Sweet and Spicy Chicken

I'm going to give P.F Chang's a run for their money with this chicken. (ok maybe only in my mind). I love P.F.'s Spicy Chicken but this one I made tonight has got a good kick of heat to it.

Last week at the Farmer's market I found some Thai Chili's and have been trying to think of ideas of what to make with them. I plan to make some pad thai with tofu later this week. I wanted to create something by playing with the spice and contrasting it with sweet. And out came my Sweet and Spicy Chicken

Sweet and Spicy Chicken

1 chicken breast - boneless, skinless

1/4 cup corn starch

4 tablespoon veggie oil

Sauce:

1/4 cup honey

3-4 Thai Chili peppers finely chopped (keep seeds in for even more heat...adjust the amount of peppers depending on your spice level)

3 tbl spoons of water

1 tbl veggie oil

Mix honey and chopped peppers, let sit over night. When you are ready to use it add three table spoons of water and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds and mix well.

Cut up chicken in bit size pieces. In a medium bowl add the corn starch and cut up chicken. Coat well and shake off any excess corn starch. In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of oil, add half the chicken and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Place chicken on a paper towel lined plate. Repeat with second half of chicken.

In the same skillet add the honey - chili mixture and bring to a boil for two-four minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens slightly. Add chicken back to the pan and coat well. Simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes.

Serve over white or brow rice. Its a bit sweet with a nice spicy finish.

Pumpkin Spice-Walnut Pancakes

The past few days here have been abnormally hot....about in the 90's which is pretty rare around here.  Except yesterday that is...it was slightly chilly, very over cast and almost fall type weather.  I wanted something filling for breakfast, not cereal.  I was  going to try and make a flour blend that I could use for pancakes but realized I needed to order some more flours to do that and saw that I had half a package of Trader Joe's GF Pancake mix left so I decided to make those.

I am not one for plain pancakes.  I love chocolate chips in mine.  I didn't have any yesterday so I looked around to see what I had and could incorporate into my pancakes.  I found some cinnamon, some nutmeg, some pumpkin pie spice and some walnuts.

1/2 package of Trader Joe's GF Pancake mix (follow directions on the back of package)

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (Trader Joe's)

1/4 cup chopped walnut pieces (Trader Joe's)

Prepare Pancake mix as the package says.  Stir in the pumpkin pie spice.  In a large pre-heated skillet with a little bit of non-stick spray drop in about 3 pancakes (about 1/4 cup each of batter...or however large/small you like them).  Then they start to bubble add walnuts and then flip over to cook on the other side.

Pancakes should only be flipped once.  When you see the bubbles start to form you know that is almost time to flip.  The bottom should then be a nice golden brown.

You can make all of the pancakes at once and either refrigerate or freeze them.  Or you can make what you would like and then save the batter for a day or two in the refrigerator.  I made all of mine at once and just put them in the toaster this morning to have again.  Very tasty.

"Lasagna"

When I was little every year for my birthday we would have lasagna and I loved it so much. Mostly loved it with out meat but on the occasion meat was ok . I haven't had lasagna in such a long time and the other day Lisa was talking to me about a recipe she made with squash instead of noodles. It sounded pretty tasty so I thought I would give it a try.

This recipe is awesome! So tasty and has a little bit of crunch from the squash. I used a Trader Joe's sauce with a little bit of spice to it.

"Lasagna"

2 medium-large yellow squash

1/2 cups ricotta cheese

1 cup frozen spinach (after its been thawed and drained well)

1/2 cups Sauce

Salt and Pepper to taste

Slice the squash in 1/4 inch pieces.  Lay them on a paper towel, salt to draw out the extra water/moisture from the squash.  In a bowl mix the spinach and ricotta, season with salt and pepper. In a baking dish (I used a small 2qt baking dish) layer the bottom of the pan with a small amount of sauce. Place the first player of squash down to cover the bottom of the pan (you may have to cut a few pieces to make it fit), evenly spread out the ricotta and spinach mixture, top with sauce. Repeat. You should get about three layers out of these ingredients. Sprinkle with some grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese or top with sliced/shredded mozzarella. (This cal also be done with eggplant or zucchini, again after slicing place on a paper towel and salt to draw out excess water).

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes (or until mozzarella is golden brown)

Thanks Lisa!!!

Sweet Potato Fries

You know those nights where all you want is a cheese burger and fries?? Well tonight was one of them...minus the cheese burger. At last weeks farmer's market I picked up two sweet potatoes and figured, why not make fries out of them tonight.

Sweet Potato Fries

2 medium - large sweet potatoes

1 teaspoon of sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 garlic clove minced

1/2 paprika

enough olive oil to coat the fries

Peel and cut sweet potatoes in 1/4 inch pieces (try to get them as even in size as possible so they cook evenly) In a small bowl combine the garlic, salt, pepper and paprika. In a large bowl coat them with oil, season with the seasoning mixture. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the coated "fries" on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes in a 450 degree oven, turning once.

Let cool and enjoy with your favorite dipping sauce or ketchup.

I've had sweet potato fries before with different kinds of dipping sauces, all different and all very tasty. I've had a few may based sauces, and normally I wouldn't even think to dip a fry in mayo. I actually don't eat much mayo anymore but happened to have some in the fridge so I thought I would try and make one myself:

Sweet Potato Fry Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup fat free mayo

1 tbl spoon fresh lemon juice

1 clove of garlic minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 black pepper

Combine all ingredients and mix well.

Gluten Free Eating in Monterey, CA

Its been a little over a year since I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease and I'm continually learning new things. I'm always on the hunt for new recipes, ideas, and places to eat. Eating out is by far the hardest part of being Gluten Free. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE to cook. I love to experiment and try new things but there are those days where I would much rather just grab something quick to eat.

When I was first diagnosed I did a bunch of research online and found these amazing little cards called Triumph Dining Cards. These are amazing! They come in 10 languages and I always keep the "American Cuisine" in my wallet. I figured these not only would be good with eating out but also for future travel.

I've used these cards quite a bit. I used it last weekend when eating at a Thai restaurant in San Francisco (Khan Toke Thai House). Not only does it help you with picking foods but it also helps the wait staff and chef understand what you can and more importantly can't eat.

Over the past year I have found a few places that are not specifically Gluten Free, however they are very accommodating. I thought I would take a few minutes to share these places with you.

Chinese:

P.F. Changs - Del Monte Center, Monterey, CA

They have a specific Gluten Free menu, its small but has a good selection. Their Chang's Spicy Chicken is by far my favorite!

Full Moon - Alvarado Street, Monterey, CA

A small family run restaurant in down town Monterey. They are very accommodating for me. I have brought them large bottles of gluten free soy sauce and they cook all of my food with it. All of their food is cooked to order (except maybe the spareribs which are pre-marinaded). I eat there often (to the point they know me by name and my "usual" orders) so when I first found out they had another customer with Celiac Disease and offered to cook my food with their soy sauce, so I have in turn offered that they can use my soy sauce for any one else with Celiac.

If you have any questions they are very friendly and honest people. I've never had to worry about any cross contamination there either.

Sushi:

Ocean Sushi - Monterey and Pacific Grove, CA

Who doesn't love sushi?! (ok a lot of people, I know) Again, nothing is specifically Gluten Free, however sushi has some great options ... AvoEbi Roll (shrimp, avocado), Philadelphia Roll (salmon, cream cheese and JPN cucumber) and Edamame are great choices. There is not extra sauces or tempura to worry about. They don't provide gluten free soy sauce but I've been known to bring my own and they are fine with that. I've talked with a few of the staff about Celiac and they are very accommodating to Gluten Free eaters.

Mexican:

Chipotle Mexican Grill - Del Monte Center, Monterey, CA

Here you have to be a little more careful of cross contamination, but I've eaten there plenty with out getting sick. On their website you can read all of the ingredients in their marinades, sauces, salsas etc.

As I try more places I'll update on here, but these are some of my favorites...next up Siamese Bay

Chicken Picatta

Again I did some searching for Chicken Picatta recipes.  The chicken is usually dredged in flour but seeing as this is GF I decided to use sweet white rice flour.  I followed a standard Picatta recipe with the oil, butter, lemon and capers and this is what I came up with:

Chicken Picatta:

Salt and Pepper

2 Chicken Breasts - butterflied

1 Cup Sweet White Rice Flour

5 Tbls Butter

4 Tbls Olive Oil

1/4 Cup Lemon Juice (Fresh)

1/2 Cup Chicken Stock

1/4 Cup of Capers rinsed and drained

1/4 Cup Fresh Parsley chopped

Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper then dredge in the rice flour.  Shake off any access flour.  In a large skillet heat 2 tbls of butter and 3 tbls of oil, when it starts to bubble/sizzle add one of the chicken breasts.  Cook for three minutes on each side.  The chicken should have a nice golden brown color.  Remove chicken and keep warm on a plate.  Add an additional 2 tbls butter and one tbls of oil, repeat the same process with the chicken.  Once chicken is done keep it warm on a plate with the other chicken breast.  In the pan add the lemon juice, chicken stock and capers, whisk well and bring to a boil.  Add the chicken breasts and any juices from the plate.  Simmer for five - seven minutes.  Remove chicken again and place on a serving platter.  Add the remaining butter to the pan and whisk well.  Pour the sauce over the chicken and top with parsley.

Serve with green beans, roasted potatoes or mashed potatoes.

Frittata

Today I made my first frittata. I looked in my Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking cook book to get the basic idea of how to make a frittata and just ran with it. I looked to see what I had, pancetta, fresh spinach, baby potatoes, onion, garlic and rosemary and just used all of it. I have to say it came out pretty darn good.

I like many other cooks don't always measure. I learned that from my grandmother. It was always a pinch of this, a dash of that. Many times I find it hard to actually follow a recipe, I tend to read them, get the basic idea and adapt them. So if these amounts are not accurate, I'm sorry.

Frittata

1 package of diced pancetta

1 small onion diced

1 1/2 cups firmly packed fresh spinach leaves chopped

4 small potatoes - cubed

1/4 cup olive oil

6 eggs

two cloves of garlic minced

2 sprigs of rosemary chopped

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tsp pepper

1/2 cup parmsean cheese

Turn oven to 350 degrees

In a small skillet sautee the pancetta until lightly browned. With a slotted spoon transfer the pancetta to a plate lined with paper towels. In the same pan sautee the onions until lightly browned (3-5 minutes). In a 10 inch sautee pan add the oil and cubed potatoes. Cook until softened and browned, about 8-10 minutes. Once the potatoes are fork tender, add the onions and pancetta to them, keep on low heat. Sautee the spinach and garlic in the pan you used for the onions and pancetta. Add to the potatoes

While the potatoes cook beat the eggs, rosemary and cream in a medium bowl. After the spinach and garlic has been added to the potatoes, add in the beaten egg mixture. Cook over low heat until eggs have set and the top is still loose.

Sprinkle with cheese and put in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes until set and lightly browned on top. Take out of oven, cool for a few minutes. Loosen the frittata by running a rubber spatula around the edges of the pan. Transfer to a plate and slice like you would a pie to serve.

Donuts - Gluten Free

I have a love for Dunkin Donuts,  Not just their coffee but their donuts are great (well so aren't N&J's for all you people in Oxford).  I miss Dunkin's and we don't have any out here in California.  So when I go home for Christmas, its one of the first things I want.  To the point I know just where they are at Logan Airport.  Sick huh?  They now sell the coffee in bags out here at some places but its not the same.  So when I make it home I stock up by buying  a few bags to bring with me.   Since finding out about having celiac disease they donuts are out of the question now.

I was talking to my boyfriend this morning about running out of coffee and how I wish I could have a donut.  He lives in the land of Dunkin's, aka the East Coast.  So I went on a search today to find a recipe to try out.  I read a few of them and decided I would try one found on a blog called Four Chickens.

Not thinking I had all the different flours to make the mixture I emailed Jeanne to see if another option would work and she responded right away.  It would work, however I ended up having all the right flours so I followed her recipe.  So I set off to make donuts and let me tell you, they are AMAZING!!  You can't even tell they are Gluten Free.

I don't have cookie cutters or a candy thermometer so I improvised.  I used a drinking glass for the large circles and a top of a water bottle for the holes.  I heated the oil and just tested it with the first donut.

Please check out her website and recipes.  Thanks again Jeanne!!

NY Times -8/14/09

There was a great article in the New York Times:  Patient Money - The Expense of Eating With Celiac Diseas

When you have a sec, check it out.

Veggie Pad Thai

Simple recipe...thanks to Trader Joe's!

Veggie Pad Thai

1 box of Trader Joe's Pad Thai with sauce

1/2 of a white onion

1/2 cup of broccoli

1/4 cup edamame

1 can of baby corn

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

(and/or any other veggies you might have: sprouts are great in this, but didn't have any tonight)

1 egg

1/4 cup crushed peanuts

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Follow instructions on the back of the box for the noodles.

In a sautee pan add all the veggies and sautee for 3-5 minutes in oil until they are well cooked.  Scramble the egg in a separate pan and set aside. Once noodles have finished cooking add to veggies and mix in the sauce packet.  At the very end add the scrambled egg and crushed peanuts.

Tomato and Goat Cheese Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

Tomato and Goat- Cheese Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

(from Everyday Food Magazine # 54 page 132)

1/2 Cup packed fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar

coarse salt and ground black pepper

3 ounces fresh goat cheese

3 medium tomatoes, cored and sliced crosswise about 1/4 inch thick

In a blender, combine basil, oil, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon water.  Blend until smooth, 2-3 minutes.  season vinaigrette with salt and pepper.

With a warm knife (wiped clean after each slice) thinly slice cheese.  Arrange tomatoes and goat cheese on a serving plate; drizzle with dressing to taste.

Coconut Cream-Cheese Squares

I found this on Tropical Traditions website when I first ordered their Coconut Flour.  I was a little skeptical about making them because the Coconut flour is very dense and I'm not used to baking/cooking with it yet.  But these turned out great.  I didn't have coconut oil so I just used canola oil. I added a chocolate topping to them too.

Coconut Cream Cheese Squares:

• 1 box (8 oz.) organic cream cheese (soften)


• 1 stick butter


• 1 cup organic coconut flour


• ½ cup organic whole sugar


• 4 large eggs


• 2½ tsp. organic vanilla extract


• 1 Tbsp. Virgin Coconut Oil

Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees F. Brush pan with coconut oil.

Beat butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer. Mix until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Beat well. Add sugar gradually, continue mixing. Add coconut flour and vanilla; beat until well blended.

Pour batter into a 11x7 inches rectangular pan (pre-greased, see above.)

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Cool the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Chocolate Topping:

1/2 cup Dark Chocolate Chips

1 tablespoon of Butter cut in fours

1 table spoon of water

Add all ingredients to a microwave safe bowl.  Melt together in 30 second intervals, until completely melted.  Spread evenly over the top of the lightly cooled squares.  Once chocolate and squares have cooled completely, cut and enjoy.

Edamame Hummus and Corn Chips

The Edamame Hummus is from Ellie Krieger and the chips are mine.

Edamame Hummus:

• 2 cups shelled edamame, cooked according to package directions


• 1 cup silken tofu, briefly drained of excess liquid


• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste


• 3 cloves garlic


• 1/4 cup olive oil


• 1/3 cup lemon juice, plus more, to taste


• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin, plus more, for garnish

Set 1 tablespoon of edamame aside for a garnish. Place the rest of the edamame, tofu, salt, garlic, oil, lemon juice[, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin in the bowl of a food processor and process until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper, plus more lemon juice, if desired. Remove to a serving bowl and garnish with reserved edamame, and some cumin.

Corn Chips:

Six Corn Tortillas

2 Teaspoons lime juice

1/2 Teaspoon sea salt

3 Table Spoons Veggie Oil

Cut the corn tortillas in half and then in thirds.  Place them on two non-stick cookie sheets.  In a small bowl mix together the remaining ingredients.  Brush the mixture over the tortilla chips.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes.  Let cool.