Cheater Sweet and Sour Chicken

Every time I walk into Walmart, it smells like sweet n sour chicken. It drives me crazy. I never really liked it, but I miss it. Crazy. I think I miss ordering out Chinese food, and the extra fat.

So, I came home and whipped up my own version. I made the sweet and sour from scratch, and it's very easy. Also, using the Bell and Evans gluten free tenders, makes it even better, as far as ease goes!!

Also, just a shortcut I use in my kitchen in the winter months, I buy mostly frozen veggies. They have the same nutritional content, are generally cheaper than fresh, and as added benefit, already chopped up. I am all for fresh vegetables, but here in New England, the snow is covering the ground, the vegetables we are getting aren't going to be all that fresh, or all that local.

Here is the original sweet and sour sauce recipe, the only thing I changed was a technique...sifting the cornstarch first so you don't have any lumps.

I am also planning on making this for New Year's Eve. We used to always order out Chinese food, this year I will make my own and have a few dishes to choose from. Yum!


Sweet and Sour Chicken - Cheater Version

Bake the chicken, cook up some veggies (I did broccoli and peppers.), combine and mix with the sauce. Serve over cooked rice and sprinkle with green onions if desired.)

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
4 tablespoons ketchup
3/4 cup pineapple juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Warm everything in a saucepan except cornstarch to just below a simmer without letting it boil and stir in the sifted cornstarch to thicken. Sift the cornstarch to eliminate any lumps. You can add whatever else you might like to add, onions or peppers, some pineapple.

Cheers!

Goat cheese and Spinach Quiche with Roasted Red Pepper

I got this recipe from my friend and neighbor, Mrs. Younghome. She got it from some low carb site and the original recipe call for spinach and feta cheese. I changed it only by changing up the cheese and adding roasted red pepper. Fool around with it, it is so easy. I am now making this about 3 times a week to have with soup for lunch, or a quick breakfast. My friend uses a carton of eggbeaters instead, and that will work too!

Goat Cheese and Spinach with Roasted Red Pepper

spinach, frozen chopped
6 eggs or a carton of egg beaters ( equivalent to 8)
Goat cheese, crumbled 1 package, or to taste
roasted pepper, chopped
granulated garlic (optional)

Spray 8 inch square pan or pie plate with Pam, or coat with oil. Thaw spinach put on the bottom pan. Sprinkle chopped red pepper, garlic, if using (can use fresh if preferred), and half the cheese over the spinach and mix in. Beat eggs and pour over the defrosted spinach, and sprinkle rest of cheese on top. Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cheers!!!

BBQ Nachos & Refried Beans...Cheater Version

This is a picture of my lunch. Corn tortilla chips topped with refried beans (see recipe below), roasted red and green peppers, onions (I roast a bunch of vegetables at the beginning of the week to use in all sorts of recipes; they are great to have on hand.), and topped with cheese. After this photo, I sprinkled on some cilantro, and put a glop of guacamole on top.



I love refried beans, but hate all the stuff that goes in there, plus the time it takes. This is my favorite way to make them, and it takes less than 2 minutes.

"Cheater" Refried Beans

1 can beans
BBQ sauce, salsa, or lime juice and garlic

Mash beans with fork. Add liquid of choice and stir until you get the consistency of refried beans.

Cheers!

Buffalo Chicken Salad

I was craving chicken salad, and I was craving buffalo wings too...so this came up. It was delicious. Definitely something I would eat again.

Serve on lettuce, gluten free crackers (I love Mary's Gone Crackers), or gluten free bread.

Buffalo Chicken Salad

chopped celery
sliced carrot
mayonnaise
chicken, canned or chopped leftover
Frank's Red Hot Sauce

Add everything to a bowl. Mix. Put on top of lettuce, crackers, or bread.

Cheers!

Thai Wraps - the easy way

My house is a little dusty..with some small construction work. Cleaning up all that dust does not make me want to spend too much time in the kitchen, but I like to have tasty food. So here goes a quick don't want to cook night recipe (I use the term recipe very loosely here..)



Lettuce to wrap stuff in
Stuff to put in the lettuce
I used red pepper, tomato, shredded carrot
and the Perdue Short Cuts...they are gluten free (yay!!)
And the best ingredient... Thai Kitchen Peanut Satay Sauce... so good, it is great on chicken as a sandwich spread..frankly it rocks.

Put all ingredients in lettuce..smother with sauce, and eat.

Cheers!

(For another version of Thai Wraps...try Gluten Free Mommy's....)

Spring.

Spring.

It's here, and I have been loving (almost every) minute if it. I have been feeling so good, and I have been doing so much. As a matter of fact, some days I am doing TOO much. And, then I pay for it for a couple of days, then I am right back out there, gardening, going for walks with my husband, and being happy.

That's why my posts have come to a screeching halt.

I am eight months gluten free, and for the most part it is great. I am used to thinking about what I eat and I am now safe at home. But I do miss the freedom of eating out, at friend's houses, and I miss bread, real crusty bread.

Yesterday, my husband and I walked to downtown from our home, a nice walk, about 3 miles. It was a gorgeous spring day. One of the magical ones. We stopped at a little cafe downtown to get a cappuccino and walk a bit more before returning home.

As we were waiting, suddenly I felt dizzy, and overwhelmed. I glanced at the menu on the wall....panini sandwiches, salads with crusty bread, and the peasant lunch..soup, salad and crusty bread. How delicious it all sounded!!! I was dizzy with desire...and yes...sad. I looked at the menu with my husband, and whispered wistfully, " Sometimes I can't believe I can never eat this again...I miss it..."

Now I must tell you, I have never cheated, nor will I. I don't get tempted per se, but I WANT, knowing I can never have.

There is not sad ending to this little story, we left the shop, and went down to our town's cheese shop. We sampled cheeses and bought some for that night. Nothing like cheese, really good cheese, to cheer a girl up.

Why did I share this? I am not quite sure. Maybe other people feel this way too, and it's always nice to know you aren't alone. Maybe to explain why I have not been here. And maybe, to show people who are just starting out, who think they will never feel any better, that they will. It will be great.

I didn't think it would ever come when I read about other people. And it did. You just wait.

And here is one of my favorite quickie products....my children adore this rice. They dance when I serve it. Check the label..always. The Garlic Basil is a little spicy. My young children prefer, and love, the Coconut Ginger.

A Taste of Thai Rice...YUM!

Super Fast Fried Rice

I have not been feeling at my best lately, I actually think I am in a great healing phase; I have been gluten free for almost 8 months. So, I am eating things that are easy to digest for a bit, and no meat. ( A huge sacrifice on my part, but it's only for a couple of weeks. ;) And when I have been feeling well, we have been gardening like crazy..my herb garden is almost all planted, so fresh herbs are coming my way.

So, another night I just want something fast and tasty, and I don't want to cook. Surprise. :grin:

Just another reminder: make sure your soy sauce is gluten free. I use San J, but I believe that LaChoy is gluten free as well.

So, here is a way to turn this:
Into this:

Stir Fried Rice and Veggies

minced garlic
minced ginger
soy sauce
sherry (optional)
sesame seed oil
whatever vegetables you have on hand - chopped somewhat small, they will cook faster that way.
(I used carrot, red pepper, onion, sugar snap peas, green onion)

Cook rice. Prepare veggies. Heat oil in wok or skillet. Add ginger and garlic. Cook about 30 seconds, add vegetable that takes longest to cook, cook a couple of minutes, then add the next, and so forth. Add cooked rice. Add soy sauce, sherry, sesame oil and mix.

Eat.

:)

Mom G.F.'s Cheater Pavlova

I know this isn't the greatest picture, This was my second helping, and I snapped it quickly before I was going to eat it.

This was my mother-in-law's invention. Simple, yummy, low fat, and nothing really to do. This is a bit crunchy to eat, I would save this for a family night, and we felt forks for eating worked a little better than spoons.

So, thank you so much, Mom G.F.!!

Mom G.F.'s Cheater Pavlova

a package of meringues
1 tub frozen sliced strawberries with sugar
a few fresh, sliced strawberries to mix in (optional)

Take tub out of freezer, morning of or night before and put in fridge. At dessert, put meringue cookies in dish, top with strawberry mixture. Eat and enjoy.

Easy Feta Cheese and Chicken Salad

By the way, I am going on vacation for a few days, so I won't be posting until next Wednesday. I will let you know If I find any good gluten free resources on the road.

I recently found out that Perdue Short Cuts are gluten free. Click here to see the list. Here was another night I did not want to cook. Can you guess the ingredients?? :grin:

Spring Lettuce Mix
Any fresh vegetable you have on hand and like on salad
feta cheese
dressing of your choice

Mix all ingredients. Eat.

Have a wonderful day!

Pizza

So, you are so tired of cooking. You don't want to lift another finger to cook, and you wish you could order out for pizza? I have had a week myself, and was just done. I cooked so many things that failed, were horrible, and I had to throw out.

I saw this in the freezer section and thought I would grab it for an easy night. One caveat, you have to take it out the night before. It was good. I enjoyed it, and I will use it again.

This is the pizza I made with it below, I will tell you the toppings I used, go out get some and give yourself a night off.

(P.S. The cheese on this pizza is not dairy free, but since the crust is, I labeled this post dairy free. )

I topped this pizza with crushed tomatoes, shitake mushrooms, garlic, roasted red peppers, ricotta cheese, mozerella, oregano, and red pepper for spice.

I use jarred roasted red peppers, but did saute the garlic and mushrooms for a few minutes before putting it on the pizza. I like crispy crusts, so although the directions said 15 min. at 350, after the 15 min. were up, I jacked the heat up to 450, and cooked it for about 5 to 7 minutes more. next time I will cook this at a higher temperature.

Grab some wine, beer, or other favorite beverage and relax, you've earned it.