This was another way to have pizza - using Polenta, or Medium Grain Corn Meal.  It makes for a great crust that is flavorful, hearty and nutritious.  The Italians know good food!  Plus, leftovers the next day taste even better.

FOR THE POLENTA:

1 cup milk

2 cups water

1 cup Medium Corn Meal or Polenta

salt

Heat up the milk, water and salt in a medium saucepan low medium heat until you reach a simmer.  Add in the Corn Meal and cook on a low simmer for 15 minutes stirring continually.

Pour into an 8x11'sh size glass dish that is lightly oiled with EVOO.  Let sit 20 minutes then refrigerate.

In terms of your pizza the world is your oyster:  Use your favorite toppings.

1/2 lb. chicken breast, cubed small

2 chopped Swiss chard leaves and stems or chopped spinach

1/4 small red onion, diced

1/4 diced green pepper

We used 2/3 cup pizza sauce with 1 heaping Tblsp. of Pesto or more to your liking

1 generous cup grated cheddar cheese

2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook the chicken in EVOO on low medium heat, and remove from pan setting aside.  Add in the Swiss chard or spinach, diced onion, green pepper and saute until tender.

Add the pizza sauce to the pesto in a bowl and mix well, then spread over the top of the polenta.  Then add in your sauted veggies, top with chicken.  Sprinkle on grated cheddar cheese, then grated Parmesan cheese, and bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-30 minutes.

 

 

This pasta chicken casserole really came together nicely, and the Ranch Seasoning Mix added a huge depth of flavor.  The recipe made enough for 2 for dinner, with leftovers the next nite, but you could certainly double the recipe.

RANCH SEASONING:

2 Tblsp. dried parsley

2 tsp. diced dried celery leaves

1 Tblsp. garlic powder

1 Tblsp. onion powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. paprika

Mix all the spices together and transfer to a glass lidded container.

2 cups cubed chicken breast, boneless, skinless, chop into 1/2 inch or so pieces, and lightly season with a season blend or salt and pepper.

2 Tblsp. Avocado Oil

2 Tblsp. Ranch season mix - divided

1/2 a small onion diced, 1/2 a small green pepper diced, 1 celery stalk diced, 1 minced garlic clove

1/2 of a 250 gram package cream cheese

2/3 cup cottage cheese

1 cup chicken stock

Hot Sauce - we used a few dashes, but you can use up to 1/8 cup for extra punch

2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese, reserve a good cupful to sprinkle on top

8 oz. Gluten Free pasta spirals or elbow macaroni

Heat up a frying pan with the Avocado oil on medium low heat.  Add your chicken to the pan, and sprinkle 1 Tblsp. Ranch seasoning over the chicken.  Saute until cooked, but tender, then transfer to a bowl.   Turn the heat to low and add in the vegetables and saute about 5 min.  Pour in the chicken stock, 1 Tblsp. Ranch seasoning and scrape up any brown bits.  Lid on and simmer another 5 min. until the vegetables are tender.

Cook your pasta about 8 minutes, (not fully cooked) drain and set aside.

To the pan of stock, add in the cream cheese, stirring until melted.  Then add in the cottage cheese, and 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, stirring to combine,  then add in the chicken, mixing well and turn off the heat.

Add in the cooked pasta and mix well.

Transfer to a lightly oiled casserole dish with Avocado oil sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese, bake covered 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

 

There are lots of recipes for this throw together dinner.  I believe it's origins are from Newfoundland.  Basically you use up what you have in the fridge.

Looking at different recipes, most of them call for a can of cream of tomato soup, any vegetables you have on hand with a focus on ground beef, potatoes and rice.  Truthfully, the recipes all sounded pretty boring.  So, I decided to ramp it up a bit:  I used tomato basil marinara sauce, added Worcestershire sauce, cut back a bit on the rice (white or brown minute rice is used) and I included a bunch of different seasonings. Glad I ramped up this recipe a bit because yes it could be boring!  All that to say, there is one secret ingredient that is a must upon serving this dish (you gotta trust me here) Ketchup.  Yes add a few squirts of ketchup to your plated dinner and it shines lol.  This is a recipe you can certainly play around with.

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 and onion sliced

1 very large potato, thinly sliced

1 large carrot, thinly sliced

sliced rutabaga or turnip to cover another layer

1/2 a celery stalk with leaves, finely minced

2/3 cup fresh green beans, cut small

3/4 cup brown minute rice

2 cups marinara sauce

1 Tblsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup water

1 Tblsp. minced garlic

1 rounded tsp. cumin

1 tsp. Greek oregano

1 tsp. dried basil

Salt and pepper

ketchup

Prep all of your vegetables.  Lay down a layer of the sliced onions into the slow cooker.  Followed by: potatoes, rutabaga, then crumble the ground beef over top evenly, seasoning well with salt and pepper and sprinkle the minced garlic throughout.  Add a layer of carrots, green beans or peas, then sprinkle on the 3/4 cup of minute rice.

In a bowl add your marinara sauce, water, Worcestershire sauce, and the cumin, oregano, basil mixing well.  Pour the sauce over all the ingredients and set the slow cooker on low for 6-7 hrs.

When ready to serve, squeeze out a few dollops of ketchup - makes a world of difference lol.

Of all things, if you can believe it, I have never made a pot roast in a slow cooker.  Hello, give your head a shake girl!

This was delicious, and we will be having slow cooker pot roast from now on - so easy and so much flavor.

Now, with only the 2 of us, we used a 1 1/2 lb. blade (chuck) roast.  Originally it was 3 lbs. that I cut in half. This worked out great for dinner, but next time? I will buy a 4 lb. roast for more leftovers lol.  Seriously, we could not stop eating this dinner.

In terms of timing in a slow cooker, it will depend on how large your roast is.  We cooked this on low for 5 hours, then turned down to warm for the last hour.  We also used a 4 quart slow cooker.  Recipe is as follows:

1 1/2 lbs. blade (chuck) roast

small potatoes sliced in half, sliced carrots, sliced rutabaga, sliced quarter of an onion - enough to fit around your roast in the slow cooker

1 tsp. of dried Thyme

2 Tblsp. chopped fresh Rosemary

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 large bayleaf

salt and pepper

sprinkling of garlic powder

2 Tblsp. Extra Virgin Olive oil - halved

1 Tblsp. bacon fat if you have it, or use more EVOO

2 big Tblsp. tomato paste

1 cup of Beef Bone Broth

2-3 Tblsp. Gluten Free Worcestershire Sauce

cornstarch to make a slurry to thicken the gravy at the end

Heat up a frying pan with the bacon fat or EVOO on medium high heat. Season your roast with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I seared the roast on the 2 biggest  sides, then place into the slow cooker.  Turn the pan to low, add in the tomato paste, garlic and saute 1 minute. Pour in the beef stock and Worcestershire sauce - scraping up any brown bits.

Add your vegetables to a bowl, sprinkle in the seasonings and remaining 1 Tblsp of EVOO - tossing well to coat.  Place around your roast in the slow cooker, pour in the beef/tomato stock and add in the bay leaf.  Turn to low for 5-6 hours depending on the size of your roast.

Once done, remove to a platter, pour the stock into a pot and bring to a simmer, then drizzle in the cornstarch slurry to thicken.  Then serve and devour lol.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is soup season in this household, with no complaints - we do love a good bowl of nourishing immune boosting soup any day.

I do not recall every having Kabocha Squash before, and we found it delicious.  Surprisingly sweet tasting and turned into a soup made it hearty and warming.

You could use any type of squash - butternut, acorn, pumpkin - all would work nicely here.  Also, any kind of bone broth would work or if you wanted vegetarian, use a vegetarian broth.

1 Kabocha Squash - rinse and dry the outer skin, cut into quarters, and remove the seeds (you will want about 2 plus cups of cooked Kabocha Squash - even more if you had a bigger squash would work well too)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 cup diced carrots

1/2 cup diced celery, with leave

1 small diced onion or shallot

1 1/2 Tblsp. diced ginger, or more if that is your preference

1 large bay leaf

1/2 tsp. ground Tumeric

1 tsp. Cumin

1/4 tsp. Mace - optinal

3 1/2 cups chicken bone broth, or broth of choice

Toppings:  chopped green onions, Greek Yogurt

We used an air fryer to roast  the Kabocha squash (but you can roast in a 350 degree oven until tender)

Cut the Kabocha squash into quarters, remove and discard the seeds, drizzle with EVOO and season with salt and pepper.  Preheat the air fryer at 400 degrees, then carefully add the squash quarters to the basket.  Air Fry at 380 degrees for about 22-25  minutes, or until tender.  Turn around the squash half way through.

Transfer to a platter to cool down.

To a pot on low medium heat, add a drizzle of EVOO, the chopped carrots, celery, onion and ginger.  Saute about 6 minutes, then add in your seasonings - saute another minute or two until nice and fragrant.  Add in the bay leaf, and stock stirring to combine.  Bring to a simmer, lid on and cook about 30 minutes.

Squash:  Then scoop out the cooked squash leaving the skin behind, and add the cooked squash to the soup.

Stir, remove from the heat, removing the bay leaf, then use an immersion blender, blend until completely smooth. Adjust for any seasonings, return to the stove to heat through.  Add a sprinkling of green onion, and a dollop of Greek yogurt to the top of the bowl of soup, give it a swirl with your spoon, and enjoy.

This hearty bowl of soup is absolutely loaded in vegetables - perfect if you need to use up any leftover vegetables in the fridge. Really, any vegetable can work nicely in this recipe. Once a few of the vegetables are sauted, it all goes into a slow cooker to cook throughout the day until dinner time.

We usually have healthy delicious bone broth in the freezer, so once a week we put together a hearty soup of some kind - tasty and nutritious.

2 Tblsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup chopped carrots - cut small

3/4 cup chopped celery with leaves - cut small

1/2 cup diced red or green pepper

2 minced garlic cloves

1 1/2 cups chopped cauliflower cut into 1 inch pieces

1 small yellow or green zucchini - chopped into quarters

14 oz. can of diced tomatoes including juice

4 cups chicken or turkey bone broth

1 cup chopped red Swiss Chard, include the stems

1 cup chopped beets (I used canned)

1 tsp. tumeric

2 tsp. cumin

salt and pepper to taste

2/3  cup French Puy Lentils - rinsed

2 Tblsp. lime juice - add at the end of cooking time

Heat up a frying pan with the EVOO on low medium heat.  Add the onions, carrots, celery, peppers and saute until the onions begin to get translucent.  Add in the seasonings, saute another 2 minutes or until fragrant.

Transfer to the slow cooker with all of the other ingredients (except the lime juice), stir to combine and set on low for 6- 8 hours or until the lentils and vegetables are cooked.  When done, squeeze in the fresh lime juice.

Can you believe I have never made pulled pork?  My sister makes it all the time as does my daughter - they love it.  This is a great recipe for lunch or dinner served on a bun with coleslaw.

With this recipe I did wing it a bit, as I was short on time - it turned out wonderful.  Also we used wraps as that is what we had on hand.

What we did was use up some crunchy left over salad, grated cheese then made a quick dressing:

The dressing is simply store bought blue cheese dressing with added White Balsamic Dressing to drizzle over the top, this was divine.  Very messy, but divine.

2 1/2 lb.  boneless pork butt or shoulder roast

dry rub:

1 Tblsp. Chili powder

1 Tblsp. Garlic powder

1 tsp. Cumin, 1 tsp. Smoked Paprika

salt and pepper

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and sprinkle through out the roast, rubbing it in really well.

Place into a 4 quart slow cooker on high.  Place some onion slices around the bottom of the slow cooker.

Sauce:

1 Tblsp. Ketchup

1 Tblsp. Yellow Mustard

1 Tblsp. Worcestershire Sauce

2 tsp. tomato powder - optional

2 Tblsp. Apple Cider Vinegar

Mix up the sauce ingredients and pour over the roast.  Add 1/4 cup water to the bottom of the slow cooker.

Cook on high for 2 hours, then turn to low for another 3-4 hours of cooking.  Ours was done in 3 hrs, super tender.  Or alternatively cook on low 6-8 hours.

For the wraps, lightly heat in a cast iron pan, lay down the pulled pork, cheddar cheese, salad or coleslaw, and a drizzle of dressing.  Wrap up and eat hot - so so yummy!

This recipe is not your everyday sweet and sour pork.  Nope, the number one reason being, is most recipes use pineapple and or pineapple juice to make the sweet and sour sauce.  I on the other hand am very particular about pineapple.  I love love pineapple, but, only fresh or frozen thawed, and preferably in a smoothie, or a fruit salad.  That would be it. Therefore, this recipe is different.  It also does not have any added sweetener other than the ketchup - which works well here, and was mighty tasty.  Plus one more ingredient my sister introduced me to:  Organic Tomato Powder. It is wonderful in all kinds of main dish recipes, salad dressings, and overall a good flavour enhancer.  It is an optional ingredient so no worries if you do not have tomato powder.

1 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into cubes

2 Tblsp. Avocado Oil

3/4 cup roughly chopped orange and green peppers

1/4 of a large red onion, roughly chopped

2 minced garlic cloves

3/4 cups chopped broccoli

1 1/2 stalks of celery, cut in half, and then cut diagonally

3 Tblsp. ginger finely minced

fresh cracked pepper

Sauce:

1/2 cup of ketchup

1/4 cup plus 2 Tblsp. Soy Sauce

2 Tblsp. toasted sesame oil

2 Tsp. organic tomato powder (optional)

1 Tblsp. garlic powder

1/4 cup water - to add to the crock pot after all the ingredients have been added.

Corn starch slurry:  1 Tblsp. corn starch, 2 Tblsp. water - mixed

cooked rice

Begin by adding all the sauce ingredients to a bowl (except the 1/4 cup water) Whisk well and set aside.

Cut up the pork tenderloin into cubes, and add to a skillet, heated on medium high with the Avocado oil.  I cooked the pork in batches just to get a nice brown colour on the meat, a few minutes each side.

While the pork is cooking chop up your vegetables and minced ginger then put aside. Add the browned pork to the slow cooker, then your veggies and ginger, then pour over the sauce.  Pour over the 1/4 cup water cover and cook on low for 5- 6 hours. 10 minutes before serving, pour in the cornstarch slurry, stirring to thicken the sauce.  Serve hot over cooked rice.