KETO SAFFRON CHICKEN VEGETABLE SOUP

So being Persian I grew up having some amazing home cooked middle eastern meals. I would have to fight my brother and sister over the tahdig (the toasted crunchy bites at the bottom of the rice that would be caramelized together by the butter and saffron) because in our household it was a prize possession. Anything with saffron usually gets my seal of approval, which is why the other day when it was -15 in Toronto and I was craving soup I decided to make a KETO friendly chicken veg soup recipe with a Persian twist. The results - heavenly! This soup is so jammed packed with flavor and immune boosting nutrients you feel like you're getting a hug from the inside out. ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 Cup of Salted Butter
A Pinch of Saffron (ground)
2 S/M Sweet Onions (chopped finely)
5 Carrots (peeled and chopped)
3 Celery Stocks (chopped)
2L of Chicken Stock
1 Rotisserie Chicken (remove skin and shred chicken meat)
2-3 Cups of Fresh Spinach
Fresh Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Melt butter in a large soup pot on medium heat. Add in the freshly ground saffron and l let it turn the butter a golden color.

When the butter is hot, throw in your finely chopped onion and coat that in the saffron and butter. Let this cook down until the onions become translucent and soft - about 5 minutes.

When ready add in your chopped carrots and celery, tossing everything so it is all coated in saffron butter. Cover and let the excess water escape from the celery and carrots. Stir every 3-4 minutes so nothing burns and the butter is well distributed among all the vegetables.

Once  the vegetables have soften you can add in you chicken stock, stir and let come to a low simmer.

Next add in your shredded chicken and fresh spinach. Make sure to stir and submerge the spinach into the soup. Cover and let the soup continue to simmer on low heat for about 3-4 minutes to get that spinach soft and then keep stiring until it is submerged into the soup completely.

Add pepper to taste (you shouldn't need salt but if you want more you can add it now).

That's it! Enjoy!

If you like this recipe or have any comments/questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section below!

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SUPER BOWL 50 - HONEY CHIPOTLE CHICKEN TENDERS - SPICY

I originally found this recipe on http://lecremedelacrumb.com a couple months back and thought what a great snack finger food. Its not overly complicated and doesn't take that long to prepare but its not something that mixes well with other cuisines or rich flavored foods. This dish is the center piece. You can add a side of rice but I wouldn't recommend straying from the Asian/Latin influence of this dish - it just doesn't work (believe me I tried). When it comes to Asian food and sauces I also tend to feel like they are made up of unnatural ingredients - if I cant pronounce it I probably don't want it in my food. This is a healthy alternative to that and one that guys will love and be drawn to during their Superbowl party. If you want to try this recipe the ingredients and directions are listed below. I didn't really change anything from the original recipe I found except for using gluten free rice flower and gluten free rice bread crumbs,  so full credit goes to Le creme De la crumb for this one.

Serves 3 people as a main

INGREDIENTS:

2 Large Skinless and Boneless Chicken Breast
1 Cup All purpose Flour (or rice flour substitute to make it gluten free)
2 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs (or rice/gluten free bread crumbs)
3 Eggs (whisked)
1 TSP each of salt and pepper
8 TBSP butter (melted)

Sauce
⅓ Cup Honey
½ Cup Sugar
2 TSP chipotle adobo sauce (the sauce that chipotle peppers are packed in inside the can! These can be found in the Latino section at the market.)
1 TBSP Franks Hot Sauce
½ TSP salt
½ TSP garlic powder
¼ Cup Ketchup
1 TBSP white vinegar
⅓ Cup water (COLD)
2 TBSP Corn Starch
Ranch Dressing, Chives, or Green Onion (all optional garnishes)
 

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Pour the melted butter all over a baking sheet and spread out evenly with a spatula.

Get three bowls. In the first bowl mix the flour and salt and pepper together. In the second bowl put the whisked eggs. In the third bowl put the bread crumbs.

Dip the chicken into the flour bowl coating it completely, next dip it into the egg until it is covered, let excess egg drip off, finally dip the flour and egg covered chicken into the bread crumbs. Mix the chicken well into the bread crumbs till it is completely covered and place on the banking sheet.

Put in the oven for for 8-10 minutes, flip the chicken stripped and bake for another 8-10 minutes until golden.

While the chicken is baking combine all the sauce ingredients except the water and corn starch into a medium sauce pan. Stir and bring to a light boil then reduce the heat. In a separate bowl combine the water and corn starch and mix until there is no lumps. Add into the sauce pan to thicken the sauce. Whisk until it evens out.

When the chicken is done baking dip it into the sauce and garnish with any of the suggested ingredients. You are now ready to serve the honey chipotle chicken tenders.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe. I would love to know your thoughts! If you have and suggestions or question please feel free to leave them in the comments below! Hope your team wins! xx

CRACK CHICKEN MARINADE

This is one of my favorite marinades my boyfriends dad uses to make chicken thighs. The chicken comes out moist with a crispy outside layer. It smells and taste delicious and is not overly spicy. I really enjoy this chicken recipe and I'm sure if you like dark meat so will you.

INGREDIENTS

12 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs (rinsed)
1-2 TBSP of Olive Oil
1 TSP of Ginger
1 TSP of Celery Salt
1 TSP of Cayenne Pepper
2 TBSP of Soy Sauce

DIRECTIONS

Add all ingredients to a flat bowl and allow chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes before cooking. Store in cool place while marinating.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place marinated chicken thighs on a baking tray lined with aluminum foil.

Bake or 30-40 minutes.

If you want them crisp broil them for an additional 10 minutes at the end.

 

I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. If you have any comments please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can! Happy cooking!!!

DAIRY FREE CHICKEN FAJITAS

Chances are you have probably heard of chicken fajitas before so no need to explain their origin, however if you take out the dairy they are relatively high in protein and nutrition. The guacamole has avocados which are high in good fats that lower your blood pressure, act as an anti-inflammatory and reduces your cholesterol; and therefore your risk of heart disease. Chicken breast is a great source of lean protein while the onions are great at regulating blood pressure and providing you with your daily dose of Vitamin C. Tomatoes are full of antioxidants and are known to help reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer and and diabetes! Sounds pretty good right! What's not to like. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

Guacamole
2 Avocados
1/4 Cup of Red Onion (Chopped)
1 Clove of Garlic
1 Lime (juiced)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cilantro - Chopped Finely (optional) *
Tomato - Chopped (optional)*

* I did not add this item but it's not uncommon, you do you.

Other Toppings
1 Tomato (Chopped)
Pre-made salsa

Fajitas
Chicken Breast (cut into strips)
2 Small Yellow Onions (Chopped)
1 TBSP of Olive Oil
Whole Wheat Tortillas
Green Peppers (optional)*

* I did not add this item but it's not uncommon, you do you.

DIRECTIONS:

Mix/mash you avocados then add in your onions and garlic and keep mashing/mixing. Add in your desired level of salt, pepper and lime juice. - Guacamole done!

Using a large saute pan, add oil and let it warm up on the stove on medium heat. Next add in your chicken strips, season with salt and pepper. Once they are nearly cooked through add in your onions and any other vegetables you like. Let that cook and allow the chicken to absorb the juices from the vegetables until chicken is fully cooked through and until the vegetables become soft. Apx 10-15 minutes.

5 minutes before the chicken is done you can put some tortillas in the oven to warm up. Place them in the over and turn the oven on bake at 350. No need to wait for it to preheat they will only be in there for two - three minutes before they are warm and ready to be taken out.

 

I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. If you have any comments please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can! Happy cooking!!!

BARBECUED ONION AND LEMON CHICKEN! GLUTEN FREE, SOY FREE, PALEO

If you are looking for an easy meal you just found it. This barbecued onion lemon chicken CAN'T get any simpler. I usually marinate the chicken for at least 24 hours but if you are planning on having a BBQ this pre planned meat option could save you time before your guest arrive. All you gotta do is put it on the bbq, let it cook and dinner is ready!

Okay, okay! Enough talking lets get to work...

So I had 12 people over for dinner when I made this so I marinated 10 chicken thighs, 10 drumsticks and 3 chicken breasts. I left the skin on the chicken thighs and drumsticks and just used regular skinless chicken breasts.

INGREDIENTS:

23 pcs of Chicken - duh
7 Large Onions -chopped
14 Lemons - peeled and halved

DIRECTIONS:

Get a large bowl. Wash the chicken and dry them off with a piece of paper towel and add them to the bowl.

Next take the onion and lemon and put it in a blender till it makes a mush. Add it to the bowl. Make sure there is enough marinade that the chicken is completely submerged!

Marinate for 24 hours!

DONE!! That simple and soooooo tasty. If there is any left over it taste even better the next day.

HAPPY COOKING :)

Liked this recipe? Let me know in the comments below.