Turkey Pot Pie

A few years ago, we were invited over to Peter & Liz's house for dinner the day after Thanksgiving. Peter had whipped up some turkey pot pie and I was skeptical, to say the least. I had never eaten ANY kind of pot pie, so I was a bit nervous that I would hate it. Instead, I. Loved. It. It was savory and oh-so-good. Fast forward to last month, I had TONS of leftovers from our Thanksgiving feast. I thought I would give the whole turkey pot pie thing a go. And my family raved with the results. I figured that I had better type it all up here so I can find it again next year, for this will likely become a tradition for my family. Enjoy!

This pan is BIG. Keep that in mind. This recipe is formulated to feed a crowd. 

Turkey Pot Pie

Firstly, let's make the crust. I only did a crust on the top. I found the recipe here.

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups GF flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cup cold butter 

2 eggs

5 tablespoons cold water

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar 

dash of dried thyme

HOW TO PREPARE:
1. Combine the flour and salt in large bowl. Use a pastry cutter or 2 forks to gradually work the cold butter into the flour until it resembles small pebbles, this should take about 3-4 minutes.

2. Lightly beat the egg with the fork and add it to the mixture. Next, and the old water and vinegar and stir until combined. (This can be made ahead of time and refrigerated at this point)

3. When ready to use the dough, cover a clean surface with a small amount of flour, and in the thyme and knead the dough to mix it in. Then, begin to roll out the dough 1 inch larger than the pie pan.

Secondly, you need to get out all the fillings that you have leftover from your Thanksgiving. I had mashed potatoes, turkey (cut into chunks), green bean casserole, and corn. I would recommend not adding anything sweet, like cranberry sauce or sweet potato casserole. 

Get a big casserole pan out - or two 9x13 inch pans - spray them down with a non-stick spray. Start layering the various leftovers in the pan. If you don't have enough leftovers, you can always cook up some veggies and put them in the pan. 

Now, you need a gravy to pour over the veggies/leftovers in the pan. I had a lot of gravy leftover from Thanksgiving dinner, but I wanted to add a cream sauce to the gravy, so I went with this one that I found here.

Creamy Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) of butter
1/4 cup GF flour
2 cups GF chicken broth or stock
1 GF chicken bouillon cube
1 cup heavy cream
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper, for seasoning

HOW TO PREPARE:

Melt the butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Stir in the flour and whisk until mixed up.

Pour in the chicken broth and stir. Add the chicken bouillon cube and stir. The mixture should start to look like a creamy gravy, but still runny.

Pour in the cream and stir. Allow the mixture to cook over low heat, for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, so the mixture can thicken. Season with thyme, salt and pepper. Be sure to taste it and make sure it is seasoned good! 

At this point I poured in the gravy that I had leftover. If you don't have any leftover gravy, you will want to double the creamy sauce recipe, so the turkey pot pie won't be too dry. 

NOW - you want to pour the creamy sauce/gravy mixture over the filling in the pan. Then top with the crust on stop. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, until the mixture is bubbly and the crust is golden brown. Let the pie cool for 10 minutes before eating (this will help the mixture to thicken some as well). There are a lot of steps - but the results are WORTH it!

Chicken Lazone

This recipe was a find on Pinterest. And it was an instant hit with my family. My husband may have mentioned that our daughter should learn it by heart. And so should you. 

Photo found here. 

Chicken Lazone

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs of gluten free spaghetti

4 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into 1 inch thick slices

4 Tablespoons Olive Oil

4 Tablespoons of chicken broth

4 cloves of fresh garlic, minced

4 teaspoons of cornstarch

8 Tablespoons butter (divided)

4 cups heavy cream or Half/Half

4 tsp garlic powder

4 tsp onion powder

2 tsp chili powder

4 teaspoons Parsley

2 tsp pepper

2 tsp paprika

2 tsp salt

2 tsp Adobo 

HOW TO PREPARE:

1. In a large bowl, take your chicken and coat them evenly with all seasonings, set aside.

2. In large skillet, melt only HALF of the butter over medium  heat, add minced garlic, olive oil, chicken broth and the seasoned chicken, flipping to slightly brown both sides - ­heat until fully cooked.

3. Pour the half/half OR cream, cornstarch and remaining butter into the skillet, mix lightly until cornstarch is fully incorporated.

4. Add the remaining butter and mix until melted.

5. Reduce the heat and let simmer until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes

6. In a large pot of salted water, bowl pasta until 'al dente' ­ drain well.

Best Homemade Gluten Free Pizza Crust

I found this recipe on Pinterest and we were thrilled with the results. I have tried about 3 other recipes prior to this one, but I couldn't have imagined how good this one would be! I'm so glad I gave it a try!

My son, Calvin, showing his pizza - topped with smoked sausage, cheese, and corn. 

My son, Keith, made his pizza dairy-free and he was asking to make pizza again the next day. It was a hit!

Best Homemade Gluten Free Pizza Crust

INGREDIENTS:
2 1/3 cup gluten free all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading the dough
1 envelope fast acting dry yeast
1 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp sugar

HOW TO PREPARE:
In a medium mixing bowl, combine warm water, sugar, and yeast. Allow to sit on the counter for 10 minutes, or until the yeast “blooms” (foam will start to form on the surface).

Add flour and salt to the water.
On a floured surface, knead the dough until a nice ball is formed.

In another clean mixing bowl, cover the dough ball with the olive oil (making sure to cover the entire ball).

Cover the bowl with a towel.

Let the dough rise in a warm area in the kitchen for 2 hours,

After two hours, punch the dough down, cover and allow to rise for another 30 minutes.

On a Silpat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet, spread out your dough with a spoon (you can either make two round pizzas or one large rectangular pizza or 3-4 individual-sized pizzas) - the dough is very soft, like thick cake batter. Don't worry - it bakes nicely!

Top with pizza sauce and toppings. 

Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes (about 18 for individual pizzas), or until the edges are browned and your cheese is bubbly.

Ham Potato Corn Chowder

This recipe takes some work, but everyone who sampled this recipe only raved about it...including a friend who stopped by the day afterward and had it for lunch. It is THAT good. I altered this from the original recipe and made it gluten free. I hope you enjoy.


Photo found here.

Ham Potato Corn Chowder
INGREDIENTS:
3 thick cut slices of bacon (chopped)
1 ham steak (cubed)
1 medium yellow onion (chopped fine)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
(3) 10 oz. cans of sweet corn (drained)
8 oz. original cream cheese (room temp)
1 can condensed cream of celery soup* (gluten free recipe below)
1/2 cup white grape juice
4 cups water
2 tablespoons Herbs de Provence (dry spice)
2-3 chicken bouillon cubes
3 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
about 2 tablespoons of butter
about 6 large red skin potatoes (diced into bite sized pieces)

HOW TO PREPARE:
In a large soup pot, melt about two tablespoons butter on medium-high heat. Add in your chopped bacon and render the fat from the bacon, stirring often with a wooden spoon.

Once the bacon looks cooked through and crispy, and you have a good amount of bacon fat in your pot, add in the white grape juice to scrape up the bits from the bottom of the pot. Add your chopped onion and garlic, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir often.

Now add in your ham and corn and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Stir often.Add in your cream cheese, cream of celery soup, and give everything a stir. Lower heat to low setting, add in your Herb de Provence, bay leaves, chicken bouillon cubes, about a teaspoon of salt, and fresh ground pepper, and 4 cups of water. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes on low (**about half way through, remove lid and taste for seasonings. Since the bacon and ham are salty we don’t want to add too much salt, but you may need more, so taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed)

In a separate large pot, boil some water. Add potato chunks and boil until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain and add to the other pot. Stir and serve. 

*Homemade cream of celery soup*
INGREDIENTS:
¾ cup finely-chopped celery
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
8-ounces 2% evaporated milk
1 teaspoon onion powder (can substitute 1 tablespoon chopped onion)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
⅛ teaspoon white pepper
¼ teaspoon celery salt or table salt
Pinch of sugar

HOW TO PREPARE:
Saute celery (and onion if substituting for powder) in hot oil in skillet over medium heat.
When vegetables are softened, add milk, then whisk in remaining ingredients. Stir constantly and cook gently until thickened.

I found this recipe here. 

Perfect Potato Soup (Dairy free option)

I'm always looking for more potato soup recipes to try. I came across this one and it was a big hit with my whole family! My son, Keith, was recently diagnosed as lactose intolerant. I'm not going to lie - this has been tricky, as I love me some dairy. I realized that this recipe worked out because there's a time towards the end where I can scoop some soup out into a bowl for Keith before adding the yummy dairyness for the rest of us. And Keith LOVED the soup - so it's a win-win! WARNING: This soup makes enough for a small army.

Potato Cheese Soup
INGREDIENTS:
10 pound bag of potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 bag of carrots, peeled and sliced thinly
1 gallon water
12 chicken bouillon cubes
1 1/2 cup frozen corn
Salt
Pepper
------------------------------------
1 cup onion, chopped
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup GF flour
3 pints from a combination of half and half and/or whole milk and/or whipping cream
1/2 tsp pepper
12oz shredded cheese

HOW TO PREPARE:
In a 9 quart pot (or larger) add potatoes, carrots, water, and bouillon cubes. Boil for ten minutes. Stir in frozen corn. Sprinkle in salt and pepper. Continue boiling until carrots and potatoes are tender. At this point, the dairy free soup is finished. Scoop out however much you want and enjoy. TURN OFF THE HEAT.

In a large saucepan, add minced onion and butter and cook on medium heat until the onion is softened. Whisk in flour. Stir in milk/half and half/whipping cream. Whisk until smooth. Continue cooking on medium heat until thickened. Once it has thickened, turn off the heat and stir in the cheese until melted. DO NOT BOIL. Stir in the cheese sauce into the pot with the potatoes and carrots. Serve hot.

Serve with bread, if desired. Enjoy!

Chicken Noodle Soup Using Edamame Pasta

Last week we were sick with a virus. My good friends, the Grovers, brought us a big pot of this soup. It was so delicious that I asked for the recipe. Now I need to figure out where to buy some Edamame noodles.

Chicken Noodle Soup Using Edamame Pasta

INGREDIENTS:
2 12-oz. cans of chicken (or cooked chicken, cut up or shredded)
4 cloves of garlic or 2 tsp of minced garlic
1 medium onion, chopped
4 celery stalks, diced
3 carrots, diced
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning (or basil, parsley)
2 bay leaves
8 C water
1 tbsp chicken bouillon

HOW TO PREPARE:
Two handfuls of edamame pasta (break it as you put it in the boiling water)

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add some olive oil and then garlic, onion, celery and carrots to the heated oil and sauté for about 3 minutes. Add the dried herbs, bay leaves, water and bouillon. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. (At this point, you can let the pan sit in the fridge overnight.) Next you put two handfuls of edamame pasta in boiling water for 4 minutes, drain it and add it to the soup along with the chicken. For variety you could add 1 C salsa and/or shredded Parmesan cheese.

Beef Shepherd's Pie

I made this recipe last October and it was so delicious, that it's been on my mind ever since. I am making it again tonight and that is my cue to post the recipe on my blog! I found the recipe here. I double this recipe and today I am trying it out in the crockpot - I will post how that goes.

Photo found here. 

Beef Shepherd's Pie

INGREDIENTS:

Serves 5-6

4 cups mashed potatoes

garlic salt

1lb ground beef

1/3 cup onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 Tablespoons GF flour

1 Tablespoon tomato paste

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1 can (14.5oz) chicken broth

2 cups frozen vegetable medley

salt & pepper

HOW TO PREPARE:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Brown ground beef, onions and garlic in a large

skillet on med-high heat. When meat is completely cooked, stir in flour and cook for

1-2 minutes.

2. Stir in tomato paste, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and chicken broth. Simmer

for 5-6 minutes, or until sauce is thick. Turn the heat off and stir in frozen

vegetables and salt and pepper, to taste.

3. Pour beef mixture into a large, oven-proof casserole dish. Top with mashed

potatoes and smooth with a spatula. Sprinkle garlic salt on top of mashed potatoes.

4. Place casserole dish on a large sheet pan (in case the sauce overflows) and bake for

20-30 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Ladle and serve!

Crockpot Frito Pie

My best friend, Nichole, made a casserole dish of this recipe and I adapted it for in the crockpot. It is simple and delicious.

Crockpot Frito Pie

My photo

Ingredients:

1lb ground beef (can substitute other ground meats)

1 onion, minced

2 cans pork and beans

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup ketchup

Fritos

Shredded cheese

How to prepare:

In a large skillet, brown beef with onion. When cooked through, stir into a crockpot. Stir in pork and beans, brown sugar, and ketchup. Turn on high for two hours. Serve over Fritos and top with shredded cheese, if desired. 

Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken (San Bei Ji)

Because my husband served his LDS mission in Taiwan, I have been wanting to make more Taiwanese food for dinner. Pinterest makes it so easy! I found this recipe and made it last week. My family LOVED it. The flavors are so wonderful. The only change I would make is to use boneless chicken next time.

Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken (San Bei Ji)
Ingredients
1/4 cup Asian sesame oil
One (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced into rounds
12-15 medium garlic cloves, peeled
1-2 fresh Thai red chilis, stemmed and halved (I omitted these)
2 pounds skin-on chicken drumsticks, thighs, and/or wings, either chopped into 3-inch, bone-in pieces, or thighs halved along along the bone, wings split at the joint, and drumsticks left whole
1/2 cup white grape juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups fresh Thai basil leaves (from 1 large bunch)
Steamed white rice, for serving
Procedures

Heat sesame oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add ginger, garlic, and chilis and cook until very fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add chicken pieces to the skillet in a single layer and cook, tilting the pan if necessary to submerge all pieces in the oil, for 1 minute. Flip chicken pieces and cook for 1 minute longer.

Add white grape juice, soy sauce, and sugar and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce heat to a simmer. Partially cover the skillet to prevent splashes of oil and cook, turning the chicken pieces every few minutes, until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Stir in Thai basil and remove from heat. Serve immediately with rice. Make sure you spoon some of the sauce over the rice. That's liquid gold!

Note: My kids didn't like eating the garlic cloves or the ginger slices. You might consider removing those before serving. I also might mince the garlic next time for more flavor.

Brazilian Barbacoa Beef

We had company coming to visit, so I whipped this up in my crockpot. We had enough to feed 11 people TWICE! We had it in tortillas and over tortilla chips and then later over fritos. I made refried beans to go with it, and had shredded cheese, lettuce, salsa, and sour cream. EVERYONE loved it. This recipe is a keeper. I found the recipe here.

Brazilian Barbacoa Beef
INGREDIENTS:
3 lbs stew beef
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles
1 small white onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 bay leaves
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup beef broth or water

HOW TO PREPARE:

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a slow cooker. Toss gently to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours, or until the beef is tender and falls apart easily when shredded with a fork.

Using two forks, shred the beef into bite-sized pieces inside of the slow cooker. Toss the beef with the juices, then cover and let the barbacoa beef soak up the juices for an extra 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.  Use a pair of tongs or a slotted spoon to serve the barbacoa beef.

If not using immediately, refrigerate the barbacoa beef with its juices in a sealed container for up to 5 days. Or freeze it for up to 3 months.

Teriyaki Chicken with Pineapple Rice

I made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit with every single member of my family. Tyler was excited he even had some leftover for lunch tomorrow. This is definitely a keeper! I found the recipe here.

Teriyaki Chicken with Pineapple Rice
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups white rice
2 cups canned pineapple chunks, undrained (must be juice, not syrup)
2/3 cup chopped chives
6 tablespoons butter or oil
12 tablespoons frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
6 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoon brown sugar
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

HOW TO PREPARE:
In a rice cooker, pour in 2 cups white rice. Use the pineapple juice from the can as part of the water you put in the rice cooker. Cook rice in rice cooker. When the rice is done cooking, stir in pineapple chunks, chives, and butter. Close the lid and keep it on warm.

In an electric skillet, whisk next 3 ingredients. Add chicken, cover and cook over medium, 8 minutes. Uncover, turn chicken and cook over medium-low, basting, until sauce thickens and chicken is firm and cooked through, about 7 minutes. Serve with rice.

Indiana Fair Corn Dogs

Ever since I switched to eating GF, I have missed just having a hot dog. You know? A hot dog in a bun with some ketchup, maybe a little shredded cheese. Yes! So good. But I haven't mastered a roll dough that would work for hotdogs. But, I now have an alternative: corndogs. And maaaaaaan, are they good! I found the recipe here.

Indiana Fair Corn Dogs
TOTAL TIME: Prep: 20 min. Cook: 5 min./batch YIELD:12-16 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup GF flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Dash of pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup evaporated milk
Oil for deep-fat frying
12 to 16 wooden skewers
12 to 16 hot dogs

HOW TO PREPARE:
1. In a bowl, whisk the first eight ingredients. Whisk in egg and milk just until blended. I found that I  needed more than just one cup of evaporated milk to get the right consistency - think thinner pancake batter. Transfer batter to a tall drinking glass.
2. In an electric skillet, heat oil to 375°. Insert skewers into hot dogs. Dip hot dogs into batter; allow excess batter to drip off. Fry corn dogs, a few at a time, 2-3 minutes or until golden brown, turning occasionally. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately. Yield: 12 to 16 corn dogs.
Nutritional Facts
1 corn dog equals 260 calories, 19 g fat (7 g saturated fat), 42 mg cholesterol, 704 mg sodium, 13 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 8 g protein.

Ham Loaf

Ham Loaf:
INGREDIENTS:
1lb ground ham
½ lb ground stew beef
½ lb pork sausage
2 eggs
½ cup tomato juice
½ cup milk
1 cup gluten free bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Mix all ingredients together and place in large greased loaf pan.

Sauce:
¼ cup vinegar
¼ cup ketchup
½ cup tomato juice
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp prepared mustard
In a saucepan, combine all sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Pour half of sauce over loaf. Bake for 2 hours (Yes TWO hours). After 1 hour, I take it out and pour the juice off the loaf and then pour the rest of the sauce over the loaf and bake it another hour.

German Spaghetti

I got this recipe from my college roommate, Kristina. I've never seen another recipe like it since - quite different and quite tasty!

German Spaghetti:
1 pkg brown rice gluten free spaghetti
Bacon (use as much or as little as you like)
Eggs (I use 6-8)
1-2 cups shredded cheese
Parmesan cheese
Soy sauce

Boil the spaghetti, while it’s boiling, fry the bacon. Drain most of the grease. Leave bacon in the pan. Whisk eggs in a bowl and stir in cheese. Add egg/cheese mixture to bacon. Cook until eggs are almost cooked. Drain the spaghetti. Add noodles to the pan with eggs. Fry all together until the eggs are fully cooked. Add some parmesan cheese and soy sauce to taste.

Sausage Blinchiki

In my quest to try out more Russian dishes, I decided to try something I ate in Ukraine while I was adopting my twins. Sausage Blinchiki is making Russian crepes with cooked sausage and onions inside. This simple dish is very satisfying and my children quickly scarfed them down! I found the recipe here, but I altered it a bit to my liking. I believe that the difference between crepes and blinchiki is that the Russian version has more eggs in it. 

We ate them with roasted potatoes. And ketchup - because the Russians LOVE ketchup!

Sausage Blinchiki

Ingredients for Filling

2 lb ground sausage

1-2 onions, diced

Salt

Pepper

Ingredients for Blinchiki

2 cups whole milk

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups flour (I used this recipe)

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp powdered sugar

HOW TO PREPARE:

Saute the onions and add the ground sausage. Salt and pepper the meat to your liking.

The blinchiki are extremely easy to make. Beat the milk, eggs, flour, salt, and powdered sugar together until a uniform mixture.

Lightly butter or use some oil spray to grease an electric skillet (medium heat). Ladle in the batter into the center of the pan and spread it out evenly over the bottom to form a very thin layer. Similar to the way you would prepare crepes.

As soon as the batter on top no longer flows, flip the blinchik and cook for an additional 30 seconds. You don’t want to burn the dough, it shouldn’t take longer than 1-2 minutes to prepare one blinchik.

Once you have a stack you can start wrapping the blinchiki. Place one table spoon of the filling slightly off center of the blinchik and wrap it tightly to make sure it doesn't fall apart.

Place them in a pot or a covered bowl and store them in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.

Right before serving, lightly fry the blinchiki on some vegetable oil on both sides until golden brown. I fried them in the electric skillet where I browned the sausage and onions. 

Chicken Paprikash

I am venturing out and trying some new meals from around the world. This dish is Hungarian! Now, I didn't make Nokedli, which traditionally goes with Paprikash. Instead, I made mashed potatoes. And it was a sumptuous meal! I found the recipe here. The second day I used the leftovers and pour it over rice. Super tasty - my husband was thrilled to take it in to work for lunch.

My photo.

Over rice. Yummy!

Chicken Paprikash 
(serves 6-8 people)
INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs chicken drumsticks
1 onion, diced
2-3 tbsp Hungarian paprika
salt and pepper
6 cups water/chicken broth (I did half water and half chicken broth)
1/4 cup flour (I used this recipe)
1/2 cup sour cream
Mashed potatoes

HOW TO PREPARE:
To make the chicken paprikash, season (generously) the chicken with salt, pepper, and the paprika.

In an electric skillet, brown the chicken over medium heat on all sides, and cover with diced onions.

Allow the onions to soften.

Pour water (you could use half chicken broth if you wanted) over the top until the chicken and onions are covered.  Bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to low.  Allow the mixture to simmer for about 30 minutes, until the chicken is fall-off-the-bone delicious.  Remove the chicken and allow to cool.  Put the 1/4 C flour in a medium bowl and slowly add small amounts of the broth until you form a thick paste.  Keep mixing and adding more broth until the “roux” (not really a roux, but close) is thin enough to add directly back to the pot.

Once the chicken has cooled a bit, remove the bones and other stuff you don’t want to eat, and return the chicken to the pot.

Once the paprikash is cooled enough, add the sour cream.

Top mashed potatoes with the chicken paprikash.  Sprinkle with paprika and enjoy!

Orange Chicken

I was craving some Chinese food a few months ago and saw this recipe on Pinterest. I tweaked it a bit, to make it my own. I have made this twice and it never looks as pretty as the picture from where I got it, but it tastes fantastic! To go with the chicken, I cook some rice in my rice cooker. I substitute out some of the water with orange juice and I add some orange peel, too. I like to mix frozen peas into the rice, as well.

Picture found here.

Orange Chicken
INGREDIENTS:
2 cup chicken broth
1 cup orange juice
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup gluten free soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp orange peel
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water

For the chicken:
3 lbs boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cut into 1" chunks
1 1/2 c. cornstarch
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 c. vegetable oil

HOW TO PREPARE:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees, lightly spray two 9x13 inch glass pans, set aside.

In a medium size mixing bowl (or a 4 c. measuring cup), whisk together the chicken broth, orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, orange zest, ginger, and black pepper, set aside.

Place the cubes of chicken into a bowl with the whisked eggs, toss the chicken (taking care to let the egg drip off it) into a large ziplock bag full of the cornstarch. Zip and shake until evenly coated.

Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven. Working in batches (3-4), add the chicken and fry until golden brown and cooked through, about 1-2 minutes, then transfer to a paper towel lined plate.

Add the fried chicken to the prepared 9x13 pans. Whisk together a slurry of 2 tbsp. of cornstarch and 2 tbsp. of water, add to the sauce and then pour over the chicken. Place in the oven and bake uncovered for 50 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so. Remove and serve immediately.

NOTES
-This dish is best baked to help develop the flavor of the sauce, to thicken it and to make the chicken nice and tender. If you're in a time crunch, you can fry the chicken and heat the sauce (with the cornstarch and water) in a small saucepan until thick, then pour over the chicken and eat immediately.

Chicken Briyani

This was the most tricky recipe I have attempted thus far. One reason is because the original recipe, found here, was most likely written by a native Indian and they left out certain instructions and ingredient amounts, so I had to just wing it and hope that the recipe would turn out. And it was delicious! My children all had seconds AND thirds. We will definitely be making this again. So here is what I did in making this recipe.

My photo. Oh, and this makes great leftovers, too.

Chicken Briyani

INGREDIENTS:

Serves 8

1 cup plain yogurt (I used greek plain yogurt)

1 cup mint leaves, stems removed

1 cup cilantro leaves, stems removed

2 pounds boneless chicken, cut in small pieces

4 tablespoon garlic paste

1/2 tsp ground ginger

2 tablespoons garam masala powder

------------------------------------

4 cups basmati white rice

2 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)*

1 large onion, minced

1/2 tsp turmeric

2 teaspoon chili powder

2 tablespoon ground coriander seed

2 tablespoon garam masala

1 cup coconut milk

6 cups chicken broth

-------------------------------------

Equipment

Electric skillet with lid

Food processor

HOW TO PREPARE: 

1. In a food processor, put in yogurt, mint leaves, and cilantro. Process until mixed well.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together chicken with yogurt mixture. Stir in garlic paste, ground ginger, and 2 tbsp garam masala. Cover with a lid or saran wrap. Let it rest in the refrigerator for for 4-6  hours or overnight. 

3. In a medium bowl, pour in basmati rice and cover with water. Cover bowl with lid or saran wrap. Soak the basmati rice for 2-4 hours. Once done, drain and set aside.

4. Heat ghee / butter in a large electric skillet and cook minced onion until they are brown in color, about 10-12 minutes. 

5. Sprinkle turmeric, chili powder, ground coriander seed and 2 tbsp garam masala and saute for 3-5 minutes until the raw smell disappears.

6. Add the chicken/yogurt mixture and let it cook for 15 minutes with the lid on, stirring every 5 minutes or so. Cook on medium temperature.

7. Once the chicken is almost done cooking, add coconut milk and chicken broth and bring it to a boil.

8. Once you see the sauce bubbling, reduce the flame to low. Add the drained rice and cook covered for 15 minutes. Switch off the flame and let it rest for another 15 minutes - I followed these directions, but my rice still wasn't cooked through, so I added more water and raised the temperature and repeated this step and it worked beautifully. 

9. Using a fork, gently fluff out the rice and transfer to a fresh bowl. Gently mix to combine the rice and chicken. 

*I couldn't find ghee, so I used salted butter and it worked nicely.

Beef Parmigiana

Beef Parmigiana: 

1 ½ lb stew beef

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

1/3 cup Italian bread crumbs (I use leftover GF breadmaker bread that I crumble up and add to some Italian seasoning)

1 large egg, beaten

1/3 cup corn oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (12oz) can tomato paste

1 tsp salt

½ tsp each granulated sugar & ground marjoram

3 cups hot water

8 oz mozzarella cheese, sliced

Cooked penne pasta

Cut beef in bite-size pieces. Combine parmesan & bread crumbs in a shallow bowl and mix well. Dip beef in egg. Coat with parmesan mixture. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat corn oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook beef in hot oil until browned on both sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer beef to a 13x9 baking dish. Sauté onion and garlic in skillet until tender, about 4 minutes. Add tomato paste, salt, sugar, marjoram and black pepper to onion mixture and mix well. Stir in hot water gradually. Bring to a boil. Boil, stirring to deglaze skillet, for 5 minutes. Pour ¾ of sauce over beef. Top with mozzarella and the remaining sauce. Bake for 1 hour. Serve with penne pasta, if desired.

Chicken Burritos

I wasn't sure what I would think of this recipe, but I am so glad I tried it out. Super tasty! I found this recipe and the photo below here. I made some alterations to the recipe to make it my own. And using corn tortillas makes it gluten free if you substitute in some GF flour. 

Chicken Burritos
TOTAL TIME: Prep: 20 min. Bake: 35 min.YIELD:12 servings
INGREDIENTS:
6 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 can green chilies, undrained
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 can (15 ounces) chili with beans
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed
8 cups cubed cooked chicken
24 corn tortillas, warmed
6 cups (24 ounces) shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese

HOW TO PREPARE:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir until tender. Stir in flour until blended; gradually stir in broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes. Reduce heat; stir in seasonings. Cook 5 minutes. Add chili and cream cheese; stir until cream cheese is melted. Stir in chicken.

2. Spoon about 1/2 cup filling across center of each tortilla; sprinkle each with 1/4 cup Colby-Monterey Jack cheese. Fold bottom and sides over filling and roll up. Place in two greased 13x9-in. baking dishes.

3. Bake, covered, 35-40 minutes or until heated through. If desired, serve with salsa. Yield: 2 casseroles (6 servings each).

Nutritional Facts

2 burritos equals 760 calories, 44 g fat (23 g saturated fat), 177 mg cholesterol, 1,608 mg sodium, 40 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 51 g protein.