CHOCOLATE GINGER COOKIES

This cake is moist and delicious with it’s decadent combination of molasses and chocolate. Add to it a ginger-ale/chocolate icing and you get what I would consider the best gingerbread I have ever had.

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 175 grams unsalted butter
• 125 grams dark brown (muscavado) sugar
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 200 grams golden syrup
• 200 grams molasses
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• 2 eggs
• 250 ml milk
• 275 grams all-purpose flour
• 40 grams cocoa
• 175 grams chocolate chips

Icing:

• 250 grams icing sugar
• 30 grams unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon cocoa
• 60 ml ginger ale

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 170 C or 340 F. Line the bottom and sides of an 11″ x 9″ x 3″ (or thereabouts) pan with foil or parchment paper.
2. In a large saucepan melt the butter along with the sugars, syrup, molasses and spices. In a separate bowl dissolve the baking soda in the water.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and beat in the eggs, milk and baking soda in its water. Stir in the flour and cocoa and beat with a wooden spoon to mix. Fold in the chocolate chips, pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes – until risen and firm to touch. Remove to a wire rack and cool in the pan.
4. Sieve the icing sugar. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan heat the butter, cocoa and ginger ale. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the icing sugar. Leaving the gingerbread in the pan, pour the icing over the top of the slightly warm cake and leave to cool. Cut into large hunks and serve when cooled and set.

After-Thoughts:

Nigella instructs you to remove the cake from the pan to ice but I found it easier to ice and then transport by leaving it in the pan. This also kept it nice and moist.

(For recipe conversions.)

Recipe Origin:

Recipe from Nigella Lawson’s Feast”

SAUSAGE, KALE, AND SWEET POTATO SOUP

•  2 tbsp olive oil
•  1 lb ground turkey or pork sausage
•  1 medium white onion chopped
•  3 cloves garlic minced
•  2 large sweet potatoes skinned and chopped
•  10 oz sliced mushrooms
•  5 cups chicken broth
•  1 cup dry white wine*
•  2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
•  1 tbsp dried basil
•  1 tsp sea salt plus extra to taste
•  1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
•  3 cups roughly chopped kale
•  2 tbsp freshly chopped thyme optiona
  1. For the Instant Pot:
  2. Select the saute function on your instant pot. Let it heat up (about 2 minutes). Add olive oil to coat the pot, and toss in ground sausage. Cook until almost cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add onion and garlic. Cook for another 3-4 minutes.
  3. Add sweet potatoes, mushrooms, chicken broth, wine, vinegar, dried basil, salt, and pepper. Secure the lid.
  4. Select manual and cook at high pressure for 8 minutes. Select cancel and use a quick release.
  5. Open lid and add kale. Let cook with lid open for another 3-4 minutes, or until kale is softened but not wilted. Add additional salt if needed. Garnish with fresh thyme and serve.
  6. For the Slow Cooker:
  7. Heat up a large skillet to medium high heat. Coat your pan with olive oil and add sausage. Cook for 5 minutes, then add in onion and garlic and cook another 3-4 minutes.
  8. Place sausage mixture in your slow cooker. Add sweet potatoes, mushrooms, chicken broth, white wine, vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper.
  9. Set your slow cooker to low and cook for 4 hours.
  10. At the end of 4 hours, add kale and stir. Let cook for another 10-15 minutes, or until kale has softened.
  11. Serve hot with fresh thyme.

  RECIPE NOTES

  
  

  *For a Whole30 approved soup, use 3/4 cup additional chicken stock with 1/4 cup white wine vinegar in place of the white wine.

QUINOA TABBOULEH

• 1 cup Quinoa, rinsed
• 2 cups water
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 red or orange bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
• 2 cups tomatoes, diced
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and medium diced
• 1 bunch mint, chopped
• 1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
1. Combine Quinoa and water in a medium saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, covered for 15 minutes. 
4. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. 
5. Stir in olive oil, lemon, salt, and pepper. 
6. Cool to room temperature. 
7. Add remaining ingredients except for the mint and parsley; mix well. 
8. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour or up to 4 hours to allow flavors to develop. 




9. Before serving, stir in the mint and parsley.

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 cup diced onion (about 1 medium onion)
• 2 cans great northern beans (or other white beans), drained and rinsed
• 1 (7-ounce) can diced green chilies
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 to 3 cups low sodium chicken broth




• 1 cup frozen corn (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add olive oil to the bottom of the slow cooker pot. Then add the chicken and the rest of the ingredients.
2. Cook on low for 6-8 hours in the slow cooker.
3. Remove the chicken breasts from the slow cooker once cooked through and shred. Then return the shredded chicken to the pot and stir to combine.
4. Serve with shredded cheese, cilantro, sour cream, or other garnishes, if desired.

NOTES

If you don’t want a little bit of crunch from the onion, you can soften it first. Simply add the olive oil to a skillet and heat it up. Then saute the onion for a few minutes until it is softened. Scrape the skillet contents into the slow cooker pot, then add the other ingredients and carry on with the recipe as written. Add more or less chicken broth to bring the chili to your desired consistency.

PORK ROAST WITH MUSHROOM GRAVY

Ingredients

• 2 to 3pound pork roastpreferably a fatty cut
• 1teaspoon sea salt (real salt)
• 1/2teaspoon black pepper
• 4cups  chopped cauliflower
• 1medium onion, chopped
• 4cloves garlic
• 2ribs  celery
• 8ounces portabella mushroomssliced
• 2tablespoons organic coconut oilor ghee
• 2cups  filtered water

Instructions

1. In the bottom of your pressure cooker, place cauliflower, onion, garlic, celery and water. Top with pork roast and season with sea salt & pepper. 
2. Cook under pressure for 90 minutes if your roast is frozen, 60 minutes if completely thawed. Quick depressurize following manufactures directions.
3. Carefully remove pork roast from the pressure cooker and place in an oven proof dish. Bake at 400 degrees while preparing the gravy, this helps to render the fat and crisp up the edges of the pork to be more like as if it was slow roasted.
4. Transfer cooked vegetables and broth to your blender and blend until smooth, set aside.
5. In your (dirty) pressure cooker (on the saute function) cook mushrooms in coconut oil until soft, roughly 3-5 minutes. Add blended vegetables and continue to cook on the saute function until it is thickened as desired. 
6. Serve mushroom gravy over shredded pork. 

CHICKEN BUTTERNUT QUINOA STEW

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
• 1 can (14-ounce) petite diced tomatoes
• 3 cups chopped butternut squash (about 1 medium squash, peeled and seeded)
• 2/3 cup uncooked quinoa
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 to 2 cups chopped fresh spinach

• INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onion, oregano, and garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until onion is softened.
  2. Add the broth, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil.
  3. Add the chicken and boil until it is cooked through, about 7-10 minutes. (If you are using large pieces of chicken, I recommend cutting each piece in half to help it cook faster.) Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and set aside.
  4. Add tomatoes, squash, and quinoa to the pot. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the squash is tender and the quinoa is cooked. If desired, mash up some of the squash pieces. 
  5. Shred the chicken and return it to the pot. Stir in the salt and pepper. Add more to taste, if needed.
  6. Stir in the chopped fresh spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes until it is wilted. Serve warm.

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     INSTANT POT

  1. Set Instant Pot to saute and add the oil. Once oil is hot, add the onion, oregano, garlic, and chicken (uncooked and diced); saute, stirring often, until onions soften, about 5 minutes. Then add the broth, tomatoes, squash, and uncooked quinoa. Cook for 5 minutes at high pressure, until squash is tender, chicken is cooked through, and quinoa is cooked. Use Natural Pressure Release for 2-3 minutes, and then use a Quick Pressure Release. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Add spinach and stir for a minute or two, until wilted. Serve warm.