Tuna Quiche - Gluten Free

 

My Tuna Quiche
Gluten Free Crustless
Keto Friendly

I'm crazy about any recipe with Tuna, but had never made a Tuna Quiche. Since I had fresh mushrooms, and other ingredients I thought would go in it, I came up with this and have to say, it's pretty good and packed with PROTEIN! I like to serve it with grapes or other fresh fruit. 

Tuna Quiche - makes 1 quiche

Preheat oven to 359º

* 1 - 6 oz can Albacore Tuna (or 2 cans) drained

1 - 1½ cups  fresh mushrooms, sliced

* ½ - ¾ cup fresh broccoli (or any other vegetable, like green pepper,       zucchini, chopped tomatoes-into bite size pieces)

* ½ cup chopped onion

* 1 - 2 Tbs butter or oil

* 4 eggs, whisked

* 1 cup mozzarella or any other other grated cheese (suggestions-Swiss, Havarti, Colby, Feta, cheddar)

* ½ cup (or less) mayonnaise (not salad dressing)

* ¼ cup cream or milk

* ½ cup cottage cheese

* Salt and Pepper to taste

* A little onion powder & garlic powder to taste

*Parsley or Chives for garnish

I love fruit with ANY kind of quiche!

Saute mushrooms, broccoli and onions in butter for 3-4 minutes but not fully cooked. 

While vegetables are cooking, put into a large bowl the whisked eggs, tuna, cream, cottage cheese, mayonnaise and spices. 

Mix together and add the sauted  veggies. Pour into greased pie plate and add more grated cheese if you wish. Sprinkle with a little fresh or dried parsley or chives for color.

Bake at 350º for 35 - 45 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean and quiche is firm and not jiggly. In MY oven I have to turn up the heat to 375º and bake about 40-45 minutes

Enjoy!

Dennis's Philly Cheese Steak Chowder

This soup was created by my friend, Dennis Bevers. He's a friend & fellow Texan

Philly Cheesesteak Chowder
This Soup is Packed with Protein! Once you have
everything cut up & measured, soup only takes
about 30 mins total to make!

Dennis's Philly Cheese Steak Chowder

1 -  15 oz box Steak-Ums or Shaved Beef from any grocery store

2 - Tbs olive oil or butter (I had to keep adding butter to fry the meat.

16 oz fresh button mushrooms, sliced (or canned museums) Fresh is best!

1 cup onion, chopped

1 cup green pepper, chopped

8 cups beef broth or or 2 - 32 oz boxes (could use chicken broth)

2 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened in microwave (I ended up using 2½  (8oz) boxes because I added more broth

Salt and Pepper to taste

Garlic powder or minced garlic, to taste  (I used about ½-1 tsp powder. Sometimes I use both fresh AND the powdered)

2 cups Provolone, Havarti cheese (or a mixture). I used 1 cup Provolone and 1 cup Havarti. (See below for more cheese)

Parsley, chopped, if desired

 Garnish: 1 cup EXTRA grated cheese to place a lithe on top of each individual bowl of soup. (3 cups cheese total for soup).

Toasted Sourdough Bread to dip in soup This is a MUST!

Note: if you want to be able to taste the onion and green pepper (like you would on the sandwich), don't cook them to death or you can just add those the same time you add the broth. I actually save a few small slices of uncooked green pepper to add at the end, when soup is done, for garnish.

Directions

Melt butter or olive oil in soup pot. Add meat & saute till pink is gone. Add chopped onion, green pepper, (see note above before adding green pepper and onion), garlic (if using fresh) and sliced mushrooms, cooking for a few minutes. Add softened cream cheese, allowing to melt & blend with meat mixture.

Add broth & simmer for a couple minutes.

Add 2 cups grated cheese, while stirring, to blend. Then add salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. No need to cook any longer. Just make sure soup is heated through.

Add a lithe parsley if desired

After pouring soup into individual bowls, add more shredded cheese to top of each one. Toast sourdough bread for each person to dip into soup. Don't skip this step! The soup is not the same without it!

This is absolutely delicious! It's now one of my favorite soups! I know you'll love it too!

Crunchy Chicken Casserole - My Favorite!

Crunchy Chicken Casserole
Original casserole published in
Taste of Home Magazine by Michelle Wise called Hot Chicken Salad

CRUNCHY CHICKEN CASSEROLE     

(My friend, Shirley Siddall gave me this recipe) SERVES 5-6 people

* Note - I half this recipe for 1-2 people

2 cups cooked chicken, diced   

 1 cup celery, diced

½ cup onion, diced

1 can sliced water chestnuts, cut in slivers

¾ cup mayonnaise (Dukes is GF)

1 can cream of chicken soup

1½ - 2 cups cooked rice

½ cup slivered almonds (or more)

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms  (optional) 

TOPPING - 1½ Tbs butter, 1 cup crushed cornflakes, ½ cup slivered almonds

Cut water chestnuts in strips. Mix first 8 ingredients (+ mushrooms if using) & put in casserole dish. Mix topping ingredients & spread on top. Bake at 350º  30-40 mins.

Enjoy this tasty casserole! Leftovers are great!

Crunchy Chicken Casserole

Spinach / Mozzarella Bake

Deep Dish Spinach Bake

My family has loved this recipe since the early 1980's when Irene and Mike Coffey had us over to eat. My kids used to beg me to make it. A very simple but delicious meal! 

NOTE - The only thing I don't like to do is spreading the Biscuick in the casserole dish because it can stick to your fingers. Just keep putting dry Biscuick or flour on your fingers as you spread it. something that would make this quicker (but more expressive) would be to use Puff Pastry. I've used that before and it's divine!   Another idea would be to buy the Pillsbury All Ready Pie crust in the long box to put in a regular pie plate. Make sure to use the top and bottom crust. 

Ingredients

2 - 10 oz boxes frozen spinach

1½ lbs mozzarella cheese, grated (or more!)

4 cups Bisquick  (if you're in a hurry, use puff pastry for the upper and lower crust!)

1 1/3 cups milk

1 Tablespoon butter

2 tsp garlic powder (or more)

   Cook spinach in 1 cup water, in large frying pan on top of stove til tender (10-15 mins). While spinach is cooking, add the Tb of butter and  garlic powder. Cook til all water is absorbed. Turn off heat, then add mozzarella cheese; mix. In the meantime while spinach is cooking, make crust (4 cups Bisquick+1 1/3 cups milk). With Bisquick on your fingers, spread ½ in 13"x9" pan. When spinach is ready, spread on top of bottom batter. Then spread other ½ batter on spinach. Cook in 400º oven (or 350º) about 30 mins or till brown. Make sure batter is not gooey in center. 

Serve w/ salad.

Coconut Chicken Curry with Mango

Coconut Chicken Curry with
Vegetables & Fresh Mango as a Garnish, Over Rice
My Own Recipe

I've eaten or prepared chicken curry dishes 100's of times in my life, but tonight is the first I've fixed this particular recipe. I wanted a curry recipe with potatoes & I'm aware some people may find that odd but you'll find many Asian curry recipes with potatoes and you won't believe how good it is. I looked at 6-8 different Chinese Chicken Curry recipes with potatoes, (including YouTube) and took ingredients from each one. It was the best Chicken Curry I've ever tasted or made and believe me, I've had just about every kind of chicken curry out there, including the recipe I have here on my blog that my mom learned to fix when we lived in the Philippines (1956-1959). This curry recipe is my all time favorite now and I doubt I'll ever make it any other way from now on. It's that good! This is a hearty meal and is good enough for guests. They will be impressed.

Mary Jane's Coconut Curry Chicken

Serves 5-6 People - depending on the portion Sizes (see notes below to double the sauce)

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts (about 3 cups) sliced thin, against the grain (2" pieces)

1 Tb baking soda for tenderizing 

*Note - see below to tenderize chicken. This step is not essential, but believe me it only takes about 1 minute more to do this and it makes a huge difference. You won't believe how tender the chicken will be!

1-2 tbs avocado oil, coconut oil or any other oil 

1-2 cups white potatoes, peeled & cubed

½-¾ cups carrots, chopped

1-1½ cups onions, sliced

1 can water chestnuts, sliced

1½ tbs yellow curry powder

1½ cups chicken broth

½-¾ cup fresh green peas (or frozen)

2/3 cup fresh or frozen green beans, cut in 1½" pieces (you can substitute fresh pea pods)

½ sweet red bell pepper OR green bell pepper, sliced or cut in 1" cubes

1 tsp soy sauce, tamarni or coconut aminos - (GF)

1-2 tsps white sugar

½ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp powdered ginger

1 -13.5 oz can coconut milk (full fat-not lite)

White pepper powder 

1 tb cornstarch + 1½ -2 tbs cold water mixed together for thickening at the end

Garnish for Top

Chopped green onions

Fresh mango, cut into small cubes 

*Note - you can put the mango on top or even mix it in with the other ingredients, right before serving, as I've seen in restaurants. Do not cook it.

*Cooked rice - my favorite is basmati (I put this on to cook first)

*To Tenderize the Chicken*

After slicing the chicken into thin pieces, place it in a bowl & add 1 Tb baking soda or cornstarch. Mix til coated. If you have some Chinese Shooshing wine, add about a tsp & mix it in. If you don't have it don't worry, it probably won't make any difference. Let this set for at least 15 mins while you cut up the vegetables. After that, rinse the chicken 2-3 times to remove the baking soda. If it's not rinsed you'll taste the baking soda!

Curry Chicken made with Coconut Milk and Mango as a Garnish

Heat oil on med hi in large frying pan or wok. Add rinsed chicken & saute till ½ done. Remove from pan & set aside. Add cubed potatoes & carrots to wok & saute while frying for 5 mins; add more oil if needed. Do not remove potatoes or carrots from pan. (We're just partially cooking them bc they will continue to cook with rest of ingredients). Add  onions, water chestnuts & curry powder; fry for 2-3 mins. Add chicken broth, ginger, garlic powder, soy sauce & sugar. Add fresh peas & green beans (if using) Put chicken back into pan. Heat for a few minutes. Turn heat down and add coconut milk; heat til chicken is done. Add red bell pepper & salt to taste. Add white pepper if you like a little heat. 

To thicken sauce, add the cornstarch slurry (1Tb cornstarch+1½Tb cold water mixed) & stir sauce til slightly thickened. Taste the sauce to see if you need to add more spices to your taste.

*Note* Some people might want to add the mango mixed into the dish, because I've had it that way in restaurants.

Serve over rice. You can add mango, green onions to top. Even peanuts or cashews would be good with this. I love it! 

*Note* If your family likes a lot of sauce, you can make more by doubling the following to the pan.

Double these amounts as you add the ingredients for the sauce: curry, chicken broth, soy sauce, white sugar, garlic powder, ginger, coconut milk. At the end of cooking, to thicken sauce, double the cornstarch slurry and add to the pan.

Coconut Curry Thai Chicken or Shrimp Soup

 

My Version of Thai Coconut Curry Soup 

I made this Thai Coconut Curry Soup with Shrimp and Chicken for my daughter, Jamie and her family. My sister, DonnaGay, ate it too, when she was visiting me. Everyone loved it! I love it too!

I just can't get enough of this delicious soup! Before I made it the first time I looked at many recipes on Pinterest and on YouTube and took the ingredients I thought I would like best. I've made it probably 8 times now and tweaked it til it was just right! I go by my taste but you may want to use less or more of some ingredients. 

My recipe makes about 6-8 servings, depending on whether this is a main dish or a small bowl before a meal. Cooking rice and putting 3-4 tablespoons in each bowl before the soup, will make this go further. (I love it with rice!)

 Note: I know shiitake mushrooms are expensive & if you cannot find them you can use any other kind of mushroom, but I LOVE the taste of shiitake mushrooms. You could even buy then dried at an Asian grocery store. 

INGREDIENTS 

1 Tablespoon oil (more if needed). I use avocado or olive oil.

1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, grated (could use ginger in the tube or ginger powder)

1 Tablespoon lemongrass in the tube (produce section)

1 Tablespoon yellow curry powder and

1 Tablespoon red curry paste

3½ cups chicken broth (I use powdered mixed with water)

3  Tablespoons fish sauce

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

½ lb fresh Shiitake mushrooms, sliced

2 cans (13.5 oz each) Coconut milk (not lite!)

1 lb shrimp, cleaned (make sure you clean off the shells and devain them before putting in the soup OR buy them frozen already cleaned

OR  

1 lb boneless chicken, cut into ½" squares Note: sometimes I use both chicken AND shrimp!

¼ teaspoon garlic powder (or to taste)

2 tablespoons lime juice (fresh or in the bottle)

OPTIONAL: ½-¾ cup Red bell pepper, sliced into ¾" slivers

Salt to taste

Green onions, chopped as a garnish for each bowl

OPTIONAL: have white pepper available for anyone who likes a little heat, to sprinkle on their soup

OPTIONAL: cooked rice to put in the bottom of each bowl, before putting the soup in the bowl. My favorite rice is Basmati!

DIRECTIONS

Heat coconut oil in large pot on low heat. Add 1 Tb lemongrass, 1 Tb grated ginger, 1 Tb red curry paste and 1 Tb yellow curry powder to oil. Do not let it burn. Add a little more oil if needed.

Add chicken broth, fish sauce and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer and heat to dissolve sugar for about 5 minutes.

Add mushrooms and heat (simmer) for 5-10 minutes or till mushrooms are soft.

Add coconut milk and heat

Now add the shrimp or chicken. If chicken is raw, simmer till it's done (maybe 5 minutes or longer). Then add the shrimp if raw. It takes much less time to cook (maybe 3 minutes)

Ad red bell pepper about 5 minutes before soup is done. You don't want it to get too soft.

Add salt to taste

Add garlic powder to taste

Add 2 Tb lime juice

Taste everything to see if you need to add more of any seasonings (lemongrass, curry powder, ginger, fish sauce, garlic powder, salt or lime juice). 

Put a little cooked rice in bowl before adding soup. Then add chopped green onions to top. Or another idea is to add oriental noodles to the soup. (I use GF rice or shiitake noodles)

I hope you like this!

Shrimp and Grits

 

Shrimp and Grits
SO Good and Addicting!

This is my first time to fix Shrimp and Grits and I have to say, it turned out pretty good. I'm very pleased. I've looked up at least 50 recipes on Pinterest and YouTube, looking for just the right one & I even have cookbooks with the recipes. I'd been reluctant to make it because the first time I ever had it was in Fairhope, Alabama when my brother took me there. I thought it was to die for! I'm crazy about grits anyway, but this is a totally different experience. Since that restaurant (Locals) in Fairhope doesn't give out their recipe I just had to go by a picture I took and the taste. I'm really excited about how it turned out. The restaurant in Alabama said their Shrimp and Grits is in the style of the "low country" in South Carolina. I've read many recipes that claim to fix their dish in this style but none of them have all the ingredients I used tonight & remember eating at Locals in Fairhope, Alabama. I didn't measure anything, so I'll just list the ingredients I used.

Ingredients and Instructions

Fresh shrimp

Quick grits, cooked in chicken broth & butter. Gouda cheese & cream added at the end. I kept adding that til it tasted the way I wanted it to. Some say they add cream cheese or mascarpone cheese and I'll try that next time.

Andoulille sausage, cut into about ½" squares

In a frying pan I cooked the smoked sausage I'd cut up & bacon I had chopped in small squares, til crisp. I removed both, leaving the grease in the pan to cook the Shrimp on both sides (removed it after a few minutes so it wouldn't get overdone) and then cooked the following ingredients in same pan. I had chopped  them into squares ahead of time:

Green pepper

Red sweet pepper

Sweet Onion

Fresh mushrooms, sliced

Minced garlic

I didn't cook them till they were too tender. (Just softened a little)

After the vegetables were partially cooked I added the cooked shrimp & added some chicken broth and a little cooking sherry. At this point some recipes said to add about 1 tablespoon tomato sauce, and I'll try that next time. Then after about 2 minutes of simmering, I added real cream. Also made a slurry of cornstarch and cold water to thicken the liquid a little. I didn't add salt bc it was too salty from the powdered chicken broth I used, but I did add pepper. I kept tasting it and added more cream. Just add to your taste. Oh and I was going to add Cajun seasoning but I only had Creole seasoning so I added a dash of that. If you like spicy food (like I do), add more Creole or Cajun seasoning or add hot sauce or add some chopped fresh jalapeno. I'll definitely add that next time.

After everything was done, I put some grits in a bowl, added the shrimp, vegetables & creamy sauce. I meant to add a squeeze of fresh lemon, but forgot. Then I sprinkled the top with crispy bacon, little squares of smoked sausage, chopped green onions and chopped fresh parsley. It was delicious and I didn't feel like it was missing anything. I will definitely make it again! Let me know what you think!

Authentic Cincinnati Chili

Authentic Cincinnati Chili

Jane Tibbet's introduced this to us when we first moved to Xenia in 1981. Even though we lived in NE Ohio for 10 yrs, and my husband was from Ohio, I'd never heard of this dish. I did not like it at first! But then I grew to love it so much that I crave it! My son, Brian, loves it just as much as I do too! It's not really a Chili and its not really a Spaghetti, but is a unique dish full of flavor. I know it's difficult to understand that but you'll see what I mean after you taste it. I've been making this for 44 years now and really do believe I have the best recipe for Cincinnati Chili. After my friend gave me the recipe in 1981, I found a recipe for authentic Cincinnati Chili in a Cincinnati newspaper & that caused me to add even more spices that made it even better. But I promise, the longer you let it simmer, the better it is! Restaurants where you can find Cincinnati Chili are Skyline Chili and Gold Star Chili, but I believe mine is just as good.

It calls for many spices including dry chocolate cocoa, cinnamon, cloves and all spice! You can eat it 3-way, 4-way or 5-way, but I eat my Cincinnati Chili 6-way! (Spaghetti noodles, Sauce, cheese, beans, sweet onion and chopped green pepper on top)

 Cincinnati Chili             Serves 6

1 quart water (4 cups)

2 lbs ground beef (I use 80 (lean) / 20 (fat)

2 medium onions, grated

2 - 8oz cans tomato sauce (Or 1 can tomato sauce and 1 can tomato paste)

5 whole allspice   or   1/2 tsp ground (sometimes I add both)

1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper

1 tsp cumin

2-4 Tb chili powder (original recipe says 4, but i use 2 or 3)

1/2 oz unsweetened chocolate  OR    1 ½ - 2 Tb dry cocoa (like Hersheys unsweetened powder)

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tb apple cidar vinegar (ACV is best for this & makes a difference in the flavor)

1/4 tsp ground corinder

1/4 tsp ground cardamon

5 whole cloves   OR   1/2 tsp ground cloves

2 tsps Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

Cooked spaghetti noodles

TOPPINGS

Finely grated cheddar cheese

Red beans, pinto beans or kidney beans

Green pepper, chopped

Sweet Vidalia onion, chopped

Add beef to boiling water in a large soup pan. Stir until beef is to a fine texture. Add rest of ingredients. Simmer 3 hours. (Note: you can cook it less than that, like 2 hrs or less, but it always tastes better if cooked 3 hrs. It will be better the next day too.)

Serve over cooked buttered spaghetti. Top with cheese, beans, green pepper snd onion.  I dont mix the sauce with the noodles but like to just spoon it on top before adding the toppings. 

I LOVE this! Its addicting!

                                                                                    6 SERVINGS

Low Carb Avocado Chicken Wrap

 

Avocado Chicken Wrap with Grain Free Egg Tortillas

I finally found a way to eat a healthy quick and easy wrap. It doesn't matter what kind, whether it's Mexican, Asian, Italian of fresh traditional wraps such as chicken or any other meat. I'm on the AIP Autoimmune Protocol which is so similar to Keto since I have to eat grain and dairy free because of intolerances that have caused my health to go downhill. So that means I can't have the typical rice tortillas or wraps. I found a wrap by accident when I was looking around at Fresh Thyme Market in Beavercreek, Ohio, called EggLife. They're made from egg whites and i have no idea how they did it but they don't even taste like eggs and they're very soft and easy to roll up. They have 4  versions and 2 of them are plain and Italian. 

Here are the ingredients I used to make this Chicken Wrap and it was delicious!

Avocado Chicken Wrap

Chicken  (can use rotisserie, frozen grilled strips or any other cooked chicken)

Ranch dressing (or ranch sauce made with a mixture of dry ranch seasoning mix, mayonnaise and milk)

Bacon (cooked)

Avocado, sliced

Red or sweet Vidalia onions, chopped

Feta or any other white cheese such as provolone, mozzarella or Monterey jack

Tomatoes chopped

Lettuce, shredded (I added argula to mine)

I layered my ingredients on the Egglife wrap (see picture below) which is about the size of a large taco but if you don't have to eat wheat free, do it this way below.

If using a larger 10"-12" tortilla

Layer your ingredients in the center of your tortilla and roll it up or fold it up the same way you would a burrito. You can eat it as is, or brown the outsides in a frying pan with butter to brown a little on the outside. 

Most grocery stores carry these

Unstuffed Pork Chops

 

Unstuffed Pork Chops
This picture is from the time I used the
large chops on the bone

We had mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables with this. 

Ingredients

• 6 pork chops 
• 1 box (6 oz) cornbread stuffing mix
• 1 cup water
• Salt and pepper to taste
•  Chopped dried onion, dehydrated
• 2 Tablespoons butter 
• 1 can (10.75 ounces) cream of mushroom soup
• ½ cup milk + enough water to finish filling up the empty soup can. Note: put the ½ cup milk in the empty soup can first then finish filling it up with water. 

This is the stuffing on top of the chops without
the mushroom soup mixture

Put butter in frying pan and let it melt on medium high heat. Add salt and pepper to pork chops and place in the hot frying pan for about 4 minutes on each side. They don't need to cook all the way because they will finish cooking in the oven. 

Preheat oven to 350º (375º in my oven)

While pork chops are browning, put dry stuffing in a bowl with 1 cup water and stir to soften. After pork chops are browned, place them in a 9" x 13" baking pan. (I got 8 smaller pork chops in my pan). Put some of the dehydrated onion on top of each pork chop, then place stuffing mix evenly  on top of each chop. Now mix mushroom soup with water and milk, stirring with a whisk to combine. Pour mushroom soup mixture evenly over pork chops and stuffing. 

Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Take foil off and continue to bake for 5-10 more minutes or til soup is thickened. Let it sit 5 minutes before serving.

Note: if you can find the thicker pork chops, you can split them in half and stuff them with the stuffing.This is an easy meal and I hope you enjoy it! 

Italian Pasta Hamburger Helper

 *Easy One Pot 30 Minute Meal*

I normally spend 2-3 hrs in the kitchen, cooking, eating and then cleaning up but lately I've been trying to fix dishes that don't take quite as long. This is a delicious, easy one! I couldn't find a recipe with ingredients I wanted to use, so  I came up with it in my own. It was a hit!

30 Minute Italian Pasta
One Pot Meal 

Italian Pasta Hamburger Helper (serves about 6 hungry people)

* 1-1½ lbs ground beef

* 12 oz spiral pasta (also called rotini or corkscrew)

* ½-¾ cup onion chopped

* 3-4 garlic cloves, chopped

* 1 cup mushrooms, optional

* 1-10oz can Rotel (tomatoes +         chilis) or 1 can diced tomatoes,         undrained

* 1- 6oz can tomato paste or tomato      sauce

* 4 cups beef broth (or chicken   broth)

Note: if it looks like there won't be enough liquid to cook pasta, add a little water. It does not have to be completely covered with water. The steam with the lid on should coook it, but make sure to stir it occasionally.

* Spices to taste - salt, pepper,               oregano, basil, paprika, parsley,          garlic powder, onion powder

* Optional: Greek yogurt  (full fat),       sour cream, half and half or           cream cheese (if you want thisd dish to be creamy)

* Mozzarella or cheddar cheese (to        add at end or put on each                    serving)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook ground beef in large 12" skillet. Drain fat. 

2. Add onions, mushrooms and garlic cooking til tender. 

3. Add Rotel and tomato paste. Stir and add spices. I added 1 tsp of sugar too. 

4. Add broth and pasta. Cover with lid, heating till pasta is tender, stirring occasionally, 13- 15 minutes. 

5. Add cheese to top or on each serving. You can put sliced green onions or fresh parsley on top for color.

My Favorite Moo Goo Gai Pan

 To see more of my Recipes, look at the column to right of this post and scroll down. There are Chinese, Mexican, Italian, Thai, Filipino, Romanian and Southern Cooking Recipes.

Moo Goo Gai Pan
(Served over White Rice)

Note
This will take approx 1½ hrs to make, unless you cut up the vegetables and chicken the night before, but once everything is cut up and the sauce is mixed up it takes only about 20 mins to cook everything together in the wok or large skillet. 
Even though his dish ordered in a Chinese restaurant doesn't have a lot of flavor, it's the healthiest of them all. I assure you, this sauce has more flavor. The Chinese cooking wine is optional but I think it helps add to the flavor. Also some people may not like sesame oil as much as I do but that's what gives it an authentic taste. I'd never make any Chinese dish without it!

Serves 5-6
Double this recipe if you like large servings and want leftovers. I usually make 1½ of this recipe (1 recipe + half of that) for 5 adults and there is always plenty. You might even want to just double the sauce.

INGREDIENTS  

• * 1 lb chicken breasts (or tenderloins), thinly sliced "against the grain" (see the video at bottom of this post how to do that and tenderize below for 30 mins ahead of time)
•  
• To tenderize chicken - mix the following 2 items in with the chicken (making sure it's all coated) and put in refrigerator for 30 mins. 
• *1 egg  white (I've used the whole egg and it was fine, but actually you don't even need to add the egg. Most Chinese only use cornstarch to "velvetize" the chicken but some add other things for more flavor)
• *1-2 Tb corn starch or baking soda 
• Note: there are tons of videos on YouTube on how to do this. There are many different ways. Some people add rice vinegar, soy sauce or Chinese cooking wine to give the chicken more flavor. Sometimes I might add one of those but it's not really necessary. If using cornstarch you don't need to rinse the chicken after 30 mins but if using baking soda, you will need to rinse the chicken and pat it dry before cooking)
• 
  
• *1 Tb avocado oil or veg. oil 
• *3 tsps chopped garlic
• *½-1 tsp minced ginger (I use the tube you can buy in the produce dept)
• *2 cups sliced mushrooms (I use Shitake or Bella but you can also use canned)
• *1½-2 cups snow peas (the flat ones-not sugar snap peas)
• *¾-1 cup thinly sliced carrots
• *1 cup baby bok choy, cut into 1" squares
• *1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained 
• *1 can bamboo shoots, drained 
• * 1 can Baby corn, drained
• *Salt and pepper to taste
• Note: You don't have to put all these vegetables in. Just use the ones you like, but the pea pods and carrots give it color.
• For Garnish on top: 
• Chopped green onions and toasted Sesame seeds (Asian section of store)
• 
  
• SAUCE  (Mix this ahead of time, while chicken is cooking)
• *1½ cups chicken stock or broth (I use the instant granules in the jar)
• *3 tsps sugar
• *1 Tbs Chinese cooking wine (I use ShoaXing - see note below)
• *1½  Tbs Coconut Aminos or Soy Sauce 
• *5 tsps sesame oil (it's imperative that it is "toasted" sesame oil. I bought some 1 time that didn't say toasted and it had no flavor and was just like other oils but the "toasted" is used just for flavoring)
• 
  
• 
  

  

  Mary Jane's Moo Goo Gai Pan (translated Chicken with Mushrooms)

  
  

INSTRUCTIONS  

Note: I usually put the rice on to cook after I set the chicken aside to tenderize. I cook  2 cups "dry" rice (with designated amount of water) which is supposed to make about 6 cups cooked rice but seems like there's never enough rice so next time I'm going to make more rice)

• Whisk together the egg and 1 tb cornstarch. Coat the chicken using a spoon or your hand. Set aside for 20-30 mins. After 30 mins drain out any excess liquid, but do not rinse chicken. (unless tenderiziing with baking soda)
• In wok or large pan, heat 2  tsps avocado or veg oil over med heat. Add carrots, bok choy (if using) and 2 Tbs of water. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. (You do not want to cook them till done because they'll cook more later and are supposed to be crisp).
• Add fresh mushrooms and cook for 3 mins til mushrooms are tender. If using canned, add them  in next step.
• Stir in water chestnuts, bamboo shoots and/or baby corn. (if using canned mushrooms add them now too). Add snow peas and cook 1 minute.
•   Season vegetables to taste with salt and pepper.
• Remove vegetables from pan and place in a bowl. Cover to keep them warm. Veg will be added to chicken after its cooked.
• Put 1 Tb oil in wok and heat on med high heat.
• Add chicken to pan, seasoning with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, til chicken is cooked through, 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger, cooking for 1 min more or til pink is gone in chicken. 
• While chicken is cooking, make the sauce - in a bowl whisk together chicken stock, sugar, coconut aminos (or soy sauce) and toasted sesame oil. Taste to see if you need more of any ingredient. Whisk in 1 tablespoons cornstarch. Set aside.
• Add vegetables to pan with cooked chicken and heat everything together about 1 min. Stir sauce again and pour in pan and heat, stirring about 1 minute or til sauce starts to thicken.
• Serve immediately, over rice, because you don't want the vegetables to get cooked anymore. Add chopped green onions and toasted sesame seeds to top of each serving. 
• Important: The key to making this dish good is to NOT cook the vegetables too long. You want them to be crisp and crunchy.
• Where to Find Chinese Ingredients: most of the ingredients you need to make any Chinese dish can be bought in the Asian section of your grocery store, but if you have an an Asian grocery store near you, they should most definitely have everything you need.  
• Video on how to cut the chicken against the grain and also how to tenderize the chicken or what the Chinese call "velveting".  https://youtu.be/G5UvqrlI_MM          Another good video: https://youtu.be/GfPNbtCJqOk

White Chicken Chili with Salsa Verde and Beans

 

White Chicken Chili with Green
Salsa and Beans

I've made White Chicken Chill before but couldn't find the recipe I liked on Pinterest. So I decided to just make my own and now it's my favorite! Everyone was raving about it, saying "You've got to make this again!" I didn't want to forget what I used so decided to put it here on my blog while it's still fresh in my mind.  I hope you like it! Sorry i didn't write down the amounts of each thing.

White Chicken Chili

Onions, garlic (saute with olive oil)

Add: chicken broth, 1 jar green chili salsa, cream of chicken soup, corn, beans (white or black), sour cream, cream cheese, Rotel (optional) cheddar cheese. You could add cumin and chili powder like I've done before, but this time I didn't do that).

Then add: cooked chicken (I used rotisserie chicken), lime juice to taste.

Serve with (on top): diced avocado, tortilla chips, more cheese and cilantro if desired.

Mary Jane's Chili with Beans

Mary Jane's Chili with Beans

This chili recipe is one I came up with over the last 50 years. I say  "over", because "over" the last 50 years I have experimented so many times and added "this n that", "less of this and more of that". You get the picture. About 20 yrs ago is when I decided I had my final recipe and quit experimenting. 

But people tell me it's the best and I get requests to make it a lot. I did not like Chili when I was growing up, but have grown to like this, especially when I started putting grated cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream on top. 

Other recipes I've seen have spices like oregano, but doesn't that belong in Italian food? I always thought Chili was originally a Mexican dish. I'm not crazy about chili powder, so I never put as much of that as most people do.

 I also used to drain the beans before pouring them in the pot, but after hearing 2 Iron Chefs, Alex Guarnaschelli  and Geoffrey Zakarian, say they never drain their beans, is when I stopped draining mine. If you watch that channel, especially The Kitchen, you will recognize their names. Alex and Geoffrey, who happen to both be Italian, are also occasionally judges on  shows like Chopped and Beat Bobby Flay. Please see my UPDATE at the end of this recipe. It's very important!

Back to the chili, I also used to wait til the last 30 mins to add the beans, but just add them with everything else at the beginning now.

See my UPDATE, after the list of ingredients!

Mary Janes Chili with Beans

INGREDIENTS

1 lb ground beef (or more)

¾ - 1cup diced onion

½ - 1 cup diced green pepper (more or less to your taste)

Saute first 3 ingredients together till beef is no longer pink, then add remaining ingredients 

1- 14oz can diced tomatoes (or crushed tomatoes if you don't like chunks of tomato in it)

1 - 8oz can tomato sauce plus 1 can water 

3 cans beans. I usually use 1 can each black beans, pinto beans & light red kidney beans) (see my UPDATE below).

1 can beef broth (or Better than Bullion - 2 tsps + 2 cups water). If you think your chili needs mote liquid as its cooking,  just add more of this.

3 tsps chili powder 

(you didn't misread that - yes teaspoons, not tablespoons, but you can add more if you like. Most recipes call for 2-4 Tablespoons chili powder!)

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp paprika

¼ tsp dry mustard

1- 2 tsps brown sugar

½ tsp Accent - unless you need to eat gluten free

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp apple cider vinegar (important to use ACV, not white vinegar)

½ tsp dry cocoa powder

2 - 2½ tsps gluten free Worcestershire sauce

1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper 

½ tsp Garlic powder or to taste

Hot sauce - ONLY add this of you like hot foods. Sometimes I add a little Tabasco sauce.

Sour cream and graated cheddar cheese as garnish for the top.

UPDATE: I fixed this again tonight (after fixing it for years) and have wondered  why it hasn't been tasting like it's supposed to, to me. It just dawned on me that I wrote down this recipes yrs ago when I used to drain the beans. But when I started adding the liquid with the beans (not draining them), because famous chefs on the Food Network said they don't drain the beans, I didn't add more spices, but tonight I did add more of the spices and the chili was much better! So what I did tonight was to add in ½ of the original amount of each spice. In other words, instead of 3 tsps chili powder, use 1½ more tsp chili powder, making it 4½ taps. Instead of 2 tsp cumin, add another 1 tsp, making it 3 tsps, instead of 2 tsp lemon juice, I added another 1 tsp lemon juice, making it 3 tsps lemon juice, etc. Do this with all the ingredients beginning with cumin and on down through the garlic powder. BUT (important) if you decide to drain your cans of beans, only use what's in the original recipe. Tonight, I also added about ½ cup tomato juice, just because I had it in the fridge and need to use it up. 

I hope I didn't confuse you!

Add all ingredients together, after sauting the ground beef, onions & green pepper together. Let this all simmer together for about 30 minutes - 2 hours. Of course, it's always better the next day!