Well, the weather where I live decided to resort back to winter for a few days. So, I thought this warm stew would be an appropriate recipe to share today. I tried this recipe for the first time last week and both Matt and I really enjoyed it. It only took me a total of 20 minutes to prepare and then cooked in my slow cooker for a while and voila!..a warm, healthy meal that was ready when we were ready to eat it.

The Moroccan style dishes that I’ve had seem to combine savory and sweet flavors to create a whole new flavor. This one is really great for people with restricted diets, as the ingredients are very basic and it’s really light on your stomach. It also makes really great left-overs, so start cookin’!

Ingredients:
4 cups gluten free chicken broth
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 (14.5 oz. can) diced tomatoes (I had whole can tomatoes, so that’s what I used)
1 large green pepper, cut into 2 inch strips
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup raisins
8 (2 oz.) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Hot cooked quinoa, rice, or orzo (whatever you like to serve with it)

Directions:
1. Stir in stock, honey, cumin, cinnamon, tomatoes, green pepper, onion, and raisins in to your slow cooker. Add chicken and turn to coat.
2. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours or until chicken is cooked through. Salt and pepper to taste if you like.

3. In serving bowls lay a layer of cumin, rice, or orzo and then dish the stew on top of it. Enjoy!

This recipe is simple to make, can be made in a slow cooker, and includes 2 types of meat, 2 types of legumes, and plenty of Spring veggies (spinach, parsley, and onions).

I’m all about healthy homemade meals, but I have to say, the recipes I make again and again are those that are not only healthy and satisfy my taste buds, but those that are quick and easy to make. From all the recipes I post it may look like all I do is cook, but I generally prefer recipes that are low maintenance (those that I can let cook in my slow cooker are the best).

This Spiced Lentil Soup serves 10 people, so if you want less serving portions decrease all the amounts by half, or have left-overs and freeze portions. The creator of this recipe said that her kids loved this one too.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound gluten free Italian sausage (casings removed, crumbled)
1/2 cup diced onion
1/3 cup brown rice (uncooked)
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 quarts gluten free chicken stock
1 cup lentils (uncooked)
1 chicken breast (uncooked)
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 can (15 oz.) garbanzo beans
1/2 to 1 pound fresh or frozen spinach
1 jar (12 oz.) salsa, mild or medium

Directions:
1. Brown sausage, onion, rice, and garlic in a skillet. Transfer to the slow cooker or large stock pot (whatever you want to cook the soup in).
2. Add the chicken stock, lentils, chicken breast and parsley. (I added a little less stock, as my slow cooker got a little too full). Simmer for as long as you desire or until lentils are tender. (I simmered mine on high in my slow cooker for a few hours while I ran errands).
3. Stir soup breaking chicken apart. Add beans, spinach, and salsa and heat through. (I cooked it on high for about another 1/2 hour). Enjoy!

*Recipe Source: The Country Cooking Recipe Collection: Prize-Winning Soups & Sandwhiches, (1993 publication) recipe submitted by Marty Rummel, Trout Lake, Washington

I thought I’d wrap up the week with a sweet treat that’s sure to satisfy your sweet tooth! I have to admit that my general consensus on sweets is that if its not chocolate don’t bother. But this one is quite tasty even without chocolate.

This Raspberry Cornmeal Crisp uses Spring fruit, but admittedly I wouldn’t consider it healthy…you’ll see what I mean when you see the amounts of sugar and butter. I’m not an advocate for eating an healthy diet, but a little sweet can curb your cravings and keep you from binging. My advice with sweets: Don’t waste the calories and sugar on processed sweets…if you’re going to eat sweets make them the really good homemade ones!

This is another Everyday Food: A Martha Stewart Magazine, April 2011 Issue recipe. I adapted Martha’s recipe to fit my restricted diet and it came out really well. Martha says to cool the crisp and cut it into bars, but yeah right…let it cool after it comes out of the oven hot and gooey? I don’t think so. We served it warm and when warm it reminds me of a crisp. When its served cold it reminds me of shortbread with fruit. So, try it either way you like.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 cups gluten free all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)(I used Bob’s Redmill Brand)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
10 ounces frozen raspberries

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 inch square baking dish with parchment paper, leaving a 1 inch overhang on 2 sides.
2. In a large bowl, mix together cornmeal, four, sugar, and salt.
3. Add butter and stir or mix with your hands until ingredients are evenly moistened.
4. Press about 2/3 dough into the bottom of the dish.

5. Scatter raspberries over the top and crumble remaining dough over the raspberries.

6. Bake until top is golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool and cut into bars or spoon hot into dishes. Eat and Enjoy!

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and the grass is slowly changing from brown to green, but old man winter isn’t going down without a fight this year. Although Spring is here, its been pretty cold in the Chicagoland area over the last week. So warm, hearty soup really hit the spot for me this week. This recipe incorporates some fresh, almost Spring ingredients, while providing that “warm you from the inside out” feeling that is so satisfying when its cold outside.

I hope this one will keep you warm until Spring weather actually turns the bend and old man winter finally gives up for the year.

Ingredients:
1 pound GF pork sausage (links cut into 1/4 inch slices or ground sausage will work) (I used ground GF Italian sausage)
1 cup celery, sliced
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons GF all purpose flour
14 1/2 ounces GF chicken broth
1/2 cup water
4 medium potatoes, diced (4 cups worth) (I left the skins on because of the nutrient value in the skins)
1 cup milk (or unsweetened milk substitute) (I used rice milk)
1 cup green beans, sliced and partially cooked
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Directions:
1. If you’re using fresh green beans snap the ends off and cut them into bite sized pieces (see photo below). Blanch the green beans by bringing a small pot of water to a boil. Add some salt and boil the green beans until they turn bright green and soft.

2. In a heavy saucepan brown sausage over medium heat. Remove sausage and set aside. Drain all but 1 tablespoon drippings.
3. Saute celery, onion, thyme and salt until onion is tender. If veggies start to stick add a little olive oil.
4. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add broth and water, stirring until the mixture comes to a boil.
5. Add potatoes; cover and simmer 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add a little more water if it becomes too thick. Stir often.

6. Use a submersion blender to puree the soup. Or if you don’t have a submersion blender allow soup to cool a little and then puree it in batches in a blender.
7. Add milk, beans and sausage into the saucepan. Heat through. Then serve with garnish of fresh parsley. Enjoy!

I know it looks a little like gravy, but it has a really delicious flavor. If it gets a little thick you can add a little more milk to thin it. This recipe serves 4 people.
*Recipe Source: The Country Cooking Recipe Collection, Prize-winning Soups & Sandwiches, 1993 edition, Submitted by Dorothy Althause, Magalia, California
*GF= Gluten Free