Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets

My son (and usually my daughter too) miss out on a few things that most kids take for granted...being able to stop in at (gag) McDonalds and have a happy meal, or even just being able to have chicken nuggets on a whim at home. I try my best to make sure if we go somewhere where other kids will be eating something (usually pizza at Christmas parties!), I bring 'exactly' the same thing for him to eat so he feels included, otherwise I don't usually let either kid have anything. They are too young to understand why one gets to eat something yummy in front of the other (I don't have any either if that's the case!). 

I've been kind of stumped on what to do for the inevitable McDonalds birthday parties. In fact, we went to 1/2 a birthday party earlier this year just to avoid such a problem (we played and had cake (the mom was nice enough to make a gf one!!!), and gave presents, but then we left when everyone else headed to McDonalds). Today I finally solved that problem!! I made some amazing (if I do say so myself) chicken nuggets. They were easy to make, freeze well uncooked and fry up in a matter of minutes. Don't look at me like that, yes, I deep fry things for my kids occasionally. Due to the high heat used and the minimal time immersed, I really do think they absorb less oil then if I pan fried them in 1/2" of oil. But I digress...I'm sure these would be tasty pan fried, or even baked. At least now I have an option that I could cook at home, bring to the party and let him eat along with everyone else. Yay!

I hesitate to call this a recipe, but here goes:

Ingredients
1-2 Cups Corn Flake Crumbs (GF)
2-4 Tbsp. Oil
4-6 Chicken Breasts
1 Egg
1/4 Cup Milk (If you need dairy free, I'm pretty sure water would substitute here just fine!)

Place Corn Flake Crumbs in a shallow dish and sprinkle 2 Tbsp. of oil over them for every 1 cup used. Mix up crumbs. Corn does not absorb liquid as wheat does, so this seems to be a necessary step to make it 'sticky'. (Although this may be a gf specific step, I'm really not sure...experiment!) Chop chicken breasts into nugget size pieces or strips. Mix together egg and milk in a bowl. Dip chicken pieces into milk/egg mixture, then roll in corn flake crumbs. Place on a baking sheet. When the baking sheet is full, place in the freezer.

NOTE: If you are making these from previously frozen chicken, you must cook all of the pieces once re-frozen to avoid becoming ill, if you are making these from fresh chicken then the freezer life (I think) would be the same as if you just froze the chicken.

When you are ready to cook, either bake in the oven (from frozen) at 425F for 20-30 minutes (I'm guessing here since I fried them!), or pan fry until cooked through. For deep frying, set your fryer to 375F and when the oil is up to temperature, place a single layer of frozen nuggets in the basket. Fry for 3-5 minutes (depending on size). When the oil stops making a lot of noise, generally whatever food is in there is done! That's my rule of thumb :)

I have not tried to freeze these after cooking. I have some leftovers in the fridge that I intend to re-heat in the oven tomorrow, but I think they would freeze ok.

In the words of my 3.5 year old "These are AWESOME Mommy!". I hope you enjoy them as much as we all did! :)

Note: I purchased my corn flake crumbs (see picture below) from amazon.com, and had them delivered in the states and had someone pick them up because I needed gluten free, however if you do not need gluten free Kellogg's has a corn flakes product that is available at any grocery store. It contains barley malt, so it's a no no in our house!

Laundry Soap

I have been wanting to make my own laundry soap for awhile now but I had a stockpile of Rockin Green (which I love, but is pricey!) that I had purchased through a co-op buy for quite a good deal. I realized today that the stockpile had come to an end. Time to either buy more soap or make some. No more procrastinating!
I was very particular about finding a powder recipe as I can't stand liquid soap, and I settled on this one from TipNut. Very simple, very easy and very cost effective.

1 Cup Washing Soda
1 Cup Borax
2 Bars of Ivory Soap, grated

Of course I used my Vitamix :) It grated the soap up quite well, then I mixed all the ingredients in a large bowl and in small batches put it back into the Vitamix to blend it up thoroughly. The whole process took me less then 15 minutes. I'd say that's less time then reading all the labels in the grocery store trying to find a soap that doesn't have a ton of chemicals in it!
It says to use 2 Tbsp. per load. I will probably use 1 because I have my Norwex Magnet Ball that allows me to use about half the amount of any soap!

Now, the cost breakdown, be prepared for a lot of numbers. I like to be thorough!

(If I had planned ahead I'm sure I could have gotten some of these things on sale, but the fact that I found everything I needed in a small town grocery store is good enough for me today!)

Including GST
Washing Soda, 3kg: $7.32, 1 Cup = 240g = $0.586/cup
Borax, 2kg: $7.34, 1 Cup = 170g = $0.624/cup
Ivory Soap, 3 bars: $2.30, 1 Bar = $0.767/bar x 2 bars = $1.533


Total Soap Made = 3 Cups, 558g = $2.743

Regular Use, 2 Tbsp = 22g = $0.108/load

Magnet Ball Use, 1 Tbsp = 11g = $0.054/load (I feel this price could drastically be cut down if I planned ahead and bought everything on sale)

I haven't tried this on a load of wash yet since all my laundry is caught up (hence realizing I was running out of soap today!). But never fear, testing will commence soon! Laundry is unfortunately accumulating as we speak :)

I will post a usage review soon, and if it works then my next task is to find a dishwasher soap recipe that works as well!

Granola Bars

I originally posted this recipe back in May before our house was going gluten free. I never did get a picture posted and so now that I have made a gluten free version I decided it needed a picture!

Ingredients
41/2 Cups Rolled Oats (use GF Oats if you are sensitive to Oats)
1 Cup Ground Flax Seed, Hemp Protein (I'm sure you could substitute other unflavoured/mild flavoured protein, I just find this one works well) & GF All Purpose Flour (About a 1/2, 1/4, 1/4 ratio)
1 Tsp. Xanthan Gum
1 Tsp. Baking Soda
5 Tbsp. Brown Sugar (not packed)
2/3 Cup Oil
1/2 Cup Honey
1/4 Cup Molasses
2/3 Cup Applesauce, Heaping
2 1/4 Cups Raisins, Chocolate Chips, Nuts, Seeds, Berries etc.

Preheat oven to 325 F. Lightly grease a 9x13 pan.
Mix together first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Mix together liquid ingredients in a small bowl and then mix into the dry. Add the 2 1/4 cups of extras. I usually do a mix of raisins, sunflower seeds, walnuts and a handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips. But mix it up! Dried cranberries, dates, almonds etc. they will all taste wonderful!
Pour into pan, and press down or if you have a small rolling pin roll it down. Bake for 10 minutes, re-roll it down (or push it down), and bake for another 5-10 minutes, just until the edges start to brown. Let cool completely and cut into bars with a sharp knife.

I wrap them individually in plastic wrap and then place them in a freezer bag and pull them out one at a time for lunches.

These are slightly more moist then the original recipe, but the only problem with that is a few sticky fingers. They hold together beautifully and taste even better! Plus they have more of a protein content then the original recipe due to the hemp protein and the GF all purpose flour has more protein then regular flour as well.

Ooey Gooey Mozza Sticks

The yummiest mozza sticks I have EVER tasted and they are gluten free!
Hubby and I ate these for 3 nights in a row. We still have some in the freezer (I made 2 batches!) and I have a seriously hard time not cooking them up everytime I see them in there! Dip them in Marinara Sauce and its a little slice of paradise:) The original recipe is HERE. I made some minor changes

Ingredients
Mozza Cheese Sticks or just cut Mozza Cheese into 1.5-2" long and .5" wide. ( I made 48 at a time!)
2 eggs
1/4 water
GF Bread crumbs or frozen GF Bread ground up in the food processor
1/3 Cup Corn Starch
2/3 Cup GF All Purpose Flour
Garlic Powder or Granulated Garlic
Parmesan Cheese (Powder)
Oil, for deep frying

Bowl 1: Corn starch and flour, mixed
Bowl 2: Eggs and water, well beaten
Bowl 3: Breadcrumbs, sprinkle some garlic powder and parmesan cheese and mix.
(Note for the crumbs: I did my own with frozen bread. Mix your spices into the crumbs, in the bowl, and then use another bowl for breading. Put a bit at a time in this bowl and use until gone. This keeps your crumbs from retaining moisture and becoming useless as far as bread crumbs go!)

(You may need more egg/water mixture as you go and the bread crumb mix amount depends on how many you do.)

Cut your cheese into proper size. Too big and it wont cook properly, too small and you will be doing this forever! (I never buy cheese sticks because it's so much cheaper to buy a block of cheese. And it really didn't take long to cut it either, but if you do buy the cheese sticks cut them in half and you will have the proper size.)
Roll cheese in flour mix. Dip in egg mix. Roll in bread crumbs.
Place on a wax paper covered cookie sheet. Continue until all the pieces are done.
NOW, start at the first piece and RE egg and RE bread each piece. Seems redundant but trust me its worth it!
Place back on wax paper and freeze until completely frozen.
Heat oil to 375°F. Place a few at a time (my fryer handles about a dozen, but it's a big fryer. Don't put too many in or the oil will cool off too much) in the oil. Fry for 1-2 minutes or until outside is brown and they are soft. But get them out before you lose all the cheese! The re breading and the freezing is what makes these fry so well.
Serve hot with Marinara Sauce and be prepared for a scramble over the last one lol!

I dont think I will ever look at another mozza stick after this. Im sure they wont meet the new standard these set!

I'm thinking of adaptations for next time, perhaps some cayenne pepper in the breading? Maybe some hot sauce in the egg mix? Cheddar sticks? Mmmm my mouth is watering just thinking about them!

Mug Brownie

I found this on, yup you guessed it, Pinterest!
Such a great idea if you are craving a little dessert but dont want to make something big. Ive made these a couple of times and every time I have forgotten to take a picture...they are that tasty!

Ingredients
1/4 Cup Flour
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar, Packed
2 Tbsp. Cocoa
Pinch of Salt
2 Tbsp. Oil (use Canola or something else plain)
2 Tbsp. Milk (of any kind), water or coffee.

Mix together the dry ingredients in a coffee mug then add the liquids. Mix well to make sure all the dry is incorpoarted and you have a gooey paste. Pop into the microwave for 1-2 minutes. There might be a tiny bit of liquid on top that you could pour off after cooking. Because there is no egg in the recipe there are no raw ingredients that have to be cooked thoroughly so undercooking is not a huge deal. If you want gooey brownie then cook it less!
Top with ice cream, whipped cream etc. and enjoy! Such a good 'need a late night snack but theres nothing tasty in the pantry' snack!! Its better tasting then a chocolate bar but its almost as instant!

I think I might try added chocolate chips next time. Or maybe walnuts...or maybe both! Or maybe chunks of cream cheese. Oh the tasty possibilities!!

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Spices

Homemade spices are easy to make and allow you to tweak the taste just how you like it. Also, once you buy the base spices and make combo spices you'll realize how much cheaper it is!
Here's a couple recipes...I have more Im just too tired to type them up tonight :)

FIVE SPICE POWDER
1 tsp. Ground cinnamon
1 tsp. Ground cloves
1 tsp. Fennel seed
1 tsp. Star anise
1 tsp. Szechwan peppercorns

ITALIAN HERB SEASONING
1 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp. Marjoram
1 tsp. Thyme
1 tsp. Basi
1 tsp. Rosemary
1 tsp. Sage

CHILI POWDER
3 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
2 Tbsp. oregano
1 tsp. red or cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

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Instant Oatmeal Packs

***Recipe edited to correct the amount of oats from 8 cups to 3 cups. Sorry everyone! Thanks Lindsay for pointing that out :)***
Much more economical then buying the boxed packs in the store, and you can make them bigger and with whatever flavour you want!! And as a bonus they taste better! You can make them healthy, unhealthy, organic, non organic...the choice is yours :)

Ingredients
3 Cups Quick Oats
Flavourings: Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, Dried Apples, Milk Powder, Wheat Germ, Raisins etc.

Need: Ziptop bags

Process 1 Cup of oats in a food processor (you can use a blender, just process less at a time), on high until powdery.

Place the following into each baggie:

PLAIN Oatmeal
1/4 Cup Oats
2 Tbsp. Powdered Oats

Seal and store. To serve empty packet into bowl, add 3/4 cup of boiling water. Stir and let stand for 2 minutes. Or add milk or water and pop into the microwave until cooked, add additional milk/water to thin.

Variations:
Sweetened: Add 1 Tbsp. Sugar
Brown Sugar/Cinnamon: Add 1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar and 1/4 Tsp. Cinnamon
Raisins & Brown Sugar: Add 1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar and 1 Tbsp. Raisins
Apple-Cinnamon: Add 1 Tbsp. Sugar, 1/4 Tsp. Cinnamon and 2 Tbsp. Chopped Dried Apples
Fruit & Milk: Add 1 Tbsp. Milk Powder and 2 Tbsp. Dried Fruit
Health Nut: Add 2 Tbsp. any kind of wheat germ & 1 Tbsp. Ground Flax Seed
Raisins & Walnut: Add 1 Tbsp. Raisins and 1/2 Tbsp. Walnut Pieces

Use your imagination! Whatever combination you can think of, you can have :)




Note: I double the recipe above for each baggie because my husband and son are never happy with one pack!

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Biscuit Mix

If you've ever used Bisquick, you know it's fast, easy and not very tasty. Mix up this recipe and you will have your own homemade biscuit mix ready to go. It can be substituted in any recipe calling for Bisquick. If you use margarine/butter, make sure you store it in the fridge or freezer, but if you use vegetable shortening, then you can store it in the pantry just like the boxed stuff :)

Ingredients
9 Cups Flour
1/4 Cup Baking Powder
1/2 Tbsp. Salt (I used a bit less)
2 Cups Shortening/Margarine etc.

Mix together the first 3 ingredients, and then cut in the shortening until mixture is crumbly. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place or in the freezer for up to 8 months.

2 1/4 cups of this mix with 2/3 cups of milk makes the basic Bisquick recipe. Bake at 450 F 8-10 minutes until golden. 

2 cups of this mix with 1 cup of milk and 2 eggs makes the basic Bisquick pancake recipe.

Nutritional Yeast

Nutritional Yeast is a deactivated yeast, and like mushrooms is actually a fungus.
It is a source of protein and vitamins, especially the B-Complex. It is naturally low in fat and sodium and is sugar, dairy and gluten free. Vegans make use of it frequently as a protein source or cheese substitute. It has a strong flavour that most people seem to describe as nutty, cheesy or creamy. Can be used in the place of parmesan cheese, or used as a topping for popcorn. 
Now, I am not a vegan, nor do I ever see myself becoming one, so why do I have this? I saw a recipe on weelicious, and it looked like a quick and easy substitute for KD, so I thought I would try it. My toddler has started turning his nose up at KD in preference for real food. I'm not a huge fan of KD, but it is an easy rush thing to put together!
I ordered from Well.ca and eagerly awaited it's arrival! The day it arrived I promptly made the recipe. Ugh. It was the worst tasting, most vile thing I have eaten in a long time! I ate some of it, and then proceeded to be nauseous for the rest of the day :( I had no choice but to find some use for it since I ordered 360g of the stuff! So back to the drawing board...
I found a 'cheese' sauce recipe on VegWeb and decided to give it a try...it's not that bad! I was going to dip tortilla chips into it, but I went to the cupboard and the cupboard was bare! So I poured it over macaroni and added a little salsa for zest and it's actually quite tasty!
I know making real cheese sauce if pretty simple, but it does take some time to grate the cheese etc. This took less then 5 minutes from start to finish :) I think I will see if my toddler will eat it for supper.
Because I am not a vegan, I changed the recipe to include milk. If you are a vegan just substitute soy milk (make sure it's unsweetened), or water and use vegan margarine :)

Ingredients
1/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast Flakes
Pinch of Salt
1/4 Cup Unbleached Flour
1/4 Tsp. Garlic Powder
1/8 Tsp. Mustard Powder
Sprinkle of Cumin
1 Cup Milk
1 1/2 Tbsp. Margarine


Mix dry ingredients together in a small pot. Add milk and whisk until clumps are gone. Add margarine and cook over medium heat until it thickens. If it thickens more then you want it to, just add extra milk (or whatever liquid you are using). It is meant to be a fairly thick sauce though.


This seems to be one of the better recipes out there. There are some recipes that even hardcore vegans are reviewing as awful!
Cheese is always something I seem to run out of before grocery day. Now I can make mac 'n cheese from ingredients I will most likely have on hand. The nutritional yeast was $7.67 for 180g. Because it's so flakey and light you get a lot in that container (which I didn't realize when I ordered 2 of them!), so it's actually quite an economical, healthy alternative for some recipes :)

Update: My 2 year old loves it :) He looked suspiciously at the macaroni for a minute and I convinced him to try some. His eyes lit up and I asked him if it was yummy, and his response was 'Yeah!'.  I think I will make up little baggies of pre-measured dry ingredients, and then all I have to do is add milk and margarine to the sauce. Not much harder then KD!

Waffles

These are wonderful! I make a big batch and I freeze them and use them as 'Eggos'. Use directly from frozen or let thaw on the counter. If frozen they usually need twice through the toaster or 15 seconds in the microwave and once through the toaster.
Ingredients
1 1/2 Cups Oats
2 Cups Flour
2 Tsp. Baking Soda
1 Tsp. Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt
1 1/2 Cups Buttermilk
1 Cup Milk
1/4 Cup Oil
1 Egg
1/3 Cup Sugar
Dried Fruit Powder (Optional)

Grind the oats in a blender or food processor until fine. In a large bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients (and fruit powder if using). In a small bowl combine the rest of the ingredients, and mix until smooth.
Stir the wet into the dry just until mixed. Don't overmix!
Cook in your waffle iron.

**If you want these as pancakes instead, leave out 1/2 cup of flour**

I get dried fruit powder from Just Tomatoes. I love their products! They don't add anything to their dried fruits, vegetables or powders. My 2 year old loves to snack on dried fruit, especially in the winter when fruit selection is limited at the store. I love to keep the powders on hand for mixing in with smoothies, pancakes, waffles and muffins. The dried fruit is also great for baking with. I haven't tried any of the dried vegetables yet, but I'm assuming they would be just as good as the fruit! 

'Instant' Pudding & Whipped Topping

Ignore the lighting, the topping is actually white!

Once out of the fridge the topping melts quickly.

 This one I'm kind of on the fence about...The pudding was good. The whipped topping wasn't as thick as I expected and had an unexpected marshmallowy (is that a word?) taste to it. It was good, I ate a whole bowl (shortly after taking the above pictures!), I'm just not sure I would make the topping again.

Chocolate Pudding Ingredients:
(Recipe from Homesteading Today Forum)

(Keep in mind this makes more then one batch to have in the cupboard to make up as you please! I actually quartered the recipe from the one in the link. )
1/2 Cup + 2 Tbsp. Milk Powder
1 1/4 Cups Sugar
3/4 Cup Corn Starch(I just learned Arrowroot Powder can be substituted 1/1 for Corn Starch in any recipe but have no idea where to buy it! I think I will check Earth's General store when I go to use my LivingSocial bargain :) )
1/4 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Cup + 2 Tbsp. Cocoa
Mix it all together and store in a ziploc bag.
Use: Mix 2 cups of milk with 2/3 cup of powder in a pot. Stir while boiling until it thickens (about 10ish minutes). Pour into smaller cups and put into the fridge to cool.

Whipped Topping Ingredients:
(Recipe from all-recipes.org)
1/3 Cup Milk Powder
1/3 Cup Ice Cold Water
1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Tsp. Lemon Juice
1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
Chill bowl and beaters in freezer for 15 minutes before using.
In chilled bowl combine powdered milk, ice water, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla. Beat on high speed until peaks form.
I put everything into my stand mixer and left it on high for what seemed like a really long time. It did thicken up, to a very soft peak forming stage. Perhaps I was impatient? I don't know. It seemed like it was as good as it was going to get. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't really a good substitute for whipping cream either...although it is a lot healthier then Cool Whip!! ***UPDATE*** If you make the whipped topping use all of it at once! It turns really nasty in the fridge :(