Mozzarella Sticks

Who doesn't love mozzarella sticks? I couldn't tell you the last time I enjoyed the delicious appetizer. Noble Pig, a website favorite of mine, posted a recipe similar to this one but using won ton wrappers, unfortunately not a GF food. However, I was able to find Vietnamese spring roll wrappers that substituted very well! Trader Joes makes a block of soy mozzarella cheese that is one of my favorite cheeses. Combine that with pepperoni, roll it in a spring roll, pan fry and serve with a side of marinara sauce! Yum!

Ingredients:
Mozzarella Sticks
- Blue Dragon Spring Roll Wrappers
- One block of Soy Mozzarella Cheese (from Trader Joes)
- Pepperoni Slices (3-4/stick)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil

Marinara Sauce
- 1 can tomato sauce
- 1 large splash red wine
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup onion
- Seasonings: oregano, red pepper flakes, garlic, salt and pepper

Marinara Sauce Recipe:
I sauteed the onions in olive oil until lightly browned and added the can of tomato sauce. I added one to two large splashes of red wine and the seasonings and let simmer while I prepared the mozzarella sticks, stirring occasionally.

Mozzarella Stick Recipe:
I sliced the block of mozzarella cheese into 6 1/4" slices while letting the olive oil and wok get hot. I placed one spring roll wrapper in the shallow tupperware filled with hot water for 10-15 seconds until completely soft. Once soft, I placed it on the large plate, put the mozzarella slice in the middle and the 3-4 pepperoni slices on top.  I crossed one side of the wrapper to the other, tightly against the pepperoni, folded up the ends and then rolled it to close the wrapper. Next, I placed it in the wok until all slides were browned and repeated.


Easy and delicious!

We enjoyed ours with a salad and glass of Pinot Nior! 

DIY: Necklace and Robe Holders

I didn't have anywhere to hang my necklaces and we needed another hook or two for towels/robes in the bathroom. Less than $15 at Michaels Arts & Crafts and about an hour later, I had both. I love the wooden art section at Michaels, which is where I found both projects. The total cost included the wooden anchor and pegs as well as a small container of navy blue paint. Our bedroom and bathroom is the Nautica Plaid set and the navy paint matched perfectly.

If you are wondering what the large black door is, we live in an old house 

and our shower is in the house's safe.

We waited about two hours for the paint to dry and then hung them both up. We'll only use the anchor to hang robes because we didn't use a protective spray. We also used two nails on either side of the anchor to keep it in place. I only painted one coat on each, however I'd recommend two.

Not exactly what we had in mind originally, but we really like how they turned out!  

Avoiding Sneaky Gluten- Chex Mix

Homemade Chex Mix is a delicious and easy GF snack that most people enjoy. It's my go-to snack to bring to tailgates, weekend trips and even to work. I prefer salty over sweet, especially because there is usually crushed red pepper involved.

Chex Cereal offers a large list of recipes, even a lot of GF options. I have followed a few but recently have adopted my own. It's easier, faster and more specific to what I like. It's also easily adaptable to add gluten items such as pretzels and cheez-its, I usually make a few batches of each GF and gluten filled.

I tend to use the microwave to prepare it, I don't have the patience for the baking option. The first time I made Chex Mix I baked it and I can't tell a difference between the two cooking options. Using the microwave to prepare it takes less time and allows me to add more seasoning if I need to.

I use a small mixing bowl and the largest bowl or tupperware container I have appropriate for my microwave. In the small bowl, I mix about 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, cumin and a few splashes of hot sauce. Sometimes I'll add a few splashes of worcestershire sauce. The amount of hot sauce and red pepper flakes depends on the crowd that will be eating this particular batch.

I've found that layering each ingredient helps to ensure equal covering of the seasoning. I usually start with the cereal and lay down a layer in the bowl/tupperware and drizzle a portion of the seasoning mix throughout, mix with a large spoon, and then repeat with additional layers. My order of sequence is usually cereal, pop-corn and then nuts. I do the nuts last because they usually end up at the bottom.

I use rice or corn cereal, I don't have a preference, and fresh popped pop-corn. It's hard to find store bought pop-corn without butter. Fresh popped cuts down the calories and preservatives.  I also use a store bought mix of peanuts, almonds, cashews and brazilian nuts. It's easier to buy one thing and allow for a variety of nuts versus just having peanuts, almonds, etc or having to buy multiple kinds of nuts (which can get expensive).

Once all the ingredients are in the bowl and the seasoning is mixed in, I microwave it for a minute at a time. I repeat this about 3-4 times, mixing in between. I'll check to make sure the seasoning appears to be equally coated and mixed throughout, if not then I add more to it. Allow the Chex Mix to cool for a few hours, maybe sample a few pieces to make sure there is enough garlic and spice, and then enjoy!

Ingredients:
- 4 cups Chex Mix
- 3 cups popped pop-corn
- Nuts
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- Seasoning: red pepper flakes, garlic powder, cumin
- Few splashes hot sauce
- Few splashes worcestershire sauce (optional)

Kale Chips

Spinach has always been my green leafy vegetable of choice. I had leftover kale from a quinoa dish I made. I googled different ways to cook kale and sauteed, stewed and baked were amongst the popular options.

I was intrigued by the idea of kale chips. They ended up being extremely easy to make and surprisingly very delicious. I will think twice about buying regular potato chips again (maybe a little dramatic, but they were that good).

Ingredients:

- One bunch of fresh kale

- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil

- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

- 1/2 tbsp salt and pepper

Recipe:

We washed and cut the stems off the kale and chopped the leaves into small pieces (about an inch in size). We mixed the chopped kale and olive oil in a bowl, making sure to lightly coat each piece. Next, we added the seasonings and mixed thoroughly. We spread the seasoned kale on a cookie sheet and baked at 275, turning a few times, for about 20 minutes. We allowed them to cool for a few minutes and then they were gone!

Taco Turkey Burgers

A dry, crumbly meat patty is not a burger.  A burger should be rich and juicy with tons of flavor.  Unfortunately, a lot of restaurant burgers, especially turkey burgers, are overcooked and flavorless, relying on rolls, cheese and condiments to add the flavor.

We sought to fix this by making a better turkey burger in a way that can be enjoyed by everyone, especially the gluten free.  We used home-made Not So Sneaky Taco Seasoning, crushed tortilla chips (our bread crumb substitute), and corn tortillas as the 'bun'.

Ingredients
14 ounces ground turkey (93% lean)
Not So Sneaky Taco Seasoning
1 egg
2 oz. crushed tortilla strips
2 corn tortillas

Lettuce, tomato, onion and salsa to dress the burger
Gluten and dairy free cheese
Jalapenos (optional)

Recipe
Combine the turkey, taco seasoning, egg, and crushed chips.  Mix well.
Form into 2 patties - larger diameter and thin to approximate the size of the corn tortillas.
Pan fry in an oiled skillet to cook all the way through (if it was nicer outside, we would have grilled them)

Remove the burgers from the skillet, wipe out excess olive oil and spray with cooking spray.
Warm tortilla shells on both sides, line with cheese and top with a burger patty.
(We served our burgers open-faced. If you are going with a standard two 'bun' approach, just flip the burger to get the other shell crispy).

Plate it, top it with the veggies and salsa and enjoy!

To go along with this meal, we recommend sweet potato fries with spicy-smokey-sriracha ketchup, and a margarita!

Avoiding Sneaky Gluten- Sweet Potato Fries with Sriracha Ketchup

Fries are one bar food that could be easily shared with a group of people and would usually not bother me if eaten in small amounts. That was until recently. I was told by a restaurant manager that fries are no longer GF, even if fried in a separate fryer. Apparently they fry better after being rolled in flour and this trend is becoming more popular within the restaurant community.

We decided to bake our own version at home to go with turkey burgers we made. And what goes best with fries? Sriracha ketchup! We used one large sweet potato, sliced into wedges and tossed in seasoned olive oil. The olive oil was seasoned with cumin, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and garlic powder. The fries were spread out on a cookie sheet and a little more garlic power and red pepper flakes were added. The Sriracha Ketchup was made with ketchup, few tablespoons Sriracha, cumin and red pepper flakes. Honestly, taste testing the ketchup was best for determining proper amounts of each ingredient. 

Ingredients:

- 1 large sweet potato

- 2-3 tbsp olive oil

- Seasoning: cumin, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and garlic powder

- 1/4 c ketchup

- 2-3 tbsp Sriracha

- Seasoning: cumin and red pepper flakes

Recipe:

We combined all the spices with the 2-3 tbsp olive oil in a large bowl. We added the sweet potato wedges to the seasoned olive oil, tossing them around to make sure they were all covered. They were spread across a cookie sheet, added additional red pepper flakes and garlic powder and then baked them at 450 for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. While they were baking, I added the Sriracha, ketchup and seasoning in a small bowl. This made a lot but I will never let ketchup go to waste. I put it on a lot of foods.

Avoiding Sneaky Gluten - Taco Seasoning

Here, we introduce a new segment called "Avoiding Sneaky Gluten". Gluten (that little freaker-sneaker) frequently makes it's way into foods that you would not suspect. We're going to try to profile some of these sneaky foods with ways to avoid them.

Usually, Tex-Mex meals are the most delicious and easy to make naturally gluten-free. Rice and corn products combined with veggies, yum! I have made this known to my friends and family for the main purpose of social gatherings. My mom, who loves to cook and is quite good at it, has had 24 years to get used to cooking dairy free options for me. This whole gluten-free thing is new and tricky. While Tex-Mex has seemed to be the safest meal option, there have been multiple times recently that I've had to enjoy vegan tacos instead of the regular chicken, turkey or beef options because of the taco seasoning they used with the meat.

My friends and family members, as well as myself the first few times, were shocked when they realized the seasoning contained gluten. It was something I never even considered would bother me until I randomly checked because, well, ya just never know with gluten. I'm glad I did and have warned my friends and family about it. Even the taco seasonings that I have found to be "gluten free" contain not so great ingredients, such as dairy and MSG. I try to avoid MSG if possible after reading how it affects other people. So this has led to making a more natural and gluten-free version. We made it in bulk so we even saved money in the end... Healthier and Cheaper!

Ingredients (from allrecipes.com: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/taco-seasoning-i/)

1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Common Taco Seasonings and Links to ingredients:
McCormick - Contains dairy ingredients.

Pace - Contains Wheat Flour   
Ortega - Contains Maltodextrin

Old El Paso - Contains MSG

Delicious Biscuits

Limited supplies at the stores and incorrect ingredients led to these delicious biscuits! I love Target but they don't have much in the way for various GF flours, or really anything GF. The local grocery store was also lacking in their gluten free selection. I refused to visit a third location for ingredients. I started this process intending to make cornbread then realized I had corn starch and not corn meal. I stumbled upon this recipe online and an hour later was happy that I didn't have the correct ingredients for the original recipe.


(I've said this before and am saying it again as a disclaimer, I don't exactly follow directions well. Baking GF usually requires additional ingredients and steps. I moderately followed the original directions for these biscuits and they still turned out great!)

For one, I couldn't find soy or sorghum flour. Instead, I used 2 cups brown rice flour. Second, I only use Smart Balance Light butter (because it's dairy-free) and didn't have it in a stick so estimated 8 tbsp. Third, I didn't have a box grater and tried to cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a spoon. Lastly, I used the old fashioned method to mix everything together with a wooden spoon. The dough yielded at least 15 biscuits and I also even made a small cinnamon sugar roll because I didn't think I would eat that many biscuits. I melted 2 tbsp butter, added 2 tbsp sugar and cinnamon and added the concoction to flattened out dough before rolling it up. It was also very delicious!

Ingredients: (from Gluten Free Cooking School)

1 1/2 c. brown rice flour
2 c. corn starch*
1/2 c. soy flour or sorghum flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. xanthan gum

1 stick of butter* (chilled in the freezer)
1 1/4 c. soy milk* (I used almond milk)
1 1/4 c. water
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar*
1 egg, beaten (or the equivalent amount of your favorite egg replacement)

Recipe

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large mixing bowl thoroughly combine the flours, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and xanthan gum.

3. Grate the butter into the flour using the small holed side of a box grater. Mix the butter into the flour so that there are no large balls of grated butter.

4. Add the soy milk, water, vinegar and beaten egg to the flour and stir until the dry and liquid ingredients are combined.

5. Using a large spoon, drop the dough onto a greased pan to make 16 biscuits. Cook at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Buffalo Pulled Chicken

Gluten free Buffalo-goodness

Chicken wings are always a favorite treat for a weekend with friends. The obvious problem is that they are frequently breaded and the frying process is a huge problem due to cross-contamination.  How do you please the crowd while still maintaining your gluten free diet? Simple, use the greatest cooking invention since the oven - the crock pot!


We started with about 5 pounds of chicken, including both breast and boneless thighs for that nice dark meat flavor. We added a large onion (chopped) over the top.  The cooking liquid consisted of about a half cup of white vinegar and a half cup of apple cider vinegar.  You can adjust that to make sure your chicken has a little liquid to cook in.  We cooked the chicken low and slow for 8 hours.

When it came time to shred the chicken, we "pulled" it with two forks, but it really just fell apart with very little effort. We added a small bottle of Frank's Red Hot and that was it.

This chicken just falls apart.

In the past, we have used wing sauce and experimented with adding things like red pepper flakes, brown sugar and barbecue sauce.  This time we went very simple and it turned out better than ever.

We had rolls for the non-gluten free among us and we served it on corn chips for the gluten free folk.  We have also served it on corn tortillas and rice in the past.  This one is guaranteed to please all of the wing fans in the house.

3 pounds boneless chicken breasts
2 pounds boneless chicken thighs
1 medium to large onion, chopped
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 bottle hot sauce (about 12 ounces)

Combine the chicken, onion and vinegar in a crock pot.  Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.  Shred the chicken with two forks.  Add the hot sauce and let it cook for a little longer to allow the hot sauce to cook into the chicken.

Chicken Meatballs

Being on a budget increases necessity of creativity. Before moving, my mom provided us with a few basic cleaning supplies, tool kit and canned foods. I enjoy making chicken salad therefore canned chicken breast made the contribution. I found a recipe similar to this on Pinterest but modified it to be gluten-free and used canned chicken instead. It turned out delicious and was extremely easy to make. 

Ingredients:

- Quarter cup chopped bell pepper (we used a yellow one) 

- 1/2 small yellow onion chopped

- 1 12.5 oz can of chicken breasts in water (we used 3/4 of the can)

- 2 egg whites

- 1/4 cup crushed tortilla chips

- Few tablespoons of Sriracha

- Seasoning: Oregano, Basil, Salt, Pepper, Garlic and Crushed Red Pepper

Recipe: 

We combined all ingredients, adding seasoning to our liking (more red pepper than probably most would want). We baked at 350 for roughly 30 minutes on a cookie sheet and piece of foil. This recipe made 6 large meatballs.    (The original recipe used muffin tins and made 20 meatballs)

They should look golden brown once finished. 

We also prepared steamed broccoli and asparagus as well as a half serving of rice. We had a side of marinara sauce for the rice and meatballs. I'd recommend a sauce that isn't too powerful as the meatballs are very flavorful. We also complimented the meal with our favorite Pinot Nior. Delicious!

Quinoa with Chunky Tomato Sauce

Most gluten free pasta stinks.  I said it and I stick by it.  But gluten free substitutes can be fricken awesome!  Quinoa provides a great hearty taste and is quite easy to prepare.  So tonight, we went with a chunky tomato sauce, turkey sausage and quinoa.  Once again, we went with a spicy tomato sauce similar to the pizza sauce we made, just with a few more fresh veggies.



Thick cut onions, peppers and tomatoes started out in olive oil and Italian spices with a splash of red wine.  Then came the turkey sausage chunks and tomato sauce.

Throw it over the quinoa and voila!

Ingredients
1 medium yellow onion chopped
1 large bell pepper (we used orange) chopped
1 large tomato chopped
1 turn of olive oil
Basil, oregano, garlic, crushed red pepper, salt, black pepper
1 cup of turkey sausage crumbles (cook according to package directions)
14 ounces of tomato sauce

1 cup quinoa (cook according to package directions)

Recipe
Saute the vegetables over medium heat with spices.
After the vegetables have softened, add a splash of red wine and the sausage (cooked), allowing to cook for about 5 more minutes.

(At this point, it is a good idea to start the quinoa, giving the sauce enough time to cook.)

Add the tomato sauce to the veggies, throw in some more spices and cover, cooking over low heat until the quinoa is done.  Again, remember the salt to counteract the sweetness of the canned tomato sauce.

[Easy] Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Pretzel Sandwiches!

I decided to make a batch of each gluten-free and gluten-filled chocolate covered peanut-butter pretzels during a weekend trip to the Poconos with a group of friends. You can never go wrong with a combination of pretzels, peanut-butter and chocolate.

Ingredients
One small bag of Gluten-free pretzels
One larger bag of regular pretzels (I chose a shape that allowed me to make a sandwich with peanut-butter)
2 cups skippy peanut butter
(Skippy because it was labeled gluten-free)*
One bag of semi-sweet chocolate chip

*I previously made these but added powered sugar and butter to the peanut-butter. To be honest, I couldn't tell a difference without the extra sugar and calories.  

Recipe:

I lined two cookie sheets with wax paper and began to melt the chocolate chips in a double broiler. While they were melting, I placed two pretzels together with a small amount of peanut butter in between. I started with the gluten-free ones so I didn't contaminate the chocolate or peanut butter. I filled up about a half of one cookie sheet with the peanut-butter gluten-free pretzel sandwiches. By that time, the chocolate was melted (I had to stir the chocolate every once in a while). I dipped the peanut-butter sandwiches in the chocolate, while also using a spoon to help drizzle it onto the sandwiches, and then replaced them onto the wax-papered cookie sheets. I repeated until all gluten-free peanut-butter sandwiches were dipped in chocolate and then moved onto to doing the same thing with gluten-filled pretzels. Using the gluten-filled pretzels, I filled up the entire cookie sheet.



I allowed the pretzels to cool on the counter before placing in two separate containers. They were quite delicious and didn't last long at the Poconos!

Cucumber Salad with Soy-Sriracha Dressing

For our failed sushi attempt, we had planned to put cucumber in some of our rolls.  When we switched to a stir fry, we just didn't see cucumber fitting into it, so we decided to make a salad of it instead. An issue came up when we didn't have a salad dressing to go with an Asian entree.  Necessity is the mother of invention, and with us, it is usually a spicy invention.

We started with a 2 part soy sauce base and added one part Sriracha chili sauce and a splash of rice vinegar.  We also shaved some cucumber with a peeler and added diced onion to the sauce to give it some body and flavor.  It turned out super spicy and was quite good.

The best part was using this dressing on the left overs.  The time in the fridge allowed the flavor of the onions and cucumber to release into the soy sauce.  A container of this spicy-salty goodness is going to be a staple in our fridge.

Soy-Sriracha Dressing
1 cup soy sauce
1/4 to 1/2 cup of Sriracha Chili Sauce
Shaved cucumber
1/4 cup minced onion

Combine all ingredients, enjoy!