Creamy Tuscan Chicken

 

Ingredients

2 Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts

3 TBS Lemon-Pepper Seasoning

2 TBS Olive Oil

1/2 Onion Diced

1/2 Cup Chicken Broth

2 TBS Minced Garlic

1 Cup Heavy Cream

1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Dried Italian Seasoning

3 Cups Fresh Baby Spinach

5 ounces Sun-Dried Tomatoes, cut in julienne strips

Directions

Season the chicken with lemon-pepper seasoning.

In a large skillet, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until cooked all the way through (8-12 minutes per side, or until internal temperature of chicken is 165°F). Transfer to a plate and set aside.

To the same skillet, add the onion and cook stirring occasionally, until translucent, 3-5 minutes. Add the stock and garlic and cook, using a spoon to scrape up any brown bits that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Pour in the cream and add the Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and Italian Seasoning. Stir until the cheese melts and the ingredients are incorporated.

Lower the heat to a medium-low and add the spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, letting the spinach wilt and the sun-dried tomatoes heat through for 3-5 minutes. Add the chicken to the mixture and serve! This can be served over rice, or as is!

Cinnamon Swirl Muffins

Muffins Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

1 TBSP plus 2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

2 cups milk

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 large eggs

1 TBSP vanilla extract

Sugar Cinnamon mix

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Muffin Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease 24 muffin cups or line them with paper cupcake liners. 

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir to mix thoroughly. In a medium bowl whisk together the milk, butter, eggs, and vanilla extract until combined.

Pour the were mixture into the dry ingredients. Spoon into greased or paper-lined muffin tins, just enough to cover the bottom. Sprinkle some of the sugar cinnamon mix on top of the mix. Spoon more mix into the muffin tin. Top with Sugar and cinnamon mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes. A dark pan will take less time than a light colored pan. The muffins are done when a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean when inserted in the middle of a muffin. Remove the muffins from the tin and let cool on a cooling rack. Serve and enjoy!

Icing Ingredients

3 cups Powdered Sugar

1/2 Cup Butter, unsalted, room temperature

2 tsp Vanilla Extract (to prevent the icing from being brown use clear extract)

2-3 TBSP whole milk or heavy cream

Icing Directions:

In a medium-size mixing bowl, add powdered sugar, butter, vanilla extract, milk and mix until smooth and creamy.

Pour over warm muffins to get a cinnamon roll like glaze, or wait until the muffins have cooled more to have more of a frosted muffin.

Cucumber Salad Side

•  
  
  
  
• Ingredients 

3 Large Cucumbers 

1tsp salt

1/4 cup Sugar

1/8 cup water

1/4 cup Distilled White Vinegar

1/4 cup Sliced red onion

Directions 

Peel the cucumbers and slice wafer tho . Sprinkle with salt. In a medium size bowl mix sugar, water, vinegar and onion. Add cucumbers to mixture. Mix well.

Refrigerate 1 hour.

Gluten Free Pop Tarts

Ingredients

For the crust

• 3 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour blend
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
• 2 teaspoons xanthan gum 
• 1 cup butter (2 sticks), cold - cut into small pieces (or palm shortening, or shortening)
• 8-10 tablespoons milk, cold (or dairy-free milk)

Instructions 

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and xanthan gum.
2. Cut butter (or shortening) into flour.
3. The butter should resemble the size of small peas.
4. Add milk.
5. Use your hands to work the milk into the dough, until the ingredients are combined and the dough forms a ball. Add more milk if needed.
6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
7. roll crust out into rectangles. Slice each pie crust rectangle into 3 even strips lengthwise, this will create 6 long strips total between the two pie crusts.
8. Place a heaping tablespoon of the jam mixture onto the bottom half of each strip, leaving about ½ of space around the edges. Brush the edges around the jam with the egg wash.
9. Fold the pastry in half. Use a fork to seal the seams. If any cracks appear in the pastry try to pinch the dough together to create a seal and prevent jam leaking during the baking process. Repeat for the remaining pastry strips.
10. Poke steam holes with a fork in each pop tart and transfer them to the baking sheet. Brush the top of each pastry with the egg wash.
11. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and cooked through. Allow to cool completely before adding the glaze.
12. In a medium bowl, mix together the powdered sugar and milk. Add more or less milk for consistency.
13. Drizzle the icing over the gluten free pop tarts. If desired, decorate the tops with sprinkles before the icing sets up.

14. NOTES

    • Keep the pie crust dough as cold as possible prevents the butter from melting before they go into the oven. If the butter melts before baking, you lose the flakiness of the pie crust. Consider refrigerating for 10 minutes after you roll it out.
    • Poke holes in the tops of each pastry to allow the steam to escape. This is important, please don't forget this step.
    • For the best results, place the ready-to-bake pop-tarts in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before baking. Again, this helps with the butter and the flakiness of the crust.
    • Seal the edges of the pop tarts well, otherwise the filling will leak out.
    • These pop tarts are best fresh since the dough becomes soggy over time, but you can store them for future enjoyment.

Cinnamon Sugar Filling

Ingredients

Brown Sugar

Cinnamon

Chocolate filling Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2/3 cup whole milk or heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons salted butter, cubed
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Icing

1 cup powdered sugar

4 tsp milk

Baja-Style Grilled Fish Tacos

Ingredients:

4 Limes
4 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 tsp Salt
1 Cup Olive Oil (or Vegetable oil)
4 cloves Garlic, minced
2 lbs White Fish (Rockfish, Cod, Monkfish, or skinless Halibut
Cajun Rub
16 Corn Tortillas

Extra Toppings (as needed):
Cabbage, shredded
Red Onion, diced
Cilantro, diced
Pickled Jalapeno Slices
Avocado, diced
Pico De Gallo or Salsa
Sour Cream

Directions:

Juice two limes. Cut the other limes into wedges; set aside until serving time.

Make the marinade:
In a small mixing bowl, combine the lime juice, mustard, and salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the oil, then stir in the garlic.

Place the fish in a resealable plastic bag, pour the marinade over it, and refrigerate for no more than 1 hour.

When ready to cook, set temperature to High and preheat, lid closed for 15 minutes.

Remove fish from the marinade and pat off any excess marinade with paper towels. Season on both sides with cajun rub.

Arrange the fish on the grill grate and grill until the fish is opaque and flakes easily when pressed with a fork (about 10 minutes, 145°F internal temp). Remove to a cutting board and cut into bite-size chunks. Meanwhile, warm the tortillas until warm.

Arrange the fish, tortillas, and suggested accompaniments on a large platter. Garnish with the reserved lime wedges. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

This year my husband was diagnosed with Celiac. He LOVES banana bread with chocolate chips and this is a recipe that both he and I really like!

Ingredients:

2 cups gluten-free all-purpose baking flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups mashed ripe bananas (4-5 bananas)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup canola oil (vegetable oil is a fine substitute)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat over to 350°F. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, bananas, sugar, applesauce, oil and vanilla. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until moistened. Gently mix in chocolate chips.

Transfer to two greased 8x4" loaf pans (or a muffin pan if you want to do muffins). Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45-55 minutes for a loaf, about 25 minutes for muffins. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Smoked Salmon with Orange Hoisin Glaze

Ingredients:

1 salmon fillet, about 1 1/2 - 2 pounds
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
2/3 cup orange juice
1/2 cup honey
1 TBSP Sriracha sauce
2 TBSP Sesame Oil
1 tsp Garlic powder
2 oranges, sliced
1 TBSP sesame seeds, toasted

Directions:

Make the marinade by mixing together the hoisin sauce, orange juice, honey, sriracha sauce, sesame oil and garlic powder together in a small bowl. Measure out 1/2 cup of the marinade and set aside. Place the salmon in a flat dish (a 9"x13" casserole dish works well). Pour the remaining marinade over the salmon. Flip the salmon a couple of times to ensure that all the salmon is coated in the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 3-4 hours. Flip the salmon every hour.

Set the smoker to 250°F using apple, cherry, alder, or maple wood chips.

Place the sliced oranges on the grill. Lay the salmon on top of the orange slices, this will keep the fish from sticking to the grill. Smoke the fish for about 2 hours, or until the internal temperature of the fish reaches 145°F.

During the smoking time, pour the 1/2 cup of reserved marinade in a small saucepan. Let it come to a low boil and let it reduce until it thickens and turns into a nice glaze. This takes about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat.

Once the salmon has finished smoking, place it on a serving platter. Brush with the glaze. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Nice to be served with rice.