Microwave Hamburger Buns

I was recently alerted to this recipe by Carolyn on the Delphi Celiac forum. I’m not sure where it originally came from, but she found it on RecipeZaar. It is basically no-carb, which is great for my current predicament (failed first round of gestational diabetes testing). The RecipeZaar poster says it tastes like a whole-wheat bun. Quite frankly, I can’t even remotely recall what whole wheat tastes like (or any wheat, for that matter). I think it is a little eggy tasting, but I don’t think you would taste it with a hamburger (I’ll try tomorrow). It made a good peanut butter sandwich, though if I was going to make one specifically for a sandwich, I’d use a slightly larger bowl (more surface area = less height). I used a 2 cup Pyrex bowl.

I intend to spend some time experimenting with this recipe this week. I would like to see if I could use less butter, because it feels a little too oily for me. I will also try adding various flavors to the bread.

Microwave Hamburger Buns (from RecipeZaar)

Ingredients:

2 Tbs melted butter
1/2 pinch of salt
1 egg (I used large, though the recipe said extra large)
4 Tbs flaxseed meal
1/2 tsp baking powder

Mix all ingredients together in a microwave-safe bowl or container, and microwave on high for 1 minute or until center is set (it will get larger in the bowl). Let set in bowl for one minute, then turn onto a cooling rack to cool. When it is cool, slice through the middle with a bread knife.

Please let me know if you make any modifications or variations that you really like.

Salmon Spinach Salad

I hope everyone in the U.S. had a wonderful Independence Day.

(The salad was prettier before I mixed it up.)

I failed my glucola test last week, and so I have been really worried about gestational diabetes (I will have a more thorough test this coming Wednesday).  I have basically been eating very low-carb to prepare for this next test (along with drinking tons of water, and walking).  Since we were spending the day with Andy’s family, I threw some meats and veggies into a cooler bag, and this is what I came up with.  I found it to be excellent, and different enough from a “normal” salad that it warranted being posted.  I just shook or grabbed until it looked right to me.  It will serve 2, or a very hungry pregnant woman. 

2 small salmon filets
1 small bag of “California-style” frozen veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, and zucchini)
Rosemary-garlic seasoning
Fresh spinach
Cheddar cheese - shredded or crumbled*

In a large skillet with tall sides, cook the salmon (in one half of the skillet) and the frozen veggies (in the other half), both sprinkled with rosemary garlic seasoning.  In a bowl, tear up some spinach (however much you want) and add the cheese on top.  When the salmon is finished cooking, flake it up, mix with the veggies, and pour on top of the spinach and cheese.  Enjoy.

*To make crumbled cheddar cheese, freeze a block of cheese then defrost.  The cheese will easily crumble in seconds.

Spaghetti Sauce Chicken - Crockpot

If you will recall, I did a post about spaghetti sauce chicken a few months ago, and said I thought it would be even better in the crockpot. Well, it was. My friends just loved it tonight. This made quite a bit, so I sent some home with them.

Here is what I did.

In my oval crock pot I placed:
Diced carrots, about a cup
Dried minced onion (maybe 2 or 3 tablespoons)
2 jars light Ragu spaghetti sauce (the no added sugar kind)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 package frozen spinach (thawed)
3 lbs boneless skinless chicken

I placed the chicken on top and then pressed it into the sauce (so it was fully covered, but not on the bottom). I cooked it on low for about 5 1/2 hours (I had actually started it on high for about 30 minutes to get it going). After about 5 hours, the chicken was done and I shredded it with 2 forks (really easy). We could have eaten it then, but our friends weren’t here yet. I left it on another half hour, then turned it off and just let it sit.

We served it over rice with a side of green beans and cornbread (recipe from You Won’t Believe It’s Gluten-Free by Roben Ryberg). This is my absolute favorite cornbread recipe. My friend Julieann, who came for dinner, said it was way better than Boston Market’s cornbread, and that was the only kind she had ever been able to eat. “This is divine.” Those were her exact words. I only have 3 small pieces left of a 9×13 pan. Her kids would have cleaned it out completely if she had let them, lol. She just has to have that recipe - she doesn’t care that she would have to buy xanthan gum to make it (xanthan gum - what’s that? she says).

I felt so good to finally make this, to finally get my crockpot out and think ahead, and to finally add all those vegetables I keep saying I’m going to add. It was a wonderful, delicious, and healthy meal, dished up with a healthy serving of great company!

A Visit From Anna

Our support group had the wonderful pleasure today of listening to (and watching) Breads From Anna creator, Anna Sobaski.  She had prepared for this meeting by spending 2 days in the kitchen so that she had plenty of food for us to taste!  There were breads, pizza, a cake, and a pie.  We had quite the feast!

If you’ve never had Breads From Anna, they are not the starchy rice-based breads that we often see in the gluten-free world.  They are healthier, hearty breads.

Anna spoke to us about how she got started and what she has been doing in the kitchen.  She also demoed for us baking bread in a bread machine, preparing the dough in a stand mixer and portioning out for hamburger and hot dog buns, rolling a pie crust, and she made some flatbreads.  She even has a flatbread machine that her sister bought her for Christmas.  The flatbreads were really good (she sent me home with some!). I also got to be the lucky recipient of the extra pizza.

Anna told us that when she finished her first bread, she said she was done.  She had made bread, it was good, and that was enough.  But there were people who asked her for a bread mix that didn’t contain this or that, and she just set to work to make things right for them.  She now has 3 bread mixes, plus banana, pumpkin, and cranberry breads, and a pie crust mix.  She will soon be introducing some more new products.  On her website, you will also find many recipes to use her mixes in lots of new ways.  If you create a new recipe with one of her mixes, be sure to share it with her.

North Texas GIG is very grateful to Anna Sobaski for taking the time to come to Texas and speak to us.

Fake Dessert

After making the cakes for Braden’s birthday party, and not getting sick from the smell (because of my great meds), I decided to have some.  Well, apparently this baby does not like sugar.  I guess I can live with that.  It was easy enough over the last 2 months, because the smell made me sick.  But now I really wanted something sweet.  So here’s what I did:

I whipped up 2 blocks of fat free cream cheese (less guilt), a few scoops of peanut butter, and 6 packets of Splenda.  This was not very sweet - I was afraid if I added any more Splenda I’d get that horrible aftertaste.  I did add a few semi-sweet chocolate chips.

It was not quite cheesecakey, but was a nice little “dessert” of sorts.  It could be a good spread.  It had enough peanut butter to taste the peanut butter, but you could still taste the cream cheese, too.  Carter was very upset when I put it back in the fridge.

By the way, I can’t find my camera.  That’s why you did not get pictures of my canadian bacon and pineapple pizza last night.  Too bad, it was good.  Andy left the table during dinner to answer a phone call - his bad.  Braden ate 6 pieces, and Andy only got 1 & 1/2.   I’m starting to worry about when these boys become teenagers.  What will I do?

Feta-Topped Chicken with Harvest Roasted Vegetables

Around the time that I first went gluten-free, my little brother wanted to make a scrumptious meal for me. Now, our family is a pretty plain family. Fancy food was never served in our house; Daddy is a very picky eater. (That is why this seems fancy and exciting to me.)

So, Corey (my li’l bro) found this recipe and made it for me. It was delicious! Now, of course, I have not eaten it in awhile - I know pregnant women aren’t supposed to eat feta cheese (because it’s not pasteurized). But I remember how pretty it looked and how yummy it was. So, please, enjoy this recipe.

Feta-Topped Chicken with Harvest Roasted Vegetables
Chicken: (4 servings)

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 ¼ lb)
2 tablespoons GF balsamic vinaigrette dressing
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon seasoned pepper
1 large roma (plum) tomato, cut into 8 slices
1 cup crumbled feta cheese (4 oz) - less if you’re not a cheese lover

1. Set oven control to broil. Brush both sides of chicken breasts with dressing. Sprinkle both sides with Italian seasoning and seasoned pepper. Place on rack in broiler pan.

2. Broil with tops 4 inches from heat about 10 minutes, turning once, until chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut. Top with tomato and cheese. Broil 2 to 3 minutes longer or until cheese is lightly browned.

Vegetables:

Olive oil cooking spray
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, cut into ¼-inch wedges
1 medium tomato, cut into ¼-inch wedges
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces
½ teaspoon salt
Rosemary and garlic seasoning (or other, such as lemon pepper)

1. Set oven control to broil. Cover 15×10x1-inch pan with foil; spray with cooking spray. Place vegetables in single layer in pan. Spray vegetables with cooking spray. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of the salt.

2. Broil with tops 4 inches from heat about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and seasoning.

Adapted from Betty Crocker Simple Healthy Meals

Broccoli Salad

Picture a salad. What does it look like? What does it smell like? What does it taste like?

Is it mostly iceberg lettuce? Those were the kinds of salads I grew up on - iceberg lettuce, with carrots, bell peppers, and cucumber.

It does get a little boring after awhile, doesn’t it?

So try something new! This broccoli salad is totally different from that. It has fun flavors, and adds some zip to your meal (great for potlucks and such). Truthfully, it is the only way I’ll eat raw broccoli (I prefer mine steamed).

Broccoli Salad

1 bunch broccoli florets - chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 pound fried and crumbled bacon or 1/2 jar of Hormel Bacon Bits or Pieces
1/2 medium red onion - finely chopped
1/2 to 1 cup raisins
1/2 cup sunflower seeds

Dressing:
1 cup mayo
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Mix all ingredients together. Let chill 1 to 24 hours. (If you let it chill overnight or a whole day, the flavors really blend well, and it is much better.)

Chicken and Bean Enchiladas

Last year, for his birthday, my brother Chad requested enchiladas for dinner.  They were able to come visit us and spend a little bit of time.  I didn’t want to make one of those white sauce enchiladas, or green one, either.  I looked around awhile and decided on this one (I think I found it on recipezaar).

One of the best things about making this was that we made it together.  Chad and Malia (our cousin) helped me make this.  We had such a wonderful time together, cutting and chopping and shredding and rolling and cooking.

Well, it was a total hit.  I had to email the recipe to everyone that had been at dinner, and a few others, too!  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Chicken and Bean Enchiladas

¾ lb boneless skinless chicken breast
3 slices bacon
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ cups picante sauce
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp cumin
¼ tsp salt
½ cup green onions, sliced
1 ½ cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese, plus another ½ cup or so
1 (16 oz) can black beans
15-20 corn tortillas
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

2. Julienne chicken

3. Sauté bacon until crisp, reserving 2 tbsp drippings

4. Sauté chicken and garlic in drippings until chicken is opaque.

5. Add ½ cup picante sauce, beans, red bell pepper, cumin and salt.  Simmer 7 - 8 minutes until thick.

6. Stir in green onions and crumbled bacon.  Then add 1 ½ cups of cheese.

7. Top each tortilla with about ¼ cup of chicken mixture.  Roll up and place in baking dish sprayed with oil.

8. Top with remaining ½ cup of picante sauce (or a little more to cover tortillas).  Bake for 15 minutes.

9. Top with remaining cheese and bake for 3 minutes more.

My Favorite Chicken Salad

Yes, I’ve been absent.  Yes, I’ve been sick again.  I think something is wrong with the whole world right now.  Everyone is getting sick and staying sick.  Oh, well, to a more pleasant subject…

This is my favorite chicken salad recipe.  I just love all the different flavors in it.  It’s good to eat by itself, or would be great eaten on a crescent roll.

Tropical Chicken Salad

2 cups cooked and chopped chicken
1 cup celery
1 can pineapple tidbits
1 can mandarin oranges
1 - 2 tablespoons green onions
some red and green grapes
1 cup GF mayo or ½ cup GF mayo + ½ cup GF ranch dressing

Combine all ingredients.  Mix well.  Top with cashews and coconut.

Variations on a Theme - Tom’s 2

I made another loaf of the Tom’s Light Bread, European Style. This version had no chickpea flour. The flour mix (made the other week) consisted of:

• 1/2 cup sorghum flour
• 1/2 cup millet flour
• 1/8 cup quinoa flour
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup + 1 TBS tapioca starch

Friday afternoon, I prepared my sponge. I took half of the flour mix above, added 3 TBS light brown sugar, and a packet of yeast (rapid rise this time). I stirred it up, covered it, and let it set. I had intended to make the bread Saturday afternoon, but did not have time. Sunday morning, I finished the recipe, let it rise, and put it in the oven.

We could hardly wait to cut into it. And we didn’t - within 15 minutes of it being out of the oven, we had eaten 5 pieces (between the two boys and me). It was really good. I had thought (yesterday) that I detected a very slight bitterness to it, but it went away with only a teeny tiny bit of butter. But, it may just be my preggo tastebuds (they’re a little off right now). Braden said “this is the best bread ever. You should make this every time you don’t have a new recipe to try.” (Braden is a true believer in Cassandra’s Gluten-Free Test Kitchen.) Andy tried it this morning and said it’s really good. It is still very soft today.

While writing this post, I heard a loud pop and some metal clinking downstairs. Upon inspecting the kitchen, I found the lid to my bowl that contains a sour sponge for tomorrow, had popped off and flown across the counter. Perhaps I shouldn’t put a tight lid on it, lol.