Rachel’s Recipe Box

This is the first recipe to include dairy on this blog. My daughters passed a dairy challenge at the end of August, and our diet has started to include dairy. While most of the recipes on this site will still be dairy-free, an occasional recipe that includes dairy will appear, like this one.

One day when I was trying to come up with something new to make for dinner, I had an idea to make a stuffing for the chicken. This turned out to be beautiful as well as delicious, and easy.

This is a delicious gluten free, family-friendly recipe! It is also (if you double check ingredients!) a wheat free, soy free, egg free, tree nut free, peanut free, fish free, shellfish free, corn free, and low-carb recipe. This meal can be on the table in 45 minutes, making this a faux fast food recipe.

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless/skinless chicken breasts

• 1 8oz block cream cheese (you could sub soy cream cheese to make this dairy-free)
• 1/2 cup gluten-free breadcrumbs (home-made or premade – Amazon has several types of GF breadcrumbs)
• 1/2 or 1 tsp Italian-style seasoning – I like Trader Joe’s “21 Seasoning Salute” myself (if the breadcrumbs are pre-seasoned, use the smaller amount)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 cup, packed, raw baby spinach or kale
• olive oil
• kosher salt

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 and oil a 9×13 pan.

Separate the chicken breasts, then pound them flat one at a time. I have found it is best to place the chicken breast on a cutting board, place a layer of wax paper of plastic wrap on top, then use a mallet to pound the chicken flat. When pounding, you just want to get them flatter and thinner so they will roll well, don’t worry about making them perfectly thin.

In a food processor combine cream cheese, gluten-free breadcrumbs, seasoning, garlic, and spinach. Pulse until the mixture is well combined and evenly green.

Optionally, sprinkle a few spinach leaves on the bottom of the oiled pan, place the chicken rolls on top of that.

Spoon about 1/6th of the cream cheese mixture onto the middle of the chicken breast, then roll the chicken around it. Place the stuffed chicken breast in the pan, seam-side down. Repeat until all the chicken breasts are stuffed.

Drizzle olive oil over the top of the chicken, then sprinkle a bit of kosher salt. A couple shakes of Italian seasoning on top looks nice, too.

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

Serve with a roasted vegetable, some roasted potatoes, and then quickly sauté spinach in garlic & olive oil.

Plate with the chicken sliced into rounds on top of the spinach – a perfect, yet easy, meal for a dinner party!

I recently made my Kale and Black Bean soup, and my step-father got very excited – apparently it tasted almost the way his father’s Linguiça and Kale soup had tasted. So, I listened to his suggestions, and ended up with this soup. I recently served this to several relatives at a family party, and they all loved it!

Enjoy this hearty soup on a cold day, it will warm you up. It warms my heart along with my body – I see my family awash in memories, and my girls gobble it up. This is definitely approved by adults and kids!

This is a delicious gfcf, gluten free, family-friendly recipe! It is also (if you double check ingredients!) a wheat free, dairy free, soy free, egg free, tree nut free, peanut free, fish free, shellfish free, low-carb, and top 8 allergen free. While the soup can simmer for a while, this can also be ready within 45 minutes, a faux fast food!

Ingredients:

• 1-2 TBS olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, sliced into circles (note: 4 baby carrots equals 1 carrot)
• 1 lb linguiça (double check this – most brands include milk, but there are a few which are milk-free)
• 1 large bunch kale, rinsed, stemmed, and ripped into bite size chunks
• 1 1/2 cups dry fava beans, rinsed, soaked, and cooked OR 2 14 oz cans kidney or black beans, drained (fava beans are the most authentic, but not as easily available)
• 3 quarts liquid – 1 quart broth, 2 quarts water works well
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp Tony Chacheres Cajun seasoning to taste, or 2 tsp Italian seasoning mix + 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3 white potatoes, cubed [optional]
• 1/2 lb elbow rice pasta (we like Tinkyada Brown Rice Elbows or the Trader Joe’s rice pasta [also optional]

Method
Chop the onions, carrots, and garlic, and set aside. Slice the linguica in half length-wise, then slice in half again length-wise. Slice into quarter-moons about 1/2 inch thick.

Bring olive oil up to medium heat in a large soup pot. Sauté the onion, carrots and garlic until tender. When the veggies start to get tender, add the linguiça. Let cook for a few minutes, until the linguiça starts to brown.

While the linguiça is cooking, prepare the kale. Rinse, peel from the hard stems, and rip into bite-sized chunks. Add to the soup pot and stir with tongs, it will cook down pretty quickly. Once the kale has cooked down a bit, add the beans, seasonings, and broth/water.

Turn heat up to high, and bring soup to a boil. Turn the heat down and let simmer for at least 10 minutes. If you want to add the optional potatoes or rice pasta, add them when the soup begins to simmer. Cook potatoes for 15 minutes, or pasta for amount of time suggested on the packaging.

Serve alone or with a salad and rolls. Smile as you watch your family enjoy every last drop!

For those who avoid pork, or who would prefer to eat chicken, this is an adaptation of my Sausage stuffed pork with apples recipe.

This is incredibly easy, delicious, and can be on the table in 45 minutes. Serve with some quinoa, rice, or roasted potatoes and pair with roasted vegetables and/or a salad.

This is a delicious gfcf, gluten free, family-friendly recipe! It is also (if you double check ingredients!) a wheat free, dairy free, soy free, egg free, tree nut free, peanut free, fish free, shellfish free, corn free, and top 8 allergen free recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs boneless/skinless chicken thighs

• 1 lb chicken and apple sausage (uncooked is preferred)
• 2 pinches kosher or sea salt
• 1 apple, thinly sliced
• 1/2 tsp Tony Chacheres Cajun seasoning or another seasoning that has a touch of cayenne pepper
• 1-2 tsp olive oil, for the bottom of the pan

Method:
Preheat oven to 350F. Oil a 9×13 or 9×11 baking pan (I line mine with Reynolds Release, which makes it much easier to clean up).

Lay a chicken thigh in the pan, skinned side down. Squeeze part of the apple sausage from the casing onto the middle of the chicken thigh. Roll chicken around sausage, and set in pan. Repeat until you have used up all the chicken and sausage.

Sprinkle the top of chicken rolls with a smidge of Tony Chacheres.

Core the apple and slice it into thin slices. Lay the apples on top of the rolled chicken. Sprinkle a pinch of kosher salt on top, then slide into the oven.

Bake for 30-45 minutes, until chicken and sausage are cooked thoroughly.

This is one of my favorite ways to cook fish! I usually find fish somewhat intimidating, but this recipe is easy, delicious, and almost fool-proof. This was inspired by an early episode of Good Eats and Alton Brown’s recipe. I highly recommend picking up his newest book – Good Eats: The Early Years, even if you haven’t watched the show. It’s filled with a lot of great information, plus, he’s covered substituting for allergies on the show and he quite nice and friendly at booksignings.

This is a delicious gfcf, gluten free, family-friendly recipe! It is also (if you double check ingredients!) a wheat free, dairy free, soy free, egg free, tree nut free, peanut free, shellfish free, and corn free recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 large or two small salmon fillets – with the skin on. We figure on about 1/3lb of fish per person, and I have made this with 8 oz of fish and also 2 lbs. The bigger issue is to make sure you have only 1 or 2 fillets to flip.

• 1 tsp Sea Salt or Kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup gluten-free flour for dredging – amaranth, buckwheat, sorghum all work well
• 2 TBS cooking oil – olive or canola oil
• 2 TBS margarine (I like Earth Balance for this, but if you are dairy and soy free, using a little extra oil works well)
• 1 TBS capers
• 1/2 – 1 lemon, juiced

Method:
Warm oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

In a cake pan or large, shallow bowl combine salt, pepper, and flour. Lightly dredge fish in flour and shake off excess.

When pan is good and hot, add 1 tablespoon margarine (or a bit more olive oil) to the oil. As soon as it is melted, place fish in the pan, skin side down. For the first 10-15 seconds, shake the pan back and forth so the fish doesn’t stick to the pan. Cook until golden crust forms on the skin – about 2-3 minutes.

Carefully flip the fish away from you and wiggle the pan again for the first few seconds. Cook until the meat turns golden brown and delicious. Remove from the heat and slide the fish onto a warm plate.

Pour out the oil, add the 1 TBS reserved margarine (or oil). When the margarine has melted, add the capers and fry them quickly. After about one minute, take the pan off the heat, add the lemon juice to pan and mix together. Pour the caper and lemon sauce over the fish and serve.

This is great and quick meal served with some quinoa or rice and then a roasted vegetable or salad. Yum!

This is a recipe that popped into my head as I was wracking my brain trying to figure out what to serve for dinner. Finding new ways of making chicken is a pretty regular event around here, and I’m sure around many homes! This recipe is likely inspired by a meal I ate in a restaurant once, or one I saw on a menu. It’s delicious and easy, and definitely faux fast food – on your plate in under 45 minutes.

This is a delicious gfcf, gluten free, family-friendly recipe! It is also (if you double check ingredients!) a wheat free, dairy free, soy free, egg free, tree nut free, peanut free, fish free, shellfish free, and top 8 allergen free recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 TBS olive oil

• 1 small onion, diced
• approximately 1.3 lbs boneless/skinless chicken – thighs work great
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• a couple grinds fresh pepper
• 2 pinches kosher salt
• 1 6 1/2 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
• 1 roasted red pepper, fresh or from a jar packed in water
• 3-4 slices good quality genoa salami (our favorite is Applegate Farms)

Method:
Warm olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté until tender. Chop chicken into 1-2 inch pieces as the onion is cooking.

Add chicken, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and basil to the pan, and sauté until the chicken is browned on all sides. This means using tongs to move the chicken, onion, garlic, and spices around the pan and rotate the chicken.

While the chicken is browning, cut the artichoke hearts into quarters, chop the sprig of rosemary, slice the salami into strips, and roughly chop the roasted red pepper. Don’t forget to stir the chicken in between chopping!

Add the rest of the ingredients, and stir until well combined. Continue cooking over medium heat until the newly-added ingreients are hot, and well-integrated.

There will be some liquid in the pan from the artichokes (even after draining) and roasted red pepper. Some will evaporate while cooking, and the rest can be spooned over rice or pasta along with the chicken.

Serve with rice or pasta (on the side or on top, depending on your tastes and the level of pickiness in your family) with a roasted vegetable or salad.

This is a great crowd-pleaser, for adults and kids. Yum!

This is a rich and flavorful meal that has a hearty feel to it. The combination of chicken meat, balsamic vinegar, and mushrooms leads to a wonderful depth of flavor and heartiness. A lighter meal with similar flavors is the Balsamic Chick Chick recipe, which pairs chicken with chick peas, plus the wonderful combination of balsamic vinegar and rosemary.

This is a delicious gfcf, gluten free, family-friendly recipe! It is also (if you double check ingredients!) a wheat free, dairy free, soy free, egg free, tree nut free, peanut free, fish free, shellfish free, corn free, and top 8 allergen free recipe. This is also a faux fast food recipe, which can be on your table in under 45 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 2 TBS canola oil

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
• 6-8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced (also called “Baby Bella” mushrooms)
• 1 tsp dried rosemary, or 1 TBS fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning, or 1/2 tsp each basil and oregano
• 2 pinches kosher salt
• 3 TBS balsamic vinegar

Method:
Prepare seasonings, meat, and vegetables – mince, slice, and dice vegetables. Then cut chicken into approximately 1 inch cubes.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and sauté onion and garlic until tender.

Add chicken to the pan, and stir frequently. I find that a pair of Oxo Good Grips Tongs helps me keep the food moving so it doesn’t burn, and yet stir so the different ingredients are well combined.

When the chicken has started browning, add the sliced mushrooms, rosemary, Italian seasoning, and kosher salt. Continue to stir the chicken and veggies until the chicken is well browned and the mushrooms have shrunken and become quite tender.

Drain any excess liquid from the pan after the chicken and mushrooms have cooked.

Pour the balsamic vinegar over the pan, and stir as it reduces and mixes together with the flavors already in the pan. Remove the pan from the heat, and continue stirring so the ingredients are integrated into the whole dish.

Serve over brown or white rice with a salad or roasted vegetables on the side. This is delicious!

This is a delicious gfcf, gluten free, family-friendly recipe! It is also (if you double check ingredients!) a wheat free, dairy free, egg free, tree nut free, peanut free, and fish free recipe. This is a faux fast food recipe, ready in under 45 minutes. If served without rice, this recipe is acceptable as part of the South Beach Diet phase 1.

Ingredients:

• 2 TBS canola oil

• 1 small vidalia onion, diced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 2 handfuls snow peas
• 1 orange or red bell pepper (or 1/2 orange bell pepper and 1/2 red bell pepper)
• 6-10 crimini mushrooms, sliced (also called “Baby Bella” mushrooms)
• 1 lb large shrimp, shells, veins, and tails removed
• 8 oz baby spinach (approximately)
• 2 TBS soy sauce (LaChoy soy sauce, SanJ wheat-free Tamari, and Braggs Amino Acids are all gluten-free)
• 1 TBS balsamic vinegar

Method:
Dice the onion, mince the garlic, slice the mushrooms, and clean the shrimp. Remove the string from the snow peas. Slice the bell pepper into rings, and then slice the rings into smaller sections.

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a wok or a large skillet. Add onion and garlic to the heat, and stir. After they have cooked for a minute, add mushrooms, bell pepper, and snow peas. Use tongs or a wooden spoon to stir regularly, so they cook uniformly.

When the veggies begin to soften, add the shrimp. Keep the shrimp moving in the pan so they cook on both sides and cook evenly.

Add the soy sauce and balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan, then add the spinach. Stir to combine, then cover and turn off the heat under the wok/skillet. Use the residual heat in the pan to wilt the spinach.

Stir to combine well, then serve over rice with chopsticks and additional soy sauce at the table – yum!

My mother started making this “impossible pie quiche” for my grandmother, and then we’ve been able to alter it to make it gluten-free and dairy-free. This tastes like quiche to me, but without needing to make a crust, and the biscuit ingredients help it stay flavorful without needing cheese. There’s no real way to make it egg-free, though, so sorry to the egg-sensitive folks!

This is a delicious gfcf, gluten free, family-friendly recipe! It is also (if you double check ingredients!) a wheat free, dairy free, soy free, tree nut free, peanut free, fish free, and shellfish free recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups plain milk substitute (plain soy milk, coconut milk, hemp milk, almond milk, etc)
• 1 cup gluten-free biscuit mix, or:
  • 1 cup all purpose gf flour mix (or 2/3 cup rice or sorghum flour & 1/3 cup tapioca or corn starch)

  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp canola oil
• 4 eggs
• 2 pinches kosher salt
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 16 slices cooked bacon (we prefer turkey bacon)

Method:

Preheat oven to 400º

Oil a 10-inch or deep 9-inch quiche pan.

In a large bowl, mix ingredients other than bacon until smooth. Sprinkle in bacon, and combine, and pour into the quiche pan.

Bake 25-35 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is golden brown.

Filling Variations:

• Between 1/2 and 1 cup chopped cooked meat: ham, chicken, sausage, ground meat, crab meat, etc.
• About 1 cup chopped lightly cooked, thawed frozen, or raw vegetables: asparagus, baby spinach, bell peppers, broccoli, artichoke hearts, etc
• Sautéed onion and garlic

Cooking Variation:
Make individual quiches to handle different tastebuds! Oil a muffin tin and/or mini-loaf pans, and divide the batter evenly between them. Add a handful of desired fillings to each, and bake for 20-30 minutes. (In the picture at right, I made 50% more than this recipe, so 6 eggs, 1 1/2 cups baking mix, etc. Doubling would also work wonderfully for making individual quiches)

I’ve been missing the creamy taste of Risotto, but haven’t had any arborio rice, nor the desire to stand over a stove stirring for an hour. I’ve added coconut milk to give the dish the creaminess you would usually get from the arborio rice. (Remember that coconut milk doesn’t give a coconut flavor if the dish has salt and is savory – sugar enhances the coconut flavor)

I’ve taken my Chicken and Asparagus Faux-Risotto recipe, and tweaked a few things to create this pretty and yummy dish. The artichoke hearts are a wonderful surprise to the diner, who had focused on the “confetti” of spinach and bell pepper. This is delicious, and I highly recommend trying it and experimenting yourself with different vegetables, and finding flavors that you and your family love.

This is a delicious gfcf, gluten free, family-friendly recipe! It is also (if you double check ingredients!) a wheat free, dairy free, soy free, egg free, tree nut free, peanut free, fish free, shellfish free, and top 8 allergen free recipe. This is also a faux-fast-food recipe that can be cooked in under 45 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 2 TBS olive oil

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp basil
• 1 shake cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 2 pinches kosher salt
• 1 to 1 1/2 lbs boneless/skinless chicken thighs
• 1 1/2 cup basmati or Jasmine rice
• 10 oz frozen or canned artichoke hearts, in quarters
• 1 cup fresh or frozen bell pepper strips. (it looks prettiest with multicolored strips)
• 1 cup frozen chopped spinach
• 1 14oz can coconut milk (light or not light)
• 1 1/4 cup water

Method:
Warm olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, and spices, and sauté until they begin to get tender.

Chop the chicken into 1/2″ cubes, then add to the onion/garlic mixture. Cook the chicken over medium heat until browned on all sides, stirring occasionally.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare vegetables – slice artichoke hearts into quarters and slice bell peppers.

Add rice, coconut milk, water, and vegetables.

Bring the liquid to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Let cook for about 20 minutes, following the guidelines on your rice package.

Serve to great applause. An easy and delicious meal that mixes great flavor with fast cooking, plus it’s all in one pot!

My oldest daughter, Mackenzie (almost 11), created this meal one evening when she heard what I was planning to make for dinner and decided she’d rather have something else. It’s yummy, easy, and even nutritious. The only negative is that if you don’t rinse the black beans really well, the entire meal turns a dingy charcoal color. It still tastes great, just doesn’t look good.

This meal is now in steady rotation, with a few variations, and it’s one that Mackenzie can make almost all on her own, which is fabulous! We’re big believers in kids being active participants in cooking, and in fact this is the third recipe by one of my kids to be published in this recipe blog – you can also check out Mackenzie’s Italian Soup and the Fluffernutter cookies by Isabel (now almost 9).

This is a delicious gfcf, gluten free, family-friendly recipe! It is also (if you double check ingredients!) a wheat free, dairy free, soy free, egg free, tree nut free, peanut free, fish free, shellfish free, corn free, and top 8 allergen free recipe. This recipe is Faux Fast Food, and can be made in under 45 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb sausage (sweet Italian or a mix of sweet Italian and Linguiça)

• 4-5 medium potatoes (russet and yukon gold have both worked well)
• 1 14 oz can black beans
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp Tony Chacheres Cajun seasoning
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1/2 lb green beans (When we’re feeling lazy we get 1 bag of green beans that are prewashed with the ends already snapped off)

Method:
Snap ends off the green beans if you didn’t buy the shortcut green beans. Dice the onion, mince or press the garlic, and slice the sausage into 1/2 inch rounds. Pour black beans into a colander and rinse very well.

Stab the potatoes a few times with a fork, and then microwave for 5 minutes. Check to see if the potatoes feel right (a bit tender to the touch), if not, microwave for a few more minutes.

Add olive oil to a large skillet, and bring to medium heat. Add garlic, onion, seasoning, and sausage and stir until the sausage is cooked.

Add black beans, potatoes, and green beans. Combine the ingredients together well, cover, and let cook for 10 minutes, stirring a couple times.

Serve, and enjoy! or, as Mackenzie says, “Dig in!”

Variation:
If you want your green beans more crunchy than they get from being steamed in this dish, use the roasted vegetable technique, and serve the green beans on the side.