Parmesan Chicken

My family loves crispy fried chicken, so I am always trying new ways to give them that delicious flavor they want without all the greasy, artery-clogging bad stuff that goes along with it.  Baking in a small amount of olive oil is a great option.  Adding flavor to a very thin coating that replaces the deep-fried skin makes this a delicious treat
.

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound total)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup organic, milled flax seed
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
2 Tblsps Kirkland Organic No-Salt Seasoning
1 Tblsp olive oil

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut the chicken breasts into 2 oz. portions.  Place the pieces in a bowl and pour the buttermilk over the top.  Allow the chicken to stand in the buttermilk for about 20 minutes.

In a shallow dish, combine the Parmesan cheese, flax seed, and seasonings.

Add olive oil to a cookie sheet or baking pan and spread it evenly.  Remove each piece of chicken from the buttermilk and dredge in the Parmesan cheese mixture to coat evenly.  Place the pieces on the cookie sheet so they are not touching.

Bake for 15 minutes.  Turn each piece and bake for 7 to 10 minutes longer.

Serves 4.   284 cal per 4 oz. serving

I served this dish with steamed broccoli and slices of kiwi.

Chocolate Zucchini Snack Cake

Sometimes I have to resort to trickery to get my children to eat their vegetables.  Zucchini is one of those green things they refuse to touch, but I haven't given up trying.  Today I created these devilishly yummy treats for them to eat after school ... and they LOVED every bite!  No, I did not enlighten them about the contents.  It's going to remain my little secret until the time is right to divulge that information.  Perhaps in about 15 years.

This is really sort of a theme and variations on the pumpkin bread recipe I use.  It's a great basic formula that is easily tweaked to change for the seasons or whatever you have available in your kitchen.  You and I can thank my mother's 50 year-old Betty Crocker cookbook, and several revised copies, for that one.

The experts at Unrefined Bakery turned me onto quinoa flour. It has the perfect texture for baking delicate breads and cakes.  However, the taste can be a bit overpowering, so you want to use it with other flours to make sure you achieve the flavor you are looking for.  Thanks for that tip, Taylor!

And, here we go ...

3 cups shredded zucchini  (wash it and shred it in the food processor or with a cheese grater) - lightly pack it into the measuring cup
2/3 cup stevia granules
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup grape seed oil
2 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs

Mix the wet ingredients with an electric stand mixer (or a hand mixer, if that is what you have)

In a separate bowl combine the following:
1/2 cup ViShape shake mix (see my ingredients list in the right side bar)
1/2 cup quinoa flour
1 cup gluten-free oats
1 cup brown rice flour
4 Tablespoons cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup gluten-free chocolate chips (optional)

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, then beat for about 1 minute on medium speed.

Grease the bottoms of a muffin tin.  Fill each muffin mold to about 3/4 full.  Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F.  Remove from pan immediately and allow to cool on a rack until they reach room temperature. 

Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.  These will freeze well.  Yield:  2 dozen individual snack cakes.

Butternut Squash Muffins

Squash of just about any kind is an excellent source of moisture and texture for baking, as well as providing wonderful nutrients.  I prefer using fresh squash whenever possible, and this is the time of year to stock up.  What else are you going to do on a beautiful fall day?

To prepare the squash to use in a bread or cake recipe, start by washing the exterior and scrubbing it well.  Even organic squash is going to have dirt on it, and you don't want that getting into your final product.  Next, slice it in half and remove the seeds at the base.  (Save them and plant them in your garden!)  Turn the slices cut side down into a baking dish, adding water to about an inch in depth.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes, until the squash is soft all the way through. Poke it with a fork, if you aren't sure.  Remove the pieces from the water and allow them to cool completely before scooping the flesh from the skin.

Place the squishy squash pieces into the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth. This may take a few minutes, depending on the speed of your blade.  You may have to scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally to ensure that all of the pieces are processed evenly.

You can freeze squash for about three months if it is double bagged.  It also makes great baby food.

The following is based on the pumpkin bread recipe I posted last week, with a few changes that sounded yummy.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the following mixing well after each addition:
15 ounces cooked butternut squash
2/3 cup Stevia
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup grape seed oil
1/3 cup coconut oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 large eggs

In a separate bowl, combine the following:
1 1/2 cups Namaste Foods Gluten-Free Perfect Blend Flour
1/2 cup  ViShape Shake Mix
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and beat until well blended.

Spray muffin tins with your favorite oil or use muffin liners.  Fill each cup 2/3 of the way with the batter.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes in the center of the oven.  Allow to cool in the muffin tin for 5 to 10 minutes before removing.  Finish cooling on a rack.

Yield:  24 large muffins

Unrefined Bakery in Frisco - You Gotta Try This Place!

I have discovered heaven on earth, and it's in Frisco, Texas!

Unrefined Bakery is the brainchild of a local mother and daughter who battle the same food allergies and Celiac disease that my friends and I do.  Their bread is as good as - if not better than - any wheat or multi-grain bread I've ever tasted.  It is soft and full of flavor that is missing in so many gluten-free breads. I tasted it and fell immediately in love!

They had me at "gluten-free", but then I read more about them and knew that these are good people making good food.

Their baked goods are:
*  100% gluten-free
*  100% soy-free
*  99% corn and dairy-free
*  80% egg-free
*  non-gmo
*  organic

They use only unrefined sugars for sweetening, as well as heart healthy fats that impart deliciousness and the mouth-feel you would expect from the finest ingredients.

And they have fantastic organic, fair-trade, coffee that rivals the chains on every street corner.  I think I may have just found my new favorite hang-out.

On the left is the Loaded Monkey Cupcake - banana cake with chocolate ganache center and peanut butter frosting.  On the right, the Triple Chocolate Cupcake.  Both are moist and exquisite!  The flavors are so good because the ingredients are top-notch.  Worth every penny, savor every bite!

They have frozen cookie dough you can take home to bake your own fresh cookies for a special after-school treat for the kids.

I'm telling you, I wanted to cry as I tasted everything they would let me try.  Co-owners, Anne and Taylor have hit the mark. Amanda, the General Manager at the Frisco location, is an absolute sweet-heart.  Go see them and let them put a smile on your face.

You can find them on the web at www.unrefinedbakery.com.

Namaste Foods Gluten Free Perfect Flour Blend

I found this flour blend at Costco last week and had to try it.  The flavor is very good and it incorporates into a bread recipe well.  I used it in pumpkin bread first.  There was no difference in the taste as compared to the same recipe made with wheat flour.  My kids loved it!  Then I made a pizza crust with it.  The flavor was excellent, but the crust was tough.  Right now I don't know it that was necessarily a problem with the flour or the other ingredients in the crust recipe, so I'll reserve my opinion on this until I have tried it with a different pizza crust formula.

The weight of the flour makes it a good all-purpose blend that should work well in most recipes.

The package touts the following benefits for those of us battling Celiac and other food allergies:
*  Allergen free facility
*  All natural
*  Whole grain brown rice
*  Vegan
*  Wheat and gluten free
*  No GMO ingredients
*  No preservatives
*  No potato
*  No corn
*  No casein

The "all natural" claim is meaningless, but all of the others provide helpful information.  I especially like that there are no genetically modified ingredients.

So, what does it contain?  Here's the list:
sweet brown rice flour, tapioca starch, arrowroot powder, sorghum flour and xanthan gum.

I'm a little perplexed at the claim that it has no corn, since the process of making xanthan gum involves using corn syrup as a growth medium.  You will know best if xanthan gum is something you must avoid.  Be aware that it is in this product.

I paid around $7 for this five pound bag and consider that to be an excellent price.

Crunchy Gluten-Free Granola

I could eat this stuff all day!  This recipe is based on one my family has used since the early 1970s.  You can vary it in so many ways that you need never have the same flavor twice.  This is the most basic recipe - feel free to add whatever twigs and seeds you enjoy.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a glass measuring cup, add the following:
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1/2 cup honey
1 Tablespoon molasses
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla

Heat this in the microwave for 30 seconds.  Stir well.  Heat for 30 seconds more, and stir again.  Heat once more for 30 seconds.  At this point it should begin to boil slightly.  Remove it from the microwave and set it aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add these dry ingredients:
4 cups gluten-free oats
1 cup whole almonds, chopped
1 cup Vi-Shape shake mix
1 cup shredded coconut
6 Tablespoons flax seeds
4 Tablespoons sesame seeds

Stir the dry ingredients until they are combined evenly.  Pour hot liquids over the dry ingredients, and mix with a wooden spoon until evenly coated.  Turn onto a large cookie sheet or 9x13-inch baking pan and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and stir, bringing the bottom to the top and turning well.  Bake for another 15 minutes, then remove from oven to cool completely in the pan.  Stir it occasionally to allow the steam to escape.  Cooling may take a couple of hours.

Store in an airtight container.  Serving size is about 1/2 cup.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (that are to VI for!)

If you are going to make chocolate chip cookies, make sure you use good chocolate!  There are a lot of brands to choose from, and it all depends on personal taste.  I'm a Ghiradelli fan, and I especially like their 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips.  (Yes, they are gluten-free!)  Check the label of your favorite chip or go to the company website.  Some chocolate chips do contain gluten, so you have to be careful.

This recipe is for a chewy-gooey cookie, because that's they way I like them.  If you like a crunchier cookie, use only the egg white instead of the whole egg.

And here we go!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons molasses
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1/4 cup ViShape Shake Mix (see my ingredients list in the side panel to the right)
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons brown rice flour
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
6 oz. chocolate chips

Using an electric mixer on high speed, cream together butter, sugar, brown sugar, and molasses until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and egg and mix until completely incorporated into the mixture.

In a separate bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients except for the chocolate chips.  Add to the wet ingredients and mix well.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by spoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Yield 2 dozen cookies.  I dare you to make them last more than a day!

60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

Oatmeal Almond Cookies

The smell of cinnamon baking is one of those fall scents that reminds me cooler weather is on its way - even if it was 102 degrees outside today.  Oatmeal cookies are among my favorite.  In this recipe, I've combined some wonderful flavors that are sure to give you that warm, toasty feeling that only fresh-baked cookies can accomplish.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine all of the ingredients listed:
1 egg
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup softened butter
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 - 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 cup gluten-free oats
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup Vi-Shape shake mix  (can substitute almond meal if you don't have this - see my ingredients list in the side bar)

Mix for about 10 seconds, then pulse until ingredients are combined.  Drop by teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until medium brown.  Transfer to cooling rack.  Edges will be slightly crisp with chewy centers.

Yield:  2 dozen cookies

Bread

Since leaving gluten behind, finding bread that tastes great and has the right texture has been really difficult.  I'm still struggling to make what I consider to be the perfect gluten-free bread on my own. As my recipes improve, I will share them with you here, including an explanation of the problems and solutions to making that perfect loaf.

Until then, I am using Udi's Gluten-Free Whole Grain Bread.  It does not have that softness that is common in store-bought breads.  It's full of holes, too.  But when I'm in the mood for a "sammich", Udi's works because it tastes the way I expect bread to taste.

I buy my Udi's at Costco, and it runs close to $7.00 a loaf.  Yikes - right?  Compared to $1.19 for traditional wheat bread, it is pricy.  And that is why everyone in our house knows, "Don't touch Mom's Udi's!"

Grilled Bananas, Peaches, and Almonds

I've been wanting to try grilling fruit for a long time.  The idea came from eating fried plantains at Americas Restaurant in Houston almost 20 years ago.  The flavor was that good that I can still remember it.  The plantains were crisp, almost like a potato chip.  My vision for this dessert was for the smoky flavor of the grill to become part of the warm, soft fruit.  What I accomplished with this recipe was something very similar to peach cobbler, without the pie crust.  The almonds add crunch and a little protein to balance with the sweet carbs in the fruit.  Start to finish, this dish takes about 15 minutes to prepare, and it leaves the grill ready to be devoured.  Serves 2.

1 medium banana, firm and not overripe
1 large peach
1/4 cup whole almonds
1 Tablespoon grape seed oil
1 tsp. coconut oil
1 Tablespoon honey
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat the grill on high.  Place a grill pan above the burner to heat while you prepare the fruit.

In a small bowl, mix the grape seed oil, coconut oil, honey, and cinnamon with a whisk to make a smooth sauce.  Set aside.

Slice the banana and the peach into bite size pieces.  Add the fruit and almonds to the sauce and stir to coat each piece well.

Pour the fruit and almonds into the grill pan, making sure each piece is laying flat.  Allow the pieces to brown for about 2 minutes, then flip them to the other side. Tongs will work better for turning, but you'll need a spatula to scoop the almonds out of the pan. Watch closely to make sure the fruit does not burn, as the honey will scorch easily.    Place the sizzling fruit into a serving bowl and enjoy.

Substitutions

The link below is to a fabulous blog post from Gluten Free Goddess on making substitutions for gluten-free cooking.  It is quite extensive.  I have tried many of these substitutions and can tell you that her tips are spot-on.  Go.  Read.  Enjoy.

http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2008/12/baking-cooking-substitutions-for-gluten.html

Breakfast Brownies

Breakfast Brownies

Life is short.  Eat dessert first!

In our family, we often get stuck eating the same thing for breakfast every day. Starting the day with something delicious and nutritious is a great way to put some excitement back into the most important meal of the day.  My kids love it when they get to have dessert for breakfast, and this is a recipe I can say "yes" to.

Have you ever wondered why fat-free cookies are so addictive?  They are loaded with extra sugar to make up for the fat that was removed to make them "healthier".  Putting flavor back into the recipe to replace what you take out is a trick I learned from The Low-Cholesterol Gourmet, Lynn Fischer, back in the early 1990s, and it has served me well in making my family's diet healthier.  This recipe is a great example of how good food can taste when you tweak the recipe a bit.

Cutting back on sugar is a priority for me and my family.  I have found one of the best ways to do that is to use sweetening agents that have flavor. Most brownie recipes call for a cup of sugar for a batch that makes 12-16 brownies.  By replacing sugar with honey and molasses, full-bodied flavor complements the chocolate in these brownies, and you can much less than if you were using regular sugar.  Sometimes I add chopped dates in place of part of the sugar.  Dates give a nutty, caramel taste that is perfect in combination with chocolate.

Greek yogurt is a terrific substitute for butter and oil in baking.  It provides the needed moisture without all the calories.  In this recipe it helps to create the fudgy mouth-feel that makes the brownies so decadent without sending the calories and fat through the roof.  You can use fat-free Greek yogurt or the regular kind, either works.

Oats are a fabulous substitution for wheat flour.  The trick is finding gluten-free oats.  I am resorting to ordering them online, because the stores around me don't carry them consistently.  They are much more expensive than regular oats, but they are worth it because of the nutrition they contain. Grind them up in the food processor to make a powder, and you can use them in just about anything that calls for flour.

When I don't have gluten-free oats, I use ViShape Shake Mix as a substitute for wheat flour in my baking.  It is a gluten-free, lactose-free, whey and soy-based protein powder that tastes like cake mix.  Originally developed as a meal-replacement shake for weight loss, ViShape has been used by thousands of people to improve their nutrition.  I am one of those people.  To learn more about ViShape, click on the word ViShape.

Enjoy!

Gather these delicious ingredients:
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup grape seed oil
1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 large egg
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup molasses
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup ground gluten-free oats
1/2 cup peanut butter

Now do this with them:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9-inch square baking pan.

2.  Mix the wet ingredients (except for the peanut butter) in a blender, food processor, or mixing bowl.  Add the oats (or ViShape shake mix, or a combination of the two) and remaining dry ingredients, and mix until well incorporated.  Pour into baking pan.

3.  Melt the peanut butter in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds.  Stir.  Heat a few seconds more if it is not thin and of a consistent texture.

4.  Swirl the peanut butter on top of the chocolate mixture and make a nice marbled design.

5.  Bake 25 minutes.  The toothpick test will NOT work with this recipe.  Shake the pan and see if the  batter jiggles in the middle.  If it does, bake for another 3 to 5 minutes.  If it seems firm and is starting to come away from the edges of the pan, remove it from the oven and let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes.  Refrigerate for 30 to 45 minutes before serving. 

Buckwheat Crackers

I LOVE crackers!  Some people say I AM crackers.  They are probably right.

This recipe is one I modified from the Rosemary Crackers recipe on Elena's Pantry.  Elena is fabulous ... check her out.

These are very nutty and fully of flavor.  Great with cheese or alone.

Buckwheat Crackers

3/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup peanuts and pecans
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
1 egg
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons almond milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix the buckwheat flour and coconut flour in the bowl of an electric mixer.  In a food chopper, combine the salt, sesame seeds, flax seeds, peanuts, and pecans.  Chop until it resembles fine meal.   Add them to the flour and stir in the rosemary and oregano.

Whisk together the egg and olive oil.  Add to the dry ingredients.  Once everything is incorporated, begin adding the almond milk slowly.  You want the dough to be moist, but not overly wet. It will form a ball when you have just the right amount of moisture. 

Place the dough between two pieces of parchment paper and roll to about 1/8 inch thickness.  Take the top layer of paper off, and turn the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  Cut the dough into squares prior to placing it in the oven.  I prefer 1-inch crackers, which will yield about 84 crackers.

Bake for 20 minutes.  Allow to cool for 30 minutes on baking sheet.

I have always loved to cook.  There have been many occasions when I didn't really want to cook, but throughout my life being in the kitchen has been a place of joy for me.  It's my parents' fault, really.  Mom had me baking cookies before I was in school.  Then Dad took over the cooking when I was 8 years-old.  I would walk home for lunch, he would make me a meatloaf sandwich on homemade whole wheat bread, and we would watch Graham Kerr doing crazy things in his kitchen.  I was inspired.

As an adult, I started collecting cookbooks.  Fortunately, I married a man who was willing to try new things.  My goal for the first 6 years of our life together was never to eat the same thing twice in a month. We were vegetarians for a few years, which really made us have to think and plan everything we ate. It was a terrific culinary adventure.

Then we started watching cooking shows together. The Frugal Gourmet really influenced  how we thought about food.  Then the Food Network came along ... We dropped HBO and sat in front of the t.v. with pen and paper, ready to take notes.  Some couples go to the movies, we made popcorn and watched Alton Brown.  The science behind food is fascinating to both of us.  My husband eventually took his adventure into the garage to brew beer, and I made anything I could out of the spent grain.  Those were great feasts!

Let me just say now that I adore Ina Garten. I found her show, The Barefoot Contessa, when we lived in New England, and I love everything she does.  Even the stuff that isn't gluten-free.  You'll see her influence in my recipes. I hope she doesn't mind that my blog is somewhat of a parody on her name.  It is done so with great admiration and love.

The last 13 years of family-hood has been a challenge for us in the food department.  We've battled food allergies and all sorts of conditions that require creativity beyond anything I ever imagined.  Gluten and lactose seem to be the two big dudes we have to avoid.  Thank goodness our options for living without them have multiplied exponentially in the last decade!

I truly believe that health begins in the kitchen and that being healthy requires us to eat food that is made from fresh ingredients.  Making those things that typically come in a package from the grocery store isn't really that difficult.  It takes time and planning and a willingness to experiment.

That is what this blog is about ... my culinary experiments. I hope you enjoy what I have to share and that you will comment freely when the mood strikes you.