Crispy Rice Chicken Tenders (Gluten Free)

Ingredients:

Olive Oil Cooking Spray
2 3/4 cups Your Favorite GF crispy rice cereal
Kosher Salt
Ground Black Pepper
3 Large Egg Whites
1 1/2 lbs Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breast Tenderloins

Optional: Honey Mustard or Ranch Dressing For Dippinng

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Set a wire rack on a baking sheet & coat w/cooking spray.  Lightly crush the cereal in a bowl w/your hands.  Add 2 teaspoons salt & black pepper to taste.  In another bowl, whisk the egg whites & add a pinch of salt until frothy.

Dip the chicken in in the egg whites, then roll in the cereal crumbs to coat.  You can pat lightly to help the crumbs stick better.  Place the chicken pieces on the rack & mist lightly with the cooking spray.

Bake the chicken until crisp & just cooked through.  Season w/additional salt & pepper if desired.

Gluten free cheesecake with chocolate & fresh strawberries

Gluten free crust

3 cups chocolate koala crisp cereal  (made by Nature's Path organic)

1 cup unsalted pecans

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Grind cereal in a food processor until fine and transfer to a medium sized bowl. Process the nuts in the food processor until fine, then add to bowl with the cereal. Add brown sugar to crumbs and blend well. Mix in melted butter and vanilla. Press crust into bottom and up the sides of a spring form pan.

Filling

16-ounce cream cheese, softened

1 cup sour cream

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons softened butter

2 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoon cornstarch

1 vanilla bean, split and seeded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cream cheese, sour cream and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until sugar dissolves. Add butter, vanilla, cornstarch and vanilla bean seeds to mixture. (I was out of vanilla bean when I made this so just added a bit more vanilla extract.)  Beat for two minutes or until smooth. Pour filling over crust and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until edges brown. Place spring form pan on cookie tray in oven to prevent melted butter from leaking onto bottom of oven. 

Once the cake is out of the oven, let it cool to room temperature. Melt 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips in the microwave and drizzle over the cheesecake. (I ended up making a chocolate layer on top vs the drizzle) Slice fresh strawberries and fan out on top, along the edges. (Picture below)

 Be sure to let the cake chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours prior to serving.

What I'm drinking this summer

Black Cherry Mojito

Very good Gluten Free Beer

Bloody Mary's

Bloody Mary's

Fruit for Sangria

Sangria pre-seltzer

Your New Normal Is

Gluten Free apparently.  Should be interesting as next year, your favorite sorority chef is also going gluten free.  I started now, but at this point, am just not eating what the girls are, or am modifying & eating what I cook for my Gluten Free Girl at the house. 

Today was a food show.  And it sucked. Because I saw lots & lots that they would like & lots & lots that I couldn't try for them.  So Gina, my handy assistant, tried most of what I asked her too. I got a couple of "no, I won't eat that" but for the most part she was game. Some good news is I found gluten free stock so when I make soups & stews or need it for anything, we're good!

I don't know how I feel about this whole Gluten free crap. Honestly, I don't know if it's doing anything or it's the fact that I'm back on my homeopathic remedies.  I just know that it's been as bad as it ever gotten over the past few weeks.  And I am willing to try anything to make it stop.  Back on the remedies so it's too soon to say if it is the gluten or not. But the fact that Beer Fest about killed me & the fried chicken bothered me....it kinda makes me wonder now.

I guess I'll go for awhile & see how things shake out.  If I continue to feel good, I'm not sure I'm willing to risk yet another relapse & gluten myself to find out. Honestly, it's just not worth the pain.