Kale may seem like a trendy food your kids might never eat, but Portuguese Kale Soup is… not. It’s a traditional staple along New England’s south coast. Massachusetts and Rhode Island have the highest concentrations of people with ancestry from Portugal than any other states in the US. These are regions where Portuguese first landed ashore possibly as early as 1511. From the late 1800s into the 1960s, waves of Portuguese immigrants were literally the backbone of coastal New England’s economic booms in whaling, fishing, textiles, and farming. Cape Cod, Buzzards Bay, and Rhode Island are home turf for me, and this means Portuguese Kale Soup has always been on the menu rotation at my house.
Land-locked as a Colorado resident since 2005, this also means if I want Portuguese Kale Soup, I have to make it – nobody here serves it. And it means nobody here makes a good linguica, the spicy smoky Portuguese sausage essential to this recipe (not too many Portuguese bakeries or Portuguese family sausage operations around Boulder!). I improvise with a serviceable hot Italian sausage from Natural Grocers, a market chain with strict policies for no GMO products, organic wherever possible for everything in the store, and organic-only produce. Other than getting a good rustic and spicy sausage in the mix, recipes vary with whether or not to include red kidney beans (a pared down version called Caldo Verde excludes them) or tomatoes – both of which I call keepers.
We serve this with a hearty gluten free bread from Kim and Jakes Bakery, which, luckily for me, is a small family business right in my neighborhood. The peasant bread from this gluten free facility is perfect with this soup.
Portuguese Kale Soup
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A full meal soup perfect for cold blustery days. Makes about 3 quarts of soup. The longer this soup simmers the better it will taste, but you can enjoy it as soon as the vegetables are cooked soft. In any case, don't simmer longer than two hours.
A full meal soup perfect for cold blustery days. Makes about 3 quarts of soup. The longer this soup simmers the better it will taste, but you can enjoy it as soon as the vegetables are cooked soft. In any case, don't simmer longer than two hours.
In a large pot, heat olive oil to medium with 1-2 Tablespoons of chicken fat or chicken broth. Add minced garlic and chopped onion. Sauté about 2 minutes, til they become soft but not browned.
Next add carrots and potatoes. Cover with remaining chicken broth. If you have homemade chicken broth with some of the fat in it, this is ideal. If not use boxed organic chicken broth such as Kirkland brand (Costco) or Imagine brand. Bring to simmer on medium heat, and cover.
While the vegetables are simmering, prepare your sausage. Place links in a skillet with a little olive oil, water, or extra broth to prevent sticking. Cover and cook on medium high heat til cooked through, and browned on all sides (turn as needed after 2-3 minutes per side). Set aside to cool enough to handle them.
Add canned tomatoes, tomato soup, parsley, and kale. Stir well to mix everything. Cut the sausage into small chunks once they are cool enough to handle, and stir those in also. Cover and simmer gently for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally to mix.
If you are including kidney beans, stir these in long enough to heat through, ahead of serving.
Once all veggies are soft and beans are heated through, enjoy with crusty GF bread.
Recipe Notes
You can use tomato paste in lieu of Imagine Organic Tomato Basil soup: Mix 2 Tablespoons paste with 1.5 cups water and add to the soup.
Ratatouille seems exotic, but it’s easy to make, especially with this stackable-ingredient recipe. Don’t overlook this simple skillet version of ratatouille for chilly nights. Organic veggies will be worth the flavor boosts they give, so spring for those – they’ll make this dish much tastier. Kids who like pizza and the flavors of Italian herbs can enjoy this over their favorite pasta. Add a side of authentic hot Italian sausage to make it a hefty meal. Go grain free by serving with Paleo rolls like these made from quick mixes by Chebe. This reheats well and is even more yummy with time.
Super Easy Ratatouille
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Warming and delicious, savory goodness. Use a big skillet and stack ingredients in the order listed below. If you have it, a cast iron skillet is a great choice for even-heat simmer, and it will add iron for kids needing that boost - the acidity of the tomato pulls iron into the food. Peeling the eggplant is optional.
Warming and delicious, savory goodness. Use a big skillet and stack ingredients in the order listed below. If you have it, a cast iron skillet is a great choice for even-heat simmer, and it will add iron for kids needing that boost - the acidity of the tomato pulls iron into the food. Peeling the eggplant is optional.
If you prefer, peel the eggplant before slicing it. This is optional.
Heat 3 Tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and soften over medium heat for one minute.
Layer in the vegetables in the order listed, leaving them to lie flat. Between each layer, sprinkle salt, oregano, and black pepper. Drizzle remaining olive oil (1 Tablespoon) on the top. Don't stir it. Leave it stacked just as you laid it all in
Cover the pan and cook over low heat for 30 minutes.
Uncover the pan and let 10 minutes longer to reduce liquid.
Gently turn and tumble the veggies, and serve with crusty bread of your choice, over pasta, or on its own for a lighter meal.
A standard from many Paleo recipe sites and cook books, this recipe is one to add if you don’t already have it in your repertoire. It truly is reminiscent of the smokey chowders I loved growing up in Massachusetts, without ingredients most kids I work with can’t eat. A super easy recipe with good odds that your kids will like eating vegetables this way. As always on my blog, this recipe is free of gluten, dairy, or soy; it also happens to have zero sugar or sweeteners, nuts, or eggs. A nourishing, restorative food.
Cauliflower and Broccoli Chowder
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Easy to fix on short notice. You'll need a food processor or large capacity high speed blender.
Chop fresh broccoli and cauliflower to small pieces. Steam the broccoli and the cauliflower to soft texture without overcooking. For broccoli, this will be about 10-15 minutes on medium high heat (longer if you've included stem pieces). For cauliflower, this may be 8-10 minutes. Test for doneness with a knife; it should easily poke into the vegetables. Remove from heat and drain.
While vegetables are steaming, mince the garlic fine. Saute over low-medium heat in melted ghee til soft, about 3-5 minutes. Don't let it become dark or crisp. Set aside.
Using your food processor or blender, liquefy the broccoli with half the broth until smooth. Continue this process with cauliflower and remaining broth until all are smoothly blended.
Add in the sautéed garlic, bacon mince, salt and pepper, and liquid smoke (optional). Pulse and blend til smooth. Add more broth, if the consistency is too thick. Garnish with bacon sprinkles and serve warm.
Sounds like a mouthful of a combination, but boy does it work. Ground turkey, ground pork, shredded sweet potato and shredded carrot, lots of fresh ginger… and more. Once you’ve got all these ingredients, these meat and veggie balls are easy enough. Serve over whatever works – gluten free noodles, basmati rice, or as a slider on a Paleo bun. Another grain free option is to make buns with Chebe mix – perhaps not precisely Paleo, but tasty and easy. With the sauce, this is a great meal. Kids who like spicy will go for these, and you can dial up or down the heat according to your family’s palate.
Pork and Turkey Thai Veggie Meatballs
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A spicy twist on the usual meatball, with a savory blend of turkey and pork
For the meatballs: Peel the sweet potato and wash and peel the carrots. Using a shredder attachment on a food processor, shred both. You can also use a grater to shred by hand.
Place shredded veggies with the rest of the meatball ingredients in a large bowl. Use your hands or a potato masher to combine.
Heat a large oven safe saucepan or skillet to medium high heat (an iron skillet is perfect for this!). Place in it 1-2 teaspoons coconut oil or sesame oil. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, shape meatballs. You will have 12-15 large meatballs. Brown them on all sides.
While these are cooking, in a medium bowl, blend all sauce ingredients together with a wire whisk, until evenly combined. When meatballs are browned, remove from heat, and pour the sauce over them.
Place the meatballs in sauce, in the saucepan, in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through. Garnish with chopped cilantro and green onions.
Chicken Pot Pie is so 1964. 1954? Whatever it is, I had a craving for it recently with our bout of cold weather. I’m not sure if I’ve ever made it before, and I didn’t dig up a recipe. I figured, who cares? I knew I had some good left over roast chicken, extra broth from that chicken, plus the vegetables I thought might work well. If you have the time, try this warm, hearty home cooked treat. Gluten free for my family, of course.
You’ll need to make or buy your pie crust. I don’t mind making a pie crust. I keep my flour canister full of Bette Hagman blend for baking, and substitute it cup for cup for wheat flour. Making my own crust takes extra time, and it doesn’t always turn out perfectly. But (again), who cares? It always tastes delicious and the love that goes into it feels good to me. I made this chicken pot pie with a crust on bottom and top, in a regular pie dish. I pre-baked my bottom crust for about 10 minutes. You can also make chicken pot pie by using a deep casserole dish in which you place the filling directly, and lay your pie dough on top. This is how I’ve written the recipe below. My go-to pie crust recipe comes from Rebecca Reilly’s Gluten Free Baking, page 183. If you’re using a store bought crust, let it thaw to room temperature and lay it over your pot pie before baking, with some holes pierced in it for steam to escape.
Prepare your pie dough first. Mix the gluten free flour blend, sweet rice flour, and dash of salt in a big bowl. Cut the butter into small chunks and drop them in to the dry mix. Use 2 forks, or your fingers, or a mixer to work the butter into the dry ingredients until it forms a coarse meal. In the center, make a well. Break the egg into the well. Add the vinegar. Stir the egg and vinegar from the center and gradually work it into all the dough, until it is soft. Place in fridge while you prepare your pie filling.
Melt the ghee or coconut oil in a big skillet. Place the mushrooms in with a dash of salt. Saute until these cook down, about 10 minutes. Add onion, garlic, carrots, and chicken broth. Cook on medium high heat until nearly soft. Remove about 1/4 cup of the broth and mushroom liquid into a small bowl, and whisk in the GF flour or tapioca starch, to form a thick smooth paste. Once it is smooth, add it back to the skillet. Continue stirring to thicken the entire mixture. Add the chicken, frozen peas, nutmeg, pepper, and more salt to taste. Turn off heat, and stir to mix all ingredients thoroughly. Cover and set aside.
Roll out your dough on a GF floured surface or on GF floured wax paper, to 1/4" thickness. Pour chicken and vegetable mixture into a deep casserole dish oiled with olive oil. Lay pie crust over the mixture, crimp edges, and poke a few holes in with a fork to allow steam to escape.
Place in a 350 oven for 25 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. You may want to place a cookie sheet on rack under the pot pie, to capture any sizzling drippings that bubble over as it bakes.
