Tag Archives: savory

Gluten Free Pad Thai {YUM}

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Pad_Thai_Cover

 

So, last summer, my friend Jane was using a spiralizer while I was visiting and I was fascinated. We’ve been gluten-free in our home for about 18 months and the idea of using veggies for noodles seemed like something I should try. I’m so glad I did! This recipe is totally authentic tasting, because the sauce is fabulous, too.

I thought for sure the kids would make faces and squirm at the idea of zucchini noodles. Let me just say: there were NO leftovers. Everyone loved it, even the five year old and my mother in law. Believe me, your whole family will love it. #winning

This recipe works exactly the same way with traditional pad thai noodles, too.

Here’s the recipe!

Serves 8-10
Ingredients:

Pad Thai with Zucchini Noodles (Kids love it too!)

1 lb chicken (I used the meat from a Costco roasted chicken that we happened to have.)
2 TB minced garlic
1-2 red bell peppers
1-2 eggs (depending on how much you like egg in your pad thai. We used two)
1 bunch cilantro
2-4 large zucchini or 4-5 small
1/2 cup chopped peanuts (optional but de-lish)

I’ll show you the sauce recipe below.

Here’s how to do it:

Zucchini noodle pad thai that your whole family will love!

 

  1. Put some sesame oil into your skillet and cook the spiralized noodles until they’re soft.
  2. Remove the noodles and put them in a strainer with some paper towels. Make sure the liquid gets strained off.
  3. Add the garlic and red pepper, and 1/4 of the chopped cilantro. Sauté until tender.
  4. Turn up the heat a little and add the eggs.
  5. Add the noodles back. Cook for about 2 minutes.
  6. Add HALF the sauce and cook until bubbly. If you need more sauce, add it until it’s the consistency you like.
    I ended up with too much sauce the first time, and adjusted the recipe here but I discovered something: I could add edemame noodles to the sauce and it soaked up the extra sauce and added incredible flavor and texture to the dish. So I learned something!
  7. Add more cilantro and some crushed peanuts. Stir together, heat through and serve!

Top with cilantro and peanuts if desired.

Pad Thai Sauce:

Pad Thai Sauce Recipe

 

1/4 cup each:

  1. rice vinegar
  2. fish sauce
  3. brown sugar
  4. soy sauce (we used gluten free)
  5. lime juice
  6. siracha (omit or use less if you want milder sauce)

I know I said that I love crock pots and Mexican food, but from now on, You can call me Dragon Lady.

Enjoy!
Heidi

Cauliflower Bacon Casserole

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Alright. I’m taking a little, tiny break from my slow cooker today. If you have kids who don’t like cauliflower, I’m here to win them over to the right side. This recipe is a WINNER! I know this because every.single.one. of my kids went back for seconds and I didn’t have leftovers. Yeah. That’s how I know.

I’ve been replacing potatoes with cauliflower for the past several years, and it’s been a good change. So probably the bacon isn’t that good for us—but once in a while—okay. Nevermind. I eat bacon whenever I can. #truestory

Bacon cauliflower casserole that your kids will LOVE

Serves 8-10
INGREDIENTS:

3 chicken breasts, cubed and cooked
2 head of cauliflower (I had a little leftover but 1 head would have been too little.)
1 tablespoon diced garlic, or to taste
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
bacon pieces (as much as you like) but I did about a cup or so. That’s because I was eating it as I went.

Cheesy cauliflower casserole with BACON

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cook cauliflower until tender. DO NOT OVERCOOK. I cook mine in very hot water for about 10 minutes. The trick here is to let the water drain off, so while you’re prepping the rest of the dish, set it in a colander to cool and drain.

While cauliflower is cooking, add cheeses, bacon and garlic to a big bowl.

Cook chicken.

Add cooked check to the bowl and mix well. Then, add the cooked cauliflower.
Cauliflower casserole

 

mixitup

 

Dump it into a greased glass 9×13 casserole pan. If you don’t have a glass dish, don’t sweat it.
Cover with foil and cook for about 25 minutes. You want it nice and steamy.

Cauliflower Bacon Casserole
I served ours with a delicious spinach salad. I chose to withhold bacon from the salad, but hey—do what you need to do!  If your kids are like mine, they will love this and so will your husband. It’s a crowd-pleaser!

Enjoy~
heidi

EASY Slow Cooked Chicken Chipotle Fajitas

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You guys.

I wish my blog could send you a whiff of my kitchen right now. It’s amazing. If I didn’t know better, I would say my heritage is south of here because I’m a lover of all things Mexican. Give me a taco and I’m a happy girl. I also love my slow cooker. In fact, my love-affair with slow cooking is just north of sinful. 🙂 Anyway! This is my new go-to recipe for Mexinight over here. Not only is it totally de-lish, but it works fantabulously well in my beloved slow cooker.

So, if you like fajitas and you’re addicted to slowcooking like me, this might be the answer to all your food prayers.
You’re welcome.

A slow cooked version of an old standby: FAJITAS!

You’ll need

  • 2-3 chicken breasts
  • 3 bell peppers (I used one each of every color they had.)
  • 1 onion (I used yellow but white would be fab, too.)
  • 2 tbsp diced garlic
  • 1 lime
  • taco seasoning
  • chipotle peppers (If you like the chipotle part. Otherwise, omit them.)
  • toppings (cilantro, sour cream, etc)
  • corn tortillas

Slice the peppers into long, thin pieces. Put half into the slow cooker.

Slow cooked chipotle chicken fajitas

Add the half your onion and garlic.

Dice chicken (I use Zaycon, and when I’m processing the chicken, I dice nearly 90% before freezing.) and place into a bowl. Put as much taco seasoning as you like. I’d say 1/8 cup would work.

Add the sauce from a small can of chipotle peppers. Stir to cover the chicken with the seasoning. You can add a few of the chipotle peppers, too, but I save mine for salsa.

Put the seasoned chicken in your slow cooker and cover it with as much garlic as you like. 🙂

easy slow cooked chipotle chicken fajitas

Add the rest of your peppers and onions.

Squeeze half your lime out all over the chicken. Try to contain yourself. It will smell good by now.

Notice my little lime-squeezing trick? Yes. My 12 yr old taught this to me. #truestory

Life Hack: squeezing a lime

Cover the limey goodness with the rest of the peppers and onions

easy slow cooked chicken fajitas

JUICE THE OTHER HALF OF THE LIME NOW. Mmmmmm. Now we’re talking.

Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5 hours.

Give it a good stir every two hours.

easy_title Slow cooked EASY chicken fajitas

Before serving, shred chicken and then dump the mixture into a colander to drain off any liquid. I save the liquid and use it in taco soup later. (Yum.)

Serve over warmed corn tortillas with any toppings that suit your fancy. Don’t forget the guac and Mexican music!

From our house to yours,
signature-heidistjohn

 

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EASY Slow Cooked Chicken Chipotle Fajitas

EASY Slow Cooked Chicken Chipotle Fajitas

Ingredients

  • Chicken
  • 3 bell peppers (I used one each of every color they had.)
  • 1 onion (I used yellow but white would be fab, too.)
  • 2 tbsp diced garlic
  • 1 lime
  • taco seasoning
  • chipotle peppers (If you like the chipotle part. Otherwise, omit them.)
  • toppings (cilantro, sour cream, etc)
  • corn tortillas

Instructions

  1. Slice the peppers into long, thin pieces. Put half into the slow cooker. Add the first half your onion and garlic.
  2. Dice chicken (I use Zaycon, and when I'm processing the chicken, I dice nearly 90% before freezing.) and place into a bowl. Put as much taco seasoning as you like. I'd say 1/8 cup would work.
  3. Add the sauce from a small can of chipotle peppers. Stir to cover the chicken with the seasoning. You can add a few peppers, too, but I save mine for salsa.
  4. Put the seasoned chicken in your slow cooker and cover it with as much garlic as you like. 🙂
  5. Add the rest of your peppers and onions.
  6. Squeeze half your lime out all over the place.
  7. Cover the limey goodness with the rest of the peppers and onions.JUICE THE OTHER HALF OF THE LIME NOW. Mmmmmm. Now we're talking.
  8. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5 hours.
  9. Give it a good stir every two hours.
  10. Before serving, shred chicken and then dump the mixture into a colander to drain off any liquid. I save the liquid and use it in taco soup later. (Yum.)
  11. Serve over warmed corn tortillas with any toppings that suit your fancy. Don't forget the guac and Mexican music!
http://heidistjohn.com/blog/recipes/easy-slow-cooked-chicken-chipotle-fajitas

Windy’s Comfort Chili

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Comfort-Chili

Friday Night Fellowship at church- a once a month gathering for families to eat, play games and get to know each other a little better.  And when the weather was cool, it was a great time to have a chili cook off!  What an opportunity to test my chili recipe and find out if friends loved it as much as my family did.  I think I remember there being about 12 different pots of chili that night.  Some were very good and shall I say…exotic tasting, with unusual spices and venison giving the unique flavor.  My chili was perfect for kids.  Not too spicy, nothing weird or bizarre about it.  Just enough flavor to make your kids say, “Mmm!  This is GOOD!”

My husband has always bragged about my chili, referring to it as “Comfort Chili.”  In fact, he is the one who encouraged me to enter the chili cook off.  So, I did.  And, I was pleased to come in 2nd place 🙂  The vote was so close too…close enough that just one vote could have put me in a tie for 1st place.  Too bad I didn’t have my husband’s vote that night.  You see, even though he raved about my chili, he decided to vote for “Venison Five Alarm Chili!” (He likes things spicy) Poor guy, he still apologizes to me 5 years later for his “lapse of domestic judgement!”

Winner of the chili cook off or not, this recipe is still my family’s favorite!  My mother in law says it’s the best chili she’s ever tasted.  We like to serve it with Fritos and shredded cheddar cheese, otherwise known as Frito Pie.  I’m actually not a huge fan of chili, but mine is some seriously good comfort food.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

 

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Windy’s Comfort Chili

Windy’s Comfort Chili

Ingredients

  • 1 T. olive oil
  • 1 T. all spice
  • 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 1 T. chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 lb. ground Italian sausage
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1/2 lb. ground sage sausage
  • 1 family size jar of Prego Traditional Sauce
  • 15 oz. ranch style beans
  • 15 oz. jalapeno navy beans
  • 15 oz. black beans
  • 14.5 oz. chili style diced tomatos
  • 10.5 oz. cream of chicken soup
  • 3 Roma tomatos, diced
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced

Instructions

  1. In a medium stew pot heat olive oil on high heat for 1 minute.
  2. Add tomatos, onion, garlic and cook for 3 minutes.
  3. Add meat/sausage and stir thoroughly for 7 minutes or until brown.
  4. Reduce heat to medium and pour cans of beans, chili tomatos and jar of Prego.
  5. Now, here comes the weird part: Add a can of cream of chicken soup. Trust me- it will be awesome!
  6. Add all spice, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and salt. Cook for 10 minutes.
  7. Reduce heat to low and let simmer until you are ready to serve.
http://heidistjohn.com/blog/recipes/windys-comfort-chili

Creamy Shrimp ‘n Shells

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creamy-shrimp-shells-thebusymom

A fully stocked kitchen…complete with all the ingredients to prepare a delicious and healthy meal.  A perfectly, delightful hour at 5pm, with no hungry children who ask every 5 minutes, “Is dinner ready yet?”  A kitchen that is sparkling clean when you come home, giving you the motivation to pull out all your pots and pans needed to make dinner.  A dishwasher, empty and ready to receive the evening’s dinner dishes.  Whoa!!  Hold on just a minute!  Whose kitchen am I in?  Not mine!

Well, maybe every once in a while I find myself living this dreamy evening 🙂  But, being a busy mom with an artist’s mentality (lack of organizational skills), I don’t always have a fully stocked kitchen.  And, when I hear my children’s favorite question, “Mama, what’s for dinner?” I often don’t have a clue!  Sometimes I don’t know what’s for dinner until I see what’s in the fridge and pantry.  You know that dreaded feeling, when you realize, “If only I had… (fill in the blank with desired ingredient)”…it’s 5pm and you are not wanting to load everyone in the car for a quick trip to the store?

Hopefully, I’m not alone in saying that this happens to me on a regular basis, but I found myself in this predicament just last week.  I came home with the girls after a busy day of homeschooling and working at our family owned music store.  No plan for dinner.  What was in the freezer?  A handful of cooked shrimp and half a bag of frozen corn.  In the fridge?  One left over grilled sausage link, broccoli, carrots, some different kinds of cheese, and a little bit of cream.  Fortunately, I did have some pasta shells and a can of chicken broth in the pantry.  Do you see a yummy meal unfolding with these ingredients?  Are you catching the vision?  Here are the ingredients for Creamy Shrimp ‘n Shells!

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Creamy Shrimp 'n' Shells

Creamy Shrimp 'n' Shells

Ingredients

  • 2 TB butter
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic salt
  • 1 link of sliced sausage
  • 10 large cooked shrimp (thawed)
  • 1 cup of shell pasta
  • For Creamy Sauce:
  • 2 TB butter
  • 2 TB flour
  • 1 14 oz. can of chicken broth
  • 3 TB cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup of cream

Instructions

  1. Boil shell pasta on high heat until pasta is tender. 
  2. While pasta is boiling, melt 2 TB butter in a medium skillet. 
  3. Add shrimp, sausage and spices to skillet and cook on med-high heat for 3-5 minutes.  
  4. Drain your pasta and add it to the skillet. 
  5. Remove skillet from heat.
  6. Next, you need to make your creamy sauce.  This is what makes the meal extra special 🙂 
  7. In a medium sauce pan, melt 2 TB butter on high heat. 
  8. Add 2 TB flour and stir until you have a thick paste. 
  9. While still cooking on high, slowly add chicken broth and stir for 3 minutes. 
  10. Reduce to low heat and stir in cream cheese and cream.  Your sauce will thicken over the next 5-10 minutes. 
  11. Pour creamy sauce in skillet with shrimp/sausage/pasta and stir the yummy goodness on low heat. 
  12. Top with shredded Asiago cheese. 
  13. Serve with your choice of vegetables. 
http://heidistjohn.com/blog/recipes/creamy-shrimp-n-shells

Gluten Free Cheeseburger Macaroni

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gluten-free-cheeseburger-macaroni-thebusymom

My youngest son turned nine the other day.  I wanted to make something fun, easy, and special for his birthday lunch.

Since I was out of ideas for something a little unique, I decided to cruise the grocery isles in hopes that something unconventional would jump out at me.

Do you ever struggle to come up with variety in your meals? Sometimes it’s really  refreshing to make something fun, a little childish in taste, and different from the normal menu.  When creating a fun meal for kids, think simple.  It can still be healthy, but their tastes are generally uncomplicated. Our family eats gluten free so I strolled through the gluten free section first, and selected some quinoa elbow macaroni. Pasta is a specialty item at our house, so I knew Levi would love that for lunch.

I bought two boxes of pasta, which doesn’t go very far when there are seven mouths to feed. Adding meat helps stretch pasta, so I settled on Cheeseburger Macaroni and seasoned, grilled, green beans.

This is a fantastic meal for kids and adults can handle it once in a while. It does have more fat than most of our meals, but since it includes healthy fats, we enjoy it guilt free periodically.

Surprisingly, this recipe actually tastes very similar to hamburger stroganoff. I thought it would have a cheesier flavor, but although it was cheesy (and I do love cheese) I was pleasantly surprised! I didn’t follow a recipe, but rather made it up as I went along. Score for mom on this one. The kids are begging to have it again!  It’s very easy to make and not time consuming.

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Gluten Free Cheeseburger Macaroni

Gluten Free Cheeseburger Macaroni

Ingredients

  • Two boxes of (gluten free) elbow macaroni (we used quinoa)
  • 1/2 cup cream cheese
  • 3 cups grated medium cheddar cheese
  • 1/4-1/2 cup (more or less) (almond) milk
  • Shredded parmesan to taste
  • Himalayan salt to taste
  • 3-4 garlic cloves
  • Fresh, ground, black pepper to taste
  • One medium onion, diced
  • two tablespoons coconut oil
  • two pounds ground (organic) beef

Instructions

  1. Cook macaroni according to package directions, rinse and drain
  2. Heat coconut oil in large skillet, add diced onion and sauté until translucent
  3. Add ground beef, Himalayan (pink) salt, ground pepper, and fresh minced, garlic to skillet
  4. Cook meat mixture until meat is no longer pink, but light brown in color.
  5. while meat is browning, add cream and cheddar cheeses to a mixing bowl along with almond milk, salt, and pepper. Blend mixture well with electric mixer
  6. Once meat is brown, drain the fat off and everything together in a large sauce pan. Check flavor of seasonings. Add more if you wish.
  7. Add fresh grated parmesan cheese and mix again.
  8. Add to plates along with your veggies, and top pasta with more fresh grated parmesan
http://heidistjohn.com/blog/recipes/gluten-free-cheeseburger-macaroni

Enjoy!

Simply Fantabulous Chicken Pot-Pie

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chicken-pot-pie

When I was first married, I could hardly cook an egg.  Of course, there wasn’t much motivation to learn more since I didn’t have a kitchen!  It’s true.  We spent the first year and a half as newlyweds in a 400 sq. foot historic 1830’s log cabin… very romantic for a gal who loves “Little House on the Prairie.”  But, with no kitchen, I learned to cook with an electric hot plate and microwave.  I washed dishes in our claw foot tub.

After buying our first home (with a kitchen) I realized that I should probably learn a few recipes, so I did what every young wife does… called MOM  🙂   She lovingly gave me her secrets to all my favorite meals.  And, guess what?  I can cook way more than an egg now!  Somewhere between calling Mom and giving birth to my three daughters, I gained even more inspiration for cooking by watching the Food Network. They made it seem so easy and maybe even fun.

Now I make up my own recipes quite often and I’ve learned that cooking doesn’t have to be hard.  However, writing this blog post ABOUT cooking is a bit of a challenge since most of my recipes aren’t written down.  As a result of not measuring and recording original recipes, my dinners are often slightly different every single time!

One of my family’s favorite meals is chicken pot-pie.  Who doesn’t love a good chicken pot-pie, right?  This is a recipe my mom gave me, but over the years I have altered a few ingredients to make it my own.

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Simply Fantabulous Chicken Pot-Pie

Simply Fantabulous Chicken Pot-Pie

Ingredients

  • 6 cups of water
  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 small heads of broccoli
  • 3 whole carrots
  • 2 small red potatoes
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. sage
  • 1 tsp. ground pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. onion salt or powder
  • 3 slices of Velveeta cheese
  • 2 boxes of Pillsbury pie crust
  • 6 Tbs. flour
  • a splash of cream

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.  Put the chicken breasts in a medium sized stew pot with 6 cups of water.  Season the water with salt, sage, pepper, and onion salt.  Cover the pot and boil on high for about 20 minutes.  While the chicken is boiling, prepare your veggies by chopping them into bite size pieces.
  2. After the chicken is cooked , remove it from the pot.  Put your potatoes and carrots in the pot and boil for 3-4 minutes, then add broccoli and corn, continuing to boil another 5 minutes or until veggies are tender (but not too soft).  While veggies are boiling you can cut your chicken into pieces, returning it to the pot.
  3. Now it's time to transform the chicken and veggies into a creamy goodness.   Stir in 6 Tbs. of flour to the pot, while cooking on high for about 2 minutes.  Then, add a splash of cream and reduce heat to low.  Tear the cheese slices into pieces and add to the mixture.  Stir until cheese is melted and creamy goodness begins to thicken.  Turn off the stove and let the pot sit for a couple minutes.
  4. Next, butter your 9 x 13 glass baking dish and lay 2 (room temp) Pillsbury pie crusts on the bottom.  The crusts will overlap but that's okay!  And, if you would rather google a homemade pie crust recipe and use that instead of store bought, then go right ahead and be Super Mom!  (I am a very busy mom and find the store bought crust to be much easier.)  After laying your pie crusts down, pour in the creamy goodness.  Cover with the remaining 2 pie crusts and pinch the edges so it makes a pretty wavy pattern all around.  Cut 4-6 slits in the top crust and then put the pot pie in the oven.
  5. Bake for 20 minutes or until the crust is golden.
http://heidistjohn.com/blog/recipes/simply-fantabulous-chicken-pot-pie

And there you have it!  A simply FANTABULOUS Chicken Pot-Pie.  A meal even your 7 yr. old will eat and won’t even complain when it’s time for leftovers.