Lemon Garlic Chicken over Cauliflower Mash
Grilled
Lemon Garlic Chicken Breast
over Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Mash
Facebook is not all time-wasting games,
people-sharing-more-stuff-than-we-really-wanted-to-know...it
can be a really useful tool. Seriously...
I believe one of my Paleo Diet friends posted the
low-carb Lemon Garlic Shrimp over
Cauliflower Mash recipe
from Nancy at
SheCooksHeCleans.net. Like a good
husband, I asked Peggy to Pin it for me so I could
make it for her. The ironic thing...it's just the
opposite in our house...I cook and Peg
cleans...just the way I like it.
I did make the shrimp & cauliflower and we both
loved it! We had tried mashed cauliflower in the
past, but we weren't impressed [at least with that
particular recipe]. This recipe on the other
hand...is a keeper!
In my adaptation of Nancy's recipe, I am simply
replacing the shrimp with chicken and removing the
lemon juice and red pepper flakes from the sauce.
Actually the chicken you see was actually grilled the
night before. Peggy is not a fan of reheated meat,
but she had no problems cleaning her lunch plate.
If you like garlic, you're going to love this dish!
It calls for fourteen to sixteen cloves. You'll need
a way to peel them quickly; watch this video, it
really works: http://vimeo.com/29605182
Oh yeah, word of caution, don't plan on going out
after eating this, you're a walking Garlic Weapon of
Mass Destruction. This gives a whole new meaning to
"chemical weapon".
Ingredients
Marinade:
Zest of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pound (3 or 4) chicken breasts
Cauliflower Mash:
1 head of cauliflower, cut into even medium to large sized florets
6-8 cloves garlic, peeled
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Half and half or cream / Milk or broth, optional use if needed to correct consistency
Lemon Garlic Chicken:
Marinated Chicken (from above)
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 slices bacon
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup white wine, or gluten-free chicken broth
1/2 sweet onion, minced
Pinch or two of dried oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
Directions
1. Mix all the ingredients of marinade in a bowl large enough for all the chicken pieces. Place chicken in the bowl and make sure each one gets well coated. Cover and place in refrigerator for 1 - 4 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 400 and fire up your favorite grill (gas or charcoal). Place cauliflower and garlic cloves in foiled shallow pan [sided cookie sheet or jelly roll pan]. Drizzle enough olive oil to coat the pan/foil and the vegetables. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover loosely with foil and roast for 15 min. Remove foil and carefully stir vegetables so they don't stick and so they brown evenly. Uncover and roast for another 15 – 20 minutes or until cauliflower and garlic are soft and lightly browned. Remove from oven.
3. As the cauliflower is roasting, get your grill grates cleaned and prepped. I like to heat my gas grill to about 500-600° to carbonize anything that might be sticking on the grates. Brush the grates with a grill brush to remove any carbonized food particles then clean with several layers of paper towel that was liberally coated with vegetable oil. This clean the grates, but it also creates a non-stick surface. Close grill cover and allow internal temp to rise back up to 500+
4. Place chicken breasts on the grill. Grill until meat is firm and juices run clear (or internal temperature reaches 165°). Remove from grill, cover allow to rest and keep warm.
5. Place cauliflower & garlic with a couple tablespoons of butter in a food processor and puree. Add parmesan cheese and mix well. The cauliflower should be a mashed potato or grits consistency (fairly thick, not runny). Add a touch cream or broth if it's too thick. Place in a heat-proof bowl and keep warm.
6. In a sauté pan, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon set aside on paper towels. When cool, chop into small pieces. Set aside.
7. Add two tablespoons of butter to the bacon drippings and melt on medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened. Add minced garlic, and oregano – sauté for a minute. Stir in wine/broth. Cook until liquid is reduced by half (only a few minutes). Salt & pepper to taste.
Note: I also had left over bacon, so I did not have bacon drippings to help create a sauce. So, in order to re-heat the chicken and make a sauce, in a pan melt 2 tablespoons of butter, a splash of olive oil and sauté some minced onion and garlic. After onions soften, add some gluten-free chicken stock (1/4 - 1/2 cup?). Cover just the chicken with a small cover and allowed the sauce to reduce & slightly thicken. Near the end of cooking, add some dried oregano. If I had some white wine, I would've used that instead of chicken stock.
8. Slice chicken and place over mashed cauliflower, spoon sauce over the top. Garnish with chopped bacon.
Until the next good eats - cook well and be well.
Slow-Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
Slow-Cooker
Chicken Cacciatore
Slow-cooker
to the rescue...again! It's been pretty busy around
the Al & Peg House as of late. Weekends are
doubly-busy, so in order to make good eats, we need
some help. Whilst we're scurrying around the house,
the slow-cooker is doing all the hard work.
Peg found this naturally gluten-free recipe:
http://www.recipe.com/slow-cooker-chicken-cacciatore/?esrc=nwrc071212pinc
The original recipe calls for chicken drumsticks, but
we used thighs instead - more meat on the thighs.
Ingredients:
2 cups sliced fresh
mushrooms
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup chopped carrot
2 medium onions, cut into wedges
1 green, yellow, or red sweet pepper, cut into strips
4 cloves garlic, minced
12 chicken thighs, skinned (about 3-1/2 pounds)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 14-1/2-ounce can
diced tomatoes
1/3 cup tomato paste
Directions:
1. Combine
mushrooms, celery, carrot, onions, sweet peppers, and
garlic in a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker. Place chicken
on vegetables. Combine broth, wine, tapioca, sugar,
oregano, bay leaves, salt, and pepper; pour over
chicken.
2. Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 7 hours
or on high-heat setting for 3 to 3-1/2 hours.
3. Remove chicken; cover to keep warm. Remove and
discard bay leaves. If using low-heat setting, turn
to high-heat setting. Stir in undrained tomatoes and
the tomato paste. Cover and cook for 15 minutes more.
Serve vegetable mixture over chicken and cooked pasta
or rice.
Until the next good
eats...
Al & Peg
Minestrone Soup
This recipe is adapted from Living Without Summer 2005 issue.
It's one of our favorites and gets rave reviews from all who've tried - gluten-free or otherwise.
We save it for the fall/winter when it's cold and yucky on the outside and warm and yummy on the inside.
Ingredients
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves minced garlic
1 large onion - diced
2 medium carrots - sliced
2 stalks celery - sliced
1 medium potato - diced
1 15oz can diced tomatoes
1 small zuchinni
1 tspn oregano
2 tspn salt
4 cups GF chicken broth (we used Swansen Natural Goodness)
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1 cup fresh or frozen green bean (1 1/2" pieces)
1 15oz can kidney beans - drained & rinsed
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (optional) or 2 cubes of frozen homemade basil pesto (See Al Notes)
Parmesan cheese (optional)
Add olive oil, butter & garlic to a large soup pot over medium heat. Saute until onion is transparent and soft.
Add celery, carrots, potato. Saute for another 5 minutes.
Add tomatoes, oregano, salt and chicken broth.
Bring soup up to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15-30 minutes. Veggies should be tender.
Add the corn, green beans, kidney beans, zuchinni and simmer for another 15-30 minutes.
Stir in fresh basil or add frozen pesto cubes and allow to melt.
Serve hot and don't eat too much. You could also top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.
Al Notes
Since we made a double batch, we use both kidney beans and black beans.
In the summer I will make fresh basil pesto. This is usually a Saturday project for me. We have a little farmers market downtown and I'll get several bunches. I'll whiz up a batch and pour it in ice cube trays and freeze it. After about a month of pesto making, we'll have several freezer bags full of pesto cubes we can use for a whole bunch of things...like this soup!
Cashew Chicken Stir-fry
The recipe is from Taste of Home's Treasury of Christmas Recipes.
This is our favorite stir-fry recipe. The sauce has a perfect balance.
Ingredients
2 cups GF Chicken Broth (Campbell's Natural Goodness, Kitchen Basics)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts - cut into bite sized pieces
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup sliced celery
3 cups broccoli florets
1 cup Snow or Snap peas
1/4 cup GF corn starch (Argo)
3 tablespoons GF soy sauce (La Choy)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 cups of cashews
Cooked rice (optional)
Directions
In skillet or wok, add 3 tablespoons of broth and heat.
Add chicken, stir-fry over medium heat until pink is gone (3 -5 minutes).
Remove chicken with slotted spoon and set aside.
Add garlic, carrots & celery to pan - stir-fry for 3 minutes.
Add broccoli and peas - stir-fry for 4-5 minutes - till crisp tender.
Combine corn starch, soy sauce, ginger & remaining broth and mix.
Add chicken to pan.
Add liquid to pan.
Cook and stir for several minutes - sauce will thicken.
Stir in cashews or add cashews when serving.
Al Notes:
I tend to use more chicken broth than stated. We like to have a bit more sauce.
Chicken & Wild Rice Blend with Veggies
The Wild Rice Blend is from Lundberg and has become one of my recent favorite meals. It simple to do, but it takes time for the rice to cook. However it gives you time to do the veggies.
The recipe for this on the bag.
Ingredients
1/2 cup of chopped celery
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
1 small onion
1/4 cup red bell pepper
1/4 cup carrot
1 (or more) cloves of garlic
2 tbs butter or Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I used EVOO).
2-3 tbs of GF soy sauce (GF Teriyaki sauce is used in the original recipe, but we don't like teriyaki sauce)
1 cup of Wild Blend
2 cups of water or GF chicken broth (Kitchen Basics, Progresso, Campbell's)
1 tbs butter (optional - you could use EVOO too)
Salt & Pepper to taste. Just know how salty the broth is before you season.
Directions
Combine rice, liquid & butter/EVOO in pot with tight lid
Bring to boil. Stir once then cover.
Reduce to simmer and cook 50 minutes.
Remove from heat and let stand while covered for 10 minutes.
While rice is cooking prep the veggies. Use you imagination - use colorful veggies!
In a pan, add butter/oil & garlic over medium heat for 2 minutes.
Add onion, celery & carrots and stir. Sauté for 3-4 minutes
Add red bell pepper. Sauté for a couple more minutes.
Add mushrooms & stir.
Add GF teriyaki or soy.
Reduce heat and stir occasionally.
Remove from heat when veggies are tender.
Once the Wild Blend is done, fold in veggie mixture.
Spare Ribs with BBQ Sauce
While perusing the meat cases at Brandon Meats, I saw a nice rack of ribs. I had never cooked ribs, but they looked too good to pass up.
Since Google and I are on a first name basis, I decided to see what he could dig up for me. I finally decided upon this recipe at AllRecipes.com. Since it was basically gluten-free from the get-go, there was little converting. Be aware - many Worcestershire sauces are not gluten-free, as well as soy sauces.
Not all of our recipes are "Company Food", but we have deemed this worthy of that title. Company Food is food that we'd serve to guests or at family functions.
Not being one that strictly follows recipes, I decided to modify the one I found and created what you see below.
Meat Ingredients:
A rack of 12 (or more!) spareribs
Sauce Ingredients:
1 cup of brown sugar
1 to 1 1/2 cups of ketchup
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1/2 cup GF soy sauce (La Choy)
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrins is GF in the USA)
1/4 cup of rum (optional)
4 cloves of crushed garlic
2 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon Penzey's Chili 3000 mix
Misc. Ingredients:
1 Bottle GF Beer - Use when oven roasting the ribs
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl, mix all sauce ingredients together.
Pull out about 1/4 cup of sauce for coating the raw ribs. This prevents contaminating the entire batch of sauce with raw meat.
Cut ribs into manageable pieces (I had 2 slabs of 6 ribs).
Liberally coat raw ribs with the sauce.
Place ribs in a container and store in fridge 1 - 2 hrs or overnight if you have time.
Remove ribs from fridge & wrap in tinfoil - double layers if you like.
Pour bottle of beer in large roasting pan.
Insert a small oven safe rack in the pan. I used 3 "snakes" of tinfoil since I had no rack. This keeps the meat out of the beer.
Place ribs in the pan.
Bake for 1 1/2 hours.
Remove & unwrap ribs.
Apply another coat of sauce and loosely wrap.
Preheat Grill to 350 - 400. I used a gas grill.
Apply vegetable oil to paper towel and wipe on grill grate.
Place ribs on grill grate. Meat side up.
Use in-direct heat when grilling the ribs. Burnt ribs are not good eats!
Every 10 minutes - add another layer of sauce.
Total grill time about 30 - 40 minutes.
Enjoy!
Al Notes:
This entire cooking process does take about 3 hrs like the original recipe states. It depends on how long you leave the ribs marinade after the roasting. I left mine sit about 30 - 45 minutes before grilling. Your patience will be rewarded!
Note: I doubled the amount of sauce, however I didn't double all the ingredients. I didn't have chile sauce so I replaced it with ketchup & chili seasoning mix.
Adjust the ingredients of the original sauce to your liking. I didn't want my sauce to be too sweet, so I didn't double the brown sugar.
I didn't have Chile sauce so I sub'ed with ketchup & chili seasoning. I also increased the dry mustard.
I did not double the rum, I wasn't sure how it was going to taste. We happened to have some White rum we brought back from our last trip to Jamaica. You could taste the rum, but not over powering.
Taste it as you go - adjust accordingly - and make notes!
There's a good bit of sauce leftover. We plan to use it on chicken next!
Next time, I'd cut back the chili seasoning a bit. The sauce applied to the ribs was perfect after cooking. The unheated sauce has a bit of a bite to it. This is good if you like a little extra bite. Peg does not, I do.
Options:
Next time, I think I'll put the meat directly in the GF beer, I opted not to this time since it was the first time making this. I added the beer so the meat wouldn't dry out.
