This was an easy, yet elegant dinner to have during the week or for a special occasion with company.  In this recipe we used 3 medium sized chicken breast (leftovers tomorrow) but it would be lovely with skinless boneless chicken thighs as well.  In terms of seasoning we used both fresh herbs and dried, a dish that would be lovely with pasta, rice or potatoes.

3 medium sized skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut in half horizontally so you have 6 pieces

1 Tblsp. Olive Oil, 1 Tblsp. butter

Seasoning blend:  I use this one

1/4 cup diced dried tomatoes, in oil, pat excess off with a paper towel

1 sliced shallot

1 cup chicken bone broth, plus extra to make a slurry

1/2 Tblsp. White Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, plus extra to sprinkle on top

2/3 cup lactose free half and half cream

3-4 tsp. potato starch

1/2 tsp. dried basil, 1 tsp. dried oregano, 1/2 tsp. dried fennel

minced fresh basil to sprinkle on top before serving

salt and pepper to taste

Heat up a dutch oven on medium heat with the Olive oil and butter.  Once your chicken has been cut, lightly season with your favourite season blend.  Place in the dutch over - I did 2 batches to not overcrowd the pan.  Lightly sear each chicken breast, both sides, about 5-6 minutes in total - they will continue to cook in the broth.  Place chicken on a plate to the side.

To the pan add the sliced shallot and diced sun dried tomatoes.  Saute about 5 minutes, or until the shallots are soft.

Return the chicken to the pan, and sprinkle the dried herbs through out the chicken.  Add the bone broth, white balsamic vinegar, scraping up any brown bits in the pan.  Season with salt and pepper.  Turn down to a low low simmer, lid on and cook 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

Make a slurry with the potato starch and a splash of bone broth.  Slowly add to the liquid, stirring through out until lightly thickened.  Pour in the cream mixing well.  Remove from heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese and sprinkle fresh basil over top.   Serve along side any side dishes, adding a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese to the top of the chicken.  Asiago is also a nice choice to sprinkle on top.

 

 

This recipe can be increased to feed however many people.  Here it was made for one - and could not be easier to make.  It is also a very liberal recipe - you can use any seasonings, spices, or even marinades for this recipe. Super quick cooking time as well.

1 small top sirloin medallion - about 4- 5 oz

sliced cremini mushrooms - however many you want

a drizzle of Avocado oil

a drizzle of Gluten Free Worcestershire Sauce

Seasoning blend - I use this one

Slice the sirloin medallion steak into strips, and slice up the mushrooms.  Place into an 8 inch round baking pan.  Drizzle a bit of Avocado Oil, and a drizzle of Worcestershire sauce through out the meat, then sprinkle with the seasoning blend.  Toss/mix to coat well.

Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees for 5 minutes.  Place the pan inside the Air Fryer and cook for 5 minutes, tossing ingredients half way through the cooking time.

Serve with any side vegetables.

This is a dish I have never made before.  Why?  We have never found a decent tasting gluten free flour wrap until now.  This is a very filling meal, and while absolutely scrumptious and healthy, it was a bit of a process, but so worth it!  We have a local grocery store (in Canada) that gets these wraps from Burnaby B.C., called Western Family Brand Gluten Free Wraps. Once cooked they were crispy and held together nicely.  So, it is worth your while to find a good quality tasting Gluten Free Wrap to make this recipe.  You could certainly use Corn Tortillas in this recipe, but again, find one that is good tasting in texture, that does not dry out.

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 small onion diced

1 minced garlic clove

2/3 cup diced red and green pepper mixed

1/2 cup frozen corn

2/3 cup black beans, drained and rinsed well

3 rounded Tblsp. tomato paste

2/3 cup water

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 Tblsp. chili powder, or more to taste

1/2 tsp. smoked Paprika

salt to taste

1/4-1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

grated cheddar cheese

On the side:

chopped lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, salsa

Heat up a skillet on medium heat and brown the lean ground beef.  Once browned, remove to a bowl, set aside and drain any excess fat, leaving a small amount left in the pan.  Turn the heat down to low, then add the onions, garlic, and chopped peppers to the pan.  Saute until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes.  Return the beef to the pan, and add in all the seasonings, saute a few more minutes.  Add the corn, black beans, tomato paste and water, stirring to combine.  Keep on low, and simmer stirring from time to time, cooking 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, place a quesadilla onto a plate and sprinkle with cheddar cheese.  Add the meat mixture to half of the quesadilla, add the chopped cilantro and then fold in half.

Heat up a non stick pan on low medium heat.  Do not add any oil to the pan.  Once heated place the folded quesadilla into the pan and cook about 2-3 minutes, then turn over with a large flipper and cook 2-3 more minutes on the other side.  Plate and serve with lettuce, tomato, salsa, guacamole and an extra sprinkling of cheddar cheese.

We added all the accompaniments on top of the quesadilla to get a flavorful bite of everything in one go.

 

This easy simple side dish is lovely with any food, but in particular any Indian dish.  We had ours with Butter Chicken which was the perfect accompaniment.  Any good curry dish will work well with this rice and lentil dish.

2/3 cup Basmati Rice - well rinsed and drained

1/2 cup red lentils, well rinsed and drained

2 Tblsp. Avocado oil

3 - 3 1/2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock or combined stocks

2 Tblsp. Avocado oil

1 Tblsp. each fresh parsley and chives, and cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

good sprinkling of organic turmeric powder

Heat up a sauce pan on low medium heat and pour in the oil.  Add the rice, a good sprinkling of turmeric powder and saute until slightly fragrant.  Then add in the lentils, season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour in the stock, (I started with 3 cups stock).  Stir with a fork and bring to a good simmer.  Lid on then turn down to minimum heat.  After 10 minutes, give a quick stir and determine if you will need another 1/2 cup of stock.  Lid on to finish cooking, then once cooked add to a bowl, and sprinkle on the fresh herbs.

This breakfast recipe was surprisingly delicious, hearty, and easy to make.  A note about Buckwheat:  you will need to use Raw Buckwheat Groats, not Kasha Buckwheat which has been roasted.  The Buckwheat Groats need to be soaked over night, then rinsed in the morning and whizzed up in a blender.  In terms of flavourings, sweetness, toppings there are many options you can use: any fruit or quality fruit preserve, chopped nuts, seeds: flax, chia, etc.  Here is what I used:

1/4 cup raw Buckwheat Groats, place in jar and cover with double amount of filtered water.  Put the lid on and let sit on the counter over night.  (I actually did mine at noon, and then made breakfast at 6 am being the early riser that I am, but as long as it sits over night that will work. )

1/4 cup milk of choice

1/4 cup plain natural yogurt

1 Tblsp. chopped fresh ginger

1-2 tsp. pure maple syrup - or more to taste

1 small sliced banana

handful of blueberries, fresh or thawed frozen

sprinkle of pumpkin seeds

In the morning strain the buckwheat groats and rinse well.  Place into the blender with 1/4 cup milk, maple syrup and chopped ginger.  I quick pulsed mine about 30 times.

Pour into a bowl, mix in the yogurt, top with sliced bananas, blueberries and pumpkin seeds.

If you love curries, Tandoori flavors are some of the best.  The method here using an air fryer is very simple.  You can make your own Tandoori seasoning, but we recently found a jarred Tandoori paste that is gluten free - and outstanding in flavor.

In this recipe we used whole chicken legs, thigh with attached drumstick, but any chicken pieces will work nicely.  Cooking time will vary, depending on cut and size.

Method:

In a glass bowl, mix 4 Tblsp. natural low fat yogurt, with 1 Tblsp. of Tandoori paste, or more to taste.  Mix well. Cut a few slices on top of the chicken legs (not too deep) and place the chicken legs into the bowl and cover fully in the sauce.  Cover the dish with a lid or cling wrap and marinate in the fridge for minimum 4 hours.

Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees for 5 min.  Carefully place a folded piece of parchment paper, folded to size into the bottom of the air fryer.  Using tongs, place in the chicken legs, leaving the top portion covered in the Tandoori sauce.

Cook 15-25 min. depending on size of the chicken legs.  Half way through, using tongs, turn the parchment paper to rotate.  Using an instant read thermometer, check the chicken legs intermittently, once the chicken has reached 165 degrees fahrenheight, the chicken is ready to be plated.

We had ours served with Saffron rice and steamed vegetables, but any side dish or salad will be complimentary.

 

I saw an article in our local newspaper showcasing Coronation Salad.  Having never heard of this recipe I discovered there are many versions of Coronation Salad, a salad that has layers of flavors, and a salad that is versatile in how you want to present it.  This is my version, which really is 2 salads in 1.  A rice and vegetable salad topped with the curry chicken salad.

Rice Salad:

1 cup Basmati rice rinsed well and cooked

2 chopped green onions

3/4 cup diced peeled cucumber

1/4 of a small yellow pepper, diced

1 celery stalk with leaves diced

2 seeded roma tomatoes, diced

2/3 rounded cup frozen peas

handful of chopped flat leaf Italian parsley

salt and pepper to taste

juice of 1/2 a large lemon

4 Tblsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Once your rice is cooked, set aside to cool.  Prepare all the chopped vegetables and measure out the frozen peas.  Once the rice is cooled add in the vegetables, peas, parsley and toss with a spoon.  Pour in the lemon juice, EVOO, and season with salt and pepper.

Chicken Curry Salad:

3 chicken breasts - I cooked them in the air fryer, but use your preferred method of cooking

1 1/2 Tblsp. plain low fat yogurt

3 rounded Tblsp. mayonnaise

1 1/2 tsp. marmalade

3 1/2 rounded tsp. Madras curry powder - or more to taste

juice from a fresh wedge of lemon

chopped almonds

steamed fresh asparagus to plate on the side

Once your chicken is cooked and cooled, cut into small cube size pieces, and set aside.  In a bowl, combine the rest of the ingredient except the almonds.  Whisk well.  Add the chicken pieces to the curry dressing and mix well.  Sprinkle the top with chopped almonds.

To assemble the Coronation Salad, add the rice salad to a bowl, then place a generous amount of the chicken curry in the middle of the rice salad with fresh steamed asparagus on the side.  A salad packed full of flavor, making a great lunch or dinner.

 

 

 

When you are looking for a hearty breakfast you can not beat Huevos Rancheros.  It is a filling, tasty delight with so much going on.  You can do fried eggs, braised eggs, poached or scrambled any way you choose it will be mighty delicious.

Finally, after many years of searching, we found the best corn tortillas.  They are made by a Canadian company by the name of Casa Bonita.  When heated in a dry cast iron pan, they stay soft, pliable and are delicious.  No more hard, dry, crumbly corn tortillas!

2 free range eggs, I braised mine but cook any way you prefer

1 corn tortilla

1 small green onion, sliced

2 Tblsp. minced cilantro include the stems

1/2 cup re fried beans, canned or homemade

1/2 an avocado, sliced lengthwise

grated cheddar cheese

salsa

Heat up a cast iron pan on medium high heat.  Meanwhile, cook your eggs and keep warm, and heat up the re fried beans on low heat and keep warm.

Place the corn tortilla in the hot cast iron pan and cook about 20 seconds each side, then place on a plate.  Slather on the re fried beans with a sprinkling of green onion, cilantro and cheddar cheese.  Top with the eggs adding remainder cheese, green onion and cilantro.  Top with salsa, and add sliced avocados. Such a hearty, yummy, satisfying, breakfast.