Garden Bounty

We harvested the rest of the garden yesterday, since a huge snowstorm is forecast to roll in tonight. So what do I do with a ten pound cabbage? Well, first I cut a chunk off, about a fourth of it. Then I gathered up some of the carrots that we dug yesterday. Then I made this yummy stew.

CHICKEN CABBAGE STEW

1 1/2 pounds coarsely cubed raw chicken. (I prefer boneless thighs.)

1 small cabbage cut in bite sized pieces (Or 1/4 of a monster)

1/2 large onion, quartered and sliced

2 T butter, divided

4 carrots, coarsely sliced

Chicken stock, preferably organic or you could make your own

2 tsp Kirkland organic no-salt seasoning (If this isn't available, use your preference)

2 T potato starch

1 cup cold water

Salt and pepper

Cook onion in 1 T butter on medium heat until transparent. Add cabbage and carrots. Turn down heat and cover. Saute until cabbage is starting to cook down. At the same time Brown the chicken in the second tablespoon of butter. Salt and pepper to taste. When chicken is mostly done dump unto the pot with the cabbage, juices and all. Pour chicken stock over mixture-just until you can start to see it. Cover and simmer until everything is tender, about a half hour. Mix potato starch with cold water and stir into stew to thicken.  Serve over potatoes, rice, or my favorite-mung bean threads.

My Mom's Ginger Cookies (Gluten-Free)

After the success using chickpea flour for the chocolate chip cookies, I moved on to the ginger cookies my mom used to make.  Stan and I have both made the recipe and people just go nuts over them.  So now the challenge-would they still drive people nuts if there was no wheat in them?  That would be a big affirmative!  We were coffee hosts at church this morning and we heard comments like, "These cookies are so good!" and "You're kidding me-these aren't gluten-free!"  Yay!

So here is my recipe:

My Mom's Ginger Cookies

1 cup softened butter

1 2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup molasses

2 eggs

2 cups chickpea flour

1 1/3 cup tapioca flour

2/3 cup potato starch

4 tsp soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp salt

Of course use safe-for-you ingredients.  Preheat oven to 375.  Cream butter and sugar, add eggs and molasses.  Beat til fluffy.  Stir together the rest of the ingredients and stir into butter mixture.  Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment.  (Don't skip the parchment, makes all the difference)  Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.  Check, if cookies need a bit more browning turn pan and give it one more minute.  Remove from pans and cool.  Makes about four dozen.

"The Best Cookies I've Ever Eaten!"

That's what my gluten-free friend said after tasting my latest chocolate chip recipe.  Then she qualified her statement by saying it might be because she hasn't had a real cookie in over a year and a half!  At any rate they are yummy.  Sydney eats one every time he walks by the kitchen.  I decided, after finding a very delicious chickpea tortilla chip recipe that I needed to try this wonderful food in other baking, hence the upgraded cookie.  I have to say, this is the closest I have come to the taste of a real cookie in the four years I've been dealing with these allergies. It's a lot like my former recipes, with some small alterations.  Be sure to use safe for you ingredients, what works for me may not work for you.

Chickpea Chocolate Chippers

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cup chickpea flour

1 cup tapioca starch

1/2 cup potato starch

1 tsp soda

1 tsp salt

1 bag (2 cups) chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts, if desired (I leave those out-allergic)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla.  Stir together dry ingredients and stir into butter mixture.  Stir in chips and nuts.  Drop by teaspoonfuls on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for about 10 minutes.  I set the timer for 8 minutes, then turn and finish with 2 more.  

Cool and inhale!

Communion Wafers

A few months back, I found this recipe for tapioca gluten-free bread.  Of course I latched onto it immediately.  It's quick and easy, and very delicious.  The recipe instructs you to make rolls but I make a small loaf instead, it stays softer and makes pretty dandy toast.

I've been making communion wafers for church for a couple of years now, but I haven't been impressed with the taste.  Not that it's a big deal, I'm just glad that the few of us at church who can't tolerate wheat can participate in communion.  But still it's nice to have something that isn't totally yucky!

Sooo-why not roll the Pan de Yuca dough out really thin and cut out wafers?  Why indeed, so I did just that.  Success!!

Nice and crispy.  In the next few days I'm going to make regular sized crackers out of the dough.

I put one each in little pill bags and store them in the church freezer.  30 or so will last a year.

Nomato Sauce

I did not invent this recipe.  I found it here, on a recommendation of another tomato-allergic friend..  It didn't take very long and turned out quite nicely.  I made spaghetti sauce with it and it wasn't half bad.  The batch made a generous amount-I had enough left after the spaghetti sauce to freeze in two containers.  I'm looking forward to pizza sauce or barbecue sauce-the list is endless.  It calls for beets (I used canned in this batch) and Stan suggested pickled beets, which would work well if I were making barbecue sauce.  Oh, the possibilities!

Chicken Chipotle

Stan and I have a favorite Mexican restaurant in our area-Fiesta Mexicana.  These folks are from Jalisco and are super nice.  (And excellent cooks!)  Stan has been ordering their Chicken Chipotle and loving it.  This morning I got the bright idea to make the dish myself.  Google and I explored for a while and I grilled Stan on what was in the dish at the restaurant.  What I came up with is not a lot like what Fiesta makes, but excellent anyway, not to toot my own horn or anything!

Chicken Chipotle

2 canned chipotle peppers with a bit of the juice from the can

1 cup heavy cream

8 oz cream cheese

1/4 tsp cumin

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 tsp honey

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 pounds boneless chicken thighs, cubed (breasts will work, too)

1/2 onion, sliced

1 green pepper, sliced.

2 tablespoons oil

Salt and pepper the chicken and brown in the oil on medium high.  Lift out of the pan and cook the onion and pepper in the pan drippings.until the onion is tender and the pepper is tender-crisp.  While this is cooking, place the chipotle, cumin, lime juice, cilantro and honey in a food processor.  While the processor is running slowly pour in the cream.  When onion and pepper are ready, turn the heat to low medium and add the cream mixture to the skillet.  When it gets hot, add the cream cheese and stir until the cheese is melted.  And the chicken and cook until everything is heated through.  Taste and add more salt if needed.  Serve.

I served mine with rice that I cooked in chicken stock with a bit of cilantro, and refried black beans-one of my favorites.  Tortillas are nice, too, of course.

You can add more chipotles if you like, I might next time.  Stan likes his hotter than I do-I thought it was perfect, but I might be nice to him next time.  If you want to make it a little lighter you could substitute half and half and light cream cheese for the full fat stuff.  I don't think it would hurt the flavor at all.  It wasn't entirely allergy-friendly, there is a bit of tomato in the chipotles, but as long as it's cooked and I don't have too much at a time I can get away with it.  And the rice is something I usually don't eat, but this was a non-GMO rice so once again I allowed it.  I probably won't eat the rice again for a while but it was sure yummy tonight!  Oh, and I picked out the green peppers and gave them to Stan.  I'm not allergic, but my tummy isn't fond of them.