Homemade Lettuce Wraps

I love the lettuce wraps at P.F. Chang's and Del Mar Rendezous has some really awesome ones too, but we should be able to make that same awesomeness for in-home dining, don't you think? Someone posted a recipe for lettuce wraps on Pinterest, and so I added it to my recipe board to come back to. Before the holidays seemed like a good time to make them- an easy, quick meal.

The homemade version was not as pretty as P.F. Chang', and the lettuce was not as crisp, but it was tasty! If you want to try out the recipe I used, you'll find it here. 

Left Over Turkey Dish

Last night I made a dish that is inexpensive, great for left over chicken or turkey bits, easy enough for college students, or busy working professionals who don't have a lot of time to make anything.  I made the dish I hated as a child- cream turkey on toast. 

My mom would make the cream from scratch with real milk, etc. I did a little short cut and used cream of chicken soup I had in the cupboard with some milk, salt, pepper, garlic.  Heat it up, thin out with a little milk, and then simmer it while you toast your bread, cut the bread into squares (I buttered my toast but not necessary- your choice), and then just scoop turkey cream mixture onto your toast and serve.That's it.  Tasty and simple.    

I think I just disliked it when I was younger because I had a think against "slop" like dishes. This is the second time as an adult I have made it, and my husband gave me praise for this dish. Go try it.

Asian Cookbook & Rice Noodle Dish

I don't know about you, but sometimes I get unexpected things in the mail from unknown parties. Now... they usually are food-related items, that one is to assume the company would like reviewed here on my blog, or on my podcast.  The Gluten Free Asian Kitchen by Laura B. Russell happens to be one of those fun items. I did not request it, nor was there a note, but as someone who loves to cook I wasn't going to deny the opportunity to try some Asian dishes.

Fried Chicken

I am not normally someone who craves fried chicken; in fact I've probably only made it twice in my entire adult cooking career, but recently my husband pulled a breading mix out of the cupboard, added some of his own flare, and made me some fried chicken.  Let me tell you, you can't eat fried chicken without ranch dressing. This was some of the best fried chicken ever-tasted like KFC.  The moral of the story, having the things you've been craving, finding a great substitute, the time will come.  It just might take some time. 

Nacho Chicken Casserole

Everyone loves nachos; they're a great snack or appetizer, but not necessarily a meal by themselves, so what if you put everything you would on nachos into a casserole? I can't remember where I found this recipe but it's been on my "to-try" list for awhile, and I finally got around to making it. I tweaked the original recipe a little, based on my own personal experience with casseroles, and with what ingredients I have in the fridge.

Pesto Drumsticks

So I was feeling lazy. I had drumsticks and a crockpot. Now what kind of sauce to whip up? All I used was a pesto packet; mixed in a little extra olive oil and maybe 1/4 cup of water to add a little extra liquid, poured it over the drumsticks, and turned it on low. I have never had such delicious-moist-flavorful drumsticks before. Add a side of sauteed spinach with mushrooms and you've got yourself one killer meal. My husband's words: "Who needs a grill when your wife can cook like this!" I'm glad it can be so easy to please sometimes.

Oven Fried Chicken

It's was a rainy Sunday afternoon, late afternoon; I'd eaten grilled cheese for lunch, and my husband says hey so what we having for dinner. I knew I had drumsticks in the fridge, but hadn't really thought through as to what I was going to make with them. I had a quick memory of my mom's delicious fried chicken, but fried anything is not the healthiest option, so I went for baked chicken. We had been to the farmer's market just that morning, and picked up loads of fresh herbs, so I had him chop them up while I prepped bread crumbs.

I had a variety of bread crumbs, but not enough of any one kind, so I mixed them all up together- I made crumbs out of some Schar crackers in my food processor, and used the last of some corn flake crumbs, and some kinnikinnick panko crumbs, combined them all with the fresh herbs in a ziplock bag, a dash of salt, pepper, and garlic, and we had home made Shake 'n Bake in less than 20 minutes.

Give the drumsticks an egg wash, drop them in the bread crumbs, shake, add to a foil covered, but greased pan, and bake at 350 degrees for about one hour. I then proceeded to broil the chicken for exactly 4 minutes, to get it extra golden. The meat should be at about 170 degrees for drumsticks, just in case you don't know, and wallah- absolutely delicious, slightly crunchy, but so incredible moist chicken. I was super impressed. I personally think the fresh herbs had a big roll to play.

Mac and Cheese Alternative

I love mac and cheese but what about people who are dairy free, or what about parents who want their children to eat their vegetables? Well my boss suggested something to me the other day, I tried it out, liked it, and wanted to pass it along to all of you. Some people love mac and cheese and hot dogs, so I made squash and chicken pasta.

In a pan combine some butternut squash soup, a little butter, salt, pepper, and garlic, and a little daiya cheese if you wish (it's the best dairy free cheese option out there says a cheese lover), add in your favorite pasta, and you have yourself a slightly more healthier version of a childhood favorite. Plus, you can add whatever else you like, or make it into a casserole with other vegetables, and a protein source, and breadcrumbs sprinkled on top. Delicious! My husband gobbled it up.

Gluten Free Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients

SAUCE:
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup tomatillo salsa (frontera kitchen)
2 Tbps cornstarch mixed with water

ENCHILADAS:
corn tortillas (chile sandwich petals)
olive oil
1 1/2 cups cooked torn chicken pieces
1 medium bell pepper, cut into small strips
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 8 oz can artichokes, drained, and chopped into bite size pieces
Juice from 1/2 lime
1/4 teaspoon cumin, to taste
sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
8 oz bag Cheddar or Jack cheese, shredded

Directions
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Make your sauce by heating the broth and salsa.
3. Add thickener mixture (cornstarch & water) and let boil for a couple of minutes while stirring. Remove for heat.
4. Make the filling by combining chicken, artichokes, bell pepper, garlic, lime juice, cumin, sea salt, and pepper, in a bowl. Toss well to coat. Add about 3/4 of the shredded cheese and mix. Set aside the remaining cheese for the topping.
5. Add about 3/4 of the shredded cheese and mix. Set aside the remaining cheese for the topping.
6. To start assembly, drizzle about half of the sauce into the bottom of the baking dish.
7. Lay out the sandwhich petals and brush with a little olive oil.
8. Spoon in the chicken filling, and roll up each petal, placing each into the casserole dish.
9. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce all over the top, slowly.
10. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese on top.
11. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 30 minutes, or until the enchiladas are bubbling around the edges and heated all the way through.
12. For those with big appetites, serve with seasoned rice, or refried beans, or sides of guacamole and sour cream.

*This recipe is for an 8 X 8 pan and can easily feed four people.
**Sorry for not taking a picture.

Baked Pesto Chicken

Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 plum tomatoes
1/2 cup Pesto
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Seasoning to taste: salt, pepper, garlic

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Line baking pan with heavy-duty foil.
3. Place chicken in baking pan.
4. Sprinkle with salt, peppre, and garlic to taste, then drizzle with pesto.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center.
6. Remove from oven; top with tomatoes and cheese.
7. Bake for an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
8. Drizzle with additional pesto sauce if you have it.

Chicken Artichoke Casserole

Thanks to my hubby I have come to love artichokes, and am always excited when I find a new recipe to use them in. This go around I tried out a casserole recipe with chicken, mushrooms, and artichokes, but I'm sure there are a variety of ingredients you could add or substitute in this recipe.










Ingredients
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup gluten free crumbs
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 small can mushrooms, drained
6 oz can artichokes, drained
2 Tbsp dry white wine
4 large slices provolone

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cut chicken into strips.
3. Heat oil in skillet and cook chicken until golden brown. About 5 minutes.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Place chicken in bottom of an 9 X 9 greased square dish.
6. Top with mushrooms and artichokes.
7. Pour sherry over chicken and vegetables.
8. Sprinkle with bread crumbs.
9. Bake 25 minutes.
10. Add cheese slices on top of chicken, and return to oven for 5 more minutes.
12. Serve.

White Chicken Chili

We're almost out of the dark and wet winter here in Sacramento, but not quite. In fact it's projected it's going to rain all week long. Rainy weather tends to makes me crave heavy,comfort foods, and I wanted to make something I had made before but with a twist, so instead of making my traditional chili recipe, I made white chicken chili. This was super tasty, and you can easily tweak it to accommodate your tastes and items in your cupboard. This will make about 8 large bowls worth, which you can store in individual serving size Tupperware and freeze if you like.

Ingredients
1 small can corn
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can white beans
1 can mushrooms (or fresh, sliced, whichever you have on hand)
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 lb chicken, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup mixed with 1/2 cup water (Health Valley and Ener-G are gluten free)
salt
pepper
parsley

Directions
1. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil and saute diced onion, garlic, bell pepper, and chicken together until chicken is cooked through.
2. Combine sauted items with remaining all ingredients in a crockpot.
3. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.
4. Top with following suggestions: cilantro, cheese, avocado, sour cream

Broccoli, Chicken, & Cheese Casserole

When I was mom's helper in the kitchen there were two dishes I was really good at making: Rolled Chicken, and Broccoli Chicken Divan. For years I gave up on making this casserole dish, as I could not find a suitable replacement for the soups that are typically in this dish, those being cream of broccoli and cheddar cheese soups. Working long hours and needing a quick meal, this dish came to mind, so I gave it another shot. Instead of using cheese soup I used shredded cheese and finally found a decent brand of gluten free soup to use. So after a very long and draining day at work, my husband popped this dish into the oven for me, and had it waiting for when I walked through the door. I was starving, so I didn't take a picture, but I can tell you it was very good, so much so we both had two helpings.

Ingredients
1 pound chopped fresh broccoli
1 1/2 cups cubed, cooked chicken meat
1 can cream of mushroom soup (Ener-G or Health Valley are gluten free options)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp dried bread crumbs (Any gluten free crackers or corn flakes crumbled up will do)
salt, pepper, garlic to taste

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Place the broccoli in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook 5 minutes, or until slightly tender. Drain.
3. Place the cooked broccoli and the chicken in a oven-safe casserole dish.
4. In separate bowl mix soup with sour cream.
5. Add in seasoning to taste.
6. Pour over the chicken.
7. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
8.Top with bread crumbs.
9. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, covered, then uncover and broil for 5-7 minutes.

Homemade Chicken & Rice Soup

I mastered my mom's chicken noodle soup recipe, and with some upcoming serious dental work, I decided it would be a really smart idea if I premade some soup and chowder that I could freeze as individual servings. This time around I made some chicken and rice soup. In the end this recipe produced about 8 individual servings worth.

Ingredients:
5 cups chicken broth
3-4 chicken thighs, uncooked, chopped into bite size pieces
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1/4 cup yellow onion, diced
1/2 Tsp dried parsley
1 Tsp pepper
1 Tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp lime juice
2-3 cups cooked rice (depending on how thick you want your soup)










Directions:
1. Prepare rice according to package, or use leftover rice already in the refrigerator.
2. Chop all vegetables and chicken.
3. Combine chicken, vegetables, and seasoning (everything but lime juice and rice) into a large pot and bring to a boil; keep at medium heat for 20 minutes.
4. Stir occasionally.
5. Remove bay leaf and discard.
6. Add rice and lime juice.
7. Double check seasoning and store in Tupperware or serve immediately.

Glutino crackers make a great breading

With my busy schedule it only took 1.5 months to finish reading my copy of Delight Magazine, and discovered several recipes I wanted to try out. There was a recipe for chicken nuggets from Kyle Kirby that I tweaked a little and it was absolutely delicious. Who needs straight breadcrumbs when you have some Glutino crackers and a Blendtec in the house. I used a combination of plain and vegetable flavored Glutino crackers, that the blendtec turned into straight dust with a few pulses. Add in a little salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder, and you've got a great breading!

For dipping sauces we had a horseradish mayo (used my honey mustard salad dressing recipe and added in a spoonful of extra mayo and some creamed horseradish) and a spicy ketchup (ketchup and some Oli's Sweet 'n Spicy Sauce combined). Everything was delicious.

Grilled Rosemary Chicken

Mike has told me in the past he hates anything with rosemary on/in it because his mom used to make some sort of dry meatloaf with rosemary that he hated (sorry Oli), but I think I have finally gotten him over the hump and into the land of liking rosemary again, as tonight for dinner we had grilled rosemary chicken and I got 2 thumbs up, and an A+. In fact my hubby even asked me if I ever thought I would be such a good cook, and I smiled.

Ingredients:
6 Chicken Thighs
3 Tsp dried rosemary
2 Tsp dried basil
2 Tsp dried parsley
1 Tsp onion powder
1 Tsp salt
1/2 Tsp garlic powder
1/2 Tsp black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Directions:
1. Combine all herbs and olive oil in a bowl.
2. Place chicken in a ziploc or a bowl with a lid.
3. Pour herbs over chicken and combine.
4. Place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours, but if possible marinade over night so the chicken can really absorb the flavors.
5. Grill on direct high for 8-10 minutes, or until meat reaches 180 degrees.

Tangy Lime Chicken

We eat a lot of chicken in our house, so I'm always playing with new ways of preparing it. So tonight I decided I better use the two limes in my refrigerator, and thus came up with this recipe for Tangy Lime Chicken. It has a mild heat to it, and was great dipped in Oli's Sweet 'n Spicy Sauce.
Ingredients
5 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 Tbs red wine vinegar
2 limes, juiced
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast

Directions
1. Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, and lime juice.
2. Add in all of the seasonings.
3. Place the chicken in a Ziploc and pour in marinade.
4. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
5. Grill on medium-high heat or broil until the internal temperature is 175 degrees.

Cilantro Pesto Chicken

Ingredients

2 Tbsp coarsely chopped walnuts
2 medium garlic cloves
1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh Italian parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lb chicken breast tenders

Directions
1 To make the marinade: In a food processor, finely chop the walnuts and garlic.
2 Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3 Add the cilantro, parsley, salt, and pepper and process until finely chopped.
4 With the motor running slowly add the oil to create a smooth puree.
5 Place the chicken in a large, resealable plastic bag and add the marinade.
6 Press the air out of the bag and seal tightly.
7 Turn the bag to distrib­ute the marinade, place in a bowl, and refrigerate for 1+ hours.
8 Remove the chicken from the bag.
9 Grill over high heat until the meat is firm and the juices run clear, 6 to 8 minutes, turning once.

Baked Buffalo Wings

Man this chicken looked and smelled so good I forgot to take a picture...oh well. I used thighs instead of wings and it turned out great! Slightly spicy and tangy but just a little. I'm sure you could add less or more of the hot sauce and the chili powder to make it more of your taste. Enjoy!

Ingredients
8 oz can tomato sauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup hot sauce
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp cornstarch

Directions
1. Make the sauce by combining all ingredients except cornstarch in a small saucepan.
2. Cook on low, stirring frequently for about 15 minutes.
3. In a small bowl combine 3 Tbsp water with 1 Tbsp cornstarch and mix well.
4. Turn the heat up on the sauce until it starts to lightly boil.
5. Add in the cornstarch mix. Stir.
6. Turn heat back down to low, leave on burner for 5 more minutes.
7. Remove sauce and store in airtight container until ready for use or....pour half over chicken and marinade for a 2-3 hours, or overnight if possible.
8. Cover & bake chicken at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Then turn temperature down to 350 degrees and cook for an additional 25 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 185 degrees.

tweaked from 1,000 GF Recipes p 297

Grilled Bourbon Glazed Chicken

Ingredients:
8 chicken drumsticks, thighs, or breasts
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp butter
1 cup ketchup
2 tbsp molasses
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp packed light brown sugar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp mustard
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp red pepper
2 tbsp bourbon (or you could use OJ)

Directions:
1. Mix all the ingredients except the chicken in a saucepan.
2. Over medium heat stir continuously for 5 minutes.
3. Then reduce heat to low and stir occasionally for 15 minutes.
4. Divide the sauce in half, using half to bast the chicken and the other half as a dipping sauce.
5. You can either grill the chicken or bake it in the oven. Whichever method, bast the chicken occasionally.

This turned out absolutely delicious!

Tweaked from 1,000 GF Recipes by Carol Fenster