Buffalo Chicken Wings

One really great outcome of eating GF/CF is that processed foods are, for the most part, off limits. (OK, I know not everyone will agree that’s a good thing but hear me out.)

When I started down this road I eliminated all those convenient boxes, cans and junk foods and began cooking more things from scratch. I never eat a baked good that doesn’t come from my own kitchen. I make most of my own sauces and salad dressings. I’m not fanatic about this. I have my vices~the occasional potato chip or Starburst makes it’s way into my mouth. But, with convenience foods basically taboo I really eat so much better than I ever did before. And, I like it.

I will come out publically and say I’m torn about the number of GF foods now making their way into the mainstream. (I may have to duck a few flying GF rolls for saying such a thing.) Sure, it seems great for those of us who cannot have gluten to now have a cake available at Starbucks, more readily available baking mixes, or a larger variety of breakfast cereals. But, is it really a good thing to add more processed food back into our lives? Obviously, that’s a personal view and each of us will have our own take. And, I will buy some of these convenient products but not so much as before.

This lifestyle requires we all cook—and, cook a lot. And, the result is wonderful. Cooking is so creative. And, it means that we know what we’re eating and serving to our families. All the ingredients are whole ingredients. For the most part, they aren’t chemicals or preservatives or who knows what. Admit it, we’re all healthier now than when we ate a lot of processed foods.

How does this all relate to Buffalo Chicken Wings? We have to have some of those comfort foods from before. I miss some food, don’t you? So, like all my friends out there in the blogiverse and beyond, ya gotta make some of this stuff at home in order not to feel deprived.

And, wings, to me anyway, are a comfort food. Little saucy nuggets of pleasure. I admit I like sloppy, tasty foods I can eat with my hands. There’s something about picking them up and slurping them that adds to the delight of having wings. And, these wings, as we say in NJ, are “to die for”. You won’t be able to make enough. Trust me on this.

Serve with Buffalo Sauce, recipe found HERE.

Buffalo Chicken Wings

20 chicken wings
½ cup sorghum flour
2 tablespoons fine corn meal
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon chili powder
salt and pepper
olive oil for drizzling
Buffalo Sauce

3 stalks celery and 2 carrots cut into small sticks
Blue cheese dressing (if you aren’t CF/dairy-free)

Preheat the oven to 400℉. Use Convection Roast if you have a convection oven.

Prepare the Buffalo Sauce. You can do this while the wings are cooking.

Cut off the wing tips and discard (or use for soup). Cut the wings in half at the joint. Trim excess skin or fat.

Put the flour, cornmeal, paprika, chili powder, salt and pepper in a large Ziploc bag. Place all the chicken pieces in the bag. Seal and shake to assure all the chicken pieces are covered with the flour mixture.

Line the bottom of a broiler pan with a piece of parchment or aluminum foil and replace the broiler pan top. Remove the chicken pieces (shaking off excess flour) and place them on the broiler pan. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Put the wings in the hot oven and roast for 15 minutes. Turn them and roast another 15 minutes. They should be getting fairly crispy by now.

Remove the broiler pan but keep the oven on. Place about 2 or 3 tablespoons of the Buffalo Sauce into the bottom of a small shallow bowl or dish. Brush each wing lightly with the sauce – don’t worry about coating the wings thoroughly but get some of the sauce on each side.

Return to the oven for another 12 minutes turning once in the middle.

If you want them a little more brown and crispy—turn on the broiler. Place the wings under it for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Watch carefully because they will brown up quickly.

Remove the wings from the oven, plate, and serve with the leftover Buffalo Sauce, carrots, celery and blue cheese dressing (optional).

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Red Quinoa Lentil Tart

I joined a Community Supported Garden this year (see the CSA Chronicle). This was our second week and the delivery was pretty similar to last week—white and sweet potatoes, radishes, spring onions, baby greens, baby bok choy (yum), and kale. We also got a few rhubarb stalks. (I have a few ideas what I’ll be doing with those.)

Diane, at The WHOLE Gang, has chosen Quinoa for The Friday Foodie Fix today so I decided to use some of my CSA loot for a Quinoa recipe. I thought of all kinds of things: Quinoa Pesto Salad, Glazed Quinoa Pudding, Quinoa Patties. But, I Googled them and someone else has already created them. And, one of the criteria is that the recipe is your own. So, I came up with this Quinoa Lentil Tart. Glad I did because I had it for lunch today and really enjoyed it.

PS — A huge Thank You! to Diane for nominating me for The Attitude of Gratitude. It is a wonderful “pass it forward” kind of acknowledgement and I am truly honored that Diane chose me along with some amazingly fine bloggers whom I admire. Thank you Diane! I will soon show my thanks more formerly and provide my own nominations.

Red Quinoa Lentil Tart

2 small potatoes
2 tablespoons grated cheese (Locatelli Pecorino Romano)—optional
2 tbsp. olive or grapeseed oil
1 1/2 teaspoon flax meal
2 tablespoons warm water
1/2 small onion
1 carrot
2 celery stalks
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
½ teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
salt and pepper
2 small slices GF tapioca bread or1/2 cup GF breadcrumbs
¾ cup cooked lentils
¾ cup cooked red quinoa
¼ cup broth (vegetable or chicken)

Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Use Convection Roast, if possible.

Heat the water and add it to the ground flax meal. Stir the two together and set aside. This will create a flax gel.

Wash and thinly slice the potatoes—about 1/8 inch slices work well. Lightly oil the bottom and sides of a small 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. A pie plate or cast iron skillet will work if you don’t have a tart pan. Arrange potato slices in an overlapping spiral, starting with the outer edge and working toward the center. Sprinkle with grated cheese (if desired), salt and pepper and drizzle lightly with oil. Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are lightly golden and tender when pierced with a fork.

While the potatoes are cooking heat a cast iron skilled over medium heat. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons oil.

Dice the onion and add to the pan. Dice the carrot and celery and add to the pan with the onion. Cook the vegetables until the onion is translucent and the carrot is beginning to soften—about 5 minutes or so.

Now, mince the garlic and mix it into the vegetables. Sprinkle the herbs, salt and pepper over top and mix in. Continue cooking on medium heat until the garlic is cooked—a few more minutes. Take the pan off the heat. Add the lentils, quinoa and flax gel. Gently mix everything together.

Grate the tapioca bread or cut it into small (1/4 inch) cubes. Stir in the flax gel incorporating it into the vegetable mixture. Then stir in the breadcrumbs. Add the broth a few tablespoons at a time until the mixture is very lightly moist. Let it sit for 10 minutes.

The mixture should now start to stiffen up and stick together. Gently spoon it over small border of potatoes showing.

Put the tart into the oven for about 7 minutes. You’re just looking to have it be warm enough to eat and just lightly browned on top. Cool the tart for about 5-10 minutes and serve.

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