigrette
serves 4 adults

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 shallot, chopped, or 2 Tbsp. finely chopped yellow onion
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. granulated white sugar
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped basil leaves
• 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup and 2 Tbsp. olive oil

Instructions:

See the recipe link for the instructions.

Double Chocolate Cookies

I like chocolate chip cookies. Yet even more than that I like double chocolate cookies, which are chocolate cookies with chocolate chips. If you couldn't tell, I have a thing about chocolate. The more the better, really. My rationalization for figuring out how to make wheat-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and egg-free double chocolate cookies right now is that my old cookie standby doesn't work anymore for our family. I used to make peanut butter cookies all the time, but then Naomi was diagnosed with a peanut allergy. So I tried making sunflower seed butter cookies, but they just don't taste quite the same, and Michael doesn't prefer them. And if you take out the egg, they really aren't at all like the chewy peanut butter cookies I used to make. Therefore, since peanut butter cookies don't work for us right now, I had to come up with a double chocolate cookie recipe instead.

My recipe is adapted from a recipe for chewy vegan chocolate chocolate chip cookies. What I like about these cookies, besides the chocolate, is that they are very easy and quick to make. From the time you start to the time that the cookies have cooled and are ready to be eaten is not more than 30 minutes. Be warned: in addition to being easy to make, these cookies are rather addictive. I only bake 12 at a time because otherwise I eat way too many.

Double Chocolate Cookies
makes as many cookies as you want

Ingredients for 12 cookies:

• 2 Tbsp. rice milk
• 1/2 Tbsp. Bob's Red Mill ground flax seed meal
• 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free flour
• 3 Tbsp. Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/8 tsp. sea salt
• 3 Tbsp. granulated white sugar
• 3 Tbsp. light brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract. Use Trader Joe's alcohol-free vanilla extract or another vanilla extract that does not have corn syrup and is preferably alcohol-free, since the alcohol could be derived from corn. Recently I have been using Rodelle Vanilla Flavor alcohol free all natural extract, which I found at Stop and Shop.
• 1/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips. I recommend Ghirardelli, Trader Joe's, or Enjoy Life semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Ingredients for 24 cookies:

• 1/4 cup rice milk
• 1 Tbsp. Bob's Red Mill ground flax seed meal
• 1 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free flour
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract. Use Trader Joe's alcohol-free vanilla extract or another vanilla extract that does not have corn syrup and is preferably alcohol-free, since the alcohol could be derived from corn. Recently I have been using Rodelle Vanilla Flavor alcohol free all natural extract, which I found at Stop and Shop.
• 1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips. I recommend Ghirardelli, Trader Joe's, or Enjoy Life semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Heat the rice milk in the microwave and then stir in the flax seed meal.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. In a separate smaller bowl mix together the white sugar, brown sugar, canola oil, vanilla, and the rice milk and flax seed mixture. Stir the liquid ingredients together until completely combined. Then make a hole in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid ingredients. Stir just until you don't see any more dry bits. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Then take a teaspoon and scoop rounded teaspoonfuls onto the parchment paper, leaving about two inches between each scoop of dough. Bake for 10 minutes. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. If you have any cookies left after they have cooled completely, place them in an airtight container.