Crispy Sticky Asian Chicken Wings

Like ribs, wings are high on my favorite foods list. I usually just bake them and barbecue sauce them (see recipe under Appetizers and Snacks) but I wanted to do something a little different today so I found three or four recipes for Asian wings and took what I liked from each to get you this divinely mouth-watering succulent wing recipe. In fact, I enjoyed them so much I went to the store and bought another package of wings just so that I could make them again! If you want to make them a meal, serve with cooked rice and some sauteed bok choy (see recipe under side dishes).

First, if your wings are whole, cut off the mini pointed section (the wing tips) and then cut the wing between the mini wing and the drumette. Throw the wing tips in the garbage and the other two parts into a gallon food storage bag. You should have about 2 pounds of wings.

Second, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a medium size baking sheet by spraying it with non-stick spray. Next, add to the bag:

1 tablespoon all-purpose gluten-free flour

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon paprika (more or less depending on your taste)

Seal the bag and shake to coat the wing sections. Place each piece on the prepared baking sheet. Best to make sure they don’t touch. Bake for 30-40 minutes. While the wings bake, prepare the sauce. Mix together in a small saucepan:

1 teaspoon avocado oil

1 teaspoon ginger juice (don’t have ginger juice? Peel and finely mince a thumb size piece of ginger)

1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons chili sauce (depending on the heat level you want in your wings)*

2 tablespoons honey

2-4 tablespoons date sugar, depending on how sweet and sticky you want them

1/3 cup soy sauce substitute

1/2 tablespoon minced garlic

Whisk together and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes until slightly reduced. Remove from heat and set aside.

When the wings are cooked, remove from the pan to a medium size bowl and pour over the sauce.** Mix together with a serving fork or large kitchen spoon. Add:

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Move to a plate and garnish with:

1/2 cup sliced scallion greens

Serve hot.

*I used 2 teaspoons and it was quite spicy but not overly hot, just the way I like it. And the addition of the sesame seeds and scallions help cool the wings a little.

**I used only half the sauce for my 1 1/2 pounds of wings.

Chicken Shepherd’s Pie

I know, you don’t have to say it! Another chicken recipe. This one can be fairly quick and easy. It’s a chicken stew with mashed potatoes (or in my case, mashed celery root and parsnips) on top with a few French-fried onions on top, baked for an hour (less if the stew is already hot). Again, like many of my recipes, feel free to use whatever vegetables you have on hand that your family prefers.

Grease or spray a casserole dish large enough to hold the stew and toppings. This will depend on the amount you need for your family, for me, I made a 4-serving size so used a 2-quart casserole dish. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a skillet over medium heat, add:

2 tablespoons olive oil

When shimmering hot add:

12 ounces of chicken breast, cut into bite-size chunks

Salt and pepper to taste

Brown the chicken turning after about 2 minutes to brown on the other side(s). When chicken is fully browned, but not necessarily fully cooked, remove from the skillet and add to the skillet:

1/2 medium onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1/2 cup carrot slices

1/2 cup green beans

1/2 cup peas

1 teaspoon dried thyme (or parsley, or herb of choice [I really like sage in my chicken dishes]).

Sauté, stirring frequently, until onions are transparent, reduce the heat and cover for 5 minutes or until the green beans and carrots are tender. Remove the vegetables from the pan. Whisk into the remaining fat:

2 tablespoons gluten-free all-purpose flour or enough to absorb all the fat in the pan

Cook the flour for several minutes and then add:

3/4 cup chicken stock

3/4 cup non-dairy milk (anything EXCEPT soy)

Whisk to combine with the flour and get out the lumps and then stir frequently until gravy comes to a bowl and thickens. If it’s too thick, add a little more stock or milk. If it’s too thin, make a slurry of another tablespoon of flour and a little milk and add to the gravy.

Mix in the chicken and vegetables. Top the casserole with:

2 cups mashed potato (or 2 cups celery root puree (see recipe under side dishes)

Sprinkle the top with French-fried onions or paprika. Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 30-60 minutes depending on if you bake it immediately or put it together to bake later as I did.

Chickpea Frozen Dessert

I love chickpea brownies and carob chip cookies but it never occurred to me to use them in a frozen “ice cream” until I saw a recipe on Pinterest. I’ve had to adapt it slightly to omit the nut butter and chocolate but it is very delicious, lusciously smooth and creamy. I added some carob powder but flavor it any way you like – some strong coffee in place of half the non-dairy milk, carob chips, or using various seed or nut butters will add various flavors. Also, using various extracts or oils could add different flavors, instead of vanilla extract, use some mint, orange, lemon, or even butterscotch flavored extracts.

In the bowl of a blender place:

1 15 ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained

1/2 cup dates (I used chopped but if using whole dates, be sure to soak them if they’re dried so that they will break down in the blender)

1/4 cup seed butter – tahini, pumpkin seed, sunflower seed, etc.

1/3 cup protein powder (any kind or flavor)

1/4 cup carob powder

1 cup non-dairy milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Blend until the dates are broken down and the mixture is smooth. If one is available, put mixture into an ice cream freezer for 30-40 minutes and then transfer to individual serving dishes to freeze or eat immediately. If an ice cream freezer isn’t available, transfer to individual serving dishes and freeze for 1-2 hours or until you want to eat it!

Easy Creamy Chicken Pasta Casserole

I do love chicken and I especially like creamed chicken. I find it a very satisfying dish, probably because of the combination of cream sauce, vegetables, and tender chicken. This recipe can be made with any type of pasta you like – from lentil spirals to egg noodles, spaghetti or heart of palm linguini like I used.

Grease an 8 cup (10x8x5″minimum) casserole dish and set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a high-sided pan, over medium heat:

2 tablespoons olive oil

When hot (shimmering) add:

3 medium shallots, sliced

4-6 ounces of mushrooms, sliced (any type will work, I used shitake)

Salt, garlic powder and pepper to taste (about 2 shakes of salt and garlic powder and one dash of pepper)

Cook until mushrooms begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add:

8 ounces of boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1″ pieces (approximately)

Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste (as above)

Cook, stirring frequently until chicken is well browned, about 3 minutes. Stir into the pan:

1 tablespoon all-purpose, gluten-free flour

If there is still oil showing, add a little more so that all the oil is absorbed. Cook stirring for about 1 minute to cook the flour taste out of the mixture. Add:

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup non-dairy milk (any EXCEPT soy)

Stir constantly until the sauce thickens and the chicken is cooked through, depending on how cold the liquids are, 3-6 minutes. Add:

1/2 cup frozen peas

2 cups cooked pasta

1/2 cup grated non-dairy parmesan cheese*

When peas are heated through, transfer mixture to the casserole dish. Sprinkle top with mixture of:

1/4 cup gluten-free bread crumbs

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons grated non-dairy parmesan cheese

Be sure to mix the oil and bread crumbs together before adding to the top of the casserole. Bake uncovered 20 minutes or until topping is browned (broil for 2-3 minutes if preferred). Serves 4.

*Any non-dairy cheese that your family enjoys will work in the recipe such as provolone or cheddar.

White Pizza with Chicken and Asparagus

This recipe requires a few steps but is easy enough to make just not a quick. But the flavor of the white sauce (same one we made for the ratatouille lasagna) combined with the sauteed chicken breast and asparagus is so divine that the effort is worth the end result!

First, make the pizza dough by combining in a medium bowl:

1 1/2 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

Stir to combine. In a small bowl whisk:

1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

1 tablespoon honey (or agave, etc.)

1 cup warm water (about 105 degrees, should feel neutral on your wrist)

Let the yeast mixture sit for 5-15 minutes. It should become foamy and smell yeasty. If this doesn’t happen, begin again because your dough won’t rise. When it’s ready add:

1/4 cup olive oil

Whisk to combine and pour over the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly. This dough will be quite loose like a thick cake mixture. Cover and set aside to rise for about 1 hour.

While the crust dough is resting, heat over medium heat in a 10″ skillet:

1 tablespoon olive oil

When shimmering add:

1 medium size chicken breast (4-5 ounces), thinly sliced

Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

Cook the chicken breast about a minute per side depending on how thinly it’s sliced. Remove from skillet to a plate and add to the skillet:

1 medium red onion sliced and halved

1 pound asparagus, washed, trimmed, and cut into 1″ pieces

Reduce heat to medium, stirring often, cook until onions and asparagus are softened but not thoroughly cooked.

Now make the sauce by combining in a medium (2 quart) saucepan:

1 1/2 cup non-dairy milk (any milk EXCEPT soy)

Slurry made with 3 tablespoons gluten-free all-purpose flour mixed with 1/2 non-dairy milk

Whisk to combine before adding:

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1/8 (a dash) nutmeg or allspice

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Heat over medium heat, whisking often. When you see the milk is getting hot, whisk constantly as the sauce thickens. Let cook several minutes over low heat to be sure the flour is cooked. Stir in:

4 ounces shredded parmesan cheese, about 1 cup (or other cheese you prefer)

Stir to combine. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. When dough has risen, grease a large cookie sheet and pour the crust dough onto the sheet. Using wet hands or a scrapper/spatula, spread evenly over the cookie sheet getting it as thin as possible. Because this dough is more the consistency of a cake batter than a pizza dough, it cooks up like a cake batter and will get light and fluffy so get it as thin as possible. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes before baking the crust 8-10 minutes until set.

Spread the crust with the white sauce. Arrange the chicken, asparagus pieces and onion on top of the pizza crust on top of the sauce. If like me, you like more sauce, you can add more on top of the chicken and asparagus. Bake for another 12-15 minutes until the sauce is bubbly and the crust is browned along the edges.

Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Lemon Chicken Soup with Vegetables

Chicken is one of my staple proteins. I had some chicken breasts in my fridge that needed to be used but I didn’t have time today to do a lot with it. Chicken soup I thought! Quick, easy, not too much work. Then I thought about the lemon beurre blanc sauce I made a few nights ago to go with some fish and thought I love chicken and lemon. It won’t be too hard to put them together. This soup is the outcome of that thought process. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

First, heat a small Dutch oven over medium high heat. When it gets hot, add:

1 tablespoon olive oil

When the oil is shimmering add:

1 small onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1/2 cup shredded carrots

3-4 ounces sliced mushrooms (any kind you like)

Stir to combine and let cook reducing heat to medium until the vegetables begin to soften. Add:

6-8 ounces white meat chicken, cut into bite size pieces

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Stir so the chicken goes to the bottom of the pot, or as much as possible. When chicken is browned, add:

2 teaspoons minced garlic

approximately 1 tablespoon lemon zest (zest of one large lemon)

3 cups chicken stock

8 ounces of small pasta like elbows (I used green lentil safari)

8 ounces whole chickpeas

Stir to combine, cover, reduce heat to medium low so that the stock is on a low boil to cook the chicken and pasta, about 12-15 minutes. While it’s cooking combine in a small bowl (2 cups):

1/4 cup lemon juice (juice from one large lemon)

1/2 cup oat milk

2-3 tablespoons gluten-free all-purpose flour

Whisk to combine the flour. When the pasta and chicken are cooked, add:

1/2 to 1 cup frozen peas

Cook for 3-5 minutes longer to cook the peas before adding the milk mixture. If necessary pour the milk mixture through a small sieve to keep any flour lumps out of the soup. Stir the soup to mix in the flour and continue stirring for 2-3 minutes while the stock thickens and the flour cooks. Stir in:

2 tablespoons honey

Salt and pepper to taste

Serves 4.

Of course you can add any vegetables your family likes. Asparagus would work very well in this soup as it goes great with lemon. And rice would work as well as pasta depending on taste.

Carob Pudding

This is a very quick and easy pudding to make and tastes creamy and rich just like one made with milk and cream. I garnished mine with roasted pumpkin seeds but if you can have one of the plant based whipped creams, that would work even better.

Put in a medium saucepan (2 quart):

2 cups oat milk (any milk EXCEPT soy would work)

about 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup carob powder

1/4 cup agave nectar (or 1/3 cup honey or date syrup)

Whisk until well blended. Place over medium high heat. In a small bowl whisk:

1/2 cup oat milk

3 tablespoons arrowroot or tapioca flour

When the carob mixture begins to steam showing that it’s getting hot, pour in the arrowroot mixture and begin whisking the pudding as it will thicken quickly once the mixture comes just to a boil. Continue whisking until it thickens. Remove from heat and add:

1/4 cup carob chips (Optional but makes for a richer pudding)

1 tablespoon vegan butter or margarine

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk until smooth. Pour into ramekins and cool. Cover with small amounts of plastic wrap to keep the pudding from forming a skin (I actually like the skin the best so I don’t mind it). Makes 4-6 servings depending on the size of your ramekins (or old-fashioned pudding bowls!).

Bowser Cookies

Humans aren’t the only ones with food allergies and sensitivities – our pets can also deal with these issues. A good friend of mine always made the food and treats for her pets and this is one of her recipes that I’ve adapted to fit those dogs with gluten sensitivity. It’s my experience that most dogs love peanut butter and carob so I’ve incorporated those ingredients as well but if your dog can’t have peanut butter try using pumpkin or sunflower seed butter instead.

My son and his family went on a short vacation this last week and I’ve been dog sitting for their springer spaniel. He gobbles up these cookies, probably would eat all 20 that the dough made if I’d let him! His dog walker took several home to her 2 dogs who also loved them.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a large baking sheet. In a medium to large mixing bowl add:

1 1/2 cups white rice flour

1 cup sweet potato flour*

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar (I used date sugar)

2/3 cup peanut or seed butter

In a small bowl mix together:

1/2 cup pumpkin seed protein (or pea protein would work well)

1/2 cup cold water

Add to the dry ingredients along with:

1 cup chicken or beef stock

Mix until completely combined, mixture may be a little sticky, if so add a little more flour. If you have a biscuit cookie cutter, feel free to roll out the dough and cut into biscuit shapes. I didn’t have one so I used my 1/4 cup scoop to form cookies and then flattened them. Cook 45-60 minutes, or until completely firm. Cooking time will depend on the size of your cookies. I cooked mine for about 40 minutes and they turned out still soft in the middle.

*Amazon has a wide variety of sweet potato flours available.

Store in an air-tight container.

Pear Muffins

Most gluten-free muffins (and breads) are very gummy, overly moist. These are not! They have a very soft crumb but are not crumbly or overly dry. By finely dicing an Asian pear, these have a great crunch along with the spices. Just delicious! And fairly quick and easy to put together and bake (about 30 minutes altogether). Of course, apple can be used instead of pear.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or grease a 12-muffin pan and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine:

1/4 cup avocado oil (or other mild oil)

1/2 cup gluten-free oat milk (or other non-dairy milk)

4 tablespoons pear sauce (1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 tablespoons date sugar (1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon)

3/4 cup finely diced Asian pear (1 small)

Stir to combine before adding:

1 1/2 cup gluten-free flour blend (one with guar or xanthan gum already in it)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Mix thoroughly until combined. Spoon into muffin cups (about 2/3 full), sprinkle with date sugar if desired and bake for 15-18 minutes until skewer comes out clean.

Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies

It’s that time of year again! Time to pull out the gingerbread recipes along with all the pumpkin and spices. Here’s a very easy ginger cookie recipe that takes very little time to throw together and only 10 minutes to bake so in a mere 20 minutes you’ve got cookies – just as quickly as any tube of cookie dough you buy in the grocery store. And oh so delicious!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a large baking sheet by covering with parchment paper. In a medium mixing bowl combine:

1 tablespoon ground flax

3 tablespoons warm water

Stir to combine and let sit for a minute or two until a gel forms. Add:

1/2 cup pepita butter (or sunflower butter, tahini, etc.)

1/3 cup date sugar

2 tablespoons molasses

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Using a hand mixer, mix until fully combined. Add:

3 tablespoons all-purpose gluten-free flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon allspice

Using a spoon, mix in the dry ingredients. This is too thick for the hand mixer. When combined, using a small cookie scoop, place scoops on the prepared baking sheet and flatten. Makes about 15 cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on cooling rack.