Chicken and Vegetables with Buckwheat

Did you know buckwheat is gluten free? The name is certainly misleading in this regard. I decided to toast some in the oven to use as a healthy grain in this casserole sort of chicken, mushroom and zucchini dish.

First, measure out the buckwheat you want to use, on a flat baking sheet. Toast this at 350° for a short time. Maybe 10 minutes, but stay with this, the buckwheat I finally used was my 3rd attempt. The first two went from light to dark and unusable, in no time.

The first photo shows bacon pieces frying. This is sort of an optional incidental. I just happened to be making that to transfer to paper towels, then to containers, just to have in the 'fridge. It sure tastes great as a crunchy topping to many things.

Once the buckwheat is toasted, transfer it to a pot with a lid and cook it like rice, with a buckwheat-to-water-ratio of 1 to 2.

Sauté the mushrooms in a couple tablespoons of the bacon grease until they start to brown. Add zucchini chunks, mix gently, cover and let cook over low-medium heat for several minutes before adding the chopped onion and mini peppers. When everything is crisp-tender, stir 6-8oz. of roasted chicken meat. Serve this with or over the buckwheat. After the first serving, I combined them in a casserole dish. It would travel well and be a unique addition to any potluck.

~ ~ Don't forget the bacon! . .Lin ~ ~

Vegetable, Fruit, Seeds and Nuts, Corn, Wheat and Rye Quick Bread - Muffins

In a big glass bowl, whisk together these dry ingredients:

1c rye flour

1+1/2c all purpose flour

1/2c corn flour

1t salt

1t baking soda

1t baking powder

1T pumpkin pie spice

2T chia seeds

2T ground flax seeds

1c chopped pecans or walnuts

In a smaller bowl, stir together:

3 lightly beaten lg. eggs

3/4c single source EVOO

3/4c plain Greek yogurt

3/4c dark brown sugar

1c raisins

1T real (Mexican) vanilla

When ingredients in the smaller bowl are combined, stir in:

2 med. carrots + 1 8oz. zucchini - shredded

Preheat your oven to 375°F.
Pour the ingredients from the smaller bowl into the big bowl. Stir-mix well with a rubber spatula. The batter will be heavy - my spatula was able to stand up in the center of the bowl. Using a serving spoon, fill each paper lined muffin cup 3/4 full with the batter.

The remaining batter will keep several days in your 'fridge, or you can bake it into a loaf of quick bread in a greased loaf pan. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins and bread with spiced sugar if you want, just before baking.

Bake the muffins for 20 minutes or until they pass the toothpick test. The batter in the bread pan will probably take another 5-10 minutes to bake all the way through. . .Lin

Whole 30 - Beef-Brussels Sprouts-Kale-Zucchini Stew

I grew up on beef stew as a child and didn't really like it much. I'm always looking for ways to change it up.

Also, other than when I'm making a big meatloaf, I rarely buy ground meat. However, I saw these black angus burgers and somehow just had to snap them up! I've quick pan fried them for dinner with steamed vegetables a couple times recently and they were excellent! 

Yesterday I decided to partially thaw two (1/2# total) and cut them into chunks. Leaving them like that almost makes this a meatball stew!

I stir-sauteed the carrots and celery, until everything was sizzling, in a little ghee, or you could use a good single source EVOO. Then added the ground beef chunks (resist the urge to break them up!) and sizzled everything a little longer. Meanwhile, I slice-chopped the green and yellow zucchini, Brussels sprouts, and green pepper. * After 5-10 minutes of sizzle time, I added those vegetables and a drizzle of bone broth to the pot. Simmer for several minutes.

Add 2c of bone broth, and turn up the heat so everything gets well warmed to bring out the flavors and the aromas start to waft your way.

I seasoned with about 1T of a salt-free ground vegetable blend, Himalayan pink salt, black + cayenne pepper and 2 big spoonsful of pure tomato paste. Last, I stirred in the chopped kale and green onions. Simmer everything until the kale wilts.

This was perfect for a late dinner last night with a big mug of ginger-turmeric herb tea.

This keeps and reheats well for several days in the refrigerator and would also freeze nicely. Then after a really busy day with work or with your children, it can be slow simmered for a hot, healthy dinner when you're just too tired to cook.

You could also add some *cubed Yukon Gold potatoes for a more hearty version. I didn't think of that when these ingredients were being prepped. Mmmm, this is good! . .Lin

Whole 30 - Chicken-Mushroom-Zucchini Stew

Saute 10oz. sliced mushrooms in ghee until lightly browned.

Add cubed Yukon Gold potatoes and zucchini and a little chicken broth. Stir in 1-1/2c chopped peppers and onion, 1T mild Japanese curry powder, 1c marinara, 1c coconut-almond plant milk (recipe posted below) and 8oz. roasted chicken.

Stir everything together and gently simmer until the vegetables are done the way you like. . .Lin

Zucchini-Walnut Muffins

In a big bowl, combine the following:

1c plain whole milk Greek yogurt 

3 lg. pasture-raised eggs

1/3c organic cane sugar

1c brown sugar

1/2c olive oil

2T Mexican vanilla

1c chopped walnuts

1/3c craisins

1oz. candied ginger

zest of: 1 orange and 1 grapefruit

2c finely chopped zucchini - 1 med. zucchini

In a smaller bowl, stir together these dry ingredients, then add to the big bowl, half at a time, stirring everything together well:

2c unbleached organic flour

3/4c corn flour

1T ground cinnamon

2T ground chia and flax seeds

1t each: salt, baking soda, baking powder

Spoon into paper lined muffin tins. Sprinkle the tops with cinnamon-spiced turbinado and coconut sugar. (1T ground cinnamon + 1/4c of each type of sugar) Bake in a preheated 350° oven, 20-25 minutes. Makes 24 nice sized muffins. . .Lin

Montreal Griller and Vegetable Skillet Stew

Those Montreal Grillers are amazing!

I thawed the remaining 3 today, up at the lake, and listened to the waves splashing on the shore while cooking. Doesn't get any better!

Sunny, breezy and perfect temperature in the mid-high 50's. However, temps into the 90's are predicted for the next couple days, but here at The Big Lake, that may not happen.

Slice-chop the following, season with garlic salt and black pepper. Sauté, covered 10 minutes.

2 big carrots

3 stalks celery

1/4 med. purple onion

2-3T EVOO

Trim all the fat off the meat and cut it across the grain, into bite size pieces. Move the vegetables to the edges of the pan and put the meat in the open, center, space.

Cover and continue to cook over low heat another 5 minutes while slice-chopping the rest of the vegetables.  I kept this pretty bland, you might need to add more garlic salt, black pepper and sour cream for more flavor and dimension.

2 med. zucchini

3/4 med. purple onion

4 colorful mini peppers

4 little Yukon Gold potatoes

1 can stewed tomatoes and juice

3/4c-1c Sauvignon Blanc (dry white wine) OPTIONAL

Simmer another 10 minutes or so, check the vegetables. When they're done the way you like. . .It's Ready! . .Lin

Zucchini and Vegetable Curry

I love zucchini! I recently bought some in its prime. . .3-1/2# of it! I made zucchini fritters a while ago and my family loved them, so that will definitely happen again. For now, I decided to cook some to have over black beans. It was a good idea!

20oz. green and yellow zucchini

8oz. mushrooms - any kind you like

1-2oz. sun dried tomatoes

1/2 lg. purple onion

2-3oz. EVOO

Sauté everything 10-15 minutes, covered, then add:

14.5oz. stewed tomatoes and juice - cut up, whatever seasonings you like. Today I sprinkled on Rosemary Seasoning, and some Vindaloo for a little curry kick. . .Lin

Colorful Zucchini Casserole

4 8-inch zucchini

1 med. onion

colorful sweet pepper

1 can sliced stewed tomatoes

Slice all the vegetables, chop the tomatoes and combine in the casserole dish. Bake, covered, at 375° a half hour. Baste the vegetables then return to the oven and continue baking until the zucchini is done the way you like.

Using a turkey baster, baste again, then put most of the juice in a separate container. Pour it over your dog's dry food or put it aside to make vegetable broth. I added mine to the chicken bone broth I'm currently simmering.

Cut up 6oz. cheese and put on top, then sprinkle with 2/3c± seasoned panko breadcrumbs.

Put it under the broiler, set on low, for a few minutes to melt the cheese and crisp up the breadcrumbs. . .Lin

Salmon and Spiralized Vegetables + Tomato Pesto Dill Cream Sauce

First, spiralize the 3 zucchini and 1 big rose-orange sweet potato. The vegetable noodles will be very long. Cut them with a scissor if you'd like, then put it in a big roasting pan. Drizzle with 3-4T EVOO and sprinkle with 1t Himalayan pink salt. Roast this uncovered in a 325° oven for 20 minutes. Put this in a smaller baking dish as the bottom layer.

Meanwhile make the sauce. Begin by sautéing the first chopped vegetables in 2-3T EVOO over medium heat, then add the next ingredients. Simmer over low heat until soft, about 40 minutes, then remove from the heat and let it cool 15 minutes or so...

1 lg. purple shallot = 2c chopped

ends of the spiralized vegetables

1/4 lg. green bell pepper

5 big garlic cloves

1T dry parsley

1/3c tomato pesto

1t Penzeys Smoky 4/S

28oz. crushed tomatoes

1t Himalayan pink salt

2T dark Balsamic vinegar

1t sharp Hungarian paprika

Top left filet is skinned

While the sauce is simmering, put 20oz. of salmon filets grey skin side down in a non-stick pan. Slowly heat them until the color changes just a bit. Remove them from the heat, remove and discard the skin. 

Arrange the fish over the vegetable 'noodles.' Add a thin layer of the sauce as it is now. Set aside 1c. After 5 minutes or so, to this cup of cooled sauce, add sour cream, dill and stir this together. 

Shown before final 15 minute heating

2/3c whole fat sour cream

2t dry dill

Spoon the dill cream sauce over everything.Refrigerate the unused tomato-vegetable sauce to use over baked chicken, plain pasta or spaghetti and meatballs, in the future. Cover the sauced fish and vegetable noodles. Heat in a preheated 300° oven, 15 minutes or so before serving. . .Lin

Quick Sautéed Vegetables. . .and eggs!

The other afternoon, the only thing I wanted for dinner was vegetables. Really heavy on garlic, sautéed in really good EVOO and seasoned the way I like. So that's what I made. Then the following day, the only thing I wanted for a really late breakfast, was one perfect pasture-raised egg. . .with more of those vegetables. So. . .ahh, leftovers are wonderful!

This was simple and basic, I chopped everything shown and sautéed it all together, for a few minutes. These weren't meant to be crispy, stir-fried, so I added a little water, a teaspoon of the vegetable Better Than Bouillon and a pinch of my spicy rosemary seasoning.

Breakfast was, as mentioned above, that day and also again today. While heating the vegetables, as soon as they started sizzling, crack in a perfect egg, mine was broken it the way I like, and cooked just right. Don't confine yourself to just breakfast food before noon. Expand your scope! Listen to your gut. . .Have the Spaghetti at 9am! . .Lin

Olive-Zucchini-Pesto Pasta with Chicken

This was fun. . !

I had 12oz. of mushrooms and 4 small zucchini just at their peak or a bit past.  After a long day of cooking and outside plant work in the heat, I still wanted to get this done, so I started it at 10pm.  It's a little after midnight now, so. . .not bad!  Some would call this Puttanesca, but although similar, it doesn't have all the same ingredients.  Start by browning the chicken in the EVOO over med.-high heat:

8oz. boneless, skinless chicken cut in small pieces
2T single source EVOO
seasonings - I used black and cayenne pepper, Himalayan pink salt, and ground rosemary

Once that's cooked, remove it from the pan and add the following vegetables. Add more EVOO if needed to stir-saute' for 10-15 minutes, adding bone broth when needed.

12oz. mushrooms, washed and sliced
4 zucchini cut in quarters lengthwise then sliced
1/2c basil-parmesan-pinenut pesto

Next add the sliced green onions, 1/2 a small jar of drained pimento, 1c± sliced pickled garlic and spicy Sicilian olives, and more broth or pesto if needed. Simmer on a low bubble for 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken and just bring back to a simmer. Serve over your favorite pasta. I used spicy red pepper spaghetti. . .Lin

Ajvar-Simmered Sliced Beef and Zucchini

2/3# thin sliced beef

2T EVOO
2T aged dark balsamic vinegar
1/2 lg. purple onion - chopped
2 lg. stalks celery - sliced
2 med. zucchini - cubed

Heat the oil, add a small amount of the onion that's been more finely chopped, with the beef. Stir fry this for a couple minutes over medium heat. Add the vinegar and keep cooking and stirring until the beef browns and begins to stick to the pot.

Using 1c of beef or vegetable broth, a little at a time, deglaze the pan.  Let it brown again, and repeat the process several times. Add the rest of the vegetables, 1/2c of Ajvar sauce. Stir, cover and simmer on low 30 minutes. Stir well, check the flavors and add anything needed. I did not add any of the salt shown. Good browning and deglazing often eliminates the need for that! Simmer on low heat another 20 minutes.

At this point it seemed the flavor needed a bit of a boost but I couldn't place just what would do it. Then I realized it needed something warm, sweet and savory. I added 1t pumpkin pie spice (!) and it was perfect!

This turned out so well. The meat was tender and full of flavor, and the vegetables were just right. Don't be afraid to try mixing sweet and savory. Sometimes that crossover is just what's needed! . .Lin

Spiralized Zucchini Stir-Fry

Spiralize:

1 sm. - med. green zucchini

1 sm. - med. yellow zucchini

2 sm. peeled kohlrabi

5 lg. garlic cloves - sliced thin

Set these aside for now.

2T toasted (dark) sesame oil

6 oz. sliced mushrooms

⅛-¼ red pepper - sliced

Heat up your wok and add the oil.  After a couple minutes, add a couple pieces of mushrooms and peppers. The oil in the wok should sizzle when you add these.  If so the temperature is right - add the rest of them.  If not, wait until the pieces in the oil begin to sizzle then add the rest.  Stir, then cover with a small domed cover to steam-sauté for a couple minutes.

Now Add:
1 lg. purple shallot - sliced

½c salt and pepper cashews

After a few minutes, cut the spiralized vegetables into smaller strands with scissors.  Toss those into the wok along with the sliced garlic.  Stir, add any Asian sauce you like, stir and cover again.  Let steam-sauté' a couple minutes, uncover, stir until everything's done the way you like it.  Makes 2 servings. . .Lin

A Colorful Zucchini Pasta Thing

4c zucchini chunks

2T coconut oil

1 celery heart - chopped

¾c chopped green pepper

½ lg. yellow onion - chopped

3-4 lg. garlic cloves - minced

2-3c finely chopped grape tomatoes

1T roasted garlic and herb seasoning

1-2T vegetable soup base

1-2T sugar
⅓c sunflower or pumpkin seeds

4T of a nut based salsa

chopped celery tops

¼c dry white wine*

4oz. colorful uncooked pasta

Scrub the zucchini, then cut it in half or quarters, lengthwise.  Scoop or cut out the seeds and throw these away.  Cut what remains into chunks.  Combine these with the other ingredients in the first group, cover and simmer on low until the zucchini becomes a little translucent.

Combine the tomatoes and the rest of those ingredients to make a vegetable 'sauce' for the pasta and vegetables *(I often freeze wine in an ice cube tray to use later in recipes.  2 standard cubes = ¼c)  Microwave 1 minute then stir and set aside.

Cook the pasta separately just to the al dente' stage.  Drain and combine with the sauteed vegetables and tomato mixture.  Top with cheese and bake uncovered 15 minutes at 350⁰. . .Lin

A Mexican Calabacita Adventure

1½-3 calabacita squash

1c chopped celery & tops

¼ lg. white onion with top

1-2t Penzey's Shallot Pepper

1-2T extra virgin olive oil

¼-⅓c dry white wine

½c mild Ajvar

1-2 cans drained corn

rest of the onion - diced

3 lg. cloves garlic - sliced

1 lg. 20 oz. beefsteak tomato

Doya know by now. . .that I love grocery shopping? 😀 Especially in ethnic markets where there are strange and wonderful vegetables, fruit, beans, meat and even breads that I bring home, then Google for information!  After my recent trip to the Chicago suburbs, I'm really loving all my wonderful finds from one amazing European market in Darien, IL and Farmer's Best Market in Northlake, IL.  These food treasures temporarily give great dimension to my cooking and food choices.  If I discover something I really love, it's often available to purchase and have shipped online! 😀 This morning I had a Food Adventure Breakfast using wonderful finds from my ethnic market shopping: 1 small, heavy piece of dark Lithuanian Juoda Duona bread, with sunflower seeds.  Spread with a little goose liver pate,' a thin slice of onion, topped with mashed avocado and shallot pepper seasoning 😋 Oh my. . .

Ahhh, back to this recipe. . .scrub, then cut the squash lengthwise, into quarters into a big heavy pot.  (calabacita means 'little squash' in Spanish. . .They're grown primarily in the southwest and Mexico and are very similar to zucchini)  Add the celery and a little of the onion, finely chopped with a couple tablespoons of good quality extra virgin olive oil, seasonings and ¼c of dry white wine.  Simmer on med. - high heat for about 15 minutes until the celery and squash are a bit translucent.  Add the remaining ingredients, stir, cover and simmer   Top with grated or cubed Kefalotyri cheese, if you have access to a European market.  This is a hard, Greek cheese usually made from a mix of sheep and goat's milk.  This particular brand, Kalios, uses cow's milk, and it's great.  Not as salty as Italian and French hard cheeses.

Ahhh, fun-adventurous cooking. . .with unusual, found treasures. . .
Definitely My Thing. . .Lin

Chicken Zucchini with Pasta and Pink Sauce

12oz. lean chicken cut in cubes

5 cloves sliced garlic

½c dry white wine

Tuscan seasoning

Salt and Pepper

2T butter

Combine these ingredients in a 4 quart heavy-bottomed pot, simmer-saute' 10-15 minutes then add:

½c chopped purple onion

another ½c dry white wine

1 sliced mini yellow pepper

1 sliced mini orange pepper
½c chopped sun-dried tomatoes

12oz. of your favorite red sauce

4 sm.-med. zucchini - quartered lengthwise

Simmer all this together, covered, over low-medium heat.

¾c dry medium pasta

8-12oz. Alfredo sauce

Meanwhile, cook the pasta separately, in a 2 quart pot, until barely tender.  Drain, then add the pasta to the pot, saving a little of the pasta water to add if needed.

When the zucchini is turning translucent, but not mushy, add the Alfredo sauce, stir, heat again, to a slow bubble, before serving.  The combination of Alfredo and red sauce is called 'pink' sauce, which I feel is a misnomer.  It's actually orange.  Regardless, it's really good.😊. . .Lin

Italian Minnesota "Hot Dish"

2 sm.-med. zucchini 

¼ lg. purple shallot - chopped

½t fresh ground black pepper

½c roasted-salted pumpkin seed kernels

½t garlic sea salt

1-2 T butter

2 lg. garlic cloves - chopped

¾ lg. purple shallot - chunked

1 14.5oz. can diced tomatoes

1½c dry pasta

Saute' the first group of ingredients over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, to brown the zucchini a bit.  Cook until the vegetables get somewhat translucent.  Add the next group, cover and simmer for 15 minutes on low-medium heat.  Check and stir occasionally.  Meanwhile cook the pasta until it's almost al dente.  Drain, then quickly transfer the pasta to the vegetable pan and fold together.  Add a ladle or two of the pasta water to the vegetable mix, stir gently.  Bring the pan back to a quick boil, stirring the whole time.  Pour into a casserole container and proudly take this Italian Minnesota Hot Dish to your next Pot Luck Dinner...Lin