Lemongrass – Ginger Marinade for Chicken (or veggies/tofu/fish)

I came up with this marinade for my honey, he loves Asian-inspired dishes.

For my vegan, vegetarian and pescatarian friends, this marinade would be great with veggies, organic firm non-GMO tofu, or fish. 

Equipment: Cutting Board, Sharp Knife, Microplane Rasp/Zester or Standing Grater, Blender, Gallon-Size Ziplock Bag or Bowl for marinade, Baking Pan with Wire Roasting Rack

·      1 lemongrass – remove top, dice

·      2 inch chunk ginger – peeled, dice

·      1 leek – remove green tops and end, dice

·      3 fresh garlic cloves – peeled

·      ½-1 lemon – zest and juiced

·      1 teaspoon dried thyme

·      ½ teaspoon kelp granules (See Resources)

·      ½ teaspoon Celtic sea salt (See Resources)

·      3 tablespoons organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar

·      2 tablespoons honey, organic grade B maple syrup or organic apple juice

·      2 tablespoons coconut aminos (or substitute with gluten-free tamari)

·      1 tablespoon organic sesame oil

·      1 tablespoon fish sauce (optional, omit for vegan/vegetarian)

·      2-3 pounds organic or pastured chicken thighs or drumsticks

1.    Wash and prep lemongrass, ginger, leek, garlic and lemon.  Remove top from lemongrass, peel the ginger, remove green tops and end of leek (make sure you get any sand out inside the leek when you wash it), and peel the garlic cloves.  Rough chop the lemongrass, ginger and leek.  Zest the lemon with a microplane rasp or a standing grater.   

2.   Add to blender - chopped lemongrass, ginger, leek, garlic and lemon zest to blender.  Add juice from the lemon.  Add thyme, kelp, sea salt, apple cider vinegar, honey, coconut aminos, sesame oil and optional fish sauce.

3.   Pulse in blender until smooth and combined. 

4.   Place chicken (or veggies/tofu/fish) in gallon-size ziplock bag.  Pour marinade over the chicken.

5.    Marinade chicken in refrigerator for 24 hours or at least overnight.  I turn the bag over a few times during the process, just to make sure the marinade gets on everything. 

6.   The next day, remove chicken from refrigerator.  Let rest for about 15-20 minutes. 

7.   Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

8.   Roast chicken on a wire rack over roasting pan for 20 minutes skin side down.  Flip chicken at the 20 minute mark and roast skin side up for another 15 to 25 minutes. 

9.   Remove from oven and serve hot. 

Yield:Makes about 4-6 servings. 

Note: This would also be wonderful grilled instead of baked. 

Baked Grain-Free Chicken Strips

These are so delicious and really easy to make.  I started making these specifically for Little Love and realized I really enjoy them too.  They are great on top of a salad, mixed into gluten free pasta, or simply as is with your favorite dipping sauce.  Little Love has never been a fan of sauces, but she loves to dip these in raw creamed clover honey.

Enjoy!

Baked Grain-Free Chicken Strips

Equipment: 2 Medium Size Bowls or 2 Large Plates, Unbleached Parchment Paper, Large Baking Sheet (I use a Stoneware Large Bar Pan), Cutting Board, Sharp Knife

·      3 pastured or organic chicken breasts – boneless, skinless

·      ½ coconut flour

·      ½ teaspoon Celtic sea salt (See Resources)

·      ½ teaspoon dried thyme

·      ¼ teaspoon cumin

·      ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

·      ¼ teaspoon coriander

·      ¼ teaspoon kelp granules (See Resources)

·      ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper - optional, remove for no spice/heat

·      Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

·      1 pastured or organic egg

1.    Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Prepare baking sheet - if you’re not using a Stoneware baking pan, line baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.   In a medium size shallow bowl or large plate, combine coconut flour, sea salt, thyme, cumin, garlic powder, coriander, kelp granules, black pepper and optional cayenne pepper.  Mix ingredients with your hands, make sure all of the ingredients are combined.  Set aside.

3.   In a separate medium size bowl or large plate with raised sides, crack an egg, whisk with a fork.  Set aside.

Beautiful Orange Yolk from a local pastured egg.

4.   On a cutting board, use a sharp knife to cut chicken into strips.

5.    One at a time, coat chicken strips in the egg mixture first, then coat in the coconut flour mixture.  Place on baking sheet and repeat until all chicken strips are coated. 

6.   Bake for about 10 minutes, flip each chicken strip, continue baking for another 10-15 minutes. 

7.   Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce. 

Yield: Makes about 12-15 chicken strips

Note: If you are avoiding baking right now due to summer heat, you could easily cook these on the stovetop.  I have done this many times too.  In a large saucepan, melt about 1 tablespoon fat of choice (I use pasture butter) and cook over medium heat, about 3-4 minutes on each side or until chicken is browned and cooked all the way through.  


This post is part of Real Food Wednesday @ Kelly the Kitchen Kop, Traditional Tuesdays @ Cooking Traditional Foods,  Pennywise Platter Thursday @ The Nourishing Gourmet, Simple Lives Thursday @ A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa, Freaky Friday @ Real Food Freaks, Fresh Bites Friday @ Real Food Whole Health, Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Fight Back Friday @ Food Renegade, Fat Tuesday @ Real Food Forager, Monday Mania @ The Healthy Home Economist, Hearth and Soul Hop @ Premeditated Leftovers, Whole Foods Wednesday @ This Chick Cooks, and Allergy-Free Wednesdays Blog Hop @ Gluten Free Pantry.

Creamy Herb Chicken Salad w/ Pomegranate

I LOVE this chicken salad!  I know, there are so many chicken salad recipes out in recipe land, but this one truly is a favorite of mine.  

The pomegranate arils add such a beautiful color to the salad.  When you bite into them, the juice pops in your mouth and adds such a wonderful sweet flavor.  The creaminess comes from my absolute favorite salad dressing, which is made from ground sprouted sunflower seeds.  The combination of the herbs, the sweet pomegranate arils, the crunch from the celery and the creaminess of the dressing is absolutely divine!  

Enjoy!

Creamy Herb Chicken Salad w/ Pomegranate

Make up a batch of this to have ready for the next day.  It's perfect to serve to guests and makes great appetizers in lettuce cups for parties too!

Equipment: Food Processor, Large Mixing Bowl, Cutting Board, Sharp Knife, Medium Mixing Bowl, Small Fine Mesh Strainer

• 1 3/4 cup Creamy Herb Dressing (recipe x 3)
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup pomegranate arils (juice sacs w/ seeds) + filtered water
• 3-4 celery stalks with leaves, thinly sliced
• Shredded meat from 1 whole pasture roasted chicken*
• 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme, stems removed

1. Prepare Creamy Herb Dressing, set aside.  [Note: This dressing can be made up in advance and stored in the refrigerator.]

2. Prep and wash the pomegranate.  Cut pomegranate into quarters with a sharp knife.  Place pomegranate sections in a bowl of filtered water, then gently roll out the arils with your fingers.  Remove white pith and any other parts of the pomegranate.  With a small fine mesh strainer, strain out the water leaving the pomegranate arils behind, set aside.  [Note: The arils are ready to eat now (eat whole arils, seeds and all).  Eat or store (in the refrigerator) whatever arils you don't use in this recipe for later.] 

3. Wash and prep the celery.  Thinly slice celery stalks and place pieces into a large mixing bowl, set aside.  

4. Shred roasted chicken, add shredded meat to large mixing bowl with celery, stir to combine.  

5. Add Creamy Herb Dressing and fresh thyme leaves to the chicken-celery mixture and stir to combine.  

6. Add pomegranate arils to the chicken salad mixture, GENTLY fold in the arils (if you stir too hard, the juice sacs will open and release the juice into the salad, if it happens to some arils, don't worry, it just adds a beautiful pink color to parts of the chicken salad). 

7. Serve cold or store in refrigerator for later.  Make sure to garnish with extra pomegranate arils.  

Yield: Makes about 4-5 cups chicken salad.

Note: This chicken salad is delicious the next day too!  

Storage: Store in the refrigerator, keeps well for 2 days.

Serving Suggestions: Serve on a bed of mixed lettuce greens, place in lettuce cups for small appetizers, serve for lunch or a snack with some raw veggies.  

* If you are a Northern California resident, check out my favorite pastured chicken from Cache Creek Meat Co.  They sell at farmers markets in Sacramento, Davis and Elk Grove as well as select grocery stores. 


This post is part of Monday Mania @ The Healthy Home Economist, The Homestead Barn Hop @ The Prairie Homestead, Melt in Your Mouth Monday @ Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, Weekend Gourmet Blog Carnival @ Hartke Is Online, Fat Tuesday @ Real Food Forager, Traditional Tuesdays @ Cooking Traditional Foods, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday @ Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free, Gluten-Free Wednesdays @ The Gluten-Free Homemaker, Hearth and Soul Hop @ Premeditated Leftovers, Healthy 2day Wednesdays @ day2dayjoys, Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Lunchbox Love @ Allergy-Free Vintage Cookery, and Made From Scratch Tuesday @ From Mess Hall to Bistro.

Pastured Chicken Bone Broth + Immune Boosting Ingredients

What is bone broth?  It is a nourishing, homemade broth that cooks for 24 hours.  Yes, 24 hours.  The long cooking time helps break down the bones and release all of the essential nutrients, leaving you with a beautiful broth.  

Bone broth is probably one of the most nourishing and healing foods you can consume.  Traditionally in Asian cultures, a fish bone broth is the first thing served to women after giving birth.  It is so nourishing that post-partum women consume it before any other food.  It helps her heal faster and nourish her body.

Why is it good for you?  Bone broth is better than a vitamin supplement because the vitamins and minerals are readily available for your body to use.  It’s known for having healing properties, replenishing and nourishing the body when sick, healing the gut, helping with joint pain and arthritis, strengthening your bones, and even helps with cellulite.

 

For more information on Bone Broth, check out Sally Fallon’s article, “Broth Is Beautiful.”

Pastured Chicken Bone Broth

The “how-to-cure-everything” nourishing broth.

Equipment: 6-quart (or larger) Enamel or Stainless Steel Stock Pot, Juicer (optional), Large Straining Colander, Large Bowl or Large Measuring Cup

• Bones of 1-2 pastured chicken carcasses (leftover bones from roasting a whole chicken work great)
• Neck, feet, and/or head of pastured chicken (optional – I know, sounds gross, but there are a lot of nutrients in the feet and head)*
• ¼ cup organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar
• Juice of ½ lemon (if you have Meyer lemons, use them, they have a great flavor)
• 7-10 fresh organic Shiitake mushrooms (optional – these have medicinal properties and are immunity-enhancing)
• 10 sprigs fresh thyme or 2 tablespoons dried thyme
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 sprig fresh marjoram (optional)
• 3-4 cloves fresh garlic or 2 green garlic – if in season, cut in half
• 2 strips kombu (See Resources – Sea Vegetables)
• 1 strip wakame (See Resources – Sea Vegetables)
• 4 strips Astragalus root (optional – nourishes the immune system)
• 4 carrots, scrubbed, not peeled
• 4 celery stalks w/ leaves
• Filtered water, enough to cover everything in pot

      *** Do NOT salt until the end of cooking time.***

1.     Add bones/carcass, neck/feet/head if you have them, water, vinegar, lemon juice, mushrooms, herbs, garlic, sea vegetables, and Astragalus root. 

 2 Small Pastured Chicken Carcasses

2.    Let soak at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour.  This step (the vinegar and lemon) helps draw out nutrients from the bones.

3.    Option 1: If you have a juicer, juice all carrots and celery.  Take the juice and leftover pulp and add this to the pot.   Option 2: If you don’t have a juicer, break the carrots and celery in half and add to the pot. 

4.    Cover pot - over low heat bring to a soft boil and allow to simmer on low heat for 24 hours.  A low simmer through the whole cooking process is great, high heat will make a less gelatinous broth, so try to avoid higher heat.

5.     At 12 hours, you can take a potato masher and mash everything in the pot.  The bones should start to be soft at this point and start to break down, allowing you to release some of the marrow. 

6.    At 24 hours, remove from heat, strain through large colander into large bowl or large measuring cup (I use one 12 cup measuring cup and one 4 cup measuring cup).  [Edit Note: Optional - Bones should fall apart at this point.  I like to crush them to try and get more of the marrow out.  WARNING the bones are VERY HOT, so use caution if you chose to do this with your hands.  I then add the bones/marrow back to the broth, stir them around and re-strain one more time.]  

7.     Cool in refrigerator or cold ice bath – store in refrigerator.

8.    Once cooled, you can store portions in BPA-free ice cube trays, or freezer bags.  Freeze whatever you won’t use within 3 days.  

  

*Making the bone broth with the head or feet will make a more gelatinous broth, which is very healing and loaded with nutrients. 

Yield: Varies, makes about 12-14 cups.  

Other Additions: Sometimes I love to add 2 tablespoons chili powder and 1 tablespoon cumin to the broth.  These spices add a delicious flavor.  I also like to add fresh dill from time to time when I have some on hand.

Storage: Store portions in BPA-free ice cube trays (which will equal about 2 tablespoons per cube) or in 1-2 cup portions in freezer bags.  This will come in handy when you’re cooking and you just need a couple of tablespoons of liquid or 1 cup of liquid, etc. 

Notes: Drink at least 1 cup daily.  Remember to season with unrefined Celtic sea salt since there is no salt in the broth. 

Use: In soups for your stock, chicken or meat dishes, veggie dishes, etc. 

Tips: If you’re not comfortable cooking this for 24 hours, cook for 12 hours, it will not be a true “bone broth” but will still be nourishing and delicious.  Also, when you roast a chicken, save the carcass/bones and freeze in freezer bag.  This way you will have bones available to you when you need to make bone broth. 

Happy Cooking!