Childhood Comfort Food

Today I planned on having a fairly relaxing day… the sun was shining again and it felt like an early spring day.  When I woke up this morning I decided to make the Breakfast Pizzert again from yesterday morning because it was so yummy.  Even my friend Rebecca tried it out this morning and enjoyed it. 

After spending the morning relaxing in my PJ’s, calling my mom to wish her a Happy Birthday, drinking a latte and listening to music, I headed out the door to enjoy some of the sun.  Unfortunately I did forget my camera and my cell phone, so no pics…sorry guys. 

I also headed to the store to pick up some avocado that I forget yesterday and a bag of dog food for Buster.  He also got a little treat today…it definitely kept him busy for at least 4 hours.  He was so cute, so I took the opportunity to snap some photos of him.

Since it’s my momma’s birthday today, I decided to make a little something that she used to make us when we were a kid.  This dish is traditional in Southern Germany, the region my parents grew up in and where I was born too.  It’s called “Dampfnudel” which literally translates to “Steam-noodle”.  In other words, these are dumplings that you cook/steam in some milk, sugar and butter.  They are then served with a rich vanilla sauce.  Definite comfort food for me. 

Looks tasty, don’t it?  I can vouch that it does… I remember having these when I went to Germany a couple of years ago.  I left them in the pan just a tad too long, but was scared to open the lid because that’s a big NO-NO when making dumplings.  Oh well.  Will post the recipe soon.

Hope everyone had a good weekend and I will see you back in the next couple of days.

With love.

Bea

xoxo

Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free Chicken and Dumplings

It’s been another rainy and dreary day on the West Coast.  I woke up to rain and fog, and while it’s not too cold out, I’m still missing the sunshine.  According to the weather man, Mr. Sun is expected to make an appearance tomorrow.  Perfect for hump day.  I guess I should be thankful it’s not snowing, right? 

I came home this afternoon with a craving for chicken noodle soup.  So I remembered I had a recipe in my binder for Chicken and Dumplings.  And it’s Gluten and Dairy-Free.  Even better

On to the soup…

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There are a few simple rules to ensure light, delicious dumplings every time.  The liquid must remain at a slow simmer, and the dumplings need room to expand, so never crowd them in the pot.  Whatever you do, resist the urge to sneak a peak since the dumpling's’ light and fluffy texture relies heavily on the steam that builds inside the pot. 

Soup Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 skinless chicken thighs, cut into pieces
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 quarts low-sodium, gluten-free chicken broth
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 carrots, cut into chunks
• 4 ribs celery, roughly chopped
• 1 cup frozen vegetables (peas, carrots, corn)
• 1/4 cup  chopped flat-leaf parsley

Dumpling Ingredients

• 1/3 cup brown or white rice flour
• 1/3 cup garbanzo or garfava flour
• 1/3 cup amaranth or tapioca flour
• 1 1/2 tsp  gluten-free baking powder
• 1 tsp chopped thyme
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp Earth Balance Butter (DF, non-hydrogenated)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup almond or soy milk

To prepare the soup, heat oil in a heavy stockpot or large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to pot.  Add onions and cook until translucent and chicken pieces are golden brown. 

Add broth, thyme and bay leaf then cover, reduce heat to low and cook until chicken is tender. Add celery, carrots and parsley and stir to combine.  Cover and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat or until just tender.       

To prepare the dumplings, put rice, garfava and amaranth flour, baking powder, thyme and salt into a bowl and whisk together until blended.  Add margarine and crumble the mixture with a dough mixer until it resembles course meal. 

Using your hands, work quickly to mix in egg and 1 Tbsp at a time of the milk until the dough forms a shaggy ball. 

Be sure not to overwork the dough, mixing it just until it comes together but isn’t too wet.  (I actually didn’t use all the milk).

Shape the dough into 12 small balls.  Drop each ball into the slow simmering liquid. (You may need to cook your dumplings in two batches to avoid overcrowding the pot).

Once the dumplings are in the simmering liquid, cover the pot immediately and simmer for 10 minutes, resisting the urge to look inside the pot.  Ladle the chicken and dumplings into bowls and serve hot.   

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Hope everyone had a great day.  See you all tomorrow.

Hugs,

Bea

xoxo