Mexican Chicken and Rice #2

Since the last time I made this I thought of ways to make this more like rice and less like cabbage….well, as I was shredding cabbage this morning to make kraut and I got to thinking about the texture of cabbage…and how the last time I made Mexican “rice” it tasted like cabbage…was there a way to give it more of a rice flavor.

While this is still not rice, it is a lot better than the last time I attempted to make a yellow rice.  I shredded cabbage as if I was making cole slaw.  In an iron skillet, I placed a small amount of toasted sesame oil and some lard.  I cooked a thinly sliced red onion in that to the point of being almost browned.  After that I added in the shredded cabbage and cooked it down a bit giving it about 1/4 cup of chicken stock to keep it from burning…during that process I seasoned it with cumin, salt, and olive oil that I had soaked annato in (this gives the red/yellow color).   After the cabbage was done I then added a good sprinkling of coconut flour over the top and stirred that in.

I think this is about as close as I can get to my old chicken and rice flavor.    I think this same idea might work well for curry and “rice”.  But I will think about that another day.

 

Chicken and Mexican Cabbage

Chicken and Mexican Cabbage

I’ve got some little guys that I am quite fond of that used to come to my house before SCD and I always made them chicken and rice. It delighted me to no end to see them consume the entire large pan full.

They too are on the GAPS/SCD diet now and so I decided to attempt to make something similar in flavor so I can again treat these little men when they come to my house.  My first attempt at this was not successful, I confess it tasted like cabbage.  So today I tried again…

I started with part of a head of cabbage, cooked it slowly in lard and some coconut oil.  As I cooked the cabbage I added in some dried green pepper chunks (I would have used fresh except I was out) and a small onion.   I cooked the cabbage until tender and then drizzled in some annatto oil (annatto seeds soaked in olive oil), this gave the cabbage a yellow color and is what  the Latin Americans use to yellow their rice.  (Saffron is expensive and few places make true yellow rice with saffron) 

Okay, once I got the color just about right, I added salt, cumin, paprika.  It didn’t taste quite like I wanted (perhaps too much cumin)  So I decided to add a light drizzle of honey and a about 3 tbsp of tomato sauce.  I simmered this together, wondered if I dare add in the crushed garlic and decided that everything is better with garlic!  So I added two.  And I was right, the garlic, tomato, and honey just went together perfectly.    So my creative juices, decided this was actually going to turn out tasting similar to Mexican rice so I tossed in some dried jalapeno pieces just for fun.

I am happy to say that this experiment turned out very good.  I served this with some baked beans , avocado with onion, and salsa.   No, not like the former rice dish that I made but certainly not bad!  For those that like Mexican rice this is pretty close.  I would not be ashamed to feed this to my little friends.

 

Lactose Fermented Kimchi

There is always something brewing in my kitchen.  This week it is Kimchi, pickles, grape leaves, and a catmint (not catnip) tincture.  There was also a pot of tea but I omitted it from the photo.

If you haven’t tried fermented Kimchi I am here to encourage you.  When you make it you can control the level of heat that you put into it.  I like it mildly hot but one daughter likes it best without the heat so I make it mild and then sprinkle on extra cayenne pepper when I want it.

Kimchi is made out of a nappa cabbage, a head of bok choy, a small daikon radish (but you can use regular salad radishes), 3 or 4 scallions, a 2 inch chunk of ginger root peeled and grated, 2 or 3 cloves of garlic.   Oh yes, and I add 2-3 carrots!!  You can omit any of these ingredients but for the best tasting Kimchi use them all.   And if you like hot food add in some dried hot peppers, and if you don’t like hot food skip them completely.  Kimchi is just as good without the heat.

I chop my nappa cabbage and bok choy up coarsely.  Small enough that it will pack in jars comfortably but not shredded like for sauerkraut.   After I get every thing chopped up I add 1 TBSP of sea salt (sometimes more if the heads of cabbage and bok choy were large) and 4-6 TBSP of kefir or yogurt whey.  And before I stir it all up I take my paparika shaker and give it all a generous sprinkling of paparika.  This will give the Kimchi that good red color and enhances the flavor.

After I get everything in the bowl, I toss it all together and allow the bowl to set for an hour or so.  This is not necessary but I have found allowing my kraut and kimchi to sit in the bowl for a little while helps the packing process.  The salt begins the break down process which makes for easier transfer from bowl to jars. 

I pack the Kimchi into the jars, packing the ingredients down with a wooden spoon until the juice rises above the contents.   Fill the jar giving yourself about an inch of head space.  I set the jars in the little plastic boxes that mushrooms come in to catch any overflow of brine.  The kimchi sets out for three days before I transfer it to the fridge.  

I often eat Kimchi with a splash of Braggs Amino Acids.  Out of all of the fermented foods that I make Kimchi is probably my most favorite.   So if you have only made sauerkraut, you might want to give Kimchi a try!!

 

Beef with Red Cabbage, Onions, and Mushrooms

 

This was another day that I found myself with a small pot roast cooked over night in the crock pot and no real plans for what to do with it.  Some of you know that in addition to my family, I also make sure that my father-in-law gets fed twice daily.  On many days I literally cook four meals instead of two. The goal for him is proper nutrition and quantity.  Dear Ole Dad (DoD), needs to feed before noon so often I fix his small meal and then move on to ours after I send a daughter out the door to take Grandaddy his.  Dear Old Dad can be a bit of a stinker about feeding.  He is not picky but one has to be very careful about rotating the things he likes in a way that keeps him interested in eating.

So it was one of those mornings when I looked at the clock and realized that I needed to quickly come up with an idea for Dad’s lunch.  He is very fond of red cabbage, onions, and mushrooms.  And since he grew up on a ranch and has been a rancher his whole life, beef is always a favorite.

So I sauteed, until very tender, onion, red cabbage, and mushrooms in a liberal amount of coconut oil, butter, and olive oil.  When it was done I salted it well and added garlic powder (DoD’s favorite seasoning combination) along with black pepper.  This was so good I decided that I would fix the same thing for our lunch.

After the cabbage, onions, and mushrooms were cooked down I served it with sliced pot roast and some navy beans which complimented well.

As an aside, recently I have learned something about cooking my meat in the crock pot overnight (perhaps I am still a novice with the crock pot…)  I have found that if I put my meat in the crock pot frozen the night before and turn it on low that the meat does not get over cooked and tough.  Instead it comes out with a tender texture and one that is more enjoyable.

 

Chicken and Cabbage Soup

 

Chicken Soup is one of our favorites.  I rarely follow a recipe when making any kind of soup, yet I do have some basics for the various meats I use.  Most of the time when I think of Chicken soup I want something light and not overly heavy.  Chicken and cabbage soup is one of the “lighter soups” and very GAP/SCD approved. 

I prefer to cook my chicken on the stove top instead of the crock pot, although I once had a young man tell me that it is best cooked in a crock pot.  So whatever your preference will be best for you.  

Today I started with a big roasting bird and stuffed him in the new dutch oven my mother gave me for Christmas, filled up the pot with as much water as it would hold and sprinkled the said bird with salt, pepper, paprika, added some home dried lemon thyme, oregano, a hand full of mixed basils and set the bird on to simmer for several hours.  Simmer might not be the right word,  I basically got it good and hot (boiling) and then turn it down on to my lowest setting (warm).  I find this gives the soup a cleaner less heavy flavor.

By late afternoon, I got around to finishing it up.  At first, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with the chicken and stock…but I needed to make sauerkraut and as I got to chopping up cabbage for kraut I decided that chicken and cabbage soup was just what we wanted for dinner. 

I used 3/4 of a head of finely chopped cabbage, two good stalks of finely chopped celery, one medium-sized onion finely chopped, two or three small carrots for color.   And of course some of the deboned chicken.   And last but not least some freshly chopped parsley before serving.

 Chicken & Cabbage Soup

This basic recipe is also extremely variable.  I have made it at other times with tomatoes.  One can add green beans or peas for extra color and texture.  Or if you wanted a cream soup, you could blend up the veggies and add a dash of nutmeg.  The possibilities are endless.  So the next time you make chicken broth, let your creativity flow.