Vegetable Coconut Curry

I'm going to start off with an apology.  Unlike my normal "style" there is no final picture.  Boo!

I know, I know...you're sad.  BUT, in my defense, it was Christmas Eve and my plate didn't look so hot.  LOL  

I am a HUGE fan of Coconut Curry!  HUGE!  When my husband came home with some Maya Kaimal Coconut Curry Sauce that was gluten-free from Costco (it comes in a 2 pack with Vindaloo sauce too), I about died and went to heaven!  I knew I had to do something with it.  Turns out, I had the perfect occasion.  My Uncle from California was in town and would be joining us at my Aunt's house for Christmas Eve.  Not only is he gluten-free like me, but he is Vegetarian.  I had offered to make something gluten-free and vegetarian, so it was the perfect opportunity.

So, this delicious Vegetable Coconut Curry was born!  It was SO filling and incredibly delicious!  I served it over Edamame Noodles (we buy them at Costco), but you could serve it over rice, brown rice, quinoa or any type of gluten-free pasta you prefer.  Or, eat it by itself!  Another bonus of making this recipe is it's kind of a "clean out the fridge" type recipe, so please feel free to add or delete an ingredient or two to make it work with what you have around your house. 

ENJOY!

Servings: 10-14

Ingredients: (Use a 5-6 Quart Slow Cooker for this Recipe)

2 cups chopped broccoli

2 cups butternut squash, chopped into small cubes

1 cup chopped carrots

3/4 cups chopped onion

3/4 cups chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms

1 (15.5 oz) can Garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 (24 oz) container of Maya Kaimal Coconut Curry Sauce (or any other type of curry sauce you enjoy...double check it's gluten-free though)

Directions:

Place the broccoli, butternut squash, carrots, onion, celery, mushrooms and garbanzo beans into the slow cooker.  Cover it with the Coconut Curry Sauce.

No need to stir.  Put the lid on and let it cook for about 4 hours on LOW or 2-2.5 hours on HIGH.

Serve alone or over rice, brown rice, quinoa, or any type of gluten-free pasta you enjoy!

Simple Shredded Pork Marinara over Spaghetti Squash - Gluten-Free

It's a very rare occasion in which everyone in the house boasts over my dinners.  No, really.  I know, I know...."Queen of the Crock Pot" yada yada!  LOL  I mean, everyone usually doesn't complain about dinner, but this time, they RAVED about it!

Here's how it went....I was out teaching an Essential Oils class and on my way home, my husband said "Nice job on dinner, honey!  The kids LOVED it!  I loved it too!  Good job!"
Well, that was nice to hear!
Fast forward to the next morning when Ella gets out of bed...
"Morning mom!  Did you really make that dinner last night?"
"Good morning Ella!  Yes, honey, I did."
"Wow, mom!  That was REALLY good!  Great job, mom!  Me and Gavin LOVED it!"

Here's the thing...I literally opened cans and dumped them in the slow cooker along with a chopped up onion....which my husband did for me.  I didn't add ANYTHING else to it.  LOL  I used all Dei Fratelli products, so apparently, they season better than me!  LOL!!!!!

I'll get to the recipe now so you too can "wow" your family with you mad cooking skills!

Servings: 12-14

Ingredients:

4 oz. pork sirloin tip roast

26.46 oz. carton Dei Fratelli Truly finely chopped tomatoes

28 oz. Dei Fratelli crushed tomatoes, basil and herbs

28 oz. can Dei Fratelli chopped Italian tomatoes, herbs and olive oil

6 oz. can tomato paste

Spaghetti Squash (1 squash served 3 adults) - cooking instructions here

optional: regular pasta or gluten-free pasta if you desire

Directions: (use a 5 quart or larger crock for this recipe)

In your crock, place the pork sirloin tip roast.

Next, pour in the carton of Truly finely chopped tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, chopped Italian tomatoes and tomato paste.

Add the onions, then stir it up a bit.

Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or on HIGH for 3.5-4 hours.

Take the pork roast out, roughly shred it and stir it back through the sauce.

Serve it over Spaghetti Squash and ENJOY!

Chicken Curry Soup - Gluten-Free

I've had a curry sauce in my pantry for several months now.  I've been wanting to do something with it, but just didn't know what to do.  I've been craving Thai food lately and it's been very cold outside, so I decided to go for a Chicken Curry Soup.  It was JUST what I needed to satisfy that craving AND to warm-up!

This was VERY easy to make, folks.  Although Coconut Milk tends to be a bit higher in calories, you're not eating this every day.  It's still significantly less calories than what you'd be getting from a can or at a restaurant.  Just remember that!

My whole family ate this soup without complaint!  Actually, they all loved it!  My husband said I could have used even more curry sauce and it would have been fine.  Even though I LOVE spice, I wanted my kids to eat this without telling me it was spicy.  I felt it had a nice, light flavor and I TRULY enjoyed each bite!

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

2-3 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 cans unsweetened coconut milk (full fat or light is fine)

1 onion, halved and thinly sliced

2 cups turkey or chicken stock - no salt added

2 Tbsp. natural peanut butter

8 Tbsp. Kashmiri Curry Indian Simmer Sauce Mild (found this in my ethnic isle)

1 Tbsp. coconut oil

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. ginger

1 Tbsp. lime juice

Brown rice, cooked

Directions: (Use a 3-5 quart slow cooker for this recipe)

Place the chicken in your slow cooker with the coconut milk, 

 (I had an adorable helper!)

Add in the turkey (or chicken) stock (mine was frozen,) peanut butter, curry sauce, brown sugar, coconut oil, brown sugar, ginger and lime juice.

Cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or HIGH for 2.5-3 hours.  This will need to be stirred a bit as things start to melt.  Just before serving, take the chicken out and roughly shred it.

Place the shredded chicken back in the soup and stir.

In each bowl, place about 1/2 cup of the cooked brown rice, then pour some of the soup over the top.

Serve and Enjoy!

Turkey Stock - Gluten-Free

Every wonder what to do with the turkey carcass besides throwing it away?  I have the perfect solution for you!  Use the turkey carcass, along with all the leftover veggies from your veggie tray to make an extremely healthy turkey stock you can freeze and use later in your recipes.

It's super duper simple folks!  ANYONE can do this!  In fact, I've been scared for years to try this and I have no idea why.  I feel silly for not having done this before.  From now on, I will keep my turkey, chicken and beef bones to make stock with.  I've been using stock out of my freezer to cook with now and I know EXACTLY how much salt is in it.....none!  LOL  It gives me the opportunity to season things appropriately!  With my history of kidney stones, watching my salt intake is very important.

So, don't throw away the leftover veggies or carcasses!  Use them to make a delicious stock you can use for recipes to come!

Servings: 8-14 cups (depending on size of crock you use)

Ingredients:

1 turkey carcass, plus a little bit of turkey fat

2 cups carrots (chopped into chunks)

1 onion quartered

2 cups celery

5 cloves garlic

water

Directions: (Use a 3 quart or larger Slow Cooker for this recipe)

Place the turkey carcass in your crock.

Add in the carrots, celery, onion and garlic (I added my garlic at the last minute by accident, so it won't be pictured until later)

Fill your crock with water.

Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours, or on LOW for 6-8 hours.

It will look like this.

CAREFULLY pour your broth through a strainer.

From here, I poured cup portions into freezer baggies.  I have been using them in my slow cooker recipes from the frozen state. (I just run the baggies under warm water to release the contents from the bag)
 Enjoy!