Ok, to preface this – I am not “going gluten-free.” However, I’m half Sicilian, and I love pasta way too much. And I also have a wedding dress I need to fit into in seven months, so something’s got to be done. So for the past few weeks, I’ve been experimenting with gluten-free recipes during the week, and “cheating” during the weekends. It keeps me in check with what I’m consuming, especially down here in Texas, and the portion control piece of all of this is also working out better than I expected. After three months of indulging in our new city, it’s time to reign it back in. And it’s a testament to these recipes that Brendan had NO CLUE I’d decided to start eating, and cooking, gluten-free. These were seriously delicious.
PALEO CHICKEN TENDERS (serves 4)
- 1 lb. chicken breast or chicken tenders
- 1.5 C almond meal (Bob’s Red Mill makes a great combo of the meal/flour)
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Prep your setup: in one bowl, have the eggs. In another, larger bowl, combine the almond meal with the spices.
- Using a fork (this will keep your hands from getting all breaded, themselves) dip the pieces of chicken first in the eggs, then on both sides in the almond meal, lightly pressing to make sure the almond meal forms a good coating on the chicken.
- Spray a cooking sheet with cooking spray or rub some olive oil on it.
- Place the “breaded” chicken on the baking sheet, then bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping once, until golden and chicken is cooked through.
- Serve with a side of honey mustard – I made this by just combining dijon mustard with a little honey and a little mayo – and some green beans. So good.
