BANANA BREAD CHOCOLATE CHIP OAT SNACK BARS

YIELD: 9-12 SNACK BARS

PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES

COOK TIME: 18 MINUTES

TOTAL TIME: 33 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

•  2 1/4 cups Gluten Free rolled oats, finely ground in a blender or food processor (measure the oats before grinding)
•  1/2 teaspoon baking powder
•  1/2 teaspoon baking soda
•  1/4 teaspoon salt
•  1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
•  3 medium bananas
•  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•  1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
•  1/4 cup honey or agave nectar
•  1/3 cup chocolate chips (optional) or replace with dairy free chips

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat an 8X8- or 9X9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the ground oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
3. Add the bananas, vanilla, applesauce, and honey or agave nectar to the blender and process until smooth.
4. Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
5. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips (if using). Bake for 14-18 minutes until set around the edges and just barely moist in the center.

NOTES

Oats: Make sure you use gluten free oats.  I used old-fashioned rolled oats for this recipe. I haven't made them using quick oats but I suspect they'll work just fine (if it were me, I'd cut down on the oats just slightly if using quick oats since they will probably measure out a bit more than the rolled oats before blending).

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

MEAT MARINADE 

{CHICKEN, BEEF, PORK}

YIELD: 6 SERVINGS

PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES

COOK TIME: 20 MINUTES

ADDITIONAL TIME: 12 HOURS

TOTAL TIME: 12 HOURS 30 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

•  2 pounds meat (chicken, beef, pork), preferably in pieces, like chicken breasts, steaks, pork chops, or thin pork tenderloins
•  4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from about 2-3 lemons)
•  1 cup gluten free soy sauce  OR 1/2 cup soy sauce and 1/2 cup pineapple juice (see note)
•  2 cloves garlic, finely minced
•  2 tablespoons olive oil
•  1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (or ginger paste) or 1 teaspoon dried ginger
•  1 tablespoon onion powder
•  1/2 teaspoon pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the meat in a shallow dish or ziploc bag.
2. In a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the lemon juice, soy sauce, garlic, olive oil, ginger, onion powder and pepper.
3. Pour the marinade over the meat to cover. Refrigerate for 8-12 hours (or up to two days).
4. Grill the meat, discarding excess marinade, until cooked through (exact time will depend on the cut of the meat and temperature of your grill). Let the meat rest for 10-15 minutes before serving to seal in the juices.

NOTES

Marinade: I've only ever used this meat marinade for grilling, but I suspect that if you let the meat marinade, you could pour the meat AND marinade into, say, an Instant Pot and quickly pressure cook until tender. 

Saltiness: a couple of you have found this too salty even using low-sodium soy sauce. I made it again the other night using half soy sauce (still low-sodium) and half pineapple juice and it was just as yummy - so keep that in mind if you are worried about saltiness. 

Chicken: Marinated, cooked and refrigerated these leftover chicken pieces are amazing on a salad.

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Grilled Lime Coconut Chicken with Coconut Rice

GRILLED LIME COCONUT CHICKEN 

WITH COCONUT RICE

YIELD: 4 SERVINGS

PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES

COOK TIME: 32 MINUTES

TOTAL TIME: 47 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

CHICKEN AND MARINADE/SAUCE:

•  3 tablespoons oil
•  Zest and juice of 1 lime
•  1 teaspoon ground cumin
•  1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
•  2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce (gluten free)
•  1 1/2 teaspoons salt
•  2 tablespoons sugar
•  2 teaspoons curry powder
•  1/2 cup canned coconut milk, light or regular
•  pinch cayenne pepper
•  2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (see note)
•  1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
•  Fresh limes, cut into wedges

COCONUT RICE:

•  1 cup jasmine rice
•  1 cup canned coconut milk, light or regular
•  1 cup water
•  1/2 teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large liquid measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together the oil, lime zest, lime juice, cumin, coriander, soy sauce, salt, sugar, curry powder, coconut milk, and cayenne pepper. Place the chicken in a large ziploc bag and pour the marinade over the chicken. Seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours.
2. For the coconut rice, bring the rice, coconut milk, water and salt to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15-16 minutes until the liquid is mostly evaporated. remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork and serving.
3. Preheat a charcoal or gas grill (see note above if not grilling) to medium-high heat. Grill the chicken for 6-7 minutes per side (actual time will depend on the thickness of the chicken). While the chicken is cooking, pour the marinade into a small or medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil and boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Place the grilled chicken on a serving platter or plate. Drizzle with sauce (reserve the remaining sauce to serve separately) and sprinkle fresh cilantro over the top. Serve with lime wedges and additional sauce.

NOTES

Oil: you can really use any type of oil here (extra virgin olive oil, vegetable, grapeseed, etc.).

Marinade: if you don't want to use the marinade for the sauce (it boils for 10 minutes to cook thoroughly), you can always make a second batch of the marinade and cook it for 5-10 minutes.

Curry: also, curry powder really varies depending on brand. My two top favorite brands are the sweet curry powder from Penzey's Spices and the curry powder from Spice Islands (the yellow powder not the red).

Chicken: if the chicken breasts are really thick, I like to cut them in half (like a hamburger bun) to form two thinner chicken cutlets before marinating. This helps the flavor permeate the chicken and also helps the chicken go further.

Cooking Method: finally, if you don't have a grill/don't feel like grilling, you could absolutely broil these in the oven or cook them in a hot skillet.

Cilantro Lime Rice

Cilantro Lime Rice

INGREDIENTS

•  1 tablespoons butter (dairy free)
•  1 1/4 cups rice (long grain white rice or jasmine rice works best)
•  2 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
•  3/4 teaspoon salt
•  1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
•  Juice and zest of 1 large lime
•  2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
•  1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a skillet or medium saucepan, melt the butter and add the rice. Stir, letting the rice and butter cook for 1-2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 15-16 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff with fork and serve.

Note:

Make sure all your seasonings are gluten free, I use McCormick

Source:

Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Grilled Hawaiian Chicken

Grilled Hawaiian Chicken

INGREDIENTS

•  2-3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (see note)
•  1 cup pineapple juice
•  1 cup low-sodium or regular sodium soy sauce (Gluten Free)
•  2/3 cup brown sugar, light or dark
•  1 tablespoon freshly grated or finely minced ginger (or use ginger paste)
•  6 cloves garlic, finely minced (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the chicken thighs in a shallow dish or in a gallon-size ziploc bag.
2. Whisk together the pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger and garlic until the brown sugar is dissolved (or mostly dissolved). Pour half of the marinade over the chicken in the bag so the chicken is evenly coated. Seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
3. Refrigerate the remaining marinade until the chicken is ready to be grilled.
4. Preheat grill to medium- or medium-high (I use 400 degrees on my pellet grill).
5. Bring the refrigerated reserved marinade to a simmer in a small saucepan on the stove. Simmer for 5-10 minutes (the longer it simmers the more reduced and slightly thickened it will be).
6. Place the chicken on the preheated grill (discard the marinade in the bag/dish) and cook until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F at the thickest part, about 7-8 minutes per side. During the last 3-4 minutes of cooking, baste the chicken liberally with the simmered sauce/marinade.
7. Serve the cooked chicken with the warm marinade (to be drizzled over - it's especially yummy if serving this chicken with cilantro lime rice or coconut rice).

NOTES

Chicken: if you are like me, the thought of using chicken thighs may not be super exciting. I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts 99% of the time when chicken is called for in a recipe, but I've tried both chicken breasts and chicken thighs in this recipe, and chicken thighs are far, far, far superior. The flavor is deeper and the chicken is so incredibly juicy and tender. I buy boneless, skinless chicken thighs from Costco and trim as much fast as I can before using. 

Source:

Mel's Kitchen Cafe