Bea's Leek and Potato Soup

 

This great-tasting soup gets its creamy texture from the pureed potatoes. It is a lovely belly-warming and filling soup. It is also good cold and refreshing on a hot summer day. It is so quick and easy to put together, we just love it.

INGREDIENTS

4 cups vegetable or chicken stock

2 leeks white and light green parts, thinly sliced

4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, pressed

2 tablespoons butter

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon pepper

salt to taste

shaved Parmesan or cheddar cheese, for garnish (Optional)

crumbled bacon, for garnish (Optional)

DIRECTIONS

Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, add the leeks and garlic, and cook until softened.

Add the remaining ingredients, except for garnish items, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 1 hour.

Remove the bay leaf and puree with an immersion blender. If you don’t have an immersion blender, puree in batches in a blender, covering with a towel instead of securing the blender cover as this would expand and make a huge mess. Return to pot and heat through; ladle into bowls and serve.

 *Please keep in mind that not all dried herbs and spices are gluten free so check the labels to make sure the brand you are using is gluten free. The same applies for prepackaged store-bought items, check the labels to be sure. If in doubt, call the toll free number on packaging to be safe and to make your cooking/eating experience is truly gluten free.

 

Chicken, Sausage and Potato Casserole

 

 This mouthwatering casserole recipe is so easy to put together and it always gets gobbled up every time I serve it. I do not recommend using jarred lemon juice in this recipe because the flavour is not the same, the fresh lemon juice is amazing in this dish.

 

INGREDIENTS

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup hot chili infused olive oil

2 cloves garlic, processed through garlic press

2 teaspoons paprika

1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt, plus more to taste

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

4 bone in chicken thighs (about 8 ounces each)

4 Italian sausage (sweet or spicy), cut in half

1 onion, rough chopped

1 pound white potatoes, cleaned and cut into 1” wedges

Cooking spray

 

DIRECTIONS

Place  the first 8 ingredients (Lemon juice through to dried thyme) in a large re-sealable plastic bag and swish together to mix ingredients.

Add the chicken pieces, seal the bag and swish again to make sure the chicken is well coated. Refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Spray a 9”x13” casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Toss the potatoes, onions and sausage pieces in the casserole dish and pour the marinade and chicken pieces over top. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place the casserole dish in the oven, uncovered, and cook for about an hour or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. The cook time will depend on how thick your chicken pieces are.

You might need to add a bit of water to the bottom of the pan about half way through. Just check the bottom of casserole dish to see if it needs more liquid, you want about half an inch of liquid covering the bottom of the dish.

*Note*

If you do not have a meat thermometer, poke the thickest piece of chicken with a fork so you can see the bone. If you do not see any pink and the juices are running clear, the chicken is ready.

 *Please keep in mind that not all dried herbs and spices are gluten free so check the labels to make sure the brand you are using is gluten free. The same applies for prepackaged store-bought items, check the labels to be sure. If in doubt, call the toll free number on packaging to be safe and to make your cooking/eating experience is truly gluten free.

My Best Roasted Chicken

 

This roasted chicken is a favourite here. The skin is nice and crispy with unctuous fat beneath it that keeps the chicken moist and tender and oh so delicious!! This does take time as the chicken will sit in the brine for 4 hours, so plan ahead and Enjoy!

 

INGREDIENTS

1 -4 to 5 pound whole chicken

2 cups water

1/4 cup coarse salt

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon avocado oil

Pepper to taste

Onion powder to taste

1 lemon

 

DIRECTIONS

Mix together the water, salt and brown sugar and microwave for 4 to 5 minutes. Stir until salt and sugar is dissolved and allow to cool completely.

Once cooled. Place the chicken in a large re-sealable plastic bag and pour the brine over the chicken.

Seal the bag taking out as much air as possible and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with paper towels.

Place the chicken on a wire rack in a roasting pan and rub all over with the oil.

Squeeze half the lemon inside the cavity of the chicken and squeeze the other half over the outside of the chicken; place the squeezed lemons inside the cavity of the chicken.

Season the chicken well with pepper and onion powder. Be generous with the seasoning.

Add water to the roasting pan, enough to cover bottom of pan. Check to make sure there is still water/juices in the bottom of the pan at about 1 hour cook time.

Place the roasting pan in the oven and cook uncovered for 1 and 1/2 hours to 2 hours or until a meat thermometer, inserted in the thickest part of the meat, reads 180 degrees Fahrenheit. The cook time will depend on your oven and the size of the chicken.

Remove the chicken from the oven, cover loosely with foil and allow to sit for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

 

 *Please keep in mind that not all dried herbs and spices are gluten free so check the labels to make sure the brand you are using is gluten free. The same applies for prepackaged store-bought items, check the labels to be sure. If in doubt, call the toll free number on packaging to be safe and to make your cooking/eating experience is truly gluten free.

Tandoori Chicken

 

This is one of my favorite Indian dishes, it is so flavorful!! The spices give this a unique flavor like no other. You can make this mild to extra spicy by increasing the amount of black pepper in the marinade. I like mine on the medium heat scale and use 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Adjust the salt according to how long you plan on marinating the meat; the longer you plan on marinating the chicken, the less salt you will need. If you plan on marinating for up to 4 hours, use 2 teaspoons, if you plan on marinating overnight or all day, use 1 teaspoon. The ingredient list may make the recipe seem labor intensive, but it actually comes together without much effort.

 

INGREDIENTS

1 pound bone in, skin on chicken pieces (I use 2 whole thighs with drumsticks attached pieces)

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

1 inch piece ginger root, grated

2 large cloves garlic, processed through a garlic press

2 tablespoons avocado oil

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (Don’t use the store bought lemon juice)

1 tablespoon dried fenugreek

2 teaspoons coriander powder

2 teaspoons salt free garam masala

1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons black pepper (depending how spicy you like it)

1 to 2 teaspoons Himalayan salt (depends on how long you plan to marinate, see recipe intro)

1 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

 

 DIRECTIONS

Place the chicken pieces, skin side up, on a cutting board and make 3 to 4 gashes through the flesh of the chicken; set aside.

Mix all the ingredients together, except for chicken pieces in a large re-sealable plastic bag and swish together to blend the ingredients.

Once marinade ingredients are well blended add the prepared chicken pieces to the marinade and swish together, making sure all pieces are well coated and the marinade is rubbed into the gashes.

Marinate for 4 hours or overnight. The longer you plan on marinating the chicken, the less salt you will need. If you plan on marinating for 4 hours, use the full 2 teaspoons. If you plan on marinating overnight or all day, use 1 teaspoon.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove chicken from marinade and place on a rimmed, parchment paper lined baking sheet, skin side down.

Cook for 20 minutes and turn the pieces over, cook for another 20 to 25 minutes or until thermometer reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit. This will depend on how thick your pieces are and the type of oven you are using. If you do not have a thermometer, check the thickest piece of chicken by pulling the meat away from the bone with a fork and make sure there is no pink inside.

Serve with a side of basmati or jasmine rice or with Naan bread.

Enjoy!

 *Please keep in mind that not all dried herbs and spices are gluten free so check the labels to make sure the brand you are using is gluten free. The same applies for prepackaged store-bought items, check the labels to be sure. If in doubt, call the toll free number on packaging to be safe and to make your cooking/eating experience truly gluten free

Instant Pot Risotto

Risotto has never been so easy, no constant stirring and no fuss. Just let the pressure cooker do the work and it turns out rich and creamy just like if you cooked it the old fashioned way. The end result is deeeeelicious…. Make sure you are using a good quality chicken broth, not the powdered bouillon stuff as this makes a big difference in the flavour of this dish.

 

 

 

4 servings

 

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup white wine

1 cup GF Arborio rice

2 cups good quality chicken broth

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

 

DIRECTIONS

Rinse the rice in a colander until water runs clear and set aside.

Press the saute button and add the butter, cook until melted then add the rice and wine.

Cook while stirring until rice becomes translucent, about 3 minutes.

Turn the instant pot off, and stir in the chicken broth.

Place the lid on and twist to secure making sure the venting knob is at the sealing position.

Press the manual button and adjust time to 5 minutes.

Once the instant pot has run it’s course and it beeps, carefully turn the venting knob to the release position and turn the pot off.

Remove the lid and stir in the Parmesan cheese. The rice will not appear to be cooked but it will continue to cook as it sits.

Place the lid back on the pot and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes.

Fluff the rice sprinkle with fresh parsley and enjoy!

 

 *Please keep in mind that not all dried herbs and spices are gluten free so check the labels to make sure the brand you are using is gluten free. The same applies for prepackaged store-bought items, check the labels to be sure. If in doubt, call the toll free number on packaging to be safe and to make your cooking/eating experience truly gluten free.