Monday, July 10, 2017

Gluten Free Breakfast Goodies

I've been on a recent kick to find new recipes and I wanted to share two of the cookbooks I'm enjoying right now.

Gluten is My Bitch by April Peveteaux is up first!

This is a great book for anyone new to Celiac or gluten allergies/intolerances. As the title demonstrates, profanity is used, which weirdly surprised some readers based on some of the reviews I read. Things that make you go "WTF, people."

It's a pretty quick read, it's funny, and it has a lot of relatable, helpful info...if you're new to this whole GF business. There are recipes spread throughout the chapters, but alas, there are no pictures.

The first recipe I tried out of the book was the fried chicken and waffles. I've never eaten chicken and waffles thanks to my doggone allergy, so I've felt really left out of this breakfast phenomenon. I was pretty stoked to try this, you guys. Like, totally dude.

The chicken turned out amazing, but I did add some extra seasoning. I didn't think what the recipe called for would be enough and I have to say, I'm really glad I added more. The waffles turned out great in form, but they tasted like bread. Bread in the shape of a waffle. So my suggestion is to buy actual GF flour that is designed for pancakes and/or waffles and use that instead of what I did, which was use the Cup4Cup brand. (Side Note: Cup4Cup typically works great for everything and is my go-to most of the time.) The recipe says you can use all purpose GF flour, but I disagree. Waffles should have a certain flavor and that was really missing once this was all said and done. My modified recipe is below, enjoy!


Fried Chicken and Waffles



For the Chicken:
- 3 chicken breasts cut into pieces
- 1 TBSP salt
- 1 TBSP pepper
- 1 TBSP paprika
- 1 TBSP chili powder
- 2 TBSP of any preferred chicken seasoning that you use on a regular basis. I love Chef Paul Poultry Magic
- 2 or 3 cups buttermilk (enough to cover)
- 3 cups all purpose GF flour (I used Cup4Cup here and it worked out great for this)
- Olive oil for light pan frying

For the Waffles:
 - As mentioned above, find a waffle specific GF flour mix and follow the directions on the bag
- Maple syrup, for later!

1. Season the chicken with a little sprinkle of salt and pepper, then soak it in the buttermilk for at least two hours.

2. Combine the GF flour, salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, and chicken seasoning in a gallon sized Ziploc bag. Place the chicken inside, seal, and shake that mofo until the chicken is fully coated.

3. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan on medium-high heat. Then, place the chicken in the pan (about 1/3 of the bag at a time) and turn the heat down to low. Let the chicken get good and golden brown, then flip to the other side and do the same.

4. For the waffles, you will need a waffle iron. Coat it with a light vegetable oil (spray cans are the bomb) and heat the iron.

5. Using whatever GF waffle mix you chose, mix everything up as outlined in the instructions. Then, pour the batter into the waffle iron gently and carefully. Not too much, not too little, so take it slow. Some waffle irons are different than others, so follow the instructions for your specific waffle iron to get the waffles just right.

6. Place the waffle on a plate, top it off with chicken, and then drizzle the maple syrup over everything. Mmm!


Next up, the Superfood Smoothie Bowls recipe book by Daniella Chace.

I need to be honest here, gang. It's going to take me a while to get through this book because there are so many awesome looking combinations of deliciousness. Most recipes only require a handful of items that are either typically on hand at my house anyway or super easy to grab. Meaning, this isn't complicated in the slightest.

The first one I tried was the cherry pecan cream dream, and oh boy, was it ever a dream. I omitted the probiotic powder because I take my probiotics in other forms. I also added more pecans because I like texture in my food. Less mush, more crunch for me. And since I'm not a big fan of coconut flakes, I skipped those as well. All in all, I have to say I don't think I missed out on anything with the changes I made. It was deeeeelicious. Here's the full recipe. Give it a whirl!

Cherry Pecan Cream


Smoothie Base
 - 1 banana
 - 1 cup pitted dark sweet cherries
 - 1/2 cup coconut milk yogurt
 - 1/4 cup chia seeds
 - 1 TSP probiotic powder

Combine all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

Toppings
 - 1/2 cup peeled, slices banana
 - 2 TBSP unsweetened flaked coconut
 - 2 TBSP chopped pecans (I did 4 TBSP. Crunch, crunch, crunch)

Pour the smoothie into two small bowls and sprinkle each with half of the toppings. Enjoy!


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