seasonal eating & dumplings
have you ever thought of changing your lifestyle to one that is healthy but were worried about missing out on tasty food? or maybe you thought to yourself that you would never get to have a lick of ice cream again. maybe even worse, that you would never get that good ol' comfort food. well, I am here to tell you that's not the case. my job is to help you make that healthy transition without forfeiting all the goods! with healthy eating comes a whole list of new fun things like new food, restaurants and methods of eating.
if seasonal eating is a concept you have never heard of you should look into it and start doing it! our bodies are so in sync with the earth and its seasons that they handle certain foods better at certain times of the year than other foods. when it is fall/winter we should be eating warming foods: soups, bone broths, stews, proteins & fats. when it is spring/summer we should be eating cooling foods: smoothies, juices, raw foods, salads, lots of good quality carbs. not only is it good for you - it's good for your wallet, here is a short little article on some of the benefits: http://life.gaiam.com/article/benefits-eating-what-s-season
so the latest recipe that has evolved is chicken & dumplings - that's right, I took on the gluten-free dumpling.. i won't say it was absolutely amazing, since it was missing GLUTEN, but for being gluten-free it was absolutely amazing! i looked up recipes and took into consideration their measurements and ingredients and did what i do best - disregard them all and do my own thing haha. so, here is it!
gf chicken & dumplings
soup:
2 tbsp. olive oil
4 carrots (chopped)
1 white onion (chopped)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
8 tbsp. chicken bouillon
8 cups boiling water
5 chicken breasts (cubed)
2 bay leaves
*let the chicken simmer in about a 1/2" of water
*Saute carrots, onion, and garlic in olive oil {in a large stock pot}
*dissolve the chicken bouillon in the water
*add the chicken & bay leaves to the sautéed veggies
*bring to a boil & then simmer for 15 minutes
dumpling:
1/2 cup each: coconut flour, buckwheat flour, millet flour
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda (aluminum free)
1 cup buttermilk****
*mix all dry ingredients
*slowly pour in buttermilk (starting with 3/4 cup) you can always add more, but never take out!
*you should have a slightly sticky dough
*turn the heat back up to medium
*drop a spoonful of dough into the the stock and repeat until the dough is gone
*cover and cook for 15 minutes
****buttermilk recipe
1 cup alternative milk (i used califia)
1 tbsp. raw apple cider vinegar (i used braggs)
*mix and let sit for 5 minutes
*it may take on a weird texture - that's normal
now that it's all done you can sit your family/friends down and serve dinner. It can be served with homemade bacon bits, green onion and mushrooms. you can just "accidentally" forget to mention that it is gluten-free and dairy-free cause they'll never know (: the buckwheat gives the dumplings an interestingly sweet taste and the coconut flour gives them a thicker/caky-like texture! i also forgot to take a picture because it was too tasty (:
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