Caesar Salad Dressing

Yield: 1 cup

1 large garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
3 anchovy fillets
1 raw organic, pastured egg yolk
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Allow the garlic and lemon juice to set for 10 minutes to take the "bite" out of the garlic.  Pour garlic mixture into a blender, and add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. 

Note concerning the egg yolk, anchovies, and oil:  
Caesar salad dressing is traditionally made with raw eggs, but it is suggested you purchase organic, pastured eggs and wash the shell before cracking.  Salmonella is the result of sick chickens so be sure the eggs you use are good quality.  Using pasteurized eggs is another option if you're not comfortable using a raw yolk.  

The addition of anchovies will not cause the dressing to taste fishy. 

I find that using "light" olive oil tastes less strong for a dressing.

Leek and Potato Soup

Note from Lois:  I made this delicious recipe after the April 1 trick I played on my husband.  I told him there was a LEEK in the bathroom sink, but what he really heard was, "There's a LEAK in the bathroom sink!"   

By the way, in case you didn't realize it, you can find bacon in the grocery store without any nitrates now.

Recipe by Michelle Tankersley Haines - Used by permission

http://crunchyinthesuburbs.com/2013/11/08/leek-potato-soup/
1 lb. bacon, thinly sliced
3 leeks
3 lbs. potatoes, diced
1 quart chicken stock (homemade is best)
1 1/2 cups Half & Half (preferably organic)
salt & pepper
1 tsp. thyme
1 bay leaf
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream
green onion

In a large soup pot, fry your bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl lined with paper towels to blot off the grease. Set aside.

Pour off all but 2 Tbsp. of the bacon drippings. Add your leeks to the pot and increase heat up to medium high. Season with salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaf. Stir and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until the leeks are tender.

Add your diced potatoes to the pot, along with the chicken stock. You should have just enough stock to barely cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil, cover, and allow it to cook for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes start to fall apart. Stir occasionally. You want the potatoes to start to break apart and thicken the stock.

Stir in your half and half. You may need a little more or a little less to your taste. Don’t add so much that the soup becomes runny, you want it to be rich and thick. Stir the bacon in, taste the soup and adjust the seasonings.

Garnish with shredded cheese, sour cream and chopped green onion.

*You can also use the bacon as a garnish, but I’ve discovered that when I serve it this way Hubby Dear takes all the bacon, so I stir it in so we all get a fair shot at it :)

* Please don’t use milk in this recipe and then say the soup tastes watery. Milk is just not the same. You need the cream. I sometimes use the cream from my raw milk if it is available, but in a pinch will get some organic half & half. And don’t talk to me about fat. The cream makes it rich and satisfying so you eat less. And milk fat is good fat. Don’t get me started. I won’t stop talking about that.

Baked Chicken Strips with Honey Mustard Sauce

by Danielle Walker - See a video of her beautifully illustrated cookbook here and check out her website!

 

http://againstallgrain.com/2011/12/06/grain-free-chicken-strips/

Serves: 4

*Update: If you can tolerate eggs, I suggest substituting the olive oil with 2 beaten eggs as this helps hold the coating on better. I’ve also found that if you place a wire rack over the cookie sheet and bake the chicken strips on the rack it helps get the coating even more crispy.

If there’s one thing that frustrates me the most, it’s having to make 2 different meals at dinner time. I try to feed my son what we are having for dinner that night, but sometimes the flavors are too mature for his pallet, so I like to keep some more kid friendly options in the freezer.

My son, like most kids, loves chicken nuggets. It’s pretty hard to stay away from some of the frozen foods they sell when you have a toddler who wants to eat on his own watch, but luckily there are a lot of organic (and even gluten-free!) versions out there right now. This time though, I wanted to make a grain-free, paleo, and SCD chicken finger that both he and I could enjoy. I served half for dinner, and froze the other half for those unpredictable nights where he immediately throws the food I serve onto the floor!

 

1 pound chicken tenders
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup dried shredded coconut, unsweetened
½ cup coconut flour
½ teaspoon coarse salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
¼ teaspoon ground mustard seed
¼ teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
4 teaspoons honey

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix all of the spices and coconut flour in a shallow bowl.
3. Pour the olive oil into a separate shallow bowl, and the shredded coconut into a third bowl.
4. Dip each tender in the coconut flour first, then lightly shake off the excess. Next, dip in the bowl with the olive oil and shake off the excess oil. Lastly, dip the chicken in the coconut shreds and use your fingers to press press the coconut onto the strips.
5. Place the chicken strips on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the chicken over and bake another 10 minutes.
6. Turn the oven to broil, and continue baking for another 3-5 minutes until the chicken has evenly browned.
7. While the chicken is cooking, mix the mustard and the honey in a small bowl.
8. Serve the chicken strips hot with the honey mustard sauce or sauce of your choice!

Coconut Chicken Tenders

Thanks to Carol Miller in Pennsylvania for this recipe!
(Gluten free, sugar free)

4 servings

 

1 1/2 lbs. natural chicken breast (cut into strips)

1 cup dried unsweetened shredded coconut

 

1/2 cup coconut flour or gluten-free flour

1/2 tsp. Celtic Sea Salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/3 cup coconut oil

1 egg beaten

 

Dipping Sauce:

Dijon mustard and honey. Blend to taste

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

 

Beat egg in a medium bowl. Mix coconut, coconut flour, and spices in a separate flat pan. Dip chicken strips one at a time in egg, then dredge in coconut mixture making sure there is a nice thick coating.

 

In a large skillet, heat coconut oil over medium high heat. Place chicken strips in the oil & fry till browned on both sides. Transfer strips to a (parchment paper lined cookie sheet for easy clean-up) and place in oven. Cook until chicken is cooked through (about 6 to 9 minutes, depending on the size of your strips).

 

Mix Dijon mustard and honey (2 parts mustard and 1 part honey, but do it to taste). Dip the strips in honey-mustard and enjoy. (Equally as good without dipping sauce).

Hot and Spicy Roasted Nuts (Crock Pot)

Put 2 cups raw almonds, cashews, or pecans in a medium slow cooker. 
Mix in 1 tsp. chili powder, 1/2 tsp. cayenne powder, and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon.
Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes until the nuts are roasted.
Combine 1 Tbsp. olive oil with 2 tsp. sea salt, and stir into nuts.
Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.  Yields 2 cups.

Caramelized Sweet Onions (Crock Pot)

A time-saver!
For no tears, place 3 pounds of sweet onions in the fridge until they are cold (or outside on a cold day until they are cold).
To the slow cooker add 3 pounds of sliced onions, 1/2 cup butter and 1 tsp. sea salt.
Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours until soft and golden in color.
Use immediately, refrigerate up to 3 days, or freeze to add wonderful flavor to future dishes.  Yields about 3 cups.
A double recipe would also work fine, although you might need to cook it a little longer.

Baked Potatoes (Crock Pot)

Saves using your large oven for baking potatoes, and if you aren't home during the day, you can get these started early!Scrub and pierce 6 to 8 baking potatoes several times with a fork.  Rub softened butter generously on potatoes and arrange in a circle around the bottom of a large slow cooker.  Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 9 hours, or on HIGH for 3 to 5 hours until soft.

Flavorful Chicken, Vegetables & Broth (Crock Pot)

Using a large slow cooker, place 5 pounds chicken thighs, 3 coarsely chopped onions, 3 coarsely chopped carrots, 3 coarsely chopped stalks of celery, 10 peppercorns, 1 tsp. onion powder, 1 tsp. celery salt, 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar, and 10 cups pure water.  Cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours.  Cool for an hour and strain broth into a bowl.  A little sea salt may be needed to suit your taste.  Reserve cooked chicken and vegetables for dinner that evening.  Use leftover chicken for soup, a casserole, or chicken salad.  Refrigerate broth up to 3 days or freeze for making delicious soups. The apple cider vinegar helps release extra minerals from the chicken bones for added nutrition.

Freshly Baked Bread (Crock Pot)

I don't normally recommend buying frozen bread dough, but there are times when you may need the aroma of a loaf of yeast bread with little effort, especially for company.  Here's how you can do that, but start cooking it about 6 to 7 hours before you need to serve the bread.  Rub a one pound loaf of frozen bread dough generously with olive oil, and place in a greased loaf pan (for an oval slow cooker) or a greased round cake pan (for a round cooker).  Place pan in slow cooker, and cover.  Cook on LOW for 2 to 3 hours until dough is thawed and beginning to rise.  Turn setting to HIGH.  Cover and cook an additional 2 to 3 hours, until the loaf is golden and sounds hollow when tapped.  Let cool a bit before slicing.

Grain Free Ginger Cookies

My daughter-in-law, Rachael Breneman made these and wow!  They were delicious - and healthy!
 
Recipe by Detoxinista at http://detoxinsta.com/2012/10/grain-free-ginger-cookies/

Prep time: 40 min.   Cook time: 10 min.   Total time: 50 min.

These cookies are made with protein-rich almond flour and blackstrap molasses.  They are loaded with iron, calcium, copper, magnesium, and potassium.  They are sweetened naturally with pure maple syrup, rather than sugar, and they are free of eggs and dairy for those who have food sensitivities to those foods.  These are soft and chewy cookies, but if you like them more crispy, press them into flatter shapes with the bottom of a glass before baking, and increase the baking time.

1 1/2 cups almond flour
2 Tbsp. coconut oil, softened

1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 Tbsp. blackstrap molasses

2 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1.  Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, and mix until a thick batter is formed.  Chill batter for 30 minutes in the fridge.  This will make the batter nice and firm before scooping.

2.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and drop the batter by rounded tablespoons onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  A small scoops works real well and is a time saver.  Use the bottom of a glass to press down slightly on the top of each cookie (the thinner the more crisp, but if you want a soft and chewy cookie, a thickness of 1/4" would be about right.

3.  Bake dough 8-10 minutes until firm around the edges, but still soft in the center.

4.  Allow to cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.  Yum!!!