Chicken and Biscuits

Who doesn't need a little comfort food from time to time? I certainly do and I know my family does! This creamy stew with chicken and vegetables and topped with warm biscuits surely hits the spot.

I adapted this recipe from one I found in a Barefoot Contessa cookbook. (Don't you just love her?!)

Start by roasting a few chicken breasts

Bring chicken broth to a boil and add carrots and onions

Make a roux of butter and gluten free flour

Once carrots are tender, add broth to roux, then add peas, milk, and chicken

It already looks so yummy at this point. It gets better with biscuits!!

Chicken and Biscuits

For the Stew

About 5 chicken breasts (I used boneless, skinless)

Olive oil

5 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups sliced carrots

1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced potatoes, optional

1 1/2 sticks of butter

1 cup of gfree flour (I used white rice)

2 cups frozen green peas

1 1/2 teaspoons seasoning salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 cups milk

For the Biscuits

2 cups gfree flour 

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 stick of cold butter, diced

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 egg beaten with a little water (for egg wash)

Preheat the oven to 375°.

Place chicken breasts on a sheet pan, brush olive oil on them. Season with salt and pepper. Roast them for 30 minutes or until done.  Set them aside to cool, then dice.

In a medium - large pot, heat the chicken broth to a boil.  Add in the carrots and onions.( if using potatoes, add them here too) Reduce heat and let cook until carrots are tender.

In a separate large pot, melt butter and whisk in flour. Whisk constantly. Add the broth mixture to the flour mixture, keep stirring. Add the seasoning salt and pepper.

Next add the milk. Continue whisking. Then stir in the frozen peas.  If mixture seems too thick, add a little water until desired consistency is reached. (I had a few leftover boiled potatoes the last time I made this. I diced them and added them in with the peas. Again, potatoes are completely optional)

Stir in the diced chicken.

Pour into a large greased casserole dish.

Bake for 15 minutes.

While it's baking, make the biscuits.

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and xanthan gum in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas.  Add in the buttermilk and combine. Gently mix in the parsley.

Dump dough on well floured surface. Roll out to 3/8 inch thick. Cut 12 circles with a round biscuit cutter.

Remove casserole from oven and place the biscuits on top of the chicken mixture. Brush them with the egg wash and return casserole to the oven. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until the biscuits are done and stew is bubbly.

I hope you find this as delicious as my family does!

Pumpkin Muffins

I never like to see summer come to an end, but it does and I just have to accept that fact and keep plugging along. Fall is quickly approaching and naturally we associate pumpkins with the fall season. What better way to welcome the cooler temps and crisp air than with a batch of warm pumpkin muffins. And of course, these are gluten free.

Pumpkin Muffins (Gluten Free)

3 large eggs

2 Tablespoons molasses

1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin

1 3/4 cup gluten free flour (I used white rice)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 full teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 stick softened butter

*chocolate chips if desired*

Preheat oven to 375° and grease or line a 12 cup muffin pan.

Whisk eggs, molasses, and pumpkin together in a small bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugars, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, and spice.  With a mixer, add the softened butter to the flour mixture.  Once mixed, add in the egg mixture and mix until well combined. Fold in chocolate chips if using.

Fill muffin cups and bake for 23-25 minutes or until done.

Coconut Yogurt Cream Pie {Gluten Free}

Have you heard of a coconut pie made with yogurt? I sure had not, but I was excited to try to make one. My husband brought home a loot of Chobani yogurt and among the variety of flavors he had purchased, coconut  was the one that caught my eye. I love coconut. He.does.not.  The kids do not like it either. So, I knew that when I created this pie, I was going to have to share with others outside of my immediate family. No problem...my parents like coconut, but the question was, "Were they going to like coconut pie with twangy yogurt?".  Daddy doesn't like twang. Mama loves twangy and super sweet. The choice I made was to just not tell them what I put in this pie until after they ate it. Of course, my daddy knew right away that something was a bit different. Mama liked it a lot. She could tell a difference, but it didn't stop her. Apparently, it didn't stop Daddy either, because I called them later and she said he ate all of his slice.

I wanted this pie to not be overly sweet but also have a creamy twang to it. I think I got just that. To me, it was delicious.

I was making my own gluten free pie crusts, until I found these at Whole Foods. They are so good. They are not crumbly and dry, but resemble a homemade crust very well. I will pay the extra to save a little bit of time and frustration of making my own. 

Use two of these 6oz containers of coconut flavored yogurt. It equals about 1 cup total.

This is where the yogurt is folded into the rest of the custard ingredients.

You can't have a coconut cream pie without homemade whipped cream on top! Mix a pint of heavy whipping cream with 1/4 cup of sugar and about a teaspoon of vanilla. I like to chill my bowl and whisk/beaters in the freezer first. Then whip until soft peaks form.


Coconut Yogurt Cream Pie {Gluten Free}

1 gluten free pie shell. Baked according to package directions
1 cup of sweetened flaked coconut, toasted. (on top of stove or bake on cookie sheet @ 350 until toasted)

For the Custard

2 cups of half and half
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup of sugar *see note at bottom*
4 Tablespoons of cornstarch
1 Tablespoon of butter
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 cup of sweetened flaked coconut
2 six ounce containers of coconut flavored greek yogurt

For the Whipped Topping

1 pint of heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla

What next.....

Have your pie shell baked and your (first cup) of coconut toasted.

Whisk half and half and egg yolks together. Set aside.

Heat sugar and cornstarch over medium-low heat in a sauce pan. Whisk the egg mixture a bit, then slowly add it to the sugar and cornstarch. Whisk together constantly.

Bring the custard to a boil. At this point you will probably need to ditch the whisk and use a spoon to continue stirring over heat for another minute. Remove from heat, add in the butter, salt, vanilla, and coconut. Gently fold in the greek yogurt until well combined. The yogurt makes the custard even creamier.

Spread custard into the pie shell.  Cover lightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until set.  This should be 30 minutes or so.

While the custard is setting, make the whipped topping. Once pie is set, spread the whipped topping on top and then sprinkle with the one cup of toasted coconut.  Store in the refrigerator.

ENJOY!

*note: if  you think you want it sweeter, go ahead and use 3/4 cup of sugar. A whole cup might be too sweet and cover the special twang from the yogurt*

Ginger Chicken over Puffed Rice Noodles

I've seen puffed rice noodles in cookbooks and thought they would be fun to make. Just the idea of watching a straight noodle transform into a curly, crispy noodle in hot oil sounded pretty cool to me.  I don't get to eat Chinese food because of my gluten intolerance unless I make it myself. It was time. This chicken was so delicious.  I found a similar recipe in The Gluten Free Bible and just decided I would adapt it to suit the tastes of my family.

Ginger Chicken over Puffed Rice Noodles

Vegetable oil for frying
4 ounces of thin rice noodles, broken into small pieces
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 10 or so chicken tenders, cut into bite size pieces
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Additional oil (roughly 2 tbsp) for cooking chicken
6 oz fresh snow peas
1/2 cup frozen corn
Cilantro to taste
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce (add more if you like)

Heat about 3 inches of oil in a Dutch oven until oil registers at 375 degrees on a deep fry thermometer.  Fry noodles in small batches only about 20 seconds or until they are puffy. Hold down the noodles with a slotted spoon or tongs. Drain on paper towels.

This was an 8 oz box of noodles. I decided to fry them all. Just for, again, the fun of it. Let me tell you-- it made A LOT! So yes, for a meal, all you really need is half the box, unless you're feeding an army.

Combine chicken, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, red pepper, and black pepper in a medium bowl.  Blend water and cornstarch in another bowl and set aside. 
Discard all but about 2 tablespoons of oil from the dutch oven. Or you can start with fresh oil. Add the chicken mixture to the hot oil and stir fry that until the chicken is done.  Add the snow peas and the corn and cook that for a couple more minutes.  Stir the cornstarch mixture (it will settle) and add that to the chicken mixture.  Cook until thickened.  Add the cilantro, brown sugar, and soy sauce.  Cook for just a minute until heated through.  Serve over the puffed rice noodles.

We did not have any leftovers. It really was delicious. Now, I do have a big bag of left over fried noodles. I'm thinking beef and broccoli tonight to go over those ;-).

Gluten Free Chocolate Layer Cake

I don't bake very often anymore, but when I do, I sometimes go all out. I usually want more than a brownie or a cookie. I also love to try new and fun desserts. My favorite dessert is chocolate cake. I just love it! Because we try to limit our sugar intake, this was a very special treat for us.  

This cake is not a fluffy cake like a Devil's Food would be, but rather dense, yet moist. Next time I experiment, I will be trying to develop one that is fluffier, but honestly, this hit the spot. It was delicious. I just used a familiar chocolate buttercream frosting to ice between the layers and on the top and sides. You just can't go wrong with buttercream frosting! My only problem is that I always misjudge and I end up not putting enough frosting between the layers. There is always plenty on top so that allows for a lot of spreading :). 

Cake recipe:

2 1/2 Cups white rice flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
3/4 cup cocoa

Whisk all the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and set aside.

1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup oil
1 cup fresh coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla

Whisk all the wet ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

2 cups of sugar
4 large eggs

Beat the sugar and eggs in an electric mixer bowl. Add the flour mixture and the milk mixture to the sugar/eggs alternately and gradually.  Be sure to mix well..stopping the mixer and scraping down the sides and through the bottom often. Once mixed thoroughly, pour the batter evenly into 2 round cake pans that have been greased and floured.  Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Test the center for doneness.  Cool completely on wire racks before frosting.

For the frosting, choose your favorite one to use. Again, chocolate buttercream is perfect for this cake.

See how dense the cake is? It really was so delicious and we, a family of four, ate it all in three days! Another reason I don't bake often!!

So try this gluten free dessert and let me know what you think.
 

Gluten Free Easter Basket Cupcakes

I cannot remember where I saw the idea for these cupcakes, but I couldn't wait to try them for Easter.  These were definitely a special treat. Since I have committed to a healthier lifestyle, I've cut way back on my sugar intake.  Having these around really made the kids happy!!
I wanted these to be white cupcakes and I used the recipe found here. It is a gluten free recipe and is VERY delicious. I used plain white rice flour instead of Thai rice flour. They were so moist and flavorful.

I used canned icing simply for the convenience and Duncan Hines is labeled gluten free. The squeeze tube of green icing worked well for the "grass" on the top of the cupcakes.

I used vanilla and lemon icing..just to please everyone :).

Jelly beans and pipe cleaners finish off the cupcakes to make cute Easter baskets. My daughters enjoyed helping me decorate these.

Look at how moist and fluffy these babies are!! They really were a big hit in my home. I'm always thankful when I've made a gluten free dessert that my family loves.

Chewy Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies....Gluten Free Style :)

Before I made the gluten free change, this cookie was a wonderful treat! Soft and chewy, melt in your mouth gooey goodness! This recipe was found on a Land O Lakes butter carton. I recently made some (with wheat flour) for two special sisters going off to college this week and just had to try to make them gluten free. Oh my! They were just as good. I just substituted my Bob's Red Mill gluten free All Purpose Flour for the wheat flour (1:1) and added one teaspoon of xanthan gum.




Chewy Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies...Gluten Free

4 1/4 cups gluten free All purpose flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1 (12 ounce) package chocolate chunks

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl. Set aside.

Combine butter and sugars in a large bowl and beat at medium speed until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla..continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture, until well mixed. Stir in chocolate chunks.

Drop dough by 1/4 cupfuls, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-14 minutes or until light golden brown. Do not overbake. Let stand a couple minutes and then move to cooling rack.

This will make about 26 jumbo cookies.

You can make smaller cookies but I love the jumbo size!

Gluten Free Macaroni Salad

It has been 6 months since I have blogged. I must admit that I really have not missed it. Next week, we will start a new adventure in my home....I will begin homeschooling my daughters! This will be quite an adjustment. I hope to blog more this next year..about homeschooling and adding more gluten free recipes.

For this macaroni salad, I used Tinkyada brand Brown Rice Penne Pasta. This pasta does not get mushy, like some gluten free pastas can. I only measure the dressing ingredients. For the rest, just throw in however much you like.



Gluten Free Macaroni Salad

1 16 oz bag Tinkyada Brown Rice Penne Pasta, cooked according to package..rinse in cold water and drain thoroughly

Chopped green pepper, red pepper, celery

6 slices crispy, crumbled bacon

Frozen peas

diced cheddar cheese

For the Dressing

3/4 cup mayo..I use Hellman's because it says "Gluten free" on the bottle

1 T mustard

a little salt and pepper to taste

1 T apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup sugar

Mix all the dressing ingredients well

Combine it all in a big bowl (makes a lot), chill and enjoy!

Mashed Cauliflower

Ok, so I've wanted to mash cauliflower for a while now. I bought me a head of the white stuff and decided it was time. I kept the kids out of the kitchen while I cooked supper last night. Of course I was going to tell them it was cheesy mashed potatoes! I mean really...if I had told them what it really was, they would have never touched it. When they were finally allowed in the kitchen, the room was filled with ooohs and ahhhs! They thought it smelled so good in there and then came "Can I have a bite of mashed taters"..."Well SURE", I said happily. Boy you'd have thought they were the best mashed taters they'd ever put between their lips! So time to plate up supper. Daughter #1 dove right in! Daughter #2 nibbled a bit on everything. She was sick with the wonderful stomach bug, so eating still hasn't been a favorite of hers recently. Onto seconds for Daughter #1. Finally when she was just about done, I couldn't resist..I told her the harsh truth. I thought she was going to give me all of those cheesy mashed "taters" back! So anyway..she recovered and the next morning confessed..."Mama, they were good". So here ya go..my take on Mashed Cauliflower. Try it..you just might like it :)

Mashed Cauliflower

1 med-lg head cauliflower
2 cups chicken broth
4 T butter
2 T heavy cream
3/4 cup shredded gruyere cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
dash of nutmeg

Cut the cauliflower into small to medium size pieces and cover them with chicken broth into a pot. Boil until it is tender. Drain very well. Add butter, cream, cheeses, salt and pepper to taste, and nutmeg. Mash with electric hand mixer. Will be slightly lumpy...but good :)

Parmesan Chicken

Going gluten free is definitely an adjustment, but it isn't as hard as it may seem. I keep "safe" flour, etc. on hand. I have made my own gluten free shelf in my pantry with all my goodies. I am finding it fairly easy to substitute in most recipes. For instance, this Parmesan chicken calls for breadcrumbs..but I just used cornmeal instead. It turned out very good!

Parmesan Chicken

1/3 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs OR cornmeal
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Mix cheese, crumbs or cornmeal and seasonings in shallow dish.

DIP chicken in butter; coat with cheese mixture. Place in greased 15x10x1-inch baking pan.

BAKE 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Adapted from KraftFoods

Going G-Free

It's been quite a while since I lasted blogged. One reason is because it was the holiday season and I was quite busy. Another reason is because I have discovered that I have an intolerance to gluten. I was tested for Celiac Disease, but the results were normal. I have learned that even if you do not have the disease, you can still have a gluten intolerance. This really stinks for someone who loves to cook, bake and EAT! So for the last month I have cut gluten from my diet. Now..this doesn't mean that I have cut it completely..there are times when I want a bite of something that someone in my family is having, or when I am just stubborn and think I can handle the effects of that hot dog. I have had tummy troubles for over 10 years and I am really glad that I have discovered what probably is the cause. Fortunately, I don't have to take any medication...all I have to do is leave the gluten out of my diet. This can be hard, but I am learning to manage and adjust. It's amazing how much better I feel! I am reading Elisabeth Hasselbeck's The G-Free Diet. It has been a tremendous help! I will still bake and cook gluten containing meals (for my family) and hopefully get back to blogging. I will even try to include some yummy g-free recipes. I am still learning!! This is going to be a journey full of blessings, bellyaches ;-), and lessons learned!

Gearing up for Fall....

Fall is just around the corner and with cooler weather approaching, I think of bread. Banana bread, Pumpkin bread, Zucchini bread. They're all so good. This summer I made several loaves of zucchini and banana bread and put them in the freezer so that I can just pop them out during the fall. Today it has been cloudy and the temps have dropped some (still warm but not HOT) and it made me ready for some bread. I took out a loaf of Banana Nut w/ Chocolate Chips! Yummy...I couldn't wait for it to thaw as you can see in the picture!


Banana Nut Bread w/ Chocolate Chips

1 stick butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons milk
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)
2 to 3 well ripe bananas
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add eggs, beat well, add flour mixed w/ soda, add milk. Blend well. Add nuts and bananas. Fold in chocolate chips. Bake in a greased loaf pan for about 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Super Easy, Yummy Cake

Its been raining here for 2 days now. We need it too. The ground was pretty dry. I actually love rainy days. It seems to cause me to slow down more. I also love the smell of rain on a warm day. It is so nice to cozy up with a good book or magazine, cup of coffee and light a good smellin candle. We sometimes need rainy days to get us to just stay in and focus on God's blessings and provisions. Rainy days are also GREAT days to get in the kitchen and bake! So today, I am going to share with you a recipe for a very easy and very delicious cake!

Butter Pecan Cake

1 cup milk

4 eggs

2/3 cup oil

1 can coconut and pecan frosting

1 box butter pecan cake mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a tube pan. Mix all ingredients together with an electric mixer. Pour into pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Check after 45minutes as ovens vary.

And yes..that is right.. the frosting goes INSIDE the cake. It makes a very moist, yummy cake!

Blessings~

Alyce