Gluten Free Birthdays - Chicken Adobo and Peach Pie

It is amazing how many gluten-filled food traditions are tied to birthdays.  I have found that it helps to think outside of the birthday-cake-box and come up with new desserts to help celebrate.

GFF's Ma turned 58 this week and we had her over to the little twin house for dinner. Dinner was Chicken Adobo, a delicious new recipe from my mother-in-law.  The original recipe calls for bone-in chicken thighs, but I followed her advice and used boneless, skinless chicken thighs, which I find much easier to work with on the stove-top.

Gluten Free Chicken Adobo 

Gluten Free Chicken Adobo - adapted from Cook's Illustrated

1 package boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1/3 cup gluten free soy sauce

1 (13.5 oz.) can coconut milk

3/4 cup cider vinegar

8 garlic cloves peeled

4 bay leaves

2 teaspoons black pepper

Thinly sliced scallions

1.  Toss chicken with soy sauce in large bowl.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

2.  Remove chicken from soy sauce, allowing excess to drip back into bowl.  Transfer chicken to 12-inch nonstick skillet, set aside soy sauce.

3.  Place skillet over medium-high heat and brown thighs.  While chicken is browning, whisk coconut milk, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, and pepper into soy sauce.

4.  Transfer chicken to plate and discard fat in skillet.  Return chicken to skillet, add coconut milk mixture, and bring to boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for approximately 10 minutes (depending on the thickness of your chicken thighs).  Flip chicken and continue to cook for about 10 more minutes (again, this timing is approximate, depending on the thickness of the thighs.) Transfer chicken to platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil.

5.  Remove bay leaves and skim any fat off surface of sauce.  Return skillet to medium-high heat and cook until sauce is thickened, 5 to 7 minutes.  Pour sauce over chicken, sprinkle with scallions, and serve with short grain brown rice.

~

It is hard to describe just how delicious this dish is, especially when you follow it with a yummy peach pie, made with local peaches from the Lancaster County Farmer's Market in Wayne.  Making gluten free pie gets easier every time.  Unlike normal pie crust, I have found that gluten free pie dough is much easier to work with if you only refrigerate it for 20 minutes, because it rolls out a lot better.  You also have to work quickly when you flip it into the pie dish or it will fall apart on you really fast!  I also think it is better to make a smaller pie (or a few smaller pies) instead of a big pie, because you have more control over the crust.  Be prepared to patch your dough and refer to it as "rustic" as much as you can.  That makes the rough appearance look intentional!

Gluten Free Birthday Peach Pie 

Gluten Free Pie Crust

2 1/2 cups Cup-4-Cup Gluten Free Flour

6 Tbsp. Butter

6 Tbsp. Vegetable Shortening

1/2 cup cold water

1.  Place all the ingredients except the water in food processor and blend until fine crumbs are formed.

2.  Add the water a little at a time until the dough is sufficiently moist to form into a ball.

3.  Cut the dough in half, wrap in wax paper, and refrigerate for 20 minutes. 

4.  Roll the top and bottom crusts separately

Gluten Free Peach Pie Filling

5-6 peeled and sliced peaches

2/3 cups sugar

1/4 cup Cup-4-Cup Gluten Free Flour

1 tsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1.  Heat oven to 425 degrees.

2.  Mix sugar, flour, cornstarch and cinnamon in a large bowl.  

3.  Stir in peaches and lemon juice. 

4. Turn into pastry-lined pie plate.

5.  Cover with top pastry and patch any cracks in the dough.  Smile - you love baking gluten free pie, no matter how difficult the dough is!

6.  Seal the edges with a fork.

7.  Poke holes in the top to let steam out

8.   Cover edge with 2 - 3 inch strip of aluminum foil.  Remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking.

9.  Bake about 45 minutes or until crust is golden-brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in the crust.  Cool on a wire rack.

Happy Birthday, Ma!

Sesame Chicken

At first glance, most Asian cuisine seems very gluten free friendly.  Rice, meat, fish, and veggies are great!  However, lurking in a lot of Asian cuisine is a GF person's enemy:  soy sauce.  Traditional soy sauce is a mix of fermented boiled soybeans and roasted wheat or barley - both of which contain gluten.  This makes it quite difficult to eat in Asian restaurants.  There are some that offer gluten free options, but I must say that I am not certain if they realize that soy sauce contains gluten, because I have gotten quite sick from eating supposedly gluten free Asian cuisine.


Luckily, San-J makes a gluten free soy sauce that is delicious.  I really enjoy eating Asian dishes, so I have started making them at home, where I know everything is definitely gluten free.


One of our favorites is a Sesame Chicken Recipe by Ellie Krieger that I saw in the January 2012 issue of Better Homes and Gardens, which I have adapted slightly.  The recipe below reflects my changes.  

Sesame Chicken with Broccoli

5 tablespoons reduced-sodium gluten free soy sauce

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

5 teaspoons honey

1 1/4 pounds skinless boneless organic chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons extra light tasting olive oil

2 green onions, white parts thinly sliced and green tops reserved

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

4 teaspoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 teaspoon chili paste (Huey Fong Sambal Oelek Chili Paste is gluten free)

2 small heads broccoli, cut in florets, steamed until crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes

3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Short grain brown rice for serving

1. In a medium bowl whisk together 3 tbsp. of the gluten free soy sauce, 1 tsp. sesame oil, and 2 tsp. honey. Add cut-up chicken, toss to coat, then marinate for 20 minutes. Remove chicken from marinade with a slotted spoon. Discard the marinade.

2. In a large nonstick skillet or wok heat 2 tsp. of olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook half the chicken at a time for 6 minutes until browned and cooked through, turning once or twice. Transfer to a large serving plate. Heat 2 tsp. olive oil to cook remaining chicken. Transfer to serving plate.

3. In the same skillet heat the remaining 2 tsp. olive oil oil over medium-high heat. Add the white parts of onions and garlic. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. 

4. For sesame sauce, in a small bowl whisk together broth, remaining soy sauce, remaining honey, the cornstarch, vinegar, and chili paste until cornstarch and honey are incorporated. Add sauce to skillet. Cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes until thickened and darkened in color. Stir in remaining 1 tsp. sesame oil.

To serve, pour sauce over chicken. Surround chicken with steamed broccoli. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onion tops. Serve with brown rice, if desired.

Grilled-Fish Tacos

A typical Philadelphia summer has slowly rolled in - hazy, hot, and humid.  In an effort to keep the house cool, we have been grilling a lot.

These Grilled-Fish Tacos with Roasted-Chile-and-Avocado Salsa were absolutely delicious.  The GFF's hubby is the griller in the little twin house, so we worked together on these.  We followed the recipe (although we did leave out the cilantro - you know how I feel about cilantro) and topped them with this Grilled Corn Salad (sans cilantro and mint).  GFFH grilled the corn tortillas for a few minutes before we ate, which made the tortillas a lot easier to handle - corn tortillas can be quite brittle and hard to work with when they are soft.

Roasted-Chile-and-Avocado Salsa

Grilled Corn Salad

Grilled-Fish Tacos

I also saved a little piece of halibut for the neighborhood cat, Kitty.  Since she licked the plate clean, I am pretty sure she approved of our dinner choice.

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

I love clipping recipes out of magazines and then putting my own spin on them.  Southwestern Stuffed Peppers from Real Simple sounded like they would be a hit in the little twin house and turned out to be a great weeknight meal. 

I made these with ground chicken because I do not eat beef.  When I was little, I always felt sick after eating red meat, so I stopped eating it.  Now that I have been diagnosed with Celiac disease, we have realized that I probably felt sick when I was little due to whatever wheat product was served with the red meat!  So, although I could eat red meat again, I just do not care for the taste of it anymore because I associate it with a stomachache. 

The original recipe calls for 4 bell peppers, but Wegmans had a great deal on a 3 pack, so I just made 6 halves that were generously filled.  Here is my adaptation of this great recipe!

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

1 cup short grain brown rice

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated

1/2 pound ground chicken

1 cup frozen corn

 4.5 ounce can chopped green chiles

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

4 oz. grated Pepper Jack cheese

salt & pepper

3 large bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs and seeds removed

hot sauce, for serving (optional)

1. Heat oven to 375° F. Cook the rice according to the package directions.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallion whites and chicken and cook, breaking the chicken up with a spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the corn, chilies, cumin, cooked rice, ½ cup of the Pepper Jack, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
3. Arrange the bell peppers, cut-side up, in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or pan. Divide the chicken mixture among the bell peppers, add ½ cup water to the dish, tightly cover the dish with foil, and bake until the bell peppers are soft, 30 to 40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup of Pepper Jack, and bake until browned, 5 to 7 minutes more.
4. Top with the hot sauce (if you are like GFF's hubby) and scallion greens.

Happy Mother's Day

Preparations for our gluten free Mother's Day celebration with my mom started yesterday with an ambitious cross stitch project (my new crafting hobby.)  I sat on the porch with our neighborhood cat, Kitty, who helped me by chasing the thread as I stitched.  I took a break to cut some of GFF Husband's prized Knock Out roses to decorate our side board for our Sunday brunch.

 

Then I went back to stitching.  I cross stitched on and off until 12:30AM, when I fell asleep with the project in my hands.  At 3:30AM, I woke up and gave the hoop a coat of paint, went to bed, and got up early to finish.  My mom loves him!  He is a country-city-chic buck and perfectly matches my parents' color scheme in their apartment.

After my early-morning cross-stitching, we met my parents and brother at Linvilla Orchards to go strawberry picking.  It turns out that the fields were over-picked yesterday, so "picking" strawberries turned into "picking out" one of the few remaining quarts of strawberries they had in their market.  Needless to say, this went a lot quicker than anticipated!  It was a lovely trip though, since Linvilla is absolutely beautiful this time of year.

We returned and feasted on our favorite crepes, fresh squeezed orange juice, and coffee. Happy Mother's Day, Ma!

Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew

I cut this recipe out of one of my Real Simple magazines a long time ago, and then stumbled upon this adapted version.  Since the GFF's hubby has recently taken a liking to cauliflower, I decided to give it a try.  During our weekly trip to Wegmans, he and I debated about whether or not we had cumin.  He swore we did, I chose to believe him, and it turns out...we did not. We were also bizarrely out of fresh garlic (this never happens in our household), so I had to get very creative with my gluten free bad self.  Please do not judge the use of garlic powder in this recipe.  It actually tasted really great, surprisingly enough! Do not tell my grandma either.  


The original recipe said to add 1/2 cup water, but I had 1 cup of stock to use up so I added that instead. I added more liquid so that the veggies were all submerged - I think this would depend on the size pot you use.  I agree with my choice and will not ever use water after tasting how flavorful the stew was.


GFF's hubby gobbled up 3 bowls of this delicious veggie creation.  I highly suggest you try it!  It will become a repeat offender in the little twin house.

Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew 

adapted from above links to be GF friendly 

Olive oil for the pot (I never measure, I just swirl it around)

2 small onions chopped

1 tsp. garlic powder (or the fresh stuff if you have it or if your Italian grandma is watching you)

1 tsp. chili powder

Kosher salt and black pepper

28 oz. canned whole tomatoes

1 15 oz. can chickpeas, rinsed

1 head cauliflower, cored and cut into small florets

1 cup GF chicken broth or veggie broth

1 package of fresh baby spinach

1 cup short grain brown rice

1. Put the rice on to cook.

2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to soften, 4 to 5 minutes.

3. Add the garlic, chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute.

4. Add the tomatoes, crushing with your hands as you add them, and their liquid, chickpeas, cauliflower, and broth and bring to a boil.

5. Reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender and the liquid has slightly thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.

6. Fold in the spinach and cook until just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.

Serve the stew over the rice and enjoy!  Pack yourself the leftovers for lunch the next day. Yum!

Gluten Free Pizza: BBQ Chicken Sloppy Joe

Thanks to Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix, homemade pizza is back in this GFF's household!  This is one of those things that makes even my gluten eating husband say "You can't even tell this is gluten free!"

The package makes two crusts, one of which we always store in the fridge for another night's dinner. It will keep for a few days, which is fantastic.

We turned one crust into a favorite that my mom used to make when I was younger - BBQ Chicken Sloppy Joe Pizza.  I am not sure where the recipe is from - it is one of those recipe box oldies but goodies.  Quick, easy, and really tasty!

BBQ Chicken Sloppy Joe Pizza

1lb ground chicken

3/4 cup corn, defrosted

3/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce

1/2 cup sliced green onions

Pizza Crust

1 1/2 cups shredded jack cheese

Brown chicken, pour off drippings, stir corn, sauce, onion together with meat.  Heat through.  Pour onto crust, sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 425 degrees for 12 - 15 minutes.

Weekend Breakfast: Gluten Free Crepes

Our weeks are very busy, so we like to take time to eat a nice breakfast together on the weekends.  Today I tried this recipe I saw on a great blog called Creature Comforts.  I did not have the gluten free flour mix she used, but I did have exactly the right amount of Cup4Cup left, so I used that.  I followed her recipe exactly, although I did have to add an extra splash of milk to get the batter to be the right consistency.  That is one thing that I have learned with gluten free flour blends - each one differs slightly and you often have to make small changes to recipes.

We filled them with strawberries and topped them with powdered sugar + a little drizzle of maple syrup.  My husband added a sprinkle of Udi's Gluten Free Vanilla Granola to his.  I am going to have to resist the temptation to make these every weekend!

Chicken with Balsamic Bell Peppers and Pan-Fried Polenta

The first time I had polenta was at my aunt and uncle's bed and breakfast in Italy, long before I went gluten free.  Thank goodness my aunt introduced me to this perfect, gluten-free staple!  She also taught me a little secret - make it, cool it, slice it, and then lightly pan-fry it in olive oil for what tastes like a polenta french fry.  Yum!

This time, I had some leftover polenta from our bean pies, so I didn't have to prepare it. I just sliced the remainder and tossed it into a pan with a little olive oil.  I also had a pack of chicken in the freezer and some bell peppers.  Thanks to a google search, I found a great new recipe from Cooking Light. I stayed pretty close to the recipe, although I could not completely crush the fennel seeds, due to a lack of a mortar and pestle.   How the child of a pharmacist ended up without a mortar and pestle is beyond me, and I have to say that attempting to use the bottom of a plastic prep bowl on a cutting board to do the task was quite unsuccessful.  I used vegetable broth, but only because I did not have any chicken broth.  Honestly, this meal was delicious and got rave reviews from the Gluten Free Frau's Mann.

Chicken with Balsamic Bell Peppers

• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided 
• 3/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 cups thinly sliced red bell pepper 
• 1 cup thinly sliced yellow bell pepper 
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots (about 1 large)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 
  
• 1. Preheat oven to 450°.
• 2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, fennel seeds, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. Brush chicken with 1 1/2 teaspoons oil; sprinkle spice rub over chicken. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes or until browned. Turn chicken over; cook 1 minute. Arrange chicken in an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until done.
• 3. Heat remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, shallots, and rosemary; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Stir in vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve bell pepper mixture over chicken.

Gluten Free Breakfast-for-Dinner: Egg Sandwich

When I was little, I learned from my mom that an egg sandwich has magical healing powers.  A bad day, a loss, or a cranky mood could be cured with a nice conversation over a simple egg sandwich.  I think an egg sandwich is the definition of comfort food.

Thanks to Udi's delicious gluten free bread, the magical powers of the egg sandwich can live on! 

To make the eggs for this particular sandwich, I used a fantastic technique I learned from A Cup of Jo.  Cook your eggs this way - trust me, you won't be sorry.  The cheese to egg ratio is fabulous.

After the eggs cooked, I set them aside to cool a bit.  Then, I lightly buttered two pieces of Udi's gluten free bread, threw them into the same pan in which I cooked the eggs, let them brown, and then assembled all of the eggy-goodness.  I added a gluten free sausage patty to this particular egg sandwich, but that is optional.

Lecker. (That's German for delicious.)

Lunchbox Love: Quinoa Salad with Toasted Almonds

The most challenging meal of the day for the Gluten Free Frau is definitely lunch. I try to make something that will last me a few days, since coming up with creative lunch options is difficult.  This week I decided to try a new quinoa salad recipe.  I love quinoa and all of its protein-filled yumminess.  I made two small changes to this recipe:  I added 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes and used a pinch of dried thyme, only because I did not have any fresh thyme on hand.  

Quinoa Salad with Toasted Almonds

Source: Whole Living

• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup (3 ounces) quinoa
• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 yellow bell pepper, ribs and seeds discarded, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/8 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, plus more for garnish (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 1 large celery stalk, diced
• 1 lime, halved

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast almonds until crisp, lightly browned, and fragrant, about 7 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Meanwhile, place quinoa in a fine sieve and rinse under cold running water until the water runs clear; drain well.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium heat. Add yellow pepper, garlic, scallions, and red-pepper flakes; cook until the pepper is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in quinoa, thyme, 1 cup water, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook 7 minutes. Stir in zucchini, cover, and cook until quinoa is tender but not mushy, 5 to 8 minutes longer. Remove the saucepan from heat.
4. Stir in celery, almonds, and remaining 2 teaspoons oil, season with salt, and fluff with a fork. Cool to room temperature before packing into two containers and refrigerating. When ready to eat, squeeze lime over salad, if desired. Serve with additional lime wedge and thyme, if desired.