Basic Chicken Stock

Basic Chicken Stock

Almost all of the broth we use is our own homemade chicken stock we make based on the recipe in Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. Here is our method. We buy mostly natural chickens and definitely only use natural chicken for chicken stock. Generally speaking we use a table top roaster oven to roast chickens, usually 2-3 at a time (natural chickens are generally smaller that the hormone fed behemoths in the grocery store.) This is also helpful because it does not tie up the stove with the long broth cooking process. After the meal is over, the chicken bones are returned to the roaster oven. We throw all the skins out as skins are where a lot of the environmental toxins end up. We fill the roaster 2/3- 3/4 full with water (you will need more to cover a turkey carcass.) Add 1 large or 2 small onions, several organic carrots, several stalks of celery and a couple of tablespoons cider vinegar. Bring to a boil and remove the scum that rises up to the top. Cover and simmer for 12-24 hours. The longer you cook it the richer the flavor. When you are done cooking, strain the stock and remove the solids. Return stock to roaster and boil off liquid to concentrate broth in order to make it easier to store. The last step is to add a bunch of fresh parsley for the last 5 minutes of cooking, then remove before cooling. In the winter I put the stock pot part outside in the cold to cool until the fat solidifies and can be skimmed off. We freeze this in 1 and 2 cup containers, planning on a 2:1 ratio of bought broth to homemade for a recipe. Why go to all of this trouble? "Properly prepared meat stocks are extremely nutritious, containing the minerals of bone, cartilage, marrow, and vegetables as electrolytes, and hence in easily assimilated form. ... Stock is also of great value because it supplies hydrophilic colloids to the diet. ... Although gelatin is by means a complete protein, ... it acts as a protein sparer, allowing the body to more fully utilize the complete proteins that are taken in. " Nourishing Traditions, p.107.

Dairy Free Vegetable Chowder

Dairy Free Vegetable Chowder

Everyone is still sick here but I have another soup success story to post. Both my older sons (8 and 6) chose a second bowl of chowder over eggs to complete their meal.

This is adapted from original revised Moosewood Cookbook.

1 Tbsp. margarine

2 C chopped onions(any of these dairy free chowders need really sharp, cry producing onions to counter the sweetness of the milk substitutes)

6 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. thyme

2 tsp.basil

1 medium potato, peeled and diced

3 medium stalks celery, diced

3 medium carrots, diced

2 C chopped broccoli (I used frozen)

2 C chopped cauliflower (again, I used frozen)

1/2 lb. mushrooms, chopped

2 cup corn (again frozen)

freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 C water

4 cups hot water to mix with

1 1/4C Darifree potato milk powder

1 cup coconut milk

Melt the margarine in a dutch oven or other soup pot. Add onion, garlic, and spices.

Saute on medium about 5 minutes.

Add potato, celery,carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower. Saute for another 5 to 8 min. Add mushrooms and corn and a generous amount of black pepper. Saute another 8-10 min.

Add water and half of potato milk, cover and simmer 15 min.making sure potatoes are cooked through.

Add the rest of the potato milk and coconut milk. Remove from heat and rewarm just prior to serving.

Gluten Free Flour Mix

Gluten Free Flour Mix

Any number of basic mixes work well. Here is the one that we use.

1/2 C Gram flour (Indian yellow pea flour)- We use the Swad brand

3/4 C brown rice flour

3/4 C garfava flour

2/3 C potato starch

1/3 C tapioca flour

I mix it all up and keep it ready for when I need it.

Yummy Good for You Chocolate Chip Cookies- Egg Free

If you have been gluten free for a while you know that making a good gluten free chocolate chip cookie is not as easy as it seems it should be. I have adapted a recipe from this month's Vegetarian Times magazine and the results are some of the best we have gotten, with the added bonus of being loaded with all kinds of vitamins, minerals, and good fats. I think this would make a great breakfast cookie if you left out the chocolate chips and added raisins or other dried fruit as well as whole nuts such as pecans.

Yummy Good for You Chocolate Chip Cookies- Egg Free

2 C walnuts

3 Tbsp canola oil

1 C light brown sugar

1/2 C water

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 c gluten free flour mix( you can use premixed bought stuff here or mix you own- I will put our formula in a separate post)

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (optional- I don't happen to like cinnamon with my chocolate chip cookies but given the oaty type texture I see where you might like it)

2 C quinoa flakes

about 10 oz. dark chocolate- chips or broken bars

Preheat oven to 350

Spray oil on 1 cookie sheet. *Somewhere along the line we learned that patience is a particular virtue for GF cookie baking. Some recipes the cookies did not hold together properly or went to dust if not baked in the center of the oven. As a result we bake one sheet at a time on the center rack.

Place walnuts in a food processor and process until they are a pasty consistency. Add oil and process 2-3 minutes more. It should look like a natural nut butter. Move to a hat resistant bowl.

Mix brown sugar together with water in a small sauce pan using a wire whisk. Bring to a boil. Once done, pour it over walnut paste. Add vanilla and mix until smooth.

Mix the GF mix, salt, baking soda and cinnamon in a separate bowl.

Add to walnut mixture. make sure dough is cool before moving on to the next step.

Fold in quinoa flakes. Fold in chocolate.

Form into small balls and place on cookie sheet. Flatten with a wet glass.

Bake 9-12 minutes. They are done when they are golden brown. Cool 2-3 minutes on cookie sheet before removing to cooling rack.

Gluten free, Dairy free Pumpkin Pasta

Everybody here has been sick all week so we have tender tummies and picky eaters. I was running out of supernutricious comfort style food that is totally sugar free. (Why my kids are on a month-long sugar fast is another story.) I saw a recipe for pumpkin pasta in Parents magazine this month so I thought I would try a conversion. It turned out delicious, was a huge hit with the kids and is easy on the tummy. Here is the result.

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Pumpkin Pasta

1 1lb. bag Tinkyada brown rice penne

1 Tbs olive oil

1 shallot, minced

1 1/2 c chicken broth(we make our own here)

3/4 cup canned coconut milk

1 15 oz. canned pumpkin (we actually cook fresh pumpkins about this time of year and freeze in 1 1/2c bags)

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 Tbsp potato starch

Darifree powdered potato based milk for topping

Cook pasta according to package directions. It is important to follow them exactly. I have tried omitting or lowering the salt but the results are not pleasant. It is also important to fully rinse the pasta after boiling. That said, Tinkyada makes the best GF pasta out there in my experience. It is a decent substitute for the real thing.

While that is cooking, in a medium saucepan heat the oil and add the shallots, cooking until tender(less than 5 min.) Add coconut milk and cook off a little of the liquid(the original recipe called for 1/2 c evaporated milk.) Add broth, pumpkin, and spices and bring to a boil. Dip out 1/2 c of the liquid to a small bowl. Add potato starch to the bowl and stir to make sure it is lump free. Once sauce is boiling reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 4 minutes. As soon as the potato starch is ready, add that stirring constantly.

Once pasta and sauce are both done, toss pasta with sauce and serve. Top with a sprinkling of Darifree powder and allow to sit a minute for a cheesy look and a little cheesier flavor. Makes 6 cups.

Spaghetti Sauce

We have a hard time buying GF,DF, SF, spaghetti sauce with no corn syrup involved so we make our own in large batches and freeze containers sized for the things we cook. My kids love spaghetti and meatballs. It is a lot easier to do this if we make the sauce and meatballs in large batches and freeze them packed in meal sized bags. The original recipe is from Karen Younger in Ledyard, CT. I have made a few small changes.

Spaghetti Sauce

2 large cans(~16 oz.) tomato puree

1 large can stewed tomatoes (~20 oz.)

3 small cans tomato sauce(~8 oz.)

3 small cans tomato paste (~6 oz.)

1/2 cup parsley flakes

1/2 cup dried sweet basil

3-4 Tbsp dried oregano

4-5 cloves garlic crushed

1 small onion chopped

1/4 tsp dried fennel

1 package gluten free, dairy free italian sausage ( We have used chicken and pork sausages but the best results we have had are from pork sausage. We loved Framani sausage we got at Whole Foods but now we use another brand they carry since they don't have it any more.) All the brands we have found are precooked so we dice the precooked sausage.

salt and pepper to taste

3-4 Tbsp olive oil

Saute diced sausage, onions and garlic in olive oil. Once vegetables are soft add spices. Cook another 2-3 min. Transfer to slow cooker and add all other ingredients. Cook on low 5-6 hrs. This can be done on the stove by simmering in a large pot.

Chicken Curry

There are a few standard things we have almost weekly and this curry is one of them. It is one of the comfort foods for my clan. We started out with no red pepper involved and lots of fruit, gradually increasing the spiciness and bringing the fruit into balance with the meat.

Chicken Curry

1 small onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic crushed

slightly less than 1/4 cup canola oil

1 Tbsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground tumeric

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp red pepper(optional)

1- 2" long cinnamon stick

3 lb chicken cut in bite sized pieces (we use boneless chicken thighs)

3 tsp salt

3/4 cup water

1 tsp lemon juice

Misc. fruit (the standard for us is 2 granny smith apples and 1/2 cup golden raisins)

In a large deep skillet saute the garlic and onions and garlic in the canola oil. While that is cooking, toast the spices in your toaster oven. be careful because unattended they will in fact burst into flame. Once you start to really smell them it is time to turn the heat off. Add spices to the onions etc. and cook 3-4 min.

Rub chicken pieces with 2 tsp of salt. Add to spice mixture. Brown 10 min.cooking on all sides. Add water and remaining salt. Add fruit of choice.

Cover and cook 50 min. until chicken is tender and sauce begins to thicken. remove cover the last 5 min. Add lemon juice just before serving.

We serve ours with short grained brown rice.

We have also used mangoes or regular raisins for fruits here and the mangoes were spectacular.

Dairy Free Cream of Celery Soup

It's cold and flu season and time for soup and vegetables. Here is the first of what will be many. different soups I'm sure. This is loosely based on a Moosewood classic. It is no longer vegetarian, no longer dairy based.

Dairy Free Cream Of Celery Soup

2 fist sized potatoes, peeled and diced

4 cups chopped celery( plus one more minced finely, preferably from the interior stalks)

3 cups chicken broth(we make our own- more on that later)

1 1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp margarine- we use kosher for passover types that are soy free

1 heaping cup minced onion

1 tsp celery seed

1 cup warm water

2/3 cup darifree potato milk powder

black pepper to taste

4 oz. so delicious coconut milk based yogurt

Put potatoes, chopped celery, broth and 11/4 tsp salt in suacepan to boil. Bring to a boil and then turn to simmer. Simmer covered 15 min. when vegetables are soft puree.

Melt margarine in soup kettle add onion, minced celery, celery seed and 1/2 tsp salt. Saute for 8-10 min. When vegetables are tender add puree. Stir together warm water and Darifree powder. Make sure to get rid of any lumps. Add to soup. Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat gently to warm through, stirring carefully to blend in yogurt. Top with freshly ground black pepper.

This was a huge hit with my boys who have colds, and best of all, no mucus inducing effects from the cream soup.