Coconut Saffron Shrimp Soup

So good.  So good.  This was another ‘no leftovers’ meal.  With having a perpetual stock pot always brewing up tasty stock, we’ve been trying to add more soups to our diet.  For my pot of soup, I did leave the skins on (thought maybe some of the nutrients might leach out into the soup).  Before eating, I just pulled the shrimp out, peeled them and popped them back in.  You can use peeled shrimp if you want to save a step.

Coconut Saffron Shrimp Soup

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2″ knob of ginger, grated
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 2 med carrots, julienned
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (adjust amount for more or less spice)
• a small pinch of saffron threads
• 1 lb shrimp
• scallions, chopped for garnish
• sea salt to taste
• Juice of 1 lime

In a large saucepan, melt butter and saute garlic and ginger for about 1 min.  Add coconut milk, stock, carrots , red pepper flakes and saffron.  Let simmer for about 10 mins or until carrots are soft.  Add shrimp and simmer until shrimp are pink.  Stir in lime juice and serve.

Part of Sunday Night Soup Night

Tilapia Tacos

This is probably one of my most favorite Mexican dishes. So tasty and so simple.
Use whatever fish is easiest for you. Tilapia is my favorite but wild caught canned salmon is the quickest. Cod is a good inexpensive choice.

• 4 fillets of tilapia
• 8 corn tortillas
• About 1 cup shredded cheese (omit if you are dairy sensitive)
• 1/2 cup shredded cabbage (lettuce works too)
• 1/2 sour cream (unflavored chevre or dripped goat yogurt for the dairy free)
• 1/2 cup green salsa
• 2 tbsp lime juice or lemon juice
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• chopped tomatoes and lemon slices for garnish

To prepare tilapia, I like to saute them or oven bake them with a splash of white wine.

Heat oven to 350. Lay tortillas out flat on cookie sheet. Spread 1/2 a fillet or about 1/4 cup salmon down center of each tortilla and sprinkle cheese on top. Place in oven until cheese melts, about 5-10 min.

While heating tacos, prepare dressing by folding together sour cream, salsa, lime juice and cilantro .

Remove from oven. Top each taco with a couple spoonfuls of dressing mixture, cabbage and tomatoes. Fold in half and serve.

Chevre Pasta

• 8 oz rotini (we prefer Tinkyada’s Gluten free here)
• 4 oz chevre
• 1 10 oz package frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
• 8 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 tbsp toasted pine nuts
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Cook pasta according to the package directions. While draining, warm up oil, add the spinach and tomatoes in the same pot and just warm. Mix in the cheese until just starting to melt. Add the pasta and pine nuts and toss together. Mmmmm…

Too Good to be True Tilapia

4 ingredients, 15 minutes, this is my favorite last minute meal. My kids devour this fish and always ask for more.

• 4 fillets tilapia, defrosted
• drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
• a couple glugs white wine
• 4 pinches dill (fresh is best but dried will do)

Preheat oven to 425F. Coat an 8×11 glass baking dish with cooking spray or olive oil. Lay fillets in trying not to overlap. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over each of the fillets. Pour a couple glugs of white wine over all 4, not too much, you don’t want to drown them. Sprinkle a pinch of dill over each fillet.
Bake for 15 mins or until the fish flakes easily and is no longer opaque. Hmm, tasty.
I usually like to serve this with a simple spinach salad and Quinoa Pilaf to fill up extra hungry stomachs.

Black Bean Chili

Here is what’s on the menu tonight. These are the basic ingredients, but I like to play around with them. Ground turkey or beef instead of chicken, white beans for black, chopped chilies for salsa.

• 1 lb chicken, cooked and cubed
• 1 med onion, chopped
• 1 tsp cumin seed
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 cans black beans, rinse and drain
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 2 tsp chili powder (if you have chipotle chili powder, that’s the best)
• Sour cream/dripped yogurt and cheddar cheese for garnish

In a medium size sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat. Saute garlic and cumin seeds until sizzling. Add onions and saute until soft and golden. Add chicken, beans, broth, salsa and remaining seasonings except sour cream and cheese. Simmer for 20 mins. Remove from heat and garnish with sour cream and cheddar cheese.

Spinach, Chevre and Walnut Pasta

This is a take on the Chevre Pasta I posted earlier. We had it for dinner tonight and I just had to share. So tasty!
1 cup of pasta per person, we used Tinkyada Fusilli
1 large handful of fresh spinach per person
1 oz chevre per person
1 tbsp chopped walnuts per person
1 tbsp olive oil
Cook pasta according to package, drain and set aside. Heat oil in the pasta pan and toast walnuts for a couple minutes. Turn heat off and toss in spinach until wilted. Add chevre and heat until just starting to melt. Toss with pasta and enjoy.

Chicken Tacos to Die For

Man, I impressed myself with this one. This is my favorite kind of meal, few ingredients, fast and tastes unbelievable!

• 2 lbs chicken breast, bone in or bone out, I actually used some of each
• 3 chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce (if you want more of a punch, add more chilies)
• 1 large onion sliced
• 2 cups salsa or a 15 oz can of chopped stewed tomatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• Taco shells (omit for a GAPS legal meal)

In a crockpot, place chicken breasts (no need to defrost if frozen). Pour in the tomatoes. Mix in the chipotle chilies and and adobo sauce, garlic and cinnamon sticks. Top with the slices of onion. I give it a bit of a stir to make sure the chicken is coated. Cook on high for about 4 hours (low for 8). You’ll want the meat to be tender enough to just fall off the bone.

Remove the chicken pieces, chipotle peppers and cinnamon sticks. Shred the chicken, I do this using two forks. Throw out the peppers and cinnamon (you can chop the peppers up and leave them in the mix, but it will be hotter). Put the chicken back in the crockpot with all the yummy juices and mix thoroughly.

This tastes great on tacos or as a taco salad. Add your favorite taco toppings like cheese, sour cream, more salsa and salad.

Mmm…enchiladas…mmm

I love enchiladas and I’m forever on a quest to find the best. So far, these are it. This sauce can be used as you would use enchilada sauce from a can (but tastes infinitely better!) Next time I make this I’m going to add a square of baking chocolate to make more of a mole sauce. This is not dairy free, but with the right ingredients it can be lactose free. To make this more kid friendly, I add cayenne and chipotle chili powder to my own serving just before eating.
Sauce:

• 3 tbsp coconut oil, butter or lard
• 1 tbsp flour (I use gluten free)
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne (optional for those who want more heat)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 6 oz tomato paste
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Heat oil in a med sized saucepan. Stir in flour, chili powder, oregano, cumin and salt.
Stir continuously until mixture is nice and bubbly, about 3-5 min.
Slowly whisk in chicken stock. Whisk in tomato paste. Continue stirring until mixture thickens slightly.
Remove from heat and whisk in sour cream.
Chicken Enchilada Casserole

• 1 lb chicken breast, cooked and shredded (or cubed)
• 8 oz shredded cheese (I prefer a Mexican cheese blend)
• about 9 corn tortilla shells (sprouted corn tortillas from Food for Life are the best!)
• 1 recipe enchilada sauce

Heat oven to 350F. In a 8×11 casserole, ladle in enough sauce to cover the bottom. Layer 3 tortilla shells on top, breaking them apart as needed to fill in space. Spread 1/4 of the chicken over the tortillas, ladle sauce on top and then sprinkle cheese on top of that. Continue layering in this manner until all ingredients are used up. On the last layer, if you have extra sauce, ladle extra along the edges. End with a thick layer of cheese. Place in oven for about 20 mins or until cheese is melted.
Feel free to substitute ground beef, shredded beef, pork or beans.

Fresh Veggie Pasta

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
• 2 cups diced zucchini
• 4 purple potatoes, diced (regular would work fine too)
• 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 chili, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup red wine or chicken broth
• 1 lb sauage, pastured
• 1 lb pasta, rotini (wheat free for us!)

Cook pasta according to the package and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan. Saute onions, garlic until onions are translucent. Add red peppers and potatoes, saute until browned. Add tomatoes, zucchini, canned tomatoes and chili. Add red wine and simmer for 30 min.
While sauce is simmering, brown the sausage. Add sausage to sauce.
Toss everything together and enjoy.

Feel free to mix and match veggies.  The above pictured contains yellow squash, spinach, red onions and red peppers.

Shh, don’t tell them it’s good for them.

My kids are forever hard to please.  Even the mere mention of vegetables gets groans and “I hate that!” from them.  They’ll even try to convince me that they are allergic to it.  So I have to sneak things in where I can.  Spaghetti sauce is the perfect medium for some uber healthy veggie sneaking.  This sauce contains all the yellow/orange/red veggies I could find in my house at the time of making it.  Maybe if my garden works out some day, I’ll be able to make it with fresh tomatoes.

Upon tasting it my oldest declared, “This is the best spaghetti sauce the world has ever tasted!”  He even suggested I sell it.

Sneaky Spaghetti Sauce

• 2 tbsp olive oil (or butter)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2, 6 oz cans tomato paste
• 2, 28 oz cans tomato puree
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup red wine
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp basil
• 2 tsp oregano
• 4 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp thyme
• ¼ tsp peppercorns
• 4 cloves
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 cups your choice of yellow/orange veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, red/orange roasted peppers) or peeled zucchini, chopped.

In a large sauce pan sauté onions in oil until translucent.  Add garlic cloves and sauté another 5 mins.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer for about 1 hr.   With a slotted spoon, remove bay leaves.  With a handheld blender (or regular blender) puree until smooth that way no one will ever know there are lots of vegetables in it.