Gluten-free Fish Sticks

Easy!

1. Heat olive, canola, vegetable, or peanut oil in large skillet
2. Season rice flour in a shallow bowl for dredging - using Goya Adobo, of course
3. Dredge cod, swai, basa or any white fish cut into strips or chunks into flour
4. Once oil is nearly smoking, add fish sticks
5. Turn and cook each side for about 2 minutes - for a total of 8 minutes max
6. Remove from oil and place on paper towel to cool

Serve with green veggies and french fries - Costco has great gluten-free frozen waffle fries right now.

Garlic Chicken and Fingerling Potatoes

This one's just like making fried potatoes, but with chicken.

• 1 whole chicken, cut up leaving skin on
• 2 medium onions - you can't have too much, really
• 2 bulbs of garlic, cloves separated but leaving shell on each clove
• 1 or more pounds of fingerling potatoes (small red potatoes or even idaho potatoes are fine, just cut larger ones into 1 1/2 inch pieces)
• Olive, vegetable, or canola oil - 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 Tbsp depending on how large your pan is

1. Heat large skillet on high (make sure it's one you have a lid for)
2. Season chicken pieces with Goya Adobo
3. When oil is starting to smoke, add chicken skin/meatiest side down
4. Season the side facing up, if you haven't already
5. Keep heat near highest setting throughout this recipe
6. Slice onion into thick slices
7. Once chicken is browned on one side, add onion, garlic cloves, and potatoes
8. Then turn chicken over and let some of the onion and garlic fall to the bottom of the pan
9. Add pepper, if you like
10. Cover and cook on high for about 10-15 minutes, turning chicken and vegetables two or three times to ensure even browning
11. Once onions are caramelized and potatoes are cooked through, your chicken should be at 180 degrees internal temp and your dinner is done

Serve on a large platter with any vegetable.

Play Dough: Allergy Free

This gluten free play dough will last at least a month just by storing in ziplock bags and storing in a cool place like your refrigerator.

For real fun, make it with your toddler, especially the part where they add the food coloring and gradually see the color get more and more brilliant!

Simple: water, corn starch, and salt

Recipe at GoDairyFree.org

Alternative: water, corn starch, rice flour, salt, cream of tarter

* FYI, cream of tarter at Target is very cheap (www.Target.com)

Recipe at Parents.com

Fast and Cheap Rosemary Chicken Stew

10 min prep + 25 min cooking time

Had this at Maggiano's and the wife demanded I make it the next day. By the way, Maggiano's will accomodate any food/diet restriction and even has gluten-free pasta. The even accomodated all of my family's allergies without a problem and served delicious food.

This is cheap because you use whatever chicken you find on sale. It's fast because you don't debone or pull the skin off or anything. You just sear the chicken, throw it in the pot, de-glaze the skillet and basically make a soup.

The keys to this recipe are...
* Searing the chicken until golden brown (but certainly not cooked through) before putting it into the pot - of course, I like to sear it in bacon grease.
* Adding ample celery
* Adding a good amount of rosemary (and going light on the tyme)

Steps:

1. Season a whole cut up chicken or split chicken breasts (with skin and bones) with Goya Adobo
   
2. In huge skillet with oil, sear chicken on all sides on high heat until browned on all sides
3. Place chicken into large, heavy pot
4. Add a little (about 1/4 c) broth, beef or chicken, into pot and set to med low heat
5. Turn skillet down to med-high and add diced onion, salt and stir constantly
   
6. Add splash of marsala wine (or any red wine or vinegar substitute)
7. Add 3+ cloves diced garlic - I always forget this when I'm in a hurry
   
8. Stir to pick up the brown bits in the pan
9. Stir in 1 or two 14 oz. cans diced tomato
10. Stir in a little tyme
11. Stir in loosely chopped rosemary
12. Stir in chopped celery (3+ stalks) & carrots
13. Stir in 1 cup of water
14. Pour contents of skillet over chicken in pot
15. Add more water until almost covering all chicken
    
16. Add 3+ dried bay leaves
17. Add pepper to taste
18. Stir and bring to boil
19. Then set to low and cover to simmer for 20-25 minutes

You will have a lot of broth with this recipe, which I suggest stirring into well cooked rice and vegetables for a delicious soup, or using as a base or flavoring for something else.

Meatloaf a la Alton Brown

Loved this recipe (click here) with the following substitutions/modifications:

1. Homemade allergy-free bread, or store bought, or gluten-free pretzels
2. Egg substitute (and doubled the amount)
3. Used roasted red pepper, and it was outstanding
4. Extra Worcestershire
5. Extra honey (and maybe a little brown sugar)
6. To really glaze it, cook the last 10 minutes on 450 F, or broil it for a few minutes on a higher rack

Fried Swai Fish with Saffron Pasta

The two year old loved this one.

1. Cook brown rice pasta in water with salt
2. Press fillets into rice flour and Goya Adobo mixture
3. Fry on high in skillet with olive oil
4. Flip once and grill other side on high
5. Remove fish from pan and set aside
6. Drain pasta and rinse well
7. Add to same skillet that fish was in, thin sliced onion and salt
8. Add more olive oil if necessary
9. Saute on med-high heat until slightly brown, stirring constantly
10. Add minced garlic and a pinch of saffron and keep stirring
11. Add a few splashes of white wine vinegar
12. Add noodles and keep stirring (add more oil and white wine vinegar if necessary)
13. Add fresh diced tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
14. Keep stirring until everything is incorporated and warm, then serve

Potato Leek Soup

About as simple as it gets. Inspired by a recipe from SimplyRecipes.com and ideas from trying other things.

1. In skillet, cook 5 - 6 slices of bacon until crisp
2. Remove and place onto paper towel

In same skillet on medium heat...

1. Add 1 Tbsp of dairy-free margarine
2. About 4 cups of chopped leeks (white and light green part)
3. Add 1 tsp dried parsley (if you have fresh, then shop it and add it after soup is blended)
4. Add pepper to taste
5. Saute about 5 minutes
6. Add 2 cups of chicken broth

Transfer to large pot

1. Add 2 more cups of chicken broth
2. Add three large potatoes, peeled and cubed
3. Add one small strip of bacon
4. Bring to boil
5. Simmer for about 40 minutes or until potatoes have softened
6. Blend
7. Add salt to taste and stir

I didn't feel any need to add rice milk or anything. The soup turned out to be the perfect consistency. I'm curious how it might be with some finely diced carrots. Adding cubed ham may be nice, as well.

Crockpot Roast and Vegetables

Searing and glazing is the secret. Just falls apart when done and the meal is savory.

1. Douse roast with Goya Adoba on all sides
2. Sear roast in pan on high heat in 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil until browned on all sides
3. Place in crock pot (turned off)

The following steps to be done in same skillet that your seared in:

1. Stir sliced onion into saute pan and add salt - 2 min
2. Stir in 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3. Stir in diced tomatoes (drained) - stir 3-4 minutes
4. Add chopped celery and carrot and stir until well coated
5. Saute and stir about 2 minStir in 1 tbsp honey
6. Stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons tomato paste
7. Add several splashes of Worcestershire sauce
8. Saute and stir 1 min
9. Turn off heat under skillet

Now, on to the crock pot:

1. Throw potatoes (4-6 large cut into large cubes) onto roast
2. Empty contents of skillet on top of roast and potatoes in crock pot (so as to coat them)
3. Pick up roast and set it on top of vegetables (now it is nice and glazed and the veggies and potatoes are under the roast)
4. Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup chicken broth
5. Cover set crock pot to low for 8-11 hours (depending on size of roast) and just turn off when meats easily falls apart when pulled