Chicken Thighs in a French Onion Sauce

EJ loves onions. He stands next to me, stealing raw slices, as I'm chopping them. No joke. So this meal is a big hit for him while I'm prepping and when it finally hits the table.

I came across the recipe and decide to modify it and make it safe for my food allergy family. It does take some time to pull together, so it's definitely a weekend meal. But it's worth the work.....plan on everything taking 2 hours.  I like to serve it with a simple green salad and a Schar Gluten Free Baguette.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp or vegan butter or olive oil
2 lbs sliced onions
2-3 chopped garlic
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
2 cups chicken stock, divided
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb boneless-skinless chicken thighs, dried, seasoned with salt and pepper
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp dijon mustard
Chopped parsley for garnish
Optional:
1 cup grated gruyere cheese

Equipment Needed:
Large oven-safe pan with lid (or cover with foil)
Cheese grater
Foil

Let's Cook!
Heat oven to 350 degrees
1. In a large pan, melt vegan butter or warm oil over medium heat
2. Add sliced onions, stirring occasionally until golden brown (about 30-45 minutes)

3. Stir in garlic and thyme until fragrant, 1 minute
4. Add 1 cup of the chicken stock, bring to boil, simmer 5 minutes
     Chicken cooked in new pan
5. In another pan, heat 1 tbsp of olive over medium-high heat
6. Sear chicken thighs for 3 minutes per side, set aside 
     Return attention to original pan
7. Add remained 1 cup of chicken stock to the onion sauce mixture
8. Stir in balsamic vinegar and mustard
9. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer until sauce is reduced to half, 5-10 minutes
10. Place the chicken in the onion sauce, cover pan with lid or foil
11. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until chicken is cooked through
12. Remove pan from oven
This can be the last step, if you are dairy free.

This is EJ's giant bowl!

13. Sprinkle with cheese and broil 2-3 minutes, until cheese is melted
14. Garnish with parsley

Serve!

Contains: Optional milk (cheese topping), mustard

Recipe inspiration: http://www.closetcooking.com/2015/04/french-onion-chicken.html

Apple Pie Crumble | VEGAN | GLUTEN FREE

One of the hardest parts of the holidays, making sure we have a safe dessert for EJ! Imagine being a kid and watching everyone else enjoying an amazing piece of pie....and you can't have any. I've purchased all the frozen safe versions and they are just ok. Nothing beats a nice slice of FRESH homemade pie.

With a little trial and error, Mission Accomplished! Even the non-allergy family members were going in for seconds. Truth be told, nothing beats the real thing but this a nice runner up.

Ingredients: 
Wholly Wholesome Gluten Free Pie Shell (found at Sprouts in frozen section)

Filling: 
4-5 medium Granny-Smith apples: peel, core and slice
2 tbsp vegan dairy-free butter (I used Earth Balance)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 to 1/3 cup of sugar (to taste)
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp cornstarch + 1 tbsp water (make a slurry)

Crumble Topping:
1/2 cup of gluten-free all-purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1/2 cup of gluten-free quick cooking rolled oats (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1/2 cup of firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup of vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
1/4 cup of vegetable shortening (I used Spectrum)

Equipment Needed:
Medium sized mixing bowl
Sauce pot
Baking sheet
Foil

Let's Cook! 
Heat oven to 375 degrees
1. Melt vegan butter and cinnamon over medium heat
2. Stir in apples, sugar and water
3. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally for 4-6 minutes or until lightly softened
4. Remove pie shell from freezer and put it on a baking sheet
5. Lightly poke the shell with a fork (as stated on the shell directions)
6. Stir the corn starch slurry to the apple mixture
7. Continue to cook until for about 1 minute until bubbly the mixture is thickened
8. Let the apple filling slightly cool while you prepare the crumble
9. In medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon and salt
10. Cut the vegan butter and shortening into the mixture until is resembles coarse crumbles
11. Pour the apple filling into the pie shell
12. Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the pie filling

13. Cover the edges of the pie crust with foil to avoid scorching (as started on shell directions)

14. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until juices are bubbly and topping is golden brown
15. Cool slightly

Serve! 

Contains: corn (cornstarch), soy (vegan butter), palm fruit (sustainably sourced shortening)

Chicken, Mushroom, Carrot, and Potato Soup

It's that time of year.....cold season! And when one kid gets sick, the whole house gets sick. Time for soup. Luckily my kids love soup! Homemade soup always tastes better than store bought and you can control what goes into it. With food allergies, knowing exactly what's in your food is mandatory.

Ingredients:
1 package chicken thighs or breast: cut into pieces
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1 yellow onion: halved and thinly sliced
1/2 lb of mushrooms: halved and sliced
1/2 cup of wine (sub water if needed)
2 large carrots: peeled and sliced
4-5 medium red potatoes: diced into 1" squares
2 cups of chicken broth or stock
2 cups of water
2 tbsp cornstarch: make a slurry by adding 1 tbsp of water
Fresh thyme and parsley: coarsely chopped
Olive oil, salt and pepper

Equipment needed:
Cast iron dutch oven or large pot with a lid

Let's cook!
1. Dry the chicken pieces with a towel and then season with the paprika, garlic and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Heat pot over medium-high, warming 1-2 tbsps of olive oil until hot
3. Add the chicken and cook 2-3 per side, until lightly seared but not cooked through
4. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
If the pan is dry add 1-2 tsps of oil
5. Add the onion to the pot and cook until it begins to soften, 2 minutes
6. Stir in the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper ,cook until the juices start to release, 4 minutes
7. Slowly pour in the wine, deglazing the pan and scraping up any brown bits from the pan, 30 seconds
8. Add the carrots and potatoes to the pot, stir, and cover for 4-5 minutes, occasionally stirring
9. Pour in equal amounts of chicken stock and water until everything is submerged
10. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, return chicken to the pot, cover
11. Cook, stir occasionally until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender, 12-15 minutes
12. Remove from heat and stir in herbs, season with salt and pepper

Serve! 

Contains: corn (cornstarch) 

I served the soup with hot bread: https://www.schaer.com/en-us/p/baguette

Recipe inspiration: https://sunbasket.com/recipe/braised-chicken-with-carrots-potatoes-and-thyme