Tuesday, August 16, 2011

hands of love #21...

This "hands of love" is a long time coming, and oh, I've found some amazing recipes.

As if gluten free meal planning was not hard enough, now hubby is currently taking a break from gluten AND dairy. He's still having "issues," as we'll call it, and we think it may be linked to milk. Alot of gluten intolerant folks have to go off of milk for awhile (or forever) to help their guts heal. So we're trying it out for a couple of weeks to see if it helps...

So for now these hands of love are having to figure out delicious gluten AND dairy free meals for Daddy! Whew. Thankfully we've done it before so I know how to do it, but let me tell ya-- it ain't fun.

But I've got some AMAZING recipes for you guys, whether you're gluten free or not! Starting with the best one...


This black bean corn salad (my friend Amy posted this on her blog) is SOOOO good, and it's a perfect dish to bring to a cookout or get-together with a bag of tortilla chips. (It's naturally gluten and dairy free, too!) It tastes the best the next day, so make it a day ahead and try to keep your hands off of it in the meantime. (good luck!) Here's the recipe.


You can add chunks of avocado to it just before you serve it. You can make it as a side dish, as a salsa with chips, or use on top of taco salad. It's so versatile and soooo good.


Okay, you gluten free eaters! Listen up! We know you never get fried foods anymore, so here's a DELICIOUS recipe for "fried" chicken. (and it's not even fried-- it's made in the oven, so it's better for you!) It's gluten free, but you'd have to adapt it to be milk-free. By the way, the mac & cheese here is NOT gluten or dairy free. (It was for me and Caroline.) :)

Oven-Fried Herb Chicken (Carol Fenster, "Gluten Free Quick and Easy")

8 chicken drumsticks (or whatever pieces of chicken you want to use)
1 cup buttermilk
1 3/4 tsp salt, divided
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp black pepper

1. Place drumsticks in a heavy-duty food-storage bag; add the buttermilk and 1/4 tsp of salt. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 400. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray; set aside.
3. In a shallow bowl or small paper bag, combine the cornstarch, Parmesan, parsley, thyme, paprika, and cayenne. Remove the drumsticks from the buttermilk and gently shake off excess. Dip each drumstick into the cornstarch mixture and then, holding drumstick by the bone, coat all sides with cooking spray. Lay the drumsticks on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and the black pepper.
4. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through, turning the drumsticks after 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Other gluten free, dairy-free meals...


Shrimp curry with broccoli and quinoa. (a grain like rice, except it has more protein than rice)


I used the quinoa and sprinkled it onto a salad for lunch the next day. (this was my salad with feta cheese-- Marc had it without the cheese, of course)


The other thing we're doing is JUICING! Think about it-- in what other way can you get THIS many fruits & veggies in your body at one time? If you drink juices from the grocery store, they've been processed and only have 1/10 of their original nutritious value. If you take vitamin supplements, they've been cooked and processed into powder. But by juicing with a vegetable juicer, you get ALL of the nutrients fresh, plus it's already broken down for your intestines to absorb. Our family loves enjoying a juice together and wow-- you feel pretty amazing after you drink it. We just have to be sure to balance out the vegetables with fruit so it cancels out the vegetable taste. :)

Hope you enjoy!
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