Rice Bowls

My family LOVES these rice bowls!  They are one of our super easy go-to meals!  Not only is it great for families, but it's a perfect meal for large groups, or girls camp!  It's a crowd pleaser!  I love that you have rice, veggies and meat all in one bowl! 

Just use your favorite gluten free teriyaki sauce.  Here are a couple that I buy: 

   

 

I use precooked Grilled Chicken Strips from Costco, to keep this recipe simple.  

1.  White rice or brown rice, cooked

2.  Vegetables - whatever you like, cooked.  

    I like to saute carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, and onions.  

    Melt 1 - 2 tablespoons butter in a large sauce pan.  

    Slice baby carrots and begin to saute them in the butter.  

    When they're about half way done, add sliced zucchini, yellow squash and sliced or diced onions.

    Cook until tender.

    

    I also like to use the Organic Frozen Broccoli - steamable bags from Costco.  

    While your other vegetables are cooking, microwave the broccoli.

3.  Chicken, or any other cooked meat 

    Chop the Grilled Chicken Strips into bite sized pieces, and place in a glass dish with a lid.  

    This keeps the chicken from drying out.  Warm chicken in the microwave, according to package 

    directions

4.  Top with Gluten Free Teriyaki Sauce

Creamy White Chicken Chili

This soup is perfect for a cold snowy day, but is great for mild temperatures as well.  It's creamy and fresh, and fills the soul!  It's simple to make, and the flavor packs a punch!

Cooking the frozen chicken thighs in the pressure cooker simplifies everything!  If you'd rather use fresh chicken thighs or chicken breasts, just cut the chicken in 1-inch cubes and saute with the onion in a large cast iron dutch oven. Either way works great!

I like to use Real salt and Real Garlic pepper, but of course you can use table salt, pepper and a little bit of garlic powder.  If you don't have a fresh lime, 1-2 tablespoons of lime juice works great!  Olive oil can also be substituted for avocado oil.  

6 frozen chicken thighs

1 quart chicken bone broth, separated

Real Salt & Real Garlic Pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

2 tablespoons honey

Juice of 1 lime 

1 tablespoon avocado oil

1 large onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 can green chili's

3 cans white beans, rinsed and drained

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons coriander

2 cups frozen corn

1-2 tablespoons cilantro, minced

1 cup whipping cream

salt and pepper to taste

Place 6 frozen chicken thighs in pressure cooker, and add 1 1/2 cups chicken bone broth.  Season with salt and garlic pepper.  Pressure cook on high for 10 minutes, then let it natural release for 10 minutes.  Remove the chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces.  Save the broth!  Place chicken in a bowl and add salt, chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, honey and juice of 1 lime.  Stir together and set aside.  

In a large cast iron dutch oven, add 1 tablespoon avocado oil.  Heat to medium high, when hot add the onions and saute.  When onions are nearly done, add the garlic and green chili's and saute another 1-2 minutes.  

Using a strainer, strain the chicken broth to catch any fat remnants and pour the broth into the dutch oven.  Add the remaining broth from the 1 quart box.  Add chicken, white beans, 2 teaspoons cumin, coriander, and frozen corn.  Bring to a boil and boil for 3-5 minutes.  Add cilantro and 1 cup whipping cream.

Serve with shredded cheese and tortilla chips.

Pressure Cooker Chicken Thighs

This is my favorite!  Do you want tender, moist, delicious chicken that is super easy to make?  This recipe is for you!  Use the chicken in your favorite recipe!

Frozen chicken thighs
1 1/2 cups chicken bone broth
Salt
Real Salt Organic Garlic Pepper (or regular pepper)

Place frozen chicken thighs in pressure cooker.  Add chicken bone broth.  Season with salt and garlic pepper.  Pressure cook on high for 10 minutes.  Let it natural release for at least 10 minutes.  Release pressure, remove from pressure cooker, and shred. 

Note:  12 large chicken thighs makes about 8 cups shredded chicken

Saucy Grilled BBQ Chicken

I love saucy BBQ chicken on the grill!  You're going to love this recipe!

4-5 lbs bone-in chicken thighs

1 pint buttermilk

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 cups Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce

Dry Rub:

3 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Take the skin off the bone-in chicken thighs. 

Put chicken in a large bowl or a large freezer ziploc bag.  Add buttermilk and kosher salt to brine the chicken.  Stir to combine.  Brine for at least 20 minutes or up to 2 days, in the refrigerator.

Make the dry rub by combining all the ingredients.

Preheat the grill for at least 15 minutes.  While the grill is preheating, remove the chicken from the brine.  Patt off any excess moisture with some paper towels.  Season generously with salt and the dry rub.  

Place seasoned chicken on the grill as close to the heat as you can, without it being on direct heat.  Cook for 15 minutes.  Flip chicken over and cook it until it reaches 150 degrees on an instant read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat (without touching the bone).  This usually takes about 10 - 15 minutes.  Depending on the size of your chicken & the temperature of your grill this could take as little as 10 minutes, or up to 40 minutes.  If the meat hasn't reached 150 degrees after 15 minutes, flip the chicken over again, and continue to cook it.  Continue flipping every 15 minutes until it reaches 150 degrees. 

Using a pastry brush baste the chicken with BBQ sauce and move it to direct heat.  Cook for 2 minutes over direct heat.  Flip chicken over and baste the other side with BBQ sauce.  Cook for 2 more minutes.  Repeat until your chicken is as charred and saucy as you like it.  Cook the chicken until it reaches a temperature of 165 degrees on an instant read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat (without hitting a bone).

Street Tacos

These street tacos are not only delicious, but are so fun to eat!  It's a perfect recipe for a busy schedule because you can get the meat marinating earlier in the day, and it's quick to cook up when you're ready.  I like to serve them with Mexican Rice, and tortilla chips & guacamole.  Some of my kids put the rice and the guacamole in the taco too!  Also super yummy!  When I make this for my family I do one recipe of steak, and one of chicken.  We need 3 lbs of meat to serve about 8-9 people. 

2 tablespoons gluten free soy sauce or tamari sauce
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon avocado oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano

1 1/2 pounds steak or chicken, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 tablespoon avocado oil

12 mini corn tortillas
red onion, diced
1/2 bunch of cilantro, diced
1 lime, cut into wedges

In a large ziploc bag, combine soy sauce, lime juice, 1 tablespoon avocado oil, garlic, chili powder, cumin and oregano.  Mix together.

Add steak or chicken and marinade in the fridge for 1 to 4 hours.  Turn the bag occasionally.

Heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  At steak or chicken and cook until meat is done.

Serve in a warm corn tortilla topped with red onion, cilantro and lime juice if desired.  Enjoy!

Peruvian-Style Chicken

My son is currently serving as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Peru.  We were so excited to try this new recipe, and taste something similar to what he normally eats!  It's so flavorful and aromatic!  My sister-in-law shared the recipe with me.  It's from Danielle Walker's book "Against All Grain."

Spice Rub:

1 teaspoon butter

1 ½ tablespoons paprika

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon oregano

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons vinegar

Chicken:

4 lbs chicken pieces*

3 sweet potatoes, diced

3 small sweet onions, quartered, then quartered again

2 yellow bell peppers, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons olive oil

¼ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 lemon, sliced

handful of fresh cilantro

1.     Preheat oven to 425º

2.     Combine the ingredients of the spice rub in a small bowl.

3.     Rinse and dry the chicken pieces, then generously rub them all over with the spice rub.

4.     Place the sweet potatoes, onion, bell peppers, and garlic in a roasting pan or 9-by-13 inch baking dish.  Drizzle the olive oil over the vegetables, season with the salt and pepper, then toss to coat.

5.     Arrange the chicken skin side down over the top of the vegetables. Place the lemon slices on top.

6.     Roast for 20 minutes, then turn the chicken pieces over and stir the vegetables.  Continue roasting for 20- 25 more minutes, until the chicken skin is crisp and the vegetables are cooked through.  Garnish with cilantro.

Note:  I used 8 chicken thighs - bone in, with skin on

Bacon Pineapple Chicken Kabobs

Okay so these might be my new favorite thing EVER!  These kabobs are so tasty!  The sauce rounds out the flavors and creates a taste out of this world!  I got the recipe from tablespoon.com and just made sure I used GF soy sauce instead of regular soy sauce.  You can see their recipe here.   Everything else is naturally gluten free!

I need to apologize in advance for not having a great picture.    I totally spaced it when my son and I were making them!  When I make them again I'll take a better one, and update it.  The recipe was too good to wait to blog!  Also, here's a shout out to my son for grilling tonight!

2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
1 large pineapple, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
2 red peppers, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 large onion, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
12 strips of thick bacon

Sauce:
1 1/2 cups (12 fl ounces) pineapple juice
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Tamari sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt

Thread skewers starting with the bacon.  Put chicken, pineapple, red pepper and onion and repeat once more.  Wrap the bacon around them.  Put on another piece of bacon and thread on the 8 items again.  Wrap the bacon around it, and thread bacon back on skewer.  Make 6 of these.

Preheat grill to medium high.  While grill is preheating, make the sauce.  Prepare the sauce by combining all the sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan.  Whisk together.  Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes.  Set aside until ready to use.

Grill kabobs for 10-15 minutes, turning a couple of times, until done.

Slather with hot Hawaiian sauce and serve immediately.

Crock Pot Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce

6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, skin removed* (about 2 and 1/2 pounds)

salt and pepper

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 (13.5 ounce) cans coconut milk

2 tablespoons dried basil leaves

2 teaspoons salt

3/4 teaspoon pepper

1 to 1 1/2 tablespoon McCormick curry powder

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 large red onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced (1 tablespoon minced)

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon COLD water

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated or minced

1/3 to 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Remove the skin from the chicken. Salt and pepper each thigh.

Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat.  Add 1 teaspoon olive oil.  When the oil is hot, add 3 chicken thighs.  Cook for about 2 minutes, until nicely browned on the bottom.  Turn the chicken over to brown the other side for about 1-2 minutes.  Remove the chicken to a plate.  Repeat searing process with the other 3 chicken thighs.

Meanwhile, in a crock pot combine coconut milk, basil, 2 teaspoons salt, 3/4 teaspoon pepper, curry powder, and chili powder, to taste.  Stir to combine.

Add the chopped red onions, garlic, and jalapeno.  Add the browned chicken and stir to combine.

Cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 6-8 hours.

Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and transfer to a plate or cutting board. Let cool for a couple minutes.

Add the ginger to the slow cooker.

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and 1 tablespoon COLD water. Stir until it's not lumpy. Add this to the crock pot and stir.

Shred the chicken, removing the bones and any tough bits. It should just be falling apart.

Return the meat to the slow cooker and stir.  Return the lid and cook for another 10 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Stir in the cilantro.  Serve with rice. 

Lemon Chicken Pasta

This recipe is simple, delicious and has a freshness about it!  It's a twist on alfredo sauce.  My kids loved it!

Pasta of your choice
7 - 8 chicken tenders, cut into 1 inch cubes
4 tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup featherlight flour
1 cup whipping cream
2 cups milk
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 1/2 lemons
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package instructions, drain and set aside.

While pasta is cooking, brown chicken in butter.  Season with salt and pepper.  Just before chicken is cooked, add garlic cloves.  When chicken is fully cooked add flour and stir.  Cook for  1 minute.   Add whipping cream, milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly and simmer for 2 minutes.  Add parmesan cheese and whisk until smooth and melted.

Serve over pasta.

Pressure Cooker Indian Butter Chicken

My sister-in-law first introduced me to Indian Butter Chicken several years ago.  It's incredibly flavorful and delicious!  I recently came across a recipe from Pressure Cooking Today and thought I'd give it a try.  I changed a couple things to fit my family, but mostly followed their recipe.  My 4 year old daughter had 3 servings, and the boys gobbled it up!  It will definitely become a regular!

The pressure cooker made it super easy.  It is much faster than the recipe I made several years ago, but even though it only cooks for 5 minutes you still need to plan 35 - 40 minutes .  It's about 10-15 minutes prep, about 10 minutes to get to pressure, 5 minutes to cook, 10 minutes to release pressure, and few minutes to bring it back to a boil.  It's soooo worth it!  It easily served 8 of us and we have leftovers.

10 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 29 ounce can tomato sauce
1 medium/large jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons fresh ginger root, peeled and grated (about a 3 inch piece)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoons ground roasted cumin seeds (roast in a pan on the stovetop for a few minutes)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
1/3 - 1/2 bunch cilantro, minced

1.  Cut the chicken thighs into quarters.

2.  Put tomato sauce, jalapeno and ginger in a blender and blend to a fine puree.

3.  Add butter to pressure cooking pot, select Browning.  When butter is melted and foam begins to subside, add 1/2 the chicken pieces and sear until they are nicely browned all over (about 2-3 minutes).  Remove them with a slotted spoon into a bowl and put aside.  Brown the other 1/2 of the chicken, then place in the bowl also.

4.  Add the ground cumin and paprika to the butter in the pot.  Stir and cook for 10 -15 seconds.  Add the tomato mixture, salt, cream, yogurt and chicken pieces (with any juices that have accumulated in the bowl) to the pot.  Stir together.

5.  Cook on High for 5 minutes.  When timer beeps, turn off and use natural pressure release for 10 minutes, then use the quick pressure release.

6.  Stir in the garam masala and roasted cumin.  Whisk together cornstarch and water in a small bowl.  Stir into the sauce.  Select saute and bring to a boil.  Turn off pressure cooker and stir in cilantro.

Serve with rice.

Fire Tacos

This summer I was blessed to be able to attend our church's girls camp for young women!  It was an awesome experience and one I will never forget!  One night one of the wards served us Fire Tacos.  These tacos are famous!  It is tradition to have these every year at girls camp.  Now I know why!  They are so amazing!

I was a little concerned about whether I would be able to eat them not knowing if they were gluten free or not.  One of the girls in the ward was also gluten free so they took all the precautions!  It was there that I was introduced to Mission's Gluten Free Tortillas!  What a find!  It's so nice to have a tortilla that isn't corn!  You've got to try them!

So this recipe is kind of like a taco bar.  I'm not going to include specific ingredients, just how it's put together.  Use your favorite recipes for beans and meat.

At girls camp we cooked them in the fire, but at home you can also cook them on a BBQ.  I think they'd work fine in the oven too.

Here's what you need:

tinfoil

Mission Gluten Free Tortilla's

taco shells

beans

cheese

taco meat (ground beef or chicken)

lettuce

tomatos

guacamole

sour cream

1.  Get a large piece of tinfoil and place your "flour" tortilla on it.

2.  Spread beans on the tortilla and sprinkle with cheese.  

3.  Get a taco shell and put your meat inside and sprinkle with more cheese.

4.  Wrap up the whole taco in the tin foil.  Add a second piece of tinfoil and wrap again.

5.  Place in the fire or on the BBQ for a few minutes, to melt the cheese.  (You want to have your meat and beans already warm.)

6.  Open up your taco and add lettuce, tomato, sour cream and guacamole.  Enjoy!

Orange Chicken

When we get take-out my husband occasionally picks up Panda Express for the kiddos.  The orange chicken smells divine!  I've been wanting to make a GF version of it, but kind of dreading the deep fried aspect of it.  I found this recipe of orange chicken that is tons healthier and delicious.  I changed it up a little and increased it to fit my family.  It was a hit at the table tonight!

2 oranges

1/2 cup orange juice

14-15 chicken tenders

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 cloves garlic

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 teaspoons sesame oil

3/4 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons grated ginger

1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce

7-8 green onions, sliced

Rice

Grate 2 tablespoons zest from the oranges, set aside.  Squeeze juice.  Set aside.

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and cook in olive oil.  Stir chicken occasionally.  While chicken is cooking, pour 1 cup orange juice into a medium bowl.  (Pour the fresh squeezed juice into a 1 cup measuring cup and then fill to the top with orange juice.  2 oranges is about 1/2 cup fresh squeezed juice.)  To the bowl, add soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, chicken broth and cornstarch.  Whisk ingredients together.

When the chicken is cooked through, stir in the garlic.  Pour the juice mixture into the chicken.  Stir in the orange zest, ginger and chili garlic sauce.  Cook until bubbly and thick.

Stir in the green onion.  Serve over rice.

Chicken Tikka Masala

I don't know about you, but dinner time at our house is always the busiest!  Talk about craziness!  There's scouts, baseball practice, basketball games, Young Men activities at our church, meetings at the school, not to mention trying to keep the boys on task with homework and chores!  The crockpot has become a tried and true friend!

When I found this recipe from the Table for Two blog I was excited to try it!  It's nice because there's not a lot of prep and it tastes like you've spent hours in the kitchen1  It's also great to find an Indian crockpot recipe!

I used chicken tenders and just left them whole.  If you use chicken breasts, cut them into 1 1/2 inch cubes.  It is a little spicy, but not too much.  If you like it mild just add a dash of cayenne pepper or leave it out completely.  This makes a huge batch!

20 - 24 chicken tenders or 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed (about 3 lbs)
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
1 (29 oz) can of tomato puree
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons garam masala
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Chopped parsley or cilantro (optional)

Place chicken in the crockpot.  In a large bowl mix all ingredients from onion down through the cayenne pepper.  Pour on top of the chicken.  Place the bay leaves on top.  Cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4 hours.  I used frozen chicken tenders and cooked it on high for 1 hour and low for 7 hours.  When it's done take out the bay leaves.  Whisk the cream and cornstarch in a small bowl then stir into the chicken mixture.  Let it cook for 20 more minutes to thicken.

Serve over rice.  You can top it with parsley or cilantro.

Kung Pao Chicken

This recipe is awesome!  It satisfies my cravings for Chinese food!  Some homemade Chinese food recipes seem complicated and time consuming, but this one is not.  I've adapted this recipe from Blog Chef.  You can find the original recipe here.

I'm more of a mild girl than a spicy one.  I was hesitant with the red pepper flakes wondering if it would be too spicy for all of my kids, but it was just about right.  It was spicy, but not crazy spicy.  My kids all loved it.  If you're a super mild person you could add a little less.

This recipe will serve about 6.  Note to self:  When I make this again I'm going to need more chicken to feed my family.  I'll add another 6 tenders, or use chicken breasts.  I'll probably keep everything else the same, but use 1/2 cup peanuts instead.

12 - 13 chicken tenders (cut into 1" pieces)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup GF soy sauce
4 teaspoons sugar
3 green onions, chopped (use all of it!)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger

1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts

Prepare chicken by cutting it into 1 inch pieces, and place in a bowl.   Make sure it is fresh, or completely defrosted.  Add cornstarch to chicken and toss to coat.

Heat sesame oil in a large saute pan or wok over medium heat.  Add chicken and stir-fry 5 - 7 minutes or until no longer pink inside.  Remove chicken from pan.

While chicken is cooking, in another small bowl make the sauce by combining rice vinegar, soy sauce and sugar.  Mix well.  (I like to use La Choy Lite soy sauce.)

Add green onions, garlic, red pepper flakes and powdered ginger to the pan and stir fry for 15 seconds.  Add the sauce and stir together.  Return the chicken to the pan and coat with the sauce.  Stir in roasted peanuts.  Heat thoroughly.  Top with additional green onions if desired and serve over rice.