Coconut Fried Chicken and Cucumber Shallot Salad

The humble fried chicken is made divine by using my newly found favorite frying flour: coconut flour.  Some of you may see this picture of my dinner and claim FOUL! as there is no starch on the plate... but trust me, the batter on this chicken is so thick and satisfying that you will not want for a french fry or baked potato. 

I once saw on a cooking show that the chef had poached the chicken first and then battered and fried it. After trying it once, I am sold on the idea that it is the best way to get perfectly cooked chicken on the inside that isn't overly dry. By using this method, you really only need to keep the chicken in the oil until the outside is slightly brown and crispy and you don't have to worry about underdone chicken. My favorite poaching liquid is chicken stock, a few fresh basil leaves and a tablespoon of garlic powder. The leftover stock is great to use more than once, or as a base for a soup. I love food that can be repurposed!! 

The pairing of this light, fresh, acidic cucumber salad with the deep fried chicken allows me to feel slightly less guilty about indulging. This salad has just a few ingredients but needs to be prepared a few hours in advance for maximum flavor. As my husband was working quite late, this was a dinner I ate solo, which meant that I had enough leftover salad to throw on a bacon sandwich... again, less guilt on the bacon because of the lightness of the cucumbers :)

Cucumber Shallot Salad
Ingredients:
1 large cucumber
1 medium shallot
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon regular white sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1) Slice the cucumber and the shallot very thinly. I use a mandolin as it is the easiest way to get an even slice on all the pieces.
2)Combine the sliced cucumber and shallot in a small mixing bowl with the vinegar and salt. Stir well and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
3) Drain off the extra liquid and set aside. Add salt and pepper before serving.

Coconut Fried Chicken
Ingredients:
6 medium chicken tenders
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons coconut flour
2 tablespoons coconut flakes
1 egg, beaten
garlic powder, paprika, salt to taste (I used a few shakes of each)
oil for frying (canola tastes best to me!)

Method:
1) Poach the chicken in a poaching liquid made of chicken stock (or broth), a few fresh basil leaves, 1 tbsp of garlic powder. Properly poached chicken should be moist and pull apart easily with your finger or a fork, and the inside will be cooked all the way through.

2) Heat the frying oil over medium heat.

3) In a mixing bowl, combine cornstarch, coconut flour, coconut flakes, egg, garlic powder, paprika and salt. Stir with a spoon until you form a pasty, yellow dough.

4) Roll the chicken through the dough and press the dough onto the chicken, but not uniformly. The dough is quite thick and you want to be sure not to put too much on each piece!

5) When your oil is ready, drop the coated chicken in and keep a close eye. Since the chicken is already cooked, you only need to look for a nice golden brown color forming on the outside of the batter.

6) Drain on a paper towel. Serve immediately with the cucumber shallot salad! I like to add a little of the drain-off liquid from the cucumber shallot salad onto my chicken to add a little acidity to this very rich component. Enjoy!!

Sweet Corn and Strawberry Jalapeño Salsa

I am a big weenie when it comes to spicy food. The summer I spent in Mexico was culinary torture and ecstasy in every bite of every meal I consumed there. Sometimes even regular black pepper is too hot for me. Like I said, a big weenie.

That being said, I have grown a recent crush on jalapeños. I have learned to cut them in a way that removes the veins and seeds so I get the delicious jalapeño flavor without too much of the famous jalapeño kick. If you are a weenie like me, remove the vein and all seeds and you, too, might also be able to enjoy this yummy snack.

WhenI am hungry but it isn't quite time for a meal yet, I love to make snacks that are easy, delicious and celebrate just a few ingredients at a time. That way I can start eating sooner and I don't need to rely on bags of chips or microwaveable things to satisfy my hunger. 

This recipe fits perfectly into my schedule because it takes 5 minutes to prepare and it can work as a salsa, a salad, or as a garnish for fish, chicken or pork! It is sweet, salty, crisp, crunchy, bright and is certainly a healthier alternative to jarred store-bought salsa! 

Ingredients:

2 small jalapeño peppers, diced 

5 fresh strawberries, diced

2 tablespoons diced red onion 

1 cup sweet corn (freshly cooked or thawed) 

juice from 1/2 lime 

salt and pepper to taste 

Method: Mix all above ingredients in a bowl and serve immediately! 

Need another idea? Here is the same recipe but served over fresh shrimp and a bed of roasted brussels sprouts. Mmm....

ENJOY!!!!!!

Sour Cream and Lemon Pie with Chocolate Cookie Crumble

Sour Cream and Lemon Pie with Chocolate Cookie Crumble

garnished with fresh mint 

I am the first to admit that I am a little dessert crazy right now... no one in my house seems to be complaining so I plan to keep it up as long as I continue to fit into my jeans! This recipe is the 3rd in a series of favorite gluten-free lemon desserts... and I am likely to post more in the coming weeks as summer is the perfect time to celebrate the existence of the lemon! 

I served these in spoons as I was hosting a party.
This recipe is versatile enough that it can
be presented as one whole pie, in tartlet cups,
in martini glasses or in a spoon! 

Here are some of my favorite facts about lemons: 

(It is always good to have these facts on hand when justifying to oneself why one should eat more dessert...)

Lemons are a digestive aid (the Italians have it right with the limoncello after dinner!)

Lemons can help cleanse your liver (for all the limoncello you are drinking!)

Lemons can help boost your immune system (ooh! Health!)

Lemons can help keep you regular (yay!)

Lemons can help neutralize free radicals (that is a good thing, by the way)

AND.... Lemons destroy intestinal worms...you know, in case that is something you struggle with...  

So here is what you need in order to make this delicious dessert that will absolutely improve your overall health: 

Ingredients: 

3 egg yolks

Juice and zest of 3 lemons (about 1/2 cup) 

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter 

4 tbsp cornstarch

1 cup milk 

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cream cheese or mascarpone - softened

Method: 

Put all ingredients except for the sour cream and cream cheese in a sauce pan over medium heat. Stir the ingredients until it thickens up quite a bit. If you are like me, you may have to pause to pick out a few lemon seeds that seemed to sneak in, despite my best efforts. Do not let the mixture come to a boil and be sure to keep on stirring! 

Once your lemon curd is a nice texture (the longer you cook it, the denser the pie will be), pour the curd into a glass bowl and let it cool in the fridge for at least 1 hour. 

Once the curd has thickened and chilled, fold in the sour cream and cream cheese. 

If you are making a traditional pie, pour the filling into an already made crust (see bottom of the page for an easy GF crust recipe!) immediately. For our get-together today, I was feeling fancy and chose to make dainty desserts. I put the filling into the spoons first and then topped it with crumbled GF chocolate chip cookies and fresh mint.

Alternate presentation idea

Don't get me wrong, I love huge, gooey, sticky sweet portions of dessert too, but sometimes it is fun to play around with presentation. You can achieve this classic presentation by crumbling some of the cookie in the bottom of the glass first, then add the pie filling and then top with more cookie crumble and mint. If you have taller glasses, you could easily layer cookie and pie filling in order to achieve more of a trifle effect. 

ENJOY!!!!!!!! 

Easy GF pie crust

I have made this crust at least 5 times and it has come out well every time. I will be sure to upload a photo the next time I make it!  I like to add the cinnamon when I am making cheesecake using this crust.... 

Ingredients: 

2 cups GF graham crackers, smashed

1/2 cup butter, melted 

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon sea salt 

1 tsp cinnamon (optional) 

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir well. Press the mixture into a 9 inch pie plate and make sure that you achieve an even texture all the way around. You can choose to build up the sides or to make a slightly thicker crust by keeping it all on the bottom of the plate. Bake for 7-10 minutes at 375F. Make sure not to let the edges brown too much! 

“We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavors and furniture polish is made from real lemons.” –Alfred E. Newman

Homemade microwave caramel chews!!!

Microwave Salted Caramel Chews 
 Sweet. Salty. Simple. Delicious. 

I have been obsessed with candy for as long as I can remember. Jerry Seinfeld once said that the only clear thought he remembers having as a child is "get candy." I can totally relate. A few days ago, I popped into our neighborhood chocolatier (as you do) and picked 3 caramels out of the tin by the window. The cashier rung me up and I was astonished that I had to cough up $4.50 for 3 caramels. Granted, they were amazing, but totally overpriced.

So I made a vow to learn how to make yummy, chewy, sweet, salty caramels and never pay a premium for them again!!

I spent an hour reading through different caramel recipes and then decided on creating a hybrid... (mostly because I didn't have everything on hand that any one recipe called for!) And just in case you didn't know yet, caramel is made entirely of fat and sugar so please don't pursue this recipe if you are counting calories!!

Ingredients: 
1/2 cup brown sugar
8 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup white sugar
3 tbsp heavy cream
1/2 cup Light Karo syrup
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp sea salt + some for sprinkling 

Method: 
Really, this couldn't be any easier...


1) Add all ingredients into a glass bowl.
2) Microwave for 2 minutes. Stir.
3) Microwave for 2 minutes. Stir again.
4) Microwave for 2 minutes. Stir yet again.
5) Pour the caramel into a lightly greased pan.
7) Immediately sprinkle sea salt across the top.
6) Let cool. Cut. Wrap!
ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fried Eggplant and Tilapia Towers

Fried Eggplant and Tilapia Towers
                 As shown on a bed of baked kale chips and sweet corn

The eggplant in this dish is, hands down, the most delicious thing I have ever cooked. Also, its success was a complete fluke! I ran out of rice flour and had to improvise with a different kind of flour that I had purchased a few weeks ago but had yet to ever use: coconut flour...  Who knew that eggplant and coconut would be best buds!?

Coconut flour is high in fiber and can be used to replace up to 20% of the required amount of regular flour in any recipe. Its sweet flavor lends itself well to baking cookies and cakes but I found that it gave a great balance to the salty, peppery crust on the eggplant. By frying and then baking the eggplant, you are able to achieve a crunchy coating on the outside but a creamy, melty inside.



Eggplant Ingredients: 
serves 4 
1 medium eggplant
1/2 cup all-purpose GF flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp garlic powder
pinch of red chili flakes
1 tbsp salt
coconut flour
2 eggs, beaten
canola oil


Method:

1.) Slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch slices. Salt each side and stack them up between paper towels. Leave for at least 1 hour to remove a good amount of bitterness. The more patient you are during this step, the better your result will be!

2.) When your eggplant is ready to cook, preheat the oven to 375F and heat up your frying oil.  In a ziplock bag, combine all purpose GF flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, red chili flakes and salt.

3.) Sprinkle each slice of eggplant with coconut flour.

4.) Dip the slices in the egg, coating evenly.

5.) Put slices in the flour and cornstarch mixture one at a time and shake so as to coat evenly.

6.) Place the eggplant in the oil and fry until the outside is turning golden brown.

7.) Drain on a paper towel.

8.) Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the eggplant slices in a single layer. Bake for 30 minutes.

Fish Ingredients:
2 large fillets of tilapia, cut into 4 pieces each
paprika
salt
pepper
lemon juice


Method:
 While the eggplant is baking, prepare your tilapia by cutting each filet into 4 pieces. Season the fish with the salt, pepper and paprika and then fry in the same oil you used for the eggplant. The oil will have residue in it from the eggplant batter, but it adds a lot of extra flavor to the fish! You will know the fish is done when the outside is a golden brown and the inside is white and flaky.

Lay the fish on a paper towel as you take it out of the oil. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over each piece as you build the tower.

Building the tower:
When the eggplant is done, begin building your tower by placing a single layer of sweet corn and baked kale on the plate. Sautéed spinach would also work well if you don't have any kale on hand!
Next, stack alternating layers of eggplant and fish. (Don't forget to squeeze lemon juice onto each piece of fish for extra yumminess!) Once you have 2 pieces of fish and eggplant on each plate, top the tower with the garnish. The one I chose for this recipe is listed below, but as long as you use a bright, fresh veggie, you can't really go wrong!

Garnish: This confetti salsa is the perfect topper for this tower of fried goodness! It is fresh, bright, acidic and sweet and has no added salt, not to mention that it adds a pop of needed color. 

Dice 3 inches of cucumber, 1/4 of a red bell pepper and 5 mandarin orange segments. Add the juice of 1/4 of a lime and stir well.
Enjoy!!!!

Cucumber, Crab and Avocado Salad

Cucumber, Crab and Avocado Salad for One

You know those days when you "accidentally" end up eating bacon at all three meals? That happened yesterday. And now the guilt has set it; it is a salad kind of day. 

This recipe came together quite easily and only took a few minutes to prepare. Having grown up in Maine, I am horrified to say this- I used canned crab meat... and it actually tasted pretty good! 

(If you don't have fresh crab at the ready just be sure to use 100% crab meat; the imitation crab stick is not gluten free.) 

Ingredients for a single serving: 

3 inches of cucumber, sliced thinly

2 tablespoons of crab meat 

1/4 avocado, diced 

diced bell pepper

chopped green onion

salt & pepper

julienned green apple

juice of 1/2 lime 

Optional additional ingredients: Chopped bacon, chives, cilantro, crispy fried corn tortilla strips. 

Method:

This salad is all about fresh, bright flavors and a delightful presentation; try to have a light hand when adding each of the layers! 

1) Lay the cucumbers on your plate in a single layer, with some overlapping. 

2) Stack the ingredients on the bed of cucumber in the following order: 

crabmeat

avocado

bell pepper

green onion

salt and pepper

green apple matchsticks 

3) Squeeze the lime juice over the entire salad. 

4) Enjoy! 

Caramelized Vidalia Onion Tart

Caramelized Vidalia Onion on a Black Pepper and Garlic Tart 

I knew that Wesley was in for a loooooong nap this morning since he slept quite poorly last night. 

1 Long nap for Wesley = plenty of time to invent a new recipe!!


My favorite memory of caramelized onions is when I was about 5 months pregnant with Wesley. I had very few food cravings throughout my entire pregnancy, but there was this one week in particular where I survived almost entirely on caramelized onions and goat cheese. Sometimes it would take 3 large onions and a log of goat cheese to satisfy my craving. It has taken until now, 16 months later, for me to even think about making them again....

Back to the cooking...

I spent an hour this morning studying recipes for homemade biscuits, tarts and crusts. I wanted to front load all the information about proportions so that I could come up with something that was somewhere between a biscuit and a crust. I am actually quite amazed that I was able to pull this off on the first try! The center is flaky and moist like a biscuit but the outside is dry and crunchy like a crust. I think I owe the success of this recipe to butter.  Oh delicious, sinful butter.


Ingredients for the tart:
1 cup all purpose GF flour
5 tbsp butter- cold and diced into small cubes
2 tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp xanthan gum
6 tbsp cold water
1/2 tbsp baking soda
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp fine salt

Method: 
1) Preheat oven to 450F. Put the cold, diced butter cubes in a medium bowl and add the flour, corn starch, xanthan gum, baking soda and 3 tablespoons of water. Cut the butter into the mixture with a spoon- you will get a bit of a workout. Continue cutting the butter for at least one minute.

2) Add the remaining water 1 tablespoon at a time, combining everything in between.

3) When you have formed an even paste, add the black pepper, garlic powder and salt. Combine well.

4) Spray or oil your baking vessel. You can use a cookie sheet or a shallow muffin tin.

5) Grab the dough with your hands and form 8 1-inch balls. Flatten the dough on the pan and make sure that they are even all the way around. It is easy to make them too thin on the edges; try to avoid that!

6) Spray a little cooking oil on top. This step may, or may not be, optional. Since I have only done this recipe this one time, I will have to get back to you on that later.

7) Place in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes. The tarts will begin to brown when they are done.


Topping:
2 large vidalia onions:
Sliced thin and caramelized; cook in oil over medium heat for about 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

There is a lot of room for your culinary imagination when it comes to additional toppings for these tarts. The best part about inventing this recipe was playing around with all the different combinations based on what I had on hand!  I ate all 8 tarts in an effort, you know, to follow proper scientific method.... 

Oven Roasted Brussles Sprouts and goat cheese 

Goat Cheese and Diced Red Bell Peppers  

Mascarpone Cheese, grape tomatoes and avocado with extra black pepper.