GF Taco Salad

This is a big kid pleaser. We made it for Steele's birthday dinner and it was a total hit!

2lbs Ground Beef
2 packets GF Taco Mix (read the backs, I think Old El Paso is a good one)
8oz bag of Mexican cheese mix
2 bags of salad or a head of iceberg lettuce
One large GF mild salsa or two small ones.
One bag of Doritos or Tortilla Chips
2 chopped tomatoes or one can of diced tomatoes(optional)
1 chopped medium onion (optional)
sour cream (optional)

Brown ground beef, drain and add taco mix as per directions on packet.
Shred lettuce and put in bowl. Add shredded cheese.
Add other veggies if desired. Toss salad.
Once the meat has simmered down, take it off the heat and add the salsa and stir.
Let the meat cool. It can be warm-ish, but if you put it in while hot, it'll wreck your lettuce.
Crunch up the tortilla chips and add to salad mixture. Stir.
Once meat has cooled enough , add it to the salad mixture and stir.

Throw it in some bowls, maybe hit it with a blob of sour cream and get down!

If you must serve dinner at different times then keep the salad, chips and meat separate until ready to serve.

GF Meal Plans

This is a quick and dirty of our menu system.

For most meals, when eating gluten free there is a dizzying array of things you can have.
Others...well.... it's expensive or time consuming to turn a gluten food into a non-gluten variant.

In my head, I generally know what we have on hand in the pantry and fridge.
From this, I choose how many of what Steele can have offered to him.

For example: We have rice cakes out the wazoo, no muffins and 3 eggs.
Ok, he can have rice cake cereal every other day, eggs tomorrow and I'll make muffins on wednesday.

Standard Breakfast Options :
GF Oatmeal
Rice Cake Cereal
Breakfast Muffins
Eggs with Cheese
Stuffed Omelet
Grits or cheese grits

Standard Lunch Options:
Hummus and chips, with fruit on the side.
Peanut butter & jelly rice cake, GF potato chips and some dried fruit.
GF Bread Sandwich - usually a deli meat or bologna option, corn chips and a pickle.
Cheddar cheese rice cake with deli meat & cheese, applesauce and Lays stacks.
Beanie Weenies and fruit.
Chef Salad - I like apple chunks and raisins in this one. I'll hide any amount of fruits and veggies in a salad.
Tuna Salad rolled into a lettuce leaf.
Ants on a log, chips, fruit.

Standard Dinner Options:
Pork Chops, garlic mashed potatoes, glazed carrots.
Chicken Nuggets, french fries, broccoli with cheese.
Pork roast with onions, fried cabbage and rice.
Meatloaf, brussels sprouts and parsley potatoes.
Mad Salad - three different types of lettuce, veggies (carrots, tomatoes, onions, yellow squash, radishes, cucumbers, fresh mushrooms, snow peas....pick a few!), shredded cheese, soy bacon bits, almond slivers, apple chunks, raisins and some form of meat. (Rotisserie turkey breast, ham, chicken breast, beef or pork slivers) With a modified raspberry vinaigrette we call "Pink stuff"... it's just GF Raspberry Vinaigrette and GF Ranch Dressing mixed together.
Taco Salad - see recipe
Fruit Salad
Fajitas on Corn Tortillas
Tamale Pie - this is in the cornbread recipe here.
Baked Chicken, baked sweet potatoes and coleslaw.


See? It's not stuff too far out of the ordinary.

GF Chicken Nuggets Recipe

My kids are pretty spoiled when it comes to food. I've never been one for the overprocessed quasi-meat-like substances.

Big example. Prefab chicken nuggets. Yukkkkkk!

Here's how we do it around this house.

GF Chicken Breast Nuggets

3lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
1c Zesty Italian Dressing
1c GF Flour Mix or 1/3c Brown Rice Flour + 1/3c Corn Starch + 1/3c Tapioca Flour
1t Seasoning Salt
1t Lemon Pepper
1t Baking Powder (to help with browning)
1/2t Garlic Powder
1/2t Onion Powder
1/2t Cumin

3c Oil and pot and slotted spoon or Cookie sheet, spray grease and spatula.

Cut chicken into bite sized pieces. Throw into a closed container with the Italian Dressing and shake to coat. Let sit in the fridge for at least a half hour. Mine usually sits from noon until 4pm. It's ok.

Put GF Flour and spices in a ziplock bag. Shake to mix.

Fried Chicken Version:
Put about 3 cups of oil (I love the peanut oil when I'm getting expensive and frisky) in a medium sized pot and put on medium heat. You'll know the oil is ready when a few drops of water flicked into the pot pop in the oil.

Toss some chicken a piece at a time into the flour bag and shake when you've got 15 in.
Gently transfer the chicken pieces into the hot oil, a piece at a time, shaking the loose flour off and into the bag. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes per batch.

Be sure to check your chicken! Take the largest piece out, put it on paper bag or paper towels to drain. Cut into it...is it pink? If it is, leave the chicken in for 2 more minutes and check it again.
I check every batch, always the largest chunk just to be certain it's cooked thoroughly.

Cook more than 15 at a time if your pot permits, mine doesn't. You don't want the chicken crowded in there.

If you're not into deep frying things, that's cool too. We usually do ours in the oven, but fried chicken is a special treat.

Baked Chicken Version:
Preheat the oven to 375.
Spray grease on a cookie sheet.
Toss some chicken a piece at a time into the flour bag and shake when you've got 15 in.
Transfer the chicken pieces onto the cookie sheet, a piece at a time, shaking the loose flour off and into the bag. Continue until all chicken is coated.
Spray grease on the chicken itself when you've gotten them all onto the sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Find three large pieces of chicken from different parts of the pan.
Cut into them, does the juice run clear? Are they pink?
Pop em back in the oven if you have any doubts. Raw chicken is BAD.

Serve with a side of french fries and some fresh fruit or broccoli and cheese. Happy kids.