Chicken Nuggets

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

(All measurements are estimates. I eyeball everything)

Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs cut into 2x2 inch pieces (approx.)

In a gallon-size freezer ziploc bag, dump generous amounts of:

- Onion powder (2 tbs)
- Paprika (2 tbs)
- Salt (1-2 tsp)
- Herbs de Provence (1 tbs) (or whatever assortment of dried herbs you have handy)
- Olive Oil (1/2 cup or so)

Throw chicken pieces in and shake vigorously to coat.

Toss in scant 1/4 c rice flour and shake again.

Place in single layer in roasting pan.

Bake for 8 minutes, turn pieces, bake for additional 5 minutes, or until done.

Coconut Muddy Buddies

(Also known as "Puppy Chow")

I've made this with Sunbutter in lieu of peanut butter and my kiddos loved it. I'm not a Sunbutter fan, so I didn't care for it. When I stumbled across the concept of Coconut Butter, I made it with this very recipe in mind.

We were not disappointed. Oh. My. Goodness. If possible, this is actually *better* than the original recipe! Think Mounds Bar + Crunch Bar.

There's a bit of leg work in getting the ingredients together, if they're not readily available in your pantry. That aside, this recipe is just as quick and easy as the original found here.

Directions:

Follow the recipe for original Muddy Buddies, in the link above.

Substitute Coconut Butter for peanut butter

Substitute Coconut Oil for butter

Enjoy!

Note on sourcing ingredients:

-Trader Joe's Chocolate Chips are dairy-free, $1.99/bag

- If you don't want to process your own coconut butter from scratch, you can either:
a) Buy Coconut Butter from Amazon.com (no, I don't get a cut of that)
b) Buy plain coconut flakes and blend it into butter yourself.

My Source for Coconut Oil

I bought the 40 lb tub from bulkapothecary.com. I love it. I store the tub in my utility room and keep a quart-size mason jar of it in my kitchen, refilling it as needed.

Including shipping, the price breaks down to just shy of $2/lb. Yes, you read that right. Did I mention I love it? It's about the same price as butter!

Eggless Mayo

Yep - eggless!

It's essentially salad dressing, but it looks and acts like mayo and for those members of my family who can't eat the real thing, I now have "mayo" that I can mix with tuna, potatoes, etc. for "salads" of those varieties!

Recipe here: Eggless Mayo, thanks to Jane's Healthy Kitchen.

Note: I only used about a teaspoon of granulated sugar for the "sweetener." I don't like sweet mayo.

The "mayo" looks just like the picture on  her webpage. I'm impressed!

And the verdict? Well, my egg-allergic son is busily licking out the food processor bowl right now. Need I say more?

Seasoned Rice

My attempts at homemade seasoned rice have always failed, being too bland. This time I upped the quantities of the herbs/spices, wasn't afraid of salt, and added my new good-in-everything ingredient: Paprika. Finally, success! It was a huge hit with everyone.

I made this to go with a freezer meal of marinated bone-in/skin-on chicken thighs.

(Chicken thighs were frozen in a single layer in a large zip-lock vacuum-seal bag, together with olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and onion powder. I defrosted them and cooked them in a roasting pan at 400 degrees F for about 40 minutes. I deglazed the pan with some white cooking wine, added some water to cornstarch&onion powder, mixed it into the pan juices and voila, instant gravy.)

Seasoned Rice:

1-2 Tbs Olive oil in med saucepan over med-low heat

Approx equal amounts (1 tbs?) of:

- Paprika
- Dried Basil
- " Oregano
- " Parsley
- Onion Powder
- Salt
- about 1 tsp. sugar

stir until warm and fragrant but *don't burn!*

Add dry rice (I used about 1 1/3 cups), stir until thoroughly coated

Add 2x amount of water as rice. Cook as usual.

Cookie Dough Truffles REVISED

EFDFGF (everything-but-taste-free)

Some days, you don't want cookies, you want cookie dough. For those of us with food allergies or sensitivities, we can't just grab a log of the good stuff from the store and it may seem overwhelming to modify a regular recipe. That's where I come in...

Note: This is a modification of a regular cookie dough recipe, but it contains no eggs and I have never attempted to bake it into cookies. This recipe is intended to be enjoyed raw.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter equivalent:

Option B: 1/2 c. Earth Balance Buttery Spread
CAUTION this contains pea protein.

Option A: 1/2 c. Coconut oil, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp Butter Flavor Extract                    

1 cup Brown Sugar

1/2 cup Granulated Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2-3/4 cup Rice Flour 

1/2-3/4 cup Oat Flour

I grind oats in my food processor .

I recommend white rice flour from the asian food aisle.
 It's finely ground and inexpensive.

Directions

1. Cream butter and sugars

2. Add Vanilla Extract

3. Mix in Rice and Oat Flours

After the addition of the flours, it should look like this.
If it needs more flour, add more. 

4. Form into small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Freeze until firm.

5. Melt 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate in the microwave, 30 seconds and a time, stir, repeat until smooth. Spoon into a ziploc bag, clip one corner. Drizzle chocolate over cookie dough balls. Refrigerate until chocolate is set.

Refrigeration is not necessary for spoilage reasons, but temperature does affect consistency.

Easy Roast Chicken Dinner

My roommates and I decided to cook Easter dinner for ourselves since none of us would be spending Easter with our families this year. I was craving turkey earlier in the week, but decided on roasting a chicken instead because I discovered a very juicy, delicious, and easy roast chicken recipe last year. 

Heat oven to 450 degrees

Ingredients:

Whole Chicken (generally 3 lbs, though I used a 6 lb for Easter dinner)

1-2 Whole Lemons

1 Whole Garlic Head

1 Large Onion

1 cup Chicken Broth

1/4 cup Butter, softened (or substitute oil)

1 1/2 tsp Salt

Pepper (to taste)

Garlic Powder (optional)
Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. 

Slice the onion into medium thickness slices and layer the bottom of a roasting pan with the slices. 

Remove the giblets and any fat from the chicken cavity and then rinse chicken. Thoroughly pat dry. Then place the chicken on top of the onion slices in the pan. 

Combine salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Sprinkle 1/4 of the salt mixture inside the chicken cavity. 

Cut the garlic head in half and add one half to the rear of the chicken cavity. 

Roll the lemons on the counter with your hand to soften, then prick with a fork, going all the way through the rind to the flesh. Add both lemons to the chicken cavity (if both fit). Then add the second half of the garlic head to the cavity. 

Rub the softened butter over the outside of the chicken until it is completely covered. Sprinkle the rest of the salt mixture over the chicken. Sprinkle a little of the salt mixture under the skin directly onto the chicken breast for added flavor. 

Pour the broth into the bottom of the pan.

Roast for 60-65 minutes, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 180 degrees F, juices run clear when pricked with a fork, and the drumstick moves easily in its socket. Cover the chicken and let rest for 10 minutes before carving. Serve with the pan juices.