Carefreeglutenfree - Carefree Gluten Free

"Laughter is brightest where food is best."

- Irish Proverb

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Recipe from the blog Life as a Lofthouse

The chicken coating:

3-4 boneless chicken breasts

salt + pepper

1 cup cornstarch

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup canola oil

The sweet and sour sauce:

3/4 cup sugar

4 Tbsp ketchup

1/2 cup vinegar

1 Tbsp Gluten Free soy sauce

1 tsp garlic salt

1. Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. 

2. Rinse your chicken breasts in water and then cut into cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat then dip into the eggs.  Heat your 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and cook your chicken until browned but not cooked through.

3. Place the chicken in a 9x13 greased baking dish. Mix all of your sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk and then pour evenly over the chicken. 

4. Bake for one hour and during the baking process you will need to turn the chicken every 15 minutes.  

Granny's Chocolate Cobbler

Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman:

1 cup Gluten Free All-purpose Flour

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

¼ teaspoons Salt

7 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder, Divided

1-¼ cup Sugar, Divided

½ cups Milk

⅓ cups Melted Butter

1-½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract

½ cups Light Brown Sugar, Packed

1-½ cup Hot Tap Water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. First stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, 3 tablespoons of the cocoa, and 3/4 cup of the white sugar. Reserve the remaining cocoa and sugar.

3. Stir in the milk, melted butter, and vanilla to the flour mixture. Mix until smooth.

4. Pour the mixture into an ungreased 8-inch baking dish. I prefer my small oval Corning Ware glass dish.

5. In a separate small bowl, mix the remaining white sugar (it should be 1/2 cup), the brown sugar, and remaining 4 tablespoons of cocoa. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the batter.

6. Pour the hot tap water over all. DO NOT STIR!

7. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the center is set.

8. Let stand for a few minutes if you can hold yourself back. Serve with homemade ice cream using the gooey sauce to spoon over all.

Buttered Herb Pasta

With six, simple ingredients, this quick pasta dish feigns decadency with its rich and luxurious flavor.

Ingredients:

8 oz. Gluten Free spiral pasta, or any pasta of choice

4 Tablespoons non-dairy butter

4 Tablespoons non-dairy Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 Tablespoon fresh finely chopped basil leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)

1 Tablespoon fresh finely chopped parsley leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)

Directions:

1. Cook and drain pasta according to package directions.

2. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter.  Add cheese and spices until well combined.  Add in the pasta and toss to coat well.  Serve.

{Picture via TexturedINK}

Adapted from a recipe by Giada De Laurentiis

2 cups buttermilk 1 pound whitefish or other mild fish, cut into strips, each about 3-inches long and 1/2-inch thick 1 1/4 cups finely grated Parmesan 3/4 cup Gluten Free Italian-style seasoned bread crumbs* 1 teaspoon kosher salt Olive oil, for drizzling 2 cups marinara sauce

1. Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Spray a heavy baking sheet liberally with vegetable oil cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Put the buttermilk into a large bowl. Add the fish strips, stir to coat, and let stand for 15 minutes.

3. In a medium bowl, stir together the Parmesan, bread crumbs and salt. Remove the fish from the buttermilk, allowing the excess to drip back into the bowl, and dredge in the bread crumb mixture to coat completely, pressing to adhere. Arrange the coated fish in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and bake until golden and crispy, about 14 minutes. Cool slightly and arrange on a serving platter.

4. In a small saucepan, heat the marinara sauce over medium-heat until warm. Transfer to a small serving bowl. Serve the marinara alongside the fish sticks as a dipping sauce.

*I used Kinnikinnick's Panco Style Bread Crumbs mixed with 1 tsp. of Italian seasoning.