Cooking Archives - Craving Cobbler

Smoothie Popsicles

April 9, 2020/0 Comments/in Breakfast, Dessert, Kid Friendly Tips /by kerrycolin

Ruby has been my smoothie buddy since she was around two. We don’t make them as often now that she’s in school, but these smoothie popsicles are even more fun for the kids. This is a really basic recipe using what I had on hand today, but you could make these a million different ways by switching up the fruits and juice that you use.

Whenever bananas start looking too ripe I peel them, break ’em in half, and then add them to my frozen banana collection so I always have them on hand for smoothies. We also have the best popsicle molds ever. I’m not getting paid to promote them or anything, I just love how easily they unmold and the zombies are the cutest. I will say that the swords are a tad on the phallic side (especially if you’re super immature like me) so in hindsight, we should have gone with the monster or tiki molds for our second set.

No matter what kind of mold you use I can promise that these smoothie pops will be an easy and healthy-ish treat for the whole family.

Smoothie Popsicles

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Serves	4 to 6
Prep time	10 minutes
Cook time	2 hours
Total time	2 hours, 10 minutes
Meal type	Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Misc	Child Friendly, Freezable, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold

Ingredients

1/2 frozen banana
1 cup frozen fruit chunks
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
3/4 cups fruit juice
1 handful fresh spinach (optional)

Directions

Step 1
Add all of the ingredients into your blender, and pulse until everybody's incorporated.
Step 2
Puree the hell out of it until it's completely smooth. Pour into your favorite popsicle molds and freeze for a couple hours.
Step 3
Gently remove from the molds once they're set and enjoy!
Step 4
For the sword pops I used frozen mango and pineapple chunks with orange juice.
Step 5
And for these cute little zombies I swapped out apple juice for the OJ and added a handful of fresh spinach which made them the perfect zombie color.
Step 6
And for these cute little zombies I swapped out apple juice for the OJ and added a handful of fresh spinach which made them the perfect zombie color.

Everything Bagel Pastry Braid

April 17, 2019/0 Comments/in Breakfast, Uncategorized /by kerrycolin

I did not grow up in a bagel-friendly household. In fact, my dad has stated on several occasions that bagels are his least favorite bread product. Brian is the one who formally introduced me to good bagels. Up until then, I’d only ever tried the shitty ones you can buy at the grocery store. Once I tried a soft and chewy bagel for the first time I was totally hooked. We would gladly eat them every day at multiple meals if they didn’t make us fatter, and (more importantly) if there was a decent place to buy bagels in our small town.

Anyway, Brian’s all time favorite is hands down a toasted everything bagel with cream cheese. It’s simple, but it’s a classic for a reason. This pastry braid is my easy-to-make play on those flavors.

Frozen puff pastry is a lot easier to find around us than an acceptable bagel shop. Plus I always have a jar of my homemade everything bagel spice blend on hand for us to sprinkle on pretty much everything (pun intended). You can always overpay for a bottle of premixed everything bagel spice… but why would you? These can be filled with any number of sweet or savory fillings once you get the hang of braiding. It’s a pretty straightforward process: roll, cut, fill, fold.

Everything Bagel Pastry Braid

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Ingredients

2 puff pastry sheets
8oz whipped cream cheese
1/3 cup sliced green onion
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated onion powder
1 egg
everything bagel spice

Directions

Step 1
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and roll out one sheet of thawed puff pastry dough on a floured surface to make it a slightly larger rectangle. Use a sharp knife to cut two end flaps on both of the rectangle's shorter sides and one-inch slanted lines along the longer sides. Make sure to leave a rectangle in the center of the pastry for your filling.
Step 2
Whip the salt, onion powder, and green onions into your softened cream cheese. In a small bowl beat the egg with a couple tablespoons of water to make an egg wash. Spread half of the cream cheese mixture into the center of the rectangle. Brush the end flaps and angled strips with your egg wash. Fold everything in, starting with the end flaps and then crossing over the strips. Check out the gif above to get the idea.
Step 3
Repeat with the other sheet of puff pastry, and then put both braids into the fridge to rechill before going into the hot oven. After about 10 minutes move both braids to a parchment lined baking sheet. Liberally brush with more of the egg wash and then sprinkle with as much or little of the everything bagel spice over the tops as you like.
Step 4
Here's one from the side so you can see how much it puffs up.
Step 5
Bake at 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes, or until it's puffed up, golden brown, and cooked through.
Step 6
This version is the simple classic, focusing on the classic combination of everything bagel flavor with cream cheese.
Step 7
But feel free to fill these any way you can think of. Adding scrambled eggs, breakfast meats, smoked salmon, or extra veggies would make this fantastic breakfast even heartier. Any which way you fill it you can't lose.

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

April 9, 2019/2 Comments/in Holidays, Sides /by kerrycolin

Everyone who loves mushrooms loves stuffed mushrooms. They can be filled with any of the foods and flavors that tickle your fancy: seafood, veggies, meat, cheese, um… more mushrooms! Whichever way you choose to stuff your shrooms here are a few tips and tricks to avoid a couple of common stuffed mushroom problems.

Bring forth the tips!

The first potential issue with stuffing shrooms is that mushrooms always release liquid as they cook. If you stuff raw mushrooms:

You’ll probably end up with soggy results no matter what filling you use.
There’s a chance that the mushrooms won’t be cooked through and tender at the point where the filling is cooked and ready.

To avoid this always roast your caps on a baking rack before filling them, and always use a filling that is completely cooked and just needs to be warmed and browned. This step cooks the mushrooms through so they’re already nice and tender by the time they get filled. It also allows the mushrooms to release their juices, and by baking them on a rack over a pan the liquid drips down and they don’t sit there in their sad little juices.

The second problem I’ve run into with stuffed mushrooms is getting that perfectly golden brown crunch on top without scorching it under the broiler. If the mushroom caps are topped with cheese instead of breadcrumbs then broil away (just don’t WALK away). But if you’re going for a crunchy topping I have two tips:

Use more oil in your breadcrumb mixture than you would think necessary. That oil is the key to getting those bready bits golden and not blackened.
Don’t have your oven rack too close to the broiler. To get any filling bubbly, cheese melty, or breadcrumbs goldeny you’re gonna need those mushrooms to broil at least 2-3 minutes under a really hot broiler. If they’re too close to the broiler then that’s gonna be tricky, especially with breading.

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

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Ingredients

Shrooms

12-15 baby portobello mushrooms (2-3 inches wide)
4 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (divided)

Filling

1 small onion (diced)
4-6 cloves fresh garlic (grated or minced)
3/4lb bulk Italian sausage
4oz soft goat cheese
1/4 cup green onion (thinly sliced)
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs

Topping

1/4 cup fresh parsley (minced)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup olive oil
2/3 cups panko bread crumbs

Directions

Step 1
Remove the stems from the mushrooms and set aside to mince and use in the filling. Divide the mushrooms evenly between two gallon-size resealable bags. Into each bag add 2 Tbls. oil, 1 Tbs. vinegar, and a pinch of salt over the mushrooms. Seal up the bags, toss everybody around, and set aside. Let the mushrooms hang out for about 10 minutes while the oven preheats to 350 degrees, flipping the bags every couple minutes. Once the oven is nice and hot and the mushrooms have soaked up some flavor place the mushrooms, flat side down, onto an oven-safe rack set on top of a rimmed baking pan. Bake the shrooms about 20 minutes, or until they are tender and have released their juice.
Step 2
Heat 1 Tbs. olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and minced stems with a pinch of salt and stir occasionally for around 8-10 minutes. Once the onions have softened a bit and the stems have released their juices stir in the garlic. Cook until the garlic is nice and fragrant, about a minute or so.
Step 3
Add another tablespoon of olive oil and the Italian sausage. Cook the sausage, breaking it into very small pieces as you stir it until completely browned. When the sausage is almost finished browning stir in the 1/3 c. panko. Turn off the heat and stir in the green onion and goat cheese. Mush around and stir until the cheese has softened and thoroughly blended into the mixture.
Step 4
In a small bowl, mix together the other 2/3 c. panko, parsley, 1 tsp. kosher salt, and 1/4 c. olive oil. It may seem like a lot of oil, but that is what's really gonna help those crumbs brown up beautifully instead of scorching.
Step 5
Preheat your broiler to 450 degrees and make sure that your upper oven rack is at least 6-8 inches below the heat source.
Step 6
Using your fingers gently fill the mushroom caps with the meat & cheese mixture. You want plenty of filling in each cap, but keep in mind that you'll also be adding the crunchy topping. Go for slightly mounded, and make sure to gently pack it in so that when you dip them into the panko mix the filling doesn't fall out.
Step 7
Carefully dip/press each cap, filling side down, into the bowl of panko mixture. I like to use a small spoon to help gently get the cap upside down into the crumbs and then right side up again. Then I use my fingers to press another pinch or two of the crumbs on top for good measure.
Step 8
Place the filled and crumbed caps back onto the rack they roasted on earlier and broil for 2-4 minutes. They should be golden brown and bubbly. The tricks are: 1) Plenty of oil in the topping 2) Not placed too close to the broiler 3) Do NOT walk away or do anything else while they're broiling
Step 9
This recipe will make enough filling and crunchy topping to stuff about double this amount of shrooms. I personally love having the leftover filling and topping. I stuff pork chops, chicken breast, or a small loin roast with the filling and then bread with the panko mix. However, you can simply double your amount of mushrooms (around 24 mushrooms 2-3 inches wide). If you make a full batch of mushrooms, just remember to only use the stems from about twelve of them for the filling, and of course, you'll need more balsamic and oil to marinate the rest of the gang.
Step 10
Yum.

Traditional Italian Meat Sauce

March 14, 2019/0 Comments/in Kid Friendly Tips, Main Course /by kerrycolin

This is my ultimate sauce for any Italian dish that needs some meaty goodness. It’s not hard to make, but it does require some patience. Taking the time to simmer it for several hours is what gives this traditional Italian meat sauce such rich flavor. The good news is that once the sauce is at the “simmer down now” phase your work is pretty much done, apart from some occasional stirring… and doing the dishes.

Also, this recipe makes a buttload of meat sauce which is always nice. You could half the recipe, but keep in mind that the amounts of ground beef and sausage are pretty standard prepackaged sizes. So you’ll either need to shop at a fancypants store with a full-service counter to get the right amount, or you’ll be splitting a pack of ground beef in half… which sounds pretty depressing. Plus then there’d be the added stress of figuring out what to do with the other sad half of ground beef before it goes bad…

You know what? Just make the full amount and then freeze any that goes unused.

Traditional Italian Meat Sauce

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Ingredients

4 thick slices of bacon diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 medium onion diced (about 1 cup)
1-2 stalks celery with leaves minced (about 1/2 cup)
1 small carrot minced (about 1/2 cup)
5 or 6 garlic cloves minced
1 1/4lb lean ground beef (seasoned with salt)
1 1/4lb sweet italian pork sausage
1 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 cans crushed tomatoes (28 oz cans)
1 cup beef broth
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon allspice
kosher salt to taste (I usually add around 1 teaspoon)
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley/basil/or both

Directions

Step 1
Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven. Stir in the onion, carrot, celery, and bacon. Stir occasionally and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic in now that the rest has gotten a head start, and cook for about 5 more minutes.
Step 2
Add the beef and sausage to the pan, and break apart with your spoon while it browns and mixes in with the veggies. Sprinkle the allspice and oregano over the meat. Once the meat doesn't have much pink color left stir in the tomato paste, and red wine. Cook, stirring occasionally until most of the wine has cooked off.
Step 3
Pour in both cans of tomatoes and the beef broth. Stir it all together and let it simmer at least two hours.
Step 4
The sauce should thicken up after a couple hours. Taste the sauce once it looks nice and thick and add kosher salt to your preference. Stir in the fresh herbs and enjoy with: lasagna, baked ziti, chicken/eggplant parm, Italian subs, stuffed shells, and of course any kind of pasta!

Mediterranean Pico

March 1, 2019/0 Comments/in Salad, Sides /by kerrycolin

Mediterranean Pico is the pico you never knew you were missing!

It’s not like I did anything revolutionary here. I make standard pico all the time for our burrito bowls etc. All I did was replace the lime with lemon, the cilantro with mint and parsley, the tomato with…

Ok, so I didn’t get THAT far away from regular pico de gallo. But this is pretty tasty. Use it as a dip with pita chips, a topping for a wrap or gyro, or jazz up just about any meat or grain with a few spoonfuls. Go crazy guys!

Mediterranean Pico

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Ingredients

2 large tomatoes
2 persian or mini cucumbers
1 medium red onion
1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives (heaping 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 lemons (zest & juice) (about 1 heaping tsp zest and 3 Tbs juice)
salt to taste
pita chips

Directions

Step 1
Pico gets juicy, so prepare to strain off the extra liquid by placing a strainer over a bowl. Deseed and dice both tomatoes. Toss the tomatoes into the strainer over the bowl and salt them. Dice the cucumbers and add on top of the tomato in the strainer. Salt the cucumber bits as well, then leave these guys to release their juice while you mix together the rest.
Step 2
In a separate bowl, add the diced onion, chopped olives, herbs, zest. Mix in the tomatoes, cucumber, lemon juice, and salt to taste.
Step 3
Dump the whole shebang back into the strainer over the bowl, and let the pico hang out like that for at least 30 minutes to get rid of that extra juice.
Step 4
When you're ready to serve it, dump into a bowl with pita chips or use as a delicious condiment with meats, wraps, or whatever!

Chicken Shawarma

February 20, 2019/0 Comments/in Main Course, Salad /by kerrycolin

I realize that on every damn recipe I post I’m all like, “Oh my gosh! This recipe is SO good!”

I almost want to take it all back… Because this Chicken Shawarma with Secret Shawarma Sauce really IS so so so so good!

We make this almost every week in some form or another, and all four of us LOVE it. Wy always does a wrap (no sauce no cucumbers), Ruby always has it deconstructed (no tomatoes), and Brian and I eat it any which way but loose.

Am I a middle eastern food authority? Hell no. But I do love to EAT middle eastern food, and I’m always trying to learn. I’m sure this is not a traditional shawarma rub or sauce, but it is super delicious. Plus, it’s all ingredients that are easy to find, and it only takes 20 minutes to have a not-too-shabby at-home shawarma fix.

I played around with the spices from a Cooks Country magazine recipe for a shawarma salad and invented my Secret Shawarma Sauce (which I guess is not so secret anymore.) The technique of broiling the rubbed chicken is genius because it gives you juicy chicken with crispy bits. It makes for an irresistible flavor and texture contrast that is just delightful.

And if you find the words “middle eastern” or “shawarma” intimidating when it comes to what you’re willing to put in your mouth (like my mom) just call em Tasty Chicken Wraps and enjoy them all the same.

Chicken Shawarma

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Ingredients

12-14 Boneless Chicken Thighs
2-3 Lemons
Chopped Cucumber
Chopped Tomato
Kalamata Olives
Cilantro
Pita or Naan
Fresh lettuce or spinach

Shawarma Spice Rub

2 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 1/2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
2 teaspoons Paprika
2 teaspoons Cumin
3/4 teaspoons Granulated Garlic
1/2 teaspoon Coriander

Secret Shawarma Sauce

3/4 cups Veganase (You could use regular Mayo or Greek Yogurt)
1/2 Lemon (juiced)
2-3 Fresh Garlic Cloves (Grated or finely minced)
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt (season to your taste)
3/4 to 1 teaspoons Poultry Seasoning (season to your taste)

Directions

Step 1
It's nice to know that since I spent so many years as a butcher/meat cutter, you can all depend on me to impart expert advice AND slip you some trade secrets... De-gunk the chicken thighs. Ok. So I don't really know what else to call it. Boneless thighs come packaged with a fair amount of fat and gunk on them. In a slow-cooked dish all of that fatty gunk with render into the meat and disappear. The Shawarma broils for 20 minutes... so go ahead and get most of the gunk off. Here's both a "gunky thigh" and a lovely "de-gunked thigh".
Step 2
Mix together the salt, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, and coriander in a small bowl.
Step 3
Next, dump all of your de-gunked thighs into a bowl, and rub 2 Tbls olive oil and all of the Shawarma spice rub all over them.
Step 4
Cover with plastic wrap, and pop in the fridge for the flavors to meld. In a pinch you could broil them immediately, but letting the rub set in for a few hours is best. Once the chicken has had its rubdown, I like to go ahead and make the Secret Shawarma Sauce. You want these flavors to hang out for a while also, so I'll usually make the rub and the sauce in the morning for a Shawarma dinner. Judge us if you want, but Brian and I have almost completely replaced mayo with Veganaise in almost every application. Believe it or not... it looks and tastes just like mayo. Anyway, as I said in the ingredient list, I use Veganaise but feel free to substitute in real mayo or even greek yogurt for the sauce.
Step 5
Add the Veganaise to a bowl, and top with salt, grated garlic, lemon juice, and Poultry Seasoning.
Step 6
On a side note: that little handheld grater has got to be the best gift I've ever gotten (Thank you, Aunt June!!) Whisk the hell out of it, until it's smooth and creamy, and then put it into a cute jar and take a photo... or just pop it in the fridge for the flavor to develop.
Step 7
When it's almost broiling time preheat your oven to the hottest broiling setting you've got and let it preheat. I set mine to convection broil and set the temp to "MAX". Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, and top with an oven-safe rack. Arrange the thighs flat WITH THE SMOOTH SIDE DOWN AND THE BUMPY SIDE UP and place halved lemons in the holes. My lemons were small, so I added an extra half. But usually, I use two larger lemons.
Step 8
Place on an oven rack 4-5 inches under the broiler, and set a timer for 10 minutes. Once the timer goes off rotate the pan around 180 degrees and set another timer for 10 minutes. BOOM. Chicken is done.
Step 9
Wait for it to rest a bit, and then chop it up. Once it's chopped squeeze the roasted lemon juice all over the meat and toss.
Step 10
For a Chicken Shawarma Wrap, we like to pile it onto a warm piece of naan or flatbread.
Step 11
Our favorite toppings are olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, cilantro, and a TON of the Secret Shawarma Sauce!
Step 12
This also makes a phenomenal salad. Pile all of the toppings on top of a bed of spinach or lettuce for a delicious low carb lunch.
Step 13
A bowl of Shawarma on top of a bed of couscous is another favorite of ours.
Step 14
Don't stop there though, because this is so good you could do all sorts of Shawarma magic. Make a pizza. Add that shit to scrambled eggs. If you can think it... you can BE it.

Roasted Tomato Soup

August 11, 2017/0 Comments/in Kid Friendly Tips, Main Course, Sides /by kerrycolin

If you like tomato soup this is the only recipe you will ever need. And if you don’t like tomato soup then I’m not really sure why you’re here. Unless you’re my mom, and you just like to read all of my posts. Wait a minute… YOU’RE NOT MY MOM!

Ok sorry, that’s not the point. The point is that this is a seriously delicious way to enjoy some tomatoes. I found myself with about a ten pound box of tomatoes in my kitchen (Thanks Mom), and decided to finally measure and write down my award-winning tomato soup recipe.

It hasn’t technically won any awards, but I’m pretty positive that it could. On a side note: If any of you use this recipe to win any contests, I’d appreciate a share of your winnings.

Alright, enough with the rambling. LET’S MAKE SOME SOUP!

Roasted Tomato Soup Recipe

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Ingredients

8-10 Fresh Tomatoes (This number could vary drastically based on the size of each tomato.)
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
2 Onions (diced)
5 heaped teaspoons Minced Garlic
2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
1 tablespoon Chicken Base
32oz Stock (one box)
1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
2 tablespoons Sugar
4 cups Half and Half (one quart)
2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
Fresh Basil (chopped or torn)
Freshly grated Parmesean

Directions

Step 1
Preheat your oven to 375 and wash those ripe tomatoes.
Step 2
Ok. So I have no idea exactly how many tomatoes you will need.
Step 3
What I do know is that I crammed a 12 inch by 18 inch rimmed baking pan with a very crowded yet mostly single layer of tomatoes.
Step 4
Keep your little guys whole and chop your big guys into large pieces.
Step 5
Generously olive oil and kosher salt these juicy little bastids. I rubbed 5 tablespoons of olive oil on them and then sprinkled 1 tablespoon of kosher salt over them. (I know this because I measured for all you jokers who insist on exact measurements. You're welcome.)
Step 6
Pop 'em in the oven to roast for about 40 minutes, or until they look like this.
Step 7
While they're roasting, heat a large pot or dutch oven over a medium flame and dice your onions (mine were skeeball sized, so if yours are either ginormous or tiny adjust accordingly.)
Step 8
Saute the onions about 8 to 10 minutes until they are softened and fairly translucent.
Step 9
Add your garlic and cook a couple more minutes to take away its bite.
Step 10
Stir in the tomato paste and Chicken Base. "What the hell is Chicken Base?"
Step 11
Good Question.
Step 12
Chicken Base is basically a jar of highly concentrated chicken stock, that you should be able to find on the soup aisle of your local grocery. If you: can't find it, don't want to buy an extra ingredient, or think the idea of concentrated chicken paste is on the whole creepy; then by all means don't use it. I choose to add a little toward the beginning of most non-vegetarian soups because I find it deepens the flavor. And if I'm really being honest I kind of enjoy sniffing the jar. DON'T JUDGE.
Step 13
Anyway, chicken base or not, now is the time to stir in an entire carton (32 oz) of broth. I used chicken here, but by all means use whatever tickles your boat.
Step 14
Simmer. Like for awhile. Seriously. Walk away, and leave it alone.
Step 15
When you pull the tomatoes out of the oven, allow them to cool a bit before you add them to your simmering soup pot... unless you're a total badass.
Step 16
Add 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, 2 Tbs sugar, lots of freshly cracked black pepper, and all of the tomatoes with their juices to the soup. And please before anyone gets bent out of shape about the seasonings; this is completely subjective. This is how I like it seasoned. Well not really. I'm serving this to a 7 and 3 year old. If I weren't I'd put WAY more red pepper flakes. Nevertheless, this may not be how you prefer it, so season to your tastes.
Step 17
Simmer again for about 20 minutes.
Step 18
Remove the pot from the heat, and kill all the chunks with an emersion blender.
Step 19
Now for the best part of this super healthy soup. Add an entire quart of half & half. Don't think about it. Just do it.
Step 20
Add 2 Tbs of balsamic vinegar to round out the flavor.
Step 21
Taste and reseason to taste if needed, and serve it up.
Step 22
I like to add lots of torn or chopped fresh basil into each bowl, but there are tons of other great was to garnish this: freshly grated parmesan, more cracked black pepper, another splash of balsamic... the world is your oyster!
Step 23
Oh, and a grilled cheese of course.
Step 24
Boom.

Whole30 Thai Chicken Curry

April 26, 2016/16 Comments/in Main Course, Uncategorized /by kerrycolin

Brian and I created this curry while we were on the Whole30, and it has become one of our favorite go-to dinners. Even though we’ve been finished with our strict thirty day diet of “cans” and “cannots” this Thai Chicken Curry with Cauliflower Rice is still appearing on our dinner table almost every week.

You have to commit to prepping a ton of veggies, but once everything is ready to cook the whole dish comes together like a snap. I always start by washing and chopping all the veggies. By the time I cut the chicken into bite-size pieces, I’m already halfway done with dinner!

Curries are like most stews, meaning that once you get the technique down you can play around with any number of ingredient combos and still get tasty results. I usually add some form of meat (chicken and shrimp being our favorites), but you could skip the meat and maybe add some nice mushrooms to turn this into a delicious and hearty vegetarian meal. There are also lots of veggies that we’ve used in the past like green beans or zucchini that didn’t make the cut this time, just because we had so much in the fridge.

This would be AMAZING over rice or even rice noodles! But since we’re both still on the weight loss train we always serve it up with Cauliflower Rice. I have really been surprised by how many delicious recipes fit into the Whole30 plan, and it’s been super easy to keep the low-carb low-dairy thing going with recipes like these on my Whole30 Pinterest board.

Whole30 Thai Chicken Curry Recipe

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Ingredients

2lb Boneless Skinless Chicken (cut into bite-size pieces)
2 Large Bell Peppers (thinly sliced)
1 Medium Onion (thinly sliced)
1 head Broccoli (cut into bite-size pieces)
1-2 cup Snow Peas (trimmed)
1 1/2 tablespoon Ginger (minced)
1 1/2 tablespoon Garlic (minced)
3 Small Carrots (peeled and shredded)
3 tablespoons Cilantro (freshly minced + more for garnish)
Juice from 1 large Lime
1 can Coconut Milk
1 heaped tablespoon Red Curry Paste
2-2 1/2 cups Chicken Broth
Coconut Oil (about 2 1/2 Tbs total)
Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Directions

Step 1
This is a meal that comes together fairly quickly... after chopping a million things. I always start this recipe by prepping all of the veggies first.
Step 2
Get everybody washed, chopped, and ready to go.
Step 3
Always prep all of your veggies first, and then dirty up your cutting board with the raw chicken. Cut it into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.
Step 4
Now that everything is good to go, heat 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil in a large skillet/wok/dutch oven on medium high heat.
Step 5
Brown the chicken pieces in two or three shifts and remove from pan. You may need to add a little extra coconut oil in between shifts.
Step 6
Once all of the chicken has been browned and removed from the pan add another tablespoon of coconut oil.
Step 7
Add the onions, peppers, garlic, ginger, and carrots. Stir and cook around 5 minutes.
Step 8
Add the broccoli, chicken, coconut milk, broth, and curry paste, and stir until everything (especially that clump of paste) is thoroughly incorporated.
Step 9
The amount of curry paste that you add here should be based on personal preference. Keep in mind that this is spicy and there's no taking it back once it's in there. Here's the heaping tablespoon that I used.
Step 10
Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer around 15 minutes.
Step 11
Squeeze in the lime juice and add the snow peas. Simmer another 5 minutes.
Step 12
Stir in cilantro, and pull your yummy curry off the heat.
Step 13
Serve with lime wedges, extra cilantro, cauliflower rice, and a clear conscience!
Step 14
If you enjoy spicy, healthy comfort food, you'll love this dish... even if you're not rocking the Whole30!

How To Make Cauliflower Rice

April 8, 2016/4 Comments/in Sides /by kerrycolin

Let’s all take a moment to embrace the fact that the idea of eating cauliflower is super boring.

Ok, now that that’s been addressed, let me say that I’ve recently lost 20 pounds.

Thank you, for what I imagine is your cyber-congratulations, and let me tell you that it is solely due to my recent increase in cauliflower consumption.

Alright, that’s not true at all. It’s mainly been due to a very slight increase in physical activity coupled with the fact that I’ve stopped eating like an asshole… or rather like a six year old.

I simply can’t eat the same foods that my six year old and two year old can. Who knew?! Apparently our metabolisms are set on completely different cycles, and in order for me to lose weight I’m going to need to eat less pasta and more what do you call them? Oh yeah, vegetables.

Here’s one of the first steps I took in my plan to regain control of my body: Cauliflower Rice.

It couldn’t be easier to learn how to make; and it takes the place of (not only) rice but also grits! Yes, for all of you shrimp & grits lovers out there, this is the perfect cheat for you. Cauliflower also scores a big win for being super boring. That’s right! Having a, let’s just say, less than lively flavor profile actually works in cauliflower’s favor here. It’s sort of like the potato of veggies… wait a minute, never mind.

It’s sort of like potato’s friendly cousin with a good personality.

However you look at it, Cauliflower Rice can be flavored in almost any number of ways to fit virtually any dish, and it’s not going to add to your waistline the way that rice, pasta, or potatoes would. And for a friendly cousin with a good personality, I’d say that more than exceeds expectations.

Cauliflower Rice

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Skip the carbs with this super easy technique for making Cauliflower Rice from CravingCobbler. You'll make this all the time once you see how easy it is to make Cauliflower Rice.

Ingredients

1 Medium to Large Head of Cauliflower
1 heaped tablespoon Coconut Oil
1 teaspoon Salt (or to taste)

Directions

Step 1
Start with your head of cauliflower...
Step 2
and rip all the extra stems and leaves off. They add nothing to this party.
Step 3
Now pop off each branch of your cauliflower tree, one at a time, chopping them into bite-sized pieces and avoiding any large stem pieces.
Step 4
Once you're finished, it should look something like this.
Step 5
Blitz in the food processor for around 10 seconds and you'll be left with something like this.
Step 6
At this point, it's just a matter of slightly cooking the cauliflower, so you don't end up eating a mouthful of veg that seems to expand as you chew it. I'm just saying eating raw cauliflower that's been pulverized by a food processor is akin to eating a mouthful of raw rice. Unpalatable and tedious.
Step 7
So at this point, I heat up 1 Tbs of coconut oil in a skillet over med/low heat because I'm planning on serving this "rice" with a Thai Chicken Curry. But feel free to play with the fat and/or flavorings here.
Step 8
Once the oil and the pan are hot, add in all of your cauliflower rice and sprinkle with the salt. Stir around until the rice seems thoroughly coated with oil and salt.
Step 9
Continue to stir occasionally and cook anywhere from 5-10 minutes, depending on desired doneness or how al dente you enjoy your pretend rice.
Step 10
Here is mine after exactly 7 minutes, which is my norm.
Step 11
And there you have it! Yummy low-carb Cauliflower Rice that's the perfect base for any number of super star meals.
Step 12
Cauliflower is a blank canvas, so feel free to play around with the flavor profile depending on what the finished dish will be.
Step 13
To turn this into the perfect base for our Thai Chicken Curry, I used coconut oil and then finished my Cauliflower Rice off with plenty of cilantro.
Step 14
However you choose to jazz up your Cauliflower Rice, enjoy eating a veggie that feels carb-a-licious in a paradoxical kind of way. It's totally boring and phoney, and yet that's what makes it all the more thrilling!

Sriracha Bacon BLT

April 2, 2015/3 Comments/in Main Course /by kerrycolin

I just have to say that again: Sriracha Bacon BLT!!

As my loyal followers will know, my latest recipe was Sriracha Bacon. This is, in it’s own right, a triumph. But you don’t just create Sriracha Bacon and then walk away.

Oh no.

You create Sriracha Bacon and then you spend your days (and sometimes nights) imagining new and exciting ways to eat it every day. This bacon has really taken over our conversations around here. What have we thought up so far? Let’s see: in pancakes for a sweet and spicy breakfast, on pizza (of course), crumbled over ice cream, the star of the ultimate egg and cheese breakfast sandwich, and perhaps the most simple idea… the ultimate BLT.

I won’t insult you with an ingredient list for a BLT, but I will show you the photo documentation of the sandwiches that rocked our Sunday last week. By the way, I wholeheartedly encourage you to shout out your Sriracha Bacon ideas in the comments. I can almost guarantee that we will try it, and probably write about it.

As you can see, we opted for a hearty multi-seed bread (lightly toasted), some butter lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, Sriracha Bacon of course, and an extra squirt of Sriracha in our mayo.

Were they sticky and sloppy? You betcha.

Would I want it any other way? Hell no!

The sandwich up top was Brian’s. As you can, he chose to pair his BLT with an extra slice of bacon. Whereas I opted to pair mine with a beer.