Gluten-free Dairy-free Cilantro Lime Crock-pot Tacos // Ali Wren

Y'all, I'm so excited for you to hear from my friend Ali today!! I met Ali at the Influence Conference when she hosted a cute little meet-up for gluten-free/dairy-free folks to eat some allergy-free cupcakes from a local bakery! It was so fun and thoughtful. I loved even the short time I got to spend with her in sessions and just talking about failures and hopes. I knew she was a special person with so much to offer! 

Ali blogs about healthy minded eating and whole hearted living, truly being present where you are and loving people well, while being conscious of the food you eat! She has GREAT tips for traveling with allergies and even offers an e-book to her newsletter subscribers (available at the top of her homepage!) with in depth information on national chain restaurants and how they cater to allergy specific needs. It's incredibly helpful. 

Enjoy this recipe from Ali!! I'll definitely be making this for dinner next week! 

 Gluten-free Dairy-free Cilantro Lime Crock-pot Tacos 

Tacos are pretty much the greatest main dish. People with food allergies or special food needs can feast on the same meal as their friends and family. This chicken is a super easy and tasty crock-pot recipe. You can eat the meat hot and ready for dinner one night, and eat it cold on a salad for lunch the next day, or even scoop it up with chips and guacamole. 

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast or breast pieces
• 1 16-ounce jar gluten-free salsa (some gluten-free brands include: Chi Chi’s, Frontera, On the Border, Newman’s Own, Old El Paso, Pace, Taco Bell, and Tostito’s)
• 1 packet gluten-free taco seasoning (gluten-free brands include: Trader Joe’s, Old El Paso, Ortega, McCormick, Penzey’s, and some Frontera packages)
• 1/3 lime, juiced
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro (feel free to go lighter on the cilantro or eliminate if you are not a fan)
• gluten-free corn tortillas *optional (gluten-free brands include: Mission, Rudy’s, and La Tortilla)
• gluten-free corn chips *optional (gluten-free brands include: Snyder of Hanover, most Tostitos, Mission, and Xochil)
• condiments of your choice

Directions:
Place chicken in crock pot. Combine salsa, taco seasoning, lime juice, and cilantro. Pour combination over the chicken. Cover and heat on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for approximately 4 hours. Pull the chicken apart with two forks and mix everything together. Scoop into your favorite shell and Enjoy!

Notes: 

grain-free: eat as a taco salad

corn-free: eat on a salad or flour tortilla, or with sweet potato chips

optional add-ons: beans, cheese, sour cream, corn, salsa, guacamole

Mexican Chicken Enchiladas

What does family dinner mean to you? Comfort, nourishment, respite from the trials of the day? Or does family dinner appear in your mind as a drive thru window, digging in the back of the freezer for the last TV dinner, alone on the couch?

There is so much hurt and pain in this world. From strained relationships, to sickness, aging, and emotional damage. 

The more I think about meals, dinner in particular, and my current reality, the more I see with clarity the reality of those around me, whether personally or in the larger world who do not have the things I so long for and desire for them. I can talk as much as I want about gathering our closest friends and family around a table, enjoying a meal and sharing life and stories and hurts and joys. But what if that's not your reality? What if you have never experienced that and don't know what it would look like if you saw it? 

True family, true community, and true love is found only in one place, through a relationship with Jesus. His name may not make an appearance on this blog in every post, but the heart of everything about this blog all boils down to Him. If you're reading I want you to know how loved and adored by God you are, and how desperately He longs to sit at a table and be with you. To share a meal together, breaking bread, listening to the words leave your lips and comforting you in your loneliness. That is true family dinner. One that doesn't have an end, but will actually live on into eternity. That's the kind of family that I cling to, knowing it will never fade. 

Serves: 4

Ingredients: 

2-3 tablespoons of coconut oil, for cooking

1 medium onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 ounce) can corn, drained

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cumin
1-2 chicken breasts

1 (16 ounce) bottle medium heat enchilada sauce

2 cups spinach or kale

juice of 1 lime

a handful of chopped cilantro

20 count bag of flour tortillas
1 cup crushed tomatoes

1-2 tablespoon taco seasoning

1 (10 ounce) block Monterey Jack vegan cheese, shredded (or any kind of cheese you prefer!)

Feel free to leave out the chicken and make this totally vegetarian! We're adding chicken and cheese in our family because my husband can't stand the thought of enchiladas without chicken and cheese. I tried to win him over on the vegetarian route, but sometimes there's just some marital battles you have to lose! ;) 

Preheat oven to 350 f

Heat a tablespoon of coconut oil over medium heat in a 3 qt. sauté pan (or pot). Sauté onions until translucent. Turn down the heat and add garlic, corn and black beans, continuing to sauté for 1 minute. Add salt and cumin and stir to combine. Allow everything to sizzle over medium heat for about 5 minutes. 

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Push bean mixture to one side of the pan, adding more coconut oil to the empty space, then add chicken breast. Allow to brown, about 5 minutes on each side. 

Pour just enough enchilada sauce to cover the bottom of two 9x13 baking dishes (or one 9x13 and one 9x9 dish). Mix beans and chicken together and pour in the remaining enchilada sauce. Cover and allow everything to simmer for 15-20 minutes. Using two forks, shred the chicken. You may need to transfer to a cutting board to shred, or give a fine chop with a chef knife (if you're lazy like me), then add back into the sauce. Throw in your greens (kale or spinach) and cover the pot again to allow the steam to help it wilt.

Stir in lime juice and cilantro. Fill each tortilla with stuffing and roll up, placing in your baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine crushed tomatoes and taco seasoning, mix together well then pour over top of the tortillas. 

Shred cheese over top and bake for 20 minutes.

Co-hosting with the Bread and Wine Project today! Join us by linking up your recipe below! 

An InLinkz Link-up

Three Layer Tex-Mex Dip

Our family has been in and out of suitcases lately. I love being able to travel, and it was especially nice without our little one tagging along. My husband and I enjoyed many long conversations  that weren't interrupted by a diaper or feeding or baby kiss-a-thon.

One of my favorite aspects of traveling is experiencing the different foods that make their way into the culture of the city and state, or even country. However, no matter how incredibly delicious the food of the region is, I always crave Tex-Mex upon landing on Texas soil. Something about the heat radiating off the pavement and the wide open skies calls me to eat all the chips and salsa, fajitas and empanada's in sight.

Needless to say, Tex-Mex has been on the menu for the past couple of weeks in our household. I whipped up this quick and delicious three layer dip to go along with my Texas Stuffed Peppers and I'm even snacking on it now as I type. I love the tang of the goat milk yogurt along with the spices of the black beans. This is definitely going on my list of favorite appetizers and snacks.

I'm over at My Cooking Spot today sharing this easy recipe! Join me there to get the details :) Happy weekend, friends!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I've never paid much attention to buying foods within the season that they are the freshest. Call me crazy, but I never even knew that was a thing. Actually, you can call me an American, because this is one part of the world where we have that type of convenience. Though I appreciate the ease American grocery stores bring, there really is something to cherishing food in it's time.

Lately I've been looking for ways to slow down the food we eat at home. I wrote about that a couple of weeks ago. As I dive into new food co-op's and get to know local farms where our food comes from, I've noticed a deeper sense of gratitude for the meals we make. When staples become treats, doesn't it push you to savor them even more when you do get the chance to enjoy them?

The same can be said for seasons. Here in Texas the weather doesn't know which way it wants to go. The cool breeze grazes our cheeks, only to return to 90 degree temperatures and 80% humidity the very next day. Monday marks the first official day of fall, and while Texas may not know how it feels about that, many other parts of the country do. So, let's savor the last days of the sun beating on our backs and celebrate the freedom of wearing flip flops just a little bit longer so that when the cool comes and the leaves change, we will receive it with joy. 

For those of you who have been blessed by fall weather already, I encourage you to warm up with a bowl of this savory soup and basque in the newness of the season. 

Find the recipe at My Cooking Spot today! What's your favorite seasonal meal?