Jenkin's Chicken Sushi Rolls

I love sushi, but being pregnant and gluten-free poses a problem as the imitation crab I would generally go for on California rolls is NOT gluten-free! So I whipped up some chicken, and rolled it in seaweed with avocado and rice. It was kind of like sushi...

Jenkin's Marinade 

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons lemon

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 tablespoons oil

1/4 teaspoon tabasco sauce

1 clove garlic

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 dash onion powder

Mix and pour over chicken or turkey to marinade. 

My take:

We generally put it on chicken tenderloins, but in this case, it was on chicken breasts. Also, it was baked in the oven because, hello it's winter and cold outside; but it is really top of the line when grilled. 

Juliet kept wanting to be like me and eat the seaweed, but every time she tasted it (which was multiple times), she made her 'bleh!' sound. Haha!

I made pizza too!

Like you, I was craving pizza.  Nicole's cauliflower crust was not appealing because I wanted my pizza crust to act more like pizza crust and not be all mushy.   I am also cheap and don't like having to buy random flours like almond (might be allergic it), garbanzo bean flour, etc. and I didn't want to have to run to the store so I consulted my handy pinterest app on my phone and found this gem:

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

1 recipe of Cauli-Rice (which is the same recipe for faux rice in the WB cookbook)
1 egg
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella (I used part skimmed)
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1 TBS. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Toppings of your choice, tomato, pesto or Alfredo sauce, cheese, precooked meats* & precooked veggies*

Preheat oven to 450F. Line a baking sheet with either a Silpat or parchment paper.

Place the cooked Cauli-Rice into a tea towel and squeeze all the water out of the Cauli-Rice. It is important to get the rice as dry as possible so that there won’t be extra moisture in the crust which will prevent it from crisping up properly.

In a medium bowl combine the dry Cauli-Rice, egg, 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper and mix to combine well. Press the cauliflower mixture into an even thickness on the prepared pan, either into a round or rectangular shaped pizza. I kept the crust pretty thin, about 1/4-inch thick. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the crust is firm and golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and turn off the oven and turn on the broiler and move the rack to up close to the broiler. Top the cooked crust with sauce, cheese and toppings of your choice. Place under the broiler until the cheese is bubbly and melted

My Take:

So the cauli-rice is just grated cauliflower microwaved.  Not that hard, but it was a little time consuming to grate a head of cauliflower on a box grater.  If you had a food processor with a grating/shredding attachment it would go a lot faster.  I didn't have fennel seed or italian seasoning so I just tossed in some basil, garlic powder, and oregano and called it good.  I was worried about baking it on parchment paper at 450 degrees because on the parchment paper package it says not to exceed 420.  I risked it and it was fine while baking.  This is what the crust looked like when done baking.

 

Looked good enough to eat just like that! While it was in the oven, I made a pizza sauce topping of sauteed onions, garlic, bell peppers, olive oil, can of diced tomatoes, basil, oregano, S&P.  I just saute all of that in a pan until its all soft and flavors meld.  Then when the crust came out of the oven, I poured the saucy mixture on and topped it with parmasen and mozzeralla cheese and popped it under the broiler.  This time I was really afraid the parchment paper would catch fire (it also said on the package to NEVER put it under a broiler.  I like to live on the edge I guess).  I watched it pretty carefully and pulled it out when the cheese was all melted and starting to get golden brown.  The parchment paper turned pretty dark and burned up.  Oh well.  I had no other options.  

The pizza turned out soooo delicious and we could even pick it up and eat it like a normal pizza.  I didn't though because it was so toppings heaving.  I will definitely be making it again.  I asked Taylor how he liked it and he said "I really like it because it isn't made with coconut flour." 

Ham and Lentil Soup

So what do you do when you have a ton of left-over ham, and you've already made ham and eggs and ham fried rice?  You start searching the internet!  As a result I found this keeper on All Recipes.  It's supposed to be made in a slow cooker, but since none of the ingredients take very long to cook I just make it in a pot on the stove.  Then I have soup within an hour instead soup in 11 hours.  Very convenient since I'm not always the best at planning ahead!

Ham and Lentil Soup

1 cup dried lentils
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped onion (I use 1/2-3/4 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups diced cooked ham
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
32 ounces chicken broth
1 cup water
8 teaspoons tomato sauce

In a 3 1/2 quart or larger slow cooker combine the lentils, celery, carrots, onion, garlic, and ham.  Season with basil, thyme, oregano, the bay leaf and pepper.  Stir in the chicken broth, water, and tomato sauce.  Cover and cook on low for 11 hours.  Discard the bay leaf before serving. 

**OR**

Throw everything in a pot on the stove, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat and simmer on low until the vegetables and lentils are tender and you are ready to eat!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Over the past couple of weeks Joey has mentioned a few times that he misses chocolate chip cookies.  When my Wheat Belly Cookbook arrived this week I knew that was one of the first recipes I wanted to try.  Chocolate chip cookies that weren't super unhealthy seemed too good to be true!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

4 cups almond flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup butter or coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup sour cream or coconut milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon liquid stevia
10 ounces bittersweet or dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In  large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, baking soda, and salt.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, butter or coconut oil, sour cream or coconut milk, vanilla, and stevia.  Stir into the flour mixture just until combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop by heaping tablespoons onto the baking sheet.  Using a spoon or glass, press each cookie to 1/2" thickness.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned.  Remove to a rack to cook completely.

My Take: This was my first time baking a treat without using 'normal' sugar, so that was kind of strange.  I used the Sweet Leaf brand of liquid stevia.  I also went with the butter and sour cream option since I wanted to see how close to traditional cookies they would taste.  When the batter was mixed up, Jenna and I tasted it to see how it was, and surprisingly it tasted like cookie dough!  Little different texture due to the almond flour, and not quite as sweet as my glutenous recipes (which I could have adjusted by adding more stevia) but yummy!  If a three year old wants to eat it by the spoonful, what better endorsement do you need?!
I used my cookie dough scoop to load up the baking sheet, and tried flattening the cookies with both a glass and a spoon.  The spoon definitely worked better.  They looked like cookies going into the oven, I just hoped they tasted like them when they came out!  While they were baking they smelled awesome, and they came out golden.  The best part: they tasted delicious!  I did cut the baking time down a few minutes on the next batch and they turned out even better.

I ate a couple warm out of the oven and was surprised at how filling they were.  I froze a bunch of them to last for the next couple of weeks.  15 seconds in the microwave and they are good as new! 

A word of caution however:  although they aren't terrible for you like normal gluteny, sugary cookies, you still won't feel good if you eat upwards of 10 or so of them (big shocker, right).  Moderation in all things, Joey!!  Oh well, some people never learn.

Mongolian Beef

I feel like meat has been a little under represented in the blog and I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea about my status as a self-respecting carnivore.  Enter this next recipe.  Pulled from the Cooking Light: Fresh Food Fast cookbook, (one of my very favorites from my glutenous days, and still very adaptable) this is one of those meals that Joey and I fight over who gets the leftovers (since there's never enough left for both of us!)

Mongolian Beef

1 lb. of flank steak, trimmed and cut into thin slices
cooking spray (I use a little olive oil)
1/3 cup hoisin sauce (make sure yours is gluten free - I use the Sun Luck brand)
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (or to taste if you want it more/less spicy)
4 green onions

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Coat steak with cooking spray (or olive oil).  Cook steak in pan over medium-high heat 3 minutes or until browned and liquid has almost evaporated, stirring occasionally.
2.  While steak cooks, combine hoisin sauce and next 5 ingredients in a small bowl.  Cut onions crosswise into 1-inch pieces.  Add sauce mixture and onions to meat in pan; cook 1 to 2 minutes or until sauce is slightly reduced (do not overcook meat).  Serve immediately.

I like to have the sauce made before I start cooking the meat - I find I am less stressed while cooking if I don't have to worry about grating ginger while I'm supposed to be not overcooking the meat.  I like to serve with sticky rice and Sesame Buttered Broccoli.

Sesame Buttered Broccoli

1 1/2 lbs broccoli, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces (about 4 cups)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons soy sauce (make sure it's gluten free!)
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Cook/steam/boil your broccoli however you normally do.  Mix the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl.  Toss with the broccoli to coat, and serve.  Note - I usually cut the recipe in half.

Yummers!!!

Here are two of my favorite gluten-free desserts.

1. MINI EGGS - These are now available in a dangerously sized 36 oz bag. Juliet saw the picture I have added, and exclaimed 'Eggs!!' Maybe I should cut back on our mini egg consumption...

2. Glutino Lemon Wafer Cookies - I first had these at my Aunt Kathryn's house. They are super good and I think that they taste like fruit loops but better. Juliet also recognized the picture of the box. She is really smart...

Honeyville Discount

If you're looking for somewhere to purchase your almond or coconut flour I suggest Honeyville.  Their products are awesome and they ship for a low flat rate.  Right now they are offering a 10% discount off your entire online order (excludes the shipping rate).  Just type in the coupon code "ORGANIC" during checkout.  This sale goes through Friday the 22nd.  Happy shopping!
store.honeyvillegrain.com