Fried Chicken

Making fried chicken is quite an ordeal whether you make it gluten/sugar/dairy free or not.  So it better be worth it.  And trust me, this fried chicken was!  I invited a bunch of my dearest friends over for a feast of chicken and waffles.  I used Arrowhead Mill's gluten free pancake/waffle mix, and replaced the eggs with bananas for my vegan friends, which made them sweet and chewy.  The fried chicken turned out crispy and flavorful - I couldn't fry them fast enough before my friends ate them up! I based it off my dad's amazing fried chicken recipe. Although there are a lot of steps, and you have to deal with hot oil, and end up with a ton of greasy dishes, making gluten/sugar/dairy free fried chicken is so much fun!

Ingredients

• 10 or so chicken thighs, drumsticks, and breasts
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup of coconut milk
• 1/2 cup of seltzer
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 4 lemons
• 1-2 cups of corn flour
• 1-2 cups of rice flour
• 1/2 cup of tapioca starch
• 2 tablespoons each of salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic powder or other spices you like.
• 1-2 large bottles of canola oil
• Food thermometer is also helpful!

Directions

1. Unwrap the chicken meat and lay on paper towels to dry.
2. In a baking pan mix together the eggs, milk and seltzer to make the wet batter for the chicken.
3. Mince 6 or so cloves of garlic and mix into the wet batter.
4. Zest 2 of the lemons and put into the wet batter.
5. Squeeze the juice out of those 2 lemons into the wet batter.
6. Add one tablespoon each of the salt, pepper and cayenne into the wet batter.
7. Pat dry the chicken pieces and let chicken marinate in the wet batter for at least 15 minutes.
8. Fill a large and deep pot with oil.  Use a cooking thermometer to make sure the oil never gets above 350 degrees F.
9. In another baking pan mix together the corn, rice, and tapioca flours. 
10. Add the lemon zest of the other 2 lemons into the dry mix.
11. Add the rest of the salt, pepper and cayenne into the dry mix.
12. Once the oil is at 350 degrees, take 2-3 pieces of chicken out of the wet batter and coat them in the dry batter and slowly lower them into the hot oil.
13. It takes about 10 minutes until each piece is cooked through.  
14. When the chicken looks golden, carefully take out each piece of chicken from the pot and place on a tray covered in paper towels. 
15. Repeat until all chicken is battered and fried!
16. Serve with Arrowhead Mills waffles, or cornbread made from Pamela's gluten free mix!

PS:  You can also bake the chicken instead of frying it, at about 450 degrees for 40 minutes (flip over half way through.)  The baked fried chicken turns out juicy and tasty- and is definitely healthier if that's what you're going for!

Happy Birthday, Happy Tummy!

Everyone you know will love this cake: bitter sweet chocolate sauce drizzled on top of a rich, moist, chocolaty cake.  My friends, Anita and Ravi, and I baked this delicious cake for our friend Sanjay's birthday a few weeks ago.  But I thought it would be timely to post a birthday cake recipe this week as this is the one year anniversary of Happy Tummy!  It has been pure pleasure to work on this blog each week, especially when I hear stories of how the blog has helped people with food sensitivities!  If you have any birthday wishes to send Happy Tummy, I sincerely encourage you to comment on my blog!     

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of gluten free flour 
• 1 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 1 tsp of xanthan gum
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/2 cup of melted Earth Balance or coconut oil
• 2 large eggs (or flax eggs)
• 2/3 cup of maple syrup (you can use more if you like it sweet)
• 1/3 cup of rice milk
• 2 tsp of vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a large bowl mix together all the dry ingredients.  
3. In a separate bowl, mix together all the wet ingredients.
4. Combine wet ingredients into the large bowl of dry ingredients and mix well.
5. Pour batter into a greased and lightly floured 8 inch pan.
6. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, until a knife comes out clean from the center.  
7. Let the cake cool on a rack for 15 minutes or so.

For chocolate sauce:

1. In a double boiler, melt one 8 ounce bar of 100% unsweetened chocolate.
2. Once the chocolate is melted, stir in about 1 tablespoon of maple syrup or agave.  You can add more if you like it sweeter.
3. If the sauce is too thick or sticky, add a tablespoon of rice milk and mix well.  
4. Add a tsp of vanilla extract.
5. Pour all over the cake and enjoy!

Crunchy Granola

Crunchy granola- why has it gotten such a bad rap?  I love my granola crunchy, packed full of nuts, with just a touch of sweetness.  Udi's granola is my favorite gluten/sugar/dairy free brand, but I love making my own granola because you can put whatever you want in it.  This time I just threw in all the extra ingredients I had in my pantry- leftover coconut flakes, sunflower seeds I was never going to use, and I ground up some raw almonds to make my own almond flour.  You can also purchase almond flour at the store.  If you are gluten intolerant- make sure you buy gluten free oats- Bob's Red Mill has them.  Please feel free to throw in dried fruit or other delicious ingredients you love!

Ingredients

• 3 cups of gluten free oats
• 3/4 cup of almond flour
• 1 cup of sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup of cashews, or macadamia nuts or walnuts.....
• 1 cup of sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup of coconut flakes or shreds 
• 1/4 cup of ground flax seed
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 tsp of nutmeg
• 1 tsp of salt
• 2 tablespoons of oil (canola, grapeseed...)
• 1/2 cup of maple syrup or honey or agave (diluted with a tablespoon of hot water)
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spread a layer of oats onto two baking pans and bake for about 8-10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix together the oil, maple syrup, water and vanilla.
4. Once oats are slightly toasted, remove from the oven, and pour them into a large bowl.
5. Mix in all the dry ingredients, then add the bowl of wet ingredients.
6. Mix well and place a thin layer of the granola onto the two baking pans.  
7. Bake in the oven for about 30-35 minutes depending on how toasted you like it.  Remember that the granola will continue to bake and get harder after it's out of the oven, so always err on the under-baked side.  
8. Enjoy with some rice milk or or soy yogurt!