Shredded Chicken Tacos

I modified the recipe to my liking from: http://www.lacocinadeleslie.com/2013/01/shredded-chicken-tacos-de-pollo-mexicana.html

Time: 1 1/4 hour


Ingredients: 
   For step 1...

• 1 lb chicken breast
• 1/4 white onion, halved
• 1 sprig of cilantro
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• Salt

   For remaining steps...

• 1 medium size tomato, chopped
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped
• 1/4 white onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp avocado oil.
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 3/4 cup chicken broth (I use the broth I cooked the chicken in)
• 3 tbsp chopped cilantro, divided
• 1 avocado, chopped
• Lime wedges
• Small corn tortillas

Directions:

1. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Then add the chicken, garlic, white onion, sprig of cilantro and salt. Once all is boiling, bring down to a simmer for 45min.
2. Remove chicken from pot, reserving the chicken broth for later use. Shred the chicken and set aside.
3. Heat a large pan with avocado oil on high. Once hot, Add green pepper and white onion, saute for 2 minutes.
4. Add to pan the tomato, half of the chopped cilantro, cumin, chicken broth and shredded chicken. Add salt if necessary. Cover pan and let simmer for 15 minutes.
5. To serve: add some filling to a warmed tortilla, sprinkle with some avocado and cilantro and squeeze on some lime juice. I use my favorite salsa and chips. 

I made this.

I get this from PCC. 

this is really the worlds best tortilla chips.

Korean Chicken Noodle Soup

I shortcutted this original recipe because I do not have time to make noodles from scratch. Like ever..: http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/dak-kalguksu

Time: 1-1 1/4 hours

Ingredients (Serves 4):

• 1 pound chicken breast

• 14 cups water

• 16 whole garlic cloves (about ½ cup)

• 1 medium onion, cut into quarters

• 12 oz. linguine gluten free pasta (my favorite brand is: Bionaturae)

• 1 medium zucchini, cut into matchsticks (about 1½ cup)
• 8 oz. package of shitake mushrooms, sliced

• 2 green onions, chopped

• Avocado Oil

• Olive Oil

• Fish sauce
• Salt
• Ground black pepper
• 2 tsp Korean hot pepper flakes
  

Direction

1. Start the broth: Put water, chicken breast, garlic, and onion in a large stock pot and boil for 45 minutes over high heat. 
2. Flash boil mushrooms 1-2 minutes and set aside.
3. Prepare the zucchini: Combine the zucchini matchsticks with ¼ teaspoon salt and set aside for 5 to 10 minutes. Then, squeeze the excess water out by hand and saute with a few drops of avocado oil in a pan. Set aside.
4. Make noodles: Cook Linguine noodles according to instructions. Set aside.
5. After 45 minutes of boiling, finish the stock by removing from the heat. Strain: save boiled garlic and chicken breasts, while discarding onion. The stock will look clear but a little milky.
6. Add 1 tbsp salt and 2 tsp fish sauce or to taste. Mix well and put it back to the stock pot. Set aside.
7. Make garlic seasoning paste: Collect the cooked garlic into a small bowl and mash it with a spoon. Add 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, and 2 tsp olive oil. Mix well and set aside.
8. Pull the chicken into thin strips with your fingers and mix it in with the garlic mixture. Set aside.
9. Make soup bowl: In large individual serving bowls, put some noodles, some zucchini & mushrooms on the center of each bowl and add some chicken. Sprinkle some chopped green onion over top. Ladle broth over noodles and serve.

To make spicy version:

1. Combine 2 tbsp hot pepper flakes and 2 teaspoons olive in a small bowl. Mix well and serve. When you eat, add some of the mixture to your noodle soup and eat.

Whoops, i forgot the green onions in this photo!

Seafood pasta

I kind of made this one up after reading several seafood recipes and my experiment worked out so I want to remember it now! Serves 2: 1 for me, 1 for mike.

Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2  lb mussels, scrubbed
• handful of small scallops
• 12-15 shrimps
• 1/2 Gluten Free spaghetti noodles 
• 1/2 green beans
• 10-12 grape tomatoes
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 shallot, diced
• 6 Basil leaves, roughly diced
• Salt & pepper to taste

I learned how to cook mussels for the first time! This is where I learned how to clean them:  http://allrecipes.com/howto/cleaning-mussels/

Directions:

1. Cooked the pasta noodles al dente. Rinse under cold water immediately to prevent overcooking and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, boil water in a medium pot, add 1 garlic clove and all the green beans. Boil until cooked, then strain and set aside.
3. Meanwhile during cooking the pasta and beans... In a large pan, add 1/2 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tbsp butter, 1 clove of garlic and 1/2 of diced shallot. Saute until garlic browned, then add shrimp. Once shrimp cooked, remove shrimp. 
4. In the same pan, add an addition 1/2 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tbsp butter, 1 clove of garlic & rest of diced shallot. Saute until garlic browned, then add scallop. fry until cooked (about 3-5 minutes), then set aside.
5. In the same pan, add additional 1/2 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tbsp butter, 1 clove of garlic. Add mussels to pan, cover mussel with butter garlic mixture. add 1/3 cup water and bring to a simmer, cook covered for 5 minutes. 
6. Once mussels cooked, add the basil, tomatoes, green beans, shrimp, scallops to the pan. Salt and pepper as desired. Once mixture is cooked, it's time to eat!

do you like the colors? 

Tallarines Verdes (Peruvian pesto pasta)

omg, you have to try this. My Peruvian coworker gave me this recipe and I'm so glad she did! It is a creamy lighter version of the Italian pesto recipes I've had in the past. Between the 2, I definitely prefer this one! She told me it's often served with steak right off the grill so just sit it on top of the pasta and let the juices mix into the pasta.

Time: 15 minutes for pasta only (If you are making steak make your significant other grill while you are making pasta or else you will be taking longer than 15 minutes.)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb GF spaghetti, uncooked
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves
• 4 cups spinach leaves
• 1 cup basil leaves (stems removed)
• 3/4 cup evaporated milk (Carnation brand if GF, i checked)
• 1/2 cup white fresh cheese (queso fresco), cubed (this is also naturally GF, cause its cheese, duh.)
• 1/4 cup almonds (the original recipe said pecans but i did not have any)
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• Pepper
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Instructions:

1. Cook pasta in boiling water following package instructions. Drain pasta and set aside.
2. Meanwhile saute onions in 1 tbsp oil on medium-high heat until translucent (about 5 min).
3. Add spinach leaves into pan with containing onions and saute lightly (avoid cooking until soggy).
4. In blender, combine onion & spinach mixture with garlic, basil, evaporated milk, white cheese, almonds, olive oil and pepper.
5. Reheat pasta & sauce as needed before mixing them together. Serve immediately, sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

Lox

I learned about lox when I was in New York where people are brunching all the time. A Jewish friend told me it is originally a Jewish meal so I will take his word for it. This recipe is less about cooking and more about chopping and putting things together. An easy but fancy breakfast/brunch meal!

Time: 5-10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 pack of smoked salmon
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1 tomato
• 1/4 red onion
• some capers
• 2 GF bagels (I'm an Udi's fan)
• Some Cream Cheese (I prefer Nancy's cream cheese since it has probiotics)

Directions:

1. Toast your bagels.
2. Chop everything and plate it pretty. Time to eat!

Chicken sandwich: the works

I don't remember where I got this idea but it works and so I include it even though it is just a sandwich. The trick to this sandwich is: cream cheese, jam, lots of vegetables and love. I generally don't like sandwiches but the jam and cream cheese make it moist and yummy.

YUMMY...

Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 slices of gf bread
• 1 tbsp cream cheese
• 1 tbsp raspberry jam
• Some Cooked Shredded chicken or deli meat
• Veggies (my favorites: sprouts, lettuce, red onion, cucumbers, avocado, tomatoes ....)

Directions:

1. Toast the bread
2. Spread cream cheese on one slice and jam on other slice.
3. Assemble sandwich with chicken or deli meat and piled high with vegetables.
4. Smother it with love and eat it.

eat me.

Chicken mushroom quesadilla

Yum chicken quesadilla! I based today's recipe from the book: So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the week by Ellie Rieger.

Time: 30-45 minutes. how fast can you chop food?

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 8 ounces mushrooms, coursely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, Minced
• 1 boneless chicken breast, thinly sliced
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 cups spinach, coarsely chopped
• salt
• pepper
• 4 GF tortillas (Rudi's GF tortillas hands down the best we've tried)
• 1 cup shredded cheese

Directions:

1. Cook the chicken: Season chicken with salt, pepper, lemon juice. In a medium high heat pan with 1/2 tbsp olive oil, cook until just done. (dont overdry). Set aside. Cut chicken into slices or cubes, however you want it in the quesadilla.
2. In the same pan with another 1/2 tbsp olive oil, add onion mushroom and garlic. Season with cumin & oregano. Once mushroom water evaporated, add spinach and cook until wilted. Season with salt & pepper.
3. Add chicken into pan, heat everything together, then set aside.
4. In a new clean pan, heat to medium heat, place tortilla in pan, sprinkle with some of the cheese and chicken mushroom filling in top. fold the tortilla in half and heat both sides till yummy. Ok, you're done. Let's make another one!

fun fact: i had to learn how to spell quesadilla to write this entry. fun fact.