Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup

Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
1 1/2 lb chicken breast
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1- 15 oz can diced tomatoes
2 c chicken broth
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
1 t oregano
1/2 t paprika
salt and pepper, to taste
1- 13.5 oz can coconut milk, opt
2 T cilantro, chopped
1 avocado, pitted and sliced

1. Place chicken in the bottom of a slow cooker; add onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, and garlic.
2. Pour in tomatoes and broth; sprinkle with chili powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper.
3. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Shred chicken before serving. Stir in coconut milk. Garnish with cilantro and avocado.

Oven-Baked Bacon

Oven-Baked Bacon
1 lb bacon

1. Preheat oven to 425* and place one cooling rack each on two jellyroll pans.
2. Place bacon on cooling racks, careful not to overlap; bake for 15-25 minutes, depending on desired crispness.

Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash
1 medium, fat spaghetti squash

1. Slice squash widthwise into 1" rings; run a knife along the interior of the rings to remove seeds.
2. Salt both sides of each ring liberally and place on a cooling rack for 15-20 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 375* and a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
4. Wipe excess moisture from squash rings and lay in a single layer on the cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 40 minutes; allow to cool for 15 minutes and then peel away skin and separate strands into long "noodles".

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Thai Soup

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Thai Soup
2 lb butternut squash, peeled and diced
21 oz unsweetened coconut milk
3 c chicken broth
3 t onion powder
1-3 t sriracha, to taste
juice of 2 limes + zest of 1 lime, separated
1 t garlic powder
1 t curry powder
3 t salt, or to taste
1/4 c chopped cilantro
1/4 c chopped cashews
1/2 t red chili pepper flakes (opt)

1. Add butternut squash, coconut milk, chicken broth, onion powder, sriracha, lime juice, garlic powder, and curry powder in a slow cooker; cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours (or on low for 4-5 hours).
2. Using an immersion blender (or regular blender or food processor), blend soup; add salt to taste and additional milk, if desired.
3. In a small bowl, combine cilantro, cashews, red chili pepper flakes, and lime zest; sprinkle over individual servings of soup. 

Dump Ranch

Dump Ranch
1 egg at room temperature
1 c light-tasting olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
2 T red wine vinegar
1 t salt
1 t pepper
3/4 t onion powder
3/4 t garlic powder
1/2 c full-fat coconut milk
1 handful fresh parsley
1/2 T dried dill

1. Blend all ingredients with an immersion blender for about a minute, until well combined.
Will last about a week in the fridge.

Mini Frittatas

Mini Frittatas
12 eggs
12 slices of bacon
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 c shredded sweet potato
3/4 c chopped mushrooms
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400* and line the 12 cups of a muffin tin with one slice of bacon each; bake for 15 minutes. Drain the bacon grease and reduce oven heat to 350*.
2. While the bacon is cooking, mix all other ingredients in a medium bowl; divide mixture among the 12 muffin cups.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test.

Italian Meatballs

Italian Meatballs
2 lb ground beef
1 lb ground turkey
2 eggs
2 T olive oil
1 t salt
1 t oregano
1 t basil
2 t rosemary
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, finely diced
29 oz tomato sauce

1. In a large bowl, combine beef, turkey, eggs, olive oil, salt, oregano, basil, and rosemary; gently mix until just combined.

2. In a large pot, over medium-high heat, heat 2-3 tablespoons oil. Drop golf ball-sized meatballs in the pot, brown on all sides, and remove to a plate. Repeat with remaining meat mixture.

3.When all meatballs are cooked and removed to the plate, add garlic and onion to the now-empty pot; cook until onions are clear.
4. Add tomato sauce and meatballs to pot and reduce heat to medium-low; simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Serve over spaghetti [squash].

Guiltless Oatmeal Bites

Guiltless Oatmeal Bites
3 over-ripe bananas
1/3 c applesauce
2 c oats
1/4 c milk
1 t vanilla
1 t cinnamon
1/2 c of at least one or two of the following: raisins, craisins, chocolate chips, or coconut

1. Preheat oven to 350* and lightly grease a 9x13 pan.
2. Mix all ingredients together and pour in to pan; bake for 45 minutes. Once cooled, cut into bite-sized pieces and serve.

Chocolate Quinoa Cake

Chocolate Quinoa Cake
1- 13.5 oz can full fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight, separated
4 eggs
1 t vanilla
2 c cooked quinoa (use about 3/4 c dry), room temperature
8 T butter, room temperature
1 c sugar
1 c cocoa powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt

1 1/2 c chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350* and line two round cake pans (or a 9x13 pan) with parchment paper and grease lightly.
2. Open your can of coconut milk, scoop out the semi-solid fat on the top and set aside.
3. Pour 1/3 c of the remaining coconut milk into a food processor and blend with eggs and vanilla; add the quinoa and butter.
4. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl; mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
5. Pour half of the batter into each pan (or all into the 9x13) and bake for 30 minutes; tip out on to a cooling rack to cool.
6. For the frosting, melt the chocolate in a small pot over medium-low heat; stir in reserved coconut milk fat. Pour into a large bowl and refrigerate until thickened.
7. Remove the frosting from the fridge and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Frost your cake and keep it in a cool setting.

GF Crustless Pizza

GF Crustless Pizza
Crust:
1- 8 oz pkg full fat cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1/4 t black pepper
1 t garlic powder
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
Toppings:
1/2 c pizza sauce
1 1/2 c mozzarella cheese
pizza toppings - pepperoni, sausage, bacon, ham, peppers, pineapple, olives, etc
garlic powder
 
1. Preheat oven to 350* and lightly grease a 9x13 pan. 
2. Mix all crust ingredients together and spread on pan.
3. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before adding toppings.
4. Spread pizza sauce on crust and top with cheese and toppings; sprinkle with garlic powder and bake for another 8-10 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Pot Roast

Pot Roast
2 T olive oil
2 onions, roughly chopped
2 lb (or about 10) carrots, roughly chopped
3-5 lb chuck roast
salt and pepper
3 c beef broth
2 t rosemary
2 t thyme

1. In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat; add onions and, covered, brown.
2. Remove onions to a plate and set aside; add carrots to pan and heat for about 2-3 minutes, covered, until browned. Reserve the carrots with the onions.
3. Generously salt and pepper roast; turn burner up to high heat. If needed, add some more olive oil to the pan before adding the roast.
4. Sear roast for about a minute on each side until it's brown all over; place in slow cooker.
5. Combine broth, rosemary, and thyme in a small bowl.
6. Deglaze the pan by adding about cup of broth mixture (it may smoke a bit) and scraping the bits off of the bottom; pour contents over roast.
7. Add vegetables to slow cooker and then pour in remaining broth mixture.
8. Cook on low for 8 hours, or until fall-apart tender.

GF Cauliflower Pizza Crust

I got this recipe from my friend Cassie, who got it from here. Of course I tweaked it a bit.

GF Cauliflower Pizza Crust
1 head of cauliflower, chopped into tiny pieces
2 eggs [or try 3 egg whites]
1 1/2 c shredded cheese (Mozzarella or Cheddar work best)
1 t fennel seeds
2 t dried oregano
1 1/2 T dried parsley
Toppings of choice and extra cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450*; foil-line and grease a baking sheet.
2. Microwave cauliflower until cooked, about 5-8 minutes; drain condensation water and let cool*.
3. In a medium bowl, combine cauliflower, eggs, and cheese; spread evenly on baking sheet.
4. Sprinkle herbs over crust and bake for 17-20 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and turn on broiler.
6. Top with sauce, toppings, and cheese; broil for 1-2 minutes, until cheese is melted and crust is browned well.
*I didn't cook the cauliflower before I mixed it with the eggs and cheese. As a result, my crust was a little more pliable.