Chicken and Quinoa Nuggets

I finally sat down and decided to try another pre-gluten free favorite, the chicken and quinoa nuggets. I had held off for a while as the breadcrumb thing has still not be right for me. The store bought ones had been so disappointing and making my own requires more time and planning then my short attention span is capable of…squirrel!!

So I tried Ian's Gluten free breadcrumbs, my new favorite! They really are so close I couldn't tell the difference between now and when I made them a year ago. They are that good. After they were done cooking Ken and I swiftly ate them up. Mmmmm mmmmm good!

Mom was able to convert our family favorite Easter Bread to a gluten free bread using Better Batter. OMG. It's spot on. Words cannot describe my jubilation! She wrote out what she did, and I will have to post it up soon. SOOOOOOO good.


Ingredients
§ 3/4 cup water or reduced sodium chicken broth
§ 1/4 cup quinoa
§ 1 lb ground chicken (or turkey)
§ 1 tsp salt
§ 1/2 cup gluten-free bread crumbs (I used Ian's, they seem to be the best GF breadcrumbs I have come across. Even better than Mozzarelli's, and easier to find)
§ 1/2 tsp dried thyme
§ 1/2 tsp dried basil
§ 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
§ 1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions for Quinoa
1. Place water and quinoa in a pot and bring to a boil. (original recipe was for a half cup of water, but I always increase my liquid and my quinoa comes out great every time)
2. Once water is boiled, reduce temperature. Cover pot and cook for 10 minutes at a simmer.
3. After 10 minutes, turn heat off and leave the pot covered on the stove for another 5 minutes.
4. The water should be absorbed by the quinoa at this point. Drain excess water if necessary.
5. Use a fork to fluff the quinoa. Let quinoa cool completely.

Directions for Nuggets
1. Pre-heat oven to 400°F.
2. Mix the ground chicken and salt with the cooled and cooked quinoa in a large bowl.
3. In another bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, thyme, basil and parmesan cheese.
4. Create nuggets about 1/2 – 3/4 inches in thickness. ( I tend to double or triple the ingredients for the breading)
5. Coat nuggets in melted butter and then roll them in the breadcrumb mixture.
6. Place nuggets on a foil-lined or greased baking sheet.
7. Bake for 10 minutes and then flip the nuggets over. Bake for another 10 minutes.

Recipe from Quiona 365: the everday superfood by Patricia Green & Carolyn Hemming.

Chicken and Pizza

Ok, so tried a new recipe this week.  The Hellman's Parmesan Crusted Chicken.  Oh my god, this was good!  I was skeptical, as I am not a big fan of mayo, but this was a dish both Ken and I loved.  There are no pictures as it was consumed almost instantly.  This is by far the easiest recipe, I mean, 4 ingredients! I did alter it just a bit, as that is what I do.   I added a little parmesan cheese to the breadcrumbs and some garlic powder.  I used Ian's Italian Panko flakes for the bread crumbs.   Here is the recipe from the Hellman's site:

PARMESAN CRUSTED CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup Hellmann's® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/4 lbs.)
• 4 tsp. Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Combine Hellmann's® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise with cheese in medium bowl. Arrange chicken on baking sheet. Evenly top with Mayonnaise mixture, then sprinkle with bread crumbs.
3. Bake until chicken is thoroughly cooked, about 20 minutes.

http://www.hellmanns.com/recipes/detail/32658/1/parmesan-crusted-chicken

Also of note, it seems more of the Giant stores are carrying the Better Bread pizza's and pizza dough.  I am totally stoked over this.  I don't have to alternate my grocery destinations any more to buy it :-)  I am still getting the hang of the dough ball though.   It has no suggested baking times or recipe's etc.   It's been hit or miss with using it for bread sticks and garlic knots.  I think it does need to be baked a bit before doing any toppings, etc.   past that, it's still in the testing phase for me.  Their website is being serviced so I plan to check there after it's back up and running to see if anyone has commented on using it.    

http://www.betterbreadcompany.com/