Gluten Free Peanut Chicken Pizza

I made this last night for dinner at it was Amazing!! It was inspired by the flavours of  rice wraps with peanut sauce (which include pork or chicken, rice noodles, shredded carrots, green onion, bean sprouts, lettuce, mint, cilantro and peanut sauce wrapped in rice paper wrappers. These are also really, really delicious). The sauce is also nightshade free (no peppers of any kind) and uses gluten free soy sauce.
The crust is from a gluten free pizza mix (the brand is Duinkerken and I found it at Walmart) that is very good. It does not taste like regular pizza crust, but it is a perfectly acceptable substitute with a great texture and flavour (tip: if there is leftover pizza, be sure to heat it up before you eat it as the crust is not good cold. The nice thing though is that the crust will not get tough if you heat it up in the microwave as there is no gluten). I modified the instructions on the box a bit as I have used it before and found that it needs to be pre-baked before sauce is put on. Also, I only have traditional baking yeast, not quick rising yeast, so I had to prepare it a bit differently. I will include instructions for both below. The first 5 ingredients and most of the instructions for making the dough are taken directly from the box.
You make think that carrots on pizza is really weird, but it totally fits with the overall flavour and gives some nice texture on the slice. I have cilantro listed as an optional ingredient, but only use if you like it. I don't like it myself, but I do know the flavour works well with all the other flavours.
It does take some time to prepare, but it is worth it!

Gluten Free Peanut Chicken Pizza
Prep: 45 minutes | Bake: 20-22 minutes at 425 | Makes: 2, 12-inch thin crust pizzas

Ingredients
Crust:
1 box gluten free crust mix (Duinkerken brand)
2 1/2 tsp quick rising yeast (or traditional baking yeast)
2 TBSP canola oil
1 cup warm water
2 eggs

Sauce:
3-4 TBSP smooth peanut butter
5 TBSP gluten free soy sauce
1 TBSP ground ginger
pinch cumin
2 pinches cinnamon
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 TBSP maple syrup (or honey)
1 tsp lime juice
2 cloves minced garlic

Toppings:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup carrots, cut into matchsticks
3 green onions, sliced thin
300g mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tsp fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

Method
1.  Crust: follow the instructions for the dough on the box. It helps to beat the eggs first and mix them with the oil before you add them to the mix. Your fingers will need to be really well oiled or the dough will stick. It takes a bit of effort to press the dough onto the pan, and you will need to oil your fingers regularly and it may not look like it will fit on the pan, but it will, I promise. If you do not have quick rising yeast, use traditional yeast but mix it with the water and 1 TBSP white sugar. Let it proof for at least 5 minutes, then add it to the mix with the eggs and the oil. Pre-bake the crust for 8 minutes
2. Sauce: put the peanut butter in a medium size microwave safe bowl. Add the soy sauce. Heat for 30 seconds in the microwave to help the peanut butter blend better. Add remaining ingredients and mix with a fork until smooth
3.  Cook the chicken breasts in a bit of oil until golden on both sides and cooked through. Cube into small pieces and set aside
4. Divide sauce between 2 pre-baked crusts and spread. It will be just a thin layer of sauce but it packs a big flavour. Top with chicken, carrots and green onions then shredded mozzarella
5. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until golden around the edges and cheese is melted. If using cilantro, sprinkle it on the top after it comes out of the oven.

This is the pizza crust mix

Finished Product

Yum!

Quick Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

This post is really hard for me to write. I learned yesterday that a colleague was killed in a car accident while she was on vacation overseas. She and I used to talk about food all the time and she loved reading my blog. I shared this recipe with her several years ago and it was her favourite. Every time she made it she would thank me for giving her the recipe and exclaim how good it was. So, Catherine, this post is for you.
My favourite kind of sausage to use in this is Capital brand turkey sausage,  but any kind of ready-to-eat sausage would work (kielbasa is yummy.)

Quick Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Yield: lots

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
1 TBSP olive oil
1 ring turkey or ham sausage, sliced
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 each green, red and yellow peppers, diced
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced stewed tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
5-6 heaping handfuls instant brown rice (or more, if you like)
2 pinches ground sage
2 pinches dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 good shakes Worcestershire sauce
1 pinch red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
salt and pepper (to taste)

Method:
1. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep pan over medium heat. Add the chicken, onion and sausage. Cook, stirring occasionally
2. When the chicken is halfway cooked, add the peppers, garlic and all the spices. Cook, stirring occasionally until the chicken is cooked through.
3. Add the Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes, broth and rice. Stir until incorporated. Cook until the rice is done and most of the liquid is gone, about 15 minutes.   

Quinoa Stirfry with Chicken Thighs

This is what I made for dinner tonight and the hubby declared that it was his favourite quinoa dish I've made. Quinoa is so easy to make and I love that it's a complete protein. Plus, it's gluten free!This recipe uses broccoli slaw, which is a pre-made slaw mix of shredded broccoli, carrots and cabbage - it gives the stirfry a satisfying crunch and it's full of all sorts of good vitamins.

Quinoa Stirfry with Chicken Thighs
Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 20 mins | Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1 chicken bouillon cube
4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1 TBSP olive oil
1/4 cup onion, diced
2 green onions, diced
3/4 cup broccoli slaw
1/8 tsp each cumin, ginger powder and paprika
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 TBSP soy sauce

Method:
1. Rinse the quinoa cold water. Put in a small saucepan and cover with 1 cup water. Crumble the bouillon cube into the water and stir. Cover and put over medium heat and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Resist the urge to lift the lid to check on it. Check after 15 minutes - you will know it is done because the grains will be translucent and all of the water will be absorbed. If it is not quite done, cook for 5 minutes more. Fluff with a fork and let sit about 5 minutes
2. While the quinoa is cooking, cook the chicken. Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Cook the chicken over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, turning several times. You want it to get crispy on the outside but be careful not to burn it. The chicken should be no longer pin in the middle and the juices will run clear when you cut into it.
3. When the chicken is cooked, remove it to a cutting board. Add the onion to the pan and give it a quick stir. Cut the chicken into small pieces. Once the onion had been cooking for about 5 minutes, return the chicken to the pan. Add the green onions and stir. Cook for about 3 minutes. Add the broccoli slaw, the lemon juice, the soy sauce and all the spices. Stir and cook for about 3 more minutes. Add the quinoa and stir. That's it!

Featured Recipe

Two featured recipes in one day! I must be hungry or something. This recipe was inspired by a recipe I found in an Australian Women's Weekly cookbook for Chicken Margherita (chicken breasts stuffed with bocconcini cheese (soft mozzarella), spinach, tomatoes and pesto and then wrapped in proscuitto and baked) which is really, really good, but we've recently discovered that my husband gets sick when he eats tomatoes and spinach. Unfortunate, but I can change. I wanted the taste of this chicken, but without using spinach or tomatoes. My version uses Monterrey Jack cheese, dried oregano and minced onion. Turned out awesome (and sooo cheesy)! It sounds a bit complicated, but it isn't really. Served it with Warm Vegetable Quinoa Salad (which I'm also including the recipe for).

Cheesy Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (fillets attached)
8 slices prosciutto
8 slices Monterrey Jack cheese (about 5mm thick)
dried minced onion (about 2 tsp total)
dried oregano (about 2 tsp total)

Method:

1. Pound chicken with a mallet (the bottom of a heavy frying pan works too) until the chicken is an even thickness of about 1.5 cm
2. On the side of the breast opposite the fillet, make a horizontal cut down length of the breast with a sharp knife so that you have a pocket large enough to put a piece of cheese in. Be careful not to cut all the way through the chicken. Place a piece of cheese in the pocket you created and sprinkle with a bit of the onion and oregano. Fold the chicken over the cheese to enclose it in the pocket
3. Flip the breast over and place a second piece of cheese in the natural pocket between the breast and the fillet (you may need to use your knife to make the pocket big enough for the cheese). Sprinkle with the oregano and onion
4. Wrap 2 slices of prosciutto around the chicken breast enclosing the cheese. Place in a glass baking pan (brush with olive oil)
5. Repeat steps 2, 3 and 4 with the remaining chicken
6. Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes until the chicken is cooked all the way through (should reach 165 degrees on a meat thermometer). The cheese will ooze out somewhat during cooking but that's ok, just scoop it out of the pan and spread in on top while it's still melty.

Warm Vegetable Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 each green and red peppers, diced
2 green onions, diced
1 TBSP olive oil
1/2 tsp each pepper and salt
1 tsp Johnny's Garlic Seasoning

Method:
1. Cook quinoa according to the package directions, but substitute the water for chicken broth
2. While the quinoa is cooking, sautee the peppers in the olive oil. sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5-7 minutes until the peppers are warm through but still crunchy. Add green onion and cook for 1 minute more
3. Mix veggies with quinoa and sprinkle on garlic seasoning. Stir and serve warm

Featured Recipe

Gluten-Free, Low-Carb Chicken Strips

 

I love carbs. A lot. Particularly the really bad kind – baked goods made with white flour. But carbs do not love me back. So I am trying to spoil all their fun but creating things that taste like they are full of carbs, but are really not. I promise you, these are so delicious (and so easy) that you will not even miss the breadcrumb coating (even for a carb-aholic like me). And the melted butter keeps them super moist and helps them to brown. Plus, they’re gluten free (for those who can’t eat gluten)! The proportions are easily adjustable as the recipe only makes 9 strips. Please do not add salt to this recipe; the parmesan, Johnny’s Garlic seasoning and butter all contain salt and adding any more would make them way too salty.  If you don’t have Johnny’s Garlic (you can get it at Costco), you can substitute regular garlic powder with a pinch or two of dried oregano or parsley

 

Parmesan Chicken Strips

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

½ cup grated parmesan cheese (the kind in a container, like Kraft, not freshly shredded)

2 TBSP Johnny’s Garlic seasoning

3 TBSP butter, melted

 

1. Line a baking sheet with foil, shiny side out. Spray with no stick spray (or brush lightly with melted butter)
2. Cut each chicken breast into 3 strips of similar width (if using chicken with the fillet attached, separate the fillet from the rest of the breast, which will give you an extra strip)
3. Mix the parmesan and the garlic seasoning in a wide, shallow bowl. Roll chicken strips in mixture to fully coat on all sides. Place chicken on prepared baking sheet. Repeat for all strips. Drizzle melted butter on each strip
4. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes, flipping over after about 15 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the broiler on to low and broil the strips for about 5 minutes to brown them up
5. Serve with an extra large Caesar salad

Featured Recipe

Ok, for all of you who have had these and have asked for the recipe, here are my Chicken Enchiladas. This is one of my husband's favourites and he always suggests I make it for company.  

Chicken Enchiladas (Copyright Nancy Whiteley, March 20, 2010)

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, finely cubed

2 green peppers diced (or 1 green pepper and one poblano pepper)

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium shallot, minced

1 heaping teaspoon margarine or butter

1 ¼ cups 1% milk

2 TBSP cornstarch

¼ tsp cumin

1 TBSP oregano

1 TBSP dried minced onion

1 chicken bouillon cube, crumbled

2 pinches chipotle chili powder (opt)

pepper and salt to taste

6 large flour tortillas

200g shredded Monterrey jack cheese

olive oil

Method:

1.     Heat a splash of olive oil in a big, deep pan over medium heat. Add chicken. When chicken is about half cooked, add the green and poblano peppers, cumin, oregano, minced onion crumbled bouillon and salt and pepper. Cook until chicken is fully cooked. Remove chicken and pepper mixture to a separate dish

2.    Add butter to the same pan you used to cook chicken. When melted, add garlic and shallot and cook for 30 seconds. Mix cornstarch with milk and add to margarine mixture. Stir constantly until mixture is a thick sauce. Add chicken mixture and stir until completely combined.

3.    Heat oven to 350F. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Put a scoop of chicken mixture on the middle of flour tortilla. Roll up (like a burrito but leaving the ends open) and place seam side down in casserole dish. Repeat with remaining chicken mixture and tortillas. Cover with shredded cheese

4.    Bake for 10 minutes at 350F. Rotate pan 180 degrees and bake 5 minutes more, until cheese is melted

5.    Serve warm with salsa verde

There are 2 secrets to this dish: it must be prepared with love. I know that sounds hokey, but it's true. I love making this dish and I love eating it and I put that love into it. It really does make it taste better. 

The second secret is the salsa verde. you need good salsa verde to complete the full experience. My favourite brand is Herdez and it can be found at most Mexican/Latin import stores. Try it, you won't regret it.