Archive for Lunch
White Chicken Chili
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When Fall comes around and the weather starts to cool down, I start to think of chili. When you want a good chili to warm you up, but just aren’t in the mood for a red, tomato-based chili, give this one a try. This is my quick and easy recipe for a chicken chili with white beans. I love it!
White, Chicken Chili Recipe
Ingredients:
2 cans (15 oz. each) of white northern beans
6 Cups chicken broth
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
2 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp salt
1 TBSP dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 cans (4 oz. each) diced green chiles
1 whole chicken cooked, de-boned, and cut into bite-size pieces (about 5 cups)
1 TBSP diced jalapeño for extra heat
Directions:
- In a large pot, combine beans, 4 cups chicken broth, garlic onion, white pepper, salt, oregano, cumin and cloves. Cover and simmer for an hour or more.
- Stir in green chiles, chicken and the remaining 2 cups chicken broth. If desired, add jalapeño for extra heat. Cover and simmer for another hour.
- Serve as-is or over rice. Top with any variety of condiments: black olives, shredded cheese, diced avocado, chopped cilantro, sour cream, salsa, etc.
Additional Notes:
- Feel free to use cooked chicken breasts (about 2 lbs.) instead of a whole chicken.
- Like most chilis, this also works well in a slow cooker.
- Also great to serve with arepas or corn tortillas.
More Links
- For more recipes of gluten-free soups, check out this week’s edition of “What Can I Eat That’s Gluten-Free?” at The Gluten-Free Homemaker.
- Check out the The W.H.O.L.E. Gang’s Friday Foodie Fix for more recipes with beans.
Cilantro Lime Shrimp
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This became a favorite recipe of ours over the summer. It makes a nice, light and refreshing lunch or dinner. It’s quick and easy to prepare and is naturally gluten-free. I modified the recipe slightly from one that my mom and dad make.
Cilantro Lime Shrimp Recipe
Ingredients:
30-40 medium-size raw shrimp (1 lb.)
1 TBSP olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
juice from one or two fresh limes (about 3 TBSP)
1/2 Cup cilantro leaves, chopped
2 TBSP butter
Directions:
- Prepare the shrimp, if needed. If frozen, thaw the shrimp. Remove the shell and tail, and devein the shrimp.
- Place a large skillet over medium heat and pour in the olive oil. Carefully place the thawed shrimp into the hot skillet and cook for a few minutes on each side. Then remove them from the pan.
- Reduce the heat slightly and put the minced garlic in the skillet. Cook the garlic for about 30 seconds, or until aromatic, and then add the lime juice. (If the garlic starts to brown too quickly, add the lime juice immediately to reduce the heat.) Cook for another minute and then take the skillet off the heat.
- Add the cilantro and butter to the skillet and stir until it’s melted. Now add the shrimp back into the skillet and toss to coat.
- Serve over rice or noodles.
Additional Notes:
- I use a quick-thaw method for thawing the shrimp: Place the shrimp in a colander placed in a bowl of cold water. Put it in the sink and let a constant trickle of cold water stream into the bowl for about 15 minutes.
- I have also used frozen pre-cooked shrimp for this recipe. It turns out good, but needs less time on the skillet. It’s already cooked, so really you just need to heat it through for a couple minutes.
- In the picture above, I’ve served the shrimp on rice, but I also enjoy it on wide flat rice noodles.
For more gluten-free meals, check out this week’s edition of What Can I Eat That’s Gluten Free? at The Gluten-Free Homemaker.
Not My Mom’s Chicken Salad
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In an effort to use up leftover chicken in the refrigerator, I decided to make a chicken salad. I intended to make my mom’s wonderful recipe, but found that I was missing some key ingredients from it. So, I started to modify the recipe to use up the ingredients I had in the kitchen and accommodate the gluten-free diet, too. By the time I was done tweaking, it was nothing like the salad my mom used to make. It turned out just as good, but with a completely different taste. It made a tasty chicken salad sandwich (on gluten-free bread, of course), but was also great just served on green leaf lettuce.
Chicken Salad Recipe
Ingredients:
Dressing:
3/4 Cup Mayonnaise
3/4 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
Salad:
2 Cups chicken, cooked and chopped
2 TBSP onion, finely chopped
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
1/4 Cup sweet pickle relish
1 Cup red seedless grapes, each cut in half
1/2 Cup (about 3 oz.) pine nuts, lightly toasted
Directions:
- Mix dressing ingredients well and refrigerate.
- Combine all salad ingredients, except the pine nuts. Pour dressing over salad ingredients and mix well, but gently.
- Serve on gluten-free bread, rolls, or a bed of lettuce.
- Sprinkle toasted pine nuts on top.
Additional Notes:
- To toast the pine nuts, place in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat. Using a spoon or spatula, push them around in the skillet for about five minutes – just until they’re golden and fragrant. Don’t walk away, they can burn quickly if the heat gets too high.
- This is best after chilling in the refrigerator overnight, so go ahead and mix it all up the day before. However, to keep the pine nuts a little crispier, you may want to wait until just before serving to sprinkle on the pine nuts.
- Makes 4-6 sandwiches or salads.
Seven-Layer Salad with Creamy Dill Dressing
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I was never a big fan of salads as a child. As I got older, I began to appreciate all the fresh vegetables. And since going gluten-free, my body seems to better handle all the fiber. Recently, this salad has become a favorite of mine.
The ingredients are layered in a 9 x 13 pan, covered with my own dill dressing, and topped with shredded cheese and bacon bits. It’s perfect for entertaining or taking to parties. It makes 12 large servings and you can make it the night before. I love to make it for dinner and have leftovers for lunch later in the week. You can choose your favorite salad ingredients and even your favorite dressing, but here is what I do:
Seven-Layer Salad
Ingredients:
2 Cups lettuce, chopped (iceberg, Romaine, Cosmopolitan — you choose)
2 Cups baby spinach
2 Cups frozen peas
1 cucumber, sliced and quartered
1 Cup (8 oz.) diced ham
2 Cups (4-6 oz.) cheddar cheese, shredded
8 oz. bacon (8-10 slices), fried crispy and crumbled into bits
Creamy Dill Salad Dressing (recipe below)
Directions:
Cover bottom of 9 x 13 pan with chopped lettuce, then add layers of baby spinach, chopped cucumber, peas, and diced ham. This should make the salad almost fill up to the top of the pan.- Next, pour and spread the dressing evenly over the salad.
- Top salad with shredded cheese and bacon bits.
- Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. The salad can be chilled for an hour, or even overnight.
Additional Notes:
Choose your ingredients carefully. Tomatoes don’t do well overnight: they add too much water to the salad. If you want tomatoes in your salad, I suggest adding them right before serving.- No need to defrost the peas. They defrost quickly in the refrigerator and help keep the salad cool.
- Other ingredients to consider: Green onions and celery add great flavor. Red cabbage, carrots, and yellow sweet peppers add bursts of color.
Creamy Dill Dressing
Ingredients:
1 Cup mayonnaise
1 Cup Greek yogurt
1 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic powder
1 TBSP sugar
1 TBSP dried dill weed
Directions:
- Combine ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well.
- Keep chilled.
Additional Notes:
- Feel free to add fresh herbs from your garden instead of dried dill, but you may want to increase the amount for freshly chopped herbs.
- I’ve recently been introduced to delicious Greek yogurt and found that it makes a thicker, creamy dressing — perfect for this recipe. For a thinner dressing use plain yogurt, or consider adding a couple tablespoons of milk.
For more gluten-free meal ideas, check out this week’s edition of The Gluten-Free Homemaker’s “What Can I Eat That’s Gluten-Free?”
Gluten-Free Menu Swap – June 29
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This week I’m hosting the Gluten-Free Menu Swap. Thanks to Cheryl at Gluten Free Goodness for keeping it going. I chose balsamic vinegar as the theme ingredient this week for two reasons: One, because it is acceptable for most diets (Balsamic vinegar is generally considered to be gluten-free, however some may have additives such as coloring, so it’s always a good idea to check the label for ingredients.); And two, because I seem to be using it a lot lately. It must be all the fresh fruits and vegetables that are available during the summer.
Balsamic Vinegar
Here are some recipes I’ve made with balsamic vinegar:
Baked Salmon with a Balsamic Glaze
Red Potato and Green Bean Salad
Here’s what we’re having for dinner this week:
Monday – Crockpot Chicken
Whole chicken cooked in the slow cooker with garlic and onion. Serving with mashed potatoes and broccoli.
Tuesday – Baked Salmon with a Balsamic Glaze
Serving with pearl quinoa and Brussels sprouts.
Wednesday – Hamburger Stroganoff
Hamburger, bacon, and mushrooms cooked with a creamy chicken soup and served atop wide noodles. Serving with asparagus with balsamic vinegar.
Thursday – Seven-layer Salad
This is a one-dish meal with a variety of ingredients (seven, if you want to be precise) — diced ham, bacon, fresh or frozen peas, shredded cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, green onion — and topped with a creamy dill dressing.
Friday – Fish and Chips
Hoping to try a recipe for gluten-free fish and chips. Serving with Berry Fruit Salad.
Saturday – Cheeseburgers
Grilling burgers and serving with corn-on-cob and potatoes cooked on the grill.
Sunday – Leftovers
Any leftovers still in the refrigerator come out for everyone to choose their own meal.
And here’s what some gluten-free friends are having this week:
Like me, Kimberly at Gluten-Free is Life also has salmon on the menu this week. And her Caprese salad with balsamic gastrique sounds yummy. Looks like she also has plans to try out the new Betty Crocker gluten-free yellow cake mix. I’m looking forward to seeing her review of it, since I haven’t tried it yet. Be sure to check out her full week’s menu on her website.
Planning for warmer weather, Elizabeth at Modern Gal is putting salads and other meals chilled or served at room temperature on this week’s menu. I’m especially interested in her Thai chicken salad, but everything on her menu looks great.
Lots of enticing meals on JoAnn’s menu plan: The picture she posted of BBQ Chicken Pizza is making me drool. She’s got fish tacos planned for Friday and breakfast quiche planned for dinner on Sunday. More of her meals, with recipes linked for most, are at My Experiment in Gluten Free Living.
Sorry to hear that Cheryl at Gluten Free Goodness is allergic to balsamic vinegar. But never mind that, she always has interesting, flavorful recipes to share, and her menu this week is no exception. She’s making Thai Coconut sauce to go with turkey and a Roasted Tomato and Carmelized Onion Soup. She’s also planning to try my Raspberry Divinity Tarts. I’m anxious to hear how the recipe works for her.
If you’re still looking for more meal ideas, be sure to check out I’m an Organizing Junkie where hundreds of people post links to their weekly menus (not all gluten-free).
Kristine at Glutenfreeda submitted this recipe for Roasted Strawberries With Wine & Balsamic Vinegar Sauce.
