Butternut Squash Coconut Soup

2 TB coconut oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
5-6 stalks of celery, diced
2-3 Large sweet potatoes, roughly diced
2 cups butternut squash
4 cups chicken stock
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 can full fat coconut milk
Salt & Pepper to taste


Sauté onion, garlic, and celery in coconut oil.

Once onions become translucent add sweet potatoes and butternut squash.

Cook for 5 min or so, then add chicken stock and thyme and bring to boil.

Allow it to cook until sweet potatoes and squash are soft.

Purée in blender or with an immersion blender (my preferred method)

Add coconut milk while pureeing.

Once it's all smooth and heavenly, add salt and pepper to taste.

Baked Chicken Parmesan

3 lbs. boneless skinless chicken Cut into 4-6oz pieces

2 cups Panko bread crumbs

3T Tuscan garlic seasoning

½c Parmesan cheese

½ tsp black pepper

½ cup flour

Salt and pepper

2 eggs

3T olive oil

Spaghetti sauce

1T olive oil

1 onion diced

6 cloves garlic minced

2 14oz cans crushed tomatoes

1 14oz can diced tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

1 ½ tsp oregano dry

1 ½ tsp Italian seasoning

¼ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp parsley dry

1 tsp sugar

¼ tsp basil dry

¼ tsp black pepper

1 ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

¼ cup parmesan cheese

Spaghetti noodles cooked to package instructions drained and tossed with olive oil.

Directions –Preheat oven to 350

In a flat container combine the bread crumbs, Tuscan seasoning, pepper and parmesan cheese.

In a dish beat the eggs.

In a pie plate or other shallow dish put the flour.

Salt and pepper the chicken pieces.

Dip each chicken piece in the flour.

Dip chicken in the egg.

Coat the chicken with the bread crumb mixture.

Place on a cooling rack on a large baking pan (jelly roll/cookie sheet with edges)

Repeat until all the chicken is on the rack.

Drizzle olive oil over the chicken pieces or spray with cooking spray.

Bake for 25 min or until meat thermometer reads 160 degrees.(this may be longer if the chicken is thick)

*--While the chicken bakes start the water for the pasta. Cook pasta to package directions--*

Heat a large skillet to med hi heat, put 1 T olive oil and the onion and garlic.

Sauté until clear and starting to brown.

Add the cans of tomatoes and sauce. Stir well.

Add all of the seasonings to the sauce.

Simmer uncovered until thickened to desired consistency, around 10-15 min.

In a large baking pan (10x15) pour the sauce.

When the chicken is done baking

Place the chicken pieces on top of the sauce.

Sprinkle with the mozzarella and parmesan cheese

Bake at 500 degrees until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. (5-10 minutes)

To serve place a serving of noodles on a plate and chicken with sauce under it on top of the pasta

Garnish with a little fresh basil or parsley and some grated parmesan cheese. 

Red Beans and Rice-Cajun Style

Red Beans and Rice –Southern Living

Stovetop Red Beans and Rice

Southern Living MARCH 2011

Yield: Makes about 10 cups (serving size: about 1 cup bean mixture and 1 cup rice)

Total: 2 Hours, 45 Minutes

Ingredients

1 pound dried red kidney beans

1/2 pound Aidells Cajun style Andouille sausage, thinly sliced

3 celery ribs, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 teaspoons Creole/Cajun seasoning (sodium 65mg per 1/4 tsp)

3 cups uncooked long-grain rice

Garnish: sliced green onions

Preparation

1. Place beans in a Dutch oven; add water 2 inches above beans. Bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute; cover, remove from heat, and soak 1 hour. Drain.

2. Sauté sausage and next 3 ingredients in Dutch oven over medium-high heat 10 minutes or until sausage is browned. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add beans, Creole seasoning, and 7 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, and simmer 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until beans are tender.

3. Meanwhile, cook rice according to package directions. Serve with red bean mixture. Garnish, if desired.

Note: We tested with Aidells Organic Fully Cooked Cajun Style Andouille Smoked  Sausage.

Try These Twists!

Vegetarian Red Beans and Rice: Omit chicken sausage. Prepare recipe as directed in Step 1. Coarsely chop celery, green bell pepper, onion, and 1 red bell pepper. Sauté chopped vegetables and garlic in 1 Tbsp. hot olive oil 6 to 8 minutes or until tender. Stir together vegetables, beans, Creole seasoning, 1 tsp. smoked paprika, 1 vegetable bouillon cube, and 7 cups water in Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer as directed. Season with salt to taste. Serve with rice. Makes: 10 cups.

Per serving (about 1 cup bean mixture and 1 cup rice): Calories 373; Fat 1.1g (sat .03g, mono 0.2g, poly 0.3g); Protein 15.4g; Carb 74.9g; Fiber 11.6g; Chol 0mg; Iron 5.2mg; Sodium 377mg; Calc 81mg.

Quick Red Beans and Rice: Substitute 2 (16-oz.) cans light kidney beans, drained and rinsed, for dried beans. Reduce Creole seasoning to 2 tsp. Prepare recipe as directed in Step 2, substituting 2 cups low-sodium fat-free chicken broth for 7 cups water and simmering 20 minutes. Serve with rice. Makes: about 7 cups.

Per serving (about 1 cup bean mixture and 1 cup rice): Calories 420; Fat 3.5g (sat 1g, mono 0.2g, poly 0.2g); Protein 19.7g; Carb 76.3g; Fiber 13g; Chol 35mg; Iron 1.1mg; Sodium 490mg; Calc 65mg.

Slow-cooker Red Beans and Rice: Omit Steps 1 and 2. Stir together first 7 ingredients and 7 cups water in a 4-qt. slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH 7 hours or until beans are tender. Serve with rice. Makes: about 10 cups.

Per serving (about 1 cup bean mixture and 1 cup rice): Calories 397; Fat 2.3g (sat 0.8g, mono 0.2g, poly 0.3g); Protein 18.9g; Carb 74.4g; Fiber 11.3g; Chol 24mg; Iron 5.6mg; Sodium 319mg; Calc 99mg.

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

Calories: 397  Fat: 2.3g  Saturated fat: 0.8g  Monounsaturated fat: 0.2g  Polyunsaturated fat: 0.3g  Protein: 18.9g Carbohydrate: 74.4g  Fiber: 11.3g  Cholesterol: 24mg  Iron: 5.6mg  Sodium: 319mg  Calcium: 99mg

Reward Bars

A friend shared this recipe with us, and we love it! You can find the original source here. I make them ahead of time, and then Ben and I have a quick and easy go-to breakfast that keeps us feeling full until lunchtime. Here is the recipe: REWARD BARS *makes 5 bars 1 cup oats 1/3 cup vanilla protein powder 1/2 cup natural peanut butter 1/4 cup honey 2 Tbsp ground flaxseed Mix all ingredients together. Divide into 5 equal parts and shape into bars (crumbliness goes away when you start to shape into a bar). Store in ziploc bags in the fridge or freezer. For added variety, add in coconut flakes, fruit, chopped nuts, or mini chocolate chips. The great thing about this, is you can use other nut butters and they are so good! I've made the bars with hazelnut butter, almond butter, pecan butter and cashew butter. These butters are expensive in the stores, but you can make them yourself by grinding them in a food processor for about 5-10 minutes. That way, you can also control how much, if any, oil you want to add, which decreases the amount of calories. So, so yummy! Enjoy!

GG's Corn Chowder

2 cups boiling water

2 cups chopped potatoes

½ cup carrot slices

½ cup celery slices

¼ cup chopped onion

1 ½ tsp salt

¼ cup butter

¼ cup flour

2 cups milk

17 oz can cream style corn

¼ tsp pepper

Boil water.  Add potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer 10 minutes, or until cooked.  In a separate pan, make a white sauce with margarine, flour and milk. Add to vegetables in water, along with a can of corn.  Mix well.  Heath through and serve.

Chicken Rolls

2 pkg crescent rolls                         1-8 ozpkg cream cheese, softened
(16 triangles of dough).                   1/4 cup chopped green onion
4 cups cooked diced chicken.          1/4 cup chopped mushrooms-optional
1/4 cup chopped celery.                   may add choppednutsinside
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix above ingredients together.  Separate triangles and stretch.  Put a large scoop of chicken filling in each triangle.  Fold and roll them shut.

1pkg stuffing or crumb mixture
1/2cup nuts
1/4 cup melted butter
Mix dry ingredients & nuts. Roll the rolls in melted butter and then dry mixture and place on cookie sheet.  Repeat.  Bake at 375 for 15 minutes.  Serve with rice and chicken gravy.

Cornbread

This is the cornbread that we had at Matt and Heather's

My kids loved it, so I had to have the recipe.

Thanks Heather!

1 cube butter (recipe calls for 1 C, but I've NEVER used that much)

1 C sugar

4 eggs

1 4-oz can green chilies, seeded and chopped (my kids don't like spicy- so I never put these in)

1 16-oz can cream-style corn

1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

1 c flour

1 c yellow corn meal

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

directions: cream butter and sugar.  add eggs, one at a time.  add chilies, corn, and cheese.  mix well. add dry ing and blend well.  pour into greased 9x13 pan.  place into an oven preheated to 350, but immediately reduce heat to 300.  bake 1 hour (although mine is normally ready after 45 min- so check around then).