Chicken Pad Thai

My first experience with Pad Thai was two years ago at a little Thai spot in the northern suburbs called Your Choice Thai restaurant. I was always leery of Thai and Chinese places because I was afraid that everything was contaminated by gluten (soy sauce, breading, etc).  After a long conversation with the owner and chef, they informed me that their Pad Thai (and also their Panang, which is the best EVER) was gluten free. Regardless, I am now completely addicted to Pad Thai and have been working on perfecting my own little recipe. Here it is - hope you enjoy!

Ingredients for the dish (Prep time: 45 minutes)

1 package Pad Thai Rice Sticks, 8 ounces

2 TBSPs canola oil

2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 TBSPs minced garlic

1 whole medium yellow onion, chopped

1 whole red pepper, sliced

1 cup shredded carrots

1 TBSP of ginger, peeled and finely chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup of cucumber, peeled/seeded/shredded, for garnish (recipe note: traditional pad thai recipes call for bean sprouts, which I happen to not enjoy. If you do, 1 cup of bean sprouts would be the substitute and I would mix them in when you are adding the onion, bell pepper, carrots and ginger)

1 bunch Cilantro, for garnish

1 lime, cut into triangles for garnish

¼ cup chopped peanuts, for garnish

Ingredients for the sauce (Prep time: 5 minutes)

2 tsps GF Hoisin Sauce

3 TBSPs creamy peanut butter

3 TBSPs GF low sodium tamari sauce

1 TBSP of Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce
1/2 tsp of garlic powder

Preparation Instructions:

Soak the pad thai rice sticks in warm water for 45 minutes. 


For the sauce: Mix the hoisin, peanut butter, soy sauce and Sriracha (we like spicy, so I used roughly a tablespoon) to form a paste. Set aside.

When the noodles are done soaking, drain water and set aside.

Heat the oil in a wok over high heat for about 2 minutes. Add the chicken, cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the garlic, onion, bell pepper, carrots, and ginger. Stir well, cover and continue cooking about 5 more minutes until the chicken and vegetables are done. Fold in the noodles and sauce. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. 

Serve in bowls and garnish with cucumber, fresh cilantro, chopped peanuts and lime. Enjoy!

Please help!

Maybe you’ve heard a thing or two about how the FDA has been gearing up to create gluten-free labeling regulations. Maybe you feel like you've been hearing that for a LONG while? You aren't crazy, that's because they've been saying it since 2008! If you’d like to see the FDA finish these labeling rules & regulations for people like me that have Celiac Disease and truly need to live a GF lifestyle, please take a minute to visit The American Celiac Disease Alliance's website to automatically send emails to the Food and Drug Administration and Health and Human Services and your Senators and Representative in Congress.

Go to www.capwiz.com/celiac/home/ to send emails or letters today. You can use their letters or write your own.

Personally, I would like to thank the American Celiac Disease Alliance (americanceliac.org) for organizing this effort and providing this service for free.

Thanks!

Crab Cakes with Lemon Aioli Sauce

Three weeks ago, Chicago was blessed (note: sarcasm) with a blizzard that provided over 20 inches of snow. After Josh and I spent an evening digging out our cars from 4 foot snow drifts, I wasn't sure I could take much more. Luckily, I had a trip planned to spend a few days visiting my fabulous parents in Florida. My favorite thing about my trips to Florida is the food (shocking, I know). Everything is so fresh - the seafood tastes like it was just caught in the gulf. And the tomatoes and grapefruits? There is nothing better! The thing I see on every menu down there is crab cakes and it's the one thing I REALLY want, but cannot have. So, this meal was inspired by my need for crab cakes and a temporary mind vacation back to the sunshine state. Enjoy!


(ps - Mom - I am, of course, also using my fabulous Archipelago Botanicals Lanai candle that I am now obsessed with!) 

Crab Cake Ingredients (Prep time: 40 minutes)

1 pound crabmeat, picked free of shells

1/3 cup GF bread crumbs (I used a premade version by Schar)

3 green onions, finely chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 egg

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp dry mustard

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

a dash of cayenne pepper

GF Flour, for dusting

1/2 cup peanut oil

Preparation Instructions

In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients, except for the flour and peanut oil. Shape into patties and dust with flour.

Heat peanut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, carefully place crab cakes, in batches, in pan and fry until browned, about 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip crab cakes and fry on other side until golden brown, about 4 minutes. 

Serve warm with Lemon Aioli sauce (recipe below) and mango salsa (optional). Cheers!

Lemon Aioli Ingredients

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 clove garlic, minced

1 TBSP chopped chives

3 TBSPs lemon juice

1/2 tsp lemon zest

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation Instructions

In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients together.

Chicken Parmigiana

Chicken Parmigiana is one of those meals that we, with Celiac, can never enjoy in your local Italian trattoria; with the frying and the flour or breadcrumbs, there is just no way around it. We've already established that I am far from Italian and, to be honest, didn't grow up eating too many traditional pasta dishes. However, this is one I've always loved - chicken, tomatoes, cheese, onion, garlic (and my addition of some broccoli to provide some color and healthy balance, of course!) - all fried in some butter and olive oil (remember, we added broccoli, so we're covered!)...I'm not sure how you can go wrong?

 

Ingredients (Prep time: 30 mins)

4 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded flat

½ cups all-purpose GF flour

Salt and pepper, to taste

½ cups olive oil

2 TBSPs butter

1 whole medium onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

¾ cups red wine

3 cans (14.5 Oz.) diced tomatoes
2 TBSPs of tomato paste

2 TBSPs sugar

2 TBSPs chopped fresh basil (I used dried)
2 cups of frozen broccoli, optional

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I used grated Sartori Merlot cheese...because it is molto bene!)

GF pasta of your choice (I used Ancient Harvest Quinoa elbow noodles. You could use some type of spaghetti noodle, but this is the only GF pasta we ever have on hand.)

Preparation Instructions

Mix flour, salt, and pepper together on a large plate. Dredge flattened chicken breasts in flour mixture. Set aside.

Start your pot of water for your pasta. Cook pasta of your choice per instructions.

Heat olive oil and melt butter together in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry chicken breasts until nice and golden brown on each side, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove chicken breasts from the skillet and keep warm.

Add onions and garlic to the same pan and gently stir for 2 minutes. Pour in wine and remove the delicious bits off the bottom of the pan. Allow wine to cook down until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Pour in crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Add sugar, more salt and pepper to taste and broccoli and stir. Allow to cook for 30 minutes.

Give one final stir to combine all ingredients. Carefully lay chicken breasts on top of the sauce. Sprinkle the chopped basil over the chicken breasts and then completely cover them in grated cheese. Place lid on skillet and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer until cheese is melted and chicken is thoroughly heated.

Place cooked noodles on a plate and cover with sauce. Place chicken breast on top and sprinkle with a little more cheese, if desired. Serve immediately and Buon Appetito!

West African Ground Nut Chicken Stew

I cannot take credit for this amazing recipe that I am about to share with you. The background is that Josh's aunt, Diane, used to be the head of the Pillsbury Bake-Off. Every year she would give his family the cookbook of various recipes from the contest and his parents would allow each of the kids to pick a recipe from the book; this was the unanimous decision. While mom and dad were a bit skeptical that three young kids would actually enjoy something that contained both sweet potatoes and tomatoes, it's been a family favorite ever since. 

My background story with this recipe goes something like this...I crave it. I dream about it. I am officially addicted to this stuff. I demand you to make this immediately.

(oh, and ps...thanks for the recipe, "S" family!)

 

Ingredients (Prep time: 30 minutes)

2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2"pieces
1 TBSP peanut oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 28 oz can tomatoes, undrained, cut up
1 15.5 oz can great northern beans, undrained
1 11oz can corn, drained
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 TBSP tomato paste
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp ground red cayenne pepper
3 cups cooked rice
Cilantro, for garnish (optional)
Preparation Instructions

In a 4 quart Dutch oven cook the chicken in oil over medium high heat until chicken is lightly browned, stirring constantly. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir 3 to 4 minutes until onion is tender. Add tomatoes, beans, corn, sweet potato, water, peanut butter, tomato paste, salt, chili powder, ginger and cayenne pepper.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Cover and cook for 30 mins or until sweet potato is tender, stirring occasionally. If the stew becomes too thick, add additional water. Serve over rice. Top with some fresh cilantro if desired.

Enjoy!

Taco Pizza

Although I was very impressed with my guest blogger's cooking and blogging skills, I'm taking the reigns back and dishing up something that happens to combine two of my favorite foods - tacos and pizza. Interestingly enough, this was inspired by my inability to make a decision on what I wanted to cook for dinner last night - tacos and pizza. Somehow we ended up ordering Lebanese food. So, since I didn't end up cooking last night, I'm combining the two to create a meal that I'm fairly certain you can't mess up! Feel free to add (or eliminate) any fresh ingredients that happen to be your favorite.

Ingredients (Prep time: 30 minutes)

GF Pizza Crust of your choice (I used 2 personal pizza crusts by Schar) 

1 can (14.5 ounce) Refried Beans

3 TBSPs of salsa
1-½ cup grated cheddar cheese
2 cups browned lean ground turkey

1 TBSP of olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped (I kept a few seeds in for heat)

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

Salt/pepper, to taste

For Garnish:
Chopped Romaine lettuce
Salsa
Sour cream
Cilantro

Guacamole

Preparation Instructions

Heat olive oil in skillet and add ground turkey. Mix in chopped onions, jalapeno and garlic. Season with a pinch of both salt and pepper. Remove when ground turkey and onion have browned.

In a separate sauce pan, mix refried beans with salsa and heat on stovetop. 

Brush your pizza crust very lightly with olive oil. Preheat oven and bake pizza crust 3/4 of the way through, or until starting to turn golden. Remove from oven.

Spread refried bean mixture over pizza crusts. Top with turkey mixture. Sprinkle shredded cheddar over the top. Return to oven for three minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Top with lettuce. Mix together salsa and sour cream and drizzle over the top of the pizza. Add a dollop of guacamole.

Garnish with cilantro. Cut into wedges and serve immediately. Ole!

Guest Blog - Super Bowl XLV: Bratwurst with Sauerkraut and Green Bay Championship Baked Beans

When handed the keys to the car for the first time, you better know how to drive. Thus is my feeling as my loving girlfriend turned her blog over to me today in preparation for the Great American Holiday known as Super Bowl Sunday. So I went with what I know. Which, being from Wisconsin, is bratwurst. This Super Bowl Sunday is special…my beloved Green Bay Packers are vying for their 4^th Lombardi Trophy (and 13^th NFL Championship). This meal is to Wisconsin as pasta is to Italians (or potatoes are to Irish, right babe?). No one does bratwurst better than we do (just as no one does cheese or beer better...and hopefully after tomorrow, no one does football better either). Adding to the meal is a bean recipe that is my grandmother’s from their time living in Green Bay during the Glory Years of the 1960’s, living in the neighborhood with legends like Starr and Hornung. Aptly named Green Bay Championship Baked Beans, it is the perfect side to enjoy while watching the Packers bring home the Lombardi.

Mmmmm.....bratwurst.

The start of the current winning streak...Go Pack!

Bratwurst (Prep time: 10-15 minutes)

1lb of bratwurst (usually 4-5 brats per pound). I prefer the following types (you can’t go wrong with any of them):

• Louies Finer Meats: they have a number of great types, but my two favorite are the Packers brats (obviously) and the Jalapeno / Cheddar brats
• Johnsonville Brats: the classic Wisconsin bratwurst straight from Sheboygan
• Usinger’s: an old world Milwaukee favorite, you really can’t go wrong.

2 cans / bottles of beer. Prior to meeting Annie, I used a heavier beer (Miller High Life works great, as does Leinie’s Original or Leinie’s Red) to soak my brats. Now that we use a GF beer, I’ve found that it’s still best to find a ‘heavier’ GF beer like Green’s Quest, a wonderfully ‘hoppy’ – obviously not hoppy, but it gets toward that flavor – blonde beer that provides a nice robust flavor to your brats. You can find most Green’s beers at Whole Foods.

2 large red onions

1 20 oz can of Frank’s Sauerkraut

Gluten free buns


Preparation Instructions
Heat grill to medium. Place all brats on grill and cook until browned on all sides.


In meantime, boil beer (and one can / bottle of water) in a large pot.

After brats are browned on the grill, place in the boiling pot of beer. Chop one large onion and place in the pot of beer with the brats. NOTE: Most people do this process in reverse…i.e. cook the brats in the beer and then grill them. For the first 16 years of my life, that’s the way I cooked these brats. But I learned better…

Boil the brats on medium high for 30-45 minutes. With about 10 minutes left, dump the entire jar of sauerkraut into the pot of beer / brats / onion. Then chop the other onion and sauté in beer and butter until soft and slightly browned.


Serve brats with a heaping serving of sauerkraut and onion and enjoy! Ketchup and spicy mustard are a great addition.

Green Bay Championship Baked Beans (Prep time: 10 minutes)

6 strips of bacon

1 large red onion, chopped

¾ cup ketchup

¼ cup brown sugar

Splash of A-1 or Worcestershire

Dash of BBQ sauce

Dash of Tabasco sauce

¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 large (32 oz) can of baked beans

1 15.5 oz can of kidney beans

1 15.5 oz can of butter lima beans

Preparation Instructions
Brown bacon and onion together, then drain. Mix together other ingredients in 9x14 baking dish, add bacon and onion, and stir. Bake at 350 degrees for an hour or so. Serve immediately.


Go Pack!

Spicy Rubbed Pork Tenderloin and Mexican Quinoa Salad

Thinking...thinking...for the life of me, I couldn't come up with a good story about pork tenderloin and this quinoa salad. No reminiscing about growing up, no funny cooking story...nada. I guess sometimes the food can just speak for itself. This savory pork tenderloin, spiced up with some chili powder to compliment the jalapeno and cumin in the Mexican quinoa salad will keep you warm in the midst of snow-pocalypse 2011! Enjoy!

Pork Ingredients (Prep time: 10 minutes; marinade for 2-3 hours)

2 TBSPs chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 (1 pound) pork tenderloin

2 TBSPs of olive oil

1 cup of store bought or homemade mango salsa (I love Whole Foods version!)

Preparation Instructions

In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, salt, ginger, thyme, and black pepper. Rub spice mix into pork tenderloins. Place meat in a baking dish, cover, and refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat olive oil in a very hot cast iron skillet. Brown both sides of the tenderloin for 4 minutes. Place pan in oven and cook for 30 minutes, or to desired doneness.

Remove from oven and slice pork tenderloin. Top pork with mango salsa.

Quinoa Ingredients (Prep time: 20 minutes)

1 TBSP olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 small jalapeno, finely chopped (I keep a few of the seeds in for heat)

3/4 cup uncooked quinoa

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup frozen corn kernels (thanks Dad!)

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 ripe avocado

Preparation Instructions

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.

Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,

Stir frozen corn and chopped jalapeno into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through.

Mix in the black beans. Top each serving with cilantro and sliced avocado.


Note: the spices in this meal provide a fantastic amount of 'heat'. If you prefer your food a bit less spicy, cut back on chili powder in the pork rub.