Pineapple Zucchini Muffins

I am getting better at baking and it is making me happy. These pineapple zucchini muffins turned out great. They look a little dark on the outside but my oven tends to do that. I should have taken them out possibly a few minutes earlier. I will definitely be making these again!

Ingredients

2 1/4 Cups of gluten free flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
1 1/4 Cups of sugar
1 1/2 Tsp of xanthan gum
1 1/2 Tsp of baking powder
1 1/2 Tsp of baking soda
1 1/2 Tsp of cinnamon
3/4 Tsp of salt
1 Cup of oil
3 Eggs
1 1/2 Cups of shredded zucchini, squeezed and drained
1 Cup of crushed pineapple, drained
1 Tsp of vanilla
1/4 Cup of golden raisins 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees

2. Shred the zucchini, place in a paper towel in order to squeeze all the liquid out

3. In a large bowl, mix together the first 7 ingredients

4. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, eggs, zucchini, pineapple and vanilla

5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just moist, then add the golden raisins and mix well

6. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean

Bourbon Chicken

This was pretty good. I had to alter the recipe a bit. I am not sure if I would make this again. It wasn't bad, but I have made better meals.

Ingredients 

Skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 onion, chopped (I omitted)
Pepper 
1 Tablespoon of dairy free butter
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 Clove garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon of arrowroot starch or cornstarch (I added this)

2 Tablespoons of chicken stock (I used veggie stock and more)

2 Tablespoons of bourbon (I used more)

Directions 

1. In a large skillet, melt butter and add olive oil

2. Saute garlic and onion until translucent

3. Add the chicken breast to the skillet and brown on both sides

4. Add broth and bourbon and stir all together

5. Add starch if needed to thicken up the sauce

6. Cover and let simmer over very low heat for 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked

Thai Coconut Chicken

This was super easy to make. It is grain free, dairy free, gluten free, and paleo. It is a bit spicy, but the coconut milk calms the spiciness down. You can add whatever vegetables you want to the dish. you could probably even substitute the chicken for shrimp. I enjoyed it, as well as my husband.

Ingredients


Chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
Garlic, minced 
1/2 White onion, diced 
½ Cup of carrots, sliced into coins 
1 Cup of zucchini, sliced into triangles
1 Cup of spinach
1 Can of full fat organic coconut milk 
3 Tsp of thai green curry paste
½ Tsp of Himalayan salt 
Red Cabbage
Coconut oil

Directions

1. In a bowl combine the coconut milk with the green curry paste and set aside
2. Preheat a large skillet and melt the coconut oil in the pan
3. Cut the chicken breasts into cubes 
4. When the coconut oil is hot, drop the cubed chicken into the pan and add salt. Let the chicken cook for about 5 minutes on each side
5. Reduce the heat and add the carrots, onion and garlic. Cook and stir for 5 minutes
6. Next, add the zucchini and spinach
7. Continue to cook and stir for another 5 minutes
8. When the zucchini is golden, and the spinach almost wilted, pour in the coconut milk mixture into the pan and mix well
9. Simmer for minutes to reduce the coconut milk slightly 
10. When done cooking, place in a bowl and garnish with red cabbage

Gluten Free Vegan Oatmeal Bread

I am trying to bake more so that I become better at it. This bread came out perfect! I was actually impressed with myself. I will be making this bread again. It tastes really good with some vegan (or regular) butter or apple butter.

Ingredients

1 Cup of gluten-free rolled oats

1 1/4 Cup of boiling water

2/3 Cup of non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened coconut milk)

1 Tablespoon of lemon juice (You can use apple cider vinegar)

3/4 Cup of ground buckwheat flour
1/4 Cup of chia seed meal (I put chia seeds in my magic bullet and made my own meal)
1/2 Cup of brown rice flour
1/2 Cup of tapioca flour
1 1/2 Teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 Teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 Cup of organic maple sugar (You can use any sugar you want)
1/3 Cup of grape seed oil (You can use melted coconut oil or olive oil)
1 Teaspoon of pure vanilla 

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, pour the boiling water over the rolled oats and let it sit for a few minutes 

2. Then add the milk and lemon juice

3. Continue to let the oat mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until the oats are soft and you can see some cultured milk and water from the lemons

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

5. In a large mixing bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients 

6. Then add the wet oat mix and the oil to the dry ingredients

7. Mix well and let the batter sit for a few minutes to soak up the moisture

8. Pour the batter into a bread pan sprayed with cooking oil, then top the dough with some dry oats. 

9. Bake for about 50 minutes (depending on the oven could be less or more)

10. Once done, let it cool before before removing from pan 

Chicken Schnitzel

Schnitzel reminds me of a flat chicken parm without the sauce and cheese. It is a German or Austrian dish. I really enjoyed this! You can substitute the chicken for pork or veal. I also made it gluten free. I would definitely make this again. It is very simple and doesn't take long to cook.

Ingredients

Skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Sea salt 

Black pepper
1 Cup of gluten free flour
1 Lemon
1 Teaspoon of garlic powder
2 Large eggs
2 Cups of gluten free panko breadcrumbs
Grape seed oil
Parsley

Directions

1. Place the chicken breasts in a plastic bag and pound them so they are about 1/2 inch thick (I used a hammer)
2. Prepare 3 bowls, one with flour, salt, pepper, and the garlic powder, one with whisked eggs and the last with the Panko bread crumbs
3. Place each piece of chicken in the flour and coat both sides
4. Next dunk the chicken into the whisked egg 
5. Then, coat it with the Panko breadcrumbs
6. Place a large skillet over medium high heat and add the grape seed oil

7. Once the oil is hot, place one piece of chicken into the pan and let it cook for 5 minutes (or longer) and then flip it over to finish cooking

8. Each piece should be golden brown on both sides
9. Remove the chicken to a paper towel lined plate and repeat the process with the remaining chicken

10. Once all the chicken is cooked, give it all a generous squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of parlsey

Tater Tot Nachos

So easy to make and so good! My husband loved it so much, he even ate the leftovers for lunch the next day. And he isn't a left over kind of guy. This is a great dish to make for kids. I made one side dairy free for me and the other side I used real dairy cheese for the hubby.

Ingredients

Frozen tater tots
Ground turkey 
Small onion, chopped
Cheddar cheese
Guacamole
1 Can of diced tomatoes
Cilantro
Hot sauce

Directions

1. Bake the tots according to package directions
2. Brown the ground turkey, then add chopped onion and tomoatoes
3. When the tots have five minutes remaining, remove from the oven and sprinkle on the meat and cheese
4. Return to the oven to finish cooking
5. Remove from the oven and load up your toppings

Orange Juice Chicken

This was pretty good. It wasn't the greatest chicken dish I ever made, but it was good. The sauce is thick and sweet. If you like the taste of oranges, you will like it.

Ingredients

4 Skinless, boneless chicken breasts

2 Tablespoons of dijon mustard

1/2 Cup of chopped onion

1/2 Cup of organic brown sugar
2 cups orange juice

2 Tablespoons of gluten free flour

2 Tablespoons of dairy free butter

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees 
2. Place the chicken in a baking dish  and spread the mustard evenly over the chicken and sprinkle with chopped onion

3. Coat the chicken lightly with 1/4 cup of the brown sugar and pour in enough orange juice to cover chicken

4. Add butter to the top of each chicken piece
5. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, then remove leftover sauce from baking dish and pour into a saucepan

6. Sprinkle the chicken with the remaining 1/4 cup of brown sugar and return to oven
7. Whisk the flour into sauce in the saucepan and add any leftover orange juice and heat on high until the sauce thickens

8. Remove chicken from oven and place on a dish and pour the sauce over the chicken

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