Sesame Chicken

When we lived in Oregon, one of my favorite spots to eat was Wu's Open Kitchen. I ordered the same thing every time. Sesame Chicken. Yum. We don't have a Wu's here. I have not come across a place that comes even close to Wu's Sesame Chicken recipe. So I am setting it out to make my own.

For those of you that are gluten free, I am sure you know what I mean when I say that gluten free soy sauce isn't the best. It is too salty and lacking flavor. A friend of mine turned me on to
BRAGGS Liquid Amino Acids Bragg Liquid Aminos are made from health-giving, NON-GMO soybeans and purified water. They are an excellent, healthy, gourmet replacement for Tamari and Soy Sauce. Not fermented or heated and Gluten-Free. It tastes just like soy sauce, but is a source of delicious, nutritious, life-renewing protein. I am so excited about it. No more paying through the nose for gross gluten free soy sauce. Bragg Liquid Aminos contains: no chemicals, no artificial coloring, no alcohol, no preservatives, no Gluten.

I used Braggs for this recipe, If you don't suffer from gluten, you can use regular soy sauce.

2 lbs boneless skinless breasts, Tenderized and cut in bite size pieces
6 tablespoons (gluten-free) soy sauce or BRAGGS Liquid Amino Acids
2 tablespoons sesame seed oil
1 cup or more cornstarch (for breading)

For the Sauce
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 teaspoon ginger, grated
1 tablespoon Sriracha
3 tablespoons sesame seed oil
Sesame seeds to garnish
Cooked white rice

1. Combine chopped chicken, soy sauce and sesame seed oil in a large bowl. Let marinate for 2 – 3 hours covered in the refrigerator.

Dissolve cornstarch in chicken broth first, then combine all other ingredients for the sauce in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.

Cook rice

Preheat oil for frying chicken to 350 degrees. Add additional cornstarch to coat chopped chicken, toss to coat. Drop each piece of chicken, one at a time into hot oil.

Fry in batches until golden and drain on paper towels.

Cover with sauce

Sserve over rice.

Like us on facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carlsbad-CA/Mom-Whats-For-Dinner/134176089986933

Gluten Free Strawberry Cupcakes

My strawberry cake is yummy. My recipe actually is a finalist (top 15) in the better batter recipe contest. They announce the winner the end of this month. I hope I win!  I wanted to make a cupcake version of this recipe.

Your life is not over once you have celiac, or are gluten intolerant. You really can have yummy cupcakes again. Try this recipe. If you follow it, I promise you will have one of the most scrumptious desserts ever.

Gluten Free Strawberry Cupcakes
Makes 18-20 cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350. Butter and flour cupcake pans.

In mixing bowl combine:
2 Cups Better Batter Gluten Free Flour
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
1/2 Tbsp & 1 tsp Baking Powder
3/4 tsp Salt

Mix on low speed for 30 seconds then add:

1 1/2 Sticks Softened Butter
3/4 Cups Strawberry Puree
Mix to blend then beat to light and fluffy for about 3 minutes.
In another bowl whisk together:
5 Egg Whites
1/3 Cup Milk
In 2 separate additions add to cake batter. Blend after each addition until incorporated and wipe down sides of bowl.

Fill cupcake tins 3/4 of the way full
Bake for about 20-30 minutes.

Whipped Filling
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup puree'd strawberries
Mix all ingredients on high speed, beat until light and fluffy.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
With an electric mixer beat together equal parts:
8 oz Cream Cheese
1/4 cup strawberry puree
1/4 cup Sugar
1 tspVanilla

Beat until light and fluffy.

When cupcakes are completely cool, take a knife and make a small cut in the top of each cupcake.

With a piping bag (you can just use a ziplock bag, with a small cut in the corner), squirt whipped filling into each cupcake.

Top with frosting and garnish with Strawberries.

Gluten Free Vegetarian Meatballs.... Yep!

There are so many Vegetarian options out there, until you take "gluten" off the table. Almost every "meatball" or sausage or anything else I have tried to purchase is full of gluten. I am setting out to make some gluten free meatballs.

The process is quite easy in my opinion. Not any more difficult than my regular meatball process I go through. Quite tasty too. I would not force this on my meat lover husband and son. But it is perfect for my daughter and I.

Ingredients
1 lb firm tofu, drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 whole green onions, sliced
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
3/4 tsp salt
generous amounts of freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese
1 egg yolk, beaten
1/4 cup gluten-free bread crumbs, or corn tortilla crumbs processed extra fine.
1 tsp italian seasonings
1/8 tsp smoked paprika
more freshly ground pepper
2  tbsp. olive oil
marinara sauce
fresh basil for serving
additional grated parmesan or romano

Slice tofu horizontally

and wrap in paper towels

and put a cutting board on top of the wrapped tofu. Put something on top of the cutting board, like a pot, for additional weight.

 Leave it to drain for 20 minutes. Then wrap it in a clean thin cotton dishtowel, knead it and squeeze as much water out of it as possible.

Knead the tofu in a large bowl for five minutes and then add the garlic, green onions, fennel seeds, parsley, salt, pepper, and cheese. Knead it for another few minutes.

Whisk the egg and work it into the tofu dough.

Combine the ground bread crumbs, spices and pepper in a large flat bowl or pie pan. Make small, walnut-sized balls out of the tofu dough and roll each ball in the dough.

Heat the olive oil in a nonstick pan or well-seasoned cast-iron pan on medium and fry your tofu meatballs on each side until golden brown.

Then simmer in marinara sauce for 15 minutes. I made the mistake of simmering too long. 15- 20 minutes is perfect. 

Serve on gluten-free french bread with fresh basil leaves or on gluten-free spaghetti, sprinkled with additional grated cheese and chopped basil.

Like us on facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carlsbad-CA/Mom-Whats-For-Dinner/134176089986933

My Garlic Marinara Sauce

This is a basic marinara sauce I make to use on lasagne, spaghetti, a meatball sandwich... whatever you fancy. It can store in the fridge for a week, or if you are talented at canning, go for it. I am not someone who cans.
I find the chopping process to be healing for me. It is kind of funny. My kids walk in and ask what I am cooking. If I say I am making sauce... they turn around and walk upstairs. Usually I make sauce when I am upset, or pondering, or stressed. It soothes my soul, don't ask me why, because I have no idea.

Here is how I do it.

1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
2 Tbsp olive oil
8 cloves of garlic, minced (about 2 Tbsp)
2 Tbsp Basil, Oregano, Thyme... minced
1/2 cup red wine
6 cups peeled and seeded fresh ripe tomatoes ( I puree chop mine pretty fine because I am not a chunk fan.
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp agave nectar

In a large soup pot, heat up the olive oil. Add the onions and cook slowly, on medium heat until they start to caramelize. They should be evenly brown and soft.

Add the garlic and herbs and cook for 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the 1/2 cup of red wine and cook for 2 minutes more.

Add the tomatoes and their juice, agave nectar and stir to combine.

Bring to a simmer and cook on low, stirring occasionally for about 2 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Like us on facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carlsbad-CA/Mom-Whats-For-Dinner/134176089986933

Pineapple and Watermelon Salad

A friend of mine gave me a big watermelon. It is just sitting there and I need to use it. Plain old Watermelon can get old. So I wanted to mix it up a little bit.

Pineapple and Watermelon Salad
1 pineapple, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/3 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
1 lime, juiced
1/2 watermelon, cut into bite-sized pieces

Mix pineapple pieces with basil and lime juice. Place watermelon pieces in serving dish and pour pineapple over the top. Do not stir together, because it will make it mushy. Garnish with lime and basil.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

In the mood to bake again. Baking Gluten free always ends up being a little like a chemistry assignment. My goal is always to make them taste like regular cookies. If my son eats them, then I know I succeeded. There are so many gluten free products out there, and you can always mix your own. I used to always mix my own. The sifting, measuring...it is all fine. But Better Batter changed that for me. If you don't have Better Batter,  you can still sift or buy other gluten free products. My main comment though, is that this recipe is made with Better Batter. If you are using other gluten free flours, make sure it contains a thickener, my recommendation is xanthan gum. I still contend, there is not currently a better gluten free flour on the market. Better Batter has my vote. They make my life easier, especially if I just want to throw something together and don't have time for the sifting. My other tidbit... I don't like Bob's gluten free all purpose flour. Just my 2 cents.

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups Better Batter Gluten Free all-purpose flour Or your own gluten free flour blend
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven 325°. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium bowl; set aside. With electric mixer, or by hand, mix butter and sugars until thoroughly combined. Beat in egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add dry ingredients and beat at low-speed just until combined.

 Stir in chocolate chips.

Scoop onto cookie sheet.

bake, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and puffy 14 minutes.

Cool cookies on sheets until able to lift without breaking. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Chile Lime Grilled Corn

The thing I love about living here in Southern California is that it is always grilling season. With the exception of maybe 7 days a year, I can pretty much guarantee the use of my grill if I want it. One dish that the entire family loves is fresh corn. You can serve this dish either on the cob, or cut it off. Whichever you choose. It is naturally gluten free and delicious.

I like a little zing and spice to my corn. A while back I learned to grill corn with the husks on. It changed everything. It adds flavor and takes away the tedious task of individually wrapping them in foil. Here is how I made mine tonight.

Ingredients:
•1/2 cup butter softened
•1/2 teaspoon grated lime peel
•3 tablespoons lime juice
•1 teaspoon chili powder
•8 ears corn
1.Heat gas or charcoal grill. In small bowl, mix all ingredients except corn.

2.Remove large outer husks from each ear of corn; gently pull back inner husks and remove silk.
Spread each ear of corn with about 2 teaspoons butter mixture;

reserve remaining butter mixture. Pull husks up over ears.

3.Place the corn on grill. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, turning frequently, until tender.

Let stand 5 minutes. Serve corn with remaining butter mixture.

Like us on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carlsbad-CA/Mom-Whats-For-Dinner/134176089986933

Margarita Chicken

Oh yes, more limes. What to do?  Margaritas just are not my drink of choice, unless they are skinny girl margaritas. Heck I would give my right arm to have Bethanny Frankel over for dinner and drink skinny girls with her. But since that won't happen, and unless there is a skinny girl margarita in my fridge, you won't catch me drinking them. They give me a headache, and there are plenty of other drinks I prefer over them.  I need to do something else with my limes. Let's Make Margarita Chicken! The alcohol cooks off, so no, I am not trying to booze up my kids. The tequila makes the chicken really tender and juicy. It would actually go great with Margaritas. I am going to go crack open a skinny girl now.

This is a very simple quick dish, if you just take a sec the night before and throw it together to marinade it. It is great for busy working Mom's that need to throw something together quick for their family when they get home from work.

•4 Chicken Breasts
•1 cup gold tequila
•the juice from 4 limes
•the juice of one orange
•3 – 4 cloves of garlic, minced
•1 tablespoon kosher salt
•1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
•1 tablespoon chili powder (optional)
•1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Place all ingredients except chicken in a 9 x 13 pan. Mix well.

I cut my chicken down and tenderized it. Place chicken in and let marinate overnight. The Tequila will start the cooking process. Don't worry, this is normal.

Grill or bake at 425 degrees on a rack until internal temperature reaches 166 degrees and the skin is crispy.

Italian Sausage Lasagne

I have to do dinner really early tonight. My daughter made a commercial for my dog clothes company a while back. It won an award for best production at her school. You can view the commercial here. So I am attending her award banquet tonight. I am making "linner" my version of lunch and dinner combined because we won't be here for dinner. The award banquet is being catered, but my daughter won't be able to eat a darn thing there. So I am cooking for her early. I do this for her because I love her. Yet, she always ends up pissed off at me for one reason or another. I am told one day this will wear off. I look forward to that day.

A friend of mine from Oregon reminded me that I really have not ever posted my italian sausage lasagne recipe on here. The trick to my lasagne is using italian sausage and not beef. I buy one mild italian sausage and one hot italian sausage and mix them together.

One package gluten free lasagna noodles (or your own homemade gluten free pasta recipe here)
2 cups whole milk ricotta
1 egg
1 TBSP Italian seasoning
2 TBSP fresh chopped basil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 medium size sweet onion chopped
4 garlic cloves
2 jars bertolli olive oil and garlic marinara (or you can make your own)
1 lb mozzarella Shredded.
Boil the noodles al dente according to package directions. Or follow the pasta recipe given here. Instantly rinse the noodles with cold water and drain to prevent them from cooking more.

Now you need to season the ricotta. Do this by mixing the egg, parmesan, salt, pepper, italian seasoning, fresh basil and ricotta up in a bowl. Mix good.

Cook up the sausage with onion and garlic.

Drain and then add marinara.

In a large lasagne pan put a 1/4 cup of the marinara in the bottom of the pan and spread.

This will keep the noodles from sticking to the bottom. Now layer the bottom of the pan generously with overlapping noodles until the whole pan is covered. now put half the ricotta mixture on the noodles and spread. Spread a layer of the meat sauce

 and top with half the mozzerella. Repeat.

Cover with foil and cook at 375 for 45 minutes then remove the foil and cook for another 20 minutes

Like us on facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carlsbad-CA/Mom-Whats-For-Dinner/134176089986933

Ginger Salad dressing

I am going for a Benihuana type night at our house. One of my favorite things there is to get their Ginger dressing. I have tried and tried many times to make the dressing at our house. There are several different versions of the recipe I use. Tonight I am using this one. It is all over the internet so I can honestly say I cannot remember who or where I got it from. I have had it since not long after college. It is very easy to do. You just put everything in the blender and blend well. I is best served after you have had it in the fridge for several hours.
Pour over chopped iceburg lettuce that has a little cabbage and grated carrot.
¾ cup Chopped onion
¾ cup Peanut oil
6 tablespoons Rice wine vinegar
6 tablespoons Water
3 tablespoons Fresh chopped ginger root
3 tablespoons Chopped celery
3 tablespoons Soy sauce
4½ teaspoon Tomato paste
4½ teaspoon Sugar
4 teaspoons Lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Blackened Ahi

Oh my goodness my friend came by my house with a bunch of fresh caught Ahi! My husband LOVES blackened Ahi. One of his favorites. Great for me! It is SO easy to make.

Here is how I make my ahi seasoning:
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Store in an airtight container. This makes plenty for several times of cooking. Sprinkle the spice mixture on a plate.

Heat up a skillet on high.. Dip Ahi in spice blend and press down to make sure it is coated.

 Turn over and do it again. Once pan is nice and hot add 1 TB canola oil and put Ahi in.

Sear until crisp… 1-2 minutes. Flip over and do it again. A perfect Ahi is crunchy on the outside and raw on the inside.

Like us on facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carlsbad-CA/Mom-Whats-For-Dinner/134176089986933