Homemade Gluten Free Stuffing With Gravy

Homemade bread that has gone stale. I then cut it into cubes and toasted it.

Other ingredients you will need:
2 cups red onion and 1 1/2 cup celery. Both finely chopped.

Gluten Free Croutons and chicken broth. Read all chicken broth labels as some contain wheat. 

                                        Melt 2/3 cup of butter.

                                    Add onion and celery. Saute.

Add 2 cups chicken broth and reduce on low heat. Pour over croutons.

Seasonings that I added: Mrs Dash, Salt, Pepper, Poultry Seasoning and Sage.

                                         Prepackaged croutons

                                         Homemade croutons

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I mixed both homemade and store bought croutons together. Place in the oven until golden brown, with a slight crust. Don't forget to occasionally stir the mix with a wooden spoon to ensure even heating

Finished stuffing

Next time I think I will go back to spreading the mixture over cookie sheets as it provides a much more even crisping of the stuffing. Tasted great, though!

The gravy I use is really easy to make. I make it regularly. Like all the time regularly. All you need is a packet of Club House gluten-free gravy mix.

Beat The Heat With A Smoothie

Today called for smoothie's to help us beat this heat! I went with what I had on hand for this recipe but there are many substitutions available at the grocery store.


Recipe:
2 1/2 Cups Frozen Mixed Berries 
(blackberries,blueberries,raspberries & strawberries)
2/3 Cup Milk
1Cup Apple Juice 
4 frozen Yoplait Minigo 


If the mix seems too thick, feel free to dilute it with water or juice.
This recipe made 4 "Popsicles", 3 drinks and filled an ice tray.
On a side note.... Frozen Yoplait Minigo's on their own make a delicious treat as well.

Cold and Creamy Potato Salad

I ended up playing "Iron Chef" in my own kitchen the other afternoon. Just wanted something different, but needed to use ingredients already on hand. Fresh potatoes from my garden, frozen veggies and random condiments resulted in Potato Salad. I should play around in the kitchen more often because the dish turned out so creamy and delightful.

So here's the rundown, I ended up writing the ingredients and how much of each after I was satisfied with the taste of the dressing. I could be a tad off on certain amounts, but I'm sure with a simple taste test it will be easy to adjust.

10 mini Potatoes Cubed

1/2  Cup Mayo

1/4 Cup Sour Cream

1/4 Cup Honey Dijon Mustard

1 Cup Vegetable Medley

1/2 Cup Red Onion Chopped 

3 Hard Boiled Eggs

Salt & Pepper to Taste

Top with Tortilla Strips

* Vegetable Medley - I used a baby blend of Carrot, Peas, and Baby Corn. 

* I did not have any Paprika on hand so I will probably add some next time around

* I used "Fresh Gourmet Tortilla Strip's". These added a wonderful texture and a nice flavour combination.

Crispy Chicken Nuggets From Scratch

Top to bottom: Coated in bread crumbs,
frying in the pan, and ready to eat =)

I made chicken nuggets from scratch recently. This is not normally something I crave but I figured what the heck and gave it a try. In all honesty, I don't normally work with raw meat so I was a bit nervous. I'm pretty happy I put my fear aside as they turned out to be quite moist and yummy! The only thing I would like to play around with is the bread crumbs. Although tasty, they did need more seasoning.

Ingredients you will need

• 3 Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts
• 1 Cup of GF flour
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon of your favourite Herb Seasoning or Garlic Powder
• 1 Egg  & 1/4 Cup of Vegetable Oil, whisked together
• 1/2 Cup grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1/4 of Vegetable Oil for pan frying. 

Prep

• Tenderise chicken if you like. I placed the chicken breasts in between 2 sheets of wax paper and used mallet to pound them.
• With a sharp knife, cut the chicken breasts into the nugget size of you choosing
• Now you will need 3 separate  shallow containers ( I used Tupperware ). For container one, combine GF flour, salt, pepper and seasonings. In container 2 whisk together egg and vegetable oil. In container combine GF bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.
• Place the chicken strips in flour mixture and coat evenly.  Next, dip chicken into the egg/vege oil mixture and finally coat the chicken with the bread crumb mixture in container 3.
• Line a baking sheet with wax paper and place chicken strips on top. Then place in fridge for 30-40 min before frying.
• Heat vegetable oil on med high heat.  and add chicken strips. Cook each side until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.

As you will see from the photo, I paired my chicken nuggets with steamed veggies, a warm Queijo and some apple butter dipping sauce.  The left over nuggets that we didn't eat went into the freezer for a future meal. 

Queijo - An unexpected Delight

Chewy,delicious,and mouth watering are just some of the ways I can describe Queijos  Also known as Brazilian Cheese buns, these treats are super tasty! Be creative and play around with the recipe. You will find that the Queijos (pronounced Kay-Joe) are yummy with an array of flavours. I love baking these! Like most things I bake the Queijos are indeed freezer friendly. They make a great side for hot meals especially if you like to have a "bun" of sorts to dip with. Personally, I love how convenient they are for an on the go snack. Pop one into the microwave and out you go with a delicious treat!

Recipe makes about 8 servings

Preheat Oven to 375

2 Cups Tapioca Flour

1/2 Cup Olive Oil or Butter

1/3 Cup Water

1/3 Cup Milk

1 Tsp Salt

2 Tsp Minced Garlic

2/3 Cup Grated Marble Cheese

2 Beaten Eggs

Additional Options include : Sun dried tomato and basil, Jalapeno and cheese, Cheese alone. You could even    turn the Queijos into a pizza pocket of sorts by filling it with your favourite pizza toppings.

Pour olive oil, milk and salt into saucepan. Place on high heat.When mixture begins to boil, remove from heat and pour into a large bowl. Stir in the Tapioca flour and Garlic until smooth. Set aside and let rest for 15 minutes.

Stir in egg and cheese until well combined. The mixture will look chunky like cottage cheese. Scoop out mixture and place on baking pan. I use my hand but you can use anything from an ice cream scoop to a ladle to get the proportion you like.

Bake 15-20 minute on un greased baking pan until slightly brown.

Note: The resting period is necessary to prevent the cheese from becoming a greasy mess in the oven. Trust me, it happens.