Month: June 2015

Hot Day -Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken Revolution!

Hot days of late, too hot to roast a fricken chicken.  No gluten free rotisserie chickens around here that I know of.  What to do if we crave roast chicken and don’t want to heat the house too?  It’s Super Slow Cooker to the rescue!  This is so easy, an eight year old could do it! You make a dry rub of spices, sprinkle all over the bird and stick some under the skin.  Plop it in the pot and let er rip for 4 plus hours.  How did it turn out? Great! Mildly spicy, flavorful, moist and tasty.  Best of all: no hot kitchen.  I ate it that night with some leftover potato salad and some veggies.  I think you could add more garlic, more spices or whatever you like to make different versions. Note to self; try a new version every time I make this bird and share my findings with you later this summer!

The next night I created a big salad of many veggie things with my homemade rotisserie chicken breast as the star ingredient.  Two nights later another salad with different veggies and more of the fabulous chicken topping it.  Then a day later I made a simple stir fry with pad Thai noodles, broccoli florets, fresh ginger in thin strips, zuke half moons, fresh pea pods from the garden, onion and a diagonally sliced carrot.  Oh and I used the rest of the chicken breast for the protein in it. The rest of the stir fry: I enjoyed a nummy good cold Thai salad for lunch the next day: I just added a bit of sesame oil and it was ready! Awesome!  No oven needed. Or wanted!

It is from my much thumbed through slow cooker cookbook by Carla Forbes. I know you will be pleased with how cool your kitchen stays and that it is safe for us gluten intolerant types.  For some reason most stores that sell rotisserie chicken add some gluten in the process.  I am guessing it is in the spice blend as is often the case with such flavor blends.  In any case, your homemade rotisserie chicken will be safe and succulent! And for anyone who doesn’t worry on gluten; well, this is a tasty dish you will love to have in your arsenal of hot weather entree choices.  I used a fat Wegman’s chicken and it sure has great flavor and texture for a decent price.

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Ready to eat and full of rotisserie flavor!

The bird is in the slow cooker and ready – has its olive oil drizzle! Here are some chunks of breast meat ready to be chopped up for the big supper salad.

Hot Summer Rotisserie Chicken

1 four pound whole chicken, rinsed and patted dry

2 tbsp. olive oil

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Spice blend: mix in a small dish

1 ½ tsp sat

2 tsp. paprika

½ tsp. onion powder

½ tsp. dried thyme

½ tsp. dried basil

½ tsp. white pepper

½ tsp. cayenne pepper or hot chili powder

½ tsp. black pepper

½ tsp. garlic powder

Directions: Remove any giblets and dispose of them how ever you like.  Just not gonna use them in this recipe! Or any I provide.  Ick!  Rinse the bird and pat dry with a couple paper towels.  Rub the spice mix all over the bird, pull back some breast skin and sprinkle the mix in there.  Sprinkle any extra inside the bird.  Place bird breast up in your six quart oval (not so good in round one!) slow cooker.  Drizzle the olive oil on top of your bird; all over it.  Cover and cook 4-5 hours on low or 3.5 on high.  I did 4 on low and turned it up to high for 45 minutes at the end. My bird was close to 5 pounds so I felt it needed a bit more cooking.

My recipe said you could make gravy: remove the bird and add 1/3 cup brown rice mixture flour and stir well to blend it into the pan juices and naturally created chicken broth.  Add salt and pepper to taste; cook on high for 10-15 minutes. I didn’t do that; next time!

I ate some slices of hot breast meat with potato salad that night (so so tender and moist!) and put the rest of it into a big batter bowl that has a lid.  Once it was cooled somewhat the bird went into the refrigerator to keep fresh and flavorful.  The broth soaks in and adds even more flavor as it rests in the cold fridge.

I have no picture of the done bird whole and uncut.  I was so hungry the first night I dug in and totally forgot to take one; next time I made it I will snap a few and upload to this post.  It looks like your regular rotisserie chicken if not as dry or dark skinned.

Chocolate Chip Muffins – Easy and Delicious

In these stressful times chocolate can be a real help. Turning to my trusty basic muffin recipe I went for a sweet treat; chocolate chip muffins. They are a riff on my blueberry muffin recipe. If you are wondering why I am posting another muffin recipe: homemade muffins are lots cheaper than commercially made GF muffins plus they taste so fresh and oh so delicious. I walk right by all those pricey gf snack bars and cookies; knowing that in my freezer is a zip-lock bag full of luscious muffins that defrost to taste as though I made them that morning.

This batch of muffins was delightful: delicate texture yet with a great crunch and the lightly chocolate flavor from the mini chips.  I cut back on the chips a bit so they are not too heavy or too chocolaty. The walnuts also contribute to the crunch and add a subtle nutty taste.  I added a bit of cinnamon which pulls it all together.

The streusel topping gives a great look and adds texture and flavor.  I messed up my topping this batch; had to sprinkle melted butter over them after topping. Still yummy but they are slightly bald on top as a lot of the oats didn’t stick properly due to my error.  Next time they will be perfect.

I love how healthy these muffins are compared to commercial gf muffins, no preservatives, chemicals or weird ingredients I would never bake with.  Try them and see how eating gluten free can be so easy when you bake your own snacks. As always I freeze those I won’t eat in two days time; a zip lock freezer bag works great.

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Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 cups brown rice flour mix (see below)

2/3 cup granulated sugar  or granulated coconut palm sugar

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

¾ tsp. xanthan gum

¼ tsp. salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

2 large eggs

½ cup milk, 1 or 2 percent plus 2 tbsp more if you use the palm sugar

½ cup canola oil

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Topping: Mix the following in a bowl, add the butter last after you stir it up a bit: use a spoon to blend. Set aside while you make the muffin batter.

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/3  cup brown sugar

2 tbsp. almond meal

¼ tsp. cinnamon

3 tbsp. butter, melted

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Muffin directions: Heat your oven to 350 degrees, placing the rack in middle of oven.  Spray muffin pans with cooking spray.  One batch makes 14-16 muffins.  I got 16 when I made them.

Mix all dry ingredients in bowl of stand mixer or big bowl Add chips and walnuts; stir to coat them with dry mix.  Combine milk and oil.  Beat in eggs, add vanilla.  Add liquids to big bowl; stir just until blended.  It is a very thick batter.

Fill muffin pans 2/3 full.  I use a big serving spoon and fill it about half way to dump in each muffin space. Sprinkle the top with the topping. Press it in a bit so it won’t all flake off after baking. Bake 21-23 min until golden brown. Do not over bake or they will taste dry.  Remove within 2 minutes from the pans and cool on a rack.  They freeze well for a few weeks: if they last that long.  Keeps in an airtight cookie jar for 2-3 days.

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Brown Rice Flour Mix

(This mix is the same as King Arthur’s gf blend)
2 c brown rice flour

2/3 c potato starch

1/3 c tapioca flour

Sweet Corn Shortcut

Sweet corn season is almost here.  In some places really good sweet corn can be had already!  I don’t know about you but when I only am making one or two ears it seems silly to fire up a tall pot of water.  I do steam the corn which only takes an inch or so of hot water but still…too much to do.

Last summer, on a hot day, I realized there was a quick and easy way to make an ear…or two without that big hot pan of water and steam. I just take a large frying pan, put a quarter inch of water in it, sprinkle of salt and let it heat until bubbling.  I then lay in my ear or two which I have husked and removed all the silk.  Then the pan is topped with a lid or an empty pizza pan if your frying pan is too big for your lids.  Cook it the usual time; depends on how fresh the corn is.  The fresher your corn ears, the less cooking time you need.  The steam in the pan will cook it really fast.  Maybe 6 to 8 minutes.

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Hard to see; black pan. But the corn is in a small pool of bubbling hot water.

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And the bonus is that if it runs out of water your ear will get a bit of carmelization going which only adds to the flavor.  In fact I hope it gets browned a bit; sometimes I rotate the ear to brown it on another side.  Remove with tongs when your corn reaches the done stage you like.  Sometimes I take a quick bite to test for eating readiness!

Serve your ear(s) with salt and butter and enjoy fresh corn without heating the kitchen up much.

Living the Gluten Free Way…Worth the Effort!

Let me update you on my gluten free life style. I have been gluten free almost two and a half years. I initially bought every freaking flour under the sun.  Some I still use, some I have abandoned for specific reasons: generally they make things taste odd; like someone from another universe baked it!  I no longer use many bean flours, just occasionally; too weird tasting.  Ditto for quinoa flour.  I like quinoa as a starch/side and use it occasionally but that flour…rarely. Same goes for teff flour…odd tasting. I make a few flour blends and two mixes; for cobblers and for buttermilk biscuits.  The mixes are really handy for quick baking.

My diet centers around eating healthy; lots of veggies, fruits, proteins and a few oils like olive oil, coconut oil, sesame oil and canola oil.  I try to eat seasonally when it comes to produce – get the best tasting stuff when it is local and fresh.

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I make a fair amount of muffins for snacks and a lot of my desserts are fruit based.  I found a pie crust or two that work great, same goes for muffins and brownies.  I love my cobbler recipe; it gets a lot of usage. Pasta does have a place but not as much or as often as when it was wheat based pasta.  I am a fan of Barilla gf pastas and long for them to bring out a linguine.

fennel italian bread 012lentil stew, turkey meatballs 006I have figured out gravy, chicken and dumplings, meat pie, quiche and white sauce.   I have a few great bread recipes I made upon occasion.

The cookbook I (still after 2 years) cannot live without is Annalise Roberts, Gluten Free Baking Classics; Second Edition: where the basic recipes for my muffins, brownies, pie crust, angel food cake and cupcakes come from.  Her flour blend is the same as King Arthur all purpose gf flour.  There are lots of great baked goods recipes to be tried out.  She has a new cookbook with the focus on heritage baked goods. I can’t wait to make some of those recipes!  I have a bunch of cookbooks but that Baking Classics is full of stuff I crave and enjoy. I find that I can modify her muffins to fit what I have available and create more variety in my baking.

My focus in this blog is on encouraging healthy cooking that is gluten free, easy to do and tasty.  I avoid as much processed food as possible and that includes snacks, cakes and other already baked goods.  I do eat some crackers and confess to a shameful love of gf cheese curls! I like to increase the amounts of veggies in dishes I make and I add beans whenever it works.    I don’t eat fast food except rarely.  And eating out is now a treat; too chancy and my geographic area doesn’t have that many safe gf restaurant choices.  So I reserve dinner out for once in a while meals. Cheaper too!

I still get glutened occasionally, recently by a bite of bbq at a friend’s house. She didn’t realize her bbq sauce was not actually safe for me.  I also ate a big chunk of chocolate bar with almonds that was cross contaminated.  Not a fun day; yes; both on the same day.

Once in a while, I long for wheat baked goods.  It is hard to be around them knowing that even one bite will make me terribly ill.  I have had dreams about bread…kinda nightmares actually.  For me, a lot of days at school are like being constantly exposed to poison that I am craving desperately. You have to have a good amount of will power to be eating lunch next to a big tray of wheat bagels and a plate of cookies And a pie! No other empty seats in the lunchroom.  Suck it up and try not to think about the treats right there under my nose.  Such is the life of a celiac.  You gotta be strong every single day.  And I am.  I have the will power and so do you!

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homemade sandwich bread

I find that I can make great tasting treats far cheaper than the stuff at the store in the gf aisle.  Yummier than that stuff too.  Healthier since it has less chemicals and preservatives in it.  You can do that too.  There are lots of easy to make gf stuff on my blog; muffins, cookies, brownies and pies/tarts.  Main dishes too that are easy and nutritious. Sure there is some sugar in those muffins but far less than most of the store gf snack bars!  Bake up a batch and you will be thrilled with having more than a dozen snacks – freeze some so they keep for a few weeks.  I find that my wheat eating family enjoys my gf desserts, very much so. citrus chicken, blueberry muffins 009

Being healthy and feeling good are worth the effort to eat safely.  Life is much better gluten free and I know I am making the right choice to be very careful about what I eat and what I use on my skin, hair, and the rest of me!  It is doable and being gf gets better as you practice it and as you live the gf lifestyle week after week, month after month and year after year.  I promise you will be very glad as your tummy heals and all the rest of you feels better.  That’s part of why I write this blog; to help others be successful at living a gluten free lifestyle. The other reason is I just love to write.  Happy gluten free cooking and eating!