Chicken Salad

This is my favorite chicken salad "recipe". I don't measure with this, but I love this flavor combination. These are my best guesses for amounts, but don't be afraid to experiment.

Ingredients

2 Cups cooked shredded or cubed chicken
4 Tbs. homemade mayonnaise
1 tsp. grated lemon zest or 2 tsp. chopped, preserved lemon peel
1-2 tsp. chopped pickled jalapenos (OR whole non-pareil capers)
1 clove garlic freshly crushed
Salt and freshly ground Pepper to taste (you will probably not need salt if you used preserved lemons and/or if you salt your mayo)
Fresh greens, such as arugula, spinach, butter lettuce, romaine lettuce, etc.

Method

Mix all ingredients except greens together until desired consistency is reached. Serve on a bed of greens.

Arroz Con Pollo

This is my adaptation of my mother-in-law's fabulous recipe for this dish that she got from a Puerto Rican neighbor many years ago.  It adapted well and may become my favorite way to use leftover chicken.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cauliflower, grated
3 c cooked chicken, shredded or cut into chunks
1 c peas
1 c chopped ham (or 3/4 c chopped bacon)
2 T butter or bacon fat
1 onion, chopped
2-3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp saffron
1/3 c broth
2 green onions, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped and drained
3 c cheddar cheese, grated
8-10 green olives, sliced

METHOD:

If using bacon, fry until crispy then crumble or chop.

Heat about 2 T of butter (or bacon fat if you are using bacon) in a large skillet.  Add the chopped onion, and once it begins to soften add the saffron and salt and stir thoroughly. 

Add the grated cauliflower and broth and let cook for about 3-5 minutes or until the cauliflower has softened.

Transfer to a large bowl and combine with the peas, ham, green onion, chopped tomato, and chicken pieces.

Pour this mixture into a 9 x 13 Pyrex baking dish, or dish of similar size.  Cover with the grated cheese and olives and bake for 25-30 minutes, until it is heated through and the cheese is adequately melted.  Put it under the broiler if you want the cheese to be browned.

Turkey Pecan Waldorf Salad

This makes a nice lunch or light dinner.  It can be served on its own or on a bed of salad greens.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c cooked turkey, cut into pieces
2 stalks of celery
1 large crisp apple
1/2 c pecan pieces
1/2 c red grapes, cut in half

For the dressing:
1/4 c plus 2 T mayonnaise (6 T total)
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 T olive oil
salt to taste
a little honey, optional

Chop the celery (I like to include the leaves), and place in a medium mixing bowl.  Cut the apple into bite-sized pieces and add to the bowl.  Put in the meat and grapes.

To toast the pecan pieces, put them into a dry skillet and heat them on medium heat while stirring.  Remove from heat when they start to smell really good.  Let them cool, then add them into the salad and mix.

Whisk the ingredients for the dressing together and pour over the salad. 

You can substitute raisins or chopped dates for the grapes.  Chicken would work in place of turkey.  You can also try adding fresh herbs, such as  parsley or cilantro for a little more flavor.

Apricot Rosemary Turkey Breast

This is a simple and delicious way to roast a turkey breast, as well as a way to include some broth.  The sauce that results from this dish is light and tasty and my otherwise broth-averse 8-year-old loved it.  It goes well with cranberry sauce and celery chestnut stuffing.

INGREDIENTS:

1 4 lb turkey breast (I prefer bone-in)
1 c meat stock
1/2 c apricot jam
        OR 1/2 c pureed fresh apricots, or 8 dried apricots
1/4 c honey 
1 T dried rosemary (or fresh if you have it)

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Rinse the turkey breast, pat it dry, and place it skin side up in a roasting pan.  Place in the oven and set a timer for one hour and fifteen minutes.

Combine the stock, apricot jam (or pureed apricots), honey and rosemary in a saucepan and bring it to a boil.  Simmer for about 10-15 minutes to allow it to thicken and reduce.  Set aside.  NOTE- if you are using dried apricots, pour boiling water over them and let them stand until soft.  Drain them and add them to the stock mixture as you would the jam, but puree the mixture BEFORE adding the rosemary. 

When the timer goes off, pour the apricot mixture over the turkey breast and return it to the oven for another 15-30 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 170 degrees.

Cracklins

Sorry if this grosses some of you out- it's an old time treat that has become one of my boys' favorite snacks.  It's so simple, and a great way to use more of our food and have less waste.  Between making these and broth with the bones, we pretty much use up the whole chicken these days. 

To make cracklins, simply heat fat or oil for frying in a large skillet and fry the skins on both sides until crispy.  I salt them as they are cooling down.  You can also shake on other seasoning if you like.  These are best eaten when still warm.

Turkey Green Chile Stew

I was looking for a creative way to use leftover turkey and came up with this.  It was a pleasant change from chicken soup.  The flavor of the soup would be greatly enhanced by fire roasting some or all of the chiles ahead of time.  I didn't have time and it still came out very nicely.

INGREDIENTS:

1 onion, chopped
2 T butter or other fat for cooking
2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
2 cups various green peppers, chopped (I used a blend of poblano, anaheim and green bell pepper)
1 quart meat stock (ideally turkey, but I used chicken and it was fine)
1-2 cups of chopped cooked turkey (however much you have on hand)
handful of chopped cilantro
salt to taste
dash of lime juice
optional- chile powder or chipotle powder, fresh jalepenos

METHOD:

Fry the onion in the butter or fat.  Add the spices and garlic and let cook a few minutes, than add the peppers.  Once they have cooked down a little, after about 5 minutes, add the stock.  Simmer for another 10 minutes or so until the flavors have blended more and the veggies are soft.  Add the turkey and cilantro and cook another few minutes to allow the meat to warm through.  Remove from heat, add the lime juice, and taste and adjust the seasonings.  This is delicious with sour cream, if you can have it.

For intro, just simmer the vegetables and meat in the stock.

Bacon Ranch Chicken Wrap

The other day I went past a fast food restaurant with signs up for bacon ranch chicken sandwiches.  While the smell of that particular restaurant was far from appealing, I thought the combination sounded great and I had a strong sense of nostalgia for the convenience that such a sandwich would provide.  I had this version for lunch today and it was nearly as easy.

When I boiled a chicken last night to make stock, I set aside a small portion of the white meat to use today.  I like to have a batch of Teri's fabulous ranch dip in the fridge for easy snacking anyway, so whipping up a batch today was something I had planned on doing anyway.  We made bacon for breakfast so it was easy to set aside a strip to use for lunch.  While it took a little coordinating and planning ahead, it made for a very quick and satisfying lunch (simply combine the ingredients on a lettuce leaf). 

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

This dish is great for summer barbecue parties. The recipe works well with shrimp, and would probably work well with other meats as well (pork, etc). I suggest making a lot of it and using the leftovers for easy lunches.

INGREDIENTS:

For the marinade (per pound of meat used):
1 tsp dry white wine
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp curry powder *
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp powdered ginger (or grated ginger root)
1 clove of garlic, crushed

*I use the curry powder from Mountain Rose Herbs, but there are many recipes online to make your own, and there is also a good recipe in Raman Prasad's book "Recipes for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet".

For the Peanut Sauce:
1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut or seed butter)
1 T apple cider vinegar
2 T toasted sesame oil
3 cloves of garlic
1 T honey
1/2 tsp salt
1 T grated ginger root
1/4 cup coconut milk

METHOD:

Combine the ingredients for the marinade, multiplying the units in the ingredient list by the number of pounds of meat to be used. Chop the meat into bite-sized pieces and marinade for at least 30 minutes, preferably several hours (in the refrigerator). If using shrimp, marinade whole.

Put the meat on skewers and grill it on both sides until done. The meat can also be cooked in the broiler, about 5 minutes per side, but check often. Cooking time will vary depending on how small the pieces are.

Combine the ingredients for the peanut sauce and serve along with the meat for dipping. The peanut sauce can be thinned by adding additional coconut milk if desired.

Turkey Hash

I was inspired by Sierra's stuffing recipe, and I came up with this fried leftovers version that was really tasty. My DH couldn't get enough of it. This is great with fried eggs for breakfast.

Ingredients

3-4 Tbsp. butter

1 large onion, chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

1 large stalk of celery, chopped

1 tsp. dried sage, rubbed

1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed

1 tsp. dried thyme, rubbed

1 head of cauliflower, cored and finely chopped (I use a food processor.)

1 -2 cups cooked chopped turkey meat

Turkey or chicken broth as needed to keep from sticking

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

In a large frying pan or wok, cook onion, carrots, and celery in the butter until they are starting to soften. Add dried herbs, rubbing to release flavor. Stir. Add cauliflower, turkey and some broth to keep from sticking. Continue cooking and stirring until cauliflower is cooked through and the veggies begin to caramelize. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Jambalaya

We were able to special order GAPS-legal Andouille sausage from the meat department of our local grocery store, which naturally led to a foray into adjusting Cajun recipes for GAPS. This recipe is the first success from this adventure. It was inspired by this recipe on this wonderful blog of New Orleans cooking:
http://neworleanscuisine.blogspot.com/2005/03/jambalaya.html

If you can't get ready made Andouille sausage, you can still make this recipe with other meat, but if you are feeling adventurous, this blog has a recipe for Andouille that you could adapt:
http://www.nolacuisine.com/2005/11/14/andouille-sausage-recipe/ (make sure to replace the powdered milk!)

INGREDIENTS:

2 T butter or ghee
2 cups Andouille sausage, chopped*
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup green bell pepper, diced
4 T garlic, minced
1 cup tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup tomato sauce (or additional chopped tomatoes)
2 1/2 cups of chicken stock
2 cups grated cauliflower
2 cups additional meat (chopped raw chicken, shrimp, ham, etc)

Seasoning Mix:
1/4 tsp cayenne (or to taste)
1 1/2 tsp white pepper
2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp rubbed sage
3 bay leaves

*If you can't find Andouille sausage, you can use Kielbasa, chorizo, other sausage, ham, or other meats if you want to experiment.

METHOD:

Melt the butter and saute the sausage until lightly browned, then add 1/2 of the onions, celery, and green pepper. Saute about 5 more minutes, then add the chopped tomato, tomato sauce (if using), and garlic and saute several more minutes. Add the remaining ingredients (including the other half of the onions, celery, and peppers). Mix thoroughly and cook another 5 or 10 minutes to make sure all the veggies are meat are cooked through. Garnish with parsley and chopped green onion.

Cilantro Lime Chicken

I came up with this recipe as a way to use the chicken meat left over from making meat stock. Soup with meat has not been a big hit around here, and I find the leftover meat too well cooked to use for many things such as chicken salad. My 7-year-old, who is not normally a big fan of chicken, loves this dish. The meat called for in this recipe is the meat from 3 or 4 chicken legs that have been boiled for several hours. This recipe is great served with fresh salsa and iceberg lettuce leaves as taco shells or on top of a salad. At the bottom of the recipe there is a suggestion for making this on the intro diet.

INGREDIENTS:

Meat from 3 or 4 chicken legs, or equivalent
2 T fat for cooking
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 Anaheim or Poblano pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
salt to taste
pinch of chipotle powder
1-2 tsp cumin powder
3 cloves of garlic (or more)
1-2 tsp dried oregano or Mexican seasoning mix*
Meat stock, about 1/4 to 1/2 cup
1 large handful of chopped cilantro

*I use the Mexican seasoning blend from Mountain Rose Herbs, it is a pure spice blend.

METHOD:

Remove the meat from the chicken legs. It can be in chunks or shredded.

Melt the fat for cooking (I use coconut oil) in a large skillet. Add the chopped onions and saute for several minutes to let them soften. Add the chopped peppers and continue to saute several more minutes.

Add the garlic, salt and dry spices and let cook for several minutes while stirring. Pour in some meat stock and continue to saute for about 10 more minutes, pouring in more stock as the mixture becomes dry or to keep it from burning. This part is not precise, it is just to allow the veggies to cook well while staying moist.

Add the chicken and stir to incorporate into the mixture. Add the lime juice and cilantro, and cook and stir just long enough to mix thoroughly and heat everything through. Remove from heat.

Adjust seasonings. You may want to add in more crushed garlic at this point.

For intro diet, start by heating just enough broth to make a stew with the meat. Add in chopped veggies that work for you- possibly peppers, a tomato, greens, chopped zucchini, chopped onion- and let cook until the veggies well cooked. Add in the meat and lime juice, and if you tolerate them, crushed garlic and fresh cilantro. You can cook the cilantro a little if that helps you. Season to taste with whichever spices from the above recipe that you can tolerate. You can stir in egg and probiotic liquid once it has cooled enough.

Honey-Glazed Drumsticks

I have been looking for ways to use less expensive meat, and this week organic chicken drumsticks were on sale. My 7 year-old loved this as both a hot dinner, and later cold as a lunch. My 5-year-old wouldn't try it, but I have learned to keep offering and it amazes me what he will eat on this diet! The adults loved this too, and it would be fun to experiment by adding some chipotle seaasoning or other things to the sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

1 T butter or ghee
2 lbs chicken drumsticks (about 6 or 7)
1/4 c lemon juice
1/4 cup honey
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1-2 inch piece of ginger, grated
salt to taste

METHOD:

Melt the butter or ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan with a lid, such as a dutch oven. Brown the meat. Ideally, the pan should be big enough to allow the drumsticks to lay on the bottom in one layer.

In a bowl, mix together the honey, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, and salt. It may help to mix these in a warm saucepan instead, in order to melt the honey into the other ingredients. Pour this mixture over the chicken, and turn the drumsticks so they are well-coated.

Cook on medium-low heat, covered, for about 25-30 minutes. This allows the chicken and sauce to form a sort-of quick meat stock. After this point, take the lid off, and turn up the heat. Cook another 5-10 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced to desired thickness.

TJ's Sensational Chicken

6-8 chicken leg/thigh quarters
2 large lemons, ends removed and sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1 large onion, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds and separated into rings
6 Tbsp butter
lots of salt and pepper (to taste)

Methodology:

I used my 4 quart covered corningware casserole dish. I placed the chicken in an even layer on the bottom of the dish. My two year-old dotted the top with pats of butter, the lemon rounds, and onion rings. She sprinkled a generous amount of salt and pepper on top. I covered the casserole dish and put it onto my gas range over a very low flame. The flame was so low that it did not rise above the edge of the burner where the gas comes out. The chicken cooked this way for about 5 hours. The house smelled wonderful and to my surprise the chicken had turned a medium brown, was falling off the bone and had produced a rich, dark, meaty broth that had the essence of buttery roasted chicken and lemon. I had big plans to make this chicken into salad for sandwiches, but it was so good right out of the pan that we consumed it as is over three meals. It reheated beautifully and the sauce was delicious over the Stuffing in a Pan. The stuffing recipe will appear soon!

Turkey Chestnut Stuffing

I love turkey with chestnut stuffing. Shortly before starting the GAPS diet I stockpiled chestnuts in my freezer in anticipation of all the wonderful bread or rice stuffing that I was hoping to eat alongside turkey. Needless to say, I am now working on re-purposing said chestnuts in a more GAPS-friendly way. I have found that the stuffing works alright if I simply stop after sauteing the veggies, herbs and chestnuts in butter, but it still needed something. I had some dark turkey meat left from making meat stock and it occurred to me to try combining the stuffing and turkey into one fabulous dish- "two great things that go great together". Here it is:

Ingredients:

1/2 c butter or ghee
1 onion, diced
3-4 stalks of celery, diced
salt to taste
2 tsp rubbed sage leaf
1 tsp thyme
2 c chestnuts, chopped
1-2 c turkey meat, cut into chunks

Method:

Melt the butter in a large heavy skillet. Add the onions and saute about 5 minutes, until they become translucent. Add the salt and spices.

Add the celery and continue to saute until soft. Then add the chestnuts and turkey and stir until heated through. Adjust seasonings and serve hot.

For a more "rice-like" version, you can add a grated cauliflower instead of the turkey.

BLT rolls with turkey and avocado

We love bacon, and were excited to find that Shelton's Turkey Bacon seems to be fine for us on GAPS. The strips are wide, and stay pliable after being cooked, so they work well as the outside of wraps. To do this with real bacon, simply crumble the bacon and wrap everything up in a lettuce leaf.

We filled our bacon rolls with tomato, lettuce, homemade GAPS mayonnaise, leftover roasted turkey breast, and avocado. This made a wonderful lunch and was a great way to use leftover turkey.

Lettuce Wrap Sesame Chicken with Fried "Rice"

This is a simple, delicious, and inexpensive meal that needs very little adapting for GAPS. I've had variations of this recipe at restaurants and decided to experiment at home one day. There are endless ways to be creative and inventive with this one so have fun!

INGREDIENTS:

2 T coconut oil
1 medium onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1-2 T ginger root, grated
1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice Powder
1/4 cup of meat broth
1 tsp salt
2 lbs of ground chicken
1 tsp sesame oil
4-5 green onions, sliced
lettuce leaves for the "wraps" (iceberg works well)

METHOD:

Melt the coconut oil in a large skillet.  Add the onions and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and ginger and stir, then add the five spice powder and salt.  Saute anther few minutes.  Add small amounts of the meat broth as needed to keep the vegetables from burning.

Add the meat and stir to break it up.  Cook it uncovered, on medium heat, until the meat is done.  Continue to add meat broth as needed to keep the meat moist.

When the meat is cooked, remove from heat, and stir in the sesame oil and the green onions. 

To make the wraps, simply hold a lettuce leaf in you hand and spoon in some of the meat filling.   Wrap the lead around it and enjoy!



To go along with this, my husband used some leftover cauliflower "rice" to make fried rice. He made this exactly as he would have with regular rice, adding in some egg, diced red pepper, slivered almonds, lots of sesame oil and garlic, and some jalapenos on top.

Here is a blog post from the GAPS Guide blog that discusses how to make the rice substitute and gives credit to the people who came up with this fabulous idea.

Chinese Lemon Chicken with Broccoli

.


Ingredients:

1 lb chicken 
3 T coconut oil
1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1-2 tsp freshly grated ginger
4 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 c chopped green onion
1/2 tsp Chinese 5 Spice Powder
1/2 cup of chicken broth
1 T honey
3-4 c broccoli florets
1 lemon, thinly sliced

Method:
-Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces, set aside.
-In a medium bowl, combine the lemon juice, green onion, honey, and 5 Spice Powder.  Add the chicken, stir to coat, and let it stand for 10 minutes.
-In a wok or large skillet, melt the coconut oil and saute the onions for a couple minutes, then add the garlic and ginger and saute several minutes more.
Pour in the chicken mixture. Cook on high heat for 3-4 minutes, then add the chicken broth and reduce heat.  Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes.  
Add the broccoli florets, cover again, and simmer another 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and the broccoli is tender.
-Serve garnished with additional lemon slices.  Or, if you prefer, the lemon slices can be added to the dish when there are about 1-2 minutes left to cook.

A wonderful side dish for this meal is to cook veggies, such as broccoli and snow peas, and serve with sesame sauce for dipping.