Butterflied Chicken - Wheat Free/Grain Free/Dairy Free

Butterflied Chicken

This is a recipe originally from Alton Brown, I changed it just a tiny bit, and it turned out terrific!  The only problem was it took longer to cook than I expected, and the skin got darker than I wanted before the inside got up to safe temperatures.  That all may have been due to my pan, a bigger, shallower baking dish may have been better.  I served this with roasted veggies from cooking under the chicken, and cauliflower say cheese (also Alton Brown).

3 large carrots

3 large stalks celery

1 large onion

1 3-5 pound chicken, remove giblets, etc.

1 T garlic cloves, chopped

1 T lemon zest

1 t lemon juice

2 t salt

1 t ground pepper

2 T red wine

1 C chicken broth

Alton Brown suggests using "past their prime" vegetables and throwing them away afterward, but all my veggies looked good, so instead of throwing them away, I put them back in to roast longer once the chicken was done and cooling.

Cut up veggies in to large chunks (around 2" or so) and place them in a large roasting pan.  Meanwhile, using kitchen shears, cut up the backbone of the chicken, all the way through and then with the palm of you hand and lots of pressure, press down on the front of the chicken until the breastbone cracks and the chicken is flattened.  (Both the cutting and flattening were harder than I expected).

Loosen the skin from the breast and thighs of the chicken.  Take the garlic, lemon zest, salt, pepper and lemon juice and mix them to form a paste.  Push up under the chicken skin.

Place chicken breast side up on top of veggies and put in oven, broiling until the skin browns on top.  Flip the bird over and broil on the other side until a thermometer shows safe temperature (165 degrees).  Remove from oven and set on a serving platter to settle.  Meanwhile, place vegetables in another roasting pan and return to oven and roast at 425 degrees until soft (around 15 min), stirring if necessary.  

Using a splash of red wine (I used around 2 T) deglaze the original chicken roasting pan, by scraping up the brown bits and incorporating them with the wine (you can use one of the veggies as a scraper).  Add 1 C chicken broth and reduce slightly to make am au jus sauce.

Cut up chicken into sections and serve with veggies.

My chicken seemed unusually fatty, so I ended up straining about half the fat off the chicken when making the jus sauce.  The original recipe doesn't call for you to do that, so use your own judgement.

Makes around 8 servings with some leftover chicken.  Calories:  290, 6 gram carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber.

Caprese Inspired salad - wheat free/grain free/sugar free

Caprese Inspired Salad

Caprese salad is usually made from sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil, coated in balsamic vinegar.  I had fresh mozzarella, but wanted something more traditional.

1 C romaine lettuce, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

1/4 C fresh mozzarella, chopped

1 T balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing.

Toss all ingredients.

Tonight I had this salad with grilled bratwurst.  Warning, this doesn't keep, so if eat any leftovers or the lettuce will wilt.

Calories:  129, carbohydrates 8 grams, fiber 1 gram

Faux Fettucini with Tomato sauce - Wheat Free/Grain Free/Sugar Free - can be dairy free

Faux Fettucini with Tomato Sauce

 Yes, I finally got around to making the most popular wheat free substitute, zucchini instead of pasta.  In this case, I used it as a substitute for fettucini noodles since I don't have one of the tools that makes it more like spaghetti, but I do have a mandolin that cuts just the right size for fettucini.  If you don't have either, just slice the peeled zucchini and then cut into strips.  I have plenty of zucchini so I left the inside seedy part mostly out.

1 large zucchini or two small ones, peeled and cut into fettucini sized strips
1/5 pound bulk italian sausage, or one sausage with the casing removed.
2 T onion
1/4 C sugar free marinara sauce.  Kirkland brand makes an organic one with no added sugar and no ingredients that I don't recognize.

Cook the sausage and onion together in a frying pan until both are browned.  Pour on marinara sauce and continue heating while you prepare the zucchini.  Microwave the zucchini fettucini on a microwave safe plate until soft.  Top with the sauce and serve.  Optional, add a sprinkle of parmesan.

This recipe can be increased to feed the whole family.

Serves 1 - calories: 130, carbohydrates: 16, 5 grams fiber.

Buttermilk Biscuits - Wheat Free/Grain Free/Gluten Free/Sugar Free

Buttermilk Biscuits

These aren't exactly like the regular flour biscuits I used to make, but they are a close enough approximation, and great with soups or to make a sausage egg biscuit in the morning  One word of warning, although Gourmet Girl manages to split them, I never have, they fall apart too easily for me, so I leave them whole.  The basic recipe is from Gourmet Girl.  I halved the recipe since the leftover ones get a bit soggy for me, then I adjusted it just a little because 1 - I don't usually have regular buttermilk around, and 2 - it's hard to halve an egg.  :)

 1 1/2 C almond flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/8 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/4 C buttermilk powder
2 T butter
2 T cream cheese
1/2 C water
1 T egg white

Preheat oven to 350 and line a flat baking dish or cookie sheet with parchment.  Meanwhile, mix the dry ingredients and slowly mix in the butter and cream cheese until they look like little pebbly lumps (see picture).  Mix together the water and egg white and pour into the dry ingredients and butter/cheese mixture.  Mix until the liquid is evenly distributed.  Use a cookie scoop or using your hands, set out around 8 balls (see below) and then carefully, with dampened hands, flatten the tops.  Bake at 350 until just barely browning, around 20 minutes.

Makes around 8 biscuits, 150 calories, 6 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber.

Pickled Hot Carrots and peppers - wheat free/grain free/sugar free/dairy free

Pickled Hot Carrots and Peppers

My favorite mexican restaurant garnishes most of their dishes with pickled carrots and peppers.  The carrots are just as spicy as the peppers and I think they "catch" a few diners thinking they are just plain carrots.  But I love them!  And since I have more peppers than I need right now, I'm making a batch of these.  By the way, these look absolutely beautiful going into the canner.  Unfortunately, the pretty white onion bits turn translucent but they are still pretty enough to put a bow on them and give them away for Christmas presents.

5 pounds carrots

3 pounds peppers - I used a combination of jalapeno and anaheim

1 pound onions

Distilled white vinegar (I probably used around a gallon)

several drops stevia per jar

Peel and slice carrots.  Remove stem from peppers and either coarsely chop or slice, removing seeds.  I cut the jalapenos in half and sliced the anaheim, but you can just cut them into sections however you want to use them later.  (Use gloves when working with peppers or be very careful to wash your hands and don't touch your eyes).  Loosely chop the onion.   Meanwhile in a 4 cup bowl or larger bowl with a pouring spout (I like a 4 cup measuring cup), microwave distilled vinegar and keep boiling.

Pack them in even portions into prepared hot jars - my tip, if you have a dishwasher that heats your water (has a sanitize cycle), wash them and keep them hot while packing.  Pack one jar at a time, pouring on boiling vinegar.  As the vinegar runs out, boil more.  Just before putting on the lid to each jar, drip in 2-3 drops liquid stevia.

Process in water bath canner 10 minutes for pints, 15 minutes for quarts.

Makes around 9 pints - using as a garnish with 3-4 mixed peppers, carrots and onion, around 30 calories, 2 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber.

Copy Cat Pace Salsa - Wheat Free/Grain Free/Sugar Free/Dairy Free

Copy Cat Pace Salsa

I've long been trying to duplicate Pace Picante sauce, for years.  Every time I have peppers and tomatoes coming up in my garden I rethink the recipe.  This one is the closest I've come yet, but I think I have a couple more tweaks.  Above on the left is the Pace, the right is my copy cat.  A bit too thin, next time I'll try again with about half a can more of the tomato paste, and also, strangely enough, mine tasted sweeter, which is odd because I didn't add any sugar.  Maybe a bit more vinegar and I'll post my results when I get enough tomatoes to try another batch.

3 pounds fresh tomatoes

1 pound onion

1/2 pound jalapeno peppers

1/4 C vinegar

1 T garlic powder

2 t onion powder

6 oz can tomato paste

1 t cumin

Peel the tomatoes (dipping them for 1-2 min in boiling water makes the skins peel off easier) and then loosely cut up.  Loosely chop the onions.  Cut stems off jalapenos, slice and remove the inside fiber and seeds with a spoon (I usually use gloves when cutting up jalapenos - if you don't, be sure to wash your hands, use hand cream and then wash them again and be careful not to touch your eyes).  Mix all ingredients together in a large food processor (I have a 10 cup food processor and this still took 2 batches).  Process only a few pushes of the button - don't puree, you want chunky bits in there.

At this point it's actually really yummy if you want plain fresh salsa and you can just use it as is, but if you want to can it, keep reading.  Clean and sanitize 9 pint jars, by washing by hand and either boiling or keep in a sanitizing dishwasher, having them stay hot while you fill the jars.  Fill one at a time, keeping all jars and lids as hot as possible until processing.  Since I don't have a way to test the acidity of this recipe, I use a pressure canner.  Process in the pressure canner 15 minutes at 10 pounds pressure.  Once canner has cooled, remove jars and cool 24 hours.  Wipe down and label.  The picture is after canning, which cooks the salsa as it seals.

Makes 6-9 pints, depending on how full you fill your jars, in a pressure canner, you want to not overfill or they will not seal.  For the entire recipe -around 719 calories.  For about 1/4 C serving: 22 calories, 4 grams carbohydrates, 1 grams fiber.

Oreiental Zucchini Salad - Wheat Free/Grain Free/Dairy Free/Sugar Free

Oriental Zucchini Salad

OK, one more use for my over abundance of zucchini and then I'll stop - at least for the moment.  This one is a good change of pace.  It has a uniquely oriental flavor from the sesame oil.  If you want a bit more kick, you can use chili oil, which is sesame oil that's been steeped in chilis, but be careful, a little of this stuff goes a long way.

1 medium zucchini

1 medium tomato (fresh grown is best)

1/4 C avocado

1 T finely chopped onion

2 T gluten free soy sauce (can use shoyu or liquid aminos)

1 t sesame oil or chili oil

1/2 t sesame seeds

Steam the zucchini until almost soft.  Cut up into 1" pieces, and so the same with the tomato and avocado.  Toss with chopped onion.  Mix oil and soy sauce and pour on and toss again.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Makes 1 serving - 190 calories, 13 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams fiber.

Cafe Rio Style Pork - wheat free/grain free/sugar free/dairy free

Cafe Rio Style Pork

Cafe Rio's pork burritos have always been a favorite of mine, but I strongly suspect they have quite a bit of added sugar.  So I decided to play with "copy cat" recipes and this one is pretty close, but doesn't have any added sugar.  Normally I would probably cook the entire thing in my crockpot, but today I didn't have time, so I started it in my oven and switched to the crockpot to keep it hot while I cooked tortillas and assembled taco fixings.

3-4 pound pork roast
1 C medium Pace Picante Sauce
1 C diet coke (I used caffeine free, but regular should work too - I just drank the rest)

Brown the roast in a stove and oven safe casserole dish, then pour on the salsa and coke.  Cover and place in a 350 degree oven approximately an hour or until cooked through.  Remove roast and cut into 1-2" pieces and return to the oven for another half an hour or until pork is soft enough to pull apart with a fork.

Pull sections apart and move to a crockpot (slow cooker).  If the pork looks dry at this point, add more salsa and coke.  Cook another 30 minutes on high in the slow cooker, or up to several hours on low, the port will absorb more flavor as it cooks.

Serve this on lettuce for a salad or use grain free tortillas to make into burritos.  You can set up a taco bar with this and add things like shredded cheese, extra salsa, guacamole and sour cream.

Makes 10-12 servings at around 250 calories each, pretty much all from the pork.  Less than 1 gram carbohydrate.

Mexican Fritatta - Wheat Free/Grain Free/Sugar Free

Mexican Fritatta

You guessed it, more zucchini.  Seriously, I have tons.  The recipe suggested this would be spicy, but really, it wasn't that spicy.  But it makes a good medium to throw on salsa and guacamole.  Also, a good friend brought me something I'd never cooked with before - duck fat.  He lives near a duck farm and swears by their eggs, which are just big enough to make the equivalent of a 3 egg omelet.  I tried sauteing all the vegetables for this recipe in the duck fat and to me it tasted the same as butter.

2 C zucchini, sliced (I used yellow zucchini)
1/4 C onion
1 jalapeno
2 t duck fat (or butter or olive oil)
1 egg
2 T almond flour
1/4 C cheddar
salt and pepper to taste

Slice the zucchini, leaving the skin on if they are young.  Saute in the duck fat, if you don't have duck fat, use butter or olive oil.  When just starting to brown, remove to a bowl and lightly salt and pepper to taste.  Remove the stem end from the jalapeno and slice it into thin sticks.  Cut the onion into similar size pieces and saute both in the same pan.  Add to the zucchini.
Meanwhile in a small bowl, beat the egg and add almond flour and cheese.
Toss the vegetables and then add to a pie plate (I lined my pie plate with parchment because I have bad luck getting wheat free things to unstick, but I think it wasn't necessary in this case).  Pour over the egg mixture and bake at 350 degrees approximately 30 minutes - checking for firmness.  Serve in thick wedges with salsa, guacamole and sour cream.

Serves 4.  Calories: 78, 3 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber.

Sloppy Joes - Wheat Free/Grain Free/Sugar Free

Sloppy Joes

I was looking for more ways to use my extra zucchini and I saw a recipe that uses grated zucchini in Sloppy Joes.  I made a few substitutions to make it wheat free and sugar free and it turned out really great.

1/2 chopped onion

3 chopped garlic cloves

1 lb ground turkey (can use ground beef)

2 C grated zucchini (peel and seed it if you want to "hide" it from your family)

1 C sugar free tomato sauce

1 t liquid smoke

2 t Swerve or other substitute sweetener

1 t "blackened" seasoning - can use other season combinations like italian seasonings.

Salt and Pepper to taste

Brown onion.  Add zucchini and cook until softened.  Add ground meat and garlic and brown.  Continue cooking until most of the water is cooked off.  Add tomato sauce, liquid smoke and seasonings.  

Serve over wheat free buns like the ones here:

Makes around 8 servings.

Calories in the sloppy joe sauce only:  126 calories, 3.5 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber.

Broccoli, Carrot, Bacon salad - wheat free/grain free/sugar free

Broccoli, Carrot, Bacon Salad

Looking for side dish, something light and cool for summer, but tired of green salads and coleslaw?  This one is very different and very yummy!

1 head broccoli
2 carrots
1/2 small onion
3 strips cooked and cooled bacon
4 T mayo
Salt and Pepper to taste

Optional additions - sliced almonds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, poppy seeds.

If you can find "broccoli slaw" that will make this easier, otherwise, thinly slice the broccoli (I used a food processor and just ran them all through).  Grate the carrots.  Loosely chop the bacon and onion.  Mix all the ingredients and stir in mayo and sprinkle with salt and pepper until everything is evenly coated.

Grilled Zucchini - wheat free/grain free/sugar free

Grilled Zucchini

Right now I have more zucchini than I know what to do with, so I'm trying out lots of ways to use it.  The simplest way I found was to do this.  It makes a quick and easy side dish, especially if you are grilling meat already.

4 medium zucchini (I used yellow zucchini)
2 t olive oil
1 t salt

Slice zucchini lengthwise, brush with oil and sprinkle with salt and then grill until soft.  That's it!  Isn't that easy?

Calories: Makes enough for about two people, 100 calories each.  13 grams carbohydrates, 4.5 grams fiber.

Deli Meat Rollups - gluten free/grain free/sugar free - can be dairy free

Deli Meat Rollups

Another take along lunch idea - quick and easy!

To make 3 total rollups:

6 slices deli meat turkey
3 slices hard salami
3 thin slices cheddar
1 dill pickle (I like the hot dill ones)
3 toothpicks
2 t mustard
2 t mayo

Lay out 3 slices turkey and top with salami, cheddar and squirt a small amount of mustard and mayo on each.  Top with another turkey slice and roll up, spearing with a toothpick and slice of pickle.

If you are taking this somewhere, instead of spearing with a toothpick, roll up with plastic wrap (and just eat with the pickle).

Calories:  167 calories, 9 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber.

Garden Quiche - wheat free/gluten free/grain free/sugar free

Garden Quiche

Quiche is an easy breakfast, lunch or light dinner, and once made, you can reheat for several quick breakfasts.

Right now my garden is overflowing with yellow zucchini squash so I'm looking for anything to put them in.  I also have a bunch of swiss chard leaves, so in they go too.  Also, if you are sensitive to cow's milk but not goat or sheep milk, you can use goat or sheep cheese in this.

Crust:
2 C almond flour
3 T cold butter (can use coconut oil)
1 T egg white (I used the kind in a carton, makes it much easier than separating eggs)

Filling:
3- 4 leaves Swiss Chard
1-2 large zucchini, yellow or green
8 oz feta cheese, crumbled or chopped
4 eggs - (you can use the rest of the egg from the crust)
2 T whole milk or cream
Salt and Pepper to taste

"Cut" the butter into the almond flour until the texture is "pebbly", leaving tiny bits of butter.  Mix in egg whites until the dough holds together.  Press it into the bottom of a 9" pie pan and bake at 350 for 10 min until very lightly browned.  

Toss vegetables and cheese and put in pie on top of cooked crust.  Pour on mixed eggs and milk and bake for another 20 min or until firmly set.

Makes around 6 servings:  274 calories, 9 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber.

Chicken Salad - Taco Style - wheat free/grain free - can be dairy free

Chicken Salad - Taco Style

Another take along lunch idea!  This is so simple and you can use leftover chicken.

1/2 C loosely chopped chicken

1/2 C loosely chopped romaine lettuce

1/2 tomato, chopped or 4-5 cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 C black olives

1/4 avocado, loosely chopped

1 T ranch dressing - make sure it has zero sugar/zero carbs

2 T salsa - I used Pace Medium

optional:  2 T shredded cheddar 

Toss all ingredients with dressing and salsa.  If taking as a take along lunch, sprinkle the avocado with a little lemon juice to keep it from going brown and leave the dressing and salsa off and toss once you are ready to eat.

Calories (without the cheddar):  269 calories, 11 grams carbohydrates, 5.7 grams fiber.

Home Made Chicken Broth - Wheat Free/Grain Free/Dairy Free

Home Made Chicken Broth/Chicken Stock

Making home made chicken stock from leftover chicken is so simple.  And it doesn't waste any of the meat.  Just take any leftover chicken, roasted, stewed, whatever - even store bought rotisserie chicken works.  Throw all the leftovers even if they are little more than picked off bones, into a crock pot and cover with water.  Even put in the gelatin like stuff, it all adds flavor.  Add 1 T salt, and 2 t poultry seasonings (optional, but will make it taste better).

Turn on low and let it go for hours, all day or even all night.  The longer it cooks, the more flavor will be in the broth.

After cooking, strain off the broth and you can store in the freezer using zip top bags or can in a canning jar using a pressure canner (warning - do NOT try canning chicken broth in a regular hot water bath canner, it won't kill the right types of bacteria).  In the freezer you can lay them flat to freeze and stack them.

After straining, cool the rest of the chicken and bones.  Remove chicken and skin and use for other recipes where cooked chicken can be used.  I freeze it separately and use it for chicken soup, chicken enchiladas, chicken salad, etc.

Calories for the broth, almost none.  Calories for the chicken - depends on how much you use.  Zero carbohydrates for both.

Crockpot Chicken and veggies - wheat free/grain free/dairy free

Crockpot Chicken and Veggies

This is so versatile and so easy.  You can use all kinds of low carb veggies in this - onions, green beans, squash, celery, chives, mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, peas, etc.  This time I used mushrooms, onions and carrots.  Carrots are just a little higher in carbs that some veggies, but still usually OK.  Also, in the picture I served with around 1 t Siriachi sauce, which adds 1 carb (4 calories).

4 carrots, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
1 onion, cut up
6-8 mushrooms, quartered
1/2 C green beans
1 whole chicken (around 4-5 pounds)
1 t chicken bouillon - look for kinds with zero calories or zero sugar
2 t poultry seasoning

Put all ingredients in the slow cooker/crock pot and cook on high 4-5 hours, low 6-9.  Sprinkle with spices.

Serves around 5 with leftover chicken for at least one more meal.

Calories:  210, 11 grams carbohydrates (with carrots, some other veggies will be lower), 3 grams fiber

Grain Free Enchiladas - Wheat Free/Grain Free - can be made Dairy Free

Grain Free Enchiladas

The basis for this recipe is the tortillas from yesterday.  Make a full batch (around 8), which can be frozen before starting.  The sauce is from Alton Brown's Enchilada Lasagna.

Sauce:
2 Chipotle chilies (roasted jalapenos)
3 cloves garlic
2 1/2 T cumin
2 T chili powder
2 C chicken broth
3 C tomato sauce (no added spices, just the plain sauce)

Filling:
2 C chopped, cooked chicken breast
1 C onion, chopped
2 t butter
1 t salt
1 t oregano

Optional:
1/2 C cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 C olives

Chop chilies and garlic and add with spices to broth and tomato sauce.  Boil for around 20-30 min or until thickened and reduced.  Meanwhile, saute the onion in the butter.  Once slightly browned, add the chicken and spices, pour 1/4 C of the sauce in to just moisten the filling and turn off the heat.

Fill each tortilla with around 1/8th of the filling, roll and place in 9x9" baking dish.  Pour remaining sauce over the top.

My husband can't have olives and wanted regular corn tortillas, my daughter can't have cheese, so the picture there is the grain free tortillas on the left, covered in cheese and olives.  The middle section has no cheese, and the far right is regular corn tortillas with no olives for my husband.

If you make this with just the grain free tortillas, without cheese or olives - Calories in 1/8th of the recipe: 200, 11 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams fiber.

Grain Free Tortillas - Wheat Free/Grain Free/Sugar Free/Dairy Free

Grain Free Tortillas

I've tried dozens of grain free tortilla recipes and most of them fall apart the minute you get them out of the pan.  Others end up thick and just don't taste right.  I modified these from Gourmet Girl Cooks, her's were the closest to regular tortillas that I've found but included dairy.  These ones don't.  the other trick I learned is that as these sit, they get a bit thicker, so after cooking a couple of tortillas, put them back on the blender and spin them some more.

1 C egg whites

1/2 C almond flour

3 T ground flax

1/4 t salt

Put all ingredients in a blender and whip until smooth - should be a very thin batter.

Meanwhile, heat a non-stick 9" frying pan at med-high until water "spits" back at you when you put a few drops on.  Spray with coconut oil spray and pour just barely enough batter to cover around a 5-6" circle, rotate the pan to spread the batter to the edges.  You want a very thin layer.  Cook until the edges start to curl and gently flip over.  Cook the other side until just barely browning.

This makes around 8 tortillas - I'll show you tomorrow a recipe for them.

Calories for the whole recipe:  548, 15 grams carbohydrates, 10 grams fiber.  Calories for 1 tortilla:  around 69, 2 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber

Grain Free Pizza - Gluten Free/Grain Free/Sugar Free

Grain Free Pizza

I complete forgot to take a picture of this when I first made it, so pictured above is the reheated leftovers. Sorry, it looked better the first time around, but still tasted pretty good

Crust:

Make the Wheat Free Buns only decrease the baking powder to 1 t instead of 2.

Roll out into a circle on a parchment covered pizza stone by covering with 2nd parchment or plastic wrap and using a rolling pin.

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees until no longer doughy but not too browned.

Sauce:

4 T (1/4 C) no sugar added marinara sauce.  I used Kirkland (Costco) brand.  Smear over the top of the baked crust.

Top with 1/2 C mozarella (I found some that was NOT non-fat, you have to look but it's there) and add whatever other pizza toppings you like, this one is sausage and black olive.

Bake another 5-10 minutes or until the cheese melts and starts to brown.

Calories for 1/6th of the crust:  220, 20 grams carbohydrates, 17 grams fiber (that's right, almost all of the carbs are actually fiber).

Additional for Kirkland marina:  35 calories, 4.5 carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber

Additional for mozarella:  70 calories, no carbohydrates

Toppings: you are on your own :)