casserole…not just for winter. try my light summer version!

Posted on 07/03/2012 by WholesomeGal

photo by wholesomegal.com

Even though it was around 85 yesterday and stinkn’ muggy out, I really wanted a “comfort” dish for dinner…..well, what better than a casserole! So I used Quinoa as my base for this casserole – It really adds lightness to dishes. I tossed together a simple Arugula Salad that just had olive oil and fig balsamic vinegar in it-so amazingly good! Then I paired it with some nice cold Pinot Grigio with Lemon Verbena leaves in it that I plucked from my garden. Fantastic comfort dinner for summer!

Even though I didn’t aim to do so…..this is a really good “figure friendly” dish to make. There’s none of the ingredients that you normally would find in a casserole like canned cream-of-mushroom or chicken, mayo, sour cream, etc…So incorporate this dish in with your weekly meals and suffer no guilt!

crispy portabella mushroom with sweet tomato corn salsa

Posted on 06/21/2012 by WholesomeGal

photo by wholesomegal.com

Don’t tell me, “There’s nothing to eat”!

Posted on 06/11/2012 by WholesomeGal

photo by wholesome gal

I love it when Dan looks in the fridge and complains, “There’s nothing to eat!” like he did the other day. I jumped into the kitchen with my hands on my hips (Musketeer style) and said, “Do you challenge me, Sir? There is plenty to eat! I will make you a dinner fit for a king!”. OK, I’m still a little caught up with the “Game of Thrones” season finale last week Well, I think I won that challenge with these comforting Mexican Cheesy Quinoa Stuffed Peppers!

Moving=Limited Cooking

Posted on 06/21/2011 by WholesomeGal

Slow Cooked Lemon + Garlic Chicken

Your right, this isn’t a picture of a meal….it’s my life right now:) I’ve been busy packing, organizing, getting rid of things, storing, reminiscing…. but mainly, packing up my apartment the last couple of days, and will be doing this for a couple more weeks. So when your place looks like that above, aka, CHAOS, then what you need is here below…..

…..a Crock Pot. This is your best friend until you move

Good ol’ Crock Pot. So underrated, so under-used, so misunderstood, so…….simply marvelous!!

The best things about using a Crock Pot is:

You only use one pot.
It’s SLOW COOKED…need I say more?
When you get home from work the aroma of food hits you in the face as you walk in the door and no one is cooking in the kitchen except for Mr. Crocker!

Here’s my quick recipe for Slow Cooked Lemon + Garlic Chicken:)

All you need is your choice of chicken. (I used the thighs with the skin on).
Good Homemade or organic Chicken Stock. (Enough to cover the chicken once in the pot).
2 Lemons. One thinly sliced and thrown in. One cut in half, juiced into pot then thrown in as well. **(You eat the thinly sliced lemons, they are marvelous! And throw out the lemon that is cut in half when it’s done cooking).
4 heads of Garlic. That’s right! 4 heads, cloves peeled and thrown in whole. (Or buy already peeled garlic cloves).
salt + pepper to taste.

(I used all my stock left over in my freezer as you can see. I used beef and chicken stock..don’t want to be packing all that away!)

**Don’t worry about the amount of garlic cloves. Because they are slow-cooked, they develop this fantastic mild garlic and sweet taste to them. It’s not overly garlicky at all!**

To peel a clove, you simply use the flat part of a chopping knife to slightly crush the clove (enough to crack the skin) and peel the skin off. That’s it!

Put everything in the pot on low for 6-8 hours. Serve with fresh Thyme or parsley on top on…what else? Paper plates!..because all of mine are all packed up!! Fine dining

Category Archives: Gluten-Free