Creamy Buffalo Chicken Baked Taquitos

I firmly believe that there is nothing better than buffalo chicken. It is so versatile, and acts as a wonderful base for many different types of preparations.

Before I found out about my Celiac Disease, I used to make buffalo chicken egg rolls. My husband loves them, and they are so easy to prepare, especially if you buy a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. They were just another dish that I had to adapt, so I swapped egg roll wrappers for corn tortillas, and rotisserie chicken for ground chicken. (Actually, in this case, turkey, because I had a pack to use up).


1 package ground chicken
3/4 cup chopped broccoli
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup monterey jack cheese
1/4 cup buffalo sauce (to start, add more if you like it spicy. I used a whole 5 oz bottle, and then some)
Gluten-free corn tortillas
Oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

In a pan over medium heat, cook chicken and broccoli until meat it browned, approx 8-12 min. Drain excess liquid. Add mushrooms and green onions, cooking until mushrooms are tender, approx 2-3 min. Remove from heat. Add cream cheese, and monterey jack cheese and buffalo sauce.

Add meat mixture to corn tortilla, rolling tightly. Brush, or spray with oil.

Bake in oven for 14 - 16 minutes, until crispy. Serve with ranch or gluten-free blue cheese dressing for dipping!

Buffalo Quinoa "Mac" and Cheese

I get to see my parents in 4 days. In 6 days I am going on a road trip with my cousin, and in a week I get to see one of my oldest friends. I have a pretty jam packed couple of days coming up, and whenever I go out of town for a few days I try to leave food behind for my husband.

David loves mac and cheese, so I made a big batch of quinoa "mac" and cheese so that he can have a few days worth of lunches and dinners while I am gone. He tends to work late when I am gone, so I wanted to leave some food for him so he doesn't have to worry about cooking while I am gone.



1 1/2 cups quinoa (cooked according to package instructions)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, and 1/4 for sprinkling
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/3 cup hot sauce
1/4 cup gluten free bread crumbs
1 1/2 cup chopped broccoli

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook quinoa according to package instructions. Lightly saute broccoli, until softened.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine milk, eggs, 2 cups of cheese, and hot sauce, Add quinoa and broccoli.

Grease a baking dish, and add quinoa mixture. Top with bread crumbs, and shredded cheese. Bake for 30 - 35 min, until bread crumbs brown, and cheese is melted.

Buffalo Cauliflower

When I was younger I used to HATE buffalo chicken. I thought it smelled terrible, and tasted even worse. I didn't even want to be around it, so I avoided the the "let's go get wings" invitations from my friends.

It was kind of strange, but my aversion to buffalo wings disappeared over night when I was a sophomore in college. I was working in a steakhouse that served boneless wings as a appetizer, and one day I found myself craving them, so I ordered a plate. Suddenly, I couldn't get enough. I put buffalo sauce on everything now, from wings, to french fries, to mixing it with my salad dressing.

David and I are both on Weight Watchers, so I am always trying to find healthy, (and gluten-free!) versions of our favorite foods. When I found a recipe for buffalo cauliflower I knew it would be a great alternative to the fried, greasy wings that David and I love so much!

My husband was a little wary when I told him what I was making, but he wound up eating his portion, and the portion that I made for him to take for lunch tomorrow.

1 head of cauliflower, chopped into bite size pieces. (I took the lazy approach and used a bag of frozen cauliflower)
1 cup gluten-free flour
1 cup water
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
salt to taste
1 cup buffalo sauce (I use Frank's Red Hot)
1 tbsp margarine

preheat oven to 450 degrees

In a bowl, combine water, flour, garlic, and salt. Dunk cauliflower in mixture to coat, and place in a shallow baking dish. Bake for 18 - 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, while cauliflower is baking, combine buffalo sauce and margarine in a separate bowl. Remove cauliflower from oven, and toss in sauce to coat. Return cauliflower to baking dish, and bake for an additional 5-7 minutes.

I served mine with celery sticks and Bolthouse Farm's yogurt ranch dressing. If you prefer blue cheese, make sure you get a gluten free version, as blue cheese sometimes has gluten!