French Onion Soup and Caramelized Onions recipes

Onions are in season now at our local farmer's market and this soup recipe is a great way to use all kinds of different onions.  I like to use a mixture of onions for my soup, spring onions, sweet purple ones and large white sweet onions.  I also like to add a little cabbage either green or red or both to my soup which is also in season now.  I cook the cabbage along with the onions, low and slow until they are golden brown and sweet tasting.  The key to really good soup is to caramelize the onions which is cooking low and slow for at least 30 to 45 minutes. You can do it in a large pot on the stove but you really have to watch it so the onions don't burn.  Another option is to use the crock pot but this will take 10 to 12 hours for the onions to be done.  Caramelized onions are so easy to do in the crock pot and freeze beautifully for toppings, or to add to recipes later.  Just freeze in small batches or in ice cube tray and then transferred to freezer bag when frozen. Just add thinly sliced onions, a little olive oil or butter (or both) and salt, I use seasoned salt in my cooking. Some recipes call for sugar but the onions are sweet enough without adding sugar so I don't add any, a little balsamic vinegar is good too. Another key to really good soup is to use a really good beef broth, sometimes I use veggie broth in a pinch and add beef bouillon to it but beef broth is the best.  I make all my own broths and freeze them in quart freezer bags.  Also to make the soup broth really rich and flavorful red wine is a must, it doesn't take much 1/2 to 1 cup, I usually just pour a little in and taste as I go so don't really measure it. This soup also freezes really well and can be used later as is or with beef and/or noodles added later.
Here's the recipes:


Caramelized onions

sliced onions

8 to 10 med/large onions

3 to 6 spring onions

2 to 4 T olive oil

2 to 4 T butter (need 1 T of oil/butter per every 2 onions so any combination works)

1 to 2 t salt or seasoned salt (1/4 t per every 2 onions)

1 to 2 T balsamic vinegar, optional

DO NOT NEED TO ADD SUGAR

Place everything in crockpot and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours. Add additional ingredients for French onion soup or let cool and freeze.  Some recipes call to drain the onions and freeze the liquid separate for soups, I didn't, I just froze it as is in ice cube trays until solid then placed cubes in quart freezer bag.

caramelized onions

French Onion soup

3 to 6 med or large onions, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 to 3 T butter
1 to 2 T olive oil
1 to 2 t each seasoned salt, pepper, parsley
1 c red wine or port
4 c beef broth
1 to 2 T Worcestershire sauce
optional added vegetables, 1/2 c sweet peppers, chopped, 1 c chopped red  or green cabbage

thick slices French or Italian bread, toasted
Swiss, mozzarella or gruyere cheese or any combination

In covered pan cook onions and garlic in butter and olive oil over very low heat for 45 min to 1 hour until very tender and browned, stirring occasionally.  Or just used caramelized onions cooked in crock pot and add minced garlic, seasonings, broth, wine and Worcestershire and cook about 45 minutes until all heated through and vegetables are tender.
To serve, place soup in serving size bowls that are oven safe, top with toasted bread and cheese.  Broil in oven for 2 to 3 minutes until cheese melts.
Can also be heated up in the microwave until cheese melts but it's not
as good as in the broiler.

French onion soup with added veggies

Enjoy,
Bamah





is best to put the soup in oven safe bowl, top with bread and cheese and broil

Cheesy, yummy goodness

Gluten free Chinese Dinner recipes

For my 2nd post this month I asked my youngest daughter, Aubree, to share her some of her gluten free recipes.  She's a wonderful cook and has recently gone gluten free so adapting recipes to fit her health needs.  I thought it was a great idea to have her as a guest writer, I'm sure I'll have her share more recipes in the coming months.  Enjoy, Bamah




I am writing a post as a "guest writer" for my mother. Recently I had to go gluten free for health reasons, and I also went grain free to assist with decreasing some damage from years of eating gluten. One of the hardest things about being gluten free is not being able to eat pretty much any Chinese food as soy sauce has gluten in it. So, I Googled some recipes and then adapted them to my tastes. I'll include links to the originals for reference at the bottom. For my Chinese food night, I make Cashew chicken, gluten free egg rolls, and cauliflower fried rice. As I am my mother's daughter, I love using fresh produce from the local farmer's markets wherever I live, and what I put in my food depends on what I pick up each week.

Gluten free egg rolls:

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground pork, chicken, beef, or seafood. Or no meat if you want vegetarian.
• 2 cups~ Green Cabbage
• 1 cup~ Cauliflower
• 1 cup~Bok Choy
• 1 cup~bean sprouts
• 2 tsp fresh ginger (use more or less depending on how much you like)
• 1/4 cup Coconut Aminos or gluten free soy sauce
• 1 Tbs Rice Wine Vinegar
• 1 Tbs sesame oil
• 1 Tbs Tastefully simple Onion Onion, Garlic Garlic, spinach and herb dip, and Bacon Bacon. (these are my staple seasonings, but you can use regular spices of whatever you like.)
• 1 tbs sea salt and pepper
• 2 Tbs fat (I used bacon, butter, coconut oil or avacado oil; I will also use a mixture of several depending on my mood )

Instructions

1. You can either pulse a half of cauliflower in a food processor to "rice" it, or you can buy the pre "riced" cauliflower in the freezer section. I also shred and/or finely chop cabbage, sprouts, and bok choy.

2. Transfer the mixture to a large skillet, add your fat and let them cook about 8-10 minutes over medium high heat; stirring often. I also add the soy sauce and a little rice wine vinegar, and some sesame oil. 

3. Add your meat to the skillet along with the veggies and continue for another 5-7 minutes (or until the meat is cooked through). At this point I add the remaining ingredients, give a good stir and turn the heat to low and let mingle for about 5-10.

4. I use coconut wraps in place of a won ton wrap and it works great (get them on Amazon, link below). I just hold the wrap over the hot pan to let it warm up (it's easier to work with); put a scoop roughly about a tablespoon and a half on the wrap; fold up both sides carefully and then roll (you can also see youtube videos on rolling egg rolls for reference). I usually go an extra step by browning them in a skillet that has my coconut or avocado oil heated up at medium high heat; it just takes a few seconds on each side...they come out a bit more crunchy. 

If you are not a fan of the coconut wraps, or if you don't want to try them, you can always just spoon some of this onto a plate or bowel for an "unwrapped" egg roll. I have tried it both ways, and its good no matter what.

**As with all of my Mum's recipes, depending on the veg in my fridge, I have added shredded broccoli, brussel sprouts, some bell pepper or green onion, spinach and arugula. Feel free to have fun with variations on this recipe.

I also sometimes make this mixture up the day before as it is probably the longest cooking element and its easier to just scoop and heat the wrap when the other dishes are almost done. Plus I only have 2 skillets and so not enough to run 3 things at once. ;).

Cashew Chicken:

Ingredients

• 3 raw chicken (thighs, breasts or combo of both, your choice).
• 2 tbsp avocado or coconut oil (or some of both)
• 1/4 cup cashews
• 1/2 medium Green Bell Pepper (or other colors if you prefer, I like Red and Orange)
• 1/2 tsp fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar 
• 1 1/2 tbsp gluten free soy sauce or Coconut aminos
• 1/2 tbsp chili garlic sauce (available in most ethnic grocery store sections, its a red paste used in a lot of Asian cooking)
• 1 tbsp minced garlic (you can use fresh or I use tastefully simple Garlic Garlic)
• 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
• 1 tbsp Sesame Seeds
• 1/4 medium white onion
• Salt + Pepper

Instructions
1. Heat a pan over low heat and toast the cashews for 8 minutes. Toast them until you start to see some browning. Remove and set aside.

2. Dice chicken into 1 inch chunks. Cut onion and pepper into equally large chunks.

3. Increase heat to high and add oil to pan.

4. Once oil is up to temperature, add in the chicken pieces and allow them to cook through.

5. Once the chicken is nearly fully cooked. Add in the pepper, onions, garlic, chili garlic sauce and seasonings(ginger, salt, pepper). Allow to cook on high for 2-3 minutes then reduce down to medium.

6. Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and cashews. Cook on medium and allow the liquid to reduce down until it is a sticky consistency, There should not be a lot of liquid in the pan upon completing cooking.

7. Serve in a bowl, top with sesame seeds and drizzle with sesame oil.

I have also added spinach to this dish, and enjoyed the results. Also, I don't quite measure everything, so if I think there is too little liquid in the pan, I'll add some more.

Cauliflower Fried Rice:

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower (or 1 package pre "riced")
• 1/2 cup Frozen Peas/carrots (I use Edamame, snow peas, bok choy, or whatever I have in the fridge/freezer)
• 1 tbsp avocado or coconut oil (again, I like to combine them)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tbsp Sesame Seeds
• 2 tsp Sesame Oil
• 1 Tbs Rice wine Vinegar
• 1 tbsp gluten free soy sauce/ coconut aminos
• 1/2 cup white onion
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. If you are using a fresh head of cauliflower, you will need to pulse it in a food processor to get a "rice" consistency. Or use the pre "riced" cauliflower in the freezer section. Personally, I find the frozen cauliflower has a better cooked consistency vs the fresh.

2. Add oil to pan and turn it on high heat. Let it get hot before adding cauliflower, but don't burn it.

3. Place pulsed "rice" into pan and flatten out over entire surface. Allow to cook through for 10 minutes (cauliflower should brown/get crispy). This is also where I add the soy sauce, Rice wine vinegar, and sesame oil when the rice is almost cooked.
4. Stir rice and add onion, garlic, veggies, and season with salt and pepper (I also add some onion seasoning and sometimes the garlic chili sauce from the previous recipe for a nice bite. You can add any of your favorite seasonings) You can turn the skillet down to medium high depending on how its cooking. (sometimes medium if the "rice" is overcooking)
5. Continue to cook and stir over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.
6. Push "rice" to one side of pan, grease the empty half and crack two eggs into pan

7. Combine eggs and "rice" until eggs are cooked through.
8. Turn off heat and garnish with sesame seeds. Serve warm and enjoy!

As always, I have added other veg to this recipe including spinach, bok choy, and sprouts.

This meal does feel uniform by using the same core Asian foodie ingredients of rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, garlic chili sauce, and gluten free soy sauce. These recipes are adapted from several blogs which are listed below, and those authors should get most of the credit. I have merely taken their ideas and put my spin on them. I have also made this meal vegan and paleo for various friends with other dietary issues. All the spices I use with almost everything I cook are from Tastefully Simple since Mum sells it and they are awesome. But, feel free to use any of your normal spices, or fresh. I make this frequently as leftovers are nice, and I often crave some Chinese.

If you want to try buying a head of cauliflower and "rice" it, you can try it in a food processor, grate it, or just really finely chop it. I did this at first, but love the convenience of the pre cut and frozen from the store. Also, the consistency is much more "rice" with the pre cut frozen type vs fresh; the fresh can be more mushy. (this can be minimized with rolling the cauliflower up in towel and twisting to get some water out, but this also condenses the cauliflower and adds to the mushiness. 

Original blogs:https://www.ketoconnect.net/recipe/easy-cashew-chicken/

https://www.ketoconnect.net/recipe/cauliflower-fried-rice/

http://www.gonewiththegrain.com/item/keto-egg-rolls/

Coconut wraps: https://www.amazon.com/NUCO-Certified-ORGANIC-Gluten-Coconut/dp/B01LL3FQQC/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1496114075&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=coconut+wraps&psc=1

Homemade bean dip recipe

I don't know about you, but when I make a pot of beans it always manages to be huge.  I can't seem to make a small pot.  This past weekend, I bought beans and got a bigger bag than I usually get and ended up soaking more of them than I planned so started out with my pot full before I even started cooking.  I decided to make the large pot I was planning with my ham bone (from Easter that I had froze) and make a smaller pot for bean dip.  A few years ago, I had a similar problem with too many left over beans and didn't really need to freeze them all so found a recipe for homemade bean dip.  It's so easy, so yummy and so much better than the canned stuff in so many ways.  I like to mix pinto and Great Northern beans together when I make a pot of beans so that's what I used.  I've also added lentils in before and sometimes kidney or black beans as well depending what I have.  Since my pot was already full, I just had a mixture of pinto and Great Northern.  As with pretty much everything I make, I also like to add  veggies to my beans.  I finely chop them and add them in the beginning so they cook down with the beans but are not really noticeable, just adding to the nutrition and flavor.   I added 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, 1/2 to 1 cup green onions, 2 cloves minced garlic and 2 small turnips. Sometimes I add eggplant but  I wasn't cutting that up this weekend so just added what I had bought at the farmers market and was cutting up anyway to freeze. Since I was planning to make the bean dip right after cooking the beans instead of using leftovers,  I added chili powder and cumin while they were cooking and added a bit more to taste after pureeing with the other ingredients. The recipe calls for salsa but for this batch I just added 2 T of sofrito  (that I had freshly made) and 2 to 3 T of spicy tomato dressing I had in the refrigerator that I wanted to use up.  I mixed mine up in the food processor which was super easy but you could also puree it in a blender.  I put some in a microwave bowl, added shredded cheddar cheese, heated it for 1 minute and served it to my husband with tortilla chips and he loved it.  He said it tasted so good he didn't care there were veggies in it. It also freezes really well.

Here's the recipe:

Homemade bean dip

pureed beans in food processor

small pot of beans for dip

3 to 4 c cooked beans, pinto, Great Northern or any combination (when cooking beans add 1/2 to 1 c chopped onion, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 finely chopped celery stalk, 1 finely chopped carrot or any desired veggies)

huge pot of beans which is why I had to do a small one

2 to 4 T of salsa
2 T sofrito
1 to 2 t each seasoned salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, parsley, turmeric and paprika
1/2 to 1 t red pepper chili flakes
can also add cilantro if desired

In food processor, combine beans, salsa, sofrito and seasonings.  Blend until smooth.  Store in refrigerator or freeze.  To serve, place in microwave safe dish, top with shredded cheddar cheese and heat 1 minute, serve with tortilla chips.  Would also be great in a 7 layer dip or on burritos.

Enjoy,
Bamah

chicken nachos with bean dip, chicken and cheese

Pumpkin pie recipe

Somehow I accidentally deleted the post where I share my pumpkin pie recipe so reposting it.  Here it is:



Pumpkin Pie

makes 2 pies

1 1/2 c sugar
1 t salt
2 t cinnamon
1 t ginger
1/4 t cloves
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
1 t vanilla
4 eggs
1 29 oz can pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cans evaporated milk
2 unbaked pie shells

Beat eggs in large bowl, stir in pumpkin puree.  Add sugar, vanilla
and spices and stir until blended. Gradually stir in milk. Pour into
pie shells.  Bake for 15 min at 425, reduce heat to 350 and continue
baking 50 to 60 min or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.


Enjoy,
Bamah

Wonderful things available at farmers markets

April 1st was the opening of the Lawton Farmer's market so I'm sharing some of the wonderful things you can get at the farmer's market besides produce. I love, love, love going to farmer's markets large and small and go to different ones whenever and wherever I'm traveling.  It's always great so see what's available in each location.  Our local farmer's market is not large but has a great variety of items to pick up each week and will be in full swing this summer with a lot more produce. I love supporting local, knowing where my food and other products comes from is really important to me.  We try to use local products whenever possible and stay away from added chemicals and processed foods so the farmer's market is perfect for my family's needs but just fun to go to.

Entwined Vines Winery and Vineyard has great wine, jams, jellies and salsas for sale. They are one of our favorite stops. Plus Windmill Corner Farms has great baked goods for sale.  Their dinner rolls are my husband's favorites.

One of my favorite things is lavender soap made by Cathy Fields of Turkey Creek Lavender.  I've been using her soap for over 5 years and don't use anything else. My

absolute favorite is lavender lemongrass.  She also sells teas, sugars, culinary lavender, lavender spray, bath bombs and lotion bars.  This is my go to place for gifts for friends and family.  I love all her products and it's homemade.

The Jerk is another vendor that sells homemade beef jerky is many different flavors.  We've tried several and have loved them all.

Jerky is a great go to snack.

Legako Farms always has great produce plus Helen's Gourmet Dog Treats which are my dog, Clapton's, favorite treats.  He goes to the market with me and his 1st stop is at Helen's tent to get a pet and free sample. 

That's another great thing about the farmer's market, it's kid and pet friendly.  There are several people who bring their dogs and as long as they are on a leash it's fine.  Clapton loves to make new friends. Plus they have a special Dog Days at the market, this year it's May 6, 2017 with a lot more pet related vendors and treats planned.

From time to time, they also have activities for the kids.  Recently they a rabbit out where kids could pet it and take their picture with it.  They've also had scavenger hunts and stories read.

Cole's Greenhouse is a great place to get all kinds of plants.  Herbs, vegetables, flowers, and spider plants to name a few.  They are hardy to our area, reasonably priced and look great.  I buy almost all my plants from Cole's and have had great success with them.

There are also several craft vendors that come either weekly or on the 1st of the month.  My daughter and I had a booth for several years.  There's crocheted items, jewelry, wind chimes and bird feeders, wooden crafts and all kinds of stuff. 

Wilhelmina Ensing has beautifully sewn items, aprons, bibs, hot pads and more.  One of my favorite is a bowl hot pad that fits perfectly under a bowl for heating food in the microwave.  I keep mine in my lunch bag and have bought several for gifts.  They are pretty and practical and make great gifts.

Devil's Claw Ranch is back this year with homemade granola, salsa and sourdough bread.  I haven't tried the salsa but I love the granola and sourdough bread.  I keep a bag of granola at work to eat with my yogurt each day, it's great and not hard like ones I've gotten at the store. 

There are several vendors that sell fresh eggs.  I've been buying eggs at the farmer's market for years.  There is usually at least 1 vendor that sells during the winter so I can stay stocked up on fresh eggs.  I can't remember when the last time I bought eggs at the store.  Fresh eggs are so much better, once you try them, you're hooked at can't go back.


Another one of our favorite things is eating breakfast at the Dry Beaver food truck. Everything we've tried has been fantastic.  The farmer's market breakfast is one of my favorites.  It includes eggs (scrambled or fried), choice of meat, bacon is mine, biscuits and gravy, plus a biscuit and homemade jam and fried potatoes. We usually share because there's so much food.  Plus they have homemade ice cream that is so yummy. 

The manager's tent always has information about the market plus Oklahoma products for sale, peanuts, honey and peanut butter to name a few.

Another favorite of ours is Ballou Farms meat.   They bring a big refrigerated truck out with frozen meat that's locally raised.  They do their own beef which is great.  We always stock up on meat there instead of getting it at the store.  The chicken is fantastic.  They have a small store in Elgin, OK on main street and we have gone there for meat during the winter when the market was closed for the season.

I haven't listed everything that's there from week to week, just some highlights.  There is so much more available and as the season progresses there will be even more vendors out.  So come out and enjoy the farmer's market.


Enjoy
Bamah

Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuits

Chicken pot pie is on the menu for this weekend so I'm sharing the recipe for March's second post.I'm trying to stay on track for 2 posts a month. I love chicken pot pie topped with biscuits so that's what I make at my house. The original recipe I started with when my girls were little was from a Hungry Jack biscuit add in a magazine and I  used canned chicken, cream of chicken soup and canned mixed vegetables.  It was good and what I made for years but now I only use fresh chicken and vegetables along with cream of chicken soup and canned biscuits.  I'm not very good at homemade biscuits so just use the canned.  The majority of the time when I make this I can do the whole thing in my big skillet.  Cook the chicken, usually breasts, with seasonings until done then cut up and set aside.  Then I cook the vegetables, whatever I have in the freezer or from fresh from the farmer's market, until tender then add in the soup, seasoning and put the chicken back in then top with biscuits and cheese and bake in oven until the biscuits are done.  Any combination of vegetables is great, must haves are green peas, fresh or frozen and broccoli but I also add onions, sweet peppers, corn, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, shredded cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, kale or spinach, whatever's in season.  I'm going to try it with sugar snap peas since I have some in my freezer that I got and cut up last month. A friend at church makes really good chicken pot pies with pie crust that she freezes and cooks as needed.  She's also donated these at a youth fundraiser and I've bought several which we've really enjoyed.  I haven't made mine as actual pies but like the idea of having a ready made dinner in the freezer  so will give that a try as well.

Here's the recipe:
2 to 3 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped up

cooked veggies, chicken and soup mixture

1/2 c sweet peppers, chopped
1/2 c onion, chopped
1/2 c eggplant, finely chopped
1/2 c carrots, chopped
1/2 c broccoli, chopped
1/2 c corn
1/2 c each zucchini, yellow squash, cauliflower, chopped
can also add shredded cabbage, kale or spinach
1/2 to 1 c frozen green peas
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can large or 2 cans medium biscuits
1/2 to 1 t each seasoned salt, garlic powder, parsley, pepper, sage,
shredded cheddar cheese

original recipe with my notes

In large skillet, cook chicken in a little olive oil with seasoned salt and pepper until done, chop and set aside.  In same skillet with a little olive oil and butter cook vegetables, except green peas, until tender.
Add peas, chopped chicken, soup and seasonings and stir until blended. Top with biscuits, can cut up or leave whole, can also top with shredded cheese.  Bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes, or until biscuits are browned.
Enjoy,
Bamah

bowl of yummy goodness

Beef Stew aka Irish Stew

For March's post I'm sharing my beef stew recipe also known as good old Irish stew.  Stew is such a great recipe that is fairly easy especially if you throw everything in a crock pot and just let it cook all day, plus it's so versatile.  Years ago, when my daughters were little I made a tomato basted stew with a lot of vegetables, and browned stew meat in it which I grew up on.  We were eating at a favorite restaurant and they served this wonderfully thick beef stew with a rich beef broth and just potatoes.  My family loved it so I figured out how to do it myself at home.  Now per their request this is the only type of stew I make.  I still make my tomato basted vegetable soup from time to time but don't add beef to it. The secret to really thick and rich stew is to cook the beef by itself first and then add the potatoes and vegetables in later.  I almost always cook mine in my crock pot for at least 8 hours before adding vegetables.  I put the meat in, add seasonings, 1 chopped onion, minced garlic and 2 packages of beef gravy mix and water and let it cook until the beef falls apart.  I really like cabbage in my stew and found my family doesn't object if I cut it small enough and make sure it cooks down.  I always add chopped sweet peppers and sometimes carrots but try to limit the amount of vegetables I add. When I made stew earlier this month after the beef had cooked for about 4 hours, I added chopped cabbage and kale letting them cook for the remaining 4 hours which worked great.  We weren't going to eat the stew until the next day, so I added the potatoes in the crock pot in the morning and the stew was ready to eat at lunch.  Another secret I have for thickening stew (also soups) is adding instant mashed potato flakes when it's boiling at the end until it's the desired thickness. We love to eat ours topped with shredded cheddar cheese.

 

beef stew with carrots and potatoes

Here's the recipe:

Beef Stew aka Irish Stew

1 onion sliced
2 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
seasoned salt and pepper
steak seasoning and marinade
Worcestershire sauce
2 to 3 lbs. beef, any roast like cut
2 packages beef gravy mix



 In crock pot cook meat with 1 to 2 cups water on high 8 hours until
tender.  I usually make meat ahead of time then put together with vegetables. This makes the meat more tender and the stew thicker.





Add to cooked beef in broth

1/2 to 1 c carrots, chopped
6 to 8 med potatoes, chopped
1/2 c sweet peppers, chopped

beef stew with red cabbage

2 T sofrito

1 jar beef or veggie broth

1 to 2 c water as needed

1/2 to 1 c chopped cabbage

1/2 to 1 c chopped kale

 1 t each seasoned salt and pepper

 1/2 t turmeric

1 t parsley

Cook all together for 30 min to 1 hour until vegetables are tender and

stew is thickened.  Can also thicken with instant mashed potato flakes.

Enjoy,
Bamah



Yummy bowl of stew topped with shredded cheese