So Good, Honey and Apricot Spiced Chicken

This is soooo tasty and wonderful! Even my husband who doesn't usually like fruit and meat together (I think he's crazy!) likes this one. 

The other thing I like about this is that it's easy to throw together even if I forget to get the chicken out of the freezer ahead of time ;)

3-4 lbs chicken thighs (or whatever part of the chicken you prefer)

2 cups dried apricots

1/4-1/2 cup capers (adjust according to your liking)

1/3-1/2 cup honey (this is very approximate, I'll explain below, also if you're not on GAPS 

   grade B maple syrup is WONDERFUL in place of the honey)

1 tsp good salt 

1/2 inch or so slice of fresh ginger (or a few drops ginger essential oil)

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon (or a couple drops Cassia essential oil)

1/2 tsp fennel powder (or a couple drops fennel essential oil)

1/2 tsp ground star anise

1/2 tsp ground cloves 

1 tsp (or more if your family likes spice) chilli paste

(PLEASE remember, these measurements are just a guess, if it sounds like too much or too little of something to you, use less or more and taste it after mixing to see how you like the flavor, remembering of course that it will taste quite different once cooked but the flavors should be pretty balanced with the apricot and ginger being the strongest)

Put all but the chicken, capers and honey into your food processor, now drizzle enough honey over these ingredients to glaze everything and add some moisture to help it move around the food processor easily, process until well mixed . Place the chicken in a glass baking dish and spoon the capers over the chicken.  Now spoon the apricot mixture over the chicken and capers, drizzle with a bit more honey and bake until done (about an hour or so if the meat is thawed,  much more if frozen ;) )

This is wonderful served with cauliflower rice (real rice or quinoa if not on GAPS) and some mixed sauteed veggies.

White Bean and Chicken Stew

This is the perfect winter comfort food, but we like it so well we eat it throughout the year and unfortunately even though its June, here in Central Oregon it feels like "soup weather" today (personally though, I think any weather is soup weather).

To make this simply throw all the ingredients in the crock pot and let it cook all day.

From experience I can tell you it is crucial that you remember to both turn on AND plug in the crock pot in order to come home to cooked meal, oh yes and putting the lid on the crock pot is crucial too ;) 

3-4 cups white beans that have been soaked overnight in water with a splash of whey in it (whenever I soak beans I always soak as many as I can at once then I freeze the soaked beans in four cup packages so I always have soaked beans ready to use.)

3-4 lbs uncooked organic pastured chicken thighs (boneless is nice if you access to good boneless chkn thighs, however bc I prefer to use the meat we raise and I've no clue how to de-bone a chicken, I have made this with thighs with the bones in. It's really not a big deal for our family to pick the bones out once its cooked and I figure it adds to the nutritional quality of the meal to have them in anyway.)

5-6 cups homemade chicken broth

1 can green chillies (from BPA free cans) 

3 large cloves of garlic crushed

1 large onion diced

About 1/4 tsp cayenne (adjust according to how hot your family likes their food)

1 good tsp paprika

1 heaping tsp coriander

2 tsp cumin

2-3 drops oregano essential oil

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

about 1 tsp sea salt

 

We garnish this with any combination of the following; finely chopped cabbage, fresh cilantro, diced onion or green onion,  diced avocado, sour cream, cheddar cheese and sometimes some fresh diced up tomatoes too :)