Dairy-Free Crock Pot Butternut Squash Soup

I've been on a bit of a roll with soup lately. My old crock pot unfortunately died, and we picked up a new one...so of course, I've been inspired to use it!

Overnight I made a delicious crock pot soup, and I'm happy to share the recipe here! It's gluten-free, and dairy-free. It's got a subtle hint of cinnamon and is absolutely belly and heartwarming.

Butternut Squash Soup

4 cups chicken broth
1 butternut squash: peeled, seeded, and diced (pieces don't have to be of equal size)
2 carrots, diced
1 large yam, peeled, and diced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon cinnamon
salt and pepper, to taste

Simple ingredients! Just dump them all in a Crock Pot, stir, and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Once finished, blend up with a hand blender.

Enjoy!

Crock-Pot Mango Coconut Chicken Curry

Absolutely delicious, and a wonderful lunch to bring to work! This makes a crock-pot full!

Ingredients:

12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon coconut oil (if you don't have this, go ahead and use butter)
1 can coconut milk
2 cups diced carrots
1 zucchini, quartered, then diced
2 tomatoes, diced
2 mangos, skinned and diced
2 bell peppers, colours of your choice, diced
1 1/2 tbsp medium curry powder
1 tbsp grated ginger
1/4 cup cilantro (I used freeze dried)
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp onion powder
salt, and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Toss it all in your crock-pot or slow cooker, and stir.
Cook on low for 9 hours. No need to stir!

Roasted Chestnuts

It's that time of year (in Vancouver anyways...) that the roasted chestnut vendors scatter the streets downtown. Those difficult to peel, but delightful and filling bites are such a treat when you're doing your Christmas shopping, but have you ever considered making them at home? I sure hadn't...until I saw raw chestnuts on display at my local No Frills.

This is a super easy recipe that takes about 40 minutes. When shopping at the grocery store, pick the large round chestnuts with a smooth glossy shell. Keep them in the fridge until you're ready for them. From my research, they should last in the fridge about 2 weeks...but I wouldn't keep them that long.

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Hold the pointy end of the chestnut from your forefinger to the flatter end with your thumb. Make a thin slice across the rounded part of the chestnut shell, making sure you cut through the shell part (but don't go too deep). Use a serrated knife, versus a smooth blade.

3. Toss the chestnuts into a pie pan, making sure there's only one layer (don't stack them)

4. Bake for 35 minutes.

5. Enjoy!

Creamy Curried Potatoes and Swiss Chard

I am all about the Thai curry. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, like I'm tucked underneath the covers with a burning fireplace in the background. I have no idea why this image comes to mind...it's totally not what I'm sure most people think of when they eat Thai food. It's just...comforting!

Tonight I made a wonderful and SUPER EASY side dish that takes very little preparation.

Read what Super Foods Magazine had to say about Swiss Chard!

Ingredients:
Approx 20 baby red potatoes, sliced
2 leaves (and stems!) of swiss chard, roughly chopped
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
1 cup coconut milk
1 1/2 tablespoon green curry paste
1 tablespoon coconut oil


Add the coconut oil to a large pan, and heat for a minute or two on medium heat.
Add the potatoes and onion and stir occasionally for the next 10 minutes.
Add the coconut milk, and continue to stir occasionally for 5-10 minutes, or until most of the coconut milk has been absorbed.
Add the curry paste, and swiss chard. Cover.

Once the swiss chard is tender (about 5 minutes), you'll be done! Season with S&P!

Coconut Crusted Chicken with Spicy Peach Dipping Salsa

I apologize for the hiatus...this happened last summer, too. I've been very busy (as summers seem to go...), but also haven't really had much worth blogging about until now!

A few weeks ago I went to a girl's night at my friend's place. She served us a delicious recipe similar to this, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Coconut crusted chicken....just thinking about it makes me drool. We had peaches laying around in our fridge, and I thought...coconut....chicken...peaches...yes! I'm going to have it all!

This recipe is extraordinary, and I know I'll be using coconut to crust more than just chicken in the future. We used 2 chicken breasts for this recipe, and ate it for dinner. It would also serve as a fantastic appetizer!

*This recipe contains egg.

Coconut Crusted Chicken with Spicy Peach Dipping Salsa

You will need:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into strips
1 egg, yolk and white lightly whipped
1 cup (at least) unsweetened coconut (I used unsweetened coconut ribbons from Whole Foods and cut them up a bit smaller to accommodate)

AND

2 peaches, peeled with pits removed
1 tbsp raw honey (optional...if your peaches are really sweet, omit! The peaches I had were not at all sweet)
1/2 tsp red chili flakes


1. Using a hand blender, blend peaches, honey, and red chill flakes until MOSTLY smooth. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

2. Dip chicken strips into egg mixture, then coconut. Cover thoroughly with coconut before placing on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

3. Once all are complete, bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Flip, then bake for another 5-7 minutes.

4. Allow to rest for 5 minutes prior to serving.


**I managed to save 2 small pieces and a little salsa before they were all devoured...here's what they look like!

Thai Red Curry Paste

A little while ago I posted a recipe for Thai Green Curry Paste. Here's the sequel: Thai Red Curry Paste. The main difference is in the pepper base. This recipe uses hot red Thai chiles which accounts for the red(der) colour!

This is a spicy recipe! Now, everyone rates spicy differently, but I truly think this would sit at the "Medium" scale in a Thai restaurant. Want less spice- use less chiles...more- use more chillies!

Red Curry is fantastic served with yam, cauliflower, yellow bell peppers, and your choice of protein!

As always, this recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free!
This recipe will make enough for 8-10 large curries.

Homemade Thai Red Curry Paste

17 to 20 (2- to 3-inch-long) dried hot red Thai chiles, halved and seeds discarded
4 teaspoons ground coriander
2 lemongrass stalks (tender inside only)
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
4 teaspoons chopped ginger
6 (4-inch-long) fresh Kaffir lime leaves
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro roots and stems
5 small shallots, chopped
2 green jalapeño peppers, chopped
2 teaspoons shrimp paste (available at South China Market on Granville Island) (I also read that you can sub this for 1 tsp salt if you're a vegetarian...no guarantees though)

Soak dried red chiles in water about 10 minutes.  Blend all ingredients using a blender or a hand blender (hand blender is more effective).
Once it's all blended together, store in the fridge for up to a week. You can also separate the recipe into individual curry servings- store these in ziplock bags in the freezer and just pop them into the pan when you're ready to use!

To make the curry:
Saute half a yellow onion in coconut oil.
Add diced chicken thighs (or your choice of meat or seafood). Cook until no longer pink inside.
Add diced veggies of your choice....really, whatever you want.
Add a generous dollop of this curry paste along with one can of coconut milk (I use Aroy-D--no binders or thickeners).
Cook until veggies are tender. Voila!

Product Review: Lander's Australian Macadamia Shortbread

So the time may have passed for shortbread...if you only eat cookies during Christmas! I say, cookies all year round!

In my stocking this year I found a box of Lander's Australian Macadamia Shortbread. Boxed gluten-free goods, you say? I'm always skeptical. I waited to open the box for a week or so before one night my sugar craving was so intense I tore open the box hoping to find greatness on the inside.

Sooooooooo yummmmmmmmmy........

I could easily eat 5 of these cookies if I didn't hold myself back. So deliciously buttery, and a texture just like traditional shortbread. They DO contain dairy, so if you're exceptionally allergic to dairy, unfortunately you can't eat them. I'm not sure how much--- I really don't find myself reacting to them at all.

I haven't seen them anywhere except London Drugs. They were sold out at one location, so it appears that others may have discovered the greatness of these cookies. They come in at $4.50 a box. London Drugs carries a fantastic amount of gluten-free goods--from cookies and crackers, to cereal, to flours! It's an awesome place to check out for a little bit of grocery shopping! The London Drugs on Georgia/Granville has a much larger grocery section than the one on Davie/Cardero. I haven't been to others in town.

Chicken Soup for the Soul With a Cold

Last Tuesday I came down with a horrendous cold. They're just so inconvenient, you know? It's putting a serious hamper on my daily activities and production levels!

Since I've been sick, I've been eating Campbell's Chicken and Rice soup like it's going out of style- but I knew there was nothing better for me than homemade.

So tonight- that was my project!
I adapted a recipe from Canadian Living- but it didn't have an essential "get better" ingredient that I wanted to throw in there- GINGER!

Here's my recipe:

Chicken Soup for the Soul With a Cold
*this recipe makes a whole lot of soup- so be ready to put some in the fridge or freezer if you can't finish it all.

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 medium yellow onion
4 ribs celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
4 small yukon gold potatoes- peeled and diced
1/2 yam, peeled and diced
1 tbsp dried thyme (use fresh if you have it!)
3 sprigs fresh parsley, diced (I had some in my garden-- use dried if you only have that)
salt and pepper to taste
5-6 cups reduced sodium gluten-free chicken broth
1/2 cup rinsed jasmine rice
1.5 inch piece of ginger root, peeled and cut into very small pieces

Heat olive oil in your largest pot--you will use only this pot for the soup.
Brown chicken thighs over medium heat.
Once browned, remove from pot- chop into small pieces and set aside for later.

Add onion and celery to the pot.
Saute for 2 minutes.
Add carrots, potato, yam, thyme, parsley, ginger, salt, and pepper.
Saute for 3 minutes.
Return chicken to pot.
Stir in broth and 4 cups water.
Bring to a boil- simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in rice.
Cover, and cook until rice is soft- approximately 15 minutes.

YUMMY!

Yellow Yam Curry

I have the ability to make a meal out of what's left in seemingly empty cupboards. There are those days where it's been awhile since you've been grocery shopping, and you don't have the time to go!
That's the situation I was stuck in tonight, and I ended up making a delicious dinner out of what I had.

In my kitchen I had:

Can of light coconut milk
3/4 package of rice stick noodles
yellow curry paste
yellow onion
1 yam
leftover chicken stock
fish sauce
Coconut Oil

This dish ended up warm, comforting, and delicious. Perfect for Vancouver's first rainy Autumn night.

Yellow Yam Curry

3 tbsp coconut oil
1 can light coconut milk
Rice stick noodles, cooked.
2 tbsp Thai Kitchen Yellow Curry Paste
1 medium yellow onion
1 medium yam, peeled and cut into bite size pieces.
1/4 cup chicken stock (make sure it's gluten free!)
1 tbsp Thai Kitchen Fish Sauce
1 cup cooked chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces.

Instructions:

Heat coconut oil in frying pan over medium heat.
Add chopped yellow onion, and fry until soft.

While onion is cooking: boil yam pieces for 9 minutes.

Add curry paste, and combine well with onion.
Add coconut milk, chicken stock, and fish sauce.
Add chicken breast, and cooked yam.

Simmer for 5 minutes.
Serve over rice noodles.