Crock Pot Chicken with Taco Sauce

There's hardly a recipe for this one, the title almost says it all! There was a sale on boneless skinless chicken breasts this week, something I don't normally buy. So I put the whole package (I think it was 5-6 breasts), 2/3 of a jar of taco sauce (all we had) into the crock pot on low for six hours. Shred it with two forks or knives or whatever works for you. Add a can of black beans and a can of corn (or fresh equivalents). Serve over pasta. Some of us that could eat cheese added some cheddar on top. One daughter added some sour cream and said that was good too. The next night I reheated the leftover chicken (it made a lot) with some salsa, extra chopped onion, more corn, and served over rice. And I'm including this boring recipe here because A) it's safe for us, and B) my dh liked it and I want to remember to make it! :)

Mexican barley soup

We had a "winner" soup tonight -

as usual, no real measurements, but here is the idea of how to make it.

The first night, I crock-potted chicken thighs all day on low with about 2/3 of a cup of salsa on them.  After taking the meat off the bones to be used in another recipe, I used all the broth that produced, added to all the bones from the thighs -- simmer for four hours --to make the stock for this soup.  Strain off all the bones, meat, etc to leave only the broth behind.  You can take any meat you find to throw back into the soup.

To all that broth (it  filled my huge stock pot about 1/3 to 1/2 way) I added:

• 2 tsp cumin
• 3 or 4 dashes of chili powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 package of barley (it grows 4 times its size, how much you add depends on how "full" you like your soup and how much broth you have
• 1/3 cup frozen diced onion (more would probably be good but it gives me a stomach ache)

I cooked this at a rolling boil for 30 minutes, then added:

        1 large sweet potato, diced

Cooked that for another 20 minutes. Then added:

1 can corn

1 can black beans

any meat I had picked off the bones

Heat until warmed through (just a few minutes) and serve.  I think this would be good with rice or pasta instead of barley, also.

Honey baked lentils

Made this tonight with spaghetti squash - it was very good and will earn a spot in the rotation.  The pickier eaters didn't eat a ton but they said it was OK.  I used the brown/green lentil and honey option. Maybe someday we'll try red lentils and maple syrup. :)

Note: I have labeled this "wheat free" but I am unsure about the soy sauce...

Rice and Lentils

We tried a similar dish a few months ago.  Tasted about as good as cardboard -- not sure what I did wrong?  This one was much better and even the children (who balked at it last time) ate it and complimented my cooking. (?!?) ;-)

We ate this with dairy free drop biscuits (recipe follows).

For the Rice and Lentils (fed 2 adults and 5 children with leftovers):

1 medium onion or approximate in frozen chopped onion
olive oil if using fresh onion
1 cup lentils (I used brown)
2 cups white rice
3-4 cups chicken stock (mine had been from a garlicky-spiced chicken - this could be the key to yesterday's success! I make my own - check labels for allergens if you buy from store)
1 cup of water
extra water
1 Tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon (I think I used a little more)
1 tsp oregano
Cheddar for topping (totally optional - several people had it w/o and said it was fine)


Chop onion and gently saute in a Tbsp or two of olive oil in a big wok or stock pot until soft and clearer.  If using frozen onion (one of my favorite go-to's), just toss in pot and heat up for a few minutes. Adding frozen veggies to oil always results in too much spatter for my tastes so I don't do it if I don't have to.

Add the chicken stock and 1 cup of water, the lentils (rinsed), the rice, and the cumin, cinnamon, and oregano. Stir.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20-30 minutes until rice and lentils are tender. We like it extra cooked. :) Check occasionally and add water if it is drying out before being done...or keep the lid off if the time is up and there is still visible water/broth.  For those that can eat it, sprinkle with cheddar cheese and serve.

If you leave off the cheddar, this is egg, dairy, nut, wheat free.

While that was cooking, I whipped up these (warning, they were dry...but putting this out there for my own memory and to tweak later. I'm no foodie):

Dairy free Drop Biscuits

3 cups white flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
2 heaping Tbsp dairy/egg free mayo
1/2 tsp salt
3/8 cup safe shortening
enough water to make a barely stirable dough - about a cup?
cinnamon/sugar combo to top

Stir all ingredients except cinnamon/sugar together until fully mixed, but don't overstir - some lumps are OK.
Drop by large spoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet, sprinkle with a little cinnamon sugar and cook in a 450 F preheated oven for 10-12 minutes.  Serve warm with plenty of butter/safe spread.  These are dairy/egg/nut free, obviously not wheat free unless you sub for the flour.

Comments welcome on how to tweak this recipe for better palatability! (sp? is that even a word? LOL)  I was taking two different recipes, neither of them dairy free, and trying to combine and de-allergenize them.  The *taste* was OK, they were just heavy and dry.  I may try a cooler, longer bake time...that works to rise my dairy/egg free muffins well.

Today's yummy smoothie

1 frozen banana
~ 6oz plain yogurt
2 Tbsp sunbutter
handful of kale
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
protein powder (I used 1 serving - 2 scoops - of a vanilla whey powder)
water to reach desired consistency

Mix all in blender and drink cold!  Reminiscent of a Reece's peanut butter cup.  I think this could easily (and yummily) be made dairy free with rice milk instead of the yogurt/water and a vegan protein powder.

Quinoa Turkey Veggie "Surprise"

There's really no "surprise" in this meal, but anytime I don't know what to call something here, I wind up calling it "ingredient ingredient ingredient SURPRISE!" and the kids smile. I like when my kids smile, especially when it makes up for the fact that they didn't like the dinner, lol.

At least with this recipe, this is not the case. Everyone ate it, even the picky 3 year old.

It was very easy to make. As usual, I cook by instinct and taste, so measurements are approximate.

1 lb ground turkey
2 cups quinoa (I used this and it was the whole bag)
2 1-lb bags of asian style veggies (I used our store brand "Mandarin style")
enough water to make the quinoa as indicated on the package
1+ lime(s)
garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste

Brown the ground turkey in the bottom of a large stock pot.  When browned, add enough water to cook the quinoa as indicated on the package directions, then add the quinoa.  Stir and add the bags of frozen veggies or  fresh cut vegetables if you are a purist. :)  Cover and bring to a boil; boil until veggies are tender and the quinoa is soft and cooked.  This took us 20-30 minutes.

At this point I added the juice of one lime, stirring the lumpy, sticky quinoa mess as I was doing so.  Because this was my children's first time trying this, I went easy on the spices. I think I personally would have enjoyed much more lime flavor. Your mileage may vary.   I did the same with the garlic powder (probably 2 tsp?) and salt and pepper.    Add as much as you like. :)

We seem to need a lot of protein in our meals, next time I make this I will probably add more ground turkey. It seemed to get lost with so much quinoa.

This amount fed the 7 of us for two full meals with a salad on the side.   On a good day we have 3 "adult portion" eaters, 1 in-betweener, and 3 kid-size portion eaters.

Another soup - Leeks, carrots, cabbage

I used homemade stock from a large roaster chicken that I had covered liberally with onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, salt and pepper, so those flavors enhanced the broth. (I know there is a difference between stock and broth...honestly, I'm not sure *what* and I have a feeling what I make is a little of both!)

All measurements approximate - I "eyeball" everything after having done this so often.

About 12 cups of broth
3 medium leeks, cut in half and sliced fine (most of the dark green leaves cut off)
2 cups of baby carrots (or regular) sliced
1/4-1/3 head of cabbage, chopped
heaping TBSP chopped garlic
heaping tsp salt (I used sea salt)
8 oz. small pasta, like orzo - or rice if you prefer

Combine all but pasta/rice, and simmer for 45 minutes or longer (or until desired consistency - I don't usually put veggies in my stock when making it so I like to simmer them a long time when making the soup). At that point, put the orzo/rice in and cook it according to package directions. I honestly prefer the rice/pasta very overcooked in the soup, it makes it softer. Stir all occasionally. This was simple, tasty, and healthy. It probably would have been good with some of the chopped cooked chicken added back in.