Showing posts with label chicken. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chicken. Show all posts

Saturday 9 January 2016

LCHF Fathead chicken and camembert Pie

There are some things you figure you will never eat again when you change to a LCHF way of eating.  

Pie was one of them for us!

That is until I decided to experiment a bit.  
I first tried doing some pizza type scrolls but they failed and fell into flat little parcel type things.  kids thought they were ok but I wasn't at all happy with how they turned out.  
The first time I tried making pies with the fathead dough I blind baked the dough thinking it would work better that way. 
They were ok but by the time the insides heated up the 'pastry' was overdone making it tough and chewy.


This time I hit the motherload and they turned out beautifully. 

You can do traditional microwave dough or no nuke dough to make these. 
I found some cute little single pie dishes at kmart, they are non stick but I figure it isn't something I would use often like a fry pan so won't matter too much. Alternatively you can make one large family size pie in a dish of your choice.
The dough turned out quite light, held together perfectly.  I made spare for lunches and they held their shape in the fridge for two days, without breaking up or getting soggy.

Ingredients:
1 portion of the fathead dough
500gr chicken thigh diced
1med onion
3 cloves garlic
1tbs chopped chives
3/4c cream
S&P
1/2 small wheel camembert (or brie)

Method:
Finely dice onion and garlic and fry in butter or coconut oil until golden.  Add chicken and fry until all cooked through.  Pour in cream and simmer gently until it starts to thicken.  Season with chives, S&P and any herbs you like really.   
Put aside in fridge to cool mixture.
Preheat oven to 200c
While mix is cooling make your dough and roll out between baking paper to 3/4cm thickness for pie base.  


Grease pie dish and line with 'pastry'.   When chicken mix is cold add to pie dish and top with slices of cheese.  Roll out more pastry to put on top.



Bake for approx 20min until really golden.


Let rest out of oven for a couple of minutes before serving.
Thank me later :)




Thursday 2 April 2015

Pulled Mexican Chicken

OMG!
I promised I would blog this recipe ages ago and haven't been near the joint!
Apologies all round.
No excuses, well mostly because none required.  Real life has been hectic and finding the time to sit and blog has been difficult.

Anyway, one of our fave meals here is pulled beef from the Handle the Heat website.  It is a no fail totally amazeballs recipe and you really should do yourself a favour and try it sometime.

I usually get the biggest and cheapest piece of beef I can fit in my slow cooker and freeze meal portions of it to keep us going for a bit.

But I digress and really want to show you a winner winner chicken dinner I created.



This really was very simple and delicious.

All you need is:
6 large chicken thigh drumsticks
2 large onions sliced
3 cloves garlic
1tsp smoky paprika
2tsp chilli flakes
1tsp oregano
1/2c chicken stock or water
2tbs apple cider vinegar










In a fry pan fry your onions in the fat of your choice.  I use coconut oil but olive oil, ghee or butter will do.  Sweat them right down then add in all the other spices and tomato paste and fry well. 
  
Lastly add the stock and apple cider vinegr and stir until simmering.  
Pour this mixture over the chicken thighs in your slow cooker, cover and cook for at least 4hrs on high.  
This helps the chicken breakdown and brings the goodness out of the chicken bones.





When you see the chicken falling away from the bone you can pull the bones and gristly bits out of the pot with some tongs.  Then shred your meat.  I do this with two forks and just pull the meat apart.  I let it simmer for another hour or so with the lid half off to help the liquid reduce.



We serve with lettuce, baby spinach, tomato, cheese and big dollops of sour cream.   
Kids love theirs in wraps but I prefer to wrap mine up in big lettuce leaves.

This amount gives the three of us two main meals and I did have some of the chicken with eggs for breakfast the following day, so it is an economical meal too

ENJOY




Tuesday 6 January 2015

LCHF almond crumbed chicken with blue cheese dressing


My big two kidlets are away with their dad at the moment so I am cooking just for me.  
(if you don't count the bazillion bottles I seem to make)

This is a wondrous thing for a few reasons.

I get to eat what I want!
I can eat when I want.
I never hear negative feedback prior/during or after the meal
Very little washing up.
More for me :)

Don't get me wrong, I do miss them but this is a treat!

This meal was worthy of it's own post it was so amazing
I have been wanting to have a go at crumbing chicken but wasn't sure how it would go without the regular flour/breadcrumb combo. 

I was kinda making it up as I went and hit the jackpot..
If you make it let me know what you think.

INGREDIENTS (serves 2)

Chicken
6 chicken drumsticks (or any pieces you like really)
1/4c buckwheat flour
1 egg whisked with 2 tbs milk
3/4c of almond meal.  (I ground my own almonds but not too fine as I like texture)

Blue Cheese Sauce
1/4c blue cheese
3tbs sour cream
1tbs mayonaisse
1tbs lemon juice
pinch of salt

Coat chicken in flour then the egg mix.  Roll in almond meal and refrigerate for at least 30 min.  
I find this firms it all up and stops the crumb falling off when cooking. 




I oven baked mine but you could fry in coconut oil just as easily.
Pop on lined oven dish and bake at 200c for around 30min or until completely cooked through.


These released just enough juices/fat to help the almonds roast up and become crispy golden and totally delicious.



You could serve with anything you like.  I chose a salad with freshly pod peas, avocado, olives, fetta and greens.
Topped with the blue cheese sauce.
For the sauce pop all ingredients into a blender and blitz until combined, it is that easy.  
Trust me this sauce is amazeballs!
I also had enough for steak the following night.



Please let me know what you think :)

Tuesday 28 October 2014

Oregano chicken zoodles

I am pretty sure I have said this before but I will say it again:

Sometimes the simplest things are simply the best!

This is a great phase 2 recipe but for outside of that phase you can fry that chicken in loads of fat!!


While I was making this I had a 25ltr pot of bone broth simmering which was handy for creating a sauce for this dish. 
 (Although, for phase 2 I would recommend only a little amount due to the fat content)

This week I ordered a vegetable spiraliser. 

I had previously bought a small hand twisty one on ebay but found it didn't work very well and tended to squish the zucchini to pulp.   
A friend bought one the same as this one in a local Perth store and I was totally jelly!    
Hunted around and most online were around the $100 mark.  WAAAAAY out of my budget so I was rapt to find this one for $24 from PurpleSpoilz.   
It is exactly the same as the expensive one but loads cheaper.  Delivery was nice and fast too :)



So, needless to say zoodles, carradoodles and appoodles are all the go here!

Anyway, back to the dish.  As I said, nice and simple so ingredients are few:
100gr chicken
1c zucchini ( I go with half a medium zucchini pre zoodle)
sprig of fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp of dried if you don't have fresh)
S&P
stock or water to create a sauce

Steam your zoodles lightly and put aside.
Cut your chicken into bite size pieces and fry in a tiny bit of water with the oregano.  Once nicely browned and cooked through season with S&P and add your zoodles.  Continue to fry until a crust starts to appear in your pan, then add your water/stock (just a couple of tbs) and stir to get crusty bits off pan.  This will add colour and flavour to the sauce.  Let simmer for a bit for the sauce to reduce and thicken up a bit.

I love oregano, particularly with chicken and this works so well. 

For anyone not in phase 2 then go sick with any added veg you want, don't limit your chicken amount and slather butter on your zoodles!


Monday 20 October 2014

Week one

Round 3 (started loading 11 Oct 2014)
Phase 2   (Started 13 Oct 2014)
Day 7
Blood group A+
Loss to date - 38kg
So week one is done and dusted.   
I have found that I am suffering detox symptoms quite severely this week.  Round two wasn't so bad with them.
I have had headaches, itchy skin and a shocking pain in left ribs.   The latter I had for much of round two  and it is back again.  My chiropractor thinks it is to do with liver detox so I guess I should be grateful my body is working hard at mending but gee it is annoying.

Weights for this week are:

13Oct - 78.1kg (post loading)
14Oct -76.4kg
15Oct- 75.5kg
16Oct 74.8kg
17Oct - 74.5kg
18Oct- 73.8kg
19Oct - 73.6kg

Total loss for week= 4.5kg

Starting measurements10 Oct:
waist    94cm
hip  108cm
thigh  51cm
upper arm   30cm
chest  100cm
calf  36cm

This weeks measurements:
waist    94cm
hip  108cm
thigh  51cm
upper arm   33cm
chest  97cm
calf  35cm

Walked:
Approx 5.5km intentionally

Meals for the week:

Breakfast is generally an apple and a cup of black coffee.

Lunches:
egg salad with celery, tomato, lettuce, lemon juice
Chicken and Broccoli salad
Curried Chicken and cauliflower soup
Tomato, zucchini and chicken soup



 




Dinner:
Broccoli and spinach soup with shredded chicken
Poached chicken with spinach and cauliflower mash
corned beef (preservative free) and broccoli
Lemon chicken and asparagus with tomato
curried chicken and Cauliflower soup
Calamari and broccoli stir fry



Recipes for the week

Curried Chicken Soup
100gr chicken
1 cup cauliflower
water to cover
S&P
oregano
1tsp curry powder of choice

Simmer until chicken is well cooked through and cauli is soft.  Blend to a creamy texture with food processor/stick blender/bellini/thermomix.

I like to do multiple batches at once and then divide up for future meals.

Calamari & broccoli stir fry
100gr calamari cut into rings
1c broccoli cut very fine
1/2onion cut fine
S&P
cumin
Coriander
Garlic
1/2 lemon
Marinate the calamari for at least 30 minutes in the juice from the lemon and plenty of S&P.  Lightly steam the broccoli while doing this.  Heat your pan to very hot then add a splash of water and fry the onion, add the calamari and garlic and fry until cooked through, toss in the broccoli, cumin and coriander and let the water absorb so you get some colour in the calamari. At the last minute put a tbs of water in and swish around to create a type of sauce.  It will be brown from the previous step so don't stress.
Serve on a bed of lettuce greens.



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Monday 23 June 2014

Chicken Dumpling Soup


Another winter warmer.  I think I have mentioned I love soup!  This one is a super quick and easy recipe much like the Asian meatball soup 
Sometimes, when you have beautiful fresh and home made ingredients less is more and this is definitely the case.  I added very little to this in the way of seasoning and relished the flavours of natural ingredients.

Ingredients:
100gr chicken mince
1/2tsp oregano
2tbs psyllium husks
S&P
1c broccoli florets halved
handful of spinach

Method:
Put your broccoli into the stock to cook.  Mix herbs and seasoning into the chicken mince and the psyllium husks.  I haven't used these before but thought they might make the meatballs more moist.  I really didn't see a huge difference to be honest.
Form chicken mince into balls and drop into simmering stock.
Simmer until well cooked.
In a serving bowl place your spinach leaves and pour hot soup over the top.
Again, you could make this in bulk and divide up the servings.





Thursday 12 June 2014

Lemon Chicken

YUMMO!!  
Made this a week ago and just had it for lunch again and it is so yummy.  Very quick and easy and I think it would be good cold with some lettuce as a salad too.  Sometimes the simplest is the best.

Ingredients:
100gr lean chicken breast cut into bite size pieces
1c broccoli cut small and steamed
Juice of 1/2 lemon
tsp lemon zest
S&P

Method:
Fry the chicken pieces until almost cooked then add broccoli.  Season with S&P and lemon juice then stir through the zest.  Fry until well mixed and cooked through.

Told you it was a simple and easy one!




Sunday 8 June 2014

Chicken Stock

There are so many reasons to make your own stock.  For me the main one is an intolerance to yeast extract.  Most foods that say MSG free will be loaded with yeast extract and it does the same job as MSG to enhance flavour.  You can buy stock that is free from both but it is very expensive and still doesn't taste as good as home made.
It is not hard to make and if you have a slow cooker that makes it even easier.

Ingredients:
1 x chicken (use good quality, free range or organic as any other will have hormones and loads of fat)
1 x onion peeled and chopped in half
10 peppercorns (or a good grind of pepper)
1/2 tsp of himalayan salt
2 bay leaves
(when not doing protocol I would include celery and carrot)

Method:
Cut any large chunks of fatty skin off chicken.  I find most are around the neck area.  Put enough water in pot to just cover the chicken.   Allow to simmer for around 8hrs in a slow cooker or if on stove top it will only take around 2 hrs.   
Be careful not to let it boil as this will make a cloudy stock.   
I usually wait until it has decreased by about 1-2inches in volume.


After it has finished cooking, remove all the chicken and veg and put aside, allow the stock to cool overnight. This brings the fat to the top and lets a sediment of small chicken to lay at the bottom.
Very carefully with a flat spoon skim the fat off the top.  In the photo below you can see on the side of the dish were the liquid has reduced.  
Once you have as much fat removed as possible fold a few sheets of paper towel and lay on top.  This helps get some more of the fat off.



Your stock should still have the sediment at the bottom and a minimum of fat floating on top by this stage.  Take care not to stir it up or you will have to wait for the sediment to settle again.


With a soup ladle carefully ladle the stock into containers or another pot



You should have lovely clear stock.  There will be some bits in there but this doesn't affect flavour at all.  Even if it has boiled and clouded up it will still be tasty!

Remove all flesh from the chicken and chop into smaller pieces.  I portion it up into just under 100gr servings and put into each container with the stock.  You can also just portion up and freeze for salads or soups later if you like.   From a small chicken this time I got 500gr of meat.



Be sure to freeze straight away and eat within 2mths or you can make up batches of soup and freeze for ease.  
I will do a bone broth next which is just as easy and tasty!!

Friday 6 June 2014

Spicy Chicken and Broccoli

First thing I am going to say is don't try to be clever and 'pour' a 'tiny' amount of chilli flakes into the fry pan!

Okay, so this was delicious but very hot due to my obvious chilli pouring skills LOL

Ingredients:
100gr chicken breast sliced thin
1c broccoli
1/2 onion chopped fine
1 clove garlic chopped fine
1/2tsp ginger chopped fine
pinch of ground cumin and coriander
S&P to taste

Method:
steam broccoli until just tender.   Put all ingredients except chicken and broccoli into pan with a splash of water and fry until cooked through.  Add chicken and fry until cooked and coloured nicely.  Add broccoli and a couple of tablespoons of water (this will help deglaze the pan and create a bit of a sauce.  You can add what other allowed veg you want really.   I served this on a bed of shredded lettuce, simply because I had had a really long day and was hungry.



Tuesday 3 June 2014

Tacos

This is another favourite, with both the children and myself.  You could use beef mince or pork if you don't like chicken mince.

Ingredients:
100gr sliced lean steak, chicken mince or beef mince
1 c Broccoli cooked until very very soft (can use any allowed veg)
1 onion
1/2tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2tsp coriander
1 tsp hot paprika
1 tsp chilli flakes
2 cloves garlic.

Method:
saute all ingredients in a small amount of water and let simmer until most of the water is reduced and meat and veg tender.
I actually like to mix the spices in a ziplock bag and let slice steak marinade for a while if making with steak (as in photo).

Serve with tomato slices in lettuce leaves and roll up.


Friday 30 May 2014

Chicken and Asparagus Soup

This was a lovely soup to have, even in warmer weather.  Although I must admit, come autumn and winter I am a bit of soup fiend.  They are definitely one of my comfort foods.  I am not a massive fan of asparagus, but having a very limited choice of veg during phase 2 I am expanding my repertoire of meals.

Ingredients:
100gr lean chicken breast whole
1 clove garlic
1c diced fresh asparagus (broccoli works well too)
1/2 leek cut very thin
S&P 

Method:
Cover chicken breast with water in pot and season with fresh garlic and  S&P.  Simmer until breast is very tender.  Add cup of diced asparagus and ½ leek cut thin.  Continue to simmer until veg is also very tender.  Remove chicken and shred.  Blend veg and liquid and pour into bowl, add chicken and re-season to taste.
You can use home made chicken stock for more flavour too but during phase 2 you need to be very sure you have removed ALL fat from the stock.




I call them rubber noodles

They aren't really rubber though.  They are a wheat free, low cal noodle made from konjac (which is a type of tropical potato) by a company called SlendierSlim.  These are allowed on the changing habits protocol, although only the 8cal or less.  They are available from coles, woolworths and I have found them at the Vitamin Shop in Hobart too.  The latter have the lasagne style noodle too.
They are very Asian in style and boost a meal if you are peckish or want to feel like you are eating like a normal person.
Today's lunch was noodles with some veg and chicken . My kids were wanting to steal from me so it must have been good!

Ingredients:
1/2 pack of slendier fettucine
3 spring onions cut fine
1c cauliflower
1c kale
100gr chicken chopped small
1/2c tomato puree
1/2tsp oregano
1/2tsp paprika
S&P to taste.

Method:
Chop veg small and either steam until soft or precook in pan if you want a one pan meal.  Saute onion and add chicken and spices, stir fry until cooked through and mix in veg and tomato puree.  I like to let it to simmer for about 10min to reduce and boost flavours.  Throw in your well rinsed noodles and cook for a further 5 min.  Enjoy!


Wednesday 28 May 2014

Chicken Salad

One of my lunch time standards is a salad.  It is quick, easy and mobile.  Because we are a home ed family we are often out and about during the day so tend to take lunch with us.  At first I found this challenging but now I tend to whip up a salad, stick it in the cooler bag and there you have it!
This is a favourite and I often marinate my chicken in spices just to add something different.  


Chicken Salad
100gr chicken diced and seasoned well with S&P
1 c celery cut small
1/2 apple cut small.
juice of 1/2 a lemon.
Lettuce
Saute chicken in some water then let it brown until pan is dry.  Once cooked, and a small amount of water to deglaze the pan and use this as a salad dressing too.   Mix celery and apple and add a small amount of lemon juice, mix thru with the lettuce. Add the chicken and the water dressing. 

Very tasty.