RECIPE - Gluten Free Mozzarella and Corn Fritters

This recipe really came about by accident when we were experimenting with gluten free shake n' bake. The thought was to take our regular gluten free chicken fingers recipe, and instead of using chicken strips, just use whole chicken breasts and bake in the oven. Well, it didn't turn out so well. I think the egg dip was where it went wrong. The chicken didn't brown at all and the crust was more mushy than crunchy. I ended up quickly frying the chicken to make the crust crunchy like it should be. You're better off not seeing a picture.

Anyways, along came this dish! I realized that I had extra egg dip and extra cornmeal dredge, and my inner child got the better of me. At first, I just wanted to mix the two together and make a kind of play-dough. But then I realized that there was extra oil in the pan, so why not fry it! Everything tastes good fried, right?? The cheese just sweetened the deal. The result: a crunchy, soft, cheesy fritter that'll make you think twice before throwing out those leftover dredges. Fried cheese to the rescue!!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup gluten free rice cereal, crushed
1 egg
1/4 cup milk (or more, as needed)
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (we use Cabbott because it's lactose free)
1 tbsp italian seasoning
salt + pepper to taste
pinch red pepper flakes
vegetable oil, for pan frying

Directions:
Mix the cornmeal, ground cereal, and spices together in a small bowl. Add egg and a little milk. Stir together until combined and until the mixture looks like cookie dough (you may need to add a little more milk or a little more cornmeal for the right texture). Add the mozzarella cheese and stir to incorporate.

Form into little patties and fry in oil until golden brown on both sides (only takes 1-2 minutes per side). Let drain briefly on a paper towel, and serve hot. These are especially good dipped in marinara sauce.

RECIPE - Gluten Free Stuffed Zucchini

Here are some fun facts about zucchini:

- They are naturally gluten free (if they weren't, I'd be very concerned)
- Zucchini can grow up to 3 feet in length!
- It's my favorite vegetable. According to wikipedia, zucchini is an immature fruit (and I to wikipedia: "you're an immature fruit!")
- Eric can't remember eating zucchini before he met me. I pretty much changed his life.

Now that you have some background info, let's cook! This is a great, easy meal. It's kind of like inside-out tacos.

Another reason why this meal is great, it's super cheap! I'd estimate this entire meal costs only $13, and feeds 4-6!! I put the estimated price next to each item so you can see how it adds up.

Ingredients:


4 zucchinis, sliced in half and insides scooped out (to make a boat) ($3)
6 mushrooms, chopped ($1)
1 1/2 cups spanish rice mix, cooked ($1)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb ground turkey ($5)
1 tomato, chopped ($1)
2 tbsp taco seasoning (Trader Joe's is gluten free)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese ($1)
1/2 cup GF puffed rice cereal, smashed into breadcrumbs (a box costs $4, so ~$1)

Directions:


Preheat the oven to 350. Place your zucchini boats on a sheet pan or in a casserole dish. Make sure the zucchini boats don't overlap.

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan and add ground turkey. Cook turkey, breaking it up into pieces as it cooks. Once the turkey is mostly cooked, add the chopped mushrooms, tomato, and zucchini insides (squeeze the excess water out). Add taco seasoning and a little salt and pepper. Cook until turkey is fully cooked and vegetables are about halfway cooked (about 3-4 minutes).

Stir spanish rice into the turkey vegetable mix. Mix thoroughly. Spoon the mixture into the zucchini boats, pushing down with the spoon to really stuff it in. You may have extra stuffing, don't worry about getting it all in. Top each zucchini boat with some cheddar cheese.

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted and the zucchini boat is starting to soften. Don't overcook the zucchini, otherwise it'll be impossible to remove from the pan. Serves 4-6.

RECIPE - Super Crunch Chicken Fingers (with Kale)

Happy Meals got nothing on this! This is one of the juiciest, crunchiest, and cheapest meals you can make! It's even got some healthy greens in there.

To prove it to you, next to each ingredient (not including spices, you should have those!) I put about how much it costs. I'd estimate this meal can feed 4-6 people, and it costs $10. No joke.

If that wasn't enough, take a look at these crunchy strips of Happy:

Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips ($5)
3/4 cup cornstarch ($1)
1 cup milk
1 cup cornmeal ($1)
1/2 cup GF puffed rice cereal (box costs $4, so ~$1)
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 Tbsp paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
salt and ground black pepper
Vegetable oil, for frying

For the kale:
1 bunch kale, thoroughly washed and roughly chopped ($2)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, whole but smashed
salt and ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Pour the cornstarch into a Ziploc bag. Add chicken and shake until chicken is coated. Remove chicken onto a paper plate. Discard extra cornstarch.
2. In the same bag, add the cornmeal and spices.
3. Pour milk into a bowl, and add chicken in batches. Coat the chicken, shake off excess, and place into bag with cornmeal and spices.
4. Fry the chicken in batches in a saute pan with about 1/2 inch vegetable oil. Cook on medium-high heat until chicken is golden brown, about 3 minutes per side (this will vary depending on how thick the chicken is).
5. For the kale, heat the olive oil in a pan, and add garlic. Saute garlic for a minute or two until it starts to turn brown. Remove garlic and add kale. Saute kale until fully wilted, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Serve super crunchy chicken fingers with Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce!

RECIPE - GF Pasta a la Meatballs

I've been working on this pasta recipe for a while now, and I think it's pretty close to perfect! There's a few secrets and tricks I use in this recipe, like using rice cereal in the meatballs (instead of breadcrumbs), using ground turkey instead of beef (makes it lighter), and adding oil to the pasta water (prevents the pasta from sticking together.

This recipe would go great with the GF Focaccia I reviewed earlier this week

Try it and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:
For the meatballs:
1 lb ground turkey or beef
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp red pepper flakes
salt + black pepper
1/3 cup almond milk
1/3 cup crushed GF puffed rice cereal
2 tbsp olive oil

For the pasta:
1 lb GF spaghetti (TJ rice pasta is just fine...and cheap)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp salt

For the sauce:
1 jar/can crushed tomatoes (I like the TJ plain marinara sauce)
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp red pepper flakes
salt + black pepper

Directions:
1. To make the meatballs, mix together ground meet, seasonings, milk and crushed rice cereal. Crush the rice cereal pretty fine, either in your hand or in a plastic bag. Once combined, roll meatballs into ping pong ball-size balls.
2. Fry meatballs in a pan in 2 tbsp olive oil (if using beef, you can use less or no olive oil). Turn meatballs occasionally until browned on all sides. Drain excess oil.
3. Transfer meatballs into a pot. Add tomato sauce ingredients, including garlic, tomatoes, and spices. Cook sauce over low heat, stirring gently every few minutes.

4. To make the pasta, heat a lot of water in a large pot. Once boiling, add 2 tbsp salt, 1 tbsp olive oil and GF spaghetti. The olive oil will help prevent the pasta from sticking together after it is cooked. Stir often until pasta is just cooked through. Drain pasta and return to large pot.
5. Pour meatballs and sauce into pot with cooked pasta. Stir and and heat on medium for about 2 minutes, until sauce boils and the pasta absorbs some of the sauce. Serve with parmesan cheese or parsley.