Gluten Free eggplant, and chicken parmesan

I was never a big fan of chicken parmesan as a kid. In fact looking back I don't think I was ever made chicken parm outside of school. the only way I had this dish before the age of 27 was was in a school cafeteria. If you never had chicken parmesan from a public school cafeteria  then count yourself lucky. The sauce was bland and water down tomato, with this rubbery disk on top that they claimed was chicken, the chicken was coated in some sort of cross between sand and shake n bake, and half the time they would forget the cheese on top.

Needles to say as an adult, I never had any want to learn how to make this dish, that was until I visit a friend who made this meal with real ingredients. We also had a vegetarian there so she made some eggplant parmesan as a chicken replacement for the vegetarian. Well I suddenly understood why this was a staple meal in so many homes. This is definitely a meal I enjoyed.

I try and make sure there is a vegetable in at least two meals a day, so when I was looking into making this for my family I decided why not keep the eggplant and do chicken as well. This way I get both meat and vegetables in the same dish. and don't have to worry about making a side.

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1/2 an eggplant ( cut into 6 slices)
• 1 1/2 cups of all purpose GF flour
• 1 1/2 cups of cornmeal
• 2 cups shredded parmesan
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 jar of homemade spaghetti sauce ( or one from the store)
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 4 1/2 inch slices of mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350 F. Take your sauce and pour onto the bottom of a casserole dish. Now in one bowl whisk together the heavy whipping cream and eggs, in another bowl mix together the GF flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper, and 1 cup of shredded parmesan. Pour some oil into a frying pan and let heat up on  the stove at medium heat.

Take the eggplant and dip in the egg mixture, let excess drip off then coat with the flour mixture, fry and place ontop of the sauce. When all 6 slices are in take a 1/4 cup of the shredded parmesan and sprinkle on top.

Next dip the chicken breast the same way you did the eggplant and cook in hot oil for 6 minutes on each side. Place the chicken on top of the eggplant (about 1.5 eggplant slices per chicken breast). Sprinkle the last of the parmesan on the chicken, and place the mozzarella slices on as well. Bake until the chickens internal temp hits 165 F and the cheese is golden. Let sit for 15 minutes and enjoy!

Fermented salsa

This is my recipe for a femented salsa.It os really easy to make especially if you already have some extra whey in your fridge.

Fermented foods are known for being packed full of probiotics, and this salsa is so yummy.

5 or 6 good sized Roma tomatoes
1/2 a bunch of cilantro
1/2 yellow onion
1 or 2 chilies or peppers for spice (I like Serrano chilies)
Splash of Lime
Splash of lemon
Spices ( I used salt, cumin, red peppers, chili powder,)
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of whey. (This is optional. You can ferment without the use of added whey )

Chop and blend ingredients together. Let it sit on the counter for a couple days, then enjoy! Last for 6 months in the fridge

How to make yogurt

Yogurt is easy to make, and costs significantly less then store bought. So why did it take me to so long to start making my own?  Learning to trust the fermentation process has always been hard for me and even scarier when it comes to dairy, but we have been fermenting foods for 1,000's of years.

Now that I feel I have mastered yogurt I want to share with you the 2 worse things you could do when making yogurt: 1) curdle the milk 2) don't let milk cool enough before adding starter. In both of these situations you will still make yogurt, so take a breath and jump in.

This is the method I use to make yogurt

What you need

• 1/2 Gallon of high fat dairy milk
• 1/2 cup of starter yogurt leftover plain yogurt from you last  batch or any store bought plain yogurt that says it has live cultures will work
• Cooking thermometer
• Large pot
• Crockpot
• 2 large towels

First you need a 1/2 gallon of milk (preferably a high fat content dairy milk), pour the milk into a pot and slowly heat up the milk

I usually keep the stove at medium low while bringing up the milk temperature to 180 F - 190 F. This is to sterilize the milk

Pour the milk into your crockpot and wait till the milk cools below 120 F before adding in your 1/2 cup of starter. Make sure you mix the yogurt in well.

Wrap you crockpot in the two large towels to keep it slightly warm while it ferments. Leave it alone for 12 to 18 hours

Your yogurt should come out thick and creamy, you can get a yogurt strainer if you would prefer more a of a Greek yogurt thickness.

I usually add honey to half of my yogurt for breakfast, and keep the other half plain for curry and a sour cream substitute.

ENJOY!

Guacamole stuffed chicken

My husband loves all things spicy, and being a Thin man who has the genetic disposition of having high cholesterol, he has taken quite the liking to guacamole and the wonderful benefit of avocados. My kids are not a keen to spicy foods as he but this is one meal we all agree on. It is delicious.

Guacamole 

2 large avocados

1/2 a tomato diced

1 shallot diced

1 clove of garlic diced 

Splash of lime juice 

1 Tablespoon sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)

1 Serrano chili minced (remove seeds for a more mild flavor

Mix in stand mixer

Take 4 thawed or fresh raw chicken breast and tenderize until thin.

Add 2-4 tablespoons (depends on size of chicken breast) of guacamole to the center of each breast.

Roll up sides of chicken breast to the top and pierce with 3 toothpicks to hold it shut.

Dip chicken in an egg bath then in bread crumbs. Put chicken on a broiler pan

Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes (or until chicken is fully cooked)

Usually I shred some Parmesan on top after pulling it out of the oven. I forgot to do that tonight this night.

Pizza Bread

Pizza bread

My family loves pizza, and we all love different toppings. So instead of ordering some overly greasy pizza, we make our own version at home.

Ingredients

·French bread loaves

·Olive oil 

·Garlic 

·Pizza sauce

·Cheese of choice ( I use cheddar and mozzarella)

·Toppings of choice

Preheat oven to 350°. Then cut the loaves in half. Drizzle olive oil on each half. I personally use pre minced garlic which I spread lightly across the loaves, then coat with the sauce. I sprinkle out shredded cheese then toss on some mozzarella. Lastly throw on your toppings ( I use turkey pepperoni, green bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, olives, and pineapple :D )