Country Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy (Clean Eating)

Did you know that there was a Katy Perry concert yesterday? Oh and some football.. Haha kidding...I do enjoy football, I was just neutral on both teams and more interested in socializing and enjoying some good food.

I don't know about you, but I couldn't resist cheating on my diet with the amazing Super Bowl spread we had laid out. I took a big batch of my Tangy Guacamole to share and munched on some much needed junk food while pretending to watch the game. The girls and I had fun catching up and chatting until the halftime show. Then came the real entertainment in the form of Katy Perry, Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott. I loved the half time show and thought Missy Killed it! It was good to see her back in action.

And congrats to the Patriots and this cute family celebrating Tom's 4th Super Bowl win:

Now that the game is over, it's time to get back on track and keep up the clean eating. I prepped the ingredients for this meal in the crock pot and placed it in the fridge until morning. Now all I have to do in the morning is take it out and turn the crock pot on low. There's nothing better than coming home from work, opening the door and smelling dinner slowly simmering in the other room. I'll make some rice and a veggie side to finish off the meal. Then it will be time to enjoy the comforting creamy and silky texture of the chicken swimming in gravy, knowing it's good for you too.

Country Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy 

Ingredients:

1 pound of boneless, skinless  organic chicken breasts
1 container of Organic Cream of Chicken Condensed Soup
1 packet of Organic Gravy Mix Chicken
1 cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 cup fat free organic milk
Minced Italian parsley for garnish if desired
Steamed brown rice for serving

Directions:

1.      Thoroughly mix together chicken gravy mix, onion powder, dried sage, Cream of Chicken Soup, chicken broth, water and cornstarch in the crock-pot with a whisk.

2.      Add the chicken breasts to the crock-pot.

3.      Cover with the lid and cook on low for 5 hours.

4.      Remove the beasts, place on a cutting board and shred the chicken with a fork into bite-sized pieces.

5.      Add the milk slowly until the desired creaminess consistency of the gravy is met.

6.      Place the shredded chicken back into the crock-pot and stir well to combine.

7.      Serve over whole grain brown rice, noodles or mashed potatoes with a vegetable on the side.

Spaghetti squash with chicken meatballs and Romesco sauce (Vegan and GF option)

On my quest to continue on my clean eating journey, I've been experimenting on textures and flavor combinations to liven up my healthy meals. My personal opinion is that the more flavor you are able to infuse into your healthy food, the less likely you are to cheat. 

Let's all be honest for a minute.. pasta is AmAzing! There is nothing better than a carb binge with more carbs on the side in the form of a piece of artisan bread slathered in garlic butter and toasted until golden brown. Mmm... oh ok sorry.. let me take a sip of my kale protein shake and get back on track... 

Spaghetti squash has  never been my favorite, unless it was covered in butter and cinnamon sugar. That was the case until I tried it with some left over Romesco sauce I had. Who knew all that was missing was a savory flavor combination for me to fall in love with this squash?! Adding the chicken meatballs is just another bonus to trick your brain into thinking you're having a Spaghetti night and not a nutritious, low carb and low calorie meal.

I've added notes below on making this dish Vegan and Gluten Free, so it truly works for everyone. Try it out, you'll be surprised on how good it truly is. I recently took some left overs to my office and let a few of my co-workers try it. Even the fast food loving, veggie hating non-dieters thought it was delicious.


ROASTED SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH CHICKEN MEATBALLS & ROMESCO SAUCE

Ingredients:

1 medium sized spaghetti squash, washed and cut in half lengthwise
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups of Romesco Sauce
1 batch of Chicken Meatballs
1 handful of fresh Italian parsley, minced
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions for the squash:

·      Preheat the oven to 400°F: Preheat the oven while you prep the squash.

• Slice the squash in half: Use a chef's knife to cut the spaghetti squash lengthwise from stem to tail. Spaghetti squash are really tough and hard, so be cautious when cutting.
• Scoop out the seeds: Use a large spoon to scrape out the seeds and stringy bits of flesh from inside the squash. Discard the seeds 
• Place the squash in a foil lined baking dish: Choose a size large enough to fit both sides of the squash, cut side down. 
• Bake for 30 to 45 minutes: Smaller squash will cook more quickly than larger squash. Check the squash after 30 minutes to gauge cooking.
• The squash is done when tender: The squash is ready when you can easily pierce a fork through the flesh all the way to the peel. The flesh will also separate easily into spaghetti-like strands. You can also taste it right now — if the noodles are still a bit crunchy for your taste, put the squash back in the oven for another 15 to 20 minutes.
• Scrape out the squash: Use a fork to gently pull the squash flesh from the peel and to separate the flesh into strands. The strands wrap around the squash horizontally — rake your fork in the same direction as the strands to make the longest "noodles."
• Serve the squash: Serve the squash immediately, tossed with a little butter or olive oil. Spaghetti squash will also keep refrigerated for up to a week, or frozen for up to 3 months.

You can freeze the meatballs in portioned sized freezer bags to make future dinners a snap.

*To make this recipe Vegan, substitute the chicken meatballs for Morning Star Farms veggie meatballs and the cheese with this vegan parmesan cheese recipe from The Minimalist Baker.

*To make the recipe gluten free, substitute the breadcrumbs with 1/2 cup finely crushed Corn Flakes cereal and 1 teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning.

Baked Teriyaki-Pineapple Chicken

Sticking to New Year's Resolutions can be hard, especially when it involves eating healthy. I want to make it a little easier on you with this recipe. You don't have to sacrifice taste or time to make a delicious weeknight meal that is good for you. I've revamped the traditional version of Teriyaki sauce we all love and have cleaned it up for a healthier alternative. It's baked, with less sodium and sugar, but not missing any flavor.

You can find Truvia brown sugar blend at most major grocery chains. It's pretty common these days as people become more aware and educated on their health. It's much better for you than imitation sugar-free blends and worth the added cost. Just remember that you can substitute regular brown sugar, but you'll be adding extra calories. Keep this one clean!

Baked Teriyaki-Pineapple Chicken 

Ingredients:

1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken tenders (about 3-4 breasts, sliced)

2 cups light soy sauce or amino acids

1 orange, juiced
1 cup Truvia brown sugar blend
1 bunch of scallions, sliced thin
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup water

1 small can of pineapple chunks, drained and juice set aside

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a 9x11 glass baking dish with foil, spray with cooking spray, line chicken tenders inside and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the light soy sauce, orange juice, pineapple juice brown sugar, ginger, garlic and

 hoisin sauce. Set aside.

Mix the water and cornstarch together until thoroughly blended. Add the cornstarch slurry to the Teriyaki sauce, stir everything together and pour over the chicken.

Bake for 15 minutes, flip chicken over and bake an additional 11 minutes. Flip tenders over one more time, spoon sauce over the tenders from the pan and bake an additional 5 minutes. Remove the tenders from the pan to a serving plate. Spoon the remaining sauce over the tenders, 

garnish with the sliced scallion and serve.

Serving suggestion:

I made black rice and sautèed some snap peas and red bell pepper slices while the chicken 

baked to serve on the side.

BACK TO BASICS: Making your own Chicken Stock

I've had a lot of requests recently from followers like you, looking for ways to improve their cooking techniques and make the most out of the time they do have to spend in the kitchen. This has inspired me to start a new segment called "Back to basics" I'm emphasizing the title for you to become familiar with, knowing that any post going forward with "Back to basics" in the title, will be a great "how to" teaching tutorial.

I'll start this exciting new tutorial off with "Making your own chicken stock". You might be surprised how easy making a rich and flavorful stock truly is, if given the couple of extra steps and time. 

We all get busy this time of year and sometimes grabbing a whole roasted chicken on the way out of the grocery store is the best we can do for dinner. Don't be ashamed, I love roast chicken and end up with these golden babies on my table often. They are on the pricier side, so why not get the most bang for your buck and repurpose the leftovers into chicken stock?

Making your own stock also allows you to control the amount of sodium and  the quality of the ingredients gong into it. I've seen organic chicken stock go for $6 a box, clear up to $13 for gourmet brands! That's a lot of money for chicken flavored water!

Chicken stock isn't just for soup or stews either. Stock can lend it's rich flavor to so many other dishes. Mashed potatoes made with chicken stock are elevated to an entirely more complex and savory flavor. Try sautéing green vegetables in stock and even use it in place of water in your stir-fry's. 

You will need:

1 roasted chicken carcass, leftover meat, skin, bones and all
1 large onion, chopped into fourths and layers separated
2-3 carrots, skin on and scrubbed clean, cut into fourths
2-3 celery ribs, cut into fourths
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
7-10 peppercorns
2 bay leaves
5 sprigs of fresh parsley, including stems
1 tsp. fine sea salt

Instructions:

Add all of the above into a large stockpot, cover with water to fill a few inches over the chicken (about 4 quarts) and bring to a rolling boil.

Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for at least an hour and a half, but longer if you can for the most flavor*. You can skim solids off of the surface periodically for clearer broth while it simmers, but I find skipping this step and allowing the broth to cool completely solidifies all of the solids and fats on the surface and is easily scraped off. I usually do this step the next morning, removing the solid layer before bottling.

Before removing the broth from the heat, carefully taste a spoonful for flavor. Keep in mind that broth will taste saltier as it cools and adjust seasonings accordingly, if needed.

Turn off your heat once the desired concentration of flavor is met and allow the stock to cool for 30 minutes.

Strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl or clean pot. If using the cooling method to remove unwanted fat and solids, now is the time to refrigerate. Once you have removed the solids as described above, you can now bottle the remaining stock.

You may now use immediately or refrigerate for up to five days. If you are not planning on using within a day or two, freeze the remaining for up to 3 months.

*From what I've read, I wouldn't suggest going too long over four hours, as the vegetables will start to break down and cause your stock to become murky and might possibly muddle the flavor. This is a much debated time frame, but an hour and a half to two hours yields great flavor. 

If you own a large pressure cooker, you may reduce your cooking time by half, still infusing the most flavor into the stock without making changes to the ingredients. The only change, depending on the size or your PC, might be slightly less water, as to not overfill. Use the maximum capacity guidelines on your PC as a guide.

After you have added all of the ingredients to the PC, cover and secure the lid. Raise the heat to high and bring the pot up to full pressure, (about 15 minutes).

Once full pressure is reached, lower the heat to maintain pressure and start your timer. Cook fo 45 minutes, remove from heat and wait for the pot to release pressure. Once the pressure has been released, follow the same instructions as above to skim the solids and bottle for storage.


P.s. I do not have a photo of the strained and finished broth yet, as I used mine to make some delicious chicken pot pies in a mug. I'll post the recipe for the pot pies and pictures of the finished stock very soon. :)

Chicken & Wild Rice Soup for the Soul

Today is Chicken Soup for the Soul Day. If you haven't had the pleasure of reading one of the many Chicken Soup for the Soul books that were created by inspirational speakers Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, I highly recommend you pick up a copy. Spend the day in front of a warm fire or sunny window and whip up a pot of this delicious Chicken and Wild Rice Soup and dive in.

These books are close to my heart because they were given to me by my mother to read as a teeneger. She was sweet enough to hand it over as "just a suggestion" to her wild child as a way of finding my center and bringing some inspiration and culture to my world. A world that was full of loud music and Johnny Depp wall collages. That part hasn't changed, but it's now called iTunes and Pinterest boards. Digital rebellion and refusal to ever let the wild child die is how I think of it now. I still like my music loud, but I balance it out with yoga, meditation and well, blogging to all of you (thank you for reading, friends! xoxo). Now back to chicken soup and the soul...

Some of my favorite quotes from Jack:

“Most everything that you want is just outside your comfort zone.” 
― Jack Canfield

“There are essentially two things that will make you wise -- the books you read and the people you meet.” 
― Jack Canfield

“Practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty.” 
― Jack Canfield, Chicken Soup for the Soul

There is a Chicken Soup book for just about everyone. They are a nice little pick me up and I found reading them, especially as such an impressionable age, made me feel more normal as I related to the stories I read. The struggle is real for all of us. Sometimes it's nice to have that reassurance or a reminder to keep your head up on a bad day. I don't know the author, and couldn't find the source, but I love this quote when I'm feeling stressed or down:




So in honour of this soulful day, I decided the most fitting chicken soup recipe to share would be my chicken & wild rice. Like most of the recipes I post, I've made this one healthier by eliminating the need for cream. It's absolutely delicious with a velvety mouth feel, and as a bonus, good for you too! Try it out, read some happy thoughts and leave me your favorite quotes in the comments below. 

Peace, love and light,

Amelia 

Chicken & Wild Rice Soup for the Soul

Ingredients:

2 organic boneless, skinless chicken breasts cooked and shredded.
32 oz. organic free range chicken broth
1 cup of Lundberg wild blend rice
3 tbs. olive oil
1/2 cube of butter
1/2 cup of flour
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup of carrot, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 medium sweet onion, diced
1 cup of frozen peas, rinsed
1 cup skim milk
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1 Add rice and chicken broth to a medium pan, on medium heat, with the lid on, until rice is cooked. About 45 minutes.

2 While the rice is cooking, sauté the olive oil, garlic, onion, carrot and celery in a stock pot over medium heat, until the onions are translucent. Remove the veggies and set aside for later.
3 Melt the butter in a stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the flour, whisking to make a roux. Cook until light blonde. Add the milk and continue whisking until milk thickens. Add the rice and stock mixture, veggies and shredded chicken. Stir together and simmer for ten minutes, to thicken and marry all of the flavors together. Add thyme, salt and pepper and frozen peas. Stir until peas are melted. Serve and enjoy!

If the soup isn't to your desired creaminess, you may add another splash of milk. The reason I suggest cooking the rice in the stock, is to use the rice as a thickening agent and eliminate the need for cream. This saves quite a bit of calories and makes for a hearty, creamy base without sacrificing flavor. 

Chopped Chinese Chicken Salad

After my last few posts on bacon and pasta, I decided it was time to get back on the wagon and make a refreshing and light salad. This Chopped Chinese Chicken Salad is so tasty, you won't know it's clean! I cleaned up the dressing by using stevia instead of sugar and light soy for a lower sodium option. I was careful to make sure none of the flavor was lost from the standard calorie ridden dressing everyone loves.

With so many colors, this salad has a beautiful presentation, which makes it a great option as a healthy side at your next potluck, luncheon or shower.

Chinese Chopped Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

1 Romaine lettuce heart, shredded

1 bag of coleslaw mix 

1 red bell pepper, julienned

1/2 head of shredded purple cabbage

2 Cups of shredded carrots

1 bunch scallions, chopped

1 lb of ground chicken

1/2 cup of salted sunflower seeds

1 cup shelled and cooked edamame

1 large can of mandarin oranges in their own juice, drained

chow mein noodles

Sesame Dressing:

1 1/2 tablespoons safflower oil 
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil 
1 1/2 teaspoons stevia
2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce or liquid aminos 
2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Combine all the salad ingredients, minus the mandarin oranges and chow mein noodles in a large bowl.
Make the dressing by combining all the dressing ingredients into a salad carafe and shake well. Immediately pour the dressing over the salad and toss well. Plate a handful of salad on each plate and garnish with a small handful of chow mein noodles in the center. Add mandarin oranges in a ring around the outside of the chow mein noodles for pretty plating.

This salad is a great option for the Mason jar meal prep that has been so popular as of late.

Layer the salad in this order from the bottom of the jar up to the lid and store for up to 4 days in the fridge. This size will yield about 4 large jars of salad.

Layer order:

Chicken

Mandarin oranges

Carrots

Edamame
Scallions
Bell peppers

Dressing to coat layers to this point

Sunflower seeds

Cabbage

Coleslaw and romaine

Chow Mein noodles

To serve, just shake the jar well until combined, toss onto a plate and enjoy.

Chicken Pesto Lasagna Rollatini

I had quite a bit of pesto and ricotta left over from my last blog post on bruschetta, so I started looking at a few other items I had on hand.  Bottled marinara and Parmesan are always a given in my fridge, I had 2 large grilled chicken breasts, the ricotta, basil and pesto. The wheels started turning, I always like to picture myself as a contestant on Chopped and think of what I would whip together in 30 minutes if $10 grand and my dignity depended on it. So I thought.. Italian ingredients.. pasta.. what do I have? Lasagna noodles.. hmmm... Rollatini! And just like that they all melded together into this delicious twist on a white lasagna. I think this recipe would get me through to the dessert round, but try it out yourself and tell me what your Chopped judges at home think.

Chicken Pesto Lasagna Rollatini

12 lasagna noodles
4 C. of well shredded chicken. (about 2 large breasts)
2 C. part skim ricotta
2 C. Italian cheese blend or mozzarella
1 C. spinach, shredded
1 C. pesto
1 jar of high quality bottled marinara
1 small bunch of basil leaves for garnish, chopped
shredded parmesan for plating


Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling and salted water until al dente. Drain the water, reserving a few inches in the bottom to keep the noodles from drying out or sticking as you work. Set aside off of the heat.

Preheat the oven to 400°F and oil a large glass baking dish.

Use the time while the pasta cooks to make the filling. Mix the shredded chicken, ricotta, one cup of the Italian cheese blend, spinach and pesto together until well combined. 

Assemble the rollatinis by laying each noodle onto a cutting board, spread a thick layer of the filling onto the noodle, leaving an inch gap uncovered on the end to hold it together. Roll the noodle into a pinwheel and press the end to enclose the filling. Place the rollatinis into the greased dish, seam side down. Once all of the rollatinis are in the dish, spoon marinara sauce over the center of each and top with more cheese. Place in the oven uncovered and bake for 10-15 minutes until cheese is bubbly. Broil the last few minutes to brown the cheese if desired.

Plate with a 1/2 C. of marinara in the center of the plate, topping with a rollatini and garnishing with chopped basil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. 

Lemon & Herb Roasted Chicken with Spring Vegetables

I am still reveling and soaking in my whirlwind trip to NYC last week. The last day before we headed home was a Saturday, we thought it would be fitting to spend it like true New Yorkers in Central Park. The park was so beautiful and full of life. All of the wonderful colors and varying shades of green were so stunning to see in contrast to the monochromatic black of the city streets and typical New York attire.

How Beautiful is this electric blue water? It was an absolutely perfect day to wander around Central Park.

Rouge Tomate is a unique gourmet food truck in the park that uses solar panels to power and is 100% green, using biodegradable and recyclable materials.

 The smell of Moroccan chicken and burgers grilling perfumed the air all around and was memorizing. We just had brunch at Sarabeth's or I would have been trying one of everything on their menu.

I miss the abundance of small markets available with fresh produce, as we are just starting our growing season here in Utah. Chelsea market was a world of it's own I enjoyed visiting as we stopped in for lunch, taking in all of the culture and endless varieties of shops and dining options. I had the most amazing salad of fresh greens, chicken, vegetables and a carrot-ginger dressing, all while enjoying a view of the Hudson. 

All of the sights, smells and people watching inspired me to create this dish and bring some sunshine and color home to enjoy. 

 

Lemon & Herb Roasted Chicken with Spring Vegetables

 

Ingredients

• 3 lbs of chicken thighs and drumsticks (or an entire chicken, divided into pieces)
• 2 lemons
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound fingerling or small red potatoes, halved
• 2 bunches of radishes, halved and leaves removed.
• 1 shallot, peeled and quartered
• 1 bunch of baby carrots with 1/4" of the stems remaining
• 1 small bag of snap peas (about 3/4 of a lb) washed and rinsed
• 2 T. lemon pepper seasoning
• 2 T. McCormick roasted garlic and herb seasoning
• salt and pepper to taste
•  1 small bunch of each chopped; fresh rosemarry and thyme (lemon thyme if you can find it)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 F on convection roast. (500 degrees conventional)  Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Trim excess fat from chicken with kitchen shears. Season with 1 T. lemon pepper and the garlic and herb seasoning, Place chicken in a large (3 quart) baking dish that has been prepped with cooking spray. Squeeze 1/2 lemon over the chicken and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the potatoes and radishes in half and quarter the shallot, breaking up the layers into individual slices. Slice one lemon into 1/8" slices, removing the seeds as you go. Toss the potatoes, radishes, carrots, snap peas, lemon slices and shallot and the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a bowl; season with salt and pepper and remaining tablespoon of lemon pepper. 

Remove the chicken from the oven and scatter the vegetables around it. Squeeze the remaining 1/2 lemon over the chicken and vegetables. Top with the herbs and continue to roast until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is golden and cooked through, about 25 more minutes.

Plate the chicken and vegetables. Drizzle a few tablespoons of the pan drippings over the meal just before serving. Top with a few fresh sprigs of herbs for presentation. Enjoy this flavorful and colorful meal outdoors on a patio, or in the park, where you can take in all of the beautiful flowers and smells of spring.