Ancho-Marinated Wings

This post used to be a recipe for ancho-marinated drumettes, but I tweaked the ingredients, along with my cooking and marinating techniques.  This dish has gone from one we liked, to one we love!  I had to force myself to walk away and stop eating the wings tonight.  They were that good!  

I recently purchased a very large Pyrex baking dish from Bed, Bath, & Beyond to make a Szechuan Chicken Wings recipe given to me by a friend.  I liked her marinating and cooking technique so much that I adopted it for this recipe with amazing results.  I have even learned how to cut apart chicken wings in the last week.  My kitchen shears are definitely a necessity!  Let me tell you, I have touched more raw chicken in the past 6 weeks as a stay at home mom than in the previous 12 years of our marriage.  It hasn't gotten any less gross, but I have been enjoying all the new chicken dishes I have been cooking. 

After baking for 25 minutes, the wings are ready to be turned. 

The only downside to this recipe is that some serious soaking time, a scrubbing sponge, and elbow grease will be needed to get your glass dish looking clean again. 

 

My daughters requested that I make garlic smashed potatoes tonight to go with our wings.  It was a pretty great combination.  

Ancho-Marinated Wings

Ingredients

2 to 3 pounds of chicken wings (separated at the joint) or drumettes 

1/4 C + 2 T of orange juice

1/4 C canola oil (I use High Heat Spectrum Organic)

Juice of 2 limes

2 T honey

1 heaping tablespoon dark brown sugar

2 tsp ancho chili powder

3 garlic cloves - minced

1 tsp kosher salt

Red pepper flakes - to taste (I use 3 large pinches)

Directions

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a large pyrex dish, mixing it around with a fork before adding the chicken.  Turn the chicken around in the marinade so it is coated on both sides before covering and refrigerating.  Marinate for 4 to 6 hours, turning the wings half way through.  

Remove the wings from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Cook the wings for 25 minutes, then turn them over to cook for another 20 minutes.  Turn the oven to broil, brown the top of the wings, turn them, then brown the other side. Watch the wings closely to make sure they don't burn. 

Recipe Notes

Don't worry about the ancho chili powder being spicy, because it is not, but it might be hard to find.  I purchase it at Penzys Spices, and I have also seen it at The Fresh Market.  

Sometimes I remove some of the marinade before putting the wings under the broiler, and set it aside to pour on the wings when they are served.  

Inspiration for the marinade comes from one of our favorite recipes, Ancho-Marinated Mango Pork Skewers.  When we make this recipe, we use pineapple instead of mango, and we usually use center cut pork chops.

Linked to:  Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Gluten-Free & DIY Tuesday

Gluten Free Cocoa Crispy Rice Treats

You know the saying "the third time is the charm", well I saw Three Sisters Gluten Free Cocoa Snaps at Whole Foods three times before I finally caved and purchased them during a Buy 1 Get 1 Sale.  I figured I might be able to convince my daughters to eat cereal once in a while if chocolate was involved, plus I like to try new gluten free products.

As soon as I arrived home with them, I had the thought that they might be really good in Rice Krispies Treats, one of our favorite desserts.  

Marshmallows were quickly added to my grocery list.

As I was melting the butter and marshmallows, I sampled the Cocoa-Snapz.  They were much sweeter than the Gluten Free Rice Krispies I usually use, so I decided to mix the two cereals.  

My whole family loved them and decided that they were better than the plain Rice Krispies Treats I usually make.  It only took me about 10 minutes to make this dessert.  The hardest part is cleaning the pot, but today I used a stainless steel spoon that helped me scrape most of the marshmallow and cereal out of the pot.  I then patiently let the pot soak in hot water for about 30 minutes before trying to clean it, and there was nothing left to scrape off.  

Ingredients

3 T butter

1 10-ounce package gluten free miniature marshmallows

4 C gluten free crisp rice cereal  (I used Kellogg's Gluten Free Rice Krispies)

2 C gluten free cocoa crisp rice cereal (I used Three Sisters Cocoa-Snapz)

Directions

Spray a 9x13 or 10x10 pan with cooking spray.  

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large stainless steel pot.  Add the marshmallows, stirring until they are completely melted.  Remove from heat and add the cereal.  Stir until all the cereal is well coated. 

Press the mixture evenly into the pan using parchment paper, wax paper, or a buttered spatula.  Allow to cool before cutting. 

Recipe Notes

Erewhon Organic Rice Cereals are another option.  They are GMO and gluten free.  According to their store locator, they are available at Publix, Whole Foods, Walmart, The Fresh Market, Trader Joe's, etc.  

This recipe has been adapted from Kellogg's recipe for Gluten Free Rice Krispies Treats.  

Kona Cafe Breakfast - Disney's Polynesian Village Resort

Yesterday, we visited Kona Cafe at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort for breakfast for the first time.  It came highly recommended from my friend Sarah over at Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free at WDW.  They also have some signature breakfast dishes that I really wanted to try.

I love the ambiance of the Polynesian and Kona Cafe.  Being there brings back memories from my childhood.  Before my parents became Disney Vacation Club members, we stayed at the Polynesian many times.  It's on the Magic Kingdom monorail line, plus you can easily walk to the Transportation & Ticket Center to catch a monorail to Epcot.  

I had no trouble making reservations for Kona Cafe the day before we went.  Keep in mind, it is September, and the summer crowds are gone.  It might not be this easy at other times of the year. 

When the chef came to visit our table, he asked what I would like to eat.  I told him that I was interested in the Tonga Toast or the Macadamia-Pineapple Pancakes.  Tonga Toast was my first choice after seeing a video of how it is made.  It is banana-stuffed sour bread French toast that is fried, then rolled in cinnamon sugar, and served with a strawberry compote and choice of ham, bacon, or sausage.  My husband and kids loved it!  Because it is not available in a gluten free version, I ordered the Macadamia-Pineapple Pancakes.  They were good, and huge!  I forced myself to eat a little more than half of them.  I was so full, I didn't have to eat again until dinner.  

After breakfast at Kona Cafe, we headed over to the Magic Kingdom.  By Labor Day weekend, the summer crowds are gone, and the fall decorations are up. 

We quickly got on all of our favorite rides, and took some fun pictures.  I made my twins pose with the Haunted Mansion twins.  I asked for a frownie face, which wasn't too hard, because they were getting a little sick of all the pictures by that point!  :-)

August 17, 2014 Update

We returned to Kona Cafe a second time for breakfast a couple of months ago, because I had heard that a gluten free version of the Tonga Toast was now available.  Sadly, Chef Josh informed me that he was no longer allowed to make it.  He did tell me though, his technique for making gluten free Tonga Toast.  He sliced GNI gluten free rolls in half after cutting a small slice off the top and bottom to make them flatter.  Chef Josh then dipped them in a mixture of egg, milk, cinnamon, and sugar.  He cooked the bread in a frying pan, then cooked sliced bananas in the same pan, before stuffing them in the GNI bun.  On our second visit, I ordered gluten free Mickey Waffles, which I had with butter and syrup, but Chef Josh told me that he can top them with a pineapple mixture when I spoke to him at lunch yesterday.  I think they would be great with the macadamia nut honey butter I had on my GNI rolls at Kona when we ate there for dinner.  

Kona Cafe would not be my first choice at Disney for breakfast, but I hope to give it a try again soon.  I have had great meals at Kona for lunch and dinner, but I prefer to eat at Boma, Trattoria al Forno, or Sassagoula for breakfast.  

January 16, 2015 Update 

Earlier this week, I had breakfast at Kona Cafe with Melissa, one of my former students from Pittsburgh.  

Since the gluten free breakfast menu was introduced last fall, I have wanted to try The Samoan, which is described as two poached eggs atop smoked pulled pork hash, and finished with hollandaise sauce.  Since the original version of this dish comes with bread, I asked the chef if I could have some Udi's toast, which was not available.  I was told that I could have a roll instead, but I really wanted to try a gluten free Stitch waffle, which I heard about from my friend Sarah from Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free at WDW.

The chef was happy to make me a Stitch waffle, but about 5 minutes later he came out with bad news.  The Stitch waffle maker had been contaminated, so he would have to make me a gluten free Mickey waffle instead.  I was sad to not have a Stitch waffle, but the Mickey waffle I received was the highlight of my breakfast.  It was super crispy, just like I like them.  

The pulled pork hash in The Samoan had way too many onions for me to enjoy it, and they had a strong taste, probably because they were undercooked.  There was something else in the dish that I found a little off-putting, because it had a slight vinegary taste.  It might have been the hollandaise, or it could have been the pork hash itself.  I found myself wishing I had ordered the steak and eggs.  Maybe next time!

The gluten free breakfast menu for Kona Cafe lists the following options:

Entrees

• Steak and Eggs - char-grilled New York strip served with 2 eggs and home-fried potatoes
• Ham and cheese omelet with home-fried potatoes
• Egg white omelet with roasted peppers and goat cheese
• Fruit plate - fresh fruit served in a half pineapple
• Two eggs, any style, with home-fried potatoes and your choice of sausage, bacon, or ham
• Pancake with your choice of ham, bacon, or sausage
• Mickey waffles with choice of ham, sausage, or bacon
• The Samoan - two poached eggs atop smoked pulled pork hash, finished with hollandaise sauce

Sides

• Bacon
• Ham
• Pork sausage
• Oatmeal (be sure to ask if they are using certified gluten free oats)
• Creamy grits
• Fresh fruit cup

Kid's Meals 

• Scrambled eggs with broccoli, tomatoes, and breakfast potatoes, served with fruit salad and yogurt
• Oatmeal and dried cranberries served with turkey bacon and fruit salad (be sure to ask if they are using certified gluten free oats)
• Mickey-shaped waffle or pancake with a side of bacon, sausage or fruit

July 30, 2015 Update

Kona recently adopted a new allergy-friendly breakfast menu that lists gluten/wheat friendly options.   I updated my list above to reflect the gluten free options on their current menu.  

Photos taken by Gluten-Free & Dairy Free at WDW

You can view Kona Cafe's menus, and make advance dining reservations on Disney's website here.  

What are your favorite gluten free breakfast dishes at Kona Cafe?  

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie

For at least 30 years of my life, I did not eat pumpkin pie.  I didn't understand what people liked about it.  On Thanksgiving, my family made several desserts, so I would just eat apple pie, and bypass the pumpkin.  Then my aunt came home from Williams-Sonoma with a recipe for Creamy Pumpkin Pie.  She made it, I tried it, and it was love at first bite.

Who knew that adding cream cheese to pumpkin pie could make it so delicious!  I love that it is light and creamy, not heavy like a cheesecake.

Mini Turkey Meatloaves

Growing up, I dreaded the nights my mom made meatloaf, which thankfully wasn't very often.  I didn't like meatloaf until I was an adult.  In my gluten eating days, I tried it at Truffles on Hilton Head Island, which serves some wickedly delicious meatloaf. Then my mom started making an amazing turkey meatloaf.  I was a meatloaf convert!  

My husband bought antibiotic free, stress free (birds are treated well) turkey at Publix for our meatloaf.  

Tonight, I had to use 2 kinds of gluten free bread crumbs because I ran out of The Fresh Market brand, my new favorite.  

I am always looking for an excuse to use Guy Fieri's Bourbon Brown Sugar Barbeque Sauce.  This sauce is over the top amazing!  You can read more about it here, in my blog post about gluten free barbeque sauces. 

Trying something a little new tonight, we used our muffin pans plus 2 ramekins to make 14 mini meatloaves.  

I brushed them with more Guy Fieri Bourbon Brown Sugar BBQ sauce before putting them in the oven.  

30 minutes later, they were ready to eat, and the ones on our plates disappeared pretty quickly!  We have plenty of leftovers for tomorrow, and I was able to freeze 4 of them too.  

Mini Turkey Meatloaves

Ingredients

1 large sweet onion -- chopped

2 large red or orange bell peppers -- chopped

1 T olive oil

3 pounds of ground turkey

1 1/2 C gluten free bread crumbs

3 large eggs

1 tsp kosher salt

1 bottle of gluten free barbeque sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a muffin pan and 2 ramekins with cooking spray.  

In a large frying pan over medium heat, sauté the onion and pepper in olive oil until soft.  

Put the turkey in a large bowl, then add the bread crumbs, eggs, and salt, stirring to combine.  Add the vegetables and 1 1/4 cups of barbeque sauce.  Mix with your hands before filling your muffin pan and ramekins.  

Brush more barbeque sauce on top of each mini meatloaf and bake for 30 minutes.  

Optional -- Add a little more barbeque sauce before serving.  

Recipe Notes

My family usually cooks their turkey meatloaf on the grill.  We buy a disposable aluminum foil pan and cook it over indirect heat on the grill, cover on, for about 90 minutes.  I've also cooked it in a aluminum foil pan in the oven on 350 for about 65 minutes.  When we use a disposable pan, we put 2/3 of the bottle of barbeque sauce in with the turkey, and the last 1/3 on top.  In this picture, the meatloaf has not been cooked yet.  

Turkey meatloaf is great left over, eaten cold, right out of the fridge.  It also makes for an amazing meatloaf sandwich!  

Linked to: Gluten-Free Wednesdays 

Oat, Fruit, and Nut Bars

I just received a huge order of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit from nuts.com.  I love that so many of their products are certified gluten free.  No need to worry about cross contamination!

I purchased so much this time because they enticed me with an offer of free shipping on orders over $75.  I'm weak, what can I say.  :-)  I was going to make biscotti, but a Sugar-Free Mom recipe for Oat & Fruit Breakfast Bars caught my eye.  I changed it up a lot, so be sure to check out the original for other variations you could make.  

I always love an excuse to get out my stick blender! 

Lots of healthy ingredients in this recipe! 

Ready to go in the oven! 

My husband absolutely loved these bars!  He took them to work every day for lunch until they were gone.  I enjoyed them several days for breakfast.

Oat, Fruit & Nut Bars

Ingredients

1/2 C tahini

2 T raw organic honey

1 C mashed bananas

1 T ground flax seed

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 T pure vanilla extract

1 C diced figs

1/2 C dried blueberries -- chopped

1/2 C dried bing cherries -- chopped

1/2 C pumpkin seeds

1/2 C gluten free old fashioned rolled oats

1/2 C chopped pistachios or cashews

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9 by 13 baking pan with parchment paper, then spray it with nonstick cooking spray.  

Combine the tahini, honey, bananas, flax seed, cinnamon, baking soda, and vanilla with a stick blender or in your food processor.  Add the diced figs and process until smooth.

Place the banana mixture in a large bowl, then stir in the oats, seeds, dried fruit, and nuts.  Pour the mixture into your prepared pan, spreading it evenly.  

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until browned around the edges, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out fairly clean.  

Let cool completely before cutting into 16 bars.  Store in the refrigerator.  

After making this recipe, I saw a recipe for Banana Split Bars on skinnytaste.com. I made them today, subbing cashews for the nuts called for in the recipe.  They were very good, but I prefer my Oat, Fruit and Nut Bar Recipe.

Linked to:  Gluten-Free Wednesdays

Gluten Free Gnocchi

Both my husband and I grew up eating homemade gnocchi.  It's one of the perks of having Italian grandmothers.  We even learned how to make Mammaw's gnocchi when we still lived in Pittsburgh in my gluten eating days.  There was no way we were letting my husband's grandmother's best recipes be lost.  Mitch and I have made gluten free gnocchi several times with different flours and even purple potatoes.  Every time we made them, we weren't completely satisfied with the outcome, and the kitchen was always a huge mess.

They look gorgeous, but they didn't wow me enough to go to all the trouble to make them again.

Honey Balsamic Chicken Drumsticks

Updated July, 29, 2018

For dinner tonight, we had honey balsamic chicken drumsticks with jasmine rice and green beans.

I had not made this recipe in at least two or three years, and I made a few changes tonight, so I decided to give this post a facelift, and add some new pictures. 

My husband said dinner was an A+, and we all wondered why I hadn't made this in so long. It really is a delicious and easy dinner, and we all enjoyed the marinade made with coconut palm sugar and coconut aminos, instead of brown sugar and soy sauce. 

Gluten Free Honey Balsamic Chicken Drumsticks 

Ingredients

12 chicken drumsticks

1/2 C white balsamic vinegar

1/2 C honey

1/2 C coconut palm sugar 

1/4 C coconut aminos

6 garlic cloves - peeled and cut in half

3 sprigs of fresh rosemary

Optional - 2 C uncooked rice, prepared according to package directions (cook with water, and do not add oil, butter, or salt)

Directions 

Add the vinegar, honey, coconut palm sugar, and coconut aminos to a large freezer bag. Seal the bag, and massage the ingredients to combine before adding the garlic, rosemary, and chicken.  

Squeeze out the air before sealing the freezer bag. Massage the drumsticks through the bag, making sure the marinade is evenly distributed.  

Marinate the chicken for 4 hours in the refrigerator, flipping the freezer bag every hour. 

Remove the chicken from the fridge, and preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Place the drumsticks on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, and pour the marinade into a small saucepan, removing the garlic and rosemary.  

Bake the chicken for 25 minutes, or until nicely browned in large spots. Turn the chicken over, turn the oven to low broil, and cook until nicely browned on top. 

While the chicken is cooking, bring the marinade to a boil to kill bacteria, then reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the chicken is done, or the marinade begins to thicken. Stir every couple of minutes.  

Pour or brush the marinade over the chicken, reserving some for your rice.

Serves 4

Recipe Notes

In the past, I made this recipe with brown sugar instead of the coconut palm sugar, and Tamari reduced sodium soy sauce instead of the coconut aminos. I do not like the taste of coconut, but coconut palm sugar and coconut aminos do not taste like coconut. 

I used Lundberg Organic California White Jasmine Rice tonight. 

In the past, I have made Lundberg short grain brown rice with this recipe, but my daughters prefer white rice. 

Adapted from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe for Balsamic Chicken Drumettes

Gluten Free Cornbread Stuffing

For me, Thanksgiving is not complete without a good stuffing/dressing recipe, so when I was diagnosed with celiac, we worked on creating a gluten free version of my family's favorite stuffing recipe.  Because we smoke our turkey, we don't put our stuffing in the bird, like my family did when I was growing up.  Thankfully, it's just as good baked in the oven.  

First tip, DO NOT skimp on the butter.  Use the two sticks!  My mom tried to cut back on the butter once, and the whole family noticed the stuffing was not as good.  They're still talking about it years later.  :-)

I start by sautéing the onion in all that butter, which will seem excessive at this point.    

After a couple of minutes, put the carrots in the butter bath.  

Next up, add the celery.  

Finally, add the red pepper.  You could use green, yellow, or orange bell peppers in this recipe, but I use red, because it is sweet, and I like the color it adds to the stuffing.  

While my vegetables are cooking, I crumble my bread and cornbread into a very large bowl.  

I am all about making things as easy as possible on Thanksgiving.  I could make cornbread from scratch, but it is easier to use a mix.  I like to make my cornbread a day ahead for even less stress on the big feast day.  

The morning before Thanksgiving, I put my Whole Foods Bakehouse Gluten Free Sandwich Bread on the counter to defrost and dry out.  

Make sure you add enough chicken broth to make your stuffing super moist.  It should be moist enough to form stuffing balls, like meatballs, that stick together easily when pressed, but not so wet that chicken broth is dripping all over, and pooling in the bowl or pan.  

If you prep it ahead and put it in the fridge, you might have to cook your stuffing for 40 minutes.  From room temp, it cooks up in about 35 minutes.  I use a deep 9 x 13 aluminum disposable pan for easy cleanup.  

For me, no piece of turkey is complete without stuffing on top of it.  I only make stuffing once a year, which makes it extra, super special.  Smoked turkey, cornbread stuffing, garlic mashed potatoes, apple orange cranberry relish, cream cheese pumpkin pie, and apple crostata - hands down, it's my favorite meal of the year. 

Gluten Free Cornbread Stuffing - serves 12

Ingredients

1 C (2 sticks) salted butter 

1 1/2 large sweet onions - diced

2 C carrots - chopped 

2 C celery - chopped

2 large red bell peppers - chopped 

One 9 x 9 pan of cooked cornbread 

2/3 loaf gluten free bread - stale/dried out or toasted 

32 oz gluten free chicken broth
1/2 C fresh curly parsley (chopped)
Optional - kosher salt 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter, then add the onion, carrots, celery, and red peppers.  Cook each vegetable for a couple of minutes before adding the next one.  Cook until everything is soft, then add the parsley, and continue to cook for another minute or two.  Optional - add 2 or 3 pinches of kosher salt to the vegetables.  

Crumble the cornbread into a very  large bowl, then add the bread, ripping it into small pieces as you add it to the bowl.  Add the cooked vegetables, and stir.  Add chicken broth until your stuffing is nice and moist.  I usually use about 3 cups.  

Cook uncovered in a deep 9 x 13 pan for about 35 minutes, until the top is slightly browned.

Recipe Notes

I have considered adding an apple or two to the recipe, but I am afraid certain family members would revolt.

2015 Update - I used to use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Cornbread Mix, but this year, it did not cook well, so we ended up using muffins we had made with Williams-Sonoma Gluten-Free Corn Bread Mix, and the stuffing was so much better than in previous years.  We made 12 muffins with the mix, but only used 6 of them, because that is all we had left.  Because we did not use as much cornbread as in previous years, we did not have to use as much chicken broth.