Chicken Satay and Lemongrass Rice

A huge Thank you to my friend, Jillian Fenton, on such a fabulous recipe! Thanks for sharing!! Both Jillian and I are starting to cook using 100% pure grade essential oils and man do they make a HUGE difference to the taste of food! Jillian shared this fantastic recipe with me and I just had to post it! Jillian and I only use Young Living Essential Oils when cooking base on their 100% Pure Grade. This recipe calls for Lemongrass in the rice and it really enhances the taste!

This is a Gluten Free dish. 

A note from Jillian..."As many of you may know I have recently started using Essential Oils and have become hooked. With my love of cooking and baking I have started experimenting with utilizing essential oils in my meals.  If you are interested in seeing more of my recipes using essential oils please message me at fenton.jillian@gmail.com. Also, you can purchase Lemongrass oil and other essential oils through me, as well!

Below is a super easy recipe for weeknight cooking that is packed with flavor.  Enjoy!!"

Chicken Satay Ingredients

3 chicken breasts (boneless and skinless) cut in half lengthwise

2 T Sesame Oil

2 T low sodium soy sauce (you can use Gluten Free)

1T Rice vinegar

1t Sriracha

1T Creamy peanut butter

1/2t minced garlic

Directions

• Whisk all marinade ingredients together and add chicken.  Ensure all of the chicken is coated and let marinade for 30 min.
• Place on grill until fully cooked.

Cilantro Lemongrass Rice Ingredients

2 Cups Light Coconut Milk (can use just water as well)

1 Cup Basmati rice

5-10 drops of Young Living Lemongrass Essential oil depending on depth of flavor you like

Handful of Cilantro chopped

Directions 

• Place Coconut milk in saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Add rice cover reduce heat to simmer for 20 min
• Add drops of Lemongrass oil and cilantro

Kale and Leek Soup

Ok, this recipe is not very attractive...I know, I know. But it's so stinkin tasty and so good for you!! This recipe came from my friend, Lindsey Pineda, and I'm SO glad she shared it with me (Thanks Lindsey)!!

This was fairly simple to make and guess what...my kids loved it! They looked at it and said, no way mom. But then I told them it had a chicken taste and they tried it. Then they both asked for a bowl!

This one is gluten free and FULL of nutrients! I also added some rotisserie chicken to my bowl to add a little protein. This soup is great for lunch paired with a salad or I also eat this as my afternoon snack.

Don't be turned off by the appearance. This one is DEFINITELY worth repeating!


Ingredients

    * 2 (200 g) large leeks, cleaned, sliced 1/4-inch-(.6 cm) thick
    * 2 teaspoons olive oil
    * 2 bunches fresh kale, chopped, stems removed
    * 6 cups (960 ml) vegetable or chicken broth (organic, no salt added)
    * Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions 

    1. Sauté leek in olive oil until soft. Add kale and cook until wilted.
    2. Add broth and cook for 30 minutes on low heat and let cool for 10-15 minutes or until temperature reaches 120°F (65°C).
    3. Place soup into blender or food processor.
    4. Turn machine on and slowly increase puree.
    5. Blend until smooth.
    6. Pour mixture back into pot and heat for 10 minutes, or just until it begins to simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Apple Pie

Well - I guess I'm in the mood to share my favorite desserts tonight! I don't have many on my website, so I guess this is a good thing for my readers! It has to be the Christmas season...and the fact that I'm cooking right now in preparation for our family Christmas Eve dinner tomorrow!

My husband LOVES apple pie, so one day I decided to make one for Christmas dinner. And he LOVED it! It is now a Christmas tradition and he only gets it once a year!

I get to claim this recipe as my own, excluding the Double-Crust recipe. I found this recipe in a cookbook, but I completely re-vamped the filling; therefore, I get to call it mine :) This one is NOT gluten free (sorry guys).

This one takes some time to make. If you want to take short cuts and save time, you can buy a pie shell and a pie crust top and just make your filling. But if you make your own crust...it's so good!

Enjoy this one! We love to serve it with a scoop of french vanilla ice cream on top!

Recipe for Double Crust Pie

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup shortening
• 10 tablespoons cold water

Directions:

• In a medium bowl, stir together flour and salt with a hand whisk.
• Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until pieces are pea sized.
• Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the water over part of the flour mixture. Gently toss with a fork. Push moistened dough to the side of the bowl. Repeat, using 1 tablespoon water at a time until all the flour mixture is moistened.
• Divide in half; form each half into a ball
• On a lightly floured surface, use your hands to slightly flatten 1 dough ball. Roll dough from center to edges into a circle 12 inches in diameter.
• To transfer pastry, wrap it around the rolling pin and then unroll it into a 9-inch pie plate (or I re-use my aluminum pie pans)
• Ease pastry into pie plate without stretching it. Trim the pastry even with rim of pie plate. 
• Transfer apple pie filling (recipe below) to pastry-lined pie plate.
• Roll remaining dough ball into a circle, about 12 inches in diameter.
• Cut slits on top to allow steam to escape. Place the pastry on top of the filling, then trim 1/2 inch beyond edge of plate. 
• Crimp the edges as desired (there are so many cute ways to do this!!)

Recipe for Apple Pie Filling

Ingredients:

• 1 recipe for Double-Crust Pie (above) or use a store bought ready made pie shells and topping if you are short on time.
• 6 cups of thinly sliced peeled Granny Smith Apples (about 5-6 apples)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice from fresh lemon
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon milk (for topping)
• 1 teaspoon sugar (for topping)

Directions:

• Prepare and roll out pastry for Double-Crust pie (see recipe above).
• Take your Granny Smith Apples and core them and cut into slices.

• Peel the apple slices and cut slices until they are thin. Place in a large bowl.
• Take 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice and sprinkle over the apple slices. Combine the apple slices with a spoon to ensure that the juice is covering all apple slices.
• In a separate bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg until well combined.
• Pour mixture over apple slices and mix well until all apple slices are well coated.
• Transfer apple mixture filling to the pastry-lined pie plate. Trim the bottom pastry to edge of pie plate.
• Place on filling, cut slits in pastry and crimp edges as desired.

• Brush top pastry with milk and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of sugar. This gives your pie a nice brown topping.

Chef's Note: To prevent over browning, cover edge of pie with foil or a pie edge cover.

• Bake at 375 F for 40 minutes.
• Remove foil or pie edge cover and cook for an additional 20 minutes.
• Remove from oven an cool on a wire rack.

Red Velvet Cake

I get so many requests for this recipe. My dad has been making homemade red velvet cake since before I can remember and I asked him if I could share the recipe on my website and he said YES! I have no idea where he got this recipe...and he wont tell me any details about the history.

Most of my readers probably dont know, but I have a lot of recipes that are published. I write for a magazine and after talking it over with my dad, this recipe will be published in the February publication! My dad and I made this red velvet cake for my publisher and took it over to her as a Christmas present! It's absolutely beautiful and great for a holiday celebration!

Dad and I made 2 cakes this week, 1 for my publisher and 1 for our Christmas family dinner. This one defiantly is NOT gluten free and it contains nuts. I have not attempted to make a gluten free version. Perhaps one day I will...

Enjoy this treasured recipe. We get requests to make this cake and ship it all over the US because it is so popular and tastes so fantastic! Everything in this recipe is homemade, so get ready to invest some time if you plan to make this! It takes a total of about 4 hours to make (that includes cooking and cooling time) but it is so worth it!

This recipe is fantastic for both Christmas and Valentine's Day!

May God bless all my readers! Remember - Jesus Christ is the reason for the season!

Merry Christmas!!

Ingredients

Cake:

• 2 1/2 cups self rising flour
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup (two 1 oz. bottles) red food coloring
• 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 2 large eggs

Frosting:

• 1 full stick (8TBSP) plus 1/3 sticks butter softened
• 10 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 1 pound box confectioner sugar
• 2 cups chopped pecan pieces

Directions

To make cake:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F. 
• Mix together all ingredients with an electric mixer. NOTE: If you have a standing electric mixer, I recommend using this. The mix feature is so gentle that it will ensure that your cakes don't split on top.
• Spray three 9-inch round cake pans with non-stick coating. NOTE: If you have flexipans - I HIGHLY recommend using these. You can eliminate the spray and they pop right out - no sticking! My favorite brand is Demarle Flexipan.
• Pour batter equally into the three pans and bake for 20-25 minutes. (Test for doneness when a toothpick comes out clean).
• Cool layers on wire rack for 10 to 20 minutes.
• Carefully remove layers from pans to cool completely.

To make frosting:

• Combine butter, cream cheese and confectioners sugar in a bowl.
• Beat with your electric mixer until fluffy.
• Fold in 1 1/4 cups of pecan pieces: use to fill and frost cake when cool. NOTE: I take my pecan pieces and chop them until they are very fine.
• Decorate top of cake with remaining pecans.
• Cool 1 hour.

Chef's Note - If you have some red velvet cake that was left over in your pan when removing the cakes, take those crumbs and break apart and decorate the top of the cake. It definitely makes the cake look more festive!

Lemon Pepper Chicken with Lemon Sauce

I am so excited about this recipe I found!! I am always looking for sauces that are gluten free and dairy free, but I really struggle to find any that taste good! I finally found one I was interested in trying and it's really yummy!!

I found it in Cooking Light and they describe it as , "the classic Greek lemon-egg soup, avgolemono." The chef stated that this sauce could be put on everything...chicken, fish, mashed potatoes, vegetables, etc. I paired our chicken meal with mashed new red potatoes and steamed broccoli and it was fabulous!

This dish and the sauce is gluten free (if you use a Gluten Free chicken stock) and dairy free. This was a fairly easy dish to make and I will definitely make it again!

Ingredients for Chicken

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon Lemon Pepper seasoning
• Salt and pepper (for taste)

Ingredients for Lemon Sauce

• 2 cups of unsalted chicken stock
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons of grated lemon zest
• Fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp of kosher salt
• 1 Tablespoon of olive oil

Directions for Chicken and Lemon Sauce

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place your chicken breasts in a 9x13 glass Pyrex dish. 
• Sprinkle salt and pepper on chicken for taste.
• Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of Lemon Pepper seasoning evenly across the 4 pieces of chicken.
• Bake Chicken for 40 to 45 minutes until done and no longer pink.
• About 20 minutes into your chicken baking, you are ready to start making the Lemon Sauce.
• Heat the chicken stock over medium-high heat in a heavy medium saucepan until tiny bubbles form around the edge. Do Not Boil.
• Combine the eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt in a medium bowl.
• Whisk until the eggs are frothy and lighter in color.
• Ladle about a cup of the hot chicken stock into the egg mixture 1/4 cup at a time, while stirring constantly (but not too vigorously) with a whisk.
• Lower the heat on the remaining chicken stock to as low as possible. Wait for 2 minutes, and then add the egg, lemon and stock mixture back to the pot, stirring to combine.
• Warm the sauce gently until it coats a spoon.
• Whisk in the olive oil to finish.
• When the chicken is done cooking, pour the desired amount of lemon sauce on top of the chicken and serve.
• Store remaining lemon sauce in the refrigerator for future use. Use within 3 days.

Lemon Sauce Servings: 10

Nutritional Information:

Calories 39; Fat 2.8g; Protein 3g; Carbs 1g; Chol 56mg; Sodium 169mg; Calc 10mg

Very Veggie Chicken Noodle Soup

Ok, it's REALLY cold outside! Even though we are in Phoenix, we went from summer weather in the low 90's to fall weather in the upper 60's. But it's getting to the mid 30's at night!! Cold weather means it's time to pull out the soup recipes! I'm dedicating this recipe for all my friends and family in the state of Tennessee. They have had a really early winter and it's really cold there!

I make this recipe gluten Free by using Gluten Free noodles and Gluten Free chicken broth. I do not advise using rice noodles for this one because they turn to mush sitting in the broth. Ronzoni Gluten Free Pasta is the best pasta I have found for making soups.

This recipe is packed full of vegetables and has a fantastic taste. I love the fact that this recipe calls for rotisserie chicken. It saves you a lot of time in the kitchen and it tastes really good! I hope this recipe helps you stay good and warm this fall and winter season! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 boxes (32 oz. each reduced-sodium chicken broth)
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
•  1 onion
• 2 carrots
• 1 yellow squash
•  ½ bunch asparagus
• 1 zucchini
• ¼ lb penne pasta (If you are going gluten free, Ronzoni Gluten Free Pasta is fantastic!)
• 1 Rotisserie Chicken (already cooked)
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

In a large sauce pot, combine the chicken broth and 4 springs of fresh thyme. Turn to medium heat and let simmer.

Meanwhile, mince the onion, slice the carrots, dice the squash, cut the zucchini into long thin slices and and chop the ends of the asparagus off.

In a separate pot, bring water to a boil and cook the penne pasta. While the pasta is cooking, shred your Rotisserie Chicken.

Add the salt, pepper, onion and carrots to the chicken broth. Once the onion and carrots are tender, add the squash, asparagus, zucchini, shredded chicken and the penne pasta. Reduce the heat to low.

Let cook for 10 minutes. Remove the fresh thyme sprigs. Add freshly chopped chives and parsley. Season with additional salt, pepper and lemon juice, if desired. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Crock Pot Roasted Garlic Herb Chicken

I had a friend include me in a recipe exchange email chain and I'm so glad she did! I got a FANTASTIC crock pot recipe and I'm so excited to share it! I love crock pot recipes. They are perfect for fall weather and busy schedules! 

This one is super interesting because of the garlic and lemon. The taste came out amazing and the chicken was very tender. This one is gluten free, as long as your chicken broth has no gluten included. It took me 10 minutes to prep this one and then off I went with my day!

Enjoy this super easy recipe and thanks to Mrs. Vicki Davidson for passing it along! It's definitely worth repeating!



Ingredients:

• Whole Chicken
• 1cup chopped celery
• 2 cups baby carrots
• Chicken broth (gluten free)
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 lemon
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

Place carrots & celery at the bottom of the slow cooker, and pour chicken broth over the celery and carrots just to cover them. Place chicken on top.

In a bowl mix the garlic, juice of the lemon, rosemary and salt & pepper to taste. Save the lemon rinds. Then rub this mixture onto the chicken.

                                      

Throw the lemon rinds in the crock pot and cover. Cook on low for 5-6 hours until chicken falls off the bone.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

The fall season is here! Well, in AZ it i still 95 degrees during the day so it doesn't really feel like fall, but the nights are cooler so that counts! Like many others, fall time makes me want all my pumpkin flavors and smells...pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks, the smell of pumpkin candles and the pumpkin hand soaps and wallflower plugins from Bath and Body Works!

My friend Jillian brought in these yummy little pumpkin muffins to work one day and I tried one. They were so fantastic that I had to ask her for the recipe! I made a batch of these and they were gone in 2 days! My niece came into town for 4 weeks and we made a total of 3 batches while she was here! So yummy! Thanks Jillian!!

This one is pretty easy to make and you can make these gluten free if you substitute the all purpose flour for a Gluten free version.

I think this recipe falls into the category of things I will look forward to every fall!!

Enjoy :)


Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (If you are Gluten Free, substitute with a Gluten Free flour)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup solid packed, canned pumpkin puree

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place rack in the middle of the oven. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
• In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, ground spices, and salt. 
• In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and pumpkin puree, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips.   
• Fill the muffin cups evenly to the top with the batter using a spoon or an ice cream scoop. Place in the oven and bake for about 18 -20 minutes, or until firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the muffins comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool.

Makes 12 regular-sized muffins.

Rosemary Dijon Baked Chicken Breast

This is one of those recipes you will want to make when you don't really feel like putting a lot of effort into your meal, yet you want to eat a good and healthy meal. I found this one at Allrecipes180.com. I did re-name this recipe because their naming convention just wasn't doing it for me (sorry).

This one is really simple to make and it has such an amazing taste. I'm a HUGE fan of recipes with Dijon Mustard! This one always turns out really moist and my kids asked for seconds. This one pairs really well with mashed potatoes and green beans as your sides.

This one is Gluten Free. Try this one on a night where you want to make dinner but you just don't feel like being in the kitchen for more than 10 minutes prepping. You'll love it and will appreciate the simplicity of this meal!

Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Salt & pepper
• Fresh Rosemary

Directions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• In a small bowl, mix together mustard, syrup, and vinegar.
• Place chicken breasts into 9×13 greased baking dish. It's REALLY important that your pan is well greased so it doesn't stain! 
• Season the chicken with salt & pepper. 
• Pour mustard mixture over chicken. Make sure each breast is coated.

• Bake for about 30-40 minutes.
• Season with chopped rosemary.

Garlic Ginger Shrimp Stir Fry

I tried a YUMMY new shrimp recipe tonight! My husband is out of town for work travel (he hates seafood) so I get to try new seafood recipes every once in awhile! This one came from the Steamy Kitchen and reminded me of a PF Chang's recipe I love so much! This one was really easy to make...almost too easy to make.

This one is Gluten free (make sure your soy sauce is Gluten free and read your label on the oyster sauce). I paired this with brown rice, threw in some sugar snap peas and broccoli and it turned out great!

Enjoy!


Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoons soy sauce
• Handful fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails left intact optional)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 5 stalks green onion, chopped (white and light green parts)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, finely minced or grated

Directions:

• In a small bowl, combine oyster sauce, soy sauce and cilantro and set aside.
• Pat the shrimp very dry with paper towels. In a medium bowl, add shrimp and cornstarch and toss to coat.
• In a wok or large saute pan over high heat, add half the olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. When the wok is very hot, add the shrimp in a single layer and cook partially until one side is seared brown, about 1 minute. Flip and sear the other side of each shrimp, about one more minute. They don't need to be cooked all the way through yet. Remove them to a plate or bowl and set aside.
• Turn the heat down to medium and let wok cool off a bit to prevent the aromatics from burning. Add the remaining olive oil and add green onion, garlic and ginger and stir fry for a minute until fragrant.
• Pour in the sauce mixture and add the shrimp back into the pan. Stir fry for another minute until shrimp is cooked through. 
• Add your sugar snap peas and broccoli and stir fry for about 3 to 5 minuted.
• Serve immediately.