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.

 

Adding Ginger Root

Some times when I am standing in the kitchen cooking I will remember things that I forgot to put into a post or something that I “should” include but usually I promptly forget as I go on with my daily chores of life.   Well, this morning I thought that instead of trying to remember it all I might just start a Helpful Hints category enabling me to include some of these things that I forget at the time of writing.

Yesterday, as I was making a yummy pot of chicken stock, I remember that I had forgotten to mention something I learned a lot of years ago from the Korean culture. The Koreans put ginger root in their chicken when they boil it.  They will often stuff the cavity of the chicken with ginger.  This adds a clean yummy flavor to the chicken stock and I am sure that is the reason they use it.  But I have found that the ginger root also seems to cut the impurities that cooks out of the meat.  I was once told it cuts the unpleasant smell of cooking chicken, which I have found to be true.

It seems that only the Koreans use ginger like this in their chicken.  One day while shopping in the Asian store run by a Chinese woman, another Asian woman from a different cultural background came in.  From the conversation between the two I gathered the details.  This woman was involved in having a special graduation dinner for a Korean young woman.  This young woman had requested a particular recipe–chicken stuffed with ginger.  This lady was not Korean didn’t have a clue to what the young woman wanted, and was asking the Chinese woman for help, which she was unable  to give….And so there I stood, the obviously white caucasian, what else could I do but interjected into the conversation?  I explained to both women how the Koreans stuffed the chicken full of ginger.

Here you will find a traditional recipe http://www.trifood.com/samgyetang.asp

Not GAPS/ SCD approved but the basic tenants of the good flavors are still there.  Take out the rice and soy sauce and add in some of your own substitutionary ideas.  GAPS/SCD isn’t really that hard, we just have to get to the basics of good food and then work outwardly, eliminating those things we are not to eat and adding in those that we are allowed to eat.  For instance, I would replace the rice with carrots and celery.

In closing, Ginger root isn’t just for when you are sick but has many daily uses.  So the next time you are walking down the store aisle and see a clump of ginger root grab a hold and give it a fresh try.

 

 

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.