In case you are craving fajitas, here is a recipe that doesn’t require making or buying gluten free tortillas. I really like the combination of cooked vegetables with the crisp salad.  My toddlers (3 and 2) love this dinner because they can pick different colors to try out of the salad.  You can eat this salad with a jalapeno vinaigrette, Italian dressing, salsa, or with pico de gallo and guacamole.

If you are feeling ambitious and want to try your hand at making gluten-free, casein-free tortillas check out Gluten Free Cooking School’s tortilla dough recipe.

FAJITA SALAD

1 lb chicken, cut in slices for quicker cooking (or slice grilled chicken)

1 plus 1 Tablespoon oil

juice of 1 lime

1 1/2 teaspoon of cumin

1 clove minced garlic

salt and pepper (approx 1/4 tsp of both)

1 green pepper, sliced

1 red pepper, sliced

1 sweet onion, sliced or chopped

1 or 2 avocados, sliced

1 large bag of romaine/red cabbage salad mix for convenience

2 hard boiled eggs, cut in half (Mrs. G.F.’s How to Make a Perfect Hard Boiled Egg)

shredded cheese

cilantro, chopped

optional: pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, Italian dressing, jalapeno vinaigrette, salsa

DIRECTIONS:

Marinate the chicken (I cut mine in smaller pieces before cooking for faster prep) in lime juice, garlic, cumin, and salt and pepper (or use gluten free McCormick’s fajita seasoning mix) for 30 minutes.  Slice green/red peppers and onion into thin strips. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in large frying pan on medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces; cook and stir 3-5 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove from pan. In same frying pan, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add onion and bell pepper; cook and stir 3 to 5 minutes.  Set aside.  Assemble your salads- layer romaine, cooked chicken/vegetable mixture, and top with hard boiled egg, avocado, and any other salad fixing you desire.  I use the jalapeno vinaigrette recipe below, but you can also use Italian dressing or salsa if you prefer.

JALAPENO VINAIGRETTE

1 garlic clove, minced

1 /2 jalapeno pepper, minced

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup champagne vinegar (or substitute your favorite- higher quality vinegar will obviously make for a better, less-sour dressing)

1/3 cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Combine and shake!

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Posted on June 22nd, 2009 by Natalie
Filed under: Chicken Recipes | 8 Comments »

Cooking is much simpler in the summertime.  It is a good thing too.  My little boys are really outdoor creatures.  By the time they are ready to come indoors it is time for dinner!  This is a quick recipe that is suited for a barbecue.   Feel free to throw that chicken on the grill.   I sometimes cook the chicken on the stove if my husband is working late, so I have given those directions below.  The relish/salsa is meant to be eaten on the side.  I serve this gluten free chicken recipe with this Coconut Rice recipe and/or fresh vegetables.

CHICKEN WITH PINEAPPLE RELISH

4-6 Split Chicken Breasts, bone in, skin on (10-12 oz. each)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

salt

pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the chicken to be cooked. Season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a dutch oven on med. heat until hot. Cook the split chicken breasts skin side down about 6 minutes. Place chicken in a casserole dish and cook for about 35-40 minutes until an instant-read thermometer reaches 160 degrees.

PINEAPPLE RELISH

1 20 oz can crushed pineapple, partially drained (You can use fresh pineapple instead)

1/2 medium red pepper, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped (you can add up to two if you like things more spicy)

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

juice of one lime

1/4 cup green onion, chopped

DIRECTIONS:  Combine and let marinate for several hours or overnight.  Serve with grilled or baked chicken.  Also good with tortilla chips.

Note:  If you have never chopped a hot jalapeno pepper before, check out this tutorial.

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Posted on June 8th, 2009 by Natalie
Filed under: Chicken Recipes | 7 Comments »

As I pitted the delicious cherries I had just brought home from the grocery store, I found my joy in cooking again.  Little by little over the last few weeks I have become myself again.  For some reason, my last pregnancy was tough on me.  Even the stats are impressive:  10 pound baby at 42 weeks!  I must admit my patience paid off- I did get my beautiful natural birth and a healthy baby boy.  We named him Asa.   I have a gang of 3 boys to feed now and it is a blessing to feel like myself again.  I appreciate all of you who subscribed to my RSS feed and waited patiently for me to return from maternity leave.

Bloggers get maternity leave, right?

CHERRY PIE FILLING

4 cups cherries, pitted

a squeeze of fresh lemon (optional)

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons cornstarch (or thickener of choice)

Directions:

Bring cherries, lemon juice and sugar to boil.  Mix cornstarch and small amt of water.  Pour into the cherry mixture.  Stir until thickened.  If you need to thicken even further, just add more cornstarch.

TOPPING

1 cup gluten free oats

1/4 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup almonds, sliced

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients until thoroughly combined.

CHERRY CRISP

Directions:

Pour slightly cooled cherry pie filling into glass pie dish and arrange the topping over the top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

I served my naturally gluten free (no flour) Cherry Crisp with gluten free Stonyfield Farms Plain lowfat yogurt.  Any gluten free ice cream would work great too.

In case you prefer gluten free apple crisp.

And a picture of the baby (six weeks old) who gave me so much trouble!

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Posted on May 19th, 2009 by Natalie
Filed under: Fruit Dessert Recipes | 46 Comments »

Sometime during this pregnancy I seem to have lost the ability to taste food.  This is terrible news for someone who loves (loved?) cooking.  With 11 weeks to go, I am posting a meal that I enjoyed preparing and eating this week.  It is quite possible that this gluten free recipe needs a little work because my taste buds are currently being confused by my hormones.   My husband swears he loved the meal but I wouldn’t vouch for his taste-testing honesty this late in the pregnancy.   He knows what is good for him! Anyway, this recipe is actually quite mild (despite the Amaretto and the curry) because my toddlers and I can’t handle very much spice right now.  Once you have the sauce made you may wish to add more salt, pinch of sugar, or even more spice.

I hope to post more often as I continue to get ready for this baby to get here.  I have big plans to stock my freezer with meals before the baby gets here and will try and post my progress.

CHICKEN AMARETTO

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup gluten free flour (sweet rice flour is a good choice)

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1 1lb. skinless boneless chicken breast cut into 1 inch pieces

1/4 cup butter

1 pint button mushrooms

1/4 cup Amaretto

3 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 Tablespoon cornstarch (if you are allergic, you can make a roux instead or use arrowroot)

1 1/2 cups gluten free chicken broth

cooked jasmine rice or brown rice

cooked broccoli (if desired)

DIRECTIONS:

In a plastic bag, combine salt, pepper, curry powder, garlic powder, and flour.  Add chicken pieces and toss to coat evenly.  In a large frying pan, heat butter (or oil/butter substitute) over med-high heat.  Add chicken and brown evenly.  Add mushrooms, lemon juice, lemon zest, and Amaretto.  Simmer for 5-7 minutes.  In a large measuring cup mix chicken broth and cornstarch and stir into the chicken.   Cook until thickened.  Serve over jasmine or brown rice with steamed broccoli.

Serves 4

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Posted on January 4th, 2009 by Natalie
Filed under: Chicken Recipes | 21 Comments »

If you are here searching for gluten free Thanksgiving recipes here are a few of my favorites!

Green Bean Casserole (Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe included)

How to Make French Fried Onions

Frozen Pumpkin Pie

Apple Crisp

Sweet Potato Casserole

Broccoli Cheese Casserole

Chocolate Pumpkin Cake

Sweet Potato Bread

Cranberry Nut Bread

Other Thanksgiving Recipes from other blogs:

Cornbread Stuffing recipe (Gluten Free Cooking School)

Pecan Pumpkin Pie Bars (Ginger Lemon Girl)

Cinnamon Apple Muffins (Gluten Free Goddess)

Cranberry Mango Chutney (Gluten Free Gobsmacked)

Pecan Pie (GF Goodness)

Around the holidays, I am always looking for economical, fast recipes!  This Bean Soup is both satisfying and delicious!

BEAN AND CANADIAN BACON SOUP

6 oz. Canadian bacon, chopped

1/4 cup onion, chopped

2-3 celery stalks, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

2 (15 oz) cans navy beans, drained and rinsed

1 large baking potato, peeled and cut into small pieces

4 cups reduced sodium gluten free chicken broth

fresh ground pepper

1/4 cup chopped parsley

3 carrots, chopped

2 Tablespoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

In a dutch oven, heat the oil over med. heat.  Add the onion and celery and cook for 5-6 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for a minute more. Add the rosemary and Canadian bacon.  Cook and stir for about a minute.  Stir in beans, potato, broth, carrot, and about 1/4 tsp. pepper and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to med.-low.  Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes or until the potato is tender.  With a potato masher (or the back of a big spoon) mash the beans and potato.  Stir in parsley.  Serves 4-5.

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Posted on November 24th, 2008 by Natalie
Filed under: Soup Recipes | 8 Comments »