Thursday, October 17, 2013

Gluten Free Amylose Free Quinoa Buffalo Chicken

It was so good I forgot to take a picture before I started eating it... so here's a cute buffalo (was going to be a cute chicken but then I felt bad because I ate the chicken.)  Anyways.  I've been craving buffalo wings, but of course, I can't have them.  So I kinda invented this recipe (I couldn't find any quinoa chicken breading, but I probably wasn't looking hard enough.)  So here you go!

Again, another pre-warning, I follow the Shoemaker No Amylose diet, so it may be different for you all, just be cautious and follow your diet like a good person.

Homemade Buffalo Sauce (Better Than Store Bought)
Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
Directions:
Melt the butter either in a sauce pan or microwave.  Once butter is melted, whisk in hot sauce, vinegar, and garlic powder.  Once combined, set off to the side.  (Mix again before serving.)

Quinoa Chicken Breading
Ingredients:
  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 1/2 tablespoon salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
Directions:
In a very lightly oiled skillet pour 1 cup of quinoa in and heat.  Toast the quinoa on medium heat for about 5-7 minutes.  The quinoa makes cute little popping noises when they are toasting.  Make sure they don't burn.  Once toasted, put in a blender or food processor and blend until they form a fine powder.

In a medium bowl, mix quinoa flour-ness with the salt, pepper, paprika and garlic.  Now it's ready for breadin'.

Buffalo Fried Chicken
Ingredients:
  • 2 boneless chicken breasts
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup of quinoa chicken breading
  • cooking oil
  • 3/4 cup of homemade buffalo sauce
  • crumbled bleu cheese
Directions
In one medium bowl, mix 2 eggs together.  In another medium bowl, have the chicken breading.  I'm not a fan of thick chicken, so I beat out my chicken, but that step is up for you.  Take beaten or non-abused chicken and dip in egg, then into the breading mixture.  After the chicken is dipped and breaded, I like to bread it again, so repeat the above step.  (You don't have to if you don't want to.)  Once breaded the number of times you enjoy, set chicken on wax paper and place in the fridge.  The longer the chicken stays in the fridge the more the breading will stick when it's fried.

In a pan, bring oil up to a boiling level.  Fry chicken until nice crispy and brown AND ISN'T RAW.  Plate chicken, and pour on desired amount of homemade buffalo sauce on each chicken.  Top with some sprinklings of bleu cheese, and voila! Done!

Friday, October 11, 2013

No Amylose, Gluten Free Quinoa Pizza!!!

I crave pizza so much, but on a no amylose diet, basically I'm screwed.  Until now!  This was soooo good, I actually think I liked this crust better than regular pizza crust, believe or not.  This is also gluten free, dairy free (the crust, not the cheese), and no sugar.  It's so good, I can't say that enough?  The cool thing about this too, is how quick it is made too.



Ingredients (makes 3 small personal sized pizzas)

  • 3/4 cup quinoa (let soak in cool water for at least 3 hours)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 tablespoon of minced garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning mix (I used oregano, basil, rosemary, and thyme)
Directions

Preheat the oven at 450 degrees F.  Drain and rinse quinoa.  Add all ingredients to a blender, and blend until it is a smooth thick liquid.  Pour mixture on top a greased baking sheet into desired amounts for each crust.  (If you want to make one large pizza go for it!)  Smooth mixture into desired thickness and size.

Put baking sheet and crust(s) into the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes.  Watch for the edges to turn golden brown.  Flip the crust(s) over and bake for an additional 5 minutes.  Again, watch for the golden brown.  Remove crust(s) from the oven.

Decorate your pizza crust as desired!  I used pizza sauce (which didn't have any added sugar or starches), mozzarella cheese and fresh veggies.  Once decorated all pizza like, throw (okay don't throw, gently replace) your pizza back into the oven and wait for cheese to melt.  This should only take a couple minutes, just keep a close eye so you don't burn it.  Once cheese is melted, all done!

No Amylose Taco Casserole

There seems to be a back and forth on what you can have with a no amylose diet, but I've been following Dr. Shoemaker's diet, and this recipe follows that diet.  Amylose free diets are good for Lymies, also good for those struggling with neuro-toxins and insulin resistance (both me!)  I make this whenever I am craving Taco Bell or something similar.  I could not find any taco seasoning at the store that does not have added sugar or starches so I made my own, which is also included in this recipe.



Taco Seasoning
    Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon chili pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
    Directions

In a mixing bowl, mix together all ingredients and store in an airtight container until ready to use.


Taco Casserole (serves 4)
    Ingredients

  • 1 package of ground beef (the more lean the better)
  • 1 can of mild chili beans (I could only find one without added sugar, it was store brand)
  • 1 can of refried beans 
  • 1 pack or 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon of verde taco sauce
  • 1 jar of salsa
  • lettuce
  • tomato
  • onions
  • sour cream
  • cheddar cheese
  • queso cheese
  • 3/4 cup of water
  • Corn tortillas (optional - some amylose diets allow, some do not.  I avoid corn products).
    Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a skillet, cook ground beef on medium until brown.  Add a teaspoon of water and drain water and fat.  (The extra teaspoon of water actually draws more of the fat away from the beef.)  Add 3/4 cup of water and taco seasoning, stir in, let simmer until thickens.

Open can of chili beans and drain as much as possible.  In a medium bowl add cooked beef, verde taco sauce, chili beans, half jar of salsa and half a can of refried beans.  Mix until well blended.

In a casserole dish spread a small layer of the beef mix, top with crumbled corn tortillas.  Add a layer of refried beans, then beef mix, and refried beans again.  Top with desired amount of cheddar cheese and queso cheese.  Place in the over at 350 degrees for 7 minutes, or until cheese has melted.

Top with lettuce, tomato, onions, sour cream, and other desired toppings and serve!