Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets

For some reason, my kids have not been too fond of chicken lately (unless it is a plain old roaster). But after the miracle of getting them to eat fish because it was breaded, I figured it was high time to try some breaded chicken: more specifically, chicken nuggets. I tried once and was fairly satisfied, but my second attempt made me quite happy.

CHICKEN NUGGETS

Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breasts (enough chicken to make 15-20 nuggets)

1/4 c. milk or milk substitute (or water)

1 tbs. lemon juice

1 egg

1/4 c. cornmeal

1/4 c. brown rice flour

1 tsp. cajun seasoning*

1/2 tsp. salt

vegetable or canola oil for frying

Directions:

1. Mix milk and lemon juice in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. Chop chicken into standard nugget-size pieces.

3. In another small bowl, mix cornmeal, rice flour, seasoning, and salt.

4. Beat egg into milk mixture until well blended. With each chicken piece, dip into milk mixture, shaking off excess, then coat with flour mixture.

5. In a large frying pan, pour enough oil to coat bottom of pan with about 1/8 in. oil. Heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken nuggets and fry for about 4-5 minutes on each side. Set on paper towels to drain. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

Makes: 15-20 nuggets

Note: if you are making more than one batches, you will not necessarily need to multiply the milk/egg mixture ingredients. I made 3 batches, there was just enough milk mixture to cover all three. If you are making only 1-2 recipes, you could probably use less milk... it just might make the breading a little more egg-y.

*I make my own mix using the recipe found here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Creole-Seasoning-Blend/Detail.aspx. (I use black pepper instead of white -- white pepper is just the same as black except for the color -- and I leave out the cayenne pepper because it is too spicy for my kids, but it is a nice kick for a more grown-up palate.)

Oh, and by the way, the girls loved the chicken nuggets... almost as much as I did. ;-)

Tofu Stir Fry

I have don't know that I'd ever even tasted tofu before I was married. My family's main courses, and my own thereafter, usually included a healthy portion of meat (usually beef or chicken). I have recently been exploring the idea of eating for your blood type, and I thought we were doing pretty good, since I knew I and at least 2 of the girls were Type O, which are good with eating a lot of meat. A few months ago, however, we discovered that my husband is Type A. And (of course!) Type A's don't digest meat very well, and do well with a low meat or even vegetarian diet. Lovely.

So, I have been endeavoring to expand my horizons and create a few meatless dishes, and as a result, I have been exploring the world of tofu. To my surprise, it is actually not that bad. Unfortunately, I have yet to find a satisfactory recipe that is both gluten-free and dairy-free but is NOT a stir-fry. So... I've been doing a lot of stir-fry.

I have tried a few stir-fry recipes, but I usually have to modify them to some degree to suit my tastes (usually by adding more veggies and often more sauce). Stir-fry is kind of free-form by nature, but I like to have an actual recipe on hand to help me plan and keep me from getting too confused... and that doesn't work so well when you're modifying everything. So since I seem to be so picky, I decided to try my hand at making up my own recipe last night. And I have to say, I liked it better than any of the other recipes I've tried so far. So here you are...

JESSICA'S TOFU STIR FRY

Ingredients:
1 lb. pack firm or extra-firm tofu, chopped into bite-size pieces*
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 head fresh broccoli (about 1.5 c.), chopped into bite-size pieces
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
1 medium zucchini, quartered and sliced
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1/4 c. wine (red gives more flavor, but white works fine)
3 tbs. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. ginger
3 tbs. olive and/or sesame oil (I used about half and half)
1/2 c. water
1 cube chicken bouillon or 1 tsp. granules
2 tbs. cornstarch
2 tbs. water

*Tofu works better if it is set out to dry on a stack of paper towels for at least 30 minutes to an hour.

Directions:
1. Heat 2 tbs. oil in a large pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes, till tender. Add broccoli and carrots. Fry for about 4-5 minutes, until beginning to get slightly tender. (Reduce heat slightly if veggies are crisping too quickly.) Add onions and fry for about 2-3 more minutes. Add mushrooms and zucchini and fry 2-3 more minutes.

2. Mix together wine, soy sauce, and ginger. Add to veggies and simmer until veggies are all fairly tender (a few more minutes).

3. While veggies are frying, heat another 1/2 to 1 tbs. oil in a medium saucepan. Fry tofu for a few minutes, until lightly browned. Dissolve chicken bouillon or granules in 1/2 c. water. (Or use 1/2 c. chicken broth if you prefer, though you may need to add a bit more salt.) Add to tofu and simmer for about 3 minutes.

4. Add tofu mixture to veggie mixture. Combine 2 tsp. cornstarch with equal part water, and whisk with a fork till smooth. Add to tofu and veggies, stir well. Cook for 1-2 more minutes until sauce begins to thicken slightly. (Add more cornstarch and water mixture if necessary to achieve desired sauce consistency.) Serve over brown rice.

Makes about 6 servings.

If any of you try this, let me know how you liked it and if you come up with any improvements!

Garlic Lime Chicken

GARLIC LIME CHICKEN

Ingredients:
3 lbs. chicken
1/3 c. lime juice
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. minced parsley
2 tbs. chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbs. grated lime peel
1 tsp. minced fresh thyme*
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions:
In a bowl, combine the last nine ingredients. Place chicken in a large, resealable plastic bag. Pour marinade into bag and shake or squeeze bag to coat chicken. Refrigerate for several hours.** Place in a baking dish and cook in the over at 350° for about 1 hour.

*It is really best with fresh thyme if you have some around, but about 1/2 tsp. of dried works too.

**Sometimes when I am pressed for time, I skip this step and put it directly into the oven. Then I just make sure to baste it with the marinade every 10-15 minutes while cooking.

Serves 4-6.

(Source unknown to me.)

I think I can safely say that this would NOT taste so good with Worchestershire sauce on it, though I have never really tried it... ;-)

Chicken Carrot Pilaf

CHICKEN CARROT PILAF

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips or chunks*
1/2 tbs. olive oil
1 1/3 c. uncooked brown rice
5 med. carrots, sliced
1/2 c. sliced fresh mushrooms
1 med. onion, chopped
1/4 c. chopped sweet red pepper
3 1/2 c. chicken broth
2 tbs. minced fresh parsley

Directions:
In a large skillet, brown chicken in oil. Remove and keep warm. Add rice, carrots, mushrooms, onions, and red peppers to skillet. Cook and stir until rice is browned and onion is tender. Stir in broth. Place chicken over rice mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for about 35-45 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in parsley. Let stand 5 min. before serving.

*Also works great with leftover chicken from a roaster or other recipe.

Serves 6.

(Source unknown to me.)

I often like to increase the vegetables and rice to as much as double. I am a big fan of rice, can you tell? ;-) And yet again, we like to add Worchestershire sauce. My husband is the ultimate sauce eater and on this count has polluted us all.

Squash and Turkey Rice

SQUASH AND TURKEY RICE

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey
1 1/2 to 2 onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves
2-3 large summer squash
1 c. brown rice
1 tbs. olive oil
2 c. chicken broth

Directions:
In a saucepan, saute the rice, one onion, and two garlic cloves in oil until onion looks clear. Stir in 1/2 cup water until it is absorbed. Add chicken broth; cover and simmer 45 min. Place squash in a separate pan with a little water; cook until tender. Meanwhile, brown turkey, 1 clove garlic, and 1/2 to 1 onion. Combine rice, turkey and squash.

Serves 4.

(Source unknown to me.)

This one tastes great with a little Worchestershire as well.

(Cheesy) Beef 'n' Rice

This recipe is excellent with or without the cheese.

(CHEESY) BEEF 'N' RICE

Ingredients:
1 c. uncooked brown rice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tbs. olive oil
3 to 3 1/2 c. water
2 med. carrots, shredded
2 tsp. beef or chicken bouillon granules (2 cubes)
1 tsp. parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. each salt, basil, and minced onion
1 lb. beef, cooked and drained
1/2 c. shredded cheese (optional)

Directions:
In a large saucepan, saute rice and garlic in oil until golden brown. Stir in water, carrots, bouillon, parsley, salt, basil, and onion. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 5 min. Stir in beef. Cover and bake in 9-in. pan at 350° for about 45 min, stirring twice. (May take 5-10 extra minutes for the water to be absorbed.) Optional: Sprinkle with cheese and bake 5 more minutes.

Serves 6.

(Source unknown to me.)

Tastes great with a little Worchestershire sauce sprinkled on it!

Turkey Soup

TURKEY SOUP

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground turkey breast

1/2 tsp. dried herbs de Provence, crushed

1 (15 oz.) can navy or Great Northern beans

1 (14.5 oz.) can chicken broth

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes w/ garlic and onion, undrained

4 c. chopped fresh spinach

Directions:

Cook turkey in a large saucepan over med heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Add herbs, beans, broth, and tomatoes to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 min. Stir in spinach; simmer 5 min.

Serves 4.

(Source unknown to me.)

Now here's the part where I give you all my alterations and substitutes. :-) This recipe is great as it is, but I've found lots of ways to make it flexible and change it up. First of all, it's sometimes hard or expensive to find the herbs and the particular type of diced tomatoes. So I usually just use Italian seasoning, and then I use regular diced tomatoes and add dried garlic and onion (about 1/2 tsp. each). You could also add fresh garlic and chopped onion to the meat while you are cooking it.

Then there are lots of ways to change up the other ingredients. Instead of turkey, I have tried Italian sausage and even ground beef one time (on accident, but I could barely tell). I have also substituted various beans for the navys, with kidneys and pintos being my favorite. I often double the beans, partially because my girls like to eat them all out, and partially because I just like it better that way. :-) You can also use various greens in place of the spinach (my favorite substitute is kale), and you can use frozen rather than fresh to save yourself the trouble of chopping it all. Just don't do 4 whole cups if you use frozen... only about half that. And to make the soup a little thinner (it is rather thick in the original recipe) and stretch it to feed more people, I usually at least double the chicken broth.

This is a great recipe for me because it is SO fast and easy, not to mention cheap. It also freezes well, so it can be a time saver there too!