Barbeque Baked Chicken

This quick solution to yet another round of baked chicken breast turned out really yummy.

4 bone-in chicken breasts
1 small can tomato paste
3 tablespoons mustard
3 tablespoons honey
1 tsp ground chile powder
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp chipotle powder
1 tsp salt

Put the chicken into a glass baking dish. Mix all other ingredients in a small bowl to make a thick paste; then slather on the chicken. (I use my hands to do the slathering.)

Bake at 350 until the chicken is cooked through. Test the temperature at 40 minutes; could take up to an hour.

SCD notes: homemade ketchup can take the place of the tomato paste; chili powder is basically a blend of ancho chile powder and ground cumin in about a 3:1 ratio.

Summer "Pasta" Salad

I finally figured out how to replace the starch in my favorite summer food!

Summer "Pasta" Salad

All measurements are approximate.

1 head cauliflower
4 medium tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
freshly grated parmesan and/or romano
salt/black pepper to taste

Chop the cauliflower into small bite size pieces. Steam until tender. Drain well.

Chiffonade the basil leaves (roll leaves into a cylinder using a big leaf as a wrapper, then use a good knife to chop into thin strips). Chop the tomatoes.

Mix together the warm cauliflower, tomatoes, basil, olive oil, vinegar. Salt to taste, but not too salty. Serve with a generous sprinkle of grated parmesan.

Optional: add leftover chunks of cooked chicken or other protein

Chicken a la King

This meal for using up leftover chicken or turkey was a childhood favorite that involved canned mushroom soup and puff pastry. My variant doesn't have the crisp of the pastry, but the sauce is much tastier!

In a pot large enough to contain everything, slowly brown:
1 medium onion finely chopped
about 1 cup of shitake mushrooms slice
3 crushed or minced cloves garlic or 1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp butter (or bacon fat if you have it)

As the onions and mushrooms cook, add spices to taste:
Salt (start with 1/2 tsp, you may want more---the sauce should be pretty salty)
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp ground rosemary
1 tsp smoked paprika (or plain paprika or powdered ancho, optional)
pinch cayenne or chipotle (more or less depending on your taste for heat)
add more oil (use butter or your preferred cooking oil) if the onions start to burn

When the onions are nice and brown, add
2 tbsp red wine (optional, but worth it if you can)

After the wine has cooked off, add
1/2 cup yogurt (more for a thinner sauce)
1/4 cup milk (or water)

Stir until smooth. then add
1-2 cups cooked chicken cut into bite size pieces

Cook until the chicken is hot.

Serve it over cooked spaghetti squash, baked winter squash, cauliflower, or almond flour biscuits.