Table Talk: Buffalo Chicken Salad

This week is my turn to host.This was an easy pick for me - I love entree salads.  And our family loves Wings + Blue Cheese Dressing, so I figured this would be a hit!

 I loved this salad.

I loved the flavor of the chicken - definitely "buffalo" but not too spicy.  I didn't think the dressing was flavorful enough, but I added some blue cheese chunks to the salad and it was perfect!  I am curious to see how the chicken turned out for the other members of the group because all of my breading pretty much fell off when I cut the chicken, but that was not too big of an issue.  We will definitely have this again.  However, I don't know that I will stick to the carrots and celery only - I love to put as many veggies (and even fruits) as I can on my salads! 

Buffalo Chicken Salad - The America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook pg. 80

Serves: 4

The brand of hot sauce you use can have a dramatic effect on the flavor and spice level of the Buffalo sauce; our favorite brand of hot sauce is Frank's RedHot Original Sauce.  Since Frank's is a very mild sauce, if you use a hotter sauce such as Tabasco, you will want to use about half as much.

Chicken:

1/2 cup hot sauce

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 Tbsp. light molasses

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

4 (6 oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 Tbsp. canola oil

Salad:

3 romaine lettuce hearts (about 1 pound), torn into bite-sized pieces

3 celery ribs, sliced thin

2 carrots, peeled and shredded

3/4 cup Blue Cheese Dressing (recipe to follow)

1. For the Chicken:  Whisk the hot sauce, butter, and molasses together in a bowl; set aside.  Whisk the cornmeal and cornstarch together in a shallow dish.  Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with the salt and pepper.  Thoroughly coat the chicken with the cornmeal mixture, pressing on the coating to help it adhere.

2. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until just smoking.  Carefully lay the chicken breasts in the skillet and cook until well browned on the first side, 6-8 minutes.  Flip the chicken, reduce the heat to medium, and continue to cook until the chicken registers 160 to 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 6-8 minutes longer.

3. Transfer the chicken breasts to a carving board and let rest for 5 minutes.  Slice the chicken cross-wise into 1/2-inch -thick pieces.

4. For the Salad:  Toss the lettuce, celery, and carrots with the dressing, then divide it among four plates.  Toss the chicken with the hot sauce mixture, arrange on top of the salads, and serve.

Blue Cheese  Dressing:

Makes about 1 cup

If you prefer a mild blue cheese flavor, use a less pungent blue cheese, such as Stella.

1/4 cup crumbled strongly flavored blue cheese, such as Roquefort or Stilton (about 1 oz)

1/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup light mayonaise

1/4 cup sour cream

2 Tbsp. water

2 tsp. white wine vinegar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. pepper

Mash the blue cheese and buttermilk together with a fork in a bowl until the mixture resembles cottage cheese with small curds.  Stir in the remaining ingredients until well combined.

Pork Chops

This week is my first time to host Table Talk. 

 My choice was Sauteed Boneless Pork Chops with Quick Ginger-Apple Chutney.

We have done recipes with shrimp, beef, turkey sausage and chicken, so I figured it would be fun to do a pork recipe, and this one stood out to me. I thought these were really good! I liked the apple and fresh ginger (which I added more of) flavors together with the pork.  I also usually bake or crock-pot my pork chops, so I liked trying a recipe to saute them.  My family really liked this dish, I will definitely try it again sometime.

 Sauteed Boneless Pork Chops with Quick Ginger-Apple Chutney 

America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook page 292 

If the pork is enhanced, do not brine. If brining the pork, do not season with salt in step 1.

4 (6 oz) boneless pork chops, 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick, brined if desired

Salt and pepper 

2 tsp. canola oil 

1 lb. Granny Smith apples (2 or 3), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces 

1 onion, minced 

1 Tbs. grated fresh ginger
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 cup apple cider
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.  Brown the chops well on the first side, about 3 minutes.

2. Flip the chops over, reduce the heat to medium, and continue to cook until the chops register 140 to 145 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Transfer the pork chops to a platter, tent loosely with the aluminum foil, and let rest while making the chutney.

3. Add the apples and onion to the fat left in the skillet, cover, and cook over medium-low heat until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Uncover, stir in the ginger, allspice, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the cider and brown sugar, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly, about 4 minutes. 

4. Stir in any accumulated meat juice and return to a brief simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste, spoon the sauce over the chops, and serve.

Per Serving:  Cal 390; Fat 11g; Sat Fat 3g; Chol 95 mg; Carb 37 g; Protein 38 g; Fiber 2g; Sodium 260 mg

Stir Fried Beef and Broccoli

Stir Fried Beef and Broccoli

This was Amanda's pick this week - and it was a great one!  This was a pretty simple recipe - there was a lot of prep work as far as cutting and marinating the meat, cutting veggies, and making two sauces; however, once the cooking began it was a quick and easy recipe.  

The results?  AMAZING! My family really loved this dish! It was even mentioned that it could be from Panda Express - only better! Wow, that's a big deal around here.  I should mention that we love pretty much any dish with fresh ginger and sesame oil - those add such great flavor!  There was an option for hoisin or oyster sauce - I went with the oyster sauce. I loved the bright colors - it made for a beautiful, healthy, delicious meal!

So glad we tried this - check out Amanda's blog for the recipe!

Bake 52: Week 39

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

 I simply cannot express in words how much I LOVE fall!  I love it! The cooler weather, the leaves, the approaching holidays, football season...it is the best!

I made this bread Monday, which turned out to be the perfect fall day!  It began by waking up to "sweater-weather" for the first time this year. Oh how I love wearing sweaters!  Then I enjoyed my house smelling like amazing pumpkin bread baking all afternoon.  After having soup for dinner, we took our kids to a gorgeous park to play.  We ended the night by stopping at Starbucks for a Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate. I. LOVE. FALL.

I love pumpkin bread too and because the pumpkin is so moist, it usually makes for incredible gluten-free bread!  So I had to try it with this recipe.  I decided to make gluten-free pumpkin muffins.  Of course half had to have chocolate chips, because pumpkin+chocolate is like peanut butter+jelly!

Shockingly (seriously, I was shocked!) I found myself enjoying the plain ones even more.  Don't get me wrong, the ones with chocolate were fantastic, BUT there was something simple and delicious about the plain ones.  The results were incredible!  Best gluten-free muffins ever!  I will definitely be making these A LOT!  

I'm sure this bread is great with the nuts and cranberries too, but this was more my family's style.

(I subbed Pamela's Baking Mix for the flour and omitted the baking soda and baking powder.  It was that easy!)

Great Fall pick, Talesha! Check out her blog for the recipe!

Bake 52: Week 23

This week's baking selection was

Coconut Macaroons

Upside of this week was that these are gluten-free cookies. That is always a bonus so that I have someone else that eats what I make so I don't eat the whole batch.  It's just not right to be wasteful!  Although I really like coconut, macaroons are just not among my favorite cookies.  My husband really enjoyed these. I thought they were a pretty typical macaroon.  But they were fast and easy, so I could see myself making these again sometime.

Pulse the coconut in food processor until fine:

Then mix together egg whites, sugar, salt and almond extract:

Stir both of those together and form into balls, bake on cookie sheet with sprayed parchment paper:

 There was a variation for Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons.  Add a little chocolate?
Yes, please!

I tried dipping and also drizzling...either way I think the added chocolate was a
definite plus!

Check out Emily's Blog for the recipe!

Bake 52: Week 13

Not sure how to explain how excited I was when I saw that this week we would be making

CREME BRULLE!

Excited for a few reasons:
First of all, this is my husband's all-time favorite dessert.  Anytime there is a chance to go to a nice restaurant and order this, he takes full advantage.
Secondly, this is something I would never have thought I could actually make (again, this is for ordering at nice restaurants) so I was excited to try it!
Third, I love Creme Brulle!

It was honestly easier than I thought it would be, and my amazing fried, Talesha, let me borrow her kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar.  I know she's a true fried because she let me use it before she had even tried it! I am definitely ordering one of those for myself now!

 

  Each week I am more and more impressed by this cookbook.  It has "test kitchen" in the title, and these recipes truly are tested and perfected!

So my review of this is that it was absolutely delicious!

My husband's review?  He was expecting "homemade tasting Creme Brulle" but was pleasantly surprised at how good this was! He said it is as good as, if not better than, any he has ever eaten!

Yeah!! A success!  I felt so proud of myself all night and am so excited to be able to make this now!  

Visit Jen's blog to see the recipe!

Crispy Coconut Chicken Fingers

I had a really rough "mom" day last week.  All I wanted was 10 minutes of quiet, alone time.  When my hubby came home I put myself in a time-out in my room.  Although it was anything but quiet in my house, I was alone.  I knew that if I didn't do something to keep myself busy, I would have fallen asleep immediately!  So I started flipping through recipe books, which is such a stress reliever for me.  This time proved to be productive, as I planned out dinner for the night.  I made these Chicken Fingers with the Seasoned Potato Bites and it was a huge hit with the whole family!  My 8 year old that hates chicken ate several pieces of this and my 6 year old had 4 servings of the potatoes.  My husband always loves anything like a chicken nugget (one of the things he really misses with the gluten allergy) and this was super easy to make gluten free!

Crispy Coconut Chicken Fingers (Adapted From Our Best Bites)
1 1/2 lbs. chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
2 eggs
1 cup cornstarch
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1 cup gluten-free bread crumbs (you can make these from your bread, buy them at The Good Earth)
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp curry powder
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Chop coconut and mix with bread crumbs and spices.  Place in shallow dish.  Beat the egg and place in another shallow dish, and put the cornstarch in a 3rd dish.  Roll each piece of chicken in the cornstarch, then in the egg, then in the bread crumb mixture until coated.  Place on a cookie sheet lined with sprayed foil. Bake until cooked through, about 20-25 minutes.

Seasoned Potato Bites

Seasoned Potato Bites  (Recipe adapted From Our Best Bites Steak Fries)
10 small red potatoes, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Toss potatoes in a bowl with the olive oil and spices.  Spray a piece of aluminum foil with non-stick spray and place on cookie sheet.  Spread potatoes out on foil and bake at 400 degrees until tender.  Start checking after 20 minutes.

Easy GF Peanut Butter Cookies

 Luckily Kris really likes peanut butter cookies because they turn out really well without flour! We have a few recipes we use all of the time, but here is one that is just a little bit different that I found on Pinterest.  They were really yummy - I have never added nuts to them and it really made them stand out.

Peanut Butter Cookies (from Kill.The.Gluten)
1 cup peanut butter

3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup crushed peanuts (I had pecans and used them and loved it!)

Stir peanut butter, sugar, egg, baking soda, salt until combined.  Add in chocolate chips and nuts.  Roll into small balls and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 350 for 12-14 minutes.

Bake 52: Week 10

This week's pick was LUNCHBOX BROWNIES!

I knew I would love these because I've never met a brownie I didn't like love! This recipe was unlike any I've baked though because it used unsweetened chocolate, so I was a little worried about them being too bitter.  Once again, this book never leads astray because they were fantastic! The recipe had several variations, I chose the frosted ones - the frosting recipe was just chocolate chips (I opted to use milk chocolate rather than semi-sweet) and a little oil.  It was perfect. 2 ingredients - so simple and so delicious!

And have I mentioned how much I love the foil slings? They came out beautifully!

 

 I always feel like I am torturing my poor husband when I bake something that smells as irresistible as brownies!  When I noticed that this recipe only called for 2/3 cups of flour, I decided to try to make them gluten-free.  I did a mixture of rice flour and cornstarch (I normally would have blended rice flour and garbanzo bean flour because I love the way that bakes, but uncooked it makes for a very disgusting batter and I NEEDED some yummy brownie batter that day!).  I also added about 1 tsp. of unflavored gelatin and 1Tbs. of light mayo (this really helps the texture to be less crumbly and more moist).  They turned out perfect! I couldn't even tell that they were gluten-free.  SO delicious! And Kris loved them!

 To get the full recipe, visit LIZ'S BLOG!

Chinese Lemon Chicken

 This is one of our new favorite recipes around here so I thought I would post it.

The sauce is more like a gravy with a sweet and lemony flavor - so yummy!

 

Chinese Lemon Chicken:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
 3/4 ts table salt, divided
 1/4 ts freshly ground black pepper
 1/2 cup + 2 T cornstarch
 1 3/4 cup chicken broth
 2 large egg yolks
 2 T canola oil
 3 T packed light brown sugar
 2 tsp ground ginger
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (can use bottled)
 1 tsp grated lemon zest

 1. Pat the chicken breasts (full or cut into strips/pieces) dry and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt and the pepper

2. In a medium bowl, combine 1/2 cup of the cornstarch, 1/4 cup of the chicken broth and the egg yolks. Whisk until the batter is smooth. Dip each chicken piece into the batter, coating thoroughly.

3. Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken until brown and done inside. Remove from the heat and keep warm using foil over your bowl or plate.

Captured the steam too!

4. In the same skillet, stir together the remaining 2 T of cornstarch, remaining 1/4 tsp salt, the brown sugar and ginger. Whisk in the remaining chicken broth. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and zest.

 5. Serve the chicken and sauce over rice

Teriyaki Sauce

I found this recipe for Teriyaki Sauce on Our Best Bites

It is the perfect Teryaki Sauce...good flavor and not too sweet!  Super easy to make too!

My husband loves teriyaki sauce, but I really don't like it from a bottle. It is too strong for me.I made this sauce before knowing what I was even going to do with it... I just wanted to try it.   And I loved it! I decided to stir-fry some chicken in a little olive oil, added some garlic, pineapple, broccoli, and green bell pepper.  Once that was all ready I poured the sauce over and heated through.  We ate it over rice, it was a really yummy meal!  They also suggest using it as a marinade for steak and chicken before grilling.

 Teriyaki Sauce (Our Best Bites)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 Tbs. cornstarch

1 Tbs. cold water

1. Combine sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and black pepper in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

2. While the soy sauce mixture is heating, whisk together cornstarch and cold water.  When the soy sauce mixture comes to a full boil, whisk in cornstarch mixture and stir sauce until thickened and clear.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Cinnamon Roll Rice Krispies

My sister-in-law gave me this recipe recently, she thought it would be a good gluten-free alternative for cinnamon rolls.  Although they sounded good, I would have never believed how amazing they actually would be!  Eating gluten-free or not, these are sure to please!

I made these for our Superbowl party and they were the first things to go!
They're pretty similar to making regular rice krispie squares...you melt the butter, but then add cinnamon and molasses before stirring in the marshmallows.  When they are melted you add some vanilla, then mix in the cereal and spread into a pan.

While still warm, you cut and shape and then my favorite part....
the cream cheese frosting!

I added cinnamon to the cream cheese frosting - it was a great addition!

 They stayed really nice and soft...really tasted so much like a cinnamon roll but WAY easier!

Cinnamon Roll Rice Krispies

1/4 cup butter

1/8 tsp salt

2 tsp unsulphured molasses

2 tsp cinnamon

1 (10.5 oz) bag miniature marshmallows

1 tsp vanilla extract

6 cups Rice Krispies Cereal

Butter a 9x13 dish, set aside. 
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium low heat.  Stir in salt, molasses, and cinnamon. 
Add marshmallows and stir constantly until marshmallows have completely melted.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. 
Fold in Rice Krispies Cereal, stirring until evenly coated.  Pour Rice Krispie Treat mixture into buttered dish. 
Spread mixture evenly into pan with a buttered spatula.  Allow to cool several minutes, then cut while still slightly warm. 
Using your hands, round edges of cut squares to make them look more like cinnamon rolls.
Allow to cool completely then pipe Cream Cheese Frosting over top.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/4 cup butter, softened

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups powdered sugar

(and try the cinnamon!!)

Mexican Chicken and Corn Chowder

Of course I forgot to take a picture of this, but I made this soup last night and wanted to post on here.  Next time I make it, I will add a photo.  It is really easy and really good!

Mexican Chicken and Corn Chowder

1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
3 Tbs. butter
1 1/2 lbs. chicken, cubed
1 cup water
2 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 pt. half and half
16 oz. creamed corn
4 oz. green chiles with juice
1 cup mont. jack cheese

Cook onion and garlic in butter until tender.  Add chicken, water, bouillon, cumin.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat and cover, simmer 15 minutes.  Add half and half, corn, chiles, cheese.  Cook and stir until cheese is melted.

**  When I make it,I actually put chili powder on my chicken and grill it, cut it up, and throw everything in the crock pot.  I added the cheese and half and half at the very end. **

Salsa

The first time I ever made homemade salsa was over Christmas break  - and this is my fourth batch since then! I can't get enough of this stuff!  I got the recipe from Deals to Meals, it's their copycat recipe for Chili's Salsa.  My husband and I never agree on the amount of spice - he likes it really spicy, I don't.  However, this salsa is the perfect in-between.  Spicy, but not too much. We both LOVE it!  I just keep trying to think of new things to eat salsa on!

It is super easy to make - you just throw everything in the blender and blend until your desired consistency (more or less chunky).

 Chili's Copycat Salsa Recipe
       (I always double this recipe)

2 cans whole tomatoes, drained
1small can jalapenos (not pickled)
   about 4-5 or less to decrease spiciness
1/4 cup yellow onion, cut into quarters
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. lime juice
* I like to add cilantro to it - just because I really like cilantro

Place all ingredients into blender or food processor until
smooth (or desired consistency).  Keep refrigerated.

Gluten Free Pizza Crust

Pizza is a staple at our house.  After we were married, I had a hard time finding a quick and easy gluten free pizza crust.  I now have two recipes that are my go-to recipes when I need a quick dinner - these use simple ingredients and don't require any time to rise.  I always double the recipes and make it on a cookie sheet.

Bean Flour Pizza Crust - from Bette Hagman, The Gluten-Free Gourmet Cooks Fast and Healthy
(recipe shown below is already doubled)

1 cup garbanzo bean flour
1 cup tapioca flour
1 cup cornstarch
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cup milk or nondairy liquid
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and stir until well blended.  Pour onto a greased cookie sheet and spread around with spoon until even.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Spread on a pizza sauce and your favorite toppings and return to oven for about 10 minutes.

Pizza Crust - from Carol Fenster, Gluten-Free Celebrations
(recipe below is also doubled)
2 Tbs. active dry yeast
1 1/3 cup brown rice flour
1 cup tapioca flour
4 tsp. xanthan gum (recipe works fine without this)
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. unflavored gelatin powder
2 tsp. Italian herb seasoning
1 1/3 cup warm milk (cow, rice, soy)
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. cider vinegar
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In medium mixer bowl using regular beaters (not dough hooks), blend yeast, flours, xanthan gum, salt, gelatin powder, and Italian seasonings on low speed.  Add warm milk, sugar, oil and vinegar.
2. Beat on high speed 2 minutes.  Dough will resemble soft bread dough.  Put mixture on greased cookie sheet and spread evenly.
3. Bake pizza crust 10 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Top crust with sauce and preferred toppings.  Bake another 20-25 minutes or until top is nicely brown.

Chicken Enchiladas

  I got the recipe for these enchiladas out of The America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook.  It recommended using their recipe for homemade enchilada sauce, which was really yummy.  I had quit making enchiladas because most canned enchilada sauces contain gluten, and I always thought doing it homemade would be too difficult.  This recipe was really simple and the enchiladas turned out really good.  I served them with Spanish Rice, Refried Beans and Fruit - successful dinner that everyone liked!

Chicken Enchiladas (Serves 6)
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 to 3)
salt and pepper
2 1/2 cups enchilada sauce (recipe below)
1 cup finely crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese (I used feta)
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
12 (6") soft corn tortillas
Vegetable oil spray
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Combine the chicken and enchilada sauce in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, 10-15 minutes.  When the sauce is simmering, flip the chicken over, cover, and continue to cook until the chicken is cooked through.
3. Transfer the chicken to a plate and shred it into bite sized pieces when cool enough to handle.  Combine the chicken, 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce, feta, chiles, and cilantro in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cover to keep warm while heating the tortillas.
4. Lightly coat both sides of the tortillas with vegetable oil spray.  Place 6 tortillas onto a baking sheet and bake until the tortillas are soft and pliable, 2-4 minutes. (*This is very important with the corn tortillas - otherwise they will be dry and will just crack and break when rolled - this made it SO easy!)
5. Working quickly while the tortillas are still warm and pliable, spread them out over a clean counter.  Place 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of each tortilla.  Tightly roll each torilla around the filling and lay them, seam-side down, in a 9X13 inch baking dish.  Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling and increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees.
6. Pour 1 cup more sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle with the cheddar.  Cover the baking dish with aluminum  foil and bake until the enchiladas are heated through, about 10 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese is melted, 3-5 minutes longer.  Serve with the remaining sauce separately.


Red Enchilada Sauce (makes 2 1/2 cups)
1 tsp. canola oil
1 onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbs. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. sugar
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5minutes.  Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  stir in the tomato sauce and water, bring to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Gluten Free Pie Crust

I thought I would go ahead and add my recipe for the gluten free pie crust that I used on my quiche.  This is actually a really easy one, and unlike a lot of GF recipes, you can actually roll this dough out!  I was so excited about that the first time I made it.

Pie Crust from Special Diet Solutions by Carol Fenster

1 1/4 c white rice flour

1 c tapioca flour (not starch)

1 T sugar

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t xanthan gum

1/2 t salt

1/2 c shortening

1/4 c butter or margarine

1/4 c milk

Place dry ingredients in food processor and process until texture of large bread crumbs.  Add milk and process until mixture forms ball.  If not, add water - 1T at a time - until mixture forms ball.  Remove from food processor.

Split dough into two balls, wrap each in saran wrap and let sit in fridge for an hour or more.

Roll half of dough between two pieces of plastic wrap.  

To place in 8-inch pie plate, remove one piece of plastic wrap and invert carefully onto plate, centering dough over plate.  Remove remaining plastic wrap and press into plate.  If dough is difficult to handle, press entire bottom crust in place with your fingers. 

Fill crust with filling of choice. Roll remaining dough between floured sheets of plastic wrap.  Invert onto filled crust, centering crust on pie plate.  Push and pinch dough to fold ridge around rim of pie plate.  Optional: Brush top crust with milk or combination of 1 beaten egg white and 1 T water.  Sprinkle with sugar if desired.

Bake as your pie filling recipe directs - but watch to avoid burning.

I usually end up using this as two separate pie crusts.