Weekday Cooking - Easy Chicken and Rice Recipe

This gluten-free thing is getting easier. However, not less annoying. It has been 3 weeks and I don't feel a remarkable improvement. I haven't lost a damn pound, and I have been eating the most healthy I possibly can without being a rabbit or bored out of my frackin' mind.

A friend of mine on Facebook posted this recipe a while back that was originally from AllRecipes.com . I made several adjustments. I think the adjustments made the dish have more flavor and made the recipe gluten-free. For another variation, try adding wheat-free soy sauce to the broth.

Easy Chicken Thighs on Rice

5-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 1/2 C white rice
3 cups gluten-free chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped or sliced baby carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow or sweet onion
1/2 portabella mushroom cap, chopped, or several small mushrooms, chopped
1/2 - 1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 -3 dashes of Tabasco(optional)
Cajun Seasoning to taste
black pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In 9 X 13in baking pan, combine rice, water, veggies, Italian seasoning, and Tabasco. Stir and make as even a layer in the bottom of the pan as possible. Season thighs with Cajun Seasoning and place on top of rice. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake additional 15-20 minutes or until rice is fully cooked. If thighs are not browned enough, broil for 3 minutes, taking care not to make the rice too crisp.

This serves 3-4, depending on the size of the thighs and how many children you are serving. I can easily feed all 5 of us and have some leftovers, since the kiddos are small. Leftover rice is delish the next day tossed with some wheat-free soy and cooked in the frying pan with a scrambled egg, and chopped leftover chicken.

There are several variations to this recipe- Mexican style would be to substitute cumin and chili powder for the Italian seasoning and Cajun Seasoning. Add a chopped tomato or some salsa to the rice before cooking.

Feel free to add your variations in the comments.

Crawfish Alfredo-Gluten Free

Ok, I was skeptical. I went to Drug Imporium and purchased Mr. Leepers Chicken Alfredo. It is a box that looks like any other pre-mixed "Pasta Roni" type fare. I had a pound of crawfish burning a hole in my freezer so I was ready to try it. My kiddos love alfredo and the Junior League of Lafayette has a fabu recipe for Crawfish Fetuccini in their 3rd book, Tell Me More. I have made that for showers, pot-cluck suppers, and it is a go-to recipe for a pound of crawfish languishing in the freezer.

Since I am now on gluten free diet, I have been mourning pasta. Seriously. Even though I don't particularly eat pasta frequently, I want it because I CAN'T HAVE IT.

'nuf said.

Here is the recipe that I made tonight.

Crawfish Alfredo Fetuccini

1 box Mr. Leeper's Chicken Alfredo( pasta plus spice packet)
2 cups water
3/4 cup 2% milk or dairy free alternative
1 lb thawed peeled crawfish tails
Tabasco to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
Benoit's Salt Free Cajun Seasoning to taste
1 handful 2% Mexican Cheese blend( gluten free)
1 handful Velvetta shreds( please tell me this is gluten free- and if not, please don't tell me)
1-2 Tbsp gluten free sour cream(optional if too spicy)
2-3 chopped green onions
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Pour water, milk and spice packet into large( 12 inch or so) skillet. Bring to a boil and add crawfish. Pour in pasta, turn heat to low and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally for 11 minutes. Add a few dashes of Tabasco, cayenne pepper, cajun seasoning, and cheese. Turn off heat and stir. Cover and let sit for 3 minutes. Taste. If is it too spicy, add gluten free sour cream. Serve with chopped green onions and Parmesan cheese as garnish.

Serve with fresh green salad and gluten free bread. I personally haven't learned how to make gluten free bread properly, so I lamented not having bread with this. It would serve 4 hungry adults for an entree and 6 for a first course.

Feel free to comment. Dear Husband really liked it and I enjoyed it. The pasta wasn't like many other rice pastas- it wasn't mushy. While it wasn't as rich as I'm used to, this was hearty enough to satisfy my craving. The kiddos really liked this. I will definitely cook this again.

Please feel free to leave comments. Please be gentle. This is a new blog and I am sensitive. :-p

And so it begins.....

Well, I'm not a writer, or a blogger, so here it goes.

It was recommended by my doc that I begin a gluten free diet and all I could think was WTF. OMG, I can't believe that I need to change all the recipes that I use! Everything in the Cajun diet has flour! H-E-L-L-O!

This blog is a diary of my trials and tribulations in trying to recreate Cajun recipes that I already love into more healthy, gluten free fare.

I have been on the diet for 10 days, and I must say that I am dying! OMG no bread. No gumbo, no etoufee, no bisque, etc., etc. Even if I haven't had any of the aforementioned items in months, just the fact that I CANT have them really irks the hell out of me.

So, for my first foray into the gluten free cajun arena.... please see my next post.