Panko-crusted Chicken Fingers

This is a great weeknight meal if you are getting sick of chicken the same old way over and over again. I do find that when I half the recipe for myself (to 2 chicken breasts) I keep the crumb mixture and sauce so as not to run out because they are too delicious! I like to serve this with salad. Serves 4. Recipe courtesy of Canadian Living with gluten free adjustments.

4 boneless chicken breasts
2 eggs
1 cup finely-grated parmesan or parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1 cup panko or bread crumbs (I have found gluten-free panko crumbs by Kinnikinnick in the bakery section of some Safeways)
4 tsp fresh chopped oregano (or 2 tsp dried)
1 tsp salt (I always reduce)
1/2 tsp each pepper and paprika
1/4 cup butter, melted (I leave this out to decrease the chance of heart attack)
Honey-mustard sauce:
1/3 cup light mayo
2 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 Tbsp liquid honey

In small bowl, stir mayo, dijon and honey. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Between sheets of plastic wrap, pound chicken with a rolling pin until it's about 1/2 inch thick. Cut lengthwise on diagonal into 10x4 cm strips. In bowl, whisk eggs. In shallow bowl, combine cheese, bread crumbs, oregano, salt, pepper and paprika.

One at a time, dip chicken strips into eggs, letting the excess drip off. Dredge in cheese mixture, coating generously (which is why I sometimes make more).

Arrange on greased baking sheets; drizzle with butter (I leave out). Bake in 425 F oven until golden, crispy and no longer pink inside, usually about 15 minutes.

Serve with dipping sauce and great with snap peas!

Courtesy of Canadian Living

Artichoke linguini with prosciutto and spinach

All I can say for this is yum! It's a family favourite and I've made several different variations over the years. Onions, no onions. Sometimes I'll substitute the prosciutto with chicken. Recipe comes from my dad and serves 4. Definitely an easy "trick your friends into thinking this is much harder than it really is" meal!

2 jars (170 ml each) artichokes, or equivalent canned.
1-2 cups of baby spinach
1/2 cup oil-packed sundried tomatoes, drained,
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 white onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Prosciutto, about 4-5 slices
linguini (gluten-free)
Romano or parmesan cheese, grated

Drain artichokes and slice. Cut sun-dried tomatoes into thin strips. Heat oil in skillet and saute artichokes, tomatoes, garlic and onion for 3-4 minutes. Add baby spinach and cook until it shrinks. This happens quickly.

Cut prosciutto into strips and quickly saute in a pan.

Cook linguini. Drain and toss into the vegetable mixture. Add prosciutto, mix well and serve with parmesan.

Mexican burgers

These burgers have an amazing aroma thanks to the great spices. Serve them with fresh avocado slices.

1 egg
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp to 1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 pound of ground pork OR
1/2 pound of lean ground beef and 1/2 pound of ground pork

Whisk together egg, vinegar, garlic, sugar, salt, pepper, cinnamon, cumin, cayenne, and oregano. Mix in meat. Shape into four 3/4-inch thick patties.

Grill on a greased grill over medium heat, turning once, until no longer pink inside, about 15 minutes. Top with avocado slices.

Courtesy of Canadian Living with some adjustments.

Fettuccine with Smoked Salmon

This recipe comes from my dear dad, Steve. He says that this serves 6 which I think is generous. I'd say 4 if you have lots of salad and bread to go with. It goes great with french bread and is a regular Friday night dinner at home.


3 Tbsp butter
4 green onions, chopped
1 clove garlic minced
8 oz smoked salmon diced
1/2 cup to 1 cup whipping cream (Dad uses blend)
1/2 cup butter cut into small cubes
2 Tbsp chives (or tips of green onions if out)
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 1/2 lb fresh fettuccine (I have no idea how you measure that. I eyeball it which usually means I have too much or too little pasta. And I use gluten free.)
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Melt 3 Tbsp butter in skillet and cook the onions and garlic until soft but not brown. This takes about 2 minutes. Add the salmon and cook for 2 minutes. Add the cream and heat over low heat for a few minutes. Set aside. (Reheat before adding to pasta).

Meanwhile, place  small butter cubes in bottom of large serving dish. Prepare cheese and chives and set aside.

Cook pasta in boiling salted water. Drain well. Reheat your sauce over low heat.

Place hot pasta over butter cubes in serving dish and pour hot sauce over. Sprinkle with the cheese and chives; toss well to coat the pasta and melted butter. Season with pepper and enjoy!

Sidebar: My mother has this ridiculous way of saying parmesan cheese where she pronounces it "parm-ee-see-an." She's done it for so long just to bug me that I've started to say it too without noticing. Thanks Mom for making me a little bit weirder.

Pork Bulgogi

My sister makes great Korean food but her ingredients/sauces are all in, well Korean, and with my allergies I  have to pass. When I crave a delicious garlic, ginger, soy sauce combination I make do with this. Serve with rice or in lettuce wraps. Serves 4.

6 small cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup soy sauce (gluten-free)
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp sesame oil
2 tsp crushed red pepper (I chicken out and use 1 tsp of red pepper flakes )
2 tsp ginger, freshly grated (I use the tube stuff)
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 pound pork tenderloin, very thinly sliced (this is key)
1 large onion, cut into large wedges
1 Tbsp olive oil
Toasted sesame seeds (optional)

In a medium bowl, combine garlic, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, crushed red pepper, ginger and pepper.

Add pork and onion wedges. Stir to coat and marinate for 10 minutes.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. In three batches, brown pork and onion, about 3 to 5 minutes per batch. Discard marinade.

Return all pork and onions to skillet; cook until warm. Serve with toasted sesame seeds as garnish on rice or in lettuce wraps.


Recipe from Everyday Foods.

"It's almost Superbowl season" Cornbread

I made chili this weekend (which with some adjustments might wind up here but I am still looking for a superb recipe) and realized that I haven't tried to make cornbread since I was diagnosed Celiac. Well problem solved! This is probably better than any "gluten-loaded" cornbread that I ever made.

1 1/2 cups stone-ground cornmeal
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup rice flour
2 teaspoons guar gum
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs beaten
1 1/2 cups buttermilk*
4 Tbsp butter, melted
1 14 oz can whole kernel corn, drained or 2 cups fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels

*To make buttermilk when you don't have any, you can make a substitution. In 1 cup of milk add a Tbsp of lemon juice and let it sit in the fridge for 10 minutes. Increase amounts but keep the ratio.

Position oven rack in center of the oven. Preheat oven to 425F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and stir with a whisk. Stir in the eggs, buttermilk and the butter. Mix until smooth. Fold in the corn kernels. Pour into the pan. The original recipe says that here you should loosely over the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes which I tried but then the middle of the bread didn't cook as quickly. Next time, I'd leave the foil off but I'd check it at 15-20 minutes.

It is cooked when a wooden skewer that is inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Remove from oven, let cool, and cut into squares.

Yurm!

Recipe courtesy of Blackbird Bakery.

Accidents While Jet-lagged

Yesterday I flew back home from the holidays. The time difference between my two homes is only three hours but couple that with a flight that leaves the East Coast at 6 am and I usually end up a bit zombified by night time. I thought since I had slept two hours on the plane I could skip my usual nap but that left me with burnt sweet potato fries (tossed with cumin), an argument with my smoke detector and about a litre of water on the kitchen counter. Suffice to say, no posts are going up as a result of that disastrous meal but I will attempt it again soon with more shut eye under my belt.

Stay tuned for baked asparagus with a soy/balsamic sauce, cumin-spiced sweet potato fries, and orange-glazed chicken thighs. While they were all delicious they were a bit too haggard to photograph and recommend.