Loaded Chicken and Potato Casserole

I tried this recipe the other day and LOVED it.   I tweeted it a bit for lack of all the ingredients on and hand for wanting to see the smoked paprika used :-)

INGREDIENTS

1. 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
2. 5 medium Russet or Idaho potatoes, cut into approximately 1 inch pieces
3. 3 Tablespoons olive oil
4. 1/2 Tablespoon paprika  (I used it half regular paprika and half smoked paprika)
5. 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
6. 1 teaspoon salt (I used Himalayan Pink Sea Salt)
7. 1 teaspoon black pepper
8. 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I was out of shredded cheese, i chopped up cooper, swiss, mozzarella and cheddar slices and tossed that on top)
9. 1/2 cup cooked, chopped bacon or pancetta 
10. 2 green onions, sliced thin (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400° F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray.
2. Spread the diced chicken and potatoes evenly into the baking dish.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Pour mixture evenly over the chicken and potatoes. Stir to coat the chicken and potatoes.
4. Bake, uncovered, for 50 to 55 minutes.
5. Remove from oven, and sprinkle evenly with the cheddar cheese, chopped bacon, and onion. Bake another 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

I tried this recipe the other day and LOVED it.  

Kraft Cooking Creams

So  I was out of the cooking creams and wanted to make a chicken dish that Ken loves.  I knew I had plain cream cheese, but wasn't sure how to go about making my own.  Turns out, after a quick Google search I found a super easy way to do it and very cost effective!

Ingredients:

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 T Italian Herbs and some Grated Parm cheese to your preference

In a small saucepan, combine the cream cheese and broth. Stir over low heat until the cheese is melted.

It's that easy.

Sausage cheese balls

3/4 C      Bisquik Gluten Free Mix

4 oz        bulk gluten free pork sausage

1 1/2 C   shredded Cheddar cheese

1/4 C      grated Parm Cheese

1/4 tsp    Garlic Powder

1/4 tsp    dried Rosemary leaves, crushed

1/8 tsp    Cayenne pepper

1/2 C      Milk

2 T          chopped fresh Parsley

 

Heat oven to 350F. Spray a cookie sheet or muffin tin with cooking spray.

In  a large bowl mix all the ingredients together.   Make approximately 1 inch balls (or larger). Place on sheet or in muffin tin.

Bake uncovered for 22-30 mins depending on size, until golden brown.  I sprayed the tops of mine with some of the cooking spray, they got a nice crisp edge.

Now, I had to quadruple the recipe as I had more than 4 oz of pork sausage.  So I ended up using several cheeses in mine to get the right amount.  Worked great :-)

This was from the Betty Crocker gluten free cook book.

Cauliflower Bread Sticks

I have to admit, I have been waiting for months to try this and finally made the time to do it.   It was really yummy.  I think next time I would add some garlic, as it makes everything better :-)  I really was pleasantly surprised by the chewy texture.  It is close to a bread chewiness which I have sorely missed.   I shared these with a few people and everyone seemed to like them.

Cheesy Cauliflower “Bread” Sticks

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups cauliflower "rice" (see below)
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 2 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided (I used the Kraft 6 cheese Italian blend, it was great)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
• Marinara sauce for dipping

DIRECTIONS

1. Begin by turning 1 head of cauliflower into "rice." To do this, wash and clean the cauliflower and cut it into chunks (remove the core- is that what you call it?). There are several ways to "rice" cauliflower. You can use a food processor and pulse it until it's a "rice" consistency, or you can use a box grater. Alternatively, you could use a knife to finally chop the cauliflower until it looks like rice. An average head of cauliflower should yield about 4 cups of cauliflower "rice."
2. Microwave the cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl for 8 minutes.  Allow to cool completely.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
4. Use a fine mesh strainer to drain the cauliflower. Place the cauliflower "rice" in a clean dish towel and squeeze as hard as you can to remove any excess water. It may look like all the water is removed, but definitely don't skip this step as there is hidden excess water.
5. Once the cauliflower rice is drained really well, dump it into a large bowl. To the cauliflower rice, add 1 cup mozzarella cheese, 1 egg slightly beaten, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried basil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
6. Stir the mixture well.
7. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spray it lightly with cooking spray. Spoon the cauliflower mixture onto the pan and use your hands to form it into a 8 1/2 x 11 inch rectangle (eyeball it- think piece of paper size)
8. Place in the oven for 35-40 minutes, or even longer until the crust is golden brown and firm.
9. Remove the crust from the oven and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes. Then top the crust with remaining 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning.
10. Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 7-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
11. Cut into "breadsticks" and serve with warm marinara sauce for dipping.

Chicken Parm "Meatballs"

I found this on Pinterest and couldn't wait to try it.  These were yummy!  Now, I had some left over breading in the freezer from the Mother's Day meal, as I honestly double to triple any breading recipe as I like it coated!   And I used that left over instead of what is listed below, but it's not that completely different.  It worked really well.

Chicken Parmesan "meatballs"

Ingredients

·1 cup Ian's Gluten Free panko

·1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (or more)

·1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

·1  egg

·1 pound ground chicken breast (or dark meat)

·1/2 cup diced white onion  (I used dried onion flakes)

·2 cloves garlic, minced

·1 tablespoon dried oregano

·6 fresh basil leaves, torn (my grocery store was out, I used dried)

·1 pinch salt and pepper

·16 small mozzarella cubes, cut from a block

·2 cups  marinara sauce of your choice

Directions

1.    Preheat oven to 400 F.

2.    In a small ziploc bak, combine the panko, half of the Parmesan cheese, and the olive oil.  Set aside.

3.    In a large bowl, lightly beat the egg. Then add the chicken, onion, garlic, oregano, the remaining Parmesan, basil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands.

4.    Lightly coat a  muffin tin with cooking spray. Place a couple of tablespoons of the chicken mixture in each well. Nestle a cube of mozzarella in the center of the mixture. Pat the chicken over the cheese to completely cover it.

5.    Sprinkle the panko/Parmesan mixture on top of each chicken mound, lightly pressing it into the meat.

6.    Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the panko is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. If needed, you may broil the panko to further brown it.

7.    Let rest 5 minutes. Then using a knife, lightly loosen each cupcake from the muffin tin.

8.    In the meantime, warm the marinara sauce in a small saucepan.

9.    Serve meatballs with warmed marinara

Bread, glorious bread

So the bread journey continues. Last night I made loaf #4 and by far the most normal looking one. It doubled in size and has real nooks and crannies in it! You wouldn't be able to tell it's Gluten Free. SCORE! I think the best tasting loaf so far has been the cinnamon raisin. I am making another loaf of that this weekend. :-) The White loaf is going to be cut up for stuffing for our Christmas dinner with my family tomorrow.
Also of note, Classico's red and white sauces are gluten free. I decided to mix the vodka sauce and Alfredo together and bake with some penne, Italian cheese blend and gf bread crumbs. Mmm mmmm good! The next night we reheated it and added the AppleGate farms gf chicken nuggets with some cheese on-top for a bite sized chicken parm. I can say this was awesome. Will make again :)