Chicken and Shrimp Soup

Oh, wow, this soup is so good! If you like things HOT, cajun, and gumbo-y, this will become your go-to recipe. When I subscribed to Mark's Daily Apple I received a recipe e-book which includes this recipe. I'll include my notes as we go. (Disclaimer: Mark's Daily Apple believes in evolution and I totally do not!)

Heat oil in a large soup pot:
1/4 cup olive oil

Add veggies and cook 5 minutes:
1 onion, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped (I left this out)
2 stalks of celery, diced
2 carrots, diced

Add garlic and cook 2 minutes:
2 tbsp minced garlic

Add following and saute a few minutes:
2 cups diced tomatoes (I diced up fresh tomatoes)
2 cups cauliflower "rice" (1/2 head of cauliflower chopped in the food processor until rice-like in size and shape)
1/2 tsp. cayenne (Very hot! I liked it, but the rest of the gang was begging for mercy...)
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. Celtic sea salt

Add chicken and cook 5 minutes:
2 cups chopped chicken (I chopped up raw, boneless, skinless thighs)

Turn heat down to low, add stock and simmer 20-30 minutes:
8 cups chicken stock (I think you could use as little as 4 cups, depends on how soupy you want it)

Add remaining ingredients and simmer 5-10 minutes:
1 lb. shrimp
1/4 cup scallions (I didn't have any)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro

Enjoy!!!

Coconut Flour Muffins and Brownies

OK, I tried this muffin recipe from over at the Heavenly Homemaker's blog; and they were a big hit!  No pictures, sorry.  It was a busy meal and we ate them all in one sitting.  I used butter instead of coconut oil and did not add any mix-ins.  I've got Cheeseslave's coconut flour brownies in the oven right. now.  Oh, yes!  I used sucanat instead of date sugar.  The batter has all been licked up, so I'm sure the finished product will be delish!  More to come...

UPDATE: Yum!

Coconut Flour

I have been trying to eat less grains lately and just came across Cheeseslave's Coconut Flour Bread recipe.

I already ordered 1 lb of coconut flour (grain free, gluten free, low carb!) this month to try out some other recipes I have come across (muffins, cookies).  When I saw this recipe for bread -and how easy it is!- I began wondering how much more it would cost to just make this for the whole family rather than go to all the trouble of making my whole wheat sourdough bread (I feed the starter, mix the batter, knead, let rise, then bake - a 24 hour process).

Here's the breakdown (based on what I ordered this month):

-10 lbs of organic hard white whole wheat flour costs $6.85

that's 35 cups of flour

it takes 2.5 cups to make 1 loaf of bread

that's $.48/loaf

-1 lb of organic coconut flour costs $5.05

that's 7.75 cups of flour

it takes .75 cups of flour to make 1 loaf of bread (coconut flour absorbs lots of liquid, so you don't have to use as much)

that's $.48/loaf

Sweet!

You can buy either of these in larger amounts, which would obviously lower the price per loaf.

I have not actually made this loaf of bread yet, it is on my to-do list.  Do any of y'all have experience with coconut flour?

Apple Pie Muffins

I realize that this photo is in no way focused.  However, I did not realize it at the time the photo was taken.  And, unfortunately, all my apple pie muffin models have been devoured.  Please rest assured that these taste (much) better than they look!  The original recipe is from food.com (I changed it quite a bit).

Topping:

1 cup sucanat
1/3 cup hard white whole wheat flour
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup softened butter
1 tsp cinnamon

Muffins:

1 1/2 cups sucanat
1/2 cup melted butter (or coconut oil)
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups hard white whole wheat flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp Celtic sea salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups tart apple, peeled and diced

Mix topping ingredients (cutting in the butter) until crumbly; set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together sugar, butter (coconut oil), egg and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir oil mixture into flour mixture alternately with buttermilk. Fold in apples, mixing just until combined. Spoon into greased muffin cups filling 3/4 full. Sprinkle topping over evenly. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and tops spring back.

Makes 24 muffins.

Glass Jars

After reading a post on storing food in glass jars over at Heavenly Homemakers, I realized that I have a lot of mysterious liquids in unmarked jars in my refrigerator! I'm pretty good at storing liquids in jars, but I still use plastic for my leftovers. Laura mentioned using the wide-mouth 1/2 pint jars for leftover odds and ends.  She also mentioned that Azure Standard carried canning supplies, what a pleasant surprise! They even have some wide-mouth 2 quart jars which could come in real handy. Just wanted to let y'all know!

Product Review: Nancy's Cultured Sour Cream

If you haven't tried this sour cream yet, what are you waiting for???  It is the thickest sour cream I have ever seen!  Delicious and cultured to boot.  I make homemade ranch dip with this for a probiotic condiment to go with our raw veggies,  or smear it on a sandwich instead of mayo, or combine it with some cultured salsa for a creamy, spicy chip dip.  Yummy!

INGREDIENTS: Organic Milk and Cream, Organic Nonfat Dry Milk Powder, L. Acidophilus, B. Bifidum Cultures and 4 strains of Lactic Cultures.

Big, Thick, Hearty Thighs

This is a quick, easy, one-pot dish from Rachael Ray's "365: No Repeats cookbook." Yummo!

2 tbsp olive oil
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
sea salt
pepper
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
4 cups chicken broth
3 red potatoes, cut in half and thinly sliced
1 cup frozen peas
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

Preheat a large skillet or wide soup pot over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Season the chicken thighs liberally with sea salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the skillet and brown on both sides for 3 minutes. Scoot the browned thighs to the edges of the pan, making some space in the center of the skillet. Add the onions, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes.

Add the chicken stock, turn the heat up to high, and bring the mixture up to a simmer. Add the potatoes and stir everything together. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove the lid and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Add the peas, lemon juice, lemon zest, and parsley, and cook for 1 more minute to just heat the peas through.