Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Gluten-free Orange Chicken

Yes, it is possible. And Yes, it is delicious. 

        I gave up gluten & eating out almost two years ago & my goal was to recreate Chinese food. I looked at a lot of different recipes and kind of adapted it to suit my taste and allergy needs. I toned down the sweetness by adding fresh minced garlic & red pepper flakes. That's the beauty of cooking at home. If you love Kung Pao chicken but it's a little on the spicy side you can adjust the heat for your taste when you make it yourself.

 Ingredients

Boneless skinless chicken (breast or thighs)
Instant Mashed Potatoes
Vegetable or Olive oil
Orange juice
Gluten free Soy sauce (San-J Organic Gluten-Free Tamari)
Orange marmalade 
Minced garlic
Red Pepper Flakes
Garlic powder 
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
1.) I cut up all the chicken into quarter size pieces, some thinner than others so they get very crispy. I season them with salt, pepper & garlic powder. I then toss them in a freezer size ziploc bag with some instant potato flakes. (This works as an amazing crust & it's gluten-free)

2.) Heat my pan with enough oil to coat the bottom, the small pieces work well with a shallow fry. 

3.) After all the chicken is golden brown, I place them on paper towels & drain the oil from the pan. I add 3/4 cup of orange juice for every 2 chicken breast.

4.)About a teaspoon of minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper flakes, 1/4 cup soy sauce & a teaspoon of orange marmalade. Let this simmer & add a teaspoon of potato flakes to thicken the sauce. 

5.)Add in the chicken & some bell peppers to serve over white rice with veggies.

I was so happy with how this turned out. I no longer feel deprived & I highly recommend it to anyone who would like to try to make takeout at home.

Monday, June 3, 2013

My Gluten-Free Product Awards

        Trying new gluten-free products is scary. You never want it to taste gluten-free because those of us with food allergies just want to feel normal. These are my recommendations of gluten-free products I have personally tried & loved.


        Pancakes

        I have tried quite a few pancake mixes and most have tasted like gluten-free pancakes. Not really what you want, especially when you are spending three times as much as you would on non-gluten free pancake mix.

My favorites have been Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix &  Bisquick Gluten-Free.

   *If you do try a different brand and it's not great, you can always add applesauce or a mashed banana to improve the flavor. I've even added a teaspoon of GF vanilla extract or pumpkin pie spice. It makes a big difference.


Frozen Dinners

        Since most frozen dinners, gluten-free or not aren't very tasty.I have only tried a handful of frozen gluten-free entrees because they are expensive and a really big gamble with odds being that they won't taste good. 
The winner: Glutino Chicken pizza with BBQ sauce. I'm not traditionally a fan of BBQ chicken pizzas but this one was surprisingly really tasty.



Bagels

        Udi's Gluten-free takes the award for best bagel. Their whole grain & cinnamon raisin were so delicious I literally checked the bag a few times to ensure that they were in fact Gluten-Free.

   *I use a toaster oven to defrost my bagels/bread. I've found that this is the best method. Once on the toaster oven to defrost it & twice to toast it. I've used the bagels for a cheeseburger and it held up great to all my toppings. Better than a regular hamburger bun.


        Chips

        Most plain wavy chips or tortilla chips will say gluten-free on them. I've found that Lays Stax have a few flavored potato chips that are gluten-free but Glutino BBQ chips have been my favorite. I almost ate the entire bag. They had the perfect amount of flavor and were not salty or greasy.

Tortillas

        Finally the last award, was something I have tried to make myself and tried another brand. I had no hope for gluten-free flour tortillas & then there were Udi's Gluten-free Tortillas. They taste even more like home-made flour tortillas than regular store-bought ones. I have nothing but positive things to say about them.