Best Yet Chicken Enchiladas

1 Tablespoons coconut oil

1/2 small onion, peeled and diced

1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced into small 1/2-inch pieces

salt and pepper

1 diced jalepeno (optional)

1 cup black beans (we have them in the freezer because we cook these ahead, if you use canned please drain and rinse)**

4-5 Gluten-Free corn tortillas

1 1/2 cups Mexican-blend shredded cheese (Gabby's are made with dairy free cheese and a bit of coconut milk which tends to make the recipe creamier)

1 batch red enchilada sauce (below), or 1/2 can store-bought enchilada sauce

(optional: 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro)

 DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  
2. Prepare your enchilada sauce, if making homemade.
3. In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and Jalepeno and saute for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4.  Add diced chicken, and season with salt and pepper.  Saute for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the chicken is cooked through (you can also use left-over chicken for this recipe).  Remove from heat and set aside.
5. To assemble the enchiladas, set up an assembly line including: tortillas, enchilada sauce, beans, chicken mixture, and cheese. Lay out a tortilla, and spread two tablespoons of sauce over the surface of the tortilla.  Add beans in a line down the middle of the tortilla, then add in a spoonful of the chicken mixture, then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cheese. Roll up tortilla and place in a greased 9 x 9-inch baking dish. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.  Then spread the remaining enchilada sauce on top of the tortillas, and sprinkle on the remaining shredded cheese.

Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and serve immediately, garnished with chopped fresh cilantro if desired.

Enchilada Sauce

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. coconut oil
 1 Tbsp. Gluten-Free Flour Blend
 1-2 Tbsp. chili powder (some like it hot and some not)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. oregano
1 cup chicken stock

Directions:

Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour and stir together over the heat for one minute. Stir in the remaining seasonings (chili powder through oregano). Then gradually add in the stock, whisking constantly to remove lumps. Reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes until thick.

My recipes are scaled to serve 2-3 but we usually still have left-overs.  All our ingredients are Organic and meats assumed to be Pasture/Grass Fed Organic.

**Beans are great for reducing protein costs and stabilizing blood sugars.

SERVED WITH OUR SUPER SALAD

Both recipes adapted from recipes found at: http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/best-chicken-enchiladas-ever/ 

Toddler Size Chicken Pot Pies

I don't have an actual recipe for you today, just a technique! 

I don't know about you but I often need a quick lunch for Gabby and sometimes a lunch that I can take for me when I go out with the girls, etc.  Being Gluten-Intolerant is sometimes a problem but if have something to take along then, well, it's no longer a problem.  I can just add a drink and take one of these little pies and my own salad and I'm good to go.

Here's the pan I used.  I also use these pans to make sandwich buns for myself. This would also make perfect individual sweet pies and I plan to try this tomorrow.

MAKE YOUR PIE CRUST

Use the pie crust recipe you use for any pie you make.  I refrigerate mine for at least an hour.

MAKE YOUR CHICKEN GRAVY MIX

You can use any left-over chicken you have, chicken you've picked off the bones when you make stock or just a couple of legs cooked up in some water (make broth for the recipe by adding a couple carlic cloves, some onion, the leaf ends of a couple stalks of celery).  Dice up the chicken.

I used some left-over peas and carrots and a bit of left over mashed potatoes that helped to thicken the broth.  I put some coconut oil in the bottom of a pan added some finely diced Broccoli stocks (if you are like me you want to use those stalks some how...you paid for them), 2 green onions that needed used up, and a diced cheek from a large red pepper although you can use green (a pepper has 4 cheeks, just slice one off and dice it reserving the rest).  You can also use corn but I tend to have issues with corn so I leave it alone.  Cook up the raw veggies until tender then add some flour of your choice whisked in some chicken broth and make the gravy.

Roll out the dough.  I used the top of a wide-mouth quart jar to cut out the pie crust and tops and it worked perfectly.  Add a couple tablespoons of gravy after you put the bottom in the pan and add the lid.  I baked these for about 20 minute at 350 degrees.

Serve them hot today, let them cool and put the remainder in the freezer for a quick lunch.

Gabby loved them!  She gobbled it up then she gave me one of those great big GABBY SMILES!

Chicken, Asparagus and Bacon

• 1/2 pound asparagus spears, trimmed
• 2 slices bacon, coarsely chopped
• 1 large boned chicken breast half, sliced into 4 pieces
• salt & pepper
• 1 medium yellow summer squash, halved lengthwise, seeded,  and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3/4 chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine
• 1 tablespoons flour (I use my gluten-free blend)
• 1/4 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel

1. Cook asparagus in a small amount of boiling water about 3 minutes.  Drain.  Immediately plunge asparagus into ice water to stop cooking.
2. In skillet cook bacon over medium heat until crisp.  Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.  Reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet.
3. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.  Cook chicken in skillet with drippings about 5 min on each side over med-high heat.  Remove from skillet and keep warm.
4. Add squash to skillet and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
5. In a bowl whisk flour and broth with lemon peel.  Add to skillet.  Cook and stir until thickened.  Add asparagus and chicken.  Cover and cook about 6 minutes on med heat.  Sprinkle with bacon.

We added a sliced baked sweet potato to our plates.  Serves TWO.  It was a marvelous supper!