Cocnut Curry Chicken

A few weeks ago Phil and I went out for Indian food for the first time (Thank you, Trina) and we loved it.  We decided we needed to try more foods we don't eat very often.  Who knows what else we're missing?  This week I decided to experiment with curry.  I was scared, but it went well.  We really liked this dish.  Katie even ate it.  Actually, at first she refused to eat it.  Then we bribed her with a movie or something to try one bite of chicken. After that she said, "Mom!  I can eat all my chicken!"  And she did.  You can find the original recipe here.  I changed a few ingredients (mostly because I couldn't find green curry paste and I could never put a whole onion in any recipe. Ever.) and it worked out great.  I hope you like it, too!

Coconut Curry Chicken

2 chicken breast halves, sliced in small pieces

crushed garlic

olive oil

4 carrots, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped on a diagonal

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 can coconut milk

2-3 tsp red curry paste

3 Tb sugar

corn starch to thicken

Stir fry chicken in garlic and olive oil, set aside.  Stir fry veggies and onion in garlic and olive oil until the onions are cooked through.  Combine chicken with veggies in large skillet.  Pour coconut milk over and stir in curry paste, sugar, and corn starch (I did about 2tsp).  We ate this over jasmine rice like the original recipe suggests and it was so so good.  This serves about 4.

Gingerbread Waffles

It's been a while since I've posted anything new, but I promise this is worth the wait.  I didn't take any pictures because, well, I'm not good and photographing food.  But you can go here to see the original recipe (not gf version) complete with irresistable picture.  I made these this week as a holliday breakfast treat and they were fabulous.  It's kind of a lot of sugar but hey, it's Christmas time.  Try these out.  They'll change your life. =)

Gingerbread Waffles

1/2 c. butter melted

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. molasses

2 eggs

1 1/4 c. milk

2 c. gf all purpose flour (I used Blue Chip Featherlite mix)

1/2 t. baking powder

1 1/2 t. cinnamon

1 t. ginger

1/2 t. salt

Mix all ingredients in a mixer and cook on waffle iron.  Mine were very soft and flexible when I pulled them off.  Softer than a normal waffle.

Serve them with this delicious little sugar-potion:

Buttermilk Syrup

1 cube butter

1/2 c. corn syrup

1 c. buttermilk (I used regular milk + tsp cider vinegar)

1 t. baking soda

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 t. vanilla

Place in a big pot, it will boil huge. Boil just until it turns a darker brown color.  Mine took about 5 minutes.

Or, eat them plain. Or cold. Or however you want.  They're so good!

Pumpkin Bars with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

One of my favorite things about this time of year is the food.  I love pumpkin so I’m always up for trying a new recipe.  I got the pumpkin bar recipe from Betty Crocker and the frosting from here.  These turned out great and I think this frosting would taste good on just about anything you make with pumpkin.

Here is the cake mix I use:
Betty Crocker Gluten Free Cake Mix Yellow 15.0 oz Box,6 packs
 
Pumpkin Bars
1 box Betty Crocker Gluten Free yellow cake mix
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3 eggs
1.   Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease bottom and sides of cookie sheet shortening or cooking spray.
2.   In large bowl, beat all bar ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Spread in pan.
3.   Bake 18-20 minutes or until light brown. Cool completely in pan on cooling rack, about 2 hours.
4.   Spread frosting over bars. Store in refrigerator.
 
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/3 c. butter, softened
2 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

I hate to say it, but I totally rocked dinner tonight.

I have an all-new obsession.  I can’t get enough gluten-free Bisquick.  It’s just amazing.  It makes the best waffles and pancakes ever.  Then I tried the “Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie” everyone’s always telling me about.  Delish.  Tonight I made the recipe on the box for Chicken Fingers and it was the bomb.  We absolutely loved them.   I was looking in recipe books for something to use up my zucchini and yellow squash and found a recipe for “Garden Frittata.”  I like recipes that are naturally gluten-free and don’t require any modification, and that’s what this is.  This was an unlikely combo, but made a great dinner! Here are the recipes:

GF Bisquick Chicken Tenders

3/4 cup Bisquick Gluten Free mix
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt or garlic salt
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 lb), cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1.   Heat oven to 450°F. Line cookie sheet with foil; spray with cooking spray.
2.   Stir Bisquick mix, cheese, paprika and salt in shallow baking dish. Dip chicken strips into eggs, then coat with Bisquick mixture; repeat dipping in eggs and Bisquick mixture. Place chicken on cookie sheet. Drizzle butter over chicken.
3.   Bake 12 to14 minutes, turning after 6 minutes, until no longer pink in center.
**We dipped these in ranch, honey & ketchup.

Garden Frittata (recipe from Taste of Home)

1 small yellow squash, thinly sliced
1 small zucchini, sliced
1 small red onion, chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 medium tomato, sliced
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
4 eggs
1 cup skim milk
2 T. fresh basil
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt & Pepper to taste
Combine squash, zucchini and onion in a microwave safe bowl and cook on high for about 5 minutes or until veggies are tender, drain.  Put veggies into a greased 9 inch pie plate.  Top with mozzarella, tomato slices.  In a large bowl combine eggs, milk, basil salt and pepper and pour over veggies.  Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top and bake uncovered for about 45 min at 375 degrees.  Let stand about 10 minutes.

Baked Pasta with Summer Veggies

This recipe is a slight variation of one my Corsen gave me a few weeks ago and I’ve been waiting for my red peppers to ripen so I could make it.  It turned out really amazing.  Phil even loved it, and he’s not a huge fan of meals that don’t involve meat. So there ya go.

Baked Pasta with Summer Veggies
 
4 cloves chopped garlic
2 red bell peppers, sliced
2 zucchinis, sliced (I used one zucchini, one yellow squash)
2 tbsp.  olive oil
1 lb. spiral or penne pasta (Used Tinkyada spirals and the texture was awesome)
1 C. cottage cheese
2 carrot, sliced
1 C. Parmesan cheese
Pinch of nutmeg
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 lb. mozzarella cheese
3/4 C. crushed Rice Chex cereal
 
Preheat oven to 425
1) cook pasta 2 minutes short of package directions
2) Toss garlic, peppers and squash in large bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper.  place veggies on baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes
3) mix cottage cheese, 1/2 of parmesan and nutmeg in large bowl.  Gently fold in cooked pasta, veggies, tomatoes, cubed mozzarella and seasonings.  Pour into greased baking pan.
4) Sprinkle with remaining parmesan and crushed cereal.  Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.

Mexican Casserole

So, I stole this recipe from my friend Janeen.  She brought this to our family after I had my baby in December and we couldn’t get enough of it.  I finally have the recipe and made it myself this week.  It’s a real keeper.

Mexican Casserole
1lb of ground beef
1 med onion diced  (I didn’t have an onion and it was still good)
brown and drain grease
Add:
1 can corn
2 8 oz cans of tomato sauce
1 package gf taco seaoning
1 15 oz can of black beans
2 cups grated cheese
1 can tomatoes & green chilies (like the Rotel ones)
8 Corn tortillas
Cover bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish with a small amount of tomato sauce and a layer of tortillas.  Spread half of beef mixture and sprinkle half of cheese, cover with a layer of tortillas. Repeat and top with extra cheese. Bake for 30 min @ 375 degrees. Serve with chips. 

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I tried these today and I’m in love.  They’re amazing.  I modified this recipe from one on Gluten-Free Goddess.  Try it.  You won’t be sorry.
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 3/4 c. all purpose gluten-free flour (I used Blue Chip Feather Lite, my new favorite in almost everything)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
*Whisk these in a bowl and set aside.  Then cream together:
3/4 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 T. vanilla extract
2 eggs
*Add dry ingredients to cream mixture,  mix well.  Then add:
3 c. gluten-free oats
1 c. milk chocolate chips
*Scoop tablespoon-sized balls onto well greased cookie sheet and bake 11-13 min.  This made about 3 1/2 dozen cookies so there’s plenty to freeze for later!

My New Favorite Lunch Idea

A while back I ran into our hospital dietician, who told me one of her patients brought this for her to try and it was really good.  I was nervous, but eventually I tried it and I love it!

Tuna Rice Wraps
Tuna Salad (however you like it…I mix mine w/ mayo, shredded cheddar, salt & pepper)
Crunchy lettuce leaves
Rice paper (I looked for this for weeks…finally found it in the Asian section at Whole Foods.  It came in a big package for about $2)
*Soak rice paper in warm water as package directs, lay flat on a plate.  Spread tuna in the middle of rice paper and top with lettuce.  Wrap like a spring roll by tucking 3 edges to the center and rolling the final one to seal it.  It’s delicious.  Maybe next time I’ll take a picture in case this doesn’t explain it very well, but they should end up long and skinny.

2 New Recipes to Share

Wow. I have slacked so bad on this poor little blog. I have also slacked bad in the kitchen, which is part of the problem. We tried 2 new recipes this week from GF blogs I love that were both amazing, so I thought I'd bring them to your attention. Maybe I'll come up with something good on my own again one of these days.

First, you absolutely have to try The Gluten Free Goddess'
Mediterranean Chicken Recipe with Balsamic Vinegar Roasted Peppers. It's delicous and so much easier than it sounds. It's a really pretty dish (my husband even said so) and it tasted fantastic.

Next, try this Shredded Pork recipe from Crockpot365. We used this as taco filling in corn tortillas with lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream. It was amazing. The next night we used it for nachos and that was really good too.

Note To Self: Bread-Making Edition

I recently read this article from the “Gluten-Free Goddess” which has totally changed the way I make bread.  About 4 years ago my husband found me this bread machine for Christmas (it’s the exact one she’s talking about. Wasn’t that a thoughtful gift?).  I have spent all this time trying to find a way to make awesome bread in it.  The recipe in the manual is good, but it calls for something like a million ingredients.  I’m not into recipes that call for 17 flours, plus dry milk, egg replacer, blah blah blah.  I like things simple (which makes gluten-free baking especially challenging).  I am in love with Pamela’s Bread Mix.  It’s delicious.  The package says specifically not to use your gluten-free setting, but to use the “basic white” setting.  This has always given me a loaf with great flavor, but it’s super dense and about 3 inches tall.  This got old.  It was only really usable for toast (WAY good toast, though).  When I read the article from the Goddess, it was hard for me to figure out how she rigged hers up, but for me what worked was using the “Super Rapid” setting.  It works fabulous and only takes an hour and 20 minutes!  It makes the cutest, chubbiest, loaf of bread and it’s perfect for sandwiches or whatever else you want to make with it.  I also tried removing the paddle this time after the mix cycle and it was a total success. No more huge whole through the middle of the loaf.  Anyway, just thought I’d share my progress a) so I don’t forget how I did it and b) in case someone else is having a similar problem.  Have a good week!

Easy, Easy, Easy.

As-in, “magic-wand-easy.”

My husband had his tonsils taken out this week. It’s not been fun. I’ve been trying to find things to make that he can eat (you know…soft, squishy stuff), but it hasn’t been pleasant. I tried a new-ish thing that was so easy. I thought since it involved mashed potatoes we’d have a winner. He couldn’t eat it, but my daughter and I really liked it so I thought I’d share it with you. It’s just a different kind of Shepherd’s Pie than I had ever had before and it was dang good. Here’s the recipe (renamed by myself):

NEW-ISH SHEPHERD’S PIE

Ingredients:

1lb ground beef

1 can green beans

1 can cream of mushroom soup (I used the Health Valley GF stuff)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups mashed potatoes

Directions:

Brown the ground beef on the stove-top and drain grease. Add soup and green beans and heat through. Pour meat mixture into casserole dish and cover with cheese. Top with mashed potatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 min or until spuds are lightly browned.

Browned Butter Frosting

Last week I recieved the most delightful package in the mail. It was from my mom, and it contained half a dozen banana cupcakes. Yum. She sent me the recipe along with a new recipe for frosting and because I love sweets so dang much, I tried it immediately. It was the most amazing twist on regular vanilla frosting. Looking for something new and delicious to eat? Try it! You can find the recipe for the cupcakes and the frosting right here.

Bean Enchiladas

We’ve been trying to eat more “meatless” entrees lately and this one was really pretty good. Super easy, too.

Bean Enchiladas
12-6 inch corn tortillas (I wrapped them in a wet paper towel and microwaved them for 30 seconds so they rolled easier)
2 c. refried beans
1 c. cottage cheese (stay with me, I promise it’s good)
2-3 T. salsa
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 (15oz) can red enchilada sauce

Mix together beans, cottage cheese, salsa, and cheese. Dip corn tortillas in enchilada sauce so both sides are covered. Place about 1/2 c. of bean mixture on each tortilla. Roll them carefully and line them up in a 9x13 in pan. Pour remaining sauce over top and sprinkle with extra cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 min or until heated through.

Girl vs. Food

 

All day my daughter has been trying to sneak a cupcake.  She gets as far as stealing the whole container off the counter, but hasn’t figured out how to hide it after that.  I told her if she finished ALL of her lunch (peanut butter triangles and a banana) she could have one.  It was so on.  Just like always, she pulled apart her triangles and licked all the pb and jam off, stuck them back together and finished them in record time.  The banana disappeared incredibly fast as well.  When it was time to pay-up, I sliced a cupcake in half and gave her just the top (she usually just licks the frosting off).  She loved it and told me it was “delicious!”  Let this be a lessen to all you non-believers that not all gluten-free food is disgusting. =)

 

*Cupcakes made from Gluten-Free Pantry’s “Decadent Chocolate Cake” mix and they really are AMAZING!

Pork Lo Mein

I am typically intimidated by anything that sounds as fancy as “Pork Lo Mein.”  I’m just not a very adventurous cook, but I decided to try this out and it was to die for!  So incredibly easy and so good you’ll think you’re having take-out.  Try it and let me know what you think.

Pork Lo Mein

1 pound pork tenderloin, sliced lengthwise and then into 1/4 inch slices (I think chicken or beef would probably work too)

1/4 c soy sauce

3 garlic cloves, minced (I used 3tsp of the bottled stuff)

1 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

2 c. fresh snow peas

equivalent of one sweet bell pepper, thinly sliced (I used half of an orange one and 1/4 each of a red and yellow one)

3 c. cooked spaghetti (I used Tinkyada.  I think texture-wise this one is fantastic for recipes like this)

1/3 c. chicken broth

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

In a large Ziploc bag, combine the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes.  Add the pork, shake it up nice and refrigerate it for about 20 min.  Spray a large skillet with cooking spray.  Pour entire contents of bag into the skillet and stir-fry for about 5-6 min or until meat is cooked through.  Add peas and peppers and stir-fry for one minute.  Stir in the spaghetti and broth and heat it through.  Remove from heat and stir in the oil.

This will be the most delicious thing you eat all week. I promise.

Sausage & Lentil Soup

Ok, so it’s been a while.  Our 2nd baby girl was born in December, and in the months leading up to that event I wasn’t super into trying new foods.  My husband found a recipe similar to this on http://www.allrecipes.com/ and we modified it just a smidge.  It turned out fabulous!

SAUSAGE & LENTIL SOUP

1 (16 oz) package dry lentils (rinsed)

1 (16 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained

2 cans beef broth (or water/bouillon to make 4 cups)

2 cups water

2-3 large carrots, chopped

1 pound kielbasa sausage (I cut the whole thing in half lengthwise and then cut it into 1/2-1 inch chunks)

2 stalks celery, chopped

Put all ingredients in the crock pot and cook on low for about 6 hours.  We ate it with biscuits (Pillsbury for gluten-eaters, and the recipe on the back of the “Pamela’s pancake & baking mix” for non-gluten-eaters) and it was delicious!