Sesame Chicken - Gluten Free

Marinade:

3 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
3 TBSP gluten free soy sauce [Tamari is what we use]
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt

Sauce:

3 TBSP sesame oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp grated ginger
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup corn starch
2 TBSP rice wine vinegar
3/4 cup honey
2 TBSP gluten free soy sauce

3 TBSP coconut oil for frying [can sub light olive oil or other mild flavored veg oil]
sesame seeds for garnish
2-3 scallions cut up for garnish

Mix marinade, add the chicken, stir it up well, and let it sit while you prepare the sauce.

Add sesame oil, garlic, and ginger to a sauce pan and let it heat up just until the ginger and garlic are fragrant [don't over cook or the garlic gets bitter].     In a bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, corn starch, rice wine vinegar, honey, and soy sauce until well combined.  Add to the sauce pan with the sesame oil, garlic and ginger.  Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens.   Set aside.

Melt the coconut oil in a heavy skillet.   Add the marinated chicken and cook on med-high heat until chicken is done.  

Mix the chicken and the sauce.  Serve over rice with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and scallions.  

Chocolate Coconut Balls

1 cup chopped Macadamia nuts

3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup shredded coconut

One 12-ounce bag semisweet chocolate morsels, melted

2 tablespoons coconut oil

 

In a bowl mix together the nuts, condensed milk, vanilla and coconut. Using your fingers, press the mixture into balls about 3/4-inch round.

Place onto sheet trays lined with wax paper and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Melt the chocolate and coconut oil until smooth.

Dip the coconute balls into the chocolate to coat evenly and lightly.

Place back onto a wax paper lined sheet pan to set.

Butterscotch Haystacks

• 2 cups (4 oz) shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp butterscotch chips
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preparation:

Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil and set aside for now.

On stove top, melt butterscotch chips, add salt & coconut. Mix well. 

Using a small teaspoon or candy scoop, drop small, compact spoonfuls of the candy onto the prepared baking sheet.

After all of the haystacks have been formed, melt the chocolate chips. Then spoon the melted chocolate into a small Ziploc bag. Snip off a tiny corner of the bag, and drizzle the haystacks with melted chocolate.

Refrigerate to set the butterscotch and chocolate, at least 30 minutes.

Peanut Butter Balls ["Buck Eyes"]

2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup room temp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 & 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Chocolate coating:

12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 TBSP coconut oil


Mix first 4 ingredients together.   Form into 1 inch balls, place on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper.  Place in the freezer for at least half an hour.

Heat chocolate chips and coconut oil on the stove over med-low heat.  Once melted, dip peanut butter balls into the chocolate.  Place them back on the wax paper and in teh fridge or freezer to firm up. 

Granny's Fudge

3 cups semi-sweet (or milk chocolate) chocolate chips
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
dash of salt
1 and a half teaspoon vanilla extract
nuts [if desired]

In a saucepan over low heat melt the chips, milk, and salt together.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and nuts (if desired).

Spread evenly into a wax paper covered pan. Chill 2 hours or until firm. Turn onto cutting board. Remove wax paper and cut into squares. Store covered in refrigerator.

[This works great as white chocolate pecan fudge too - just sub white chocolate chips for the semi-sweet ones] 

Simple Stupid Spanish Rice

2 TBSP olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 can of tomatoes, pureed in blender [or 1 can of tomato sauce]
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups of rice
4 cups of chicken stock

Saute onions in olive oil until translucent.    Add rice and toast for a couple of minutes.   Add pureed tomatoes, garlic powder, salt, and chicken stock.   Bring to a boil, stir, cover, and simmer on low for 20-25 minutes until all liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. 

Asian Chicken Breast Nuggets

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup light olive oil
1/2 cup honey
2 TBSP gluten free Tamari sauce [or soy sauce if gluten works for you]
1 inch piece of ginger, grated
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
salt to taste

Cut chicken breasts into nuggets or strips and place in a large pot.   Mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken.   Cook on medium heat until sauce reduces to a glaze [30-40 minutes or so].

Squash and Onion Casserole

1 lb Squash sliced
1 Onion, diced
1 tsp butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder

Parmesan Cheese

Saute the squash and onions in butter until soft. Then add eggs, cheddar cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder [all spices to your taste]. Mix it all up and put in a buttered baking dish. Sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Paleo Cookie Bites

After recently discovering that I'm allergic to grains [especially wheat], I've had to start re-learning to cook. I'm now eating a "Paleo" diet, which has been extremely good for my health.

But, alas, I'm a baker at heart, so it has been interesting. No more home made breads, muffins, cookies, etc.... my kids have been despondent. LOL!

I'm trying to come up with treats I can still make that we can all eat.

Here is a sweet treat that I made for my kids today. They loved it just as much as my home made chocolate chip cookies, and it was much better for them:

2/3 cup walnuts
2/3 cup almonds
1/4 tsp cinnamon
dash of salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup honey [or agave nectar if you want vegan]

Process the walnuts and almonds in the food processor till they are ground.
Place the ground nuts in a mixing bowl.
Add cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and honey.
Mix well and then form into tablespoon sized balls.

I added 1/4 cup of mini-chocolate chips to this for my kids and they loved it. They were really yummy with or without the chocolate.

African Chick Peas and Rice

1 TBSP olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 Serrano chili, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper [less if you don't like heat]
1 can chick peas
1 can of vegetable broth
1/3 cup of rice

Saute onions and both types of peppers in olive oil until onions are translucent. Add tomato, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. Add chick peas, vegetable broth, and rice. Simmer for 20 minutes or so until the rice is tender.

[this recipe is based on a delicious dish my friend Erin made for me after I had one of my babies! I tweaked it to make it vegetarian.]

Mexican Cornbread

2 cups Corn Meal Mix **
1/8 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup regular sour cream
1/4 cup oil
2-3 jalapenos, seeded and diced
1 small onion, diced
1 can of corn, drained
1 cup shredded cheese [cheddar or mexican blend]

** 2 cups cornmeal mix = 1 cup yellow cornmeal, 1 cup all purpose flour, 4 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt if you don't have corn meal mix in your area

Preheat oven to 425 and grease pan.

Mix together, place in pan, and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Ginger Bread Cookies [based on Paula Deen's recipe]

This is Paula Deen's ginger bread cookie recipe with my frosting. We make these every year and it is something my kids look forward to with great anticipation!

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 stick butter, room temp
2 large eggs
1/4 cup molasses
3 & 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 & 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Mix sugar and butter. Add eggs and molasses and mix. Add the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and mix.

If planning to use cookie cutters, refrigerate dough at this point for a couple of hours. [I give my kids a big ball of it w/out refrigeration and let them shape it as they want like tasty play dough - but don't eat it till its cooked because of the eggs!]

Preheat oven to 350.

Shape cookies as desired [roll out and use cookie cutters,or shape by hand].

Bake for 10 minutes or just beginning to brown at edges. Let cool.

Kelly's Simple Butter Cream Icing:

1 stick butter, room temp
2 cups powdered sugar
1-2 tBSP cream [or more if needed to get consistency I want]
1 tsp vanilla
food coloring if desired

Mix it all together. Then divide it and color it, if desired.

From here, I put it into a sandwich bag, cut off one corner and let the kids decorate their cookies to their heart's content.

Publix Sugar Cookies

This is the recipe off of the Publix sugar bag - I have never found a better recipe so this is our traditional sugar cookie recipe for Christmas!

2 cups self rising flour
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter, room temp
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine sugar and butter.

Add egg and vanilla, mix well.

Add flour, mix well.

Shape as desired [if you want to roll it out and use cookie cutters, you'll need to chill it for a couple of hours first].

Bake 10-12 minutes till golden.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies - Dani Style!

1/2 butter, room temp
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1 & 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
3/4 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325.

Cream together butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla and mix. Add dry ingredients. Mix well.

Bake 10-12 minutes.

[Thanks to my dear friend Danielle for this recipe!]

Mexican Wedding Cookies

1 cup [2 sticks] of butter, room temp
1/3 cup sugar
2 TBSP light brown sugar
2 tsp water
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup mini chocolate chips
powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine butter and both sugars and mix till smooth and creamy.

Stir in water and vanilla. Add flour and mix till dough is thick and creamy.

Add pecans and chocolate chips

Shape dough into balls the size of a rounded TBSP and drop them onto the baking sheet. Flatten them out, spacing 1-2 inches apart.

Bake until golden, about 20 minutes

Roll in powdered sugar to coat.

Roasted Tomato Vegetable Soup

Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray and put in:

8-10 tomatoes, cut into quarters
1 medium onion, cut into chunks
8-12 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 carrots, cut into chunks
2-3 red or green bell peppers, cut into chunks

Drizzle with a nice quality Olive Oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, oregano, basil, or any other spices you like.

Bake at 425 for about 40 minutes, until everything is soft.

Let it cool. Place it in a blender and puree. [You may need to do it in two batches].

Add enough veggie stock or chicken stock to give it the consistency you want and simmer it all together in a soup pot.

[This soup came to be after I made my friend Dani's roasted veggie pasta sauce and thought "this would make a good tomato soup". Much of the recipe is actually hers. :) ]

Pumpkin Bread [or Muffins]

1 15 oz can Pumpkin
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 & 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 TBSP pumpkin pie spice [OR substitute 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp ground ginger]

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix pumpkin, oil, eggs, and sugar in large mixing bowl. Mix well. Add flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. Mix just until incorporated.

Bake at 350 - about 50 minutes for small loaf pans, 25 minutes in muffin pans. [This will vary based on the size and composition of your pans, so watch it closely the first time out!]

Indian Lentils

Ingredients

1 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp tumeric powder
1 onion, diced
1 serrano chile, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 [1 inch] piece of ginger, peeled and minced

1 cup lentils, rinsed and picked through for stones
2 cups vegetable stock
2 medium tomatoes, diced [works with 1 can diced tomatoes too]

Handful chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Salt to taste

Heat olive oil in medium sauce pan on medium-high heat. Add cumin and tumeric and stir for a few seconds till you smell the spices. Add onion and pepper and saute until onion is translucent. Add garlic and ginger and saute for a few seconds till you smell the garlic. Add lentils, vegetable stock, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 40 minutes until lentils are soft.

Add salt to taste AFTER lentils are cooked and serve garnished with chopped fresh cilantro leaves to brighten it up. [They are also good without the cilantro if you don't happen to have it around].

Garlic Cheddar Muffins

These are really good, tender and delicious:

Ingredients

3 cups self-rising flour
1&1/2 cup shredded or diced sharp cheddar cheese
1/8 cup sugar
1 tsp garlic powder [or more, depending on how much you love garlic]
1 egg
1/4 cup oil
1&1/2 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix all ingredients. Put in muffin tin and bake for 18 minutes [give or take depending on your oven].

These are great with salad, soup, or chili. Mmmmmmm....

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

These are delightful. My children ate them like crazy!

4 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chocolate chips

2 cups self rising flour [or 2 cups all purpose flour + 2tsp baking powder + 1/2 tsp salt]
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ginger

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix all wet ingredients thoroughly. Add flour and spices and mix just until incorporated.
Fill muffin tin and bake for 18 minutes [more or less depending on your oven].

These can also be made as bread loaves, but your cooking time will vary based on the size of your pan.

This is the best banana bread I've ever made - I've been trying for years to get a recipe that I just love and finally - this is it! :) :)