Roasted Chicken & Veggies

This is my new, favorite comfort food. It's quick, easy, one-dish and I get to eat all sorts of different veggies at one meal. Plus...roasting brings out the sweet qualities in a vegetable, something that has not been lost on either my daughter or husband. I do keep the skin on my chicken, so...this isn't a low-fat dish*. I also use chicken thighs as they are generally cheaper and a moister meat.

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken pieces: Thighs, legs, breasts or any combination, though they will cook more evenly if you use the same body part.

Any combination of vegetables. For the picture above I used:

- sweet potato - cubed

- purple cauliflower

- fennel bulb - chopped

- yellow zuccini - chopped

- green bell pepper - chopped

Lemon juice

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Garlic powder

Onion powder

I use a clay baking pan, but any pyrex baking dish will do. Be sure to oil the pyrex dish first.

Lay chicken bottom-side up on the pan and squeeze about a quarter of a lemon on top of it. Season liberally with freshly ground salt and pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Turn over and repeat with lemon and seasoning.

I don't measure my veggies. I cut and spread on the pan until I have a nice mix of colors. Then drizzle them with oil and season with salt and pepper. Sometimes I'll add lemon juice. Once you figure out how many veggies you'll be using, you could put them in a separate bowl, drizzle with oil, add lemon juice, a couple cloves of minced fresh garlic (Mmmm...much better than powder), salt and pepper, then add to the chicken.

Bake at 400-degrees for about 15-20 minutes, stir up veggies and continue baking for another 15 or so minutes. Check the chicken and veggies at this point. You'll probably need to cook for an additional 10 minutes depending on the size of the chicken part.

* NOTE: You could remove the skin before baking. Prepare as directed above but instead of coating the top with the seasoning, make a topping of bread crumbs or almond meal:

- allow about 2T per piece of chicken,

- drizzle enough oil to moisten and

- add liberal amounts of seasonings - maybe about 1/8 teaspoon per piece of meat.

Drizzle chicken with lemon juice, then spread about 2-tablespoons of the breading on top of the chicken. Bake as directed.

Bean Dip

Perfect as a dip with legal chips, as a spread for quesadillas, sandwiches, pizza...you name it. Use your imagination!!


1-15.5 oz can black beans - reserve 1/4 cup liquid, then drain and rinse.
1 clove garlic, chopped - Use more or less to taste.
Juice from 1/2 lime - Use more or less to taste.
1/2 teaspoon onion powder, or chopped fresh onion
1/2 teastpoon cumin
10-grinds of salt (...Like how scientific this is?!)
Pinch of cayenne pepper
(Optional) 5-drops agave nectar
2 Tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro


Puree a few beans, 1/2 the liquid and garlic until pretty well blended. Add the fresh onion at this point if you're using that instead of onion powder.

Add the rest of the liquid and lime juice through agave nectar. Puree until smooth. Adjust seasonings if needed.

Stir in bell pepper and cilantro.


** OPTIONS:
* Add a small jar of baby pureed beef, chicken or lamb to boost protein and add a little flavor twist.

* Make this more italian flavored by substituting:
- White beans (like Canneloni) for the black beans
- Italian seasoning for the cumin
- Fresh basil for the fresh cilantro
- a few bits of tomato or tomato juice for the lime juice
- a little extra garlic
- 1/4 cup sauteed onions for onion powder

"Pizza" Redefined

Rice Crust or any legal pizza crust, packaged or homemade

Black Bean Dip*

Finely minced chicken, turkey or beef

Legal cheese like Galaxy Brand Rice Cheese

Dried basil

Follow directions on package to prep the pizza crust.

Spread a nice cover of bean dip.

Sprinkle minced meat on top. I like to sprinkle a little salt and garlic powder on top of this.

Top with legal cheese. Cut in strips, triangles or use little cookie cutters for fun shapes. My daughter LOVES to cut the cheese herself and put it on top.

Sprinkle lightly with dried basil.

Bake according to package directions.

NOTE: Galaxy cheese does not really melt, so pull it from the oven when it looks 'done'. About 7-12 minutes or so.

* If you prefer an italian flavor for the bean dip, substitute italian seasoning for the cumin, basil for the cilantro, and drop the lime. Adjust seasonings to taste.

The Power of Many

I'd reached a point in our diet/biomed journey, that I felt our daughter had finally come to eat certain foods on a regular basis, and that cooking them in bulk and freezing them could finally be a feasible option. Inspired by one of my forum member's rituals, I decided to extend an open invitation for a day-long GFCF Cook Fest.

It took a lot of e-mails to figure out the details, but the two other participants, Tori and Heather, each drove an hour, hauled raw ingredients, prepared foods and coolers to my house and thus we began our first endeavor. We got to sample Heather's hummus and watch her make meatballs, Tori graced us with lentil soup and a sumptuous Sunday Chicken dinner, and I made pumpkin protein cookies and quesadillas.

But it was more than just making and sharing food. Here, we were able to come together and talk about our children. Try new foods and bring new foods home. Show each other new tips and tricks and generally learn how to make life easier in the GFCF kitchen. I wish I had taken a picture of all the food we made, because I know I've left something out. The following day, since my kitchen was still a wreck and appliances still out, I was able to make additional foods and freeze them.

Though it's been hard to get everyone back together again, I have held another cook-fest, and in this one, there wasn't a lot of mass coooking done, but there was a lot of education for the new people.

The camaraderie during this mundane chore made it completely bearable...and I LOVE having a stocked freezer!

CF Coleslaw

CF Coleslaw

1 part red cabbage
1/3 part carrots
1/8 part leeks, white part and some of the green

Shred cabbage and carrots.
Slice leeks in half, rinse well. Lay flat, then thinly slice across width.

Mix well


DRESSING:
equal parts lime juice and oil
fresh garlic – one med-large clove per lime
S&P
¼ t cumin per lime, just a hint of red pepper


Make dressing and pour on top of colelaw. Mix well. Refrigerate.

NOTE: If you use a small head of cabbage you’ll probably need to use 2 limes for the dressing. Also, I have made this with red onion and it was not nearly as good as with the leeks. The red onion overpowered the other flavors.

Which One Will Get Your Vote??!

Though the talk of politics does take place in our home, I promise this picture was done without ANY instigation or prompting from my husband or me! She was a little disappointed to learn she was not old enough to go to the polls. When asked who she was going to vote for, her answer was based on who looked better. I will leave her answer up to your imagination...

Just goes to show not much is missed...biomed is clearly working better than I thought!

"Miracle" Recovery?

Miracle would suggest that a wand had been waved and that with a smattering of fairy dust, all was better. All the pain and angst erased from memory, nary a stumble or hesitation from this point forth, that the path ahead was clear and easy. Hmmm…a magical feat indeed! Perhaps in the dark recesses of my being there is a little voice wishing with all her might that this could be so. Yet, I can tell you that the only supernatural event occurring in our house is our dogged determination to get to the bottom of our daughter’s underlying mystery.

That a solution to this puzzle even exists, I am immeasurably grateful, but the way is murky. Twists, turns and backward steps are constant companions. Self-doubt, worry, frustration and the ever-present weariness hang on me like burrs on my socks, pricking and making their presence known at every move. I have given up my former life to find our daughter and bring her back. And although sometimes I miss whatever it was I used to do, I am propelled forward by the changes and improvements she has made.

Yes, I am perhaps more jaded in the way I look at life, but perhaps that is to be expected. When the blinders of naivete are peeled away by the sting of reality, it’s hard to prevent the skeptic’s shell from forming. I no longer have implicit faith. In contrast, I also know that even though I encounter periods of insecurity, I am more confident in myself, and my abilities. I know that somewhere in here, I have found my voice and with each event it becomes a little stronger.

And although there is no magical pill for autism, there is hope. That with hard work and dedication, I, like hundreds of other parents, am putting the pieces of our daughter’s puzzle together. Through the shadows we are touching the hidden lives of our children and slowly drawing them forward into the light, and for the first time, getting to know who our children really are.

That, my friends, is the ‘miracle’ of intervention.