Witch Doctor Soup (updated January 2014)

I am thankful to have someone in my life who share's her vast knowledge of herbs and natural ingredients. As you can tell, often my body hates me for a variety of reasons. So I have turned to trying to furnish it with fuel that helps it and not adding antibiotics and other things that will bring it down again. So a very special thank you to "Aunt Linda" for giving me this recipe which I of course modified but kept the most important things in tact :)

I have also learned a couple of things:

• I love CILANTRO! Well, I already knew this as did many of you. But what I did not know is that cilantro is good for you and has great healing properties! After reviewing multiple sources I have determined that cilantro is known to be a good source of dietary fiber and iron, magnesium and manganese. It is also known to be an anti-inflammatory and to assist in chelation (the removal of heavy metals from the body).
• I eat loads of GARLIC!!! Not new to you guys!! Garlic is also very good for you! It is believed that garlic has antibiotic properties. My Aunt swears by this! I will say that in my experience I do eat quite a bit of garlic and when I make this soup, I do feel better. Maybe it is the combination of ingredients, or maybe it is just one, but the alternative is meds... and I choose healthy food! 
• Cayenne Pepper... Well based on what I read, there are so many good things about Cayenne Pepper I could not begin to list them all! Let's just say I will begin to use it more than I already do! 
• Onions are YUMMY! They may give you bad breath but they are good for you and taste oh, so good :) Onions are known to have anti-bacterial properties. Is this well known? I am not sure, but I have read quite a few sites and one site even says to cut and onion and put it by your bed when you have a throat or chest cold. The onion will absorb the infection. I may try it just to see next time! 

 ** Please note: I am not a doctor. The web is full of crazy things. These are all things that I have read on multiple sites or heard from others before/after I read them. Consult a doctor before acting on anything. **

The basic recipe for "Witch Doctor Soup" is as follows:

1 box GF Low Sodium Chicken/veggie stock
8-10 cloves of garlic - peeled
1 large onion, peeled and halved or small diced*
1 bunch of cilantro - washed
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Add the stock, garlic, onion, 1/2 cilantro and the cayenne pepper to a pot bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove the cilantro and add the rest chopped.

*At this point it is up to you if you remove the onion - I do.  If you prefer to eat it, just small dice before adding it to the pot.

This is a STAPLE when I am not feeling well and make it because of all the healing properties.  It is a great basic soup that if you like you can add anything you like, but this is what I usually add:

 1/2 - 1 box of GF pasta
 1/2 lb bonless skinless chicken chunks (pre-cooked)
 4 oz shredded carrots

If you are going to add the pasta and chicken, double the recipe above.  Once you bring the soup to a boil then add the pasta when there is the required pasta cooking time left (i.e. 8 minutes).  Your soup is ready after that.  Follow the same steps to remove the cilantro and replace with freshly chopped for serving.   Yes, I recognize that is LOADS of garlic, but the healing properties are worth it and hey everyone will be eating it so you will all be breathing on each other!  :)  Share & Enjoy!

Spinach Stroganoff

This recipe was adapted as most of mine are from a recipe that I found in an All You magazine that was sent to me by a great friend. I haven't eaten beef since 2007 and when I saw a recipe for Stroganoff that wasn't beef I was excited. I can't say that this one was loaded with Gluten, although when it says serve with pasta - I automatically wonder which one of the GF versions I am going to pull out of the pantry for the night. So after a couple of different attempts to modify the recipe, this is what I have come up with! Hope you guys enjoy it!! (Oh, and I cheat... this one has Sour Cream!!!)

1 tbsp olive oil 1 small yellow onion, diced 1 clove garlic, minced 1 container of sliced Baby Bella Mushrooms 1/2 (3 oz) jar julienne cut Sun Dried Tomatoes in Oil 1 bag of baby spinach 3/4 cup veggie stock 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper S&P to taste 2/3 cup of Sour Cream

Saute onion, garlic, mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes with the oil in olive oil over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes. Add in the veggie stock and turn down to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the spinach to wilt and remove from heat and stir in the sour cream. Serve over your favorite GF (or regular) pasta! Make sure to oil or butter your pasta so it doesn't stick if you are going to have left over pasta! This is a recipe that is easily doubled. I usually get 3 meals (or can feel 3 people out of this). Share and enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie

This makes a large pot of Chicken Pot Pie to be served Family Style with Biscuits instead of a biscuit topping... It may take a bit longer to cook, but it warms both the heart and the home and smells divine while cooking!

2 Large Chicken Breasts - Poached and Shredded 2 tbsp olive oil 1 large yellow/white onion, diced 3-4 ribs celery, diced 1 container baby bella mushrooms, rough chop 2 large Yukon Gold Potatos, small dice 2 cups carrots, diced 2 cups fresh green beans, 1" pieces 1 1/2 cups frozen corn 6-8 cups hot chicken stock 2 tbsp minced garlic 1 tsp dried parsley 1 tsp dried basil 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper 1 tsp thyme S&P 2 Cups GF Bisquick 2 tsp Dried Dill 2/3-1 Cup warm GF Chicken Stock (I use my poaching liquid)

Add oil, onion, celery, garlic, mushrooms, potatoes and carrots to a large cast iron dutch oven on medium high heat. Saute for about 5 minutes and turn down to medium. Add 2 cups of chicken stock and the shredded chicken and herbs. Let cook stirring occasionally for 45 minutes to an hour (my stove was on 4). During the cooking process I added a couple of cups of stock as I went. After the potatoes and carrots were softening up, I added the green beans and corn and turned the stove down to simmer (dial on 2) and let it cook for another hour. At this point you will want to check the salt level. You probably won't want to add more but if you need to this is the time to do it. The stock/poaching liquid will have some in it also. Add the GF Bisquick, dill and 2/3 of the warm stock to a bowl and mix. If the mixture is a bit dry you can add up to 1 1/2 cups of stock. You don't want it too runny though. I bake these as drop biscuits for 15 minutes on my pizza stone in 2 batches. It makes about 20 large spoon size biscuits. Serve the pot pie in a bowl with 2 biscuits per person on top (or on the side if you like). This was based on a Rachael Ray recipe that I saw on TV last year before my Dad came to visit and since I could not eat it the way she made it, I spent time trying to make it my own. I would consider this one a success. It was so cool, but the mosquitos had not gone away yet! We had so much rain, and the cool weather came to visit, I wanted to warm up the house but not turn on the heat (classic Heather)! This smells so yummy and taste's even better! Share & enjoy!!

Apple Ring Pancakes

4-5 Medium Apples, Cored, Peeled (I used Macintosh) 1 Cup GF Pancake Mix (Bisquick or Cherrybrook Kitchen is good) 3/4-1 Cup Almond Milk (unsweet) 1 tsp Cinnamon 1/2 tsp Nutmeg Preheat a griddle to the highest setting. Core and peel the apples and slice into rings. I was able to get 4-5 rings out of each apple. Mix the pancake mix, milk and spices until it is a bit runnier than regular pancake batter. I used a bit more milk than my mix called for. Dip each ring in the pancake batter and then cook on the griddle just as you would a pancake. The apple will be come a bit soft in the middle but still have some bite! Just another way to use up the bounty of apples from the farm this year :) I adopted this from a recipe that I found on Pinterest. Since I am Gluten Free and eliminate Dairy as much as possible you will find that I recreate much of what I find... This one turned out very well! I did not even add butter or any type of syrup to dunk! The apples become super sweet when cooked!! Share and enjoy!

Farmer's Market Bounty & Independence Day 2012

On Sunday morning I awoke so excited to explore the Farmer's Market to see what they had to offer. What a wonderful bounty I was to find!! I find it interesting that when I see things on the farmers table and I am not sure what I am looking at, I just ask the farmer: "What is it? How do I cook it?" And then I buy it! I have bought things like... Brussel Sprouts! Yes, I know!! I have come to love them too!! Beets! They are so good... and Mom and I developed a recipe for "Beet Rice" (even Dad eats it:) Cheddar Cauliflower is my newest find... and I brush it with a bit of olive oil and just salt and pepper it and roast it in the oven for 25 minutes. I did this (on 400) and it was fabulous!! It tasted so buttery and there was NO BUTTER anywhere! Swiss Chard is something you have probably read about on here often... I LOVE IT!! It is one of the most simple and easy things that I make! It is fresh, colorful, low in calories and high Vitamins A, C & K! I saute' it in olive oil with a bit of minced garlic and a dash of Tobasco, until slightly wilted! It takes about 5-8 minutes! Very simple and healthy! I was also fortunate enough to get fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil... this if you are on my Facebook, turned into Caprese Salad! It was scrumptious!! Oh, so perfect!! Just add a bit of sea salt, pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar and you are set! Blueberries and peaches were the fruit pick for the week! I have eaten a peach every day! They have been so good and perfectly ripe, there was nothing needed to do... Just slice and eat! The blueberries are going to be eaten today on this Independence Day 2012! Today's menu will include a Pesto, Sun Dried Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper GF Pizza; Grilled Chicken Sausage and Yellow Squash; more Swiss Chard & Blueberry Shortcakes! Sounds like a wide variety to make everyone happy! Happy Independence Day 2012!

Working, Traveling & Such... The last 6 months!

I did not realize it had been quite so long since I had updated this site... I guess I should be better about it! It has been a crazy 6 months! WOW!! I have gotten back in to traveling for work and for fun a bit. I have enjoyed it but I will say it hasn't come without its scary moments! I always worry that I am going to get "poisoned" as we call it in my family. Since I have such a bad reaction to Gluten it feels like poison! I spent my first Christmas here in NY without my "family" meaning Mom & Dad and Michael... but I have been able to meet great people who have become part of my "NY family"! I am so grateful to them for always including me and making an effort to eat what I can. It has been a blessing to also know that their daughter is GF and so they know the challenges. It is amazing how God puts people in your life just when you need them. January brought a huge bombshell that included a possible chance to leave NY... But what it really gave me was the opportunity to look inside myself and realize that for the last 8 years I have been fortunate to have a career that I really enjoy. But is a career all that I want out of this life? I know that the answer is emphatically "NO"... Now, what to do with this knowledge?? I have been searching for an answer to this... and while doing that, I have been traveling, meeting new people, working on myself and attempting to find answers to a few pressing questions in my life! I feel so much better as a person and hope that this shows on the outside also! I have developed that I do enjoy my time in the GYM! I know, that there was a huge collective gasp from many of you out there!! Heather, the uncoordinated, blonde who thought that exercise was going for walk has developed a passion for working out! YES!!! What I have really decided is that (1) it helps me sleep, (2) that once I have rid myself of all the negative products that I was putting in it, I actually feel like being active again, (3) I actually have energy and want to use it to get this body into shape again!! Once I realized I didn't have to be the FAT girl anymore, I didn't want to be!!! Now, I am in the gym about 4 or 5 days a week and I feel great!! In March I traveled to Walt Disney World for the first time since I was a kid! Wow, how it has changed but I loved it! Disney does cater to those with food allergies but I will say that I was still TERRIFIED!! What if I was cross contaminated?! How would I deal with being sick the rest of the trip? Thankfully we hit up Target the first night there and got many goodies that I could eat and I just took stuff with me that I could eat. It was a wonderful trip spent with my family! I also went Atlanta to see a great friend!! I have learned a couple of things from my trips... The South eats a lot of fried stuff and stuff with flour!! It was quite challenging to eat in Atlanta but I did survive! I am thinking I will stay here where I have my great GF place... Sherry Lynn's!!! Lot's of NY travel for work has been great! But the smaller towns are quite difficult when it comes to food. The most interesting fun thing that has happened is we stayed in the small town where "Nightmare on Elm Street" was based on... Hope everyone has a wonderful summmer! More posts to come! Enjoy and Share!! Heather

Green Chile Chicken Chili

It was a cold, snowy evening... I always wanted to start something off like that :) But really it was. Our first snowfall of the season. The weather man said it would be a dusting but it ended up being just a couple of inches, nothing big. But then came the below freezing temps and everyone forgot what it was like to drive when it was cold and there was white stuff on the ground. So I stayed home and did what I do best (or should I say... what I like to do) COOKING!!! It has been a while... traveling for work, fighting some Gluten poisoning, and lots of visitors :) I almost forgot what it was like! Hope you enjoy!

1 large onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 yellow bell pepper, minced
2 small jalapeno's, seeded and minced
olive oil
S&P
1/2 can of green chiles
2 bottles of Goya Salsa Verde
1 can Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
1 can Canellini Beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups cooked shredded chicken
1/4-1/2 cup cilantro

Over medium heat add oil, onion, garlic, peppers and salt and pepper. Saute until starting to soften. Add green chiles, Salsa Verde, and beans. Heat for about 10 minutes. Add chicken and cook until heated all the way thru. Stir in cilantro after removed from heat.

Top with Pico de Gallo, Sour Cream, Tortilla Chips, and cheese! Makes a great one pot meal. Easy to use left over chicken for (or maybe even Turkey after Thanksgiving :) Share and Enjoy!!!