Cilantro Lime Chicken with Peach Mango Salsa

Admit, that title not only caught your eye but made your mouth water a wee bit didn't it?  Can I just say "Oh my word" so simple yet so delicious!  Today I had a chiropractor appointment scheduled late in the after noon (why did I do that???) so I knew I would be rushed to get started in dinner once I got home.  I laid on the magnificent roller bed and thought of food.  Lots of good food, over and over again.  I knew it had to be chicken but nothing was coming to me.  After the appointment I headed to Fred Meyer to stock up on lip balm for the last time when I passed the cooler with a beautiful yummy looking tub of Peach Mango Salsa.  BAM! Dinner was found.

This takes about 30 minutes or so depending on your rice.  Someone (ahem) plopped a floating duck in my bowl of soaking brown rice so for tonight we had white (ya ya I know....).  So good though you must try.  You must try it tomorrow.  You might die if you don't.

PS  Does anyone have a great Peach Mango Salsa they want to share?  I am going to preserve some of this deliciousness come summer time!

 

Cilantro Lime Chicken with Peach Mango Salsa  (Serves approx 6)

Olive oil

3 cubed chicken breasts

2 tsp minced dry onion

1/4-1/2 garlic powder (fresh would rock too!  I was out)

1 bunch fresh cilantro, minced

1 can pinto beans

1 tsp chili powder (more or less to your taste.)

1 tsp cumin (more or less to your taste)

Salt and pepper

1/2 fresh lime

4 cups cooked rice (whatever variety you prefer)

Peach Mango Salsa (I used Chachies brand but any that you prefer would work)

 

In a large skillet, drizzle olive oil and add chicken breasts.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Add onions and garlic powder.  Stir, cover and cook for a couple minutes.  When chicken is nearly cooked through add pinto beans, chili powder, cumin and minced cilantro.  Cover for a couple minutes.  Remove from heat.

Serve chicken over rice with lettuce, tomato, green onion and cheese. Top with Peach Mango Salsa.  Sit back and enjoy a simple and summer inspired meal.

 

 

I win the yogurt battle....sort of

After my post about flopping yogurt I received lots of great suggestions on how to fix my probiotic issues.  Mrs. Z commented on my post with a link to this great post on her blog.  Crock pot yogurt!  I have tried lots of crock pot suggestions over the years but most of them have used the crock pot as a warmer, not the actual milk holder.  After reading Mrs. Z recipe I decided to give it a try.

 

 

While the yogurt did in fact set (SCORE!!) it did not get as thick as I'd hoped.  It is the consistency of a thick kefir which I have to say I love!!  Tomorrow this yummy goodness will be poured over fresh granola.  So a big thanks to Mrs. Z!

Now another yogurt question for you guru's out there....

If I strain this yogurt at its current consistency, will I be able to get a ticker Greek style yogurt?

Weekend Kitchen

With the holiday this weekend  we spent a lot of time in the kitchen as a family.  Caitlin made sourdough crackers (no pics, they were gone to quickly), while I made sourdough bread, 20 burgers, crock pot oatmeal, boiled eggs, fried rice and Dean made oatmeal cookies.  Of course there was lots of help from everyone involved, more than a few spills, but through it all we kept the smiles.  That honestly was the best part.

{For those who don't think there is a difference in fresh eggs and farm raised grocery store eggs, here's your proof. The bright orange egg is from a healthy free range chicken, filled with omega's. The light yellow egg is an old store-bought egg. It's so sad. :(}

{Me painted by Lauren. I'd say the likeness is quite strong. I may have a prodigy on my hands.}

{Come on grow babies!! You can do it!}

We had a wonderful holiday weekend spent with family, filled with good food, and of course laughs.  I love when a weekend goes so smoothly.  Up this week, the Chicken Coop (otherwise known as the Poultry House of Awesomeness), more seed starting, garden tilling, playing with goats, and quiet possibly some sewing.  Hoping that your week is filled with goodness too.

Yogurt and kefir flops....again

Can I just say that the oh so "easy" world of yogurt and kefir making is driving me insane!!??  I have tried unsuccessfully for years to get any sort of turn on either of these two tasty items.  I can't begin to tell you how much milk I have wasted over the years.  I did get lucky for a short period of time with kefir.  It was divine.  However those results were short-lived and I quickly found myself in failure territory once more.

I don't get it.  I have tried every single method I can find.  Ever recipe with the words "fail proof", "worlds easiest", "works every time" have managed to be a dismal failure.



This week I went to my new best friend (aka Cami the goat queen) and purchased extra milk just so I could try.  She gave me her run down.  Simple easy and delicious.  What did I get?  Nothing except milk that I can't really use now.  Sigh.  I think I may be a whole foods failure.

So two questions:

1. Can someone have a genetic defect that keeps them from producing awesome probiotic filled loveliness?

2. What is your "fail proof" method?  I'm  getting desperate here.

Making fresh cheese

So now that you have read my overly energized post about, of all things, dairy products I will let you know that I have no plans to stop.  Cami, the wonderful farm owner, has offered to teach me how to make fresh chevre, goat milk lotion and goat milk soap.  How awesome is she!?  I'm not sure she even had all the words out before I started nodding and smiling a million dollar smile.  Can you tell I play my cards close to the heart?  Yeah, I should say that I have a great poker face too....or not.

Anyway so here in the next week or so I am going to get my tushy over to her place (and amazing kitchen) for a little DIY lesson.

Before that happens though I will be placing a order with Cultures for Health.  I plan on stocking up on a bunch of goodies like kefir grains, and Greek yogurt starter.  I am still doing a little research on the kind of cheese starter cultures I want.  I was taking a course on sourdough from Gnowfglins a while back and noticed they have a cheese making course available now.  I might go for the cheese course and get the package through Cultures for Health.  Decisions decisions.

{Photo credit} 

Home dairy products has been on my things to-do list for a long time now.  Now that I can't just run over to the store and grab a carton of sour cream it's time to get in gear.  I have to admit that I like the world of possibilities before me.

I will post pictures of the cheese making process after my lesson next week.  There are a million others available out there but it seems right to have a few of my own. ;)

If you have any been there done that tips for me, please leave a comment so I can benefit from your wisdom!

PS- Sorry for the million links.  If you are interested in joining me on a cheese making journey, check a few of them out.  I do get a couple of pennies thrown my way for the Cultures for Health site but nothing else. 

 

In my kitchen

Ahh to feel the pull of the kitchen.  It may be one of the greatest feelings for me.  I love when the need to make and bake pulls me towards my apron and mixing bowl.  That may sound old-fashioned to some but until you have experience it, well you just don't get it.

This pull always comes in spring and autumn for me.  I'm sure it's the change of the weather that signals it.  All I can say is Bring It On!

Last week started with the same ole' cooking rut I have been in.  Who knew that taking out dairy would be so dang hard?  All of my favorite foods have cheese, milk, sour cream, yogurt, or kefir in them.  Take those sweet flavorful bits away and I am lost.

{Homemade pizza with Diaya cheese alternative.  It's a decent cheese substitute but one would never call Velveeta cheese if they had lived on real cheddar.  Diaya is like velveeta, good in a pinch but never a true replacement.}

However Thursday my life turned around.  The topic of sustainability and homesteading was buzzing around our home school group.  After a while it seemed that the key words for the day were "goats" and "greenhouse".  Goats?  Goats?  Wait second!  I admit I had a lightbulb moment.  As a baby I had a milk allergy and had to drink goat milk only.  I thought maybe, just maybe, I would be so lucky to have found a way around my dairy allergy.

A quick check on Real Milk led me to a local mom ran farm 15 minutes away.  SCORE!  We grabbed a quart of fresh milk and 1/2 pound of fresh garlic chevre.  Cami, the owner, even threw in 18 lovely multi colored fresh eggs.  It took all the willpower I had not to dive into the cheese before we got home (okay that's an exaggeration).

{Ahh glorious, wonderful, amazing Chevre.  Be still my heart.}

All I can say is, there is a God!  One that knows how much I love cheese.  I have no signs of intolerance whatsoever.  I have to say this makes me one happy girl.  It also kicked into gear my kitchen love.  Last night I soaked a bunch of raw almonds then threw them in the dehydrator, whipped up a batch of whole wheat sourdough, soaked some flour, and meal planned the next two weeks.  Ahhh I love the kitchen.

{By soaking almonds, you are able to digest them easier making absorbtion of nutrients easier.}

{Sourdough starter all happy and bubbly. I will let this ferment for another couple of days before turning it into an artisan bread bucket. More to come on that.}

{You can not find eggs like this in the grocery store! Nothing beats fresh eggs, especially eggs from chickens that have a chance to roam and eat lots of little bugs. The omega content in a free range eggs is higher than in a factory farmed egg. Who knew animals did better when they were allowed to roam?}

Maybe I should have called this post "Ahhh dairy" because those two words came up more than any others on spell check. ;)

So share with me fellow kitchen-lovers, what's happening in your kitchen?

Linking to:  Barn Hop and Fat Tuesday 

Smoothie Madness

As part of my health themed year I knew I had to add more fruits and veggies to my diet.  I don't have a hard time eating fruits and vegetables but I knew that I needed to add more.  For those who aren't aware, I have Endometriosis.  This causes all sorts of freaky things in my body each month in relation to my cycle.  As part of my nutritional maintenance of this pesky disease I must have lots of fiber from fruits and vegetables.  Grain fibers cause inflammation and therefore cause issues for me.  I also have to stay away from dairy products and meats unless they are organic or raw.  I live in a rural errr.... traditional area so access to organic or raw products are limited.  So its me and the fruits and veggies.

Since the beginning of the year I have made a point to make a smoothie every day, twice most days.  I am able to whip a lot of food up and not have to feel overwhelmed from the solid state of the food.  I make a lot to share with the kids and hubby.  So far we haven't had a bad combo.

Smoothies are wonderfully forgiving and if you aren't a big fan of greens, they are perfect for hiding them.  This comes in handy when the kids balk at eating a plate full of spinach or kale.  There are hundreds of recipes out there as well as books but honestly they are hard to mess up.  Here are two that we have enjoyed this last week.

Kale Berry Smoothie

Kale  {High flavonoid content causes Kale to be an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant,  aids in detox and lowers risk of cancer.}

Marionberries {Anti-viral, antioxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-carcinogen and fights free radicals}

Pineapple {Digestive aid, provides relief of arthritis and sinusitis, anti-inflammatory, discourages blood clots, discourages plaque growth}

Banana {Aids normal heart and blood pressure functions, protects against ulcers, high in fiber}

Celery Stalk {High in Vitamin C, immune support, diuretic, lowers blood pressure}

Ground Flax {High Omega-3, anti-inflammatory, high fiber, anti-carcinogen, hormone balancing}

Ground Almonds {Protects against heart disease, diabetes, improve blood, healthy fat and high protein}

Lime Juice (antioxidant, antibiotic, immune boosting, anti-carcinogen, protection against rheumatoid arthritis}

Tangerine Green Tea (I leave out the mint) {Anti-carcinogen, fights heart disease, diabetes, dementia, and stroke. Fights free radicals.}

***This smoothie is a bit gritty because of the Marionberry seeds.  Blueberries could be substituted***

{I don't measure when making smoothies.  For the almonds and flax I just pour some in my coffee grind and pulse away.  The flax generally covers just the bottom of my grinder while the almonds cover the top of the blade.  Just to give you an idea.}

{I put a bit of Kale on top for the picture....I wouldn't suggest drinking it. }

Fruity Spinach Smoothie

Pineapple {See above}

Blueberries {Promotes nervous system and brain function, low glycemic index, antioxidant, boost memory, strengthen cardiovascular system}

Lemon (See lime above}

Spinach {Help repair digestive damage, high iron, high vitamin K, supports healthy blood function, anti-inflammatory}

Strawberries {Anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, improves cardiovascular and blood functions}

Ground Flax Seed {See above}

Ground Almonds {See above}

Tangerine Green Tea {See above}

 As you can see a smoothie can pack a wallop of good nutrition into one little glass.  Hmmm now I think I need another yummy concoction!

Linking to Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways , Seasonal Celebrations

Roasted Minced Garlic: Revisiting a post

***This post was originally posted on a now dead blogger blog.  It's time to share it here.  Since this post was written I have come up with a new way to roast minced garlic....check back tomorrow for another Roasted Minced Garlic recipe.  Have a lovely day!

Dinner tonight began as just a small little project I wanted to try out.  It quickly became an endeavor that lasted most of the day.  I had a jar of pre-minced garlic that I bought in a moment of weakness.  It just didn't have the yummy taste that real garlic has.  I had quite a bit left and honestly I just wanted it gone.  A quick google search showed that most people don't have a nasty bottle of garlic that needs to be used now.  So I decided to wing it myself and roast the whole bottle. (I never tackle projects on a minor scale!).

First I drained the garlic, then spread it in two pie plates in a think layer.  Then I poured olive oil over the garlic and stirred it up.  Then I stuck it in an oven that was preheated at 350.  It took while before I started to see browning and I am assuming this is because it was previously packed in water.  However once the browning started it went pretty quick.  However every time I opened the oven only the edges were browning.  I stirred each pan to distribute it all.  This didn't work as well as I liked.

In the end I removed the garlic from the pie plates and placed it on a parchment lined pizza pan.  This worked great!  The garlic came out nicely roasted and oh-so-pretty.  I will say that the taste still sucked but since it was the same flavor the garlic had before roasting I know it was just the garlic.

The good news it you CAN roast minced garlic and it works fantastic. So give it a try.

{Garlic in the pie pans before adding Olive oil.}

So the garlic then inspired the loaf of bread above.  I wanted a crunchy dense French bread and I wanted it in whole wheat.  And by whole wheat I mean Whole Wheat. No white flour, just wheat.  So I went to work throwing together a little flour, oil, yeast and water.  I set the loaf to the side to rise.  It doubled in less than an hour, unheard of in my wheat baking kitchen.  I shaped it, sliced the top, brushed with butter and sprinkled with Parmesan and set it to rise again.  It doubled in 15 min.

I tossed the loaf in the oven, threw in a cup of water to create steam and shut the oven.  The resulting loaf was a shock.  I was going for thick, crusty and dense.  Instead I got light, airy, moist and a lightly crusty crust.  It was very good just not what I was going for. :)

So then I found myself naturally going towards pasta and salad for dinner.  I made a spicy  sauce that was a little to spicy but still oh so tasty.  All in all it was a very good dinner, even if it did take a couple of hours to make start to finish.

Part of Frugal Days , Barn Hop and Whole Foods Wednesday

Very Veggie Enchiladas

Warning!!  This makes a TON of food.  Tweak the recipe as needed depending on how many people you are feeding. I did not add any meat because I was pressed for time BUT these would taste great with chicken!

I have no pictures of these because I literally was throwing things in as I went. :)  But I can tell you these are great!  The kids ate them begrudgingly because I used spinach wraps and they were less than visually appealing.  However, once they tossed the wraps they ate all the filling.  The spices are just suggestions, tweak to your individual tastes.  The mixture is pretty simple and could handle a lot more flavor than I used.  Yields: 10 very large burritos

1 small onions

4 kale leaves

1 small zucchini

1 can olives

1 can petite diced tomatoes

1 small carrot

2 cups cooked beans (2 cans would work well if you are pressed for time.)

1 bunch cilantro

1 tsp garlic

1 tsp cumin

pinch paprika

salt and pepper

1.5 cups cooked rice (cooked in chicken broth)

enchilada sauce

cheese

tortillas

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Add olive oil (or butter) to a skillet on medium heat.  Add onions and garlic.  Cook till tender.  Add carrots, cook for a couple minutes.  Add all other veggies and cook till kale is bright green and soft.  Add beans and spices, heat until warm.  Remove mixture from heat, combine with rice and mix well.  In a 9x13 pan cover bottom of pan with enchilada sauce.  In each tortilla layer enchilada sauce, rice mixture, cheese and a little more enchilada sauce.  Roll and place in pan.  After pan is full pour enchilada sauce over enchiladas, top with cheese.  Place in oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

 

If you like veggie enchiladas give these a try.  Play around with them to get the mixture just right for you.  Oh so yummy. :)

Creamy Cauliflower Potato Soup

It's downright freezing around these parts.  Yesterday we woke to a chilly -8 degrees.  The day while beautiful never got about 20 or so.  To say I was cold is a gross understatement!  Last night I knew I wanted to make something simple, veggie filled, and most importantly hot.  I came up with this tasty soup.  It has a whole head of cauliflower in it so be prepared for a lot.  The good news is the kids ate it happily and the littlest child didn't even finger paint herself with it. BONUS!  I served it with Napa Cabbage Salad which was a perfect pairing.  Hope you are finding yourselves warm and toasty!

{Isn't it sad when this is the one and only picture I took of the whole process.  How is that for inspiring!)

Creamy Cauliflower Potato Soup:

2 TBSP butter

1 head Cauliflower, chopped

7 med Potatoes, cubed

1 TBSP dried minced onion

1 TBSP dried minced garlic

1/2 tsp herbal salt

3 cups Chicken Stock

1 cup Cream

1/4 cup Sour Cream

Method:

In a large pot over med heat combine butter, cauliflower, potatoes, minced onion, herb salt and minced garlic. Pour enough water in pan to cover vegetables halfway.  Bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat and let simmer until vegetables are soft.  Add chicken stock to pot.  Scoop out mixture and transfer to blender.  Process until smooth.  Repeat until all mixture has been processed.  Return soup to pot.  Add cream and sour cream to soup.  Heat until warm.  Thin with milk if needed.  Serve with grated cheese*.  Makes ALOT!

* We didn't use cheese but it would have been fantastic. A dollop of sour cream, bacon bits, or onion would all make a very yummy topping too.

This post part of Fat Tuesday

 

In my kitchen

This past weekend I had the opportunity to have 10 little girls in my kitchen for a day of cooking.  I teach an American History class for our homeschooling co-op using the American Girls book series.  We are currently reading the Felicity series so we cooked 18th century style, well as close as we could in my modern kitchen.

On the menu for the day:

Sourdough bread



Apple Butter



Dressed Eggs



Breakfast Puffs

Johnny Cakes

Whipped Syllabub

The girls were so happy to be in charge of the food.  They devoured every single crumb.  It was a total success.  There should have been pictures of the whole feast but the little vultures ascended a little too quickly.  Maybe next time.

Fall preserving

{Jars fresh from my moms storage room.  Some of these babies had old lids on them that said 1979.  The needed a little washing love!}

Yesterday I spent that day canning pears.  Approximately 100 lbs of pears went through these hands.  100 lbs turned out to be 30 quarts.  Not to bad.  It seemed to take a lot longer than normal, about 6 hours start to finish, and I have to say that I was worn out by the last batch.



The kids wanted to help out since they seek out every opportunity to wield a knife.  So I handed over 3 good knives to the older 3 and gave Laina a smooshed pear and a butter knife.  They had a ball, I have the counters and floor to prove it.

{Binoculars are a must have when preserving, at least that is what the boy tells me.}

All in all it was a great day.  Today I get to start in with peaches, lots and lots of peaches.  At this point I just hope I have enough jars to store everything!

{This post is part of Simple Lives.}

Tasty Blueberry Crisp

We were invited to dinner last night with instructions to bring dessert.  I knew we were going to have a fairly unhealthy meal (I will not admit what it was going to be!!) so I wanted to  make something that wasn't heavy on the sugar but still sweet and tasty.

Minutes before this awesome dessert was to come out of the over our hostess showed up to cancel.  Dang it! Guess we'll have to eat the whole pan ourselves.

Blueberry Crisp

5 cups fresh or frozen berries (thaw berries if frozen, save juice)

4 Tbsp raw sugar

1/2 cups Muselli, homemade

1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1/4 cup whole grain flour (I used spelt)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/4 cup butter (I used fresh homemade butter)

Cream for whipping

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a 8x8 baking dish combine berries and raw sugar.  Mix well, set aside.



In a med bowl combine remaining dry ingredients and mix. 



Cut butter into small chunks.  Add to dry mixture and mix together with the back of a fork or a pastry blender until smallish crumbs are formed.





Pour topping over blueberries.  Bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool.  Top with whip cream and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon.



 

Give it a try.  You can thank me tomorrow.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

This post is part of the Barn Hop and Fat Tuesday.

How to dehydrate veggies

There are so many great ways to preserve the food you grow or that you have bought at the farmers market.  Canning is probably the most well know.  It works great, its easy to do, and there are a  million tasty recipes out there to try.  The downside?  You need storage space.  A small batch here or there isn't going to take much space but storing 75 pounds of peaches requires a bit more.

  Root cellaring is another great way to preserve food.  It takes very little prep work because all food is kept in a cold storage space as is (or pretty close to for the most part).  The biggest downside to root cellaring is most of us do not have the space to create one (or the budget). 

Freezing is another great way to save food for later use.  Its quick and easy for the most part.  But like the others above,  you do need space for a freezer.  If you live in an apartment that might be hard to come by (or even against your lease agreement!).

Enter dehydrating.  Talk about a space saving way to preserve summers bounty for the cold winter months!  In this post you can see a few jars of dried corn.  Not too bad right?  That is over 40 ears of corn in those 2.25 jars.  Now that is awesome! :)

Dehydrating for some people is pretty daunting but it needn't be.  Its simple and pretty fool proof.  Join me for carrots....

Start with a bunch of fresh carrots and  nice clean dehydrator trays.

 



Wash them well and slice off the ends.

Next using your food processor (mandolin or knife) cut 'em up!  I choose to use my shredder attachment because I wanted to use these mostly for cakes, muffins, pancakes etc.  I have in the past used my slicer attachment with great results.



Scoop the prepared carrots out and layer on your trays.  With sliced vegetables I do one even level but when I shred them I just throw a bunch on the tray all willy nilly like.  I live on the edge sometimes!



Continue the process until all your vegetables have been processed.  Stack your trays, put the lid on, and turn it on and set the temperature at 135 degrees.  The water content of your vegetable will cause your length of dehydration to vary greatly.  The corn I did the other day took about 24 hours.  I imagine these carrot trays will take about the same because of how dense they are on each tray.



You can leave  your vegetables raw or you can blanch them.  I don't waste time blanching, like I said I live on the edge.

So pick up a cheap dehydrator (the one I use was bought for $25 at Wal-Mart.  I later found an identical one for $5 at the thrift store!) and give your hand at drying.  Its simple, quick, and takes up little space.

 

Dinner from the Garden

Even though the season is just about finished and everything has slowed.way.down. in production, I was still able to harvest enough for a very tasty dinner last night.





I harvested green and yellow beans, celery, onions, broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers and dried dill.  When I logged into Facebook yesterday I saw this recipe posted from GNOWFGLINS.  Since a BBQ was on our agenda I knew I had to make it.

I followed the recipe as follows but I used plain yogurt instead of kefir cheese.  I used the Herbal Salt recipe also posted at GNOWFGLINS and added shredded carrots, the garden broccoli, onions and celery.  It was fantastic!  You must try it.



We rounded out the meal with steamed beans and butter, deviled eggs, grilled hamburgers, corn on the cob, and tomato and cucumbers.  It was the perfect finale to our summer.

PS.  This post was supposed to have some yummy potato salad pics but Flickr hates me tonight so this is what you get.  Try it though, it's great!