Sunday's Recipe Share -- Pork Chop Cacciatore

For Easter, I bought some jarred Eggplant and Vegetables to use as an appetizer.  It was really good, it was a mix of eggplants, peppers and onions in a tomato sauce.  Regardless, I did end up having quite a bit of the jar leftover, so I decided to mix it with some marinara sauce that I also had in my pantry and make some really simple Pork Chop Cacciatore.

I simply heated the leftover eggplant mixture, mashing it with a fork along with the entire contents of the can of marinara sauce.

I heated up a large skillet and added some extra virgin olive oil to it (you could use a dutch oven as well).  I pan seared the pork chops--I had 4 or 5--I did two at a time.  Then I put all the chops into the pan and dumped the entire pot of sauce over the top.  I covered it and let it simmer on medium heat for an hour or so.  That's it. Tender and delicious!

Sunday's Recipe Share -- Layered Ratatouille & Baked Eggplant "Skins"

I absolutely love eggplant, but that was not always the case.  The only way I'd eat it when I was a kid was when it was breaded and fried and dipped in tomato sauce.  Truthfully, it's the only way I ever ate it, because it was the only way it was ever served.

A while back I shared an appetizer recipe for Load Eggplant Rounds on my Facebook page and on Pinterest.  I call them Baked Eggplant "Skins" because they remind me of potato skins.  I made them for my mom's 85th birthday party and they were a big hit.  I think these are my favorite way to eat eggplant now.  The link to the recipe is below the picture.

Loaded Eggplant Rounds

This post, however is about Ratatouille.  I found a recipe for it that was delicious and now that I finally have a mandolin, the slicing will be so much easier!

This version has eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, green peppers, tomatoes and onions in it.  The recipe that I followed used red peppers, but I didn't have any.  When I made this, the tomatoes, peppers and herbs came from my garden.  I can't wait for warmer weather to start up my vegetable garden again!

Here's the link to the recipe:  Layered Ratatouille

Sunday's Recipe Share --Versatile Grain Free Crepes/Tortillas

I was so happy when I found this recipe! When I gave up gluten (and grains most of the time), I thought I'd never be able to enjoy things like manicotti, enchiladas, fajitas or crepes.  Happily, I was wrong.  This versatile recipe can play all those roles deliciously.

This is what they look like:

I have used them instead of the homemade "noodles" in my 3-Cheese Manicotti.  Delish! (sorry I had to)

I have used them instead of flour tortillas to make chicken fajitas (I just pan fry them a second time to crisp them up a bit), and enchiladas (your choice of fillings).

And more recently I used them as crepes.  I had some filling leftover from my chicken pot pies, as well as some leftover kale so......

I created these.  I sprinkled a little cheese on top, popped them into the microwave and...there you have it, a great nutritious lunch. A couple of dollops of full fat Greek yogurt finishes them off.  

The next day, I wanted something sweet, so I decided to make strawberry blintzes.  I took some cream cheese (full fat), added a dollop of Greek yogurt (full fat) and mixed in some leftover cut up strawberries and peaches....

a few more cut up strawberries and some pure maple syrup on top and presto, another great meal or a healthy dessert!

Here's the recipe for the crepes/tortillas:

Ingredients:

2/3 cup tapioca starch

1/3 cup coconut flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

large pinch salt

2 eggs

1-1/2 cups coconut or almond milk -- I used almond milk You may need to add more for thinner crepes

1 Tbls. olive oil or coconut oil (melted)--I used olive + more oil for cooking (I used a non-stick pan so I didn't need this)

Combine all dry ingredients, then add the wet ingredients and mix well. If using a cast iron or stainless steel pan, heat a little coconut oil in an 8 inch skillet. Again, I used non-stick so I didn't need this. You may need to repeat this after each crepe or every other depending on how seasoned you pan is.

I use a measuring cup (1/4 cup) to add the batter to the pan. Immediately swirl the batter to coat the pan. Let this cook for a minute or two--it will easily release from the pan when it's ready to flip. Flip after lightly browned and continue cooking until the other side is brown. Continue this process until all of the batter is used.

If you are making sweet crepes, you can add a bit of honey or maple syrup and a touch of vanilla to the batter. If you are making savory crepes or using as tortillas, you can add herbs like cilantro or oregano to taste.  

The recipe makes 10-12 crepes depending on how thick you make them.

Sunday's Recipe Share -- Gluten free, grain free Chicken Pot Pie

I had a very busy weekend, so I missed Friday and Saturday, but I didn't want to miss out in sharing this recipe with you.  I made these individual pot pies last week.  I've tried making a couple of different grain free pastry crusts and was not happy with the results.  Well, these are delicious!  I'm going to try making a sweet pie with this crust recipe--stay tuned for the results.

Here's the recipe:

Crust

1-⅓ c almond flour

½ c coconut flour

½ t. salt

2 eggs, whisked

10 T butter or coconut oil frozen

Filling

8 T butter or olive oil (I used a mix of the two)

1 c. diced carrots

1 med onion, diced (1 c.)

1 c chopped green beans (fresh or frozen and thawed)

2 celery stalks diced (1 c.)

1 t. salt + more if needed

½ t black pepper + more if needed

½ c arrowroot flour (or tapioca--I used tapioca starch/flour)

1 can full fat coconut milk

3 c. chicken broth, warm

1 T dried parsley

1 t. dried thyme

3 c. shredded or chunked cooked chicken

1 egg white

2 t water

Preheat oven to 400.

Make the crust: Combine 1st 3 ingredients in a food processor, pulse 4-5 times or til combined.  Add the eggs and blend until smooth--15 to 20 seconds.  Take butter from freezer and shred using a cheese grater.  Add half the grated butter to the processor, process for 10 seconds.  Add the other half and pulse a few times to just barely combine (small pieces of butter should be visible).  Remove this from the processor and divide into 4 equal pieces.  Press each piece into a ball and wrap individually with plastic wrap. I placed them into individual baggies.  Place in fridge to chill.

Make the filling:  Melt the butter in a large pot over med. heat.  Add the next 3 ingredients and cook for 5 minutes or until the onions become translucent. Add the celery and cook about 3-5 minutes more.

In a small bowl, mix together the salt, pepper and flour and then sprinkle it over the vegetable mixture.  Stir until the flour is mixed in well--about 2 mins.  Pour in the coconut milk and broth and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to med. and simmer until the mixture thickens to the consistency of gravy, about 10 mins. Add the parsley, thyme and chicken and simmer an additional 5-10 min. Season to taste with more salt and pepper if needed.

Assemble the pies:  Spoon filling into 4 12 oz measure cups/ramekins, filling them all the way to the top.  Remove the dough from the fridge and roll each ball between 2 pieces of parchment until it is just wider than the top of the baking dish (about ¼ inch thick).  Tip--I rolled the dough out right inside the plastic bag and then used a scissor to cut the bag down the middle to get the piece of dough out--it did not stick at all. Gently place the rolled dough over the top of each dish and press down the sides.  Whisk the egg whites and water in a small bowl.  Brush a thin coat of this over the entire crust.  Cut slits in the top of the crust to let steam escape.

Place pies on a jelly roll pan and bake for 15-20 minutes or til the tops are golden brown.  Remove from oven, let cool for 10-15 min. before serving. This is really important because that filling is HOT!