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! :)

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.

another take on pork and rice

Had this yesterday and dh wants it added into the rotation:

You all know how awful I am at measuring while I cook, so bear with me, it's all eyeballed:

cooked pork, cut in small pieces (cup or two)
shredded or diced cabbage (maybe two cups or more?)
rice (2 cups uncooked)
onion powder (1-2 tsp)
minced garlic (2 tbsp)
lemon juice (of half a large lemon)
coconut oil (to stir fry everything, I used a lot!)

Cook rice - we set aside and put the rest on top at the end, but think it would have been much better stir fried together with the spices.

Heat coconut oil in large skillet, stir fry cabbage until it's getting soft, then add pork (this is where I would have added the rice), onion powder, minced garlic, lemon juice, and stir fry all until warmed up. If I had added the rice to the stir fry while cooking, I think I would have upped the amount of spices and lemon juice because it was pretty mild (but tasty) as it was. The pork itself had been grilled a day or two earlier, brined with garlic/onion powders rubbed on before grilling.