McAlister's Gluten Free!

Starting on April 1, McAlister's started carrying gluten free bread! I was pretty concerned about cross contamination, especially since the Subway gluten free bread hasn't been very successful for me...

BUT I called McAlister's and they sounded like they took many precautions to prevent cross contamination, so Daniel and I tried it.

And guess what...

I didn't get sick!

Now, I'm not guaranteeing that you will not get sick, but I do have a very sensitive stomach.

We went to the McAlister's in Denton, TX on 4/27.

You have to give it a try!

They said they can make any sandwich gluten free, and they told me the sides I could have. I had a difficult time finding the information on the website, so you might need to call ahead if you have any questions about the menu.

Yall should go try it! I am VERY excited about this new restaurant option!

-Anita

 

(The sandwich on the top is the sweet chipotle chicken, and the sandwich on the bottom is the french dip. They were both delicious!)

Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup

I have a little philosophy. If I’m not working out, I’ll eat fairly healthy. Since this year has been so crazy with my student teaching, you better believe I’ve been eating healthy!

Here is a delicious and easy soup to throw into the slow cooker.

I got the idea from CrockPot 365

I used….

· 1 pound chicken

· 1 cup dried black beans (or 2 cans, drained and rinsed)

· 4 cups chicken broth

· 1 cup sliced mushrooms

· 1 can of corn (I used Fiesta corn because it’s what I had)

· 1 jar prepared salsa (16 oz)

· 1 ½ tsp cumin

· 1/2 cup sour cream (to stir in the end)

If you know you are going to make this the night before soak the black beans in enough water to cover and another 2 inches overnight. In the morning, drain the water and rinse the beans.

If you don't have super hard water or live in a super high altitude, you can quick soak the beans by pouring boiling water over them and let them sit for an hour or two. I did an hour, but 2 would really be better if you have the time.

Drain and rinse the beans. Add to the crockpot. Put in the chicken, and add the broth and salsa. Pour in the corn and mushrooms, and add the cumin. Stir, but don't disturb the beans---let them stay at the bottom of the pot, closest to the heating element.

Cover and cook on high for 9 hours. Yup. High. For 9 hours. It took a crazy long time for the beans to soften, but they did.

If you are using beans you soaked overnight, canned beans, or pre cooked beans, you can cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-5--similar to normal soup-cooking time.

If you'd like to thicken the broth (I did this), you can use your immersion blender (I love that thing) to blend a bit of the beans and chicken. If you don't have one, scoop out 2 cups of the soup and carefully blend in your traditional blender. Stir the mixture back into the crockpot.

Stir in the 1/2 cup of sour cream before serving.

I loved this soup! It’s delicious! It makes A LOT! Which is convenient when you don’t have time to cook in the middle of the week and don’t mind leftovers…

(Check out all the leftovers..)

Enjoy! :)

-Anita