Delicious Gluten Free Chicken Parmesan

  For pasta night a few weeks ago I made chicken parmesan.  There are a lot of steps, but don't let that stop you.  This recipe is worth all the work!  I got this recipe (and the one for the marinara sauce) from  one of my church cookbooks.  I've seen it in there for years, but never attempted it.

  Last month my daughter ordered  chicken parmesan from Macaroni Grill, and that's when I made up my mind that I was going to figure out how to make that dish! It looked so good!  And I have to honestly say, that this gluten free version tastes absolutely delicious.   

Gluten Free Chicken Parmesan

1.  Make  homemade marinara sauce - This will take about an hour. So make it ahead of time:  

(1)  Chop 1 medium onion and mince 2-3 cloves of garlic.

(2)  Saute the onion and garlic in 2 T of coconut oil until tender.  When they're done, add to the tomato sauce mixture. 

(3)  Meanwhile put 1 15 oz can of tomato sauce and 1 15 oz can of whole tomatoes into a saucepan.  

(4)  Add seasonings:  1 t salt, 1/2 t pepper, 1 t sugar, 1/2 t oregano, and 1/2 t basil.

(5)  Cover and simmer for 45 minutes stirring occasionally.   Taste and make any adjustments. 

(6)  Remove the lid and let the sauce continue to simmer for about 15 minutes until it thickens a bit.  

2.  Prepare chicken:  Put 4 chicken breasts halves between waxed paper and pound them with a mallet until  they're each 1/4".   Then cover them and put them in frig until ready. 

3. Prepare gluten free bread crumbs:  I learned how to do this on Gluten Free Homemaker's site.  For this recipe you need 1 cup of bread crumbs.  Put about 3-4 slices of gluten free bread on a baking sheet and bake it at 300 for 10-15 minutes.  Turn it over after 5 minutes.  You can put the slices into a plastic bag and run a rolling pin over them or put them in your food processor and pulse them until they're fine enough.  

4.  Preparing items to bread the chicken - You will need 3 bowls:  

(1)  Mix in a small bowl 1/3 cup rice flour, 1/4 t salt, and 1/8 t pepper.

(2)  Whisk 1 egg and 1/4 cup milk in another small bowl.

(3)  Put the breadcrumbs in a bowl big enough to coat the chicken in.

5.  Breading the chicken & preparing it for the pan:

(1)  Take a piece of chicken and first coat it in the flour mixture.

(2)  Then dip it in the egg/milk mixture.

(3)  Last of all lightly dip the chicken into the breadcrumbs and coat.

(4)  Place the breaded chicken onto a plate.  Meanwhile put  2 T of coconut oil  into a skillet and cook the chicken about 3 minutes on each side until they're golden.

(5)  Place the chicken onto a clean plate while you're doing the assembling below.

6.  Assembling the chicken parmesan:

(1)  Pour the marinara sauce evenly on a 9 x 13 glass pan.

(2)  Place the breaded chicken  on top of the sauce.

(3)  Grate 2/3-1 cup of mozzarella cheese and sprinkle it over the top.  Then sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top of that.  

7.  Put water on to boil for cooking the penne pasta while the chicken is baking.  Cook as much  pasta as you would like.

8.  Bake at 350 for 35 minutes until the chicken is fork tender.  Put pasta on your plate first and then place a piece of chicken and the amount of sauce that you like on top of that and enjoy!

Other Italian & Greek Recipes on This Blog:

Italian & Greek Chicken:
Incredible Gluten Free Chicken Souvlaki   (My son-in-law's recipe)
Chicken Cacciatore with Peppers & Mushrooms  (Family)
You've Got to Try This Gluten Free Chicken Parmesan!  (From my church cook book, Come & Dine)

Pasta:
My Mom's Splendiferous Gluten Free Spaghetti  (My mother's amazing sauce!)
Oh So Good Vegetarian Lasagna  (From Internet search)
Fantastic Gluten Free Salmon Fettucine   
Judi's Gluten Free Crazy Crust Pizza -  Spinach, Artichoke & Feta Pizza (From a friend)
Gluten Free Pasta Aioli - Sausage & Vegetable Penne  (From my daughter and son-in-law)
Delicious Gluten Free Chicken Tetrazzini     (From my daughter-in-law's family cookbook)
 
Soups:
This is the Best Minestrone Soup!  (From my son's Internet search and tweaking)

Sensational Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake

  It's spring and strawberries are everywhere.  Somehow  I  can't forget the taste of my grandmother's homemade shortcake biscuits topped with the wild strawberries that I helped pick on her farm. That memory I suppose  motivated me to make my own gluten free strawberry shortcake last week.  

It's been seven years since I found out I had celiac disease, and I have been slowly learning how to remake gluten free the foods I grew up loving.  I did try a recipe for shortcake a few years ago, but it came out tough as leather.  So most of the time I've just bought the packaged cakes for everyone else, and I just settle for the ice cream and strawberries.  


If you've ever had a homemade shortcake biscuit, you'll know it's not the same as its packaged counterpart.  So with Thursday afternoon to myself, I decided I'd try out the recipe for shortcake on the back of Costco's organic sugar.   Whenever I'm experimenting with a recipe for the first time, I'm careful not to get my hopes up.  After dinner I prepared the shortcakes for my husband and the Thai student who boards with us, and I was a bit nervous as they took their first bites.  I'm sure you know that feeling. 

 Anyway, when they took a bite  they were like wow, you can't tell this is gluten free, and they kept pouring on the compliments.  Anyway, they were so yummy.  And I topped them with coconut whipped cream (the recipe is below the shortcake.)something my daughter told me  how to do.

Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake - Makes 6

1.  Prepare dry ingredients - In a large mixing bowl put:  

(1)  2 cups gluten free flour:  3/4 cup of rice flour, 3/4 cup of sorghum flour, and 1/2 cup tapioca flour. 

(2)  Add sugar and leavening:  Stir in 2 T sugar , 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 3 teaspoons baking powder.  

(3)  Cut in 1/2 cup of chilled butter into the flour until it resembles peas. (I saw one of my cookbooks say you could use 1/3 cup butter for this same amount of flour.)

 

2.  Prepare liquid ingredients - In a medium size bowl mix together:

(1)  1/3 cup of buttermilk or you can put 1 tsp. of vinegar into milk and let it sit for 5 minutes.  I did this and it worked great. (My other cookbooks say you can use 2/3 or 3/4 cup milk, so add a bit more if you need to!)

(2)  1 egg

(3)  1 tsp. vanilla

3.  Combine ingredients:  Gradually add the buttermilk/egg mixture to the flour  and mix until a soft dough forms.  

4. Roll out the dough:

(1)  Lightly flour your cutting board or another surface and knead the dough 20x.  Then roll out the dough until it is 3/4" thick.   

(2)  Cut the six biscuits with a 3" cutter; I used a wide-mouthed  glass.  

(3)  Put them on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

(4)  You can brush them with 1 T of buttermilk and sprinkle with 1 T of sugar.  

5.  Bake biscuits at 400 for 10-15 minutes or until they're lightly browned.   Let them cool.  Slice them in half before ready to serve.  

Coconut Whipped Cream

My daughter saw a recipe for this on Pinterest and made it to frost a cake.   It tasted fabulous.  So I went online to find out more on how to do make coconut whipped cream.  

1.  Put 1 can of regular coconut milk into the refrigerator overnight.

2.  Spoon off the fat into a small mixing bowl and leave the remaining milk at the bottom of the can.  You can use this for something else!

3.  Start whipping it up, add SLOWLY ADD 3 T of sugar one tablespoon at a time and 1 t vanilla.  Whip until light and fluffy.  And yes, it really whips up like cream!  

Other Gluten Free Baking & Desserts on This Blog:

Breads & Coffee Cakes: 
Gluten free & Low-fat Banana Bread    (From my daughter-in-law's family reunion cookbook)
Celebrate Fall With Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread  (A friend's recipe)
Delicious Gluten Free Zucchini Bread (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
My Favorite Gluten Free Cranberry Nut Bread  (From my daughter-in-law's family cookbook)
Claudia's Blueberry Coffee Cake (Made Gluten Free!)   (From a former neighbor)
Here's a Zucchini Bread with a Hawaiian Twist! Gluten Free Pineapple Zucchini Bread (From my Syre School Cookbook)

Cakes:
Gluten Free German Apple Cake   (From my grandmother)
You Won't Believe It's Gluten Free Carrot Cake (From my daughter's husband's grandma--whew)
Judi's Super Moist Gluten Free Chocolate Cake    (From a church friend)
Judi's Gluten Free Orange Chiffon Cake    (From a church friend)
Marilyn's Spectacular Gluten Free Oatmeal Cake   (My mother-in-law's specialty!)
The Best Gluten Free Black Bottom Cupcakes   (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Delicious Gluten Free Rhubarb Cake   (From my daughter-in-law's family reunion cookbook)
Grandma's Gluten Free Applesauce Cake   (From an Internet search--tastes like my grandma's!)
Old Fashioned Gluten Free Banana Cake   (From my grandma)
Rosie's Gluten Free Pineapple Upside Down Cake   (From my daughter-in-law's family reunion cookbook)
Overwhelmed By Your Bumper Crop of Zucchini? Try Claudia's Gluten Free Chocolate Zucchini Cake!   (From my former neighbor Claudia of 12 years)
Decadent & Gluten Free German Chocolate Cake  (From my Come & Dine church cookbook)
Debbie's Delicious Hot Water GF Chocolate Cake   (From my Come & Dine cookbook)
Debbie's Less Oil Carrot Cake (Made Gluten Free!)   (From my Come & Dine cookbook)

Cookies:
The Ultimate Gluten Free Cowboy Oatmeal Cookies   (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Mom's Go To For Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
The Best Gluten Free Recipe for Snickerdoodles    (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Gluten Free Rocky Road Brownies    (From a church friend)
Mark's Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies - Made Gluten Free!   (From my daughter-in-law's family reunion cookbook)
Judi's Gluten Free Oatmeal Craisin & Coconut Cookies (From a church friend)
Marie's Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies (Also Great Gluten Free!)   (My friend Marie's recipe)
Bebe's Gluten Free Whoopie Pies  (From my friend Debbie)

Cornbread & Rolls:
Beth's Amazing Gluten Free Cornbread   (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Judi's Favorite Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuits   (My friend Judi's sister's recipe)

Crisps & Pies:
Lena's Rhubarb Crunch (A crisp with a gluten free top and bottom crust!) (My daughter-in-law's mother. She's an amazing cook, which I think most of us moms become after a few years!)
Delicious Gluten Free Apple Crisp    (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Ginger's Outrageous Apple Pie    (From a church friend)
The BEST Lemon Meringue Pie with Mrs. Lauralicious Gluten Free Pie Crust  (Internet)
My Grandmother's Favorite Banana Cream Pie  (A recipe from my grandmother)
Granny's Lemon Cheesecake Squares   (From my friend Judi's granny)

Desserts with Fruit:
Sensational Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake   (From the back of Costco's organic sugar)

Terrific Gluten Free Strawberry & Peach Trifle  (Modified from an Internet search)
My Favorite Gluten Free Strawberry Cheesecake (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Just Like Grandma's (But Only Gluten Free) Blueberry Cobbler (My husband's grandma)
Gluten Free Lemony Rhubarb Bars (From my Syre School Cookbook)
Old Fashioned Strawberry Buckle (Made Gluten Free)   (A recipe I picked up from a berry farm)

Holiday Cookies & Baking:

Old Fashioned Gluten Free Pumpkin Cookies  (Modified from back of the Libby's pumpkin can)
My Family's Favorite Gingerbread Cookies (Now Made Gluten Free!)  (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
My Grandkids Favorite Gluten Free Peppermint Sugar Cookies  (From Syre School Cookbook)
Our Favorite Pumpkin Pie   (Modified from back of Libby's pumpkin can)
Perfect Gluten Free Pumpkin Cheesecake   (From back of cream cheese box)
Gluten Free Polish Fruitcake  ( Modified from Internet search)
Old Fashioned Gluten Free Gingerbread Cake   (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Gluten Free Nordy Bars  ( From my Syre School Cookbook)
Grandma Pitcher's Old Fashioned Sandies (Made Gluten Free)  (My husband's grandma)
Make a Family Tradition & Make Your Own Fruitcake    (From my Heritage School Cookbook)

Muffins:

My Favorite Banana Nut Muffins   (From my daughter-in-law's family reunion cookbook)
Gluten Free Tremendous Pumpkin Muffins   (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Bursting with Blueberries Gluten Free Muffins   (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Toni's Outrageous Gluten Free Corn Muffins    (From back of a Bob's Red Mill package)
Sassy Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins  (From my Heritage School Cookbook)

Puddings & Ice Cream: 

Dairy Free Strawberry Coconut Ice Cream (And other ice cream favorites!) (From searches)

Baked Coconut Pudding   (Something I worked out from my Aunt Sue's rice pudding recipe)

Tangy Lemon Pudding   (From my daughter-in-laws family reunion cookbook)

Giving in 2 Corinthians 8 & 9

      You can never out give God.   His heart is so much bigger than our own.  I feel that God encourages us to give because it’s good for us.  The Bible is full of encouraging verses and accounts of giving.  I really like this verse in Malachi--when God’s house was neglected, He implored the Israelites to give for the rebuilding, and He promised them: 

Bring the whole tithe to the storehouse that there may be food in My house; and prove Me, if you will, by this, says Jehovah of hosts, whether I will open to you the windows of heaven and pour out blessing for you until there is no room for it.  Malachi 3:10

       But what if you’re struggling to make ends meet?  Do you still give?  Witness Lee points out in Chapter 49 of the Life Study of 2 Corinthians that this is the very backdrop upon which Paul wrote 2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9.   He mentions that it might have appeared risky for Paul to encourage the poor Macedonian believers to give to those in Judea.  What if something worse happened to them?  But Paul knew God, and He knew His word.  

      To help the Corinthians give out of their own poverty, Paul uses in chapter 8 the illustration of the Israelites gathering manna to remind them of the miraculous ways that God uses to take care of the needs of His children.   2 Corinthians  says, As it is written [in Exodus 16:18], He who gathered much had no excess, and he who gathered little had no lack.  

   And then in 9:6 he uses the illustration of farmers sowing seeds to help the believers see that even our financial harvest always matches our sowing.  “He who sows sparingly, sparingly also shall reap, and he who sows with blessings, with blessings also shall reap.”  In this excerpt on page 422 he shares what sowing with blessings means:

    “What about the sowing of seed?  According to chapter 9, our giving equals not only our gathering as in chapter 8, but also equals sowing…But what farmer when he sows seed in his field, has the thought of sowing for others?  Surely most farmers have the concept of sowing for themselves.  This kind of sowing however, is not with blessings.  To sow with blessings is to give to others…As children of God, we all must learn to give.  To give is to gather.  How much manna we can gather depends on how much we give (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of 2 Corinthians. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1982, Print).

Since all that we have comes from God’s loving hand, we can give with the assurance that God will continue to care for us.  Here's one of the songs produced by the New York City Young People called  The Goal of the Gospel.This song was inspired by the gospel account of Mary who poured out her alabaster jar of ointment on the Lord.  his was costly ointment that took almost a year to buy.  Surely the Lord is worthy of our giving  all that we are and have to Him for His purpose.

Here's a link so you can listen to any of the programs on the Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee that are on the book of  1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians.

Other Blogs on the Life Study of 1 & 2 Corinthians:

1 Corinthians:
How did the Lord Solve the Problem Among the Believers in 1 Corinthians?
The Fellowship of the Believers in 1 Corinthians 1:9
What is God's Farm in 1 Corinthians 3:9?
Do You Know What is God Building in 1 Corinthians 3:9?
From the Life-Study of 1 Corinthians - How Do the Believers Build With Gold, Silver, & Precious Stones in 1 Corinthians 3:12?
Seeing the Revelation of the Body in 1 Corinthians 12
How Did the Early Believers Meet in 1 Corinthians 14:26?

2 Corinthians:

How Can You Be Like A Letter of Christ in 2 Corinthians 3:2?
What are the Sufferings For in 2 Corinthians 4:7-15?
How Does Transformation Happen in 2 Corinthians 3:18?
From the Life-Study of 2 Corinthians - Did You Know Pressures Cause Renewing in 2 Corinthians 4:16
Why Do Believers Need to Be Reconciled in 2 Corinthians 5:18?
Giving in 2 Corinthians 8 & 9
Why Didn't the Lord Remove Paul's Thorn in 2 Corinthians 12:7-9?

Gluten Free Cottage Cheese Pancakes

  Trying to get more protein for breakfast?  Here's a great protein packed pancake!   This recipe comes from my daughter-in-law's family reunion cookbook.  It's for cottage cheese pancakes, but all I had was some ricotta left over from making lasagna so I gave it a try.  When I ate them, they actually reminded me a lot of blintzes.

   I used coconut milk instead of regular milk and some applesauce in place of some of the oil, and it did not cause any compromises in flavor or texture!  

Gluten Free Ricotta Cheese Pancakes

1.  In a small bowl stir together:

(1)  1/4 cup of rice flour, 1/4 cup of sorghum flour, and 1/4 t salt.

2.  In a large bowl whisk together:

(1)  4 eggs

(2)  1 cup of cottage cheese (I often use ricotta cheese when I have leftovers from making lasagna)

(3)  1/4 cup of oil (I used 1/8 cup of oil and 1/8 cup of applesauce)

(4)  1/2 cup of milk (I used coconut milk)

(5)  1/2 t of vanilla

3.  Combine ingredients:  Slowly add the flour mixture to the bowl of egg/ricotta cheese mixture and whisk until completely combined.

4.  Fry pancakes:  I used about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake.  Cook until bubbles form and then flip over and cook until done.

Serve with jam and yogurt, berries, or syrup.

Other breakfast recipes on this blog:

Pancakes
Fantastic Gluten Free Blueberry Pancakes  (From my daughter-in-law's family cookbook)
Gluten Free Banana Split Pancakes  (Another recipe from my daughter-in-law's family!)
Outstanding Gluten Free Oatmeal Pancakes  (From my Heritage School Cookbook, where I worked 3 1/2 years)
Family Favorite Gluten Free Buttermilk Pancakes (From my daughter's home ec teacher)
Yummy Gluten Free Pumpkin Pancakes (From About Gluten Free Cooking)
Crunchy & Delicious Potato Latkes  (From a flier in my sweet potato bag)
Tasty Gluten Free Swedish Pancakes    (From my Syre School Cookbook)
Protein Packed Gluten Free Ricotta Cheese Pancakes  (From my daughter-in-law's family)
Family Favorite Gluten Free Buttermilk Pancakes (From my daughter's home ec teacher)

Waffles, Crepes,  Fritters & Dutch Babies 
Gluten Free Gingerbread Waffles   (This is one I adapted from Rachel Ray)
Easy to Make Gluten Free Waffles  (From my Syre School Cookbook)
Incredible Gluten Free Crepes  (Mix of 2 recipes)
Old Fashioned Gluten Free Banana Fritters   (My grandmother's recipe!)
Amazing Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Dutch Baby  (From an Internet search)

Egg Dishes
Sweet Potato Hash With Poached Eggs  (From my daughter's Internet search)
Hash Brown Egg Casserole  (From my friend Lisa)
Mexican Migas Breakfast Casserole  (An adaptation from a recipe from an airport cookbook)
Baked Zucchini Frittata  (I picked this up from a Whidbey Island farmer's market)
Jan's Sausage & Vegetable Frittata  (From a friend who was a home ec teacher)
Huevos Rancheros - A Fantastic South of the Border Breakfast  (I learned this years ago!)
Beautiful Eggs Florentine (Adapted from an Internet search)
Gluten Free Crustless Zucchini & Spinach Quiche  (From my Syre School Cookbook) 

Cereals
 Honey Almond Granola   (From the Heritage School Cookbook)
 Gluten Free Baked Oatmeal   (From my daughter-in-law's family cookbook)

Breakfast Muffins
Banana Nutty Muffins   (From my daughter-in-law's family cookbook)
Bursting with Blueberries Gluten Free Muffins  (From the Heritage School Cookbook)
Gluten Free Tremendous Pumpkin Muffins  (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Scrumptious Gluten Free Blueberry Scones  (From Heritage School Cookbook)
Thanksgiving Gluten Free Pumpkin Scones  (From an Internet search)
Sassy Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins  (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Claudia's Blueberry Coffee Cake (Made Gluten Free!) (From a neighbor)