Chunky Monkey Cookies (Sugar Free)

A friend of mine posted this recipe on Facebook. I adapted it to work with what I had on hand (and using ingredients that can usually be found in South Asia).

Chunky Monkey Cookies

5 small bananas (or 3 large ones)

2 cups oats

1/4 cup natural peanut butter (just grind peanuts in your mixee until smooth)

Pinch of salt

1 small apple, peeled, cored, and puréed

1 tsp vanilla

To make these chocolate, add 1/4 cup cocoa powder (optional).

Preheat oven to 200 C. Mash bananas then add other ingredients, mixing well. Drop by spoon full on a cookie sheet coated with coconut oil or butter. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

This is Trim Healthy Mama friendly if you only eat a couple (E). GAPS friendly too (I think - Andrea?)

(No Tortilla) Chicken Enchilada Bake

A couple of months ago, we invited Rachel and her family over for dinner.  We've had them over for dinner again since that time, but it was a couple months ago that I made this:

Chicken Enchilada Bake

She's asked me to post the recipe here, especially since this requires no tortillas.  Because who wants to make tortillas in this heat?  

Since it doesn't have any tortillas, it is gluten free, Trim Healthy Mama (THM) and (I think - right, Andrea?) GAPS friendly. 

Gather your ingredients: 

Salt, tomato puree, cumin, green peppers, onions, garlic, chicken, and cheese.

 Layer the chicken, enchilada sauce, and onions and peppers.

Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 200 C for 30 minutes.

Chicken Enchilada Bake

For Enchilada Sauce:

4 small boxes tomato puree

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp salt

6 small cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup onion, finely chopped (optional)

Combine in a sauce pan.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes.  

Other Ingredients:

3 medium onions, chopped

3 green peppers, chopped

butter

2 kg chicken, cooked and chopped/shredded

2-3 cups shredded cheese (mozzarella or cheddar work well)

Directions:

Saute onions and peppers in a small amount of butter (approximately 1 tsp).  Place a layer of chicken on the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan/casserole dish.  Next, pour the enchilada sauce over the chicken. Then, evenly layer the onions and peppers.  Finally, sprinkle the cheese on top.  Bake at 200 C for 30 minutes.  Serve with Spanish (brown) rice, salsa, plain yogurt, avocado, black olives, or any other yummy Mexican food toppings.  

Note:

If you don't have an oven, just heat the enchilada sauce longer until it is thicker, and sprinkle with cheese while the chicken is still hot to melt it.  To make this easier, I cook my chicken with the ingredients for the enchilada sauce together in my crockpot on high for about 5 hours, then finish up with the onions and peppers, sprinkle with cheese and bake. 

Shannon's Chicken and Dumplings

From ShannonB

Chicken and Dumplings

Fill a 3 quart pot with water about 3/4ths of the way.

Add 3-4 Tbsp chicken bouillon

Add 1 or 2 chopped onions

Add 4 chicken quarters or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer for 1 1/2 - 2 hours

If you used chicken quarters, remove them and set them aside to cool, reserving the broth. If you used chicken breasts you can just add the dumplings to the broth and meat without removing it. At this point, add more water to refill the pot if needed and add one more tablespoon of chicken bouillon.

4 cups all purpose flour

2 Tbsp baking powder

2 1/2 tsp of salt

2 cups milk

Mix and drop by spoonfuls into the broth. Simmer for 20-30 more minutes. If you used boned chicken, remove the chicken from the bones after it has cooled. Add chicken during the last 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Caramel Apple Dip

This is a great recipe from ShannonB. What a great idea to whip up for unexpected guests in a hurry! I'm guessing that most of us keep brown sugar on hand. If not, I bet you could substitute breakfast sugar and a little vanilla to get the coloring right. I'll try and let you know how it comes out. :)

Caramel Apple Dip

1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 - 2 cups yogurt (to taste)

Melt the butter and cream it together with the brown sugar. Mix with the yogurt and serve with apple slices.