Un-fried chicken, better than KFC.

So, someone on my friends list had posted to Facebook that she was craving fried chicken, and that started me wanting some.  I have not had fried chicken in years and years and years... and this is GOOD.  And will not give you a tummyache.

So to start:

Chicken legs (or a cut-up chicken, if that is how you roll)
Buttermilk.

Soak the chicken pieces in buttermilk (in the fridge, please!) at least overnight.

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix together equal amounts of:
Corn flour (not meal, flour..this is the stuff from Bob's Red Mill, its fine)
Millet flour

add a small amount of amaranth flour (about half the amount you used of the corn)

Parmesan.  (I grated it fresh on a microplane, you don't need much, but it helps the crust adhere)

Paprika, pepper, salt, thyme, (any other spices you want..I used some buttermilk ranch mix, and some dried shallot powder)

mix mix mix.  Put into shallow dish/pan.

Put about a tablespoon of melted butter in the bottom of whatever baking dish you are using, make sure the bottom of the dish is covered.

Dredge the chicken in the mixture of flours, place in baking pan.

Spritz the top with a squirt of baking spray.

Place in oven.   About halfway through the cooking time you'll want to flip the chicken...   I found it took about 45 minutes total  for about 6 legs.

I served it with a lovely fennel and apple salad.  Very simple, sliced fennel, sliced apple, raisins and a simple vinaigrette made with orange juice.

Kale-a-palooza!

Why, Hi there!   Yes, I am still alive.   And eating kale.

My first tip..kale smoothies? No, just say no.   Just like a milkshake?  no, just like that green slime I used to play with as a child.   That is EXACTLY what my attempt at a kale smoothie looked like.   If you have to add ten different fruits to disguise the taste of the kale, then guess what?  Not healthy.

*ugh*

Ok, deep breath.  Now, delicious things to do with kale:

Yeah, you all know about kale chips.   Oil, salt, kale, maybe some herbs/spices (I used zaatar).   I would have added a little parm, but I'm out.  And bugs got into the nutritional yeast, or I would have used that too, for some umami. Onto cookie sheet an into a low oven.

I made some quinoa bites, inspired by the pizza quinoa bites floating around the internet.  These were pretty simple and good.   Cooked up quinoa (used red, because that is what is in the pantry).  chopped up some mushrooms, cooked those down, tossed those into the quinoa, added a squeeze of tomato paste.   Rough chop of some kale, toss that in.
An egg as a binder, and a smidge of feta.

Plop into muffin tins and into the oven. (350)

I wish I'd sauteed the kale just a little, but it did come out well...  It would also be grand with swiss cheese and a little bit of ham or bacon.

You could also put whole leaves of kale in the bottom of the muffin tin, then plomp the quinoa mixture on top.  The kale leaves act as a kind of "cup".  (I used baby kale, so you would cut out cup-size pieces of kale if you wanted to go this route)

Lastly, creamed kale.   Kale, pureed and steamed on the stove, with a dollop of ricotta and some salt, and then baked in the oven.  You could, if you wanted to be fancy, put some gluten-free cracker or breadcrumbs on top to add a little crunch.

Pics to come later....

Life runs amok.

Amok, amok, amok.   Sorry its been so long since I've updated, its been a busy summer.    I got a promotion at work, which means I've been spending less time cooking.  But I have come up with some great, simple summer salads (no pics, unfortunately) to try and use up the abundance known as the CSA flood of PRODUCE.

mmmmmm yummylicious.

Anyway.

So we got watermelon in our CSA shares.   mmmm watermelon.    So I've been making a quick salad with watermelon, cukes, a dash of feta cheese, and a splash of pomegranate vinegar.

(which leads to a sidebar, there used to be all kinds of funky vinegars on the market, and now? nothing.  Did the funky vinegar company go bankrupt or something?)

We also had green beans.    And potatoes...I bet you know where I'm going with this....well, almost.   Salade nicoise, but with smoked salmon instead of tuna.  (still not a huge tuna fan).

The other night,  for dinner, I wasn't terribly hungry, so just sliced up cucumber, added a smear of sour cream (another sidebar, someone is FINALLY making a small container of organic sour cream!) and some smoked salmon  (I went to Costco, been eating a fair amount of smoked salmon)

Now, any ideas for beets or carrots?   (I had made a carrot top soup earlier in the summer, but alas, never posted the recipe).

Napa salad, quick and easy...

So one of the things I got in my CSA was napa cabbage.   Pulled off a few leaves, chopped them up.  Added some green garlic, sliced up a turnip, added some sweet pepper, toasted cashews, sesame oil and vinegar...


Sorry no pic, the camera is AWOL.

Its CSA Time, again!

So, I have a wonderful CSA share from Holcomb Farm.   Picked up my first bag yesterday.   All kinds of tasty veggies...   napa cabbage, bok choi, lettuce, oregano, sorrel, hakurei turnips....

Last night I just sauteed a little bok choi in some butter with a boiled potato and an egg, and called it dinner...

Today I'm planning on making a salad with the napa cabbage.  And maybe a slaw with the hakurei turnips and some carrots... (I think I posted the slaw last year)...

Why I don't go to receptions....

Because it is SO easy for things to become contaminated...   take the last church thing I went to...  I was (fortunately) early, and helping set up, and I saw the crackers set up first, THEN the cheese and the fruit and the veggies, all with the unwashed hands from the crackers.

Its not enough to just have things that are visually gluten-free, care HAS to be taken in prep, and when everything else has gluten.....the chances are that most folks are not going to realise....

In the past, I have brought my own thing, that I can eat, rather than grilling people on ingredients...  but sometimes I can't...  I have been known to get a little squiffy on wine on an empty stomach.

There is an event for the archbishop, where I am singing (with the choir!  with the choir!)  and I offered to bring something to the reception, but was turned down...  I will probably end up bringing a little bento box that I can eat, so I can have a snack....  

What brought this on?  End of year parties/events.  An invite to a reception with hors d'oeuvres.   And unfortunately, as recipes become more complex, the possibility of gluten migrating in becoes more likely.

So, what can you do if you are hosting a reception and want to make it allergy-friendly?   Ask people to label their dish if it is safe, and keep the "safe" dishes together, with serving spoons.   Wash your hands.   Put out the fruit/veggies first.  Handle the crackers (or nuts) last.    Use a seperate serving spoon for everything.  

Tofu pudding, take 2, and how I'm eating....

So, I did some more with the tofu pudding idea.   Frozen mango, a little bit of homemade butterscotch (sugar caramelized with a little teeny bit of butter) and vanilla.   Not bad.   The mango is strong enough to give the tofu a whammy so it doesn't taste so tofu-like.

I've found that I do better with a smaller breakfast, with a lot of protein.   I suspect I am going to become one of those "dinner for breakfast" people.  When I was naturally slimmer, that seemed to be what worked for me...   and then the carbs for dinner.  If I eat protein for dinner, I'm usually awake and don't sleep, but if I have oatmeal before bed, I sleep well...   yes, I am strange.   So lunch will have to be the "interesting" meal.  

I'm a little bummed at Whole Paycheck.  Udis (aka the only gluten-free bread that tastes at all decent) came out with a great high-fiber loaf.  I found it there once, and then apparently they discontinued it.   grrrrrrrrrr.  Oh they would be happy to special-order it for me...  I WANT to just be able to go to the store, get the bread I need for the week...  but God Forbid.