Cauliflower Soup

This is my husband's favorite soup!  I made it yesterday, just in time for a huge snow storm and the super bowl!  With a touch of hot sauce to spice it up, I guarantee it will become a favorite at your house!  The original recipe wasn't gluten free and called for chicken bouillon, so I changed it up a bit to make it a little healthier and gluten free!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

CAULIFLOWER SOUP

1 medium head cauliflower, chopped small
1 medium carrot, shredded or chopped thin
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons gluten free flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 cups milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, optional

1)  In a large saucepan, combine the cauliflower, carrot, celery and chicken stock.  Bring to a boil.

2)  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until veggies are tender (do not drain).

3)  In another large saucepan, melt butter.  Stir in the flour, salt and pepper until smooth.

4)  Gradually add milk.  Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

5)  Reduce heat.  Stir in cheese until melted.  Add hot pepper sauce if desired.

6)  Stir into the cauliflower mixture.

NOTES:

~I used home made chicken stock, which is so much better and healthier than store bought.  It's simple to make after cooking a whole chicken in the crock pot!  Check out the recipes for the chicken and the overnight chicken stock on my blog!  If you use store bought, make sure to get one without MSG!

~I double the recipe and freeze half.

~I used sorghum flour, but I'm sure most any gluten free flour would be fine.

~I usually throw in a handful of extra cheese and some extra hot sauce, we like it spicy!

Breton Herb and Garlic Crackers

My take on BRETON HERB AND GARLIC CRACKERS:

These crackers are amazing!  They are great for snacking all by themselves or with a nice slice of your favorite cheese on them!  My kids love them too!  They have different flavors, but I like this one the best.  These are as close to a gluten cracker as I have tasted yet!

Happy Snacking!
Kirsten

Overnight Chicken Stock in the Slow Cooker

Make this recipe after making the "The Best Whole Chicken in the Slow Cooker" recipe!  It's super easy, delicious and you can freeze it for future use!

Enjoy!

Kirsten

PS: This recipe comes from 100 Days of Real Food, by Lisa Leake.

OVERNIGHT CHICKEN STOCK IN THE SLOW COOKER

Leftover bones/carcass from a small or medium chicken
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 celery rib, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped (no need to peel)
1 bay leaf
1 parsley sprig
1 thyme sprig
1 tablespoon apple cider or white vinegar (optional)
Salt, to taste

1)  Place the chicken bones or carcass in the slow cooker.  If using a leftover carcass from The Best Whole Chicken in the Slow Cooker, just remove the edible meat and leave everything else, including the skin, cooking juices and original onion, in the bottom of the slow cooker.

2)  Add the onion, celery, carrot, bay leaf, parsley, thyme, vinegar (if using) and salt.  Fill the slow cooker almost to the top with water (leaving at least 1/2 inch head space).

3)  Turn the slow cooker on to low and cook overnight, or alternatively start the slow cooker in the morning and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours during the day.

4)  When the stock is done, turn off the heat and, using a soup ladle, pass the stock through a fine sieve to remove all the solids.  Season with salt.  Refrigerate for 1 week or freeze up to 6 months.  Dilute stock with water (if desired) before using in recipes.

NOTES:

~I did use the apple cider vinegar in mine and it wasn't too strong.  I think it tasted like the stock you buy in the store.

~I froze mine in Ziploc baggies, in 2 cup volumes, for easy use in recipes later.

~My crock pot is very large, so I will not dilute my stock with water upon thawing, I will just use as is.

The Best Whole Chicken in the Slow Cooker

Here is another great recipe from my new favorite cook book!  This chicken is SO flavorful and so tender and juicy, it just falls right off the bone!  Which makes it easy to use the bones for home made chicken stock, made right in the slow cooker!  Plan to make the chicken, then use the crock pot with all of the bones and drippings for the chicken stock!  You won't be disappointed with this one!  Perfect for a Sunday dinner or for a holiday if you are tired of turkey!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

PS: The recipe comes from 100 Days of Real Food, by Lisa Leake.

THE BEST WHOLE CHICKEN IN THE SLOW COOKER

2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 onion, peeled and cut into large pieces
1 large whole chicken (about 4 pounds)

1)  Combine all the spices in a small bowl and set aside.

2)  Place the onion in the bottom of the slow cooker.

3)  Remove any giblets from the chicken (or leave them if you wish, but be sure to remove any plastic or paper bags), then rub the spice mixture all over the outside of the chicken.  You can even put some of the spices inside the cavity and under the skin covering the breasts.

4) Put the chicken breast-side down on top of the onions and cover the slow cooker.  There no need to add any liquid.

5)  Cook on high for about 4 hours or on low for 7 hours, or until the chicken is falling off the bone.  Remove the edible chicken pieces from the slow cooker and serve.

NOTES:

~I recommend buying a natural, organic whole chicken.  They are expensive, but worth it, in my opinion.

~Don't forget to save the leftover bones and cooking juices to make homemade chicken stock when you're done!

Egg Nog Smashed Sweet Potatoes

I made a new recipe the other night called "The Best Pulled Pork in the Slow Cooker" and I decided to make some mashed sweet potatoes with it.  I happened to have some holiday egg nog in the fridge, so I thought, what the heck, let's see how this turns out.  Well, it was AWESOME!!!  Especially with the spicy pulled pork.  I just love the sweet and spicy combo!  I think you will too!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

PS: This recipe is my own personal creation!  I hope you like it as much as I do!

EGG NOG SMASHED SWEET POTATOES

4-5 Sweet Potatoes
1/3-1/2 cup of egg nog
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice
3-4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sugar

1)  Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into small equal sized chunks.

2)  Bring a large pot of water to boiling and add the sweet potato chunks.  Cook until tender and drain.

3)  Mash the potatoes with a potato masher or a hand held immersion blender.  Add the remaining ingredients and mash/mix well.

4)  Top with a sprinkle of nutmeg and serve.

NOTES:

~I did not measure the spices when I made it, so I am guessing.  Just play with it!  Also, keep in mind that you don't want to over do the nutmeg if you are going to sprinkle some on top as a garnish.

~I used Oberweis Egg Nog, which is super thick and creamy, so if you are using a different brand that is thinner, you might want to start with the smaller amount and add more if need be.

The Best Pulled Pork in the Slow Cooker!

I just got a new cook book that I absolutely LOVE!  It's called 100 Days of Real Food.  I tried this recipe the other day and it was INCREDIBLE!!!  The only pork shoulder they had at the store was huge, so it made a ton!  Which is a good thing because we are still enjoying the leftovers!  So full of flavor, tender, moist, super delicious!  I served it with a recipe I just made up, Egg Nog Smashed Sweet Potatoes!  The combo of spicy and sweet always makes my taste buds smile!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

PS: The recipe comes from 100 Days of Real Food by Lisa Leake.

THE BEST PULLED PORK IN THE SLOW COOKER!

3 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, peeled and cut in half
3 to 3 1/2 pounds pork shoulder, cut in half

1)  In a medium bowl, combine the first six ingredients with a fork.

2)  Pour in the honey, vinegar and olive oil and stir to mix well.

3)  Place the onion in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Top it with the 2 pieces of pork and then pour the honey mixture all over the pork pieces.  It's okay if some of it (or a lot of it) drips down to the bottom.  There is no need to add any water or other liquid.

4)  Turn the slow cooker on to low and cook for 7 to 8 hours or until the meat is tender enough to be easily shredded with a fork.

5)  Serve warm with fixings like homemade coleslaw and garlic toast.  Refrigerate or freeze the leftovers.

NOTES:

~I did not cut the pork in half.  It does have a thick bone running through it, so I just left it in one piece and it turned out great!

~My onions were a little small, so I used two.  You could even add a couple more if you wanted.  They simmer in the spicy juice and taste amazing when it's done!

~I used tongs to check to see if it was done.  Just pull at the meat and if it breaks off easily, it's done!

~As I mentioned above, this is delicious served with my Egg Nog Smashed Sweet Potatoes!  If you aren't a fan of egg nog, just replace it with milk.

Zucchini Muffins

I got this recipe from my friend Laura a while back and had never tried it, until yesterday.  I changed the recipe to make it gluten-free, but other than that, I pretty much stuck to the recipe.  They were the perfect texture, nice and soft, but my first reaction was that they needed more SWEETNESS!  The sugar in the recipe is very low, but I thought that might be good to post for people who are trying to cut down on their sugar.  I have been eating them for breakfast over the past couple of days and they really are delicious!  I think once you start cutting sugar out of your diet, you get used to things without it.

I was thinking about tweaking the recipe and maybe adding banana or a little honey to keep it natural, but sweeten it up just a bit.  If you add the raisins, that would help sweeten them up too, I just didn't because I do not like raisins!  So play around with it.  Either way, they are a delicious treat!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

ZUCCHINI MUFFINS

1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthum gum
2 tablespoons, plus 2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons, plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 cups zucchini
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

1)  With a mixer, beat the sugar, vanilla, water, oil and eggs until well blended.

2)  In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and xanthum gum.

3)  Add to the wet mixture and mix well.

4)  Fold in the zucchini and raisins.

5)  Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and bake at 350F for about 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

NOTES:

~I used the gluten-free flour blend from the "Recipes for Gluten-Free Kids" cook book.  It's listed on my blog under the Gluten-Free Flour Blends tab.

~This recipe makes 1 dozen muffins.

~If your zucchini is watery (mine was because it had been frozen), drain it before adding it to the batter.  If you don't want to drain it, you could just omit the 4 tablespoons of water in the recipe and just dump it in!  Either way would work I'm sure.