Thai Chicken w/Peanut Butter Sauce

2 lbs. boneless chicken, bite-size sliced
1/2 cup GF Tamari
3 TBS Agave (Can use honey)
3 TBS Peanut Butter
1 whole lime, juiced
3-4 garlic cloves, minced (divided)
1 1/2 tsp. Red Chili Sauce
1 tsp. Curry Powder
1 can sliced water chestnuts
4-6 diagonally sliced green onions
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 red pepper, julienned
3 TBS butter or olive oil

Mix together marinade: Tamari, Agave (or honey) lime juice, 2 cloves of garlic, curry, and chili sauce. Slice chicken up and mix with marinade. Place in refrigerator for a couple of hours.

Heat butter in large skillet. Saute mushrooms, red pepper, 1-2 garlic cloves, and water chestnuts for 1-2 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Add chicken and marinade, cooking for about 10 minutes. Add veggies back to pan. Cover and let simmer for a couple more minutes. Top with toasted sesame seeds and or fresh chopped cilantro. Serve over rice. You can add some pea pods or other veggies, if desired. We are in the midst of a snow storm, and this is what I had on hand.

(The photo didn't come out on this one.)

Salad With Honey Mustard Dressing

Combination of romaine lettuce & spinach
1/4 cup sliced sweet onion
handful of pecans or walnuts
handful of feta cheese
handful of pomegranate seeds

Dressing:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1-2 TBS olive oil
1 1/2 TBS honey
1 TBS mustard (yellow, brown, or whatever your preference)
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
dash of garlic powder

Warm honey slightly to make it easier to mix. Whisk mustard, lemon juice, & garlic powder with honey. When creamy, add olive oil a little at a time until desired consistency. Serve over salad.

Another Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

1 cup crunchy or creamy peanut butter (I used half of each)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
Blend baking powder and sugar, then cream together with peanut butter.  Add egg and vanilla.  In a small bowl, pour additional sugar, 2 TBS or so.  Roll dough into balls, then in sugar.  Place on baking pan lined with silicone lining or non-stick foil.  Dip fork tines into sugar and flatten a criss-cross into each cookie ball.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.  Let cool on cookie sheet before removing.
Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Tomato & Asparagus Salad

1 bunch asparagus
2-3 cups grape, pear, or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 avocado, chopped
1 cup basil leaves, cut in ribbons
1/2 cup fresh mozzarella balls quartered, or crumbled goat cheese (optional)
1 TBS pine nuts (optional)

Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. dijon mustard, can use honey mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Steam or microwave asparagus until tender. Rinse with cold water. Cut into 1 1/2-2 inch pieces. Place in bowl with sliced tomatoes, basil, and cheese. Mix dressing and pour over salad. Blend to coat. Gently fold in avocado. Top with pinenuts if desired.

(I first saw a version of this salad at Elana's Place, who adapted it from Cooking Light.)

Chocolate Cake w/raspberry sauce

I was so excited when I pulled this cake out of the oven. It looked like REAL cake. I haven't had great success with gluten free baking, and GFCF is even more of a challenge. I'd like to try this one again, using dairy products. But if you baking without, this worked wonderfully!

1 1/2 cups quinoa flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder (I used dark cocoa, if I'd used regular, I might have added up to 3/4 cup)
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup coconut milk (use regular milk if you aren't dairy free)
1 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup mayonnaise
4 eggs

Mix dry ingredients together. Beat eggs, sugar, and mayonnaise until mixed well. Add vanilla, milk, and flour into dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into greased 9x13 inch cake pan or 2 round cake pans. Spread batter to edges and smooth evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 23-30 minutes. Toothpick inserted in center will come out clean when it is finished and cake will begin to pull away from the edges of the pan. Let cool before icing.

Chocolate Glaze:
1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 cup honey
1-2 TBS hot water
3 TBS dairy free margarine (or butter for dairy lovers)
Add chocolate, honey, and water to melted margarine. Pour or spread over cake. Place cake in refrigerator to set.

Raspberry Sauce:
1 pint of strawberries, + more for garnish
1/4 cup sugar
2 TBS cornstarch
1 cup water
1/2 lime

Mix sugar and cornstarch in a pan. Add water and juice of half a lime. Heat over medium high heat. Add in raspberries and cook, stirring until sauce thickens. Strain through a fine metal seive to remove seeds. Cool in refrigerator until ready to use. Drizzle over cake, top with fresh strawberries and serve. Raspberry sauce can also be used over ice cream, pancakes, etc. Chocolate glaze can also be used as a topping, but thin with more water to make it pour easier.

GFCF French Toast

I did it! I made Ethan gluten free, casein free french toast. Sure it would be great if I'd used homemade bread and all, but so nice to have the convenience of easy to prepare gfcf food. I am not a big fan of rice milk or soy milk, but am loving the new coconut milk found in the dairy case at the grocery store. So with these few ingredients:

We had lovely french toast:



1 egg
1 cup coconut milk
dash of vanilla
dash or two of salt
Gluten free bread-if you're in Colorado, Udi's is the best bread!

Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2-1 tsp. cinnamon
(I didn't need to make any up this morning, so these measurements are approximate.)

Mix the eggs together in a bowl. Add milk, vanilla, & salt. Mix well. Pour into a shallow dish, such as a pie plate. Dip bread in mixture and cook on oiled gridle or pan on Med/high heat. (375 degrees in electric skillet.) Lightly brown each side. This recipe is easily doubled.