Homemade Gluten Free Waffles

AND a few lessons on making waffles! 

Everyone LOVES waffles. Yeah, pancakes are great but waffles are so much more. They can be a breakfast OR a dessert depending on what you top them with. My personal favorite is ice cream, strawberry topping and whipped cream.

This year, I opted to change out our family's Christmas schedule. Being a "divorced family" kinda sucks around the holidays. My ex and I had worked out a "schedule" on who got the kids on Christmas morning and quite frankly it SUCKED. On the years it was MY year to have the boys on Christmas morning(this was MY year) I would have to have them open presents and then whisk them away to their father's for noon. This left them no time to play with the presents they just opened and they would be at their dad's for days afterward. Not much fun for Xmas.

SO seeing how my sister did her Christmas on Christmas Eve so her kids could go to their dad's big family gathering they have every Xmas morning, I opted for the same. I got the kids on board with it pretty easily. They were excited about not having to be shuffled around on Christmas day like "commodities" and being able to relax after opening their presents. I told them that we'd have a special Christmas Breakfast and go to the movies to see It's a Wonderful Life. Of course, we'd finish off the day at my Dad #2's for our annual family Christmas Eve party. They were quite excited and my oldest(15 year old) boy said "Let's have waffles for breakfast."

My answer was "We don't own a waffle maker and I'm not having crappy boxed waffles for a special breakfast"

In his "infinite wisdom" my oldest answers "Well, we could get you a waffle maker for Christmas."

I turned to him in the middle of a produce department in the grocery store and said very loudly "I'm going to give you some very important advice that will come in handy when you are married child. Do not ever, EVER buy a woman an appliance for Christmas unless she SPECIFICALLY asks for it boy. NOT EVER". LOL! 3 of the women who overheard this looked up from their produce picking and gave me a sly smile and nodded in agreement. LOL!

That very night someone on our local freecycle group offered up a waffle maker. It was serendipitous!

SO, waffle maker in hand this Christmas morning(Christmas Eve) I set out to make my very first batch of waffles. I learned a good amount of lessons along the way that I'll share with you after the recipe.

I did not tell my family that it was gluten free, just as I normally do when I make a new recipe, because I want them to taste it and tell me if they love it and not LOOK for something to be wrong with it. When I told my fiance afterward that they were he said "WOW, those were really good for being Gluten Free!" So trust me, no one noticed the difference here!


I modified this recipe from the recipe on AllRecipes.com  I changed some things according to the suggestions in the reviews and made it Gluten Free.

2 Large Eggs
2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour(Or your preference of Gluten free AP Flour)
1 3/4 cups of Almond Milk
1/2 Cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil(or your own personal oil of choice)
3 Tablespoons of White Sugar
4 Teaspoons of Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon of Salt
1/2 teaspoons of Vanilla Extract
1/2 Teaspoon of Cinnamon
1/2 Dash of Nutmeg

 Once you've gathered all your ingredients and your ready to start, THEN plug your waffle iron in to heat up. I plugged mine in first thinking it was going to take a long time. The older ones may but mine heated up QUICK. So don't waste electricity and give yourself a change to burn yourself on yours. Wait til everything is gathered up and ready to mix, then turn yours on.


Crack your eggs into a bowl and beat them until fluffy. I used my hand mixer instead of my Kitchen Aide because as much as I LOVE my Kitchen Aide, some jobs just don't need that big ole thing. Some people suggested separating out the whites and beating them separately. I just beat them all together. I'll try the other way later and see if it makes any kind of difference.

Once your eggs are fluffy, add in all the other ingredients and mix until well blended.

Then you're ready to pour into your waffle iron. Pour into your iron and follow the directions in the manual for your own personal iron.

Now come the lessons!!!

Lesson #1. - Do yourself a favor and POUR SPARINGLY! I used a 1/2 cup measuring cup the first time and made sure the bottom of the the waffle iron was completely covered in waffle batter. As soon as I pulled the top down, it leaked out all over my counter!! Trust me, on waffles less is more!! I quickly learned I needed somewhere between 1/8 and 1/4 of a cup per each square section. I covered the bottom until just a few of the small squares on the outside edges of the waffles were still exposed. This caused a lot less leakage. Yes, some of my waffles had holes through them but that's ok. See Lesson #4 for that.

Lesson #2 - ONLY MAKE ONE BATCH! The original recipe says it makes 6 servings. I currently have about a dozen waffles left over after making a double batch for my first try. TRUST ME you don't need a double batch if you have a "normal size family". The four of us had breakfast yesterday, my fiance and I had breakfast today and I still have over a dozen waffles to freeze! Yes it's great because my kids loved these and so did my fiance but it was kinda overkill.

Lesson #3 - Know if your waffle iron is non-stick. If it's not use some kind of spray oil. Having gotten mine for free it did not come with the manual and I kept forgetting to look it up myself. So I didn't know if mine was non-stick. I don't like using commercial spray oils. So I opted to use a paper towel covered in coconut oil the first time around. Worked ok but it was a pain in the rear. After that I put some EVOO into a spray bottle and sprayed it on. This morning on my second try, I realized the surface was non-stick and I gave up all that nonsense. LOL!

Lesson #4 - Your waffles WILL NOT look like the ones that come out of the box from the store. I don't know what I was thinking but I had visions of "perfect homemade waffles". Bwahahahahahaha!!! Yeah NO. Without a big mess and a lot of waste you aren't making perfect waffles with no holes. It's just not happening. I made my peace with that when my kids and fiance DEVOURED what I made.

THIS is what my waffles ACTUALLY looked like! So yeah, don't expect perfection. LOL!

Lesson #5 - Make your batter in advance. The batter can sit in the fridge for a few days. So go ahead and make it ahead of time and then just be sure to whip it up again before you make them. It would have saved me so much time in the morning had I made the stuff when I had some time the night before or even a couple nights before. I could have opted out of 10-15 mins or browsing Facebook to make my life easier Christmas(eve) morning.

All in all I can't complain. It was an awesome experience for my kids. I believe it will be something we will do every year from now on. 

Southwestern Pork and Sweet Potato Slow Cooker Stew

Originally this was a weight watchers recipe that I modified somewhat. The original recipe was made with Chicken. So that is also an option if you like. I prefer the pork to the chicken but the chicken is good also.

This is a GLUTEN FREE recipe naturally. It does not contain anything that has gluten in it. For those who do not want to deal with GMOs find yourself a good bag of frozen organic corn. :D My kids LOVE this recipe!! Even my grandson, who is a picky eater, chows down on this stuff!!! So it's great for the whole family!

1 pound of Pork Loin with fat cut off and cubed
2-4 sweet potatoes depending on size. If large use 2 if small use 3-4
2 boxes of Chicken Broth of your choice
2-3 cans of chopped tomatoes with green chilies (this will depend on if you like the tomatoes)
1 bag of SWEET corn
1 Tsp of cumin
1/2 tsp of pepper(or to taste)
1/2 tsp of salt(or to taste)

This is a "make to taste" kind of recipe. My MIL(Mother in Law) loves it with more broth and less tomatoes. I love more tomatoes, less broth. Either way you do it, it's freakin awesome and SO easy!!!

Be sure to cut as much of the fat off the pork as possible. It really does not do well in this recipe. Cube the pork into 1 inch cubes and put it into the slow cooker. Cube the sweet potatoes into 1 inch cubes also. Some people prefer larger chunks of potato but sweet potatoes take long to cook and if they are too large you end up with some that are still hard.

Add both boxes of broth(or just 1 if you like less broth), your cans of tomatoes, cumin, salt and pepper and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours if you like.

15 mins before you are ready to eat it, pour in your whole bag of sweet corn. The sweet corn really does add a LOT to this recipe. It's good without it but it's so much better WITH it.

ALSO, I would strongly advice you be sure you use the tomatoes with the green chilies!!! I tried it once with the Jalapenos and it was HOT!! My kids did NOT like it!

Quick and Easy Gluten Free Chicken Corn Chowder

OK. First, let's give credit where credit is due. I modified this recipe from this recipe I found online HERE.

The great thing about this soup is that it's easy to make, quick and tastes amazing! You can have this from prep to table in maybe 30 mins.

Now, I did modify it. First off, I doubled this. However, just keep in mind that the recipe representation here is already doubled. So you don't need to double it if you're just serving a regular size family.

The original recipe called for green onions. My kids don't much care for them and while I think they make a nice presentation on top, I'm not serving this at a dinner party. So I don't care much about it's presentation. Also, I like a good onion taste. So I opted for Shallots instead. Also because I didn't feel like going to the store and I had them on hand. LOL! They made a nice Rue to start the soup off with and honestly, I would have been happy eating it without the milk!

It's your choice what kind of chicken you use. I am a big "Non GMO advocate" but I still occasionally opt for the "easy way". Which, in this case, was a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from the local grocery store. Also, use whichever kind of milk you like. I used a local grass-fed cow's milk but you can feel free to use any other milk you like.

Personally I prefer using Super Sweet Corn. It adds a lot of flavor. But feel free to use whatever you have on hand.

Quick and Easy Gluten Free Chicken Corn Chowder

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 full shallot bulbs
• 4 tablespoons Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten Free Flour
• 4 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2-3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper(season to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper(season to taste)
• 3 (10-ounce) packages frozen super sweet corn kernels, thawed and divided 2/3 to soup and 1/3 to blender
• 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups fat-free milk
• 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese(optional)

1. Melt butter in a soup pan.  Peel and slice shallots. Add sliced shallots to pan; sauté 2 minutes. Add flour to make the Rue; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly with a whisk. Stir in chicken, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, 2 packages of corn, and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.
2. While mixture simmers, combine the remaining corn and milk in a blender; process until smooth. Add milk mixture to pan; simmer 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Ladle 2 cups chowder into each of 4 soup bowls and serve. If you choose, sprinkle evenly with shredded cheddar before serving. 

Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Fried Pork Chops

If there is one thing that I love on this earth as much as Shrimp it's a good coated fried pork chop. NO, not the most health conscious thing to eat but oh man is it yummy! When I started eating gluten free food the first thing I tried was using Chex as a coating for fried chicken. It was good and crispy which is something my BF at the time(now my ex again) said he had the hardest time finding, something that would be good and crispy when it was fried.

One day when I was getting ready to make some pork chops for the kids I realized that I had some apple cinnamon Chex in the cabinet. Well people, we all eat applesauce with our chops right? So I figured, why not? I poured half the box into a gallon sized zipper storage bag and pounded them silly with a rolling pin. Then I proceeded to make some of the yummiest fried chops I've ever had. The cooking brings out the apple flavor even more. They're sweet and crunchy and most definitely sinful but soooo good they'll make your mouth water just thinking about them!

For those of you who are meticulous about your recipe measurements please bear with me. I do not do exact measurements on things because to me cooking is fun and anything left over just gets put away to use next time if possible. I generally keep a full box of ground up Apple Cinnamon Chex on hand in the cabinet and just pour them into the plate use them until they're gone and add what I think I'll need for what is left.


Gluten Free Fried Pork Chops


2 cups of ground up Apple Cinnamon Chex
4-5 Boneless Pork Chops(I cut mine 1-1.5 inches thick)
1 cup of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All-purpose Flour
1-2 cups of milk(Your choice of Milk. I have use all kinds and no matter what kind it works fine)
3-4 tablespoons of coconut oil


Get your dredging system ready. A bowl of Milk, a bowl of flour and a bowl(in this case I prefer a plate) of Chex.

Soak the pork chop in milk for approximately 1 min. If you have more time, you can marinade the chops in the milk overnight and they stay a lot more moist when they're cooked.

After soaking your chop, cover it in flour completely.

Then dip your chop in the milk again to get the flour good and sticky.

Place your chop into your Chex and cover completely. Some people prefer to use the old "shake and bake" method where they put the chop into a bag and shake. My problem with this is that the inside of the bag gets gooey and you tend to get clumps. Once the chop is coated, set it aside on a plate.

Place your coconut oil into a good sized frying pan(use enough oil to coat the whole bottom of the pan) and warm until a wooden spoon placed into the center of the pan makes it bubble.

Place your chops into the pan and fry one side for about 3-4 minutes and flip over. This gets the coating good and stiff so you don't get chops that are gooey on one side and have coating falling off and too stiff on the other side.

Cook for approximately 20 mins total on medium heat until the meat goes from soft and floppy to good and stiff when you pick it up to flip it. Be sure to flip the chops every 7 mins or so to keep one side from burning.

I serve my chops with a salad with our favorite Sweet Vidalia Onion and Cucumber dressing.

Variations: Last night I added Cajun seasoning to my flour. It made for a sweet and spicy combination that was very good!!

Ruth's Chris New Orleans Style BBQ Shrimp

All of the ingredients in this recipe are gluten free. :D I love me some shrimp and I'm always looking for new ways to cook them. 

Ruth's Chris New Orleans-Style BBQ Shrimp

Ingredients:
-Makes 4 servings
-20 large (16/20) shrimp, peeled and deveined
-1 ounce canola oil
-1 tablespoon plus 5 teaspoons green onions, chopped
-2 ounces dry white wine
-1 teaspoon fresh chopped garlic
-4 tablespoons Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
-1 teaspoon Tabasco
-1/2 teaspoon cayenne
-1/2 teaspoon paprika
-8 ounces (2 sticks) salted butter

Directions:
Place a large cast iron skillet on a burner and heat over high heat. Add oil and cook shrimp until they are just done. It's best to prepare shrimp in batches if you do not have large skillet. Remove shrimp and set aside on a large platter.

Add green onions to the oil in the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Add white wine and let simmer until it is reduced by half.

When the wine is reduced by half, add chopped garlic, Worcestershire, Tabasco. cayenne pepper and paprika. Shake the pan well and cook for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low.

Cut butter into small chunks with the knife and slowly add into pan, shaking fast to melt butter.

Continue to add butter and shake until all butter is melted. Add shrimp back to pan and toss well to coat shrimp with butter and seasonings and to heat the shrimp. Place shrimp on four plates and enjoy. 

Gluten Free Hot Wing Chicken Bites

Borrowed and adapted to Gluten Free from Creole Contessa's Recipe. This recipe is high in protein from the chicken as well as the Greek Yogurt. I changed the recipe to Fat Free yogurt but you could also use the original recipe's low fat version.

I am glad to report that Ken's Chunky Blue Cheese dressing is Gluten Free per their statement on their page. The original recipe calls for Tabasco brand Hot Sauce. Unfortunately, according to Tabasco's list of their products that are Gluten Free their regular Hot Sauce isn't on the list of gluten free products. So I suggest going with Frank's Red Hot Sauce because it IS, for sure, gluten free.

Hot Wing Chicken Bites 

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless, chicken breast
1 tablespoon creole seasoning
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups Bob's Red Mill All-purpose flour
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
gorgonzola cheese, to garnish

For the Wing Sauce:

1 cup of Frank's Red Hot Sauce
1 cup of Kens blue cheese salad dressing
1/4 cup of Chobani Greek Yogurt Fat Free, Plain

Directions:

To prepare wing sauce, place all ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Reserve one cup of mixture to marinate chicken in.

Place remaining sauce in a small saucepan, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. 

To prepare chicken, mix seasoning blend and set aside.  Place flour into a bowl season with 1 tablespoon of seasoning blend, mix well and set aside. 

Rinse chicken and pat dry, cut chicken into 2 inch chunks and place into a bowl.  Add beaten eggs, 1 cup of wing sauce and remaining seasonings to chicken and mix well.

Refrigerate until ready to use.

Heat oil in a large pot, filling only half way with oil to prevent splatters. When oil reaches 350 degrees, it's ready to fry the chicken.

Place chicken chunks into seasoned flour in small batches. Fry chicken for about 7-8 minutes, turning over while cooking.

Remove chicken from fryer and drain on paper napkins.

Place chicken in bowl that has a lid, add some of the wing sauce and toss until coated in wing sauce. Repeat until all the chicken has been cooked, do not crowd the pan.

Garnish with gorgonzola cheese. 

Easy and Healthy Shrimp Scampi

I found this recipe on Smoked N Grilled.com It's healthy and looks divine! :D Also Gluten free as there is no wheat in the recipe at all! Shrimp is nothing but protein! I eat it at least once or twice a week every single week. 

Easy & Healthy Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients

• 4 tsp olive oil 
  
  
• 1 1/4 pounds med raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails left on)
• 6-8 garlic cloves, minced 
  
  
• 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth 
  
  
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup + 1 T minced parsley 
  
  
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 4 lemon wedges

Preparation

1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Saute the shrimp until just pink, about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. With a slotted spoon transfer the shrimp to a platter and keep them warm.
2. In the skillet, combine the broth, wine, lemon juice, 1/4 cup of the parsley, the salt and pepper; and bring it to a boil. Boil uncovered, until the sauce is reduced by half.
3. Spoon the sauce over the shrimp. Serve garnished with the lemon wedges and sprinkled with the remaining tablespoon of parsley.
4. Makes 4 servings