Spicy Turkey Stoup

Paleo-friendly, in other words, Gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free, high protein goodness.

I’m calling this one a “stoup” because it’s a combination of a soup and stew.  The recipe makes enough for 2 people to enjoy, and even some leftovers for the next day.  Bonus!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb turkey breast, diced
• 2 Tbsp. Coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp. Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
• pinch of fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp. chilli powder
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 8-10 button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 red bell peppers
• 1 Tbsp. red Thai curry paste

• 1 tsp. Bragg soy sauce

• 1 can (400mL) reduced fat coconut milk

Directions:

1. Marinate the turnkey in 1 Tbsp. coconut oil, salt, pepper, chilli and garlic for about 1 hour, in the fridge.
2. Heat a wok to medium-high heat.  When the pan is hot, add the rest of the coconut oil and sauté the onions until translucent.  Add the chicken and marinade to the onions.  Continue to cook for about 10 minutes.
3. Once the turkey is browned, add the mushrooms, red peppers, soy sauce and red curry paste and continue to cook until the peppers are al dente.
4. Add the coconut milk and stir.  Cook for another 5 – 10 minutes, or until the turkey is completely tender. 
5. Enjoy over rice or pasta (if not following a Paleo lifestyle). 

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

Mooseburger Soup

First day back to work after being sick for 3 days was definitely an adjustment.  But the day went pretty smoothly.  I am still lacking some energy and my appetite is still not back 100%.  At least tomorrow is Friday and then I can rest for a couple more days. 

It was however an exciting day for my class.  This year I’m in charge of the Salmon Hatching program at my school.  In the fall (November) we went to the hatchery and the kids learned about salmon habitat and how the our local hatchery is run.  We also got to collect Coho eggs and some milt and then I fertilized them upon our return to the school and placed them in our school aquarium.  And today I noticed that the eggs hatched.  (right on schedule)

We’ve got lots of little alevins.  It will be another month or two before the alevins leave their egg sack and become fry. 

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On the food front, I decided to make a soup tonight.  My pantry is starting to get bare and will need to be replaced with a few staple foods, but I still managed to whip together an appetizing soup.  Let me introduce you to

MOOSEBURGER SOUP

Gluten-free + Dairy-Free

It was getting quite late when I finally got home this afternoon and since I still wasn’t all that hungry, I procrastinated on the dinner making.  Therefore, I didn’t really take the time to lay out all my ingredients to take a picture.  And to tell you the truth, I really didn’t know how this soup would turn out because i just kind of made it on the fly. 

So here is what I did:

1. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, add a couple tablespoons of oil.  Cook your ground moose (or beef, chicken, turkey) until nice and brown.  Add onions, garlic, carrots and bok choy. 
2. Now I added about 3 Tbsp of chicken base.  For Christmas this year, I had a student give me a jar of Victorian Epicure Chicken bouillon base. I don’t actually buy Epicure, but I like this one. 
   
   
3. At this time, also add a couple tsp of oregano, smoked paprika, some salt and pepper to taste, and a splash of Worcestershire Sauce. You can add whatever other spices you like. 
4. Now add a splash of white wine and about 5 cups of water.  Bring to a boil for about 5 minutes, then reduce heat to simmer until the vegetables are tender. 
5. I also added some leftover cooked rice and about 3/4 cup of small-sized noodles (perfect for soups). 
6. I served mine with a garnish of fresh shaved Parmesan and a drizzle of Truffle Oil. 

You can really add whatever other ingredients you want into your soup.  Try it with some beans, corn, potatoes, etc…. a great way to also finish up your produce in the fridge. 

I didn’t really check the ingredients of the Epicure to see if it’s Gluten-Free, but there are bouillons or broths on the market that are obviously GF, so this recipe is perfect for that.  And if you want to make it Dairy-Free, just leave off the Parmesan shavings. 

Hope you enjoy the soup.  What are you guys up to this weekend? 

This weekend will be a busy one, so I probably won’t be posting anything before Sunday night. I’m going to try and sleep so that I can get better and we’re supposed to be going to a neighbourhood backyard bonfire.  Friends of ours host an annual Christmas Tree burn party every January.  Should be fun…as long as the rain stays away. 

Have fun, be safe, wherever your travels take you. 

Bea

xoxo

Moose Meat