Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Yes, they're gluten-free and, yes, they taste great!!

I based my recipe off of this fantastic recipe here, but I didn't have any regular gluten-free flour mix, so I decide to be inventive.

Preheat your oven at 450F.

I took four frozen chicken breasts and partially thawed them (I find still-slightly-frozen-chicken easier to chop up). After that, I cut them into just slightly-smaller-than-normal sizes for nuggets (think Chick-Fil-A sized nuggets).

In a large, Ziploc plastic bag, I combined equal parts chickpea flour and Parmesan cheese along with a combination of paprika, salt, pepper and cayenne. In all honesty, I added a little too much cayenne, but they're delicious. If you're not good with spicy, dial down or eliminate the cayenne all together.

Put the chicken in the plastic bag (if you're doing a lot like I was, this will have to be done in batches), seal the bag, and shake, coating all the pieces with the cheesy goodness.  After that, I spread them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet and baked them for 15 minutes, flipped them and then backed for another seven.

The results? Spicy, super-moist, and really easy homemade chicken nuggets! This made enough for several meals and so far it looks like it reheats really well.

In hindsight: I had run out of parchment paper and foil, and that would've saved me a lot of trouble with the clean-up afterward.

Pinterest Gave Me Hope

OK, as cheesy as it sounds, it's true. I'd been neglecting myself by not following a strict gluten-free regimen --and it was definitely showing, if we're to judge by the bouts of illness and exhaustion. So, when I started to seriously pursue a gluten-free lifestyle earlier this year, I turned to Pinterest.

I'd already been using Pinterest to track some of my favorite things: DIY ideas, my favorite color, favorite quotes, etc., so why not gluten-free recipes and ideas? Sure enough, this works! I now use Pinterest on an almost-daily basis to search for and track gluten-free recipes. 

My gluten-free board is a daily inspiration to me that gluten-free food does not have to be tasteless, crumbly, and depressing --in fact, quite the opposite!  I am a very visual person, so seeing amazing pictures of gluten-free food is a huge motivation for me to step out of my comfort zone and try something new.  Pinterest has given me: gluten-free crepes, cookies, entrees, desserts, and more.  Cheesy, but true!

Sergio's Sarava - Shaker Square #CLE

How is it possible that I've lived in the Shaker Square area for over a year and never ventured into Sergio's Sarava? Oh. my. gosh. My mistake. BIG mistake.

Looking for a fun, but quick and simple happy hour, to celebrate some good news, a friend and I headed out to Shaker Square directly after work. There was some debate, but in the end Sarava won out and I'm so glad it did. Gluten-free, delicious, and did I mention gluten-free?

First off, the pao de queijo is amazing. According to the server, they make it with rice flour. I've made it with tapioca starch before, but I'm really liking the rice flour. If you've recently gone gluten-free and you're missing that lovely, elastic yeastiness, these would be a delicious gateway into other gluten-free options. My friend swore that she would never have been able to tell they were gluten-free if I hadn't asked.

Caiparinha and sangria in hand, we also tried out the beef churasco, empadas (her, not me), and the Prince Edward Island Mussels. All clean, uncluttered, and delicious dishes.

See below for a video on how to make pao de queijo.

Traveling Trials

This past weekend, I headed out on to the open road.  Friday afternoon found me situated in my black tin can of a car, hurtling down the turnpike toward a family reunion.

I love traveling. I really do. I also really like traveling alone, so this solitary trip was right up my alley. Until I realized that I hadn't thought ahead about gluten-free options for food while driving. And let me tell you, the Ohio Turnpike is not a gluten-free-friendly place. I suppose if you want to stand and read labels for ages and only eat trail mix, it would be relatively simple. However, if you're leaving straight from work and looking for something to hold you over for the next four hours, you had better pack everything for yourself.

Einstein Brothers, Panera, Carvel/Cinnabon (combination), Burger King, Popeye's. The list goes on and on. The closest thing to gluten-free I managed to get was a drink from Starbucks which, as you may know, can be disastrous if a) you don't know what to order or b) you are one of those unfortunate people with an extreme insensitivity to gluten.

My two days on the Turnpike were made more difficult by the lack of options, but it made me wonder when or if things will ever change.  Some doctors speculate that as many as 1 in 3 people in the world have a gluten sensitivity. What would it take for us to make changes in our fast food marketplaces?

Sunday Family Dinner

I come from a big Italian family. And when I say Italian, I mean Italian. The two most important things in this world for this family seem to be family and food (no big argument there from me).  As such, family dinners every Sunday are a big deal. A really big deal.

They're also a really big gluten-fest filled with booby traps and delicious, but deadly pitfalls. I usually end up making something for my self on the side and just having to look longingly at the pasta, meatballs, and Nonna's amazing homemade sauce. And then I got a big surprise this morning. Grandma (Nonna) informed that not only had she picked up gluten-free penne rigata (by Pasta Si) and even made sure that she had a gluten-free sauce on hand (Lidia's Marinara). While it still isn't Nonna's homemade sauce and meatballs, it means the world that she would think of me and go out of her way to make sure I felt included --and of, course, well-fed because that is the main love language of Italian grandmas everyone.

Along with this, I've thrown together a roast chicken piccata based on this recipe. It's in the oven now and it smells delicious!

Race to a Million #5K

So, I have a cause that hits close to home for me. I love the Cleveland Foodbank and what they do for our community. In this day and age and with this economy, all of us are a lot closer to hunger than we realize.

This year, I get the awesome opportunity to do a 5K and raise funds for the Cleveland Foodbank though the Race to a Million. I did put my fundraising widget up there (you can see it just to the right), so if you feel led to donate, I know that the Cleveland Foodbank would really appreciate. Just $10 can feed 40 in need. The money donated through the widget goes straight to the Cleveland Foodbank through Crowdrise and you can even get a receipt of your donation for tax purposes.

On a side/gluten-free note: I got to volunteer at the Cleveland Foodbank a couple months ago and I was really excited to see how many gluten-free products that were available in the shipment we were sorting.

The Hipp

My cousin was in town a few weeks ago and because of this, we spent a good amount of time eating out and exploring the city. Eating out is always a bit of a trap for the gluten-free, but I have it a little easier than most as mine is a "simple" allergy and not Celiac.  But it is still hard. So hard.

One of my favorite new restaurants is The Hipp. They're pretty awesome. Besides having fantastic, fresh food, they are pretty gluten-free friendly in my experience. They also have an awesome food truck, but mostly I'm here to brag about The Hipp itself.  Their food is good. Really. It's fresh and it's fast. It is one of the few places where I can walk in with only an hour lunch to spare and get a real meal and back to the office in no time flat.   When I first started going to The Hipp, I'd simply order a sandwich or an entree sans gluten (i.e., one of the great hamburgers without the bun). Then I heard word of a gluten-free bun. Yes, folks, a gluten-free bun. And I tried it and it was amazing. It's what I like to call a "I-can't-believe-it's-not-gluten" moment. It really is the best gluten-free bun so far.

Also, I have to speak very highly of the staff as well. Very gluten-free friendly. I've called, emailed, and even just walked in off the street with gluten-related questions and they've been super helpful and well-informed about which of their items have gluten and which can be customized to be gluten-free.

If you're in the Midtown area, give them a try. I hope you'll like them as much as I do!

Burger with gluten-free bun

Fatty BBQ Sammie, sans bun and with brussell sprouts