Chinese Chicken Salad

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Ingredients:

  • 2 lb. Chicken (For a shortcut, use a store-bought rotisserie chicken)
  • 4 oz. Rice Sticks (Py Mai Fun)
  • 1 Head Romaine Lettuce
  • 1/4 c. Olive Oil
  • 1/4 tsp. Salt
  • 2 tbsp. Sugar
  • 1/4 c. Red Wine Vinegar
  • 1/4 c. Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (I used La Choy)
  • 2 Scallions
  • 8 oz. can Water Chestnuts (sliced)
  • 1/2 cup Cashews
  • Additional oil for frying the Rice Sticks

Directions:

  1. If cooking the chicken: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, rub the chicken with salt, place in a shallow pan or dish, and bake for 45 minutes (or until chicken is fully cooked). If using a rotisserie chicken: Shred the chicken from the bones, and cut into preferred size.
  2. Coat the bottom of a frying pan with oil and place over medium heat. When heated, add a handful of rice sticks to the oil. Fry for about a minute until they puff, remove from the oil, and place on a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Repeat until you have cooked all of the rice sticks.
  3. Shred the lettuce.
  4. Chop the scallions.
  5. Combine the olive oil, salt, sugar, red wine vinegar, and gluten-free soy sauce in a bowl, and mix until combined.
  6. In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, chicken, scallions, water chestnuts (drain the liquid before adding), and cashews. Toss to mix the ingredients.
  7. Add the dressing to the salad, and toss so that the salad is fully coated.
  8. Top with rice sticks.
  9. Serve and enjoy
The Gluten-Free Gal’s Guide Chinese Chicken Salad

Feel Good Foods Chicken Egg Rolls

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I’ve always had a weak spot for Chinese Food. Prior to becoming gluten-free, Chinese was my favorite take-out, with every meal starting with an egg roll. Unfortunately, my love of Chinese Food does not mix well with my gluten-free life. Since becoming gluten-free, one my favorite activities has become scanning the aisles of the grocery store, looking for items to satisfy my cravings, while allowing me to eat without all of the nasty side effects of gluten consumption. On a recent trip to Whole Foods, I discovered Feel Good Foods products, and was immediately drawn to the Chicken Egg Rolls.

After purchasing the egg rolls, I ran home to prepare one for a midday snack. One box comes with 3 egg rolls. I followed the baking directions on the box (there are also instructions for pan frying): Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, place the egg roll(s) on a baking sheet, and bake until golden brown 20-24 minutes. The preparation was super easy!

Once I removed my egg roll from the oven, I let it cool for a few minutes and took a bite. Delicious! The crunchy wrapper was filled with chunks of chicken, cabbage, carrots, scallions, and ginger. Despite being frozen just a short time earlier, everything tasted fresh, and it completely satisfied my egg roll craving.

Feel Good Foods Chicken Egg Roll

The Chicken Egg Rolls are one of three variations available from Feel Good Foods along with a Vegetable and Shrimp version. Feel Good Foods also has lines of Potstickers, Taquitos, Empanadas, and Meals. I will continue to look out for Feel Good Food products during my gluten-free shopping trips, and will definitely be purchasing the egg rolls again.

For more information on Feel Good Foods check out their website: https://feel-good-foods.com

Pizza Bagel

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I have listed this as a recipe, but really, it’s more of a fun suggestion for a delicious and easy to make meal or snack.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Gluten-Free Bagel (This time I used an Udi’s Plain Bagel)
  • 4 Tbsp. of your favorite tomato sauce (This time I used my mom’s homemade sauce, but my go-to store bought is Prego)
  • 6 Mini Mozzarella Balls
  • Oregano
  • Basil

Directions

  1. If you are using a frozen bagel, let the bagel defrost for a few minutes, then slice in half. If your bagel does not need to be defrosted, just slice the bagel in half.
  2. Top each half bagel with 2 Tbsp. of sauce, spreading to cover the full surface of the bagel.
  3. Slice the Mozzarella balls into thirds.
  4. Spread the Mozzarella pieces over the bagel.
  5. Sprinkle oregano and basil over the bagel to preference.
  6. If using a Oven, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. If using a Toaster Oven, set to bake at a medium temperature.
  7. Place the bagel in the oven or toaster oven, and bake/toast until the bagel is toasted to preference and the cheese is melted.
  8. Serve and enjoy!
The Gluten-Free Gal’s Guide Pizza Bagel

Magnolia Bakery- Flourless Chocolate Cake

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Just like many viewers of the show, I first learned about Magnolia Bakery while watching Sex and the City The show launched the Bakery into the spotlight, and is partially (if not fully) responsible for the cupcake craze that just continues to grow. Yes, Magnolia may have found pop culture fame, but they did so for good reason. They’re baked goods are unreal! When I first sampled some of Magnolia’s baked goods, I was still eating gluten, so I can speak to the quality of both gluten-free and gluten-full items. Everything I have sampled has been incredible. Most recently, I ate the Flourless Chocolate Cake, which is one of the bakery’s gluten-free offerings. I was very impressed with the consistency and flavor of the item. While I miss being able to eat the full line Magnolia offerings, I am very happy knowing there are incredible items available for me to enjoy.

Magnolia Bakery Flourless Chocolate Cake

Magnolia Bakery: https://www.magnoliabakery.com

Graziella’s

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Over the years, my friends and I have visited Graziella’s in White Plains, NY several times. Our visits started as girls’ night dinners, and have since transformed into special occasions and celebrations. Most recently, a large group and I went out for a good friend’s birthday. As always, our meal was great, with everyone enjoying their dinner.

To begin, one of my friends (who eats gluten) and I decided to split the Buratta and Plum Tomato. The Starter is described as being prepared with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic glaze, pink sea salt and garlic toast. Prior to placing the order, I asked the waiter if the dish could be modified to be gluten-free. I was informed that the toast comes out on the side, and everything else was safe for me to eat. Once the order arrived, the waiter placed the dish between my friend and I, followed by a separate plate with the garlic toast. He informed us that he had placed the toast on a separate plate to ensure the part I was eating was completely gluten-free. We divided the buratta, and it was fantastic! All of the flavors were perfect, and the dish was a great start to my meal.

Graziella’s Buratta and Plum Tomato

For my main course, I ordered the Linguine & Clams. While there were several gluten-free main course options available, when the waiter informed me that they had gluten-free pasta, I couldn’t resist! The dish is offered with choice of red or white clam sauce, and I opted for white. While the dish is listed as being linguine, my order was made with penne, which is the gluten-free pasta they had available. I love penne, and was more than happy with the substitution. It was so good! The portion was huge, and despite the large amount of food, I finished the whole plate.

Graziella’s Linguine & Clams (gluten-free penne substituted for the linguine)

I absolutely loved my gluten-free meal at Graziella’s!

For more information, visit the restaurant’s website at: http://www.graziellasrestaurant.com

Graziella’s – 99 Church St., White Plains, NY 10601