Posts tagged Glutenless Goodness

An easy main course that looks fancier than it is!

Honey-Lemon-Pine Nut Chicken

Serves 4

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3/8 cup honey
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1-1/2 tablespoons gluten-free Worcestershire sauce (I use Robbie’s)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mace
• salt
• pepper
• 1-1/2 pounds chicken breasts, either sliced thin or pounded thin
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• a few tablespoons of cool or lukewarm water

Mix olive oil, honey, lemon juice, GF Worcestershire, thyme, oregano, and mace in a bowl or large measuring cup until smooth. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.

Trim fat off chicken and cut into serving-sized pieces. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Brown chicken on both sides in two batches. (You don’t need to thoroughly cook the chicken here, as it will finish cooking later.)

Reduce heat to medium and return all chicken to skillet. Pour honey-lemon mixture over it. Pour wine around the chicken, and sprinkle with the pine nuts. Cover the skillet and cook until chicken is cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a platter and raise heat to high. Cook, mixing and scraping, until sauce gets a bit syrupy, about 3 minutes. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.

Put cornstarch in a little cup, add water, and mix. Pour into sauce and stir until sauce thickens.

Spoon sauce over chicken and serve.

This makes a super-delicious sauce—in fact, sometimes I double the sauce ingredients so we can pour it all over our rice!

Unfortunately this is far from low-calorie…but it is quick and delicious!

Gluten-Free Fettuccine Alfredo

• 1 pound gluten-free fettuccine pasta (I use Tinkyada)
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1-1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1-1/2 cups shredded parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh finely chopped parsley (or basil, if you prefer)

Cook GF pasta as directed on package, making sure not to overcook (pasta will cook a little more in the sauce later).  Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain pasta and leave in colander temporarily.

Melt butter in the same pot.

Add heavy cream and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water.  Bring to a simmer.

Add the fettuccine and parmesan cheese and toss.

Season with salt and pepper.  If you want a thinner sauce, add more pasta water.

Mix in parsley or basil and serve with extra cheese.

I used the basil this time, since I have a bumper crop in my AeroGarden. :-)

Instead of the traditional breading, I simply dredge the chicken in gluten-free flour to save both time and calories. Jarred spaghetti sauce also saves time. Nevertheless, this tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen!  

Quick GF Chicken Parmigiana

Serves 4

• 1 to 1-1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup gluten-free flour (I use Pamela’s)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• extra virgin olive oil
• jar of your favorite gluten-free spaghetti sauce (I use Prego Fresh Mushroom)
• shredded mozzarella cheese to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Trim fat off chicken breasts and either pound thin or slice thin. Cut into serving-sized pieces.

Mix GF flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl.  Coat chicken with flour mixture.

Coat large skillet with a little olive oil and heat on medium-high.  Add chicken and cook, turning once, until cooked through.  You will probably need to do this in two batches.

Place cooked chicken in a baking dish.  Spoon spaghetti sauce over chicken to cover.  Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over everything, either lightly or thickly, depending on your preference.

Place baking dish in oven and bake until the cheese is completely melted.  Serve while still nice and hot.

Served here with steamed broccoli and gluten-free spaghetti—a good way to use up the rest of the jar of spaghetti sauce. (I use Cornito spaghetti.)  Can you tell we like LOTS of cheese? :-)

These tiny cookies are yummy, and 27 cookies = only 130 calories!

I’ve been making this salsa since I was a teenager, and it’s always a hit! Naturally gluten-free, super simple to make, low calorie, and absolutely delicious. The secret ingredient nobody expects? Fresh mushrooms!

Royal Salsa

Makes one quart

• 1 can peeled and crushed tomatoes (28 oz.)
• 2 cans tomato sauce (8 oz. each)
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 can diced mild chiles (4 oz.)
• 1 can chopped black olives (4 oz.)
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced (green part only)
• 3/4 lb. fresh mushrooms, chopped very small (a food processor works great for this)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon or more hot sauce (depending on how hot you like your salsa)

Mix everything together in a very big bowl. Transfer to a smaller bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to blend.

This makes a lot of salsa, but you will be amazed at how quickly your family and guests gobble it up!

By far the best crust I’ve found.  Makes gluten-free pizza crust infused with yummy herbs and spices, which means it doesn’t taste like cardboard. ;-)

OMG, these are amazing! Better than Toll House cookies! These darn cookies are responsible for my utter failure to give up sugar, no matter how many times I try.

Let’s Do Gluten Free Ice Cream Cones: These taste exactly like regular ice cream cones. Their sugar cones taste just like gluten-filled sugar cones, too!