Mixed Up Caprese Salad

This recipe comes from Kalyn's Kitchen, as usual, with a few minor changes.

1 cup mozzarella pearls
1 can black olives, I like the small ones or you can cut them in half
2-3 large tomatoes, chopped (please don't refrigerate tomatoes, they lose a LOT of flavor)
1/2 cup fresh basil ribbons
1/2 cup Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing (I'll post the dressing recipe later.)
2 TBS grated parmesan cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste

Mix all together and enjoy!

Boneless Lemon Pepper Chicken

I like cooking boneless chicken on the grill, especially when I don't have to marinate ahead of time.

4-6 boneless chicken breasts

2 TBS melted butter or olive oil

1-2 tsp. garlic salt*

1-2 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning*

Brush both sides of chicken with oil or butter. Sprinkle both sides with seasonings. Cook over hot grill, 3-5 minutes per side, depending on thickness of chicken and no longer pink inside.

*Gluten free, if desired.

Spaghetti Squash w/veggies

(This photo didn't come out well. It was taken the day after when having leftovers.)

1 spaghetti squash
1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 small can sliced black olives
4 oz. sliced mushrooms
1-2 minced garlic cloves
2 TBS fresh basil
2 TBS olive oil

There are a couple of ways to prepare the squash. Pierce skin and microwave whole until easy to peirce with a fork or knife. (Note, skin is tough, so the outside doesn't soften a lot, but inside is soft.) Remove seeds. Then using a fork, remove strands of squash. Or bake in oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or so. You can also cut in half before cooking and remove seeds prior to cooking. Bake cut side down. In microwave, I add a cup of water to the dish, in oven, spray pan with non-stick spray before baking.

While squash is cooking, chop vegetables. Heat oil in skillet. Saute onion & garlic for about a minute. Add mushrooms and continue cooking until tender. Stir in the tomatoes & basil, stirring gently until warmed-you don't need to cook the tomatoes.

Place squash in bowl. Add vegetables, olives, & feta. Salt & pepper if desired, and serve.

Monday Menu GF

Sunday: Grilled London Broil, Spaghetti Squash & Vegetables, Half-baked Potatoes, Fruit
Monday: Grilled Chicken, Tomato & Mozzarella salad, Fresh Green Beans
Tuesday: Pork Fried Rice, Asian Salad w/Honey Ginger Dressing, Cherries & Grapes
Wednesday: Honey glazed chicken, Asparagus Salad (or zucchini,) Potato Wedges
Thursday: Shredded Beef Tacos w/Fixings, Refried Beans, Watermelon
Friday: Ham steaks, Grilled Pineapple, Cold Rice Salad
4th of July: Something festive, lol. (Means I haven't decided yet.)

Recipes will be forthcoming

Monday Menu

I'm a bit behind, so am posting my menu from last week-all gluten free, of course.

Father's Day: Grilled Steaks, Baked Potatoes, Corn-on-the-cob, Fruit Salad, Green Salad
Grilled Pork, Refried Beans, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Salad w/avocado & tomato
Beef Taco Salad, Chili Con Queso, Fresh Fruit
Frankfurter Goulash (adjusted the recipe to make it GF!) Spicy Green Beans, Salad
Grilled Tilapia w/mango salsa, Cold Rice Salad
Chicken Taco Soup w/Chips & Salsa

Cold Rice Salad

Salad Ingredients:
1 cup rice
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup grated carrots
1/4 cup diced onion
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Dressing:
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. fresh ground pepper
pinch of dill (optional)
1/3 cup vegetable or olive oil

Cook rice, chill. (Can mix it up right away, but this salad is served cold, not hot.) Chopped vegetbles and fold into rice. Mix salad dressing. Pour over rice and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Kitchen Tip Tuesday

If you've ever had a child choke on celery because of the strings, you'll enjoy this tip. Sometimes the outer stalks on celery are tough to chew. To make it more delicate and easy for a young child to eat, here is a simple way to remove them.

Using a sharp knife, cut into the back of edge of the stalk.

Pull back on the piece, revealing the strings.

Continue pulling to remove them completely. Sometimes it is necessary to go completely around the top edge of the stalk to get them all.

You end up with a pretty edge and a soft-to-chew celery stick.

For more Kitchen Tips, visit Tammy's Kitchen Tips.

GF Orange Chicken

Sorry the photo is blurry-I was hungry!

2-3 lbs. boneless chicken (thighs or breasts work well)
2 eggs, beaten
4-6 green onions, sliced
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch piece of ginger,peeled & grated
1 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup rice flour, or other gf flour
1/2-2/3 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper
Vegetable oil or olive oil
1 tsp. grated orange peel/zest (optional)

Sauce:
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup gf soy or tamari sauce
1 TBS cornstarch mixed in 1/4 cup water

Wash and dry chicken. Cut into bite-sized pieces, place in bowl or bag. Add beaten eggs, coating chicken. In a separate bowl or bag, mix cornstarch, gf flour, salt & pepper. Heat oil in wok or electric skillet, about 1 inch deep. Place chicken in cornstarch mixture and fry chicken in hot oil. Don't crowd the pan, but cook in small batches until light golden color. Drain on paper towels and continue until all of the chicken is browned.

Pour oil out, reserving about 1 TBS. Saute green onion, garlic, & ginger in oil for a minute or until soft and fragrant. Add red chilies. Stir sauce ingredients, then add to pan. Heat until slightly thickend. Add chicken and gently stir until evenly coated in sauce. Top with grated orange peel if desired.

Serve over rice.

Snack Bars

I've been making these a lot, since I found some gluten-free cereal. It isn't easy finding sweets that are gluten free.

6 cups miniature marshmallows

8 1/2 cups peanut butter & chocolate gf cereal (Any combination of cereals can be used. This batch was made with the Envirokidz Leapin Lemur chocolate pb and the Peanut Butter Panda Puffs by Nature's Path.)

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1/4 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup gf chocolate chips

Use butter or spray to coat inside of 9x13 inch dish. Melt Margarine in a large pan over medium low heat. (Or can be microwaved.) Add in peanut butter, chocolate chips and heat until melted. Add in marshmallows, stirring constantly. Once everything is melted quickly stir in cereal, mixing until all is coated. Pour into greased pan and spread out smooth. Wait a few minutes before cutting.

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

I adjusted this recipe from one I found online. This was my first attempt to bake gluten-free cookies. These contain no flour whatsoever and are a different texture than regular peanut butter cookies. But they are cookies.

2 cups crunchy peanut butter
2 cups white sugar

4 beaten eggs

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla (make sure it is gluten-free)

2 cups chocolate chips (I made half without)

Mix peanut butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. When fairly smooth, mix in chocolate chips. Dough will look and feel glossier than regular dough.

Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or so. Remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes before removing to cooling rack.

The batch without the chocolate chips was chewier and they flattened out more. But nobody turned them down.

Monday Menu

This isn't really a Monday Menu, but I had to give it a title. These are a few of the meals I've made this past week. I needed to write them down so I don't forget. I need all of the help with gf meals I can.

Chicken w/bacon & cheddar cheese, PW's Fluffy Potatoes, Roasted Asparagus
Baked Tilapia, corn-on-the-cob, green salad, fruit salad
Spicy Honey Glazed Chicken Salad w/mango & avocadoes,(link was on Heth's page) watermelon salad w/blueberries, black beans & rice salad
Glazed Pork Loin, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Fresh Sliced Pineapple, Salad w/citrus dressing

Chicken & Bacon, yum!

I made Pioneer Woman's Ranch Style Chicken since it was gluten free. It was good, but the picture I took didn't come out near as lovely as hers did. But I'm needing to write down the gluten free meals I've been making before I forget. I need all of the help I can.

Anyone who knows me, understands that I don't follow recipes well. (Or should I say at all?) So here is her recipe the way I made it.

8 thin-sliced, boneless chicken breasts
1 lb. bacon
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup dijon mustard
2 TBS lemon juice
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. salt
Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Mix honey, mustard, lemon juice, paprika & salt together. Add chicken and marinate in refrigerator.

Cook bacon in skillet. (I like an electric skillet to control heat and the pan is big enough to cook a lot at a time.) Remove and place bacon between paper towels to remove grease and keep crisp. Pour off all but about 1/2 cup bacon grease.

Drain marinade from chicken. Heat bacon grease (375 in electric skillet) and brown chicken. Place chicken on a foil lined cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove from oven, add bacon strips and cheddar cheese to top of each breast. Return to oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

I did make PW's Fluffy Potatoes to go with this, but will do them differently next time. (That is another post.)