Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup (gluten free)

 

I have made this creamy chicken noodle soup several times now, and it has been a big hit in my house.  You can totally make this with all-purpose flour and regular noodles if you do not need gluten free.  My daughter is a vegetarian, so I make a smaller version for her as well, and she loves it!  

Ingredients

2 pounds chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces (leave out for vegetarian)

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 yellow or sweet onion, chopped

2-3 carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced (2 Tbsp)

1/3 cup gluten free flour

10 cups chicken broth (use vegetable broth for vegetarian)

3 Tbsp cornstarch

2 tsp each of dried parsley, basil, salt

1 tsp each of dried thyme, oregano, pepper

16oz gluten free pasta (my favorite is Tinkyada brand) (may want to add an additional 4-8oz of pasta if doing vegetarian, depending on how thick you want your soup)

3 cups half and half

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup grated Parmesan

Instructions

Cook onions, carrots, and celery in olive oil on medium heat until vegetables soften.  Add chicken and cook about 3 minutes.  Add garlic and flour and stir.  Add 9 cups of broth.  Whisk cornstarch with remaining 1 cup broth, and add to soup.  Add all the spices and bring to a boil.  Add pasta and cook according to time on the package.  Add half and half, cream, and parmesan (may need to whisk to get out any lumps of cheese.  Remove from heat and enjoy!

Gluten Free Pie Crust

 

I've made this gluten free crust several times now, and it's really delicious!  I've used it for quiches as well as pumpkin pies.  I got the original recipe on King Arthur's website.  I used Bob's Red Mill gluten free all purpose flour, and it works well.  I have read that not all gluten free flours work as well as others.  The first time I didn't add any water, and my crust fell apart.  The next few times I added 1 Tbsp of water and that seemed to work very well.  I might try adding 2 Tbsp of water and see if it holds even better next time.  It should be smooth like a regular crust and not crumbly. The original recipe does call for clearjel, but it's optional, so I haven't tried using it.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups gluten free flour (I chose Bob's Red Mill)

1 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 tsp salt

6 Tbsp butter, cold

1 large egg

2 tsp lemon juice

*For an egg free crust, the recipe states using 4 Tbsp cold water in place of the egg and lemon juice.

Directions

Spray/grease as 9" pie plate (I used deep dish).  Whisk together the flour, sugar, xanthan gum, and salt.  Cut the butter into several pats and work it into the flour mixture until it's crumbly (I use my stand mixer with a whisk for this but you can also use a pastry cutter or forks).  Whisk together the egg and lemon juice until frothy and mix into flour/butter mixture.  Mix until the crust holds together well and is smooth but not wet.  Add cold water if necessary, 1 Tbsp at a time.  Shape into a ball, wrap in saran wrap, and chill in the fridge for one hour or up to overnight.  Let dough rest on counter 10-15 minutes before rolling.  Roll out on saran wrap or a silicone mat that is sprinkled with gluten free flour.  Invert dough into pie plate.  Pinch edges in design if you like.  Fill with whatever fillings you desire and bake.

Green Chile Spinach Quiche with a Hash Brown Crust

 

I wanted to make my Green Chile Spinach Quiche with a gluten free crust, and I've made a crust, but I wanted to try something different, and I'm so glad I did.  I brought these to a ladies retreat, and they got rant and raved over.  Several people wanted the recipe, and all of it got devoured.  You can use regular all purpose flour if you do not need it to be gluten free.  This made a thick hash brown crust, so if you prefer your crust to be thinner and crispier, use only 1 bag of shredded hash browns.  You may need to reduce the cooking time of the crust, but let me know how it turns out!

Ingredients

2 - 26oz bags frozen shredded hash browns, thawed

1 stick butter, melted

1/2 cup all purpose flour (gluten free if needed)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

12 eggs

8oz Mexican blend cheese, shredded

2 cups cottage cheese

10-12oz frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed out

7oz can diced green chiles

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Mix together the butter and hash browns, and then press into bottom and sides of 2 deep dish pie plates. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes until the edges are light brown.  Reduce heat to 400 degrees.  Mix together remaining ingredients (I use my stand mixer for this) until well blended.  Pour into crusts evenly between the pies.   Bake for 15 minutes, and then reduce the oven temp to 350, and bake an additional 35 minutes.  Store any leftovers in the fridge, or you can cover the them and freeze the quiches, and let thaw in fridge the night before you want to serve it.

Cashew Chicken

 

I modified my other cashew chicken recipe to more our tastes since some in my family don't like bell peppers, and I made it a little simpler.  You can of course use different veggies based on what your family likes.  I served mine over quinoa/rice, but the rest of my family enjoyed it over plain white rice.  I will definitely be making this again.  I had some dried chives, so I sprinkled that on the top after in my bowl, but fresh would be delicious as well sprinkled over top at the end of cooking or on individual bowls.  I did have to double this for my family of 6, but I do have 3 teenagers.  I do cook mine without oil in a nonstick electric skillet, but if you can use 1-2 Tbsp light olive oil or coconut oil to grease your pan if you don't have a nonstick one.

Ingredients

1-2 Tbsp light olive oil (see note above if using nonstick skillet)

2 Tbsp cornstarch

3 Tbsp soy sauce (I use La Choy brand because it's gluten free)

1 Tbsp white vinegar (or apple cider works too)

1 tsp sugar

dash of ginger

1 pound chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

1 tsp minced garlic

1 cup cashews (I used halves and pieces)

1/2 lb carrots (about 4 medium), chopped

1 can sliced water chestnuts

chives (optional topping)

Directions

Combine cornstarch, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and ginger in small bowl and mix well.  Heat skillet up over medium high heat.  Add oil (if not nonstick skillet) to skillet and then add chicken and carrots.  Cook until chicken is no longer pink.  Add garlic, water chestnuts, and cashews to pan.  Continue cooking 2-3 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and carrots are soft.  Pour sauce evenly over top and stir to coat everything and sauce thickens.  Sprinkle with green onions or put on the side for people to put on their individual bowls.  Serve over rice if desired.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins

 

Super moist, delicious, & gluten free pumpkin muffins!  My girls even commented they enjoyed the gluten free ones better than the ones with regular flour.  I made these into mini muffins but you can make them into a bundt loaf or a loaf pan if you prefer.  A bundt pan takes about 45 minutes, and a loaf pan takes 60 minutes.  This is my Mom's pumpkin bread recipe except modified some and made with gluten free flour.

Ingredients

1 1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened

1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin

2 eggs  (use my note for using flaxseed for egg-free)

1 2/3 cups gluten free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill brand)

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 rounded tsp cinnamon

1/2 rounded tsp cloves

1/4 rounded tsp ginger

dash allspice (optional)

dash nutmeg (optional)

Directions

Mix sugar, applesauce, pumpkin, and eggs in a large bowl.  In a separate container combine flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and spices.  Add all dry ingredients to the batter and blend well.  Spray mini muffin tin and divide batter evenly among the tin.  Bake 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes.  Allow to cool about 5-10 minutes before removing from pan.

Ultimate Chicken Noodle Soup

 

I got this delicious chicken noodle soup recipe from my sister who got it off this website.  She modified it some and then I modified it a little more.  My family loves this recipe, and it's perfect on a cool day outside or when you're not feeling well or anytime!  It does make a large pot of soup, so if you don't have a large family, you might want to scale it down or eat it for leftovers.  Leftover chicken works fine in this recipe or dark meat is fine too.  You can also make this gluten free by using gluten free pasta.

Ingredients

2 lbs chicken breasts, cut up into bite size chunks

1 Tbsp extra light olive oil

4 celery ribs, diced

4 medium carrots, peeled and diced

1 large onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

10 cups chicken broth

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 bay leaves

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried parsley

3-4 cups uncooked noodles, about 8-16oz (I like to use macaroni - use gluten free if you desire)

1 Tbsp lemon juice

Directions

Add oil to large stockpot and heat to medium.  Add onions, carrots, and celery to stockpot and saute until onions are translucent.  Add garlic clove, cut up chicken, chicken broth, salt, pepper, bay leaves, thyme, and parsley.  Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes with lid on.  Add pasta and cook about 10 minutes or according to pasta direction.  Turn off heat and add lemon juice.  Enjoy!

Green Chile Casserole (Keto)

I found this Green Chile Casserole and modified it (of course).  It was a winner around here, and I will be making it again.  The original recipe called to put it in a 7x11 pan, so I doubled most of the ingredients.  The container of cottage cheese was 24oz so I added 1 cup of sour cream instead of 32oz of cottage cheese.  Nobody in my family likes cottage cheese alone except for me unless it's in a lasagna or dish like this so if you're not a cottage cheese lover, don't write this one off yet.  Leftover chicken works great for this.

Ingredients
3 lbs chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
9 Tbsp taco seasoning or 3 packages (I used my homemade)
1 1/2 cups green salsa (chunky preferably)
7oz can green chilies, drained
24oz cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
8oz shredded Mexican blend cheese
green onions, optional

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine chicken, taco seasoning, salsa, green chilies, cottage cheese, and sour cream together until well mixed.  Pour into a sprayed 9x13 casserole dish.  Top with shredded cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly.  Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving with sour cream and green onions if you desire.