Chicken Parmegiana

We had some chicken parmigiana for a fancy dinner together, with some focaccia on the side. We have fond memories of eating chicken parmigiana for celebrations, with some very garlicky soup as an appetizer. We cooked some up to celebrate chillier weather, and the idea of being together.

Chicken Parmigiana

2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup gluten free breadcrumbs, made from Millet Oatmeal bread, or another favorite bread crumb method
1/4 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic salt
Italian seasoning
black pepper
cayenne pepper

marinara sauce, like Hunt's Garlic and Herb
mozzerella cheese, preferably fresh

This is the kind of recipe that gives you what Alton Brown calls club hand, unless you're actually able to follow the instructions to avoid it. I just don't mind washing my hands. Make sure that your chicken breasts have been sliced in half lengthwise, so that the breasts are about 3/4 of an inch thick. On one plate, lay out beaten egg. On another plate, combine breadcrumbs, flour, cheese, salt, peppers and seasoning. Dredge chicken pieces in the egg, then in the breadcrumb mixture.

In a saucepan, heat several tablespoons of olive oil, and then sear the chicken pieces in the oil. Cook for several minutes on each side to brown the coating, and make it all crispy and good.

Pour some marinara sauce into the bottom of a glass dish, and lay seared chicken breasts on the layer of sauce. Top each piece with some fresh mozzarella, and then spoon a little more sauce over the top. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes, until bubbly and warm. Top with some fresh basil.

My Visit to the Blue Chip Group Retail Store

See how each of the white storage boxes says "gluten free" on it?
I love this store.

I stopped by the Blue Chip Group retail store on Columbus Day. It was the perfect day to stock up on some staples, and explore a place I had never been before. The store is in an industrial area, I'm guessing very near the actual warehouse, and was new and tidy. They have many general food storage items besides the gluten free selection, including dried fruit, "magic mix," Morning Moo's milk replacement, dried beans and legumes, spice mixes, and so many other things to look at. Many of the items I've never seen before! (Dried pineapple, anyone?)

Off to one side is a small room with shelves for the gluten free selection. Most of the gluten free foods are packaged in 5 pound bags, and there are a few 25 pound bags of flours. I ended up buying 25 pounds of sorghum flour, 25 pounds of tapioca starch, a 5 pound bag of pancake mix, and had my eye on a few other things.

The Blue Chip retail store is the perfect place to get huge bags of the stuff you use. I recommend it!

Some of my favorite things to buy from Blue Chip:

• xanthan gum
• sorghum flour
• tapioca starch
• quinoa flour
• gluten free oats
• Basic Sour Cream Muffin Mix
• Pancake Mix
• I have yet to try it, but I bought Scone Mix (fry bread, not this kind of scones)
  

Blue Chip Group Retail Store
432 W. 3440 S.
Salt Lake City, UT 84115
Weekdays 10-6

Green Pepper Adventures: Ouchee!!

The boy got the job! He applied for a job, along with about 100 other candidates. After two interviews, he heard yesterday that he was the newest employee. He's excited, intimidated, and all that other feelings. This job will fit perfectly around his school schedule, and give him experience in his field. So, tonight we went out to celebrate.

We went to Five Guys for some big burgers and some Cajun fries to share. The Cajun fries are gluten free, by the way. Placing our order, I rattled off the toppings for my burger. I wanted: lettuce, tomato, ketchup, and so-called "green peppers." They have them listed like that on their menu, even though they really mean green bell peppers. They also have jalapeno peppers on the menu, which are also green.

Our order came, and we dove in to the Cajun fries and burgers. I was really loving the food, and the Cajun fries were building some serious spice in my mouth. All the little corners with cobwebs of my mouth were tingling, and I got that cough that comes with spicy food. Those fries were starting to build! In order to sooth my burning mouth, I took quick bites of my burger. Suddenly, I was totally debilitated! I couldn't even eat I was so on fire!

"These Cajun fries are really burning my face off!"

"Hmmm. I'm totally fine. Eat some more burger."

"And I'm drinking so much diet Coke I'm starting to twitch."

Looking back down, I spied a green pepper hanging down below the burger patty. Seeds. The white part inside the pepper. This was no green bell pepper I was eating. I had just downed most of a hamburger covered in jalapenos!

I sat out most of the rest of the meal, trying to regain my composure. I even ate a fruit leather out of my purse, letting it rest on my tongue.

Wow!

Five Guys has great gluten free food, but I might be done ordering "green peppers" on my hamburger there.

---

Dear Five Guys,

Thank you for helping me clear my sinuses.

Sincerely,
Me

Gluten Free Herbed Focaccia!

Today, my sassy friend Sherry and I were talking at each other. Sherry is, well, sassy, if you've never met her. She's quick-witted, and you better be wearing your ballet slippers, because she'll keep you on your toes. Of course, if you were the descendant of Austin Oliver Sexton, you'd likely be sassy too.

I told her that it would be optimal (in our hypothetical world of discussion) if I were rewarded for my good deeds with some "stuff." She suggested the America's Test Kitchen cookbook, because it's always great to have well-tested recipes. Very valid point, Sherry.

However, what's the adventure in making something that turns out right every time? Maybe I'm just a thrill seeker, but I get the shivers every time I come up with something that's tasty. Like focaccia bread. It was on our menu last week, and we ate this stuff up. Every bite. We ate it as hamburger buns, and I put the rest in the freezer. It came in perfectly handy to use when the boy needed a high-protein snack before his workout, and so I made him a sloppy joe snack.

Herbed Focaccia Bread
inspired by Karina's Focaccia Recipe with Garlic + Tomato

1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup millet flour
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

Put these dry ingredients into a bowl, and whisk them until they're combined. In a separate measuring cup, proof:

1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 1/4 cup warm water
a dash of sugar

I love watching the yeast get all puffy. Hence the purpose of proofing the yeast in a glass or clear plastic measuring cup. Hours of entertainment.

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon of honey

Stir everything up together. It should be a thick batter, like a cake batter. In a large casserole dish, preferably bigger than a 13 x 9 inch pan, drizzle a few teaspoons of oil into the bottom. Drop in the dough, and with a flat spatula, spread the dough to the edges. Sprinkle the top of the dough with more sea salt, some more Italian seasoning, and some parmesan cheese. I was hoping the large, rectangular shape would make this optimal for many uses. Yes, it did make it optimal. Optimally tasty.

Let it rest in a warm oven for 20 minutes, and then turn the oven to 375. Continue baking for about 30 minutes, or until the top is golden and puffy. The oil from the bottom should be bubbling around the edges too.

You can slice these long and skinny to be breadsticks to be served with pizza, into squares to eat to the side of your favorite soup, or in long rectangles that can be frozen and used for sandwiches. We did all of the above.

What do you say - thrill seeker or one who prefers to make recipes that are pre-tested?

Gluten Free Cinnamon Apple Muffins

When I was growing up, we had several apple trees in the backyard. But my favorite, for entertainment purposes, was the crabapple tree. Should a person eat crabapples? In my adolescent understanding, no, but they are perfect for throwing at brothers! Instead of the actual fruit, crabapple trees are generally grown for their beautiful flowers. Ours was also perfect for climbing, since the tree was located near the back fence, and had a branch the perfect height for a teenage leg to reach up and wrap around.

Wow, those days are gone. We are all living our adults lives, pressing on in differing paths, finding our way in the world. My parents miss us, I think. (Ha! Maybe they are enjoying the peace and quiet!) In the new house they purchased last summer, they grew some veggies this year. Tomatoes, peppers, beans. I think I have spotted an apple tree in the back yard.

These muffins are inspired by the cooking of my mother, who loves using cinnamon to warm a chilly kitchen. There I go again, rambling :).

Cinnamon Apple Muffins

1/2 cup quinoa flour
3/4 cup sorghum flour
3/4 cup tapioca starch
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon total of: ground ginger, nutmeg and cloves

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl, and whisk them until they are completely combined. Little puffs of cloves will float up and perfume the kitchen. Oh boy!

Add in the following wet ingredients, and stir until it forms a sticky batter.

1 cup yogurt or sour cream
1/3 cup oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs

Stir in finely chopped apples and nuts:

1 1/2 cup apple, finely chopped (this is about 1 small granny smith, or whatever you'd like)
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Prepare a muffin tin with 12 lined cups, and scoop each liner with about 1/3 cup batter. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until they are browned on top and are firm when pushed.

Also, don't eat them piping hot. They'll taste better, and you'll actually have taste buds left, if you wait a few minutes. When they're cooled, the top will glisten a little. These taste like fall :).

You can find other delish treats at Slightly Indulgent Mondays.

Do apples and cinnamon remind you of home too?

Gluten Free Menu Plan: November 2, 2009

This morning, the sunlight was filtering through the shades on the windows. Bright and clear, I hadn't seen such a thing for more than a week. Our weather has been cloudy and darkish, and we even had some snow on Tuesday. I'm so glad to welcome this week of sunshine. I don't even mind when it's cold, but I sure like the sun when I see it.

The beautiful colors of my street, last week.

Our menu last week was only moderately successful. We were busy (as usual), and spent at least one evening with respective friends. The boy went to Five Guys with his friend, I was out with my friend. Our biggest hit of the week was the focaccia, which we loved! We sliced the leftovers and froze it, and they were the perfect item to have in the freezer. Saturday morning I fed the boy a sloppy joe on top of focaccia bread so that he would have some good protein for breakfast. It was so easy to toast and slice it. The recipe will be posted this week.

This week's Gluten Free Menu Swap is hosted by The Lilac Kitchen, and she chose the theme ingredient of dried fruit. I'm having my dried fruit with breakfast. Although I wish I had the time to make some more Apricot Dobos Torte. Dried apricots are probably my favorite of the dried fruits.

Monday: Homemade chili

Tuesday: Risotto with Chicken and Bacon

Wednesday: Breakfast for dinner - likely BCG pancakes, country potatoes, and a frittata.

Thursday: Taco Soup made in the crockpot

Friday: Ranch Pork Chops with mashed potatoes and veggies

I've also taken to making a new breakfast item on Sunday morning, including a moderately successful attempt at cinnamon rolls (I'm still perfecting those), and this morning I made cinnamon apple muffins. I'll be posting those tomorrow. They were very tender and fragrant.

I've been wanting to work to incorporate more whole grains into my diet, since they seem so much harder to get eating gluten free. I've made a pot of quinoa tonight, and I'll be eating with some dried berries I have stashed under my desk at work. Dried strawberries? Those are my favorite.

Fistfuls of Gluten Free Halloween Candy

Heather at Celiac Family wrote a great post about gluten free Halloween candy. It's very comprehensive, and includes a list of unsafe candy too.

Check this out to help you navigate trick or treating and holiday parties.

If you're looking for some Halloween-ish recipes, try:

Kickball Pumpkin Chili
Dairy Free Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream
Gummy Candy Car Racers

Kirkland Beef Polish Sausage

I've started keeping in my journal the "five best" things about each day. I like it because it's simple - I don't feel like I have to retell the day in droning detail. I can be quick, or I can be wordy, and it makes it possible to capture what I am feeling. Capture it positively.

Things have been busy around here lately. I want to share with you that one of the "five best" of today was:

• that today was better than yesterday

And it was.

My brother was riding his bike yesterday when he was hit by a car. He was injured, but not as severely as you would expect - broken leg, road rash, and some gashes to his head. All is well. We are just settling down. Everything will be ok. My family loves each other.


Oh, right, we were going to talk about polish sausages.

Well, the boy's a big fan of these. They've sold them at Costco for years - you can even get one at the deli with a fountain drink for $1.50.

But, those ones at the deli are probably not gluten free because of the cross-contamination.

Fortunately, the ones in the meat freezer are. We're going to be enjoying some of these.

Gluten Free Menu Plan: October 26, 2009

This month's co-op food looks so tasty. We ended up with apples, pears, carrots, avocados, an eggplant, a head of cabbage, potatoes, and piles and piles of Utah onions and a variety of squash. I have enough squash to last me through the whole winter!

Yes, other exciting part of this week - Halloween! I'm working on my food-related costume, but it still needs a lot of work. Don't worry - it's a gluten free costume!

This week's Gluten Free Menu Swap is hosted by Heather at Celiac Family with the theme ingredient of cilantro, or fresh herbs. Heather mentions that she uses fresh cilantro most - I probably use fresh basil most, although I'm still an amateur with it. The food co-op has introduced me to raising fresh herbs, and keeping growing! plants around. Other great menus - including some gluten free ones - can be found at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Dinner menu plan

Monday: Zippy Shepherd's Pie

Tuesday: BBQ chicken sandwiches on gluten free focaccia bread

Wednesday: Pad thai with chicken

Thursday: McCormick sloppy joes

Friday: partying... and oven-roasted tomato and fresh basil pizza

Acorn Squash Risotto

Last month's food co-op order involved a plethora of acorn squash. I decided my only option was to introduce the boy to a use for squash that meshed with our love for risotto. Normally, one of our quick meals is store-bought Lundberg risotto, because it's easy, and he never fails to be interested in it. This time, though, we were taking it up a notch.

I found this recipe for Acorn Squash Risotto to be very inspiring. I made it my own by adding less squash for the boy, since he's still really sensitive to lots of fiber. I also added plenty of ginger to keep it spicy, since I had a stuffy nose at the time. I also made homemade chicken broth to make sure the dish was flavorful, and backed by those healing benefits of broth.

Risotto also gets a bad rap - "it's too challenging," "It takes too long to cook," "I'll burn it," "My mom said it was hard to make..." Et cetera, et cerera, blah blah blah. Well, the short answer is that risotto is warm and creamy, and actually is not too technically difficult. The trick is to stir often so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of your pan, but you do not have to stir the entire cooking time.

We added chicken and bacon on top (our favorite risotto toppings), and devoured it.

Acorn Squash Risotto

1 acorn squash
2-3 cups chicken broth
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1/2 - 1 teaspoon ground (dried) ginger (this is more potent than fresh, so go easy)
3/4 cup Arborio rice (make sure your rice is Arborio - it has the right properties to end up so creamy)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. With your biggest, sharpest knife, and your muscley arms, slice the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds, and lay the two halves face down in a baking dish that has some oil drizzled on it. You could even season the halves with salt and pepper before baking them. Bake them for 15-20 minutes, or until you can stick your knife in it's back (hmmm, no animosity here...) and it slides right through the tender squash. Remove from the oven and let them cool for a minute.

If your chicken broth is not fresh (either frozen, or from a can), put it on the stove to warm up.

Cook onion and garlic in a separate pan with a tablespoon of oil to keep them from sticking to the pan. Cook them until the onions are translucent and the house smells great. Stir in the rice, and let it toast with the onions and garlic for 2 minutes. Once the rice starts to brown just a little (careful - it goes from toasty to black real quick!), ladle in a few cups of broth. Then, you will simmer the broth with the risotto until it has almost evaporated.

After you have been simmering the rice and broth for about 10 minutes, measure out and add ground ginger to your tastes. Once the squash has cooled some, hold one half with a kitchen towel and scoop the toasty flesh out with the large spoon. Then you can mash it, chop it, or do as you please with it. Repeat with the second half. Add some of the chopped/mashed flesh to the cooking rice. You can reserve part of the squash to top the risotto after it's finished (I added extra to my serving).

Continue simmering and adding broth until it has mostly absorbed, and the rice doesn't taste crunchy anymore. It will look very creamy, especially with the added squash. This generally takes between 20 and 30 minutes.

Then, you can serve it with chopped green onions and parmesan cheese. I wished we had the real parmesan cheese when we ate this...but next time.