Shawarma INSPIRED Chicken

 Music Share: I Won by Mayah Dyson

So, I've been finding a lot of quick recipes online. I came across a recipe by @snackqween on TikTok a few days ago and knew I had to try it.

Ingredients:

• Chicken thighs
• Plain yogurt
• Olive oil
• Fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon tumeric
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• Pita
• Hummus
• Fresh vegetables
• Tzatziki sauce

Instructions:

1. Place chicken, yogurt, olive oil, and all spices into a ZipLoc bag and "mix" until all is combined
2. Place bag into refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours, but overnight is preferable
3. Once chicken is marinated, place into baking dish, and into preheated oven (425 degrees) for 25 minutes. Broil for an additional 5-7 minutes. (I did adjust the cooking time a little because I thought the chicken should cook longer.)
4. Once the chicken is done, slice in order to prepare for serving

I ate mine by spreading hummus on a pita, then adding chicken. I topped the chicken with sliced peppers, cucumber, onion, and radish. I also added Tzatziki sauce and avocado. Y'all, it was SO good!

If you try this, let me know what you think and how you dressed yours up!

Flatbread with Caramelized Onions (Gluten Free)

 Music Share: Signs by Shy Lennox

I try to stay away from gluten, I really do. It can be difficult though because my willpower is not always the best. I crave bread even though bread (gluten) doesn't like me. So, I have to find ways to fulfill my bread cravings.....

In walks Chebe bread looking all promising! Chebe actively courted me, and I found myself receptive. 

For this recipe, I used the pizza dough mix.

Ingredients:

• 1 box Chebe pizza dough mix
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup shredded cheese (I used mozzarella)
• Olive oil
• Milk, or milk substitute
• Roasted garlic spread (see instructions here)
• Sweet onion, sliced
• Additional shredded mozzarella

Directions:

1. Prepare the Chebe bread according to the instructions on the box. I spread mine out on a baking stone (I bought mine via Pampered Chef)
2. Bake for 7 minutes before adding toppings
3. Spread a layer of roasted garlic spread on the flatbread. Use as much as you want
4. Add caramelized onions (I sauteed mine in olive oil. Be sure not to stir constantly as they will not brown on caramelize)
5. Sprinkle some additional mozzarella on top. Not a ton though!
6. Put the topped flatbread back in the over for about 10 more minutes or until golden brown

Bruschetta

Music Share: Salty by Olivia Swann

Over the weekend, I knew I wanted to make bruschetta. I also knew I wanted to try to make some roasted garlic as seen on TikTok, so why not combine the two?

Let me share my ingredients first, then we can talk about how I did it.

Bread (we used rosemary sourdough from Wegmans)

2 heads of garlic

Olive oil

Tomato, diced

Sweet onion, diced

Italian seasoning 

Sea salt

Fresh basil

Parmesan cheese, grated

First, the garlic. I sliced the top parts off of the whole head. I drizzled with olive oil, wrapped in foil, and put in the oven at 300 for one hour. When the hour is up, take the garlic heads out of the oven and squeeze the garlic gold out into a dish. Mush it up with a fork, and VOILA! I've learned that this can be considered garlic confit.

Next, I put the diced onions and tomatoes into a small baking dish, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with Italian seasoning, and roasted in the oven. 

Now, to toast the bread and assemble.

1. Spread toasted bread with garlic spread 

2. Add tomato/onion combo

3. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese

4. Add chopped basil

Delicious Mushroom Pasta!

Music Share: Thinking by Marian Hill

The 15 Minute Garlic Mushroom Pasta (No Cream) recipe courtesy of The Clever Meal is just so good! I made it for the second time over the weekend, and if was possible to love it even more than the first time, I did!

Now, y'all know me......I rarely follow a recipe to the letter. The first time I make a recipe, I follow it pretty closely. All while making mental notes to what I would adjust. The linked recipe is a solid recipe though. I just like to adjust for my needs and palate. Below are a few of my "adjustments."

• Used gluten free pasta/rice noodles (I used A Taste of Thai Rice Noodles Linguine)
• I always use more garlic than is written! The recipe called for four cloves, I used about six
• Used lightly dried parsley instead of fresh. Gourmet Garden is one of my favorite brands for lightly dried herbs

The first time I tried this recipe, I mistakenly thought that a quarter teaspoon of dried red pepper flakes wasn't enough. It is. It adds a slight kick which is very nice!

I have not made this with regular noodles. Gluten free noodles have a different texture. If you regularly use gluten free noodles, you will know what I mean. 

As always, this dish is better after it's had a chance to sit or the next day. I reheat using a bit of broth.

Chicken Zucchini Poppers

Music share: Day by Day by Eliot Dean Baker

This recipe for Chicken Zucchini Poppers , courtesy of One Lovely Life is amazing and a keeper! I honestly don't make them enough. I did make them within the past few months though. You know, all that extra time to cook since we aren't going anywhere! 😉

This recipe is a smidge labor intensive but totally worth it! The parts I find a little tedious are squeezing the liquid out of the zucchini and forming the little poppers. However, depending on your mood, forming the poppers could be mindlessly soothing!

This recipe would be great for gatherings, a perfect contribution for potlucks, and/or making multiple batches for freezing. It's also a good for you recipe too! It can easily be made AIP compliant if you omit the pepper and cumin.

I hope you try it!!

Quick Breakfast Scramble

Music Share: Something Keeps Pulling Me Back by H.E.R.

This morning, I decided I wanted to make something quick for breakfast. I also wanted it to be something that was relatively good for me too. I decided on a simple egg white scramble.

First, I had to check what I even had in the refrigerator to add to the egg whites. I found some leftover sirloin and some spinach. I try to make it a habit to keep some greens and already prepared proteins on hand.

Ingredients:

Egg whites

Baby spinach

Sirloin (leftovers)

Mushroom powder

Olive oil

First, I chopped some spinach and sirloin. Then, I heated my pan and added olive oil. I threw the spinach and sirloin into the hot pan and added a little mushroom powder. Just a sprinkle. I just barely wanted to heat those ingredients before adding the egg whites.

Add the egg whites to the pan, at least covering the bottom. Let sit, so the whites can firm up a little before the actual scrambling! Sprinkle a bit more mushroom powder and plate!

It may seem like I didn't use a whole lot of seasoning. Let me tell you why. My leftover sirloin was already seasoned, so that added flavor. Also, the mushroom powder I used had added salt, so no need for extra salt. Plus, I like tasting the flavors of the food.

I plated my scramble and put about a quarter of an avocado on the side, drizzled with olive oil and fresh lime juice, and spinkled with red pepper and salt flakes. Y'all! It was so good!! Quick and easy!

Mushroom Garlic Rice

Music Share: Cradles by Sub Urban

So, I've been trying to incorporate more mushrooms into my cooking. I love mushrooms and enjoy trying different varieties. I found a recipe for Mushroom Garlic Rice, and I couldn't wait to try it!

Now y'all know I sometimes do not make a recipe exactly the way that it's written. It might be because I want to make it AIP compliant or maybe I don't have the specific ingredients required.

The recipe called for butter. I used olive oil instead. Also, I did not have the spring onion the recipe called for, so I used some sweet Vidalia onion. I also used jasmine rice instead of white rice. Are they really that different though? I doubled the amount of garlic (of course)! Lastly, I used lightly dried parsley instead of fresh. 

I rinsed the rice. I'm not sure if that had an effect on the stated cook time or not. The recipe said simmer for 20 minutes, but I ended up having to simmer for 40 minutes. Again, I don't know if that is due to my choice of rice.

The next time I make this dish, I will use spring onion, maybe more mushrooms, more garlic, fresh parsley, and a smidge more salt. 

All in all, the rice turned out great!! And you know it will taste even better tomorrow after the flavors have truly set in. I will definitely make it again!