Homemade Chicken Stock

The trouble with homemade chicken stock is once you make it you will lever want to go back to store bought.  It has so much flavor and does not need much salt.  I am posting 2 different ways to make it- I hope you give it a try- it is worth the efffort.  I am also looking for ways to get a quick meal so when I make stock I use a whole chicken so I have precooked chicken for a quick meal another time.

Feingold Stage 1

CSA ingredients avaliable: carrots, garlic, celery, and chicken

Ingredients

2 whole chickens (organic or antibiotic- hormone free)

2 onions

4 carrots- peels on is fine

4 stalks of celery- stems and leafy part is fine

8 cloves of garlic

any fresh herb you like and have on hand

salt and pepper to taste

Procedure: Chop onions, celery, carrots and garlic. A food processor speeds this step up. Heat 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil in very large stock pot.  Add vegetables and saute until tender about 5 minutes.

Note: If you do not have a really big stock pot than cut this half to fit a smaller pot.

Now put the raw rinsed chickens into the pot plus any fresh herbs.  I remove the livers and add any "extras" the chicken comes with.  Fill the pot so that the water comes about 2 inches above the chicken. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 45 minutes.

Now remove the chicken and allow to cool enough you can handle it. Pull off all the cooked chicken meat. This can used for any recipe that calls for chicken.  I often put in freezer bags so I have chicken when I need a quick meal.  Add the bones, skins and thighs back to pot.  Simmer for another 1 1/2 hours. 

 Now strain the stock from the chicken.  I put through a large colander to remove the vegetables and bones.  You can strain again through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth if you wanta really clear stock.  Now add salt and pepper.  Don't add early because as the stock dissolves it could get too salty.  It does not take a lot of salt 1-2 tsp if often enough for the whole big pot. 

Allow to cool and freeze so it is ready. I like to freeze in 1 qt sizes and also freeeze in a ice cube tray if I need just a little stock in a recipe. 

METHOD 2

Another option is to make the stock in a crock pot.  Use half of the above ingredients (one onion, 2 carrots and celery, 1 chicken, 4 garlic).  Put vegetables in crock pot (sometimes I only cut into pieces instead of dice). Add chicken and fill with water to 1 inch of top of crock pot.  Cover and set crock on low for 8 hours.  Remove chicken after 4-5 hours to reserve meat and add back bones.  Strain like above.  It makes less but you don't have to watch the water temperture or even be home so it is a nice method.

Recipe Makeover- Jambalaya

Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday and healthy do NOT belong in the same sentence. I mean the whole point of Mardi Gras is to indulge in all of the things about to be given up during the Lenten season.  However, we like to enjoy a little Mardi Gras celebration at our house (esp after 4 years in Mobile, AL) and our favorite part is the King Cake!  This year we decided on some Jambalaya.  If this was the only high fat food we would encounter for the week then it probably would not be a big deal but lets face it.  There will be Girl Scout cookies passed around the office, cupcakes at school for the next birthday ect..  We are far from perfect with this whole nutrition thing but if I can at least have healthy food in the home it is a step in the right direction.  That is where a recipe makeover comes in.

I found a nice looking Jambalaya recipe in this month's Bon Appetit Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya- you can find it at Epicurious.com.  Problem was the saturated fat.  An adult eating a 2000 calorie/day diet should not have more then 20 grams of saturated fats a day. Basically Saturated fats are the artery cloggers- they raise your cholesterol.  For kids their total dietary fat intake should be 25-30% of their diet- that is for all fats not just saturated.  So basically the whole family benefits from limiting saturated fat.  The original recipe has 50 grams of fat and 17 grams of saturated fat per serving!  That is an entire day of fat in one meal and we want to eat King Cake for dessert!  Imagine a restaurant now where the portion size is 2-3 servings- you are getting 2-3 days of saturated fat in one meal- that is why the American diet is such a problem.

So here goes the recipe makeover; 1. Decrease the sausage from 1 1/2 pounds to 3/4 pounds.  2. Decrease the amount of applewood bacon but don't eliminate it or substitute turkey bacon it won't get the smokey flavor you need for Jambalaya  3. Reduce chicken thighs (higher in saturated fats) and add some chicken breast (lean and low in saturated fats) 4. Add some shrimp 5. Change from white to brown rice 6. Eliminate cayenne pepper and use mild sausage so the kids will eat it (but can be made with cayenne and spicy sausage for those wanting an authentic version).

The makeover version is still not health food but look at the difference:
                           Original                                     Makeover
Total Fat             51 grams                                   20 grams
Saturated Fat    17 grams                                  6 grams
Sodium               2527 mg                                    1044mg
Calories              754                                            361

Here is the recipe- this is NOT quick and easy but worth the effort when you are craving some Cajun flavors.

Meredith's Chicken, Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya

6 oz applewood-smoked bacon, diced
3/4 lb mild sausages, quartered lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch cubes
1 lb chicken breasts
3 large skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch piece
1  large onions, chopped
1 large celery stalk, chopped
1 8-to 10-ounce red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 8-to 10-ounce green or yellow bell pepper, coarsely chopped
6 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried thyme

I love the colors seen while this dish sautes

1 Tbs chili powder
1/4 tsp (or more) cayenne pepper (optional)
1 can 28-ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes and green chiles
2  cup chicken broth
1 pound shrimp (peeled and deveined), chopped into bite sized pieces
2 cup brown rice
8 green onions, chopped (about 2 cups)
Chopped fresh Italian parsley

1. Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350°F. Cook bacon and sausage in very large pot over medium-high heat until brown but not yet crisp and sausage start to brown in spots, about 10 minutes. Add onions, celery, and bell peppers. Cook until vegetables begin to soften, stirring occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes. Mix in chicken. Cook until outside of chicken turns white, stirring often, 5 to 6 minutes. Mix in paprika, thyme, chili powder, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional). Cook 1 minute. Add diced tomatoes with chiles and broth; stir to blend well. Add more cayenne, if desired. Mix in rice.

2. Bring jambalaya to boil. Cover pot. Place in oven and bake until rice is tender and liquids are almost absorbed about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and add chopped shrimp. Leave covered about 10 minutes until remaining liquid absorbed and shrimp cooked thoroughly.  Sprinkle jambalaya with chopped parsley and serve.

Servings: 8-10

Cooking Times
Preparation Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes

Ratings
Jamie *****
Meredith *****
Clay ****
Colin ***
Lexi ***

Jamie said he liked this version as much as any of the full fat versions he has tried- maybe better- "I don't like really greasy food"!

I don't think the modifications lost any of the rich flavor we love in Jambylaya!

Chicken and Black Bean Quesadilla

 Black Bean and Chicken Quesadilla

This is a family fun recipe.  It is quite simple and fun for the kids- they get to assemble their own dinner.

Since we are focusing on whole grains lets start with choosing the tortillas.   Here is the label from ours- these are whole grain tortillas.  Notice the flour is enriched wheat flour- this is not as good as "wheat flour" which would be 100% whole grains.  However, the fiber content is 4gms likley from the addition of a multi-grained blend.  They also do not have partially hydrogenated oils often found in tortillas to enhance shelf life. More on this to come but basically partially hydrogenated oils raise your bad cholesterol and should be avoided. 

Next selection is the cheese. This is an inexpensive meal so the cheese is the place to make sure to get a high quality product.  This variety is hormone and antibiotic free (more on this to come later as well).  By using a reduced fat product you also decrease saturated fat intake which is what gives cheese its bad reputation.

Recipe:


6 whole grain torillas
2 cups cooked chicken cut in bite sized pieces
1 cup shredded cheese
1 can black beans drained
diced cilantro
Pepper and onion blend sauteed (this was a frozen variety- if not using organic make sure to rinse even if frozen to reduce residual pesticides)

Spray one side of tortilla with cooking spray and turn over.  Assemble with toppings of choice- basically do not use more then 2 spoonfuls of each or you cannot fold it in half. 

Place onto griddle over med-low heat and grill until cheese melted and tortilla crisp.

Serve with sour cream and salsa if desired.

We also had a mixed green salad.

Ratings:- I will put ratings for each meal to give you the family perspective.  This gives you an idea of how 2 seven year olds and a 4 year old did with the meal!

5 stars- I want this every night!  My favorite!
4 stars- I want this again-loved it.
3 stars- Very good. Would make it again.
2 stars- Good.
1 star- OK
0 stars- yuck! Never agian- we are ordering out tonight.

Jamie: ****
Meredith: ****
Clay: ****
Colin: ****
Lexi: **