Chicken and Stuffing Bake

This recipe is from my new favorite blog - the Joy of Clean Eating. I was looking for a way to use up leftover cooked chicken and found this Chicken and Stuffing Bake, which I modified only slightly.

About 0.75 to 1 pound cooked chicken (or turkey), cubed
2 cups cream of mushroom soup (NOT THE CANNED KIND, click link)
4 to 6 ounces swiss or gruyere cheese, shredded
6 slices whole grain bread, I use Ezekial brand, cubed
2 T organic butter from grass-fed cows, moo
1 stalk celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp salt free poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp sea salt
Black pepper to taste
1 cup broth (chicken or vegetarian)
A little olive oil (about 2 T)

First toast your cubed bread (in oven on a baking dish at 300 for 20-25 minutes or in a toaster oven, your preference). When done, you'll want to change the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, in a large skillet saute celery and onion in the olive oil and butter. When onion is clear, about five minutes, add the garlic and saute another minute. Add the parsley, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Add the broth, boil, then reduce heat and simmer about a minute or two. Turn off the heat and fold in the bread cubes.

In a 9x13 dish, layer chicken then sprinkle cheese then pour the soup and then spoon the "stuffing" over top and spread evenly. Cover with foil and bake uncovered 15-20 minutes.

Comments: This serves about four to six and if you had leftover turkey or chicken and cream of mushroom soup already made and frozen in the refrigerator, this would be a super easy, super fast dish. As it is, with all the cutting and chopping I think this took me an hour to make, plus cook time, but I also made the cream of mushroom soup too. This serves four to six and we all really liked it, especially my husband. My brother in law was over and ate with us and he said he liked it too. It is a nice, warm comfort food.

Black Bean & Pork/Chicken Enchilada Cassarole with Ranchero Sauce

Looking for an excellent comfort food recipe with nourishing ingredients? Look no further. Don't let the long ingredient list keep you from trying this one. Most are the spices included to season the dish. Also, you could make your ranchero sauce in advance and freeze and then this would be a super quick and super easy meal to make.

Ingredients:
About 1/2 pound cooked pork or chicken, diced -- use leftover if possible, and more or less than half a pound. You'll want enough for one layer
2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 cups water
1 small to medium onion chopped and divided (about 1/4 cup to sprinkle)
5-6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 cups broth, low-sodium organic if possible (any flavor, I used vegetable)
1 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp tomato paste, no added salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp fresh lime juice (about one lime juiced)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 15-ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups "Mexican-style" cheese, grated (I used a chipotle cheddar I found, but use whatever you can find in your store)
10-12 corn tortillas, the small ones
Olive oil

How To:
1. Prep Chilis: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine the ancho chiles and 2 cups of water in a small saucepan. Boil, reduce heat to low and simmer five minutes. Turn off heat and let sit another 5 minutes. Drain, but reserve 1 cup of the liquid. Set aside.

2. Make Ranchero Sauce: Add onion to olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until soft, add garlic and salt. Cook another five minutes until lightly browned. Add broth, oregano, paste, and cumin. Cook about 5-8 minutes until thickened, stirring occassionally. Then pour entire pot into a blender, add chiles and reserved liquid. Blend until smooth (remove center piece in lid to allow steam to escape, but cover with a towel so the hot liquid does not splatter). Stir in lime juice and cayenne pepper. This is your ranchero sauce.

3. Make Cassarole: Using about 1/2 cup of the ranchero sauce, cover the bottom of a 9x13 pan and line with half the tortillas. Sprinkle on beans, chicken or pork, onions, and half the cheese. Cover with sauce, about half what you have left. Top with the remaining tortillas, the rest of the sauce, and the rest of the cheese. Cook uncovered about 15-20 minutes.

Comments:
This is modified from a vegetarian dish in the October 2011 Cooking Light magazine. I added meat (for my husband) and we had this pork tenderloin to use up. I also eliminated the steps in the original recipe that made this actual enchiladas. The "cassarole-style" is much easier to make. We also served with sauteed poblano peppers on top and over short-grained brown rice and this was SO delicious.

This looks kind of complicated, and did take more time than I usually like to spend. The original recipe says 55 minutes hands on, but I think that is way over-stated and perhaps I save a lot of time with my version by not actually making enchiladas, but just layering the ingredients. I think it was 30 minutes hands on and then the 15 minutes of cooking. Also, the original recipe I followed says you can make the ranchero sauce a day or two ahead to save time (or even freeze), and that really is the part that takes up most of the time. I also keep a few containers of this ranchero sauce in my freezer for an easy dinner when we are short on time.

DELISH!

 

 

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Cinnamon & Spice Butternut Squash

For those of you that are a little nervous about trying squash, this is the recipe for you! So delicious--my six-year old LOVES this side dish.

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash (cut off ends, slice in half, remove guts, peel, and chop into large chunks about 1 inch)
Maple syrup, grade B is great to use - a light drizzle
Raw honey, try to find a quality local source - a light drizzle
Ghee - 3 tablespoons dribbled
About 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
About 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tbsp organic butter, try to find a quality local source, diced and sprinkled on top

How To:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees, add butternut squash to a 9x11 baking dish. Drizzle maple syrup, honey, and olive oil. Dribble on the ghee. Sprinkle the cinnamon and pumpkin pie space and top with the small amount of butter. Bake uncovered about 45 to 55 minutes until soft, stirring a couple of times while cooking.

Comments:
Other than the giant pain of peeling and chopping the butternut squash, this is super easy. I cannot tell you exactly how much maple syrup, honey, and olive oil to drizzle on top, but less is more. You really won't need much. Very, very tasty. If you don't have the organic butter, eliminate altogether.

 

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This recipe was submitted to Kelly the Kitchen Kop’s Real Food Wednesday blog carnival.

Pan Cake with Apples

See pear variation below.

1 large apple, diced
1 T ghee (optional, if you don't have ghee or organic butter from grass-fed cows, eliminate this ingredient)
3 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt, to taste (optional)
3/4 cup spelt flour
1/3 cup almond flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and grease a 9x12 baking dish. In large bowl, mix all ingredients except apples with a hand mixer. Then add apples and stir to combine. Pour into baking dish and bake 20 to 25 min until toothpick comes out clean.

Comments: This is very easy to make and we served with turkey bacon, turkey sausage, and a little maple syrup on top. This was supposed to have pears in it (2 pears peeled and diced) but I sent my husband out to get the pears and he came back with sausage. So anyway, I had an apple on hand and made another old fashioned apple "pan cake".

Variation - I made it again this morning with two pears, diced, and I also sprinkled extra cinnamon on top as well as chopped pecans. This variation almost turns it into a dessert. It is very good.

Ham & Cheddar Bread Pudding

Ingredients:
8 slices whole grain bread with seeds, like Ezekial Genesis 1:29 Sprouted Grain and Seeds
A little butter (to grease ramekins)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or any cheese on hand)
1/3 cup diced onions (white, green, red)
3/4 cup whole milk (raw is great if you have it)
1/2-3/4 cup chicken broth (homemade stock or low-sodium, organic store bought)
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
3 - 4 ounces cooked ham, diced (no added nitrites/nitrates, lower-sodium if possible)
3 large pasture eggs
4 tsp sour cream or greek yogurt mixed with a sprinkling of thyme and chives or other fresh herbs (optional garnish)

How To:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice bread into cubes and place onto a lined or greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly toasted (turning once). Alternatively, toast bread and then slice into cubes. Remove from oven and let sit to cool for a couple of minutes.

In a large bowl, combine bread, most of the cheese (reserve a small amount to sprinkle on top), onions, milk, broth, pepper, ham, and egg yolks (lightly beaten). In a small bowl, whisk eggs with a fork about 30 sec. and then gently fold into bread mixture.

Spoon one-fourth bread mixture into each of four (7 oz) ramekins coated with cooking spray (or greased otherwise). Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned. Top each with sour cream or greek yogurt when serving.

Comments: This recipe is a modified version of one from the September 2011 edition of Cooking Light magazine. If you have ghee or organic butter from grass fed cows, add a tablespoon to your bread mixture. Otherwise, don't worry about it. This was a great recipe to kick off fall weather, very much a comfort food. We all enjoyed it.

Baked Cinnamon Pears

2 pears (of a softer variety), peeled, cored, and rough chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
A drizzle of pure maple syrup (about 2 tsps total)
1 T almond flour
2 T pure organic butter from grass-fed cows, diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add pears to an oven safe baking dish. Drizzle with maple syrup, sprinkle with diced butter, cinnamon, and almond flour. Bake covered for 15 minutes or until pears are warm and soft and butter is melted.

Comments: Very delicious! Great fall recipe. Super fast.

Terrible picture below, just pulled from the oven.

Beef Stir Fry

My husband loves it when I make this dish, which is super fast to make and tastes so very good. It is also a nice change of pace from the standard chicken fare.

Ingredients:
One pound beef for stir frying (we like this flank steak for this recipe)
2-3 cups assorted chopped vegetables such as zucchini, onions, spinach, mushrooms, onion, pepper, baby corn, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, carrots, yellow squash, etc.
About 1 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice seasoning
About 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Black pepper
Soy sauce, naturally fermented, to taste (about 2-3 tbsp at least...), try this
Rice wine vinegar, about 1-2 tsp (start with less), to taste
Sesame oil
1-2 tbsp Grade B maple syrup (optional)
If you would like a thicker sauce:
1/4 cup cool broth or cool water or soy sauce (or a combination)
Abt 4 tsp arrowroot powder
**Combine in a little glass and add at the end.

How To:
1. In a saute pan (cast iron or stainless steel), over medium heat, cook beef in sesame oil until browned. Season with soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic powder, ground black pepper, and 5-spice powder. You should have a decent amount of liquid in the pan, but if not, don't worry about it. We'll add some in the following steps.

2. While the beef is cooking, chop and prep the vegetables, add them to the pan, and season with more soy sauce. If you don't have much liquid in the pan (and you would like more of a sauce), add a little beef stock (or chicken stock or water with a little more soy sauce).

3. Saute and adjust seasonings, as needed, until vegetables are crisp cooked--about 5 minutes. Drizzle with maple syrup, if using, and stir to combine. If you want to thicken the sauce, slowly add the broth/arrowroot mixture (described above) and gently stir. You should notice the sauce getting a little thicker after stirring a bit.

4. Serve over rice or soba noodles.

 

Comments:
If using bean sprouts, add at the very end, after making broth. All canned items should be rinsed before adding. Try serving over brown rice, we make two cups and usually have a little rice left over, or soba noodles. This serves 4-6 people.

This is very, very good! Easy to make other than lots of chopping going on. Probably takes about 20-30 minutes total. Super fast! Also, this is a great article from the Nourishing Gourmet that will help you select a good soy sauce.