Gluten Free Hawaiian Chicken

Sorry it has been a while!  We went on a quick get a way for Spring Break, and now I am in the process of moving in the next couple weeks.  Life is a little chaotic around here.  Nevertheless, we still need to eat!  This is a staple at our house.  I usually cook a bunch of chicken breasts in the crockpot, then bag and freeze them to use in meals like this one.  You could use a rotisserie chicken or whatever works for you!

Hawaiian Chicken

6 T. gf soy sauce

¾ c. brown sugar(feel free to use less, it is pretty sweet)

2 T. honey

2 ¼ c. water

4-5 cloves of garlic, minced

2-3 in. piece of fresh ginger

1 red pepper, cut into slices(I often use 2)

1 can pineapple tidbits, drained

2-3 cups cooked chicken, in large chunks

1 T. potato/corn starch

1 T. cold water

Combine first 6 ingredients and bring to a boil in a large pan.  Add chicken and reduce to simmer.  Simmer 20 min.  Add red pepper and pineapple and simmer 10 min.  In a small bowl combine remaining starch and water.  Stir and add to mixture.  Boil for 1-2 min. until slightly thickened.  Remove piece of ginger and serve over rice.

This is linked to Linda's Gluten-Free Wednesdays and Tessa's Allergy Free Wednesdays, which both have a ton of great recipes. You definitely need to check them out!

Gluten Free Teff Muffins

We eat a lot of muffins/sweetbreads at our house.  Most of them are on the sweet side, so I thought I needed to come up with a non-sweet muffin to complement soup, salad, or whatever.  I love the grain teff because it is packed with nutrients and tastes great, so I went in search for a teff muffin and this is what I came up with.  I would compare them to a bran muffin.  They are pretty plain, but great with some butter, jam, or whatever you like.  They have a great texture and went perfect with our favorite vegetable beef soup. 

Teff Muffins
adapted from Ginger Lemon Girl

1 1/2 c. teff flour
1/2 c. arrowroot flour/tapioca flour
1/4 c. flax meal
1/2 t. salt
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/4 c. brown sugar
4 eggs
1/4 c. oil
1/4 c. nonsweetened applesauce
1 c. milk(I used 3 T. lite coconut milk + water = 1 c.)
Whisk together dry ingredients.  In a blender, or another bowl, mix wet ingredients.  Pour wet ingredients into dry ones and stir until combined.  Pour into greased/lined muffin tins.  This batter is on the runnier side.  Makes 18.  Bake at 350 for 25 min. or until done.

This is linked to Linda's Gluten-Free Wednesdays & Allergy-free Wednesdays.  They both have a lot of great recipes to check out!

Tagging Who with The Liebster Blog Award?

Mary, at Living with Food Allergies and Celiac Disease, has tagged me with the Liebster Blog Award!   Thank you Mary!  I am definitely new to this blogging world and need all the help I can get!

Liebster is a German word for “Good Friend,” and I am so grateful that Mary would recognize me.  Each recipient is supposed to pass the award on to five of their favorite blogs.

First, the rules. To accept this award you must:

1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award to your blog.
4. Have faith that your followers will spread the word and love to other bloggers.
5. Have fun.

My top five blogs:

Gluten Free Betty

I love Meredith's blog because she eats all the basics that my family enjoys and likes to cook and share with the rest of us!

Tessa, the Domestic Diva 

I love that Tessa tries to make everything as healthy as possible and uses many of the grains I do.

The Gluten Free Pantry 

Laura has simple, healthy, recipes that even my kids would enjoy!

Eat, Live, Run 
I like how Jenna uses a lot of beans, lentils, and other naturally gluten free foods.

Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom 
Heidi has great meal plans and a ton of information.

These are all great sites that you need to check out.  They all have a lot to offer!

Thanks again Mary for thinking of me!

Gluten Free Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies - starch free

I saw this recipe on a blog the other day and knew they would be the perfect gluten free cookie.  Anything with peanut butter always turns out great, plus with chocolate - who can lose?  I also figured with the help of the peanut butter and chocolate,  I could throw in all my healthy flours for a delicious, starch free, "healthy" cookie.  I made these for a lunch at my house and everyone asked for the recipe.  I told them the original link so they could get the gluten filled version.  My neighbor told me a few days later that mine were better, and that always makes a gluten-free cook smile!  Easily dairy/soy free!  These will definitely satisfy your craving!

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

adapted from The girl who ate everything

3/4 c. teff flour
1/2 c. millet flour
1 T. coconut flour
1/2 t. xanthan gum
1/2 cup cocoa
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 c. shortening(Spectrum Organic is awesome)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips(use Guitard semi-sweet for dairy free or Enjoy Life for soy free)
In a small bowl, combine dry ingredients and set aside.  In your large mixing bowl, cream together the peanut butter, shortening, and sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla, and  mix some more.  Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.  Stir in chocolate chips.  The dough will be thick.  Place balls of dough on greased or Silpat lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10 min. at 350.  Do not overbake.  Delicious when warm out of the oven.  Makes 3 doz. delicious cookies!
These are linked to Linda's Gluten Free Wednesdays.

Lentil Soup

I thought I would branch out and share a different recipe.  For those of you who have never had lentils, you should give them a try.  They are hearty, healthy and a great variation.  This soup is quick to fix and a great meatless option. Feel free to change up the spices to whatever you like! Check out Linda's Gluten Free Wednesdays for some other great soups and stews this month.

Lentil Soup

1 sweet onion, finely diced

2-3 carrots, shredded or finedly diced

 2 T. olive oil

1 1/2 c. red lentils, rinsed

6 c. chicken/vegie broth

1 1/2 t. cumin

1/2 t. coriander

1 t. sea salt

2-3 T. lemon juice

parsley or cilantro, chopped for topping

In a large soup pot, saute onion and carrot in the olive oil for 4-5 min.  Add lentils, broth and spices.  Bring to a boil, reduce to low and simmer 20-25 min., stirring occasionally.  Stir in lemon juice.  Remove from heat and serve.  Top with freshly chopped cilantro or parsley.

Orange Rice Pilaf

I am a breakfast girl, and I prefer breakfast foods for breakfast.  Having said that, I love this leftover rice for breakfast, or anytime of day!  A good friend made this for us and it has been a favorite since.  It is perfect to make in the winter when the oranges are so delicious.  It is a perfect side dish and is easily dairy/soy free.

Orange Rice Pilaf

3 T. butter, olive oil, or a mixture of both

¼ c. chopped green onions

½ c. chopped celery

1 c. wild rice/long grain

1 ½ c. orange juice

1 c. water

1 t. salt

¼ c. pine nuts/almonds

1 orange, cut into pieces

In a medium saucepan, on medium heat melt butter.  Add onions and celery and cook for 4-5 minutes.  Add rice and cook in butter for 2-3 minutes.  Pour into rice maker* - add juice, water and salt and press cook.  If you don't have a rice cooker, just add liquid to the pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cover, simmering for 45+ minutes.  Taste the wild rice prior to adding oranges and make necessary adjustments with more liquid or time.  While the rice is cooking, toast nuts, and peel and cut an orange into bite-size pieces.  Once the rice is tender, gently stir in oranges and nuts.

*The first few times I made wild rice it came out crunchy.  When I now make wild rice, I disregard the rice maker measurements and directions, use the ratio of 1c. rice/ 2 1/2 c. liquid and press cook.   If you make it on the stove, you may need more liquid and time.  It is worth trying again if at first you don't succeed.

Gluten Free Chocolate Muffins

 

These muffins are a staple in my book.  I can truly call them muffins because they are healthy.  They are packed full of whole grains with very minimal starch.  When my chocolate craving hits in the morning, or snack time, or whenever, these are perfect to pull out of the freezer, warm in the microwave and pop in my mouth.  If you aren't a chocoholic like me, you will still like them.  Plus they are dairy and soy free.

Chocolate Muffins

recipe adapted from the Gluten Free Goddess

¾ c. teff flour

½  c. sorghum flour

¼ c.  millet flour

1 ½ T. coconut flour

2 T. potato starch (not potato flour)

1 T. ground chia seeds(if you don’t have it, sub it with 2 T. ground flax or just omit it altogether + decrease milk by 1 T.)

½ c. cocoa powder

1 ½ t. baking powder

½ t. baking soda

½ t. fine sea salt

 1 t.  xanthan gum

 1 c. brown sugar

 ¼ c. oil

 ¾ c. – 1 c. rice milk- start with less

 2 eggs

 ¼ t. light tasting rice vinegar

¾ c. - 1 c. chocolate chips(use Enjoy life chips for soy/dairy free)

   

Whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the wet ingredients. Mix until the batter is smooth- it will be slightly sticky.   If the batter is too thick, add in a little rice milk at a time until it becomes smooth- like a thick version of cake batter.  Stir in chocolate chips.

    Spoon the batter into twelve lined muffin cups, or mini muffin pans.  Bake at 375 for 20 min.  Freeze extras and save for another day.

*Linked to Linda's Gluten Free Wednesdays!