Leila's Smoky Mexican Chicken Soup - Easy and Delicious!

Leila's Easy Smoky Mexican Chicken Soup

I created this soup after I made a bunch of chicken stock from a couple of Costco rotisserie chickens. I wanted a Mexican-style soup that was loaded with healthy vegetables, had a hit of smoky flavor and was not creamy.

This soup turned out super! our family loves it and we have really enjoyed the leftovers. It is warming for these cool fall evenings we are having.

I really like the zucchini in this soup. I used a huge tough zucchini from our garden for this soup. I peeled it and then removed all the seeds. I then chopped it into small cubes. The older zucchini stay nicely firm in simmered soups. If you have tender zucchini, add it towards the end of cooking time, so that you don't turn it into mush.


Leila's Smoky Mexican Chicken Soup Recipe:

1/2 pound bacon
1 extra-large onion, minced
6 large cloves garlic, smashed
2 stalks celery with tops, minced
3 large mild chiles, fire roasted and then cored, seeded and minced
4 tomatillos, minced
4 roma tomatoes, diced
1 14.5-ounce can petite diced tomatoes with chipotle chiles
1 7-ounce can La Victoria Fire Roasted diced green chiles (this brand has the best roasted flavor)
3 quarts chicken stock (home made is best)
1 bay leaf
1 t. ground cumin
2 14.8-ounce cans Great Northern beans, drained
1 29-ounce can Mexican-style hominy, drained
2 zucchini, cubed
1 T. sea salt, to taste
35 grinds fresh ground pepper, to taste
2 to 4 cups shredded cooked chicken meat
Smokey paprika, optional, to taste


Method:

Over a gas flame, char the whole chiles, then remove stem and seeds and mince. Set aside.

In a large soup pot, fry the bacon until crispy. Remove bacon and crumble, then set aside.

With the bacon fat left in the pot, saute on medium-high heat, the onion, garlic, celery, chilies, and tomatillos, until the onion becomes transparent.

Add the canned tomatoes and canned green chiles. then add the chicken stock.

Add the bay leaf, cumin, canned beans, hominy, and diced zucchini. Bring up to a boil. Once boiling, turn down to a simmer and let it simmer about 30 minutes.

Season the soup with the salt and pepper, to taste. Add the crumbled bacon and shredded cooked chicken meat. let simmer a few more minutes before serving. Check the seasoning.

Garnish the soup with sour cream, shredded cheese, cilantro, lime wedges, corn chips, as desired.


Notes:

Use gluten-free corn chips if desired.

If avoiding corn, omit the hominy and corn chips.

If dairy-free, omit the cheese and sour cream garnishes.

For a vegan option, omit bacon and saute the vegetables in deodorized coconut oil. Add smokey paprika to give a nice smoky flavor. Use vegetable broth in place of the chicken stock. add an extra can of beans in place of the shredded chicken.

In place of the canned petite diced tomatoes with chipotle chiles, use regular diced Mexican or plain diced tomatoes. Add these additional seasonings: 1/4 t. Mexican oregano, 1/4 t. dried chipotle powder, 1/4 t. additional cumin, to taste.

Enjoy,

Leila.

Flower Child Carrot Raisin Salad - Healthy & Fresh! Plus a Chef Secret Revealed...

Flower Child Carrot Raisin Salad  

This is not your ordinary carrot raisin salad.

Try this fresh tasting, healthy, high fiber, easy to make salad for lunch or as a side for dinner.

I am a flower child, it's true. My mom made this for me a lot while I was growing up. I loved it. I still do, I just do not add the rice polish (an health food ingredient from the 70's).

There are versions of this salad served at buffets, which have soggy raisins, wilted carrots, sweetened coconut shreds and canned pineapple tidbits added - YUK. This is not that salad.

This salad is fresh, with crunchy seeds and chewy raisins, a little sweet, with just the right amount of tang to make things interesting.

The dressing is healthy too. It has a nice protein content from the yogurt and sunnies (sun flower seeds). Please make sure your sunnies are fresh. Rancid seeds will ruin your salad.

I am going to reveal a excellent chef's secret to you now...

Add a PINCH of ground cinnamon - just a pinch! If wisely done, you don't taste the cinnamon, but my-O-my what it does to lift the flavor! This is an "extra-super chef's secret" (to quote my mother, Nancy Glazier), to use an "under the radar" pinch of cinnamon in many sweet recipes.

Now you know.



Flower Child Carrot Raisin Salad Recipe:

1 quart (packed) peeled and grated organic carrots
1 c. plain yogurt or plain Greek yogurt
1/3 c. Best Foods or Hellman's Mayonnaise (or your favorite brand)
3 T. raw honey, or more to taste
1 to 2 T. raw apple cider vinegar, to taste
1/2 t. sea salt
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 1/4 t. rice polish, optional
1/2 c. organic raw shelled sunflower seeds
1/2 c. (packed) organic raisins


Method:

Wash, trim, and peel the carrots. Grate in a Cusinart food processor, or by hand.

In a serving bowl, mix the dressing ingredients together to taste. It should be tangy and sweet.

Mix in the rice polish powder, if using

Add the grated carrots to the dressing, and add the sunflower seeds and raisins.

Mix well to coat and serve immediately.


Notes: 

If you plan on serving the salad later, add the raisins at serving time, that way they are chewy instead of mushy.

Enjoy,

Leila

Favorite Rosemary Lemon Chicken - Italian Restaurant Copy-Cat

Rosemary Lemon Chicken

Flavor-packed Rosemary Lemon Chicken that is better than any restaurant! 

This recipe is now one of our family favorites. It is so juicy and bright tasting. It's also easy!

My daughter Naomi is a foodie too. She was inspired last month to make this dish. She felt like creating a zippy skillet chicken featuring rosemary and lemon. I offered her the ideas of adding fresh garlic, brining the meat beforehand for more rosemary flavor, and making a tasty glaze at the end. I let Naomi take the lead on this one, which was fun. I brined the meat. she cooked and seasoned it, then I made the final glaze, with her watching me so I could teach her how to do it. She seasoned it perfectly (proud mom smiling). I have told all of my children that a secret to being a great cook is just knowing what good food tastes like! It's kinda like knowing your destination before you get there, so then you will know when you have arrived.

Glazed Rosemary Lemon Chicken

We made this dish again together last night. Naomi says we have to put this on our blog, and I definitely agree. So now I'm sharing our recipe with you!

I highly recommend brining your chicken, so plan ahead a bit. Fresh rosemary is wonderful here, although dried will work OK. If you must use dried rosemary, boil your 1 cup of water and pour it over the rosemary, cover and steep like you would when making an herbal tea. This will infuse your chicken with a stronger rosemary flavor more quickly. This dish is supposed to have a big hit of rosemary. YUM.



Rosemary Lemon Chicken Recipe:

Serves: 6

BRINE:
1 c. hot water
2 T. sea salt
1 t. Lakanto sweetener (erythritol + monk fruit)
1 clove garlic, smashed into a paste with some of the sea salt
20 grinds black pepper
1 t. fresh rosemary leaves, smashed with some of the sea salt
cold water, to cover the chicken

CHICKEN:
6 skinless boneless organic chicken breasts, thawed
2 T. organic butter or ghee
2 T. deodorized coconut oil
4 cloves garlic
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/2 t. lemon pepper seasoning
1/4 t. dried basil

GLAZE:
1/2 c. water
1 t. organic chicken base
1 t. tapioca starch
1 T. butter, optional

GARNISH:
Rosemary sprigs
Thin sliced lemon


Method:

BRINE:

Dissolve the sea salt and Lakanto sweetener into the cup of hot water. Add the garlic, rosemary, and black pepper. Stir together and let steep together a few minutes while you prep the chicken meat.

Thaw the chicken meat and trim off any excess fat. Place in a large shallow bowl.

Pour the salt water mixture over the chicken. Add enough cold water to completely immerse the meat. Let the chicken marinate in the brine for 2 hours. May also marinate in a large (1-gallon) zip-lock bag.

CHICKEN:

When you are ready to cook the chicken, remove chicken from the brine and let drain. Heat the butter and coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the 4 cloves of smashed garlic and place the chicken in the pan. Lower the heat to medium.

Squeeze half of the lemon juice over top and sprinkle with half of the rosemary, which has been stripped off it's stem. Sprinkle the chicken with the lemon pepper and basil.

Cook uncovered until the chicken starts to look golden brown underneath.

Flip the chicken over and sprinkle with the remaining rosemary leaves. cook until golden brown on the other side. Check meat to make sure it is cooked through (you should see no pink in the center).

Remove the meat to a serving platter and set aside. Leave the drippings in the pan.

GLAZE:

For the glaze, mix the chicken base and tapioca starch into the 1/2 cup water.

Heat the frying pan with the drippings to medium-high. Pour the starch mixture into the pan and whisk until thickened and bubbly. Add additional butter, if desired.

Squeeze the rest of the lemon juice over top the glaze and whisk in. taste for seasoning.

Pour glaze over the hot chicken and serve immediately.

Garnish with fresh sprigs of rosemary leaves and lemon slices if desired.


NOTES:

If your frying pan is too small, your meat wont brown because too much moisture accumulates. If this happens, just cook the meat on both sides until completely cooked through. Transfer 3 breasts at a time to a new fry pan of sizzling butter and quickly brown on both sides. Repeat with the last 3 breasts. Scrape the leftover butter into the pan with the rosemary drippings and continue on with making the glaze.

You may add the zest from the half lemon, if desired (use an organic lemon for this).

The brined chicken stays very moist and does not need additional salt added. It is forgiving if you accidentally over-cook it. Make sure that you have added enough fresh lemon juice at the end. The flavor should be robust with rosemary, yet bright from the citrus, and not too tart.

Photos of the process:

ENJOY!

Leila 

Crazy Good Vegetarian Taco Meat (Nut-Free, Gluten-Free)

Crazy Good Vegetarian Taco Meat

Meaty, savory, chewy & perfectly salty - that's what this taco meat is! This is a new favorite recipe of ours!

A couple of my daughters took a road trip to go visit my parents. Lucky them, they got to eat grandma's food! My mom created this terrific vegetarian meat substitute on the 25th of this month. Mom will flavor this meat various ways. This recipe is for a taco meat flavor, and it is SO GOOD.

My daughter Lexi has been a vegetarian for a few years. Lexi has recently introduced a little meat to her diet, but is still generally vegetarian. As long as she remains healthy, we support her in her choice. Grandma and Lexi created this recipe together, so it is now officially named "LexiBurger".

This meat is high protein from the tofu and egg, and high fiber due to the perfectly chewy brown rice. You do not need to tell your family that they are eating tofu, because you cant tell it's in there! Freezing extra-firm tofu is a trick our family has used for years. When you thaw it and press the excess water out, it has an awesome meaty texture when you crumble it. Just buy some extra-firm tofu and throw it in your freezer just for this purpose.

The egg helps to bind everything together perfectly, just so you know.

Are you wondering what the "Umami" is mentioned below??? It's another flavor profile that they know about in Japan. It gives amazing full-bodied, rich, complex flavors to savory foods. MSG enhances umami, for example. Umami flavors are found in slow-roasted stews, and sauces made with fond which have been reduced to concentrate the flavors, mushrooms, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, etc. It's a mysterious flavor that you can't quite put your finger on, but you really notice when it's there because the food tastes so amazing, you just want to stuff your face! Look "umami" up online for a more detailed description.

Put this delicious taco "meat" in tacos, burritos, with or without re-fried beans and cheese, on top of nachos, or on top of a taco salad. Lexi brought some of this meat to my house and we made nachos for a tasty filling treat. YUM. I have pictures of our nachos in this post.

 Look at this meat, it tastes even better than it looks!

Crazy good vegetarian taco meat nachos.

Vegetarian Lexi Burger:

1 package organic extra-firm tofu
1 1/4 to 1 1/3 c. chewy cooked organic short grain brown rice
1/4 to 1/3 c. soaked chopped dried onion
2 T. rice oil
1 T soy sauce (Tamari for gluten-free)
1 to 2 T. hot taco sauce, to taste
2 t. sunbutter (sunflower seed butter), up to 3 t., for richness
1 small beaten organic egg
2 t. organic paprika (or ground chili)
2 t. onion powder
1/2 t. garlic salt
1/2 t. mushroom powder (to add full-bodied complex "Umami" flavor)
1/4 to 1/2 t. cumin powder
Chipotle powder, to taste
1/2 c. or more deodorized coconut oil, for browning the mixture.
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
Seasonall seasoned salt, to taste
Garlic salt, to taste
1/2 c. more cooked rice, if needed


Method:

Do ahead of time:

1.  Slice and freeze the box of tofu for at least 24 hours. THAW. Press firm to remove excess water and crumble finely.

2.  Cook the short grain brown rice only until it's nice and chewy, then chill at least overnight for best results (over-cooking makes the rice mushy).


The day of making the Vegetarian Taco Meat:

Mix the crumbled tofu with the 1 1/4 to 1 1/3 c. cooked brown rice and soaked dried onion flakes in a medium mixing bowl.

Add the rice oil, soy sauce, hot sauce, and sunbutter, and toss well to combine.

Add the beaten egg and toss well to coat completely.

Toss with the paprika, onion powder, garlic salt, mushroom powder, cumin, and chipotle.

Heat 1/2 c. coconut oil in a large skillet, when starting to sizzle, dump in the tofu mixture and stir-fry it like you would fried rice. You want to brown it a little, but do not over-brown or it can get a little dry. Add more oil if needed.

Season to taste with pepper, Seasonall, garlic salt, etc.

If the vegetarian meat mixture turns out too rich and oily, just work in another 1/2 cup or so of cooked rice.

For the nachos, we melted cheddar and jack cheese over gluten-free tortilla chips. Topped the nachos with the warm "meat mixture, drizzled on salsa and topped with a dollop of sour cream. I was too lazy to go get a can of olives, but we would of loved some along with fresh guacamole!

Enjoy, 

Leila & Nancy.

Sugar-Free Cinnamon Frosted Paleo Granola

Cinnamon Frosted Paleo Granola

Would you like a delicious, lighter, crunchier, grain-free, low-carb granola? Well, here it is!

Here is our unique and delicious recipe for a sweet cinnamon-frosted grain-free granola. Our recipe calls for an unusual ingredient: YAMS. That's right, soft baked yams or sweet potato. It is a great binder for our granola, making cute crunchy clusters of goodness. 

We will be posting many other unique yammy recipes under the Kitchen Cheetahs category called, "I Yam That I Yam". 

This granola stays crunchy in milk for a long time and the dried fruit stays nice and chewy too. We like that.

There are no almonds (give the poor bees a break!), no grain, and no sugar added to this recipe. It is sweetened only by the erythritol, dried fruit, and sweet potato.

This is a very versatile recipe. There are 4.5 cups of mixed nuts and seeds in this recipe (in addition to the coconut). Feel free to make your own substitutions with any kind of nuts or seeds you wish. For example, you could swap almonds for the walnuts. You may also use other dried fruits like dried diced California apricots, organic raisins, chopped dates, dried cranberries, dried cherries, etc. There could be almost limitless variations...


We can think of many uses for our granola:

You could make a granola "crumb crust" very easily out of it.
You could use it as a base for killer granola bars.
You can sprinkle it on top of ice cream sundaes.
You can make yogurt parfaits with it.
You can create awesome trail mixes with it as the base, adding more dried fruit, chocolate chips...
You can sprinkle it on top of our chocolate or butterscotch protein pudding recipes.

Yes, we really like this granola. It is crunchy and chewy at the same time, and has a real nutty- cinnamon-y flavor. PLUS, it's "CINNAMON FROSTED" 

Cinnamon Frosted Paleo Granola

Cinnamon Frosted Paleo Granola Recipe:

Dry Ingredients:
2 c. chopped walnuts (or pecans or almonds)
1 c.  coarsely ground raw sunflower seeds
1 c. dried coconut chips (wide thin ribbons)
1 c. flaked dried coconut (macaroon-style)
1 c. organic raisins (or chopped dates or chopped dried figs)
1/2 c. freshly ground flax seed meal
1/2 c. sesame seeds
1/2 c. Brazil nut flour (or other nut flour)

Wet Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. powdered Lakanto
1 T. ground cinnamon
1 t. sea salt
1 c. warm mashed sweet potato (baked until soft)
1/3 c. coconut oil
1/3 c. hot water

Cinnamon Frosting:
1/2 c. powdered Lakanto
1 T ground cinnamon


Method:

Mix together the listed dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

In a food processor puree the listed wet ingredients together until smooth.

Scrape the pureed wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and combine well.

Crumble the combined mixture into small clusters onto 2 large rimmed cookie sheets.

Bake in a preheated 300 degree F. oven for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes.

Lower the heat to 200 degrees F. and bake for another hour, stirring every 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes on the cookie sheets.

Toss thoroughly with the Cinnamon Frosting mixture and let cool completely.

Store in an air-tight container.

Enjoy with your favorite vegan milk.

Enjoy with your favorite milk.
This is almond coconut milk and I was surprised how delicious this combination is!

Enjoy,

Leila & Nancy.

Copy Cat Restaurant Teriyaki Sauce & Marinade plus a Delicious Teriyaki Rice bowl - Gluten-Free, Sugar-Alternative, Paleo, Clean-Eating

Restaurant Teriyaki Sauce

Do you like that nice, thick, sweet teriyaki sauce you get 

at your favorite Asian restaurant or takeout joint?

With this new recipe you can now have it at home. 

I have tried a few home made Teriyaki recipes through the years, but they are very runny and usually too heavy on the soy sauce. I want to taste the ginger and garlic, not just sugar and soy sauce. I created this recipe to be used over Teriyaki bowls, or for glazing and dipping grilled chicken or salmon in, or even drizzle over a sushi roll! I wanted the sauce to cling nicely to the meat, not run off in a salty puddle at the bottom of my dish. I'm even going to try it in a dish called Yaki Udon (Grilled chicken, stir-fried vegetables, drained, cooked udon noodles + this sauce).

I have made this Teriyaki sauce with a healthier sweetener called organic coconut palm sugar. It looks like a more granular, dry brown sugar and it has a brown sugar type taste. It is high in minerals and is lower on the glycemic scale than regular sugar. It is not zero calorie like erythritol, but it tastes better in this sauce. If I were to make this sauce completely sugar free, I would use a combination of erythritol, xylitol, stevia glycerite and a touch of black-strap molasses. Just sayin'.

I also use a gluten free soy sauce called Tamari. It is a high quality soy sauce and is easy to find at oriental markets or your better grocery stores. Alternately you may use Bragg's Aminos, but this is not my first choice. 

I prefer to use fresh garlic and ginger for the best flavor. I like to store whole ginger root in a small freezer bag in my freezer (in a place where I can find it!). Whenever I need fresh ginger, I just pull it out of the freezer and grate the amount I need with a small Microplane grater. You can grate fresh garlic with a small Microplane too, but I prefer to smash it to death in my mortar & pestle.

I thicken this sauce with xanthan gum. Xanthan gum is easy to use and is a healthy soluble fiber. I much prefer it over using corn starch or other starches for thickening. Starches must be cooked unless they are modified starches. Starches also have carbs unless they are resistant starches. Xanthan gum thickens regardless of it being heated or not. I love using it in my home made salad dressings too. The easiest way to mix xanthan gum into your liquid ingredients is to first blend it with some of the dry ingredients, like sugar, salt, flour, etc...

This sauce recipe is easily halved. You can also start out making it less sweet by adding 3/4 cup of the sweetener, bringing it to a simmer, taste for sweetness and then add more sweetener as desired.

Restaurant Teriyaki Sauce

Restaurant Teriyaki Sauce Recipe:

1 c. Tamari soy sauce (or Bragg's Aminos, are both gluten free)
1/4 c. Mirin (sweet rice wine)
1 1/4 c. purified water
1 T. minced fresh garlic (about 6 large cloves)
1 T. minced fresh ginger
1 1/4 c. organic coconut palm sugar
3/4 to 1 t. xanthan gum


Garnishes (optional):

sesame seeds
scallions sliced on the diagonal
toasted sesame oil


Method:

In a small sauce pan mix the soy sauce, mirin, water, garlic, and ginger.

Turn the stove on to medium heat.

In a separate small bowl mix together the palm sugar and the xanthan gum.

Whisk the sugar mixture into the soy sauce mixture.

Bring up to a gentle simmer with stirring to dissolve the palm sugar. 

Once it starts to simmer, time it for one minute and then remove from heat. 

Set aside to cool and use to glaze your favorite meat or use as a dipping sauce.

Add garnishes as desired at serving time.

Store unused Teriyaki Sauce in the refrigerator. Gently reheat to use.


To Make as a Marinade:

Make the sauce in the same way, except omit the xanthan gum.The result will be a thin marinade.

Note: I also use the thickened sauce recipe as a marinade.


Tips:

For a less sweet sauce, cut the coconut palm sugar down to 1 cup, or to taste.

For a slightly thinner sauce use only 3/4 t. xanthan gum.

Mixing the xanthan gum into the dry sugar first makes the xanthan gum easy to disperse into your sauce without clumping issues. If you forget to do this, use a stick blender to blend the xanthan gum into your sauce thoroughly.

 Photos of making Teriyaki Sauce and Teriyaki Rice Bowl:

Putting the sauce ingredients together.

The xanthan gum is blended into the coconut palm sugar.

The sauce before cooking.

The thickened Teriyaki Sauce after simmering 1 minute.

Skinless boneless chicken breasts ready for marinating in Teriyaki Sauce.

Teriyaki Sauce rubbed onto the chicken and marinated 30 minutes.

Broccoli, Carrots, Cabbage, Onion, and celery chopped and ready for steaming.

The prepared vegetables in the steamer.

Steam vegetables only until tender-crisp and bright in color.

Sushi rice , steamed vegetables & grilled chicken topped with our Teriyaki Sauce. YUM.

Enjoy,

Leila.

Amazing Vegan Hot Fudge Sauce - Sugar-Free, Low-Carb, High-Fiber, Paleo

Amazing Vegan Hot Fudge Sauce

Enjoy this rich, smooth, and chocolaty hot fudge sauce over your favorite ice cream or use as a chocolate fondue. 

The secret ingredient here is soft baked sweet potato. It adds body to the sauce as well as healthy fiber. The quality of this yummy chocolate sauce surprised even us. We are having a lot of fun playing with soft baked yam/sweet potato in our test kitchens. More recipes using these lovely tubers are coming. I created a special section for our recipes containing yams and sweet potatoes called, "I Yam That I Yam". Don't tell me that's corny, I already know.

We love that this is a guilt-free hot fudge sauce. It's sugar-free, dairy-free, high-fiber, vegan, paleo, and contains healthy coconut oil.

Try it,we think you will like it!


Amazing Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe:

2/3 c. of your favorite milk (vegan, coconut, almond, cashew, lactose-free, low-carb...)
1 c. powdered white or golden Lakanto brand sweetener (or erythritol)
2/3 c. dutch cocoa powder
1/3 c. white sweet potato flesh (baked until soft)
3 T. coconut oil (deodorized)
1 pinch sea salt or BioSalt
1 t. real vanilla extract
1 to 2 T. of your favorite sweet syrup (IMO syrup, agave, maple...), optional
A few drops stevia glycerite, if you want it sweeter


Method:

Puree all of the ingredients together until smooth with a stick blender.

Heat and stir the mixture until it reaches 180 degrees F. to fully dissolve the Lakanto crystals.

Cool the mixture 5 minutes.

Taste the mixture to check for sweetness and adjust as desired.

Puree the mixture again on high speed with the stick blender until it is smooth and thickened.

Serve the sauce warm over your favorite dessert.

Store the unused fudge sauce in the refrigerator and gently reheat to serve. Any crystals from the erythritol that form will easily dissolve when the sauce is reheated.

Enjoy,

Leila & Nancy.