Wednesday

Coconut Banana Orange Smoothie



Ingredients
2 cups Coconut Milk (more if needed)
1 Frozen Banana
1/4 cup frozen orange juice
2 tsp. of Honey if needed


Preparation
Mix in blender and enjoy! 
*For extra texture, fold in some shredded coconut and chunks of fresh banana, so good!!







Monday

Cherry Coconut Granola



Every day is a good day for granola! 
We love it for snacking as well as for breakfast! 
Serve with fresh fruit or over your favorite ice cream.. or just simply with dairy free milk!


Laurie's Homemade Granola
Adapted from CC Conference Center Twin Peaks Kitchen


Ingredients
6 Cups GF Oats 
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp. Vanilla powder
1/2 tsp. Ground Cloves
1/2 tsp. Fresh Grated Nutmeg
1 Cup Dried Cherries

1 Cup Shredded or flaked Coconut
1 Cup Honey
3/4 Cups Salad Oil

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a large bowl, add cinnamon, vanilla powder and oats. Mix well.
In a small saucepan, heat honey and oil to simmer, add to the oats mixture
stirring to mix. Divide between two 9x13 or so, baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes stirring constantly so it doesn't burn. Add cherries and coconut, stir. Bake an additional 10 minutes. When granola is cool, store in sealed containers.

Chicken and Brown Rice


A meal that you can eat for, breakfast, lunch and dinner? For me, this is definitely one of those "anytime" foods! It takes a while to prepare, but I guarantee.. it's worth it! Rice and chicken are spectacular filler foods, and wonderful for those gluten free families who are looking for leftovers in the refrigerator to run to for a quick heat me up snack! 
Enjoy!


Chicken and Brown Rice

Ingredients:
1 pkg. Boneless skinless chicken breasts, around 4, or chicken thighs, around 6-8
5-6 cups *Chicken or Turkey stock (home made or from bouillon)
8 oz. Can Tomato Sauce (For Stock)
1 Onion quartered and 2 cloves garlic (for stock)
Red Pepper Flakes (for stock)
Black Pepper (for stock)
2 Cups long grain Brown Rice, cleaned and dried
Olive Oil
Butter
Saffron packet or a pinch of Saffron threads
Kosher Salt to taste
Fresh Black Pepper to taste
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 Finely chopped Onions
2 Finely chopped Cloves of Garlic 
2 Large Tomatoes, seeded and then diced
3 Green Onions (Scallions) finely sliced
1/4 Cup Capers
1/2 Cup Kalamata Olives
1/2 Cup Raisins
1 Cup Italian Parsley, roughly chopped

Stock:
*If you have homemade Turkey or Chicken Stock in the freezer from holiday cooking this would be a great time to use it. The more flavorful your stock the better tasting your rice will be! 
Add to 6 cups stock, 1 can tomato sauce, 1onion quartered and 2 cloves of garlic, and a pinch of red pepper flakes and 1/2 tsp. Black Pepper. Let come to a boil. This should keep hot throughout your rice preparation.

Add cleaned chicken to stock and cook.
Simmer on medium low until chicken is cooked. Remove chicken, when cool to the touch and shred the chicken.. Set aside. Keep stock on simmer.

Vegetable and Rice Preparation:
Heat a very large sauté pan on medium low heat, add a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 2 teaspoons of butter. When butter is sizzling, add the onions, garlic and tomatoes. Keep the heat to medium low not to scotch the aromatics. Cook until onion and garlic are translucent and tomato is soft. Add capers, raisins, olives and green onions. Cook for a few minutes and then remove vegetables to a bowl. Set aside. 

In same large sauté pan on medium low heat, add 3-4 tablespoons olive oil and 2 teaspoons butter. When it is nice and hot add your brown rice. Cook brown rice till it is coated and golden all over. Stirring not to burn. Add saffron threads. When combined, add chicken. Stir well. Add the 'set aside' vegetables. (onions, garlic, tomatoes, capers…)
Mix well to coat all ingredients. Do not over stir. Do a taste test of the liquids, at this point you can add some seasonings, i.e., black and cayenne pepper.. very little salt. As your rice cooks and the lipids evaporate, the flavors will inhance.

This is the part where it is cooked similar to risotto but, very important, *it is not stirred*.
Add enough stock to cover rice, chicken and vegetables. Lower temperature to keep a consistent "Do not stir" or you will have mushy rice. *using brown rice you will need approximately 5-7 cups liquid give or take a bit. Also, brown rice takes much longer to cook than white rice. Continue tasting the rice for doneness. It will NOT be the same consistency of risotto, the texture should be moist but dry and cooked through rice kernels. 

Happy cooking and Buon Appetito!!