Chicken and Dumplings (Gluten-free, Dairy-free, EGG-free!)

Posted on January 4, 2012 | 1 Comment

A few months ago my friend Suzanne brought us chicken and dumplings for dinner.  Our daughter was only a few weeks old, we were in the midst of diaper changes and around the clock “naps” in place of solid sleep.  If ever there was a time we needed a hug, it was during those crazy days.  Suzanne brought over a whole pot of hugs with her home made chicken and dumplings.  Since then I have been obsessed with making this dish with gluten, dairy and egg-free dumplings.

Yeah, I wasn’t sure I could do it either :)

I’ve bombed a couple of times in my experimentation but I think I’ve finally found a recipe that works (Hellllooooo chia seeds!).  This is the perfect post-holiday recipe for those days you feel like a restful and nourishing meal.  Enjoy!

Chicken and Dumplings  (serves approximately 6 big bowls)

10 cups high quality chicken broth (I make my own nutrient-dense mineral broth and will post the recipe next week)

1-2 boneless chicken breasts (depends on how much meat you want)

3 large carrots, finely chopped

3 celery stalks, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1.5 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon parsley

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon celery seed

1/4 teaspoon onion powder (optional)

Dumplings

2 cups GF Bisquick

1/3 cup coconut oil, unrefined organic

1 cup milk alternative (I used coconut milk)

3 chia seed eggs (1 egg=1 tablespoon ground chia seeds plus 3 tablespoons water)

Directions:

In a large stock pot add a little coconut or grapeseed oil and saute garlic, carrots and celery for 5 minutes.  Add spices and one cup broth and simmer for 2-3 minutes.  Add the rest of the broth and turn up heat to medium high.

While broth is warming, slice your chicken into 1 inch strips.  Place raw chicken in the pot and set timer for 20 minutes.  Bring broth to low boil and then turn down to a simmer and cover pot.  After 20 minutes your chicken should be cooked.  Take a slotted spoon and remove chicken to a clean plate.  Shred the chicken using 2 forks.  Add chicken back to pot.  Cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes to let flavors saturate.

Make dumpling batter right before you plan to cook them (the batter shouldn’t sit around much). Mix the chia seed eggs in a small bowl first by stirring together 3 tablespoons of ground chia seeds and 9 tablespoons of water.  Place Bisquick, milk, oil and chia seed eggs into bowl.  Yes the chia seeds are very thick and you will wonder if you are doing the right thing.  Don’t worry!  Stir the mixture a few times to combine.  Don’t over mix and yes it should be lumpy.

Scoop spoonfuls of the biscuit batter into the pot.  You will make 8-10 dumplings depending on your spoon size.  Cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes until dumplings are done.

** If Kula Baby is going through a picky eating phase we blend his soup up and add a few dumplings to his bowl.  He loves this.

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Grandma Jane’s Granola

Posted on November 30, 2011 | 2 Comments

We’ve been getting a little lazy in the breakfast department lately.  I can’t say I blame us.  We have a new infant in the house and nighttime sleep isn’t what it used to be.  Also, Kula Baby didn’t get the memo about going easy on his parents and continues to get up bright and early (along with his sister), ready for breakfast.

It didn’t take me long to realize we needed a healthy pre-made breakfast for those mornings we can’t seem to get it together to throw a pot of oatmeal on the stove.   So last weekend I pulled out my Grandma Jane’s cookbook and decided to make her famous granola (with a few Kula Mama changes of course).  My grandma used to keep this granola in a pretty tin on her kitchen counter next to another tin full of homemade roasted almonds.  Every visit to Grandma Jane’s house meant a visit to her kitchen for a few bites of each.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

Grandma Jane’s Granola (with some Kula Mama flair :) )

1 cup sunflower seed meal (grind up sunflower seeds to make the meal yourself)

1/2 cup dates, chopped

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup coconut (unsweetened, shredded–you can find in bulk section of grocery store)

3/4 cup oat flour (or any flour will probably work)

1/2 cup sunflower seeds (or any nut and seed will work)

1/4 cup chia seeds (or any nut or seed will work)

3 cups oatmeal

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

3/4 cup maple syrup

1 cup orange juice

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and bake on 2 cookie sheets for one hour at 225 degrees.

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Protein Cookies (Gluten-free, Dairy-free)

Posted on November 22, 2011 | 1 Comment

Where oh where has Kula Mama gone???

Well… Kula Baby is now a big brother!  We welcomed his little sister about 6 weeks ago.   I’ve re-entered the world of frequent feedings, diapers changes, swaddling, and cat napping to salvage some semblance of sanity.  I don’t think I’m faking the sanity part very well yet.  She’s cute as a button though, so that makes up for lack of sleep on most days :)

Cooking has become a weekend luxury, at least for the moment.   Last Sunday we had a rainy, rainy day here in California.  So instead of visiting the farmer’s market and running errands all day, we found ourselves at home with an open calendar.  My husband took over Kula Baby duty and I slipped little sister into the ergo and started cooking.  These “cookies” are pretty tasty.  In my mind they are as good as any protein bar out there (depending on the amount of chocolate chips you include–I went light on them).

The Kula Mama website will pick up again after the new year.  I have some exciting new projects I’m working on: photography, recipes, and a Green23 project I hope you will really like (and hopefully you will join the project too!).  I can’t wait to reconnect with everyone!

Protein Cookies

(adapted from GF Oatmeal Cookie recipe from Trader Joes)

1/4 cup coconut oil (unrefined, organic)

1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup maple syrup

3 cups GF oats

1/4 cup chocolate chip cookies (use dairy-free if needed, you can also use dried fruit here instead)

1/4 cup chia seeds (or any seed or chopped nut)

1/4 cup sunflower seeds (or any seed or chopped nut)

2 eggs (or egg replacer–I used ground flaxseeds and water)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup almond butter (or any nut butter you choose)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl combine maple syrup and coconut oil until creamy.  Add eggs, vanilla and baking soda.  Mix well.  Add almond butter and stir.  Finally stir in the oats, seeds and chocolate chips.  Place a spoonful of batter on a prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.  Depending on size this recipe will yield 20-40 cookies (mine were pretty big and I ended up with 24).

2 days later we are down to 4 cookies.  Scary.

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Apple Zucchini Muffins (Gluten-free, Dairy-free)

Posted on September 15, 2011 | 6 Comments

I pride myself on staying true to my Idaho roots, so when September rolls around I am officially ready for fall.  I crave pumpkin, butternut squash, apple, cinnamon, sweet potatoes…anything that reminds me of my favorite time of year.  The problem is—I now live in California and in California, the month of September brings beach weather (for me and Kula Baby) and good surfing (for my husband).  We’ve had some of the best beach days of the entire summer lately but I’m ignoring them.  O.K., I’m not totally ignoring them… we do head to the beach each day for a lovely afternoon, but once we step indoors I revert back to my fall season make-believe by popping a batch of muffins into the oven.

These muffins are a great way to use up your summer squash while still tasting the flavors of fall with cinnamon and nutmeg spices.  I was inspired by the Maple Spice Muffins in Jessica Seinfeld’s Double Delicious cookbook, however, I changed many of the ingredients.  As always, I substituted gluten-free and dairy-free ingredients, but these substitutions are not necessary if you can tolerate gluten and dairy.

Apple Zucchini Muffins (makes 12)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup unrefined, organic coconut oil (great for the brain!)

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 (6oz) cup of dairy-free vanilla yogurt (I used coconut milk yogurt)

1 large egg

1 medium-sized zucchini, grated (I used my trusty food processor to speed the grating process)

1 small apple, grated

2 cups of gluten-free flour (I used Bob’s Redmill GF baking mix)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup chia seeds (optional, but I love them)

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

A dash or two of nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 12 cup muffin tin with cups.

In a large bowl combine the coconut oil, maple syrup, egg, yogurt, zucchini and apple.

In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients-flour, baking soda, baking powder, chia seeds, salt and spices.

Sprinkle the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and combine.  Do not over mix.

Fill each muffin cup 3/4 full and bake for 20-25 minutes.  Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days or freeze for up to one month.

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Make-Your-Own Quinoa Salad

Posted on August 31, 2011 | Comments Off

Quinoa is a staple in our house.  It’s high in protein and takes less than 20 minutes to make–a mother’s dream.  We use it as a breakfast cereal in the morning and in place of rice at dinner.  Yeah, we sound like quinoa addicts and I’m not ashamed to admit it :)

I think the best thing about quinoa is its versatility.  You can use it for almost anything.  Lately I’ve been making a lot of salads for lunch using quinoa and whatever is in my fridge at the moment.  The recipe below is not one I can claim as my own, but I’m addicted to it and need to share!  We visited friends in San Francisco a few weeks ago and my dear friend Amy made this salad to welcome us after a LONG drive in the car.  Isn’t she the best friend ever?

There are a few staples in my quinoa salads (quinoa, lemon/olive oil dressing, legumes) but the veggies change almost daily depending on what’s in season.  I didn’t list exact measurements in the recipe below because it really depends on your own personal preference.  Enjoy!

Make-Your-Own Quinoa Salad

2 cups cooked quinoa (1 part dry quinoa, 2 parts veggie broth.  Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer for 20 minutes until broth is absorbed.  For added flavor throw is a teaspoon of butter too.)

Artichoke hearts (I like the marinated kind from Trader Joes)

1 can garbanzo beans (use Eden Organic to avoid BPA in the can)

Feta cheese

Cherry tomatoes, halved

Peas (only if they are fresh from the farmer’s market, otherwise skip them :) )

Dressing:

1 part lemon juice

2 parts olive oil

thyme (dried or fresh)

salt to taste

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Quick and Easy Broccoli Soup (Gluten-free)

Posted on July 20, 2011 | Comments Off

It seems odd to post a broccoli soup recipe in the middle of summer, but I hear it’s pretty cold in Seattle these days so this one is for all you mamas turning the heat on at night :)

We had a head of broccoli that NEEDED to be used tonight so I decided to whip up a batch of this soup.  I make this soup frequently, especially when I feel like Kula Baby needs an extra veggie boost.  We use coconut milk instead of regular milk and it makes the soup taste so yummy.  Kula Baby gobbles this stuff right up.  It takes about 10 minutes to make–you can’t beat it!

Quick and Easy Broccoli Soup (Gluten-free)

2 medium heads of broccoli, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 teaspoon butter (or you can use olive oil instead, but butter gives an extra yummy flavor)

3-4 cups milk or milk substitute (we use coconut milk)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Place broccoli in steamer (we use a pan and metal steamer basket for all our steamed veggies to make it easy) and steam until slightly tender but not over done.

While broccoli is steaming, get out a saute pan and saute butter, garlic and onion until tender.  Add milk and broccoli to pan and heat through.

In a blender (I used my NEW handy Vitamix, oh my how I love this thing), add the parmesan cheese and the broccoli mixture from stove.  Blend until smooth.  Transfer back to stove and taste.  Add salt and pepper.  Add more milk if a thinner consistency is needed (or if you like a thicker soup add a tablespoon of flour).

Enjoy!

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Kula Baby’s Favorite Milkshake

Posted on July 2, 2011 | 1 Comment

This “milkshake” is Kula Baby’s new favorite summer treat.  He thinks he’s getting some sort of chocolate-flavored ice cream and I’m in no hurry to tell him otherwise.  This smoothie is a perfect blend of protein and sweet.  It’s also so refreshing on a warm summer day.  The ground flaxseeds offer brain-building omega 3s (remember to grind them just before adding to the smoothie) and the raw cacao powder provides a big helping of antioxidants.

And the best part…it ALMOST tastes like ice cream!  Enjoy!

Kula Baby’s Favorite Milkshake

1 cup milk (rice milk, nut milk, goat milk, etc.) (you can add more milk if you like a thinner consistency)

1 heaping tablespoon almond butter (try 2 tablespoons if you want extra protein!)

1/2 teaspoon ground flaxseeds

1/8 teaspoon raw cacao powder

1 banana (we freeze our bananas for this but you can use unfrozen too)

1/4-1/2 cup ice (optional but I like it extra cold!)

dash of cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender and combine until smooth.  Taste it and feel free to add more of a certain ingredient if you like.  You can also try adding different combinations of fruit to change it up from time to time.

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Brain-building Trail Mix (Gluten-free)

Posted on June 13, 2011 | 1 Comment

We are preparing for a big trip to Disneyland soon so I’ve been busy in the kitchen preparing lots of healthy snacks to take with us.  I figure it’s my job to try to balance all the crap we are sure to eat at the park with some healthy snack options.  I haven’t been to Disneyland since I was about 12 years old so I can’t remember anything about the food served there. However, rumor has it the corn dog is hard to compete with, so all my cooking in the kitchen might be for nothing.

Brain-building Trail Mix

1 cup walnuts, chopped (you can use another type of nut too—but walnuts contain brain-building omega-3s)

½ cup pumpkin seeds

½ cup sunflower seeds

½ cup shredded coconut

½ cup oats (buy gluten-free oats if you want this recipe gluten-free)

½ cup dried cherries or raisins

2 tablespoons coconut oil

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

Directions (makes about 2.5 cups of trail mix):

Chop walnuts into bite-sized pieces

Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees.

Melt coconut oil over low heat.  Mix nuts, seeds, syrup, oil, fruit, coconut, oats and cinnamon in a bowl.  Mix to combine.

Place piece of parchment paper on cookie sheet.  Spread out nut mixture on parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes.

Let cool before serving.

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Energy Bites (Dairy-free, Gluten-free)

Posted on March 22, 2011 | Comments Off

Our pantry has been bare the last couple of weeks.  Kula Baby’s been surviving on rice bread and almond butter at snack time because I’ve been too lazy to whip up something better.  The problem is he always eats rice bread and almond butter so he really doesn’t provide me with any incentive to branch out!  My son is a true Virgo, he loves routine.  Of course I know better than to feed him the same thing every day so it’s time to get cracking in the kitchen Kula Mama!

We usually have these energy bites in the pantry or freezer.  Everyone loves them (including my husband) and they provide all the essential makings of a good snack: carbohydrate, healthy fat and protein.  These are blood sugar-friendly and oh so yummy!

Energy Bites

1/3 cup whole-grain gluten-free flour (Pamela’s Baking Mix, Rice Flour, Quinoa Flour, etc) (You can also use regular flour if you don’t want them gluten-free)

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup Sucanat or light brown sugar

1 1/2 cups toasted walnuts (can also use pecans, hazelnuts or almonds), chopped

1/2 cup dried cherries or cranberries

12 Medjool dates (approx 1 cup chopped dates), pits removed and chopped (or figs)

1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax + 3 tablespoon water) (You may also use a real egg if you don’t want them vegan)

1 tablespoon rice milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325F.

Line a square pan (8 or 9 inch) with parchment paper.

In a small bowl mix together the flax egg and set aside.

Chop and toast the walnuts for 8-9 minutes at 250 degrees. Remove from oven and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the walnuts and dried fruit. Make sure all ingredients are fully mixed.

Mix the vanilla into the flax egg after it has thickened up after about 10 minutes.

Add the flax egg mixture and the 1 tablespoon rice milk to the fruit and nut mixture and mix well. Spread into the pan, pressing with fingers to even it out.

Bake for about 33-35 minutes at 325.

Remove bars from pan by lifting parchment paper.  Allow it to cool on wire rack for 30 minutes (you can even stick this in the freezer for 10 minutes to really let it set).  Using a sharp knife, cut into bite sized pieces.

Recipe adapted from: www.ohsheglows.com

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Veggie Lo Mein

Posted on February 23, 2011 | Comments Off

I’ve been playing the role of a single parent the past few nights while my husband racks up frequent flier miles for work.  He rests his head each night in a Weston Heavenly Bed, while I try to hold down the fort with a 2 and 1/2 year old who constantly wonders WHY, WHY, WHY Mommy????!!!  I have to put Kula Baby to bed early just to give my voice a rest from all the EXPLAINING I’m doing lately.

The good news is that my husband only has 2-3 busy travel months a year.  These nights also give me the opportunity to prove that a single mom can cook for her toddler each night and keep her sanity.

Well, honestly I can’t vouch for the sanity part…but my kid’s been eating home cooked meals all week!

I put this Veggie Lo Mein together in under 30 minutes.  Yes, I had to plan ahead and have turkey bacon ready in the fridge, but planning comes with the territory when you are cooking each night.  Planning saves time and I love saving time during the dinner hour!

Veggie Lo Mein

1 box of rice noodles (spaghetti style) (you can use regular noodles too)

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup sweet potato puree (scoop out potato and mix with 2 tbsp milk)

1 tablespoon tamari

1 tablespoon water

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup finely chopped cauliflower

4 strips of organic turkey bacon

Directions:

Cook noodles according to package directions and set aside.

In a bowl mix: chicken broth, sweet potato puree, tamari, water, maple syrup, sesame oil, cornstarch.

In a skillet over medium heat, place olive oil and strips of bacon and cook a few minutes per side until done.  Set aside and chop into small pieces.

Put cauliflower in pan along with the leftover bacon oil.  Stir fry until slightly tender (4 minutes).  Add noodles and tamari sauce mixture.  Reduce heat to low and cook 1 to 2 minutes more, stirring well until sauce thickens and noodles are coated.  Add extra chicken broth if it’s too thick.  Top with cooked bacon and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.  Serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Double Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld


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