Fab Foodie Mama

I love White Bean Chicken Chili and I am surprised I hadn't yet posted the recipe I had been using for several years.  But recently, I have made it without flour, therefore it is gluten free.  I actually like this modified version better.  It is a bit lighter and it keeps in the fridge better than the version made with flour.  As we are in the Autumn season, and soon to be Winter, soups and stews (and chili) are always welcome and comforting. This recipe serves a big crowd (16) but it can be cut in half for a smaller batch.    White Bean Chicken Chili   Ingredients: 2 T  olive oil 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts (cooked and shredded) 2   onions, minced 4 cloves garlic, minced 4 (15.5 oz) cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained 2 (14.5 oz) cans  chicken broth 4 (4 oz) cans chopped green chilies 2 t  salt 2 t  ground cumin 1 t  ground black pepper ½ t  cayenne pepper o...

   We have been enjoying a mild winter here in the beautiful upper peninsula of Michigan.  Only in the last few days has the temperature dropped to the single digits.  The snowfall total is also much under it's usual amount for this time of year.  With the country and the world lining up for their COVID vaccines, many of us are still pretty timid about going out for dinner.  Last week, the restaurant and bar closure was lifted so I am looking forward to getting out a bit; 25% capacity and social distancing in force.    I was scrolling through New York Times Cooking , my favorite place to find new recipes, and I found this simple, but time consuming recipe for rice pudding.  This one is from Mark Bittman and Sam Sifton.  Notes I made to the chefs' recipe are shown inside parentheses below.   I started making this creamy dessert at about 9:30 last night and enjoyed some warm, just out of the oven,  at about 1:00 AM....

I have been experimenting with Gluten Free baking lately, with varying degrees of success.  I had been looking for a GF scone recipe and just couldn't find one that was straightforward.  I found this easy recipe on Food Network for Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze and I modified it only slightly, to use GF Flour,  and they turned out great.  I made these at 11:30 PM last night.  The quarantine has done strange things to me, and my sense of schedule and time, as I'm sure to most. I'm not a big fan of either coconut flour or almond flour; to me, they add unwelcome flavors which can be overpowering.  I find that the measure for measure GF blend flour (like King Arthur brand) seems to be the closest to regular wheat flour, without adding other tastes to the bakery.  I added 1/2 t of xanthum gum to this recipe as well (the recommendation is 1/4 t for every cup of flour) which resulted in a scone that was delicious and did not compromise on texture by ...

We are still under the grips of the COVID-19  Stay- at- Home order.  Now that we are getting into late spring, the pandemic is definitely going to impact the summer plans of many.  Thankfully, we don't have any major milestones this year.  I was looking forward to my niece's HS graduation and going to visit my sister and her family in Portland, however.  Hopefully soon. The uncertainty is scary; we are all watching the devastation to many business and the toll it is taking on our local, national and global economies with each passing day.  Today, we heard there may be a drug which speeds up the recovery time.  Let's hope that is true. I'm still not sick of cooking...yet.  But it would be nice to be able to go out for a pizza or take a ride up to the Keweenaw with friends to get a burger at the Eagle Harbor Inn.  Again, hopefully soon. This is a dish I found in NYT Cooking and I thought I'd give it a try; they have great recipes and I...

Welcome to 2020!  Who knows what the next decade will bring, but I hope all of my followers will be healthy and prosperous.  Let's greet the new year with a simple and tasty brunch casserole (aka 'egg bake',  aka 'hotdish', etc etc) that is a bit out of the ordinary. Annie and Aaron hosted a small brunch on New Year's day with just the family.  It is so nice that our grown 'kids' all live here so we can hang out often.  Aaron made Nisu French toast (see a future blog for that) and bacon.  I offered to bring some eggs to the gathering. I hope you enjoy this.  What typically can be a boring egg bake, turned out really jazzed up with the green chilis and the heat from the chorizo.  It goes best with a slathering of salsa and a dollop of sour cream.  Sorry no photo, we ate it too fast and I simply forgot to in the midst of conversation with the fam.  I made this recipe up as I went.  Feel free to adjust the quantities t...

Happy Summer, Foodie Followers!  I hope you are enjoying the fab weather, as I am here in the U.P..  However, no such luck of any resemblance to the 'lazy days of Summer'; we have been booked almost every day, and certainly every weekend since Memorial Day. The most notable thing I did this season, was back in late June/Early July, I traveled to Chennai, India for my brother's wedding.  It was an absolutely amazing experience to meet my new sister in law's family, to be immersed in the culture of South India for a week and of course, enjoying all of the amazing food.* I will be getting some recipes for some of the chutneys I had over there which I will add soon.  These two dishes here are not necessarily representative of Chennai or South Indian cooking, but delicious nonetheless and which I have made recently.  Chicken Biryani, is a drier, rice based dish with origins mainly in North India, but it has spread to all parts of the country.  Korma is also ...

This is another weeknight easy dinner for two that you can enjoy in under 45 minutes, including prep time.  This version of a rice bowl uses coconut milk, red curry paste and cod fillets. This is a very mild version of Thai curry; to spice it up add another teaspoon or so of curry paste.  I guarantee you will love this one.  Don't forget the toasted coconut flakes on top. Stay fab, fellow foodists! Thai Coconut Curry Rice Bowls (serves 2; gluten free) Ingredients: 1/2 c jasmine rice 1 bulb baby bok choy (chopped, keeping bulbs and leaves separate) 1 lime 1 t fresh ginger (minced) 1 clove garlic (minced) 2 T coconut flakes 1/2 T red curry paste 1/2 small carrot (shredded) 1 small can (5 1/2 oz) unsweetened coconut milk 2- 5 oz cod fillets evoo salt to taste pepper to taste Directions: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F In a small pot with a tight fitting lid, combine rice, 3/4 c water and 1/4 t salt.  Bring to boil over high heat.  Stir...

Here is a quick, easy, gluten-free dish that is also amazing.  The ginger, edamame, scallions and cabbage added to the texture, color and flavor.  Other proteins can be substitutes for the ground chicken (ground beef or pork, tofu or shredded chicken).  The fact that it is gluten-free is great - it fits in with Foodie Mama's current eating habits. This recipe is for two and takes 30 minutes, tops, to prepare. Ginger Rice Noodles with Soy Brown Butter Sauce (serves 2) Ingredients: 2 Scallions, sliced, keeping whites and greens separate 2 t Fresh Ginger, minced 2 Cloves Garlic, minced 12 oz Ground Chicken 6 - 8 oz Rice Noodles (your preference) 1/2 stick Butter 1 oz Gluten-free Soy Sauce 1/4 C Edamame 1/4 C Red Cabbage, shredded 1 t Sesame Seeds evoo salt pepper Directions: In a medium pan over medium heat, heat a drizzle of evoo until glistening. Add ginger, garlic and scallion whites.  Saute approx 1 minute. Add chicken to pan.  Seas...

I have recently been starting to use polenta more often in my cooking.  It is an alternative to  pasta and is gluten free, which even for those of us with no issues with gluten, is a lighter option. I made some quick sauce (recipe here in this blog) this week to use with ravioli we didn't use from Christmas Eve (it keeps for several months in the freezer in freezer bags).  The ravioli of course were fabulous, but today for lunch, I chose to fry up some polenta to use up the remaining sauce. There is really nothing to it.  I usually buy prepared polenta, where all I have to do is cut it into slices, heat EVOO in a pan, and lightly fry it up. You can put mozzarella, fresh basil, prosciutto, really anything you have as a topper; I went pure and just used the sauce.  Delicious and satisfying on this cold UP winter day. Sliced Polenta With Meat Sauce