Here’s a very quick and easy side dish if you like mustard and asparagus. Use either green or white, makes no difference. If your asparagus is more than pencil size, peel it to get rid of the tough skin. I used spicy brown mustard which is my favorite but feel free to use any mustard that your family enjoys. The same with the herbs – I used thyme because it’s my favorite but most herbs would work well in this recipe, either fresh or dried.
First, prepare by peeling and/or removing the woody portion at the bottom:
1 pound asparagus
Place in a steamer and cook until fork tender but still a little crunchy, about 4-7 minutes depending on the size of the asparagus spears.
While the asparagus steams, make the sauce in a medium bowl by whisking together:
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon honey (agave nectar or date syrup would also work)
1 tablespoon mustard
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh herbs or 1/4 teaspoon dried herbs (I used thyme)
Once asparagus is cooked, remove from heat and add to the bowl of sauce, toss to combine. Serve hot or cold. Serves 2.
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.
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.
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.
My grandson and I made this the other night. He ate two helpings! Very simple to make and quite delicious especially if you like chicken and lemon like we do.
First, dry and trim any fat from:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Cut each breast into large chunks then salt and pepper to taste. Heat in a 12″ skillet with high sides over medium high heat:
1 tablespoon olive oil
When shimmering add chicken chunks, brown on every side. Remove to a plate and add to the pan:
1 pound asparagus, washed, trimmed and cut into 2″ pieces
Sauté 2-3 minutes before removing from the pan. Pour off oil in pan to leave about 1 tablespoon. Add:
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 teaspoons lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Sauté just until the coriander becomes fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add:
1 1/4 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons lemon juice
chicken breasts along with any juices on the plate
1/2 can (about 1 cup) drained and mashed chickpeas*
Reduce heat to medium low or low and cook just until the chicken registers 175 degrees or is completely firm to the touch, about 10-15 minutes. Turn the chicken several times while cooking to ensure an even cook. If the sauce is reducing too much, reduce heat to low and/or cover the pan to keep in the remaining sauce. When chicken is cooked, remove to the plate and add the asparagus back into the pan to cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until just tender. Stir the chicken back into the pan. Serve over rice, garnish with fresh parsley or green onions. Makes 4 servings (unless you’ve got someone like my grandson around!).
*If you like the texture of whole chickpeas you can also add the other half can whole when you add the asparagus back into the pan towards the end.
When I first saw the listing for Chicken Canzanese in the chicken bible, I thought it was a Chinese dish but turns out it’s a very old Italian recipe. I’ve resized and revamped it for those of us with allergies. It originally made eight servings so I’ve reduced it to 4. I’ve also changed the white wine in the original to chicken stock plus a touch of rice vinegar and honey. Since I’m used to using dried herbs rather than fresh, I’ve also reflected that change in this recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In an ovenproof skillet (about 10-12 inches), heat over medium high heat:
1 teaspoon olive oil
Add:
1 ounce prosciutto cut into 1/4 inch cubes*
Cook, stirring frequently, until just starting to brown. Add:
3 teaspoons chopped garlic
Cook, stirring often, until garlic just starts to brown. Transfer the prosciutto and garlic to a small bowl. Dry with paper towels:
4-5 chicken thighs, skin on
Dust them with pepper to taste (no salt is necessary in this recipe because of the salt in the prosciutto. Replace the skillet on the heat and add:
1 teaspoon olive oil
the 4-5 chicken thighs, skin side down
Cook until well browned on the first side (about 5 minutes) then turn over and brown on the meat side, reducing heat to medium (about 5 more minutes). Transfer the chicken to a plate. Drain all but 2 tablespoon of the oil from the skillet (the chicken will release quite a bit of fat). Add to the skillet over medium heat:
2 tablespoon all purpose gluten-free flour
Whisk to combine and let the flour cook for about 30 seconds while whisking before adding:
2 cups of chicken stock
drizzle of rice vinegar (about 1/4 teaspoon)
drizzle of honey (about 1/2 teaspoon)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary (depending on your taste)
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
dash (1/8 teaspoon) ground cloves (or add 2 whole cloves – just remember to remove them before serving)
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional depending on your taste)
Whisk to combine and cook until slightly thickened. Add the prosciutto, garlic, and chicken (skin side up) to the skillet, nestling the chicken into the sauce. Bake in preheated oven for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. After about 15 minutes check and see if the sauce is bubbling; if it is reduce oven temperature to 300 and cook until chicken is tender. Sauce should have thickened but if it’s still thin, remove the chicken from the sauce (move to a plate and cover) and cook the sauce on the stovetop for a few minutes until reduced to approximately 1 1/2 cups. Remove from the heat and whisk in:
1 tablespoon vegan margarine
1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
Stir to combine and then pour the sauce around the chicken. Remove the bay leaves (and whole cloves if used) before serving. Serve over rice, mashed potatoes, or polenta.
*Prosciutto can become tough if fried when very thinly sliced so it’s recommended that a 1/4″ piece be used to cut “chunks” for this recipe. However, my deli wasn’t able to provide a “slab” of prosciutto because of shortages now due to the pandemic so I used the thinly sliced prepackaged prosciutto instead. Seemed to work alright but I simply chopped it into larger pieces than 1/4″.
I do love gingerbread but I also love pumpkin. This cake doesn’t have a pronounced pumpkin taste – the ginger overwhelms it so if you want more pumpkin taste, reduce the amount of ginger you add. It’s wonderfully moist and delicious served with a vanilla frozen dessert or a non-dairy whipped cream.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8×8 square or round pan (to take the entire cake out of the pan to serve, cover the baking pan with parchment paper and then grease). In a small bowl combine:
1 tablespoon ground flax
3 tablespoons aquafaba*
*Add 1 teaspoon aquafaba powder to 3 tablespoons hot water. Don’t have aquafaba powder or a can of chickpeas handy? Substitute 1 tablespoon vinegar and 2 tablespoons hot water. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes or until a flax gel forms. In a medium sized bowl (at least 3 cups) combine:
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup unsulfured molasses
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup hot (the hotter the better) water
Mix until the molasses and honey are fairly thin. In another medium size bowl (at least 6 cups) sift together:
1 cup sorghum flour
3/4 cup tapioca flour or arrowroot
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice (or nutmeg)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix thoroughly. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool slightly before cutting.
Never one of my favorite foods, graham crackers are generally made with lots of brown sugar, whole wheat flour, and an egg or two. Here’s a recipe for graham crackers that I actually really like. In fact, I made them this afternoon for a recipe I’m going to make tomorrow which calls for graham crackers (Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites). That is, I’ll make it tomorrow if there are any left! These are so tasty, you might want to make a double batch if you need some for another recipe like I do. Maybe I’ll also make some marshmallow and post up a recipe for smores, that is if there are any leftovers.
Preheat over to 350 degrees.
In a food processor, combine:
1 1/4 cup brown rice flour
2 tablespoons corn starch (or tapioca or potato starch, or arrowroot)
1/3 cup date sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pulse to combine and break up any clumps in the date sugar. Add:
Pulse to combine until the dough resembles little peas. Add:
1/3 cup non-dairy milk (I used oat but any will work)
3 tablespoons honey (put a little oil on the measure so the honey will slide right out)*
Again pulse until the dough comes away from the sides of the processor bowl. If the dough is too thin, add more flour(I used about 1/4 cup more brown rice flour) until the dough is no longer sticky and comes away from the bowl. Place a 14×16″ piece of parchment (more or less) on the counter and dump the dough onto the parchment. Form into a rectangle as much as possible. Top with a second piece of 14×16″ parchment and using a rolling pin, roll out the dough until it’s almost the size of the parchment and about 1/8″ thick. Slide the parchment onto a baking sheet (an extra large cookie sheet without sides works best) and refrigerate the dough for up to a half hour. Remove from refrigerator and remove the top piece of parchment. Using a knife, pizza cutter, or pastry wheel, cut the dough into pieces either rectangular or square (mine were about 3×3″). Pierce each piece with a fork like you would a pie crust. Bake for 9-11 minutes and then turn the pan and bake for an additional 9-11 minutes or until the edges of the crackers are brown and the center is a golden brown. Cool completely before eating. The crackers should separate easily (mine actually mostly separated during baking). Delicious! Store in an airtight container (if there are any left to store) or in the freezer for long-term storage (haha, not in this household!). Makes approximately 16 crackers depending on size cut.
*By a little, I mean put a drop on your finger and rub it in the measuring spoon. It doesn’t take much.
HINTS: 1 teaspoon of cinnamon or allspice could be added
1/4 cup carob or cocoa could be substituted for some of the flour
I often buy a rotisserie chicken, it’s a quick and easy meal. I’m careful of course, all rotisserie chickens are not equal. I read the ingredients until I found one that had no soy, canola, or corn oil. But since I live alone, this chicken always has lots of meat left over. I do so love chicken salad but even that can get boring when always made the same. I’ve added curry powder and made curried chicken salad which is delicious but I recently tried using a sweet and sour dressing, much like one used for coleslaw. Delicious, very easy and tasty at the end of summer when we’re getting tired of the same old salads.
I like to pulse my cooked chicken in my food processor to produce a slightly chunky chicken. Don’t take it to the extent of puree, just a fairly rough chop, almost like cooked ground chicken meat. For 4 servings, dice or pulse:
2 cooked chicken breasts, of medium size
Remove from food processor or cutting board into a bowl. Dice or pulse:
4-5 stalks celery, cleaned and quartered
4-5 scallions, cleaned and quartered
1/2 cup shredded carrots (or diced carrots)
Add to the chicken meat. I also add:
1/2 cup cooked baby peas
Mix these ingredients together. In a separate smaller bowl make the dressing using:
Whisk the dressing to combine and then add to the meat mixture. Mix well, chill and serve over a bed of mixed greens. Tomatoes and avocado on the side are a nice addition to this meal. I’ll often also garnish my chicken salad with pumpkin seeds or mix into the salad sesame or poppy seeds.
I’m reposting this recipe that I original developed in 2020 because I have some additional tips for you about it that I thought made it so much more scrumptious. Many of us can’t (and shouldn’t) eat corn. I know because I’m one. But I grew up eating corn and I do so love it. Especially when it’s corn season, like it is right now. I happened to get to the market this morning right after they’d put out a fresh batch of local corn.
If you don’t know when corn is fresh, here’s what to look for: check that the tassels are still moist or at least still have some green to them and are not turned completely brown and that the stem end is still green. If the stem end is brown, the corn is old and will have lost much of it’s flavor. Also don’t husk the corn until you’re ready to put it in the pot! A definite no no. And always steam corn, it should never be boiled.
My mother was a great admirer of Craig Claiborne, the food critic for the New York Times in the 1970s. When he published a cookbook, she had to have it. About a week later, she found a recipe in it for corn in which he said corn should be boiled. She slammed the book shut, said the man was an idiot and never read anything else he ever wrote.
Having grown up on a farm where my father wouldn’t eat corn unless he went out and picked it, husked it and brought it to my mother who had the steamer all set to cook it. And the bushels of corn that we’d blanch and cut off the cobs in September to freeze for the winter. My, it was a two-day affair.
So please, another tip, never reheat or cook corn in water. If you have frozen corn off the cob, it should be simmered in milk (such as oat milk) and some fat (of course my mother always used butter!). Corn has a milky base, not a watery one so cooking it in milk enhances the flavor.
So, today, even though I knew better, I added corn to this recipe. And of my goodness, it was so delicious and I suffered so desperately all afternoon after I ate it but the enjoyment and flavor was worth the few bad hours afterwards. Here’s the amended recipe, feel free to omit the corn if you can’t eat it.
You’ll need:
4 chicken thighs (I tried using a breast and it was tough)
1 cup salsa – use whatever salsa your family prefers, mild, medium, hot or spicy, doesn’t matter
Approximately 3/4 cup of freshly cooked corn cut from the cob (I used only 1 ear)
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon garam masala or coriander
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce [optional]
1/2 teaspoon salt or herbamare
Spray a 9×9″ pan with cooking spray. Mix the salsa, honey and spices together (I use a small whisk) and put a thin layer on the bottom of the pan. Arrange the thighs on top and then spread the remaining salsa mix on each thigh. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30-45 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken thighs.
It’s that easy! You can serve it with brown rice to sop up all the wonderful flavors of the salsa.
PS: I gave the rest of the corn to my grandson so I wouldn’t be tempted to eat it myself!
cookingwithoutallergens 