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Hello Foodies!

After a couple of months of hard work, Laura Friendly has a new site!
Check out this link for more gluten & dairy-free delights.

laurafriendly.com

Hope to see you there,
Laura

Vegan Butter Pecan Ice Cream

My favorite ice cream flavor is Butter Pecan. I love the rich taste of toasted pecans and vanilla. The past few weekends I’ve been working on a Vegan Butter Pecan Ice Cream. This recipe is very simple but delivers a tasty and delicious treat. I hope you enjoy!


Vegan Butter Pecan Ice Cream
by Laura Friendly
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Chill Time: may vary depending on technique
Ice Cream Maker Time: about 25 minutes
Makes: 1 quart (4 cups)

• 2 cans full fat coconut milk
• ½ cup coconut palm sugar (more or less to taste)
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 2 tbsp vegan butter
• ½ tsp salt

• 1 tbsp vegan butter
• 1 cup pecans, roughly chopped

• 1 tbsp gluten-free vodka, optional

1. Melt 1 tbsp of vegan butter into a nonstick saucepan. Cook the pecans over low heat for about 3 minutes, until they are fragrant and lightly browned. Transfer pecans to a paper towel and allow to cool completely.
2. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and place into a medium saucepan with coconut milk, sugar, 2 tbsp vegan butter and salt, bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and chill the mixture completely.
3. Once coconut mixture has chilled, transfer to a blender and add ⅓ cup of toasted pecans and vodka. Blend until pecans become very fine. If you want the ice cream to be even smoother, drain mixture through a sieve to remove any large pieces of pecan.
4. Pour liquid into your ice cream machine bowl, and churn for about 25 minutes, or according to manufacturer's instructions. The last 5 minutes drop in the remaining pecans. Serve immediately.
5. If you’d like a firmer consistency, transfer into a freezer safe container with lid, and freeze for about two hours to thicken.

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Citrus Salt

Making a Citrus Salt is a great (and easy) way to put extra zest to good use. The zest of a lemon, lime or orange adds brightness and flavor to many recipes. When you combine a little zest with seasalt, you create a fast way to season any dish. A Citrus Salt allows you to have the flavor of lemons, limes and oranges right at your fingertips for months.

Not only is Citrus Salt a tasty spice to have in your cupboard, it also makes a wonderful housewarming or thank you gift. If you enjoy creating homemade presents, a 3-piece Citrus Salt Combo (lemon, lime and orange) would be perfect for any foodie. The salts will keep for at least 3 months, and depending on how you bottle them they can be quite lovely to look at.


Citrus Salt
by Laura Friendly
prep time: 5 minutes
drying time: a few hours
makes: 1 cup

• 1 cup coarse sea salt
• 2 tbsp citrus zest, more or less to taste (I used Meyer Lemons)
• airtight container, (I prefer glass)

1. Combine salt and zest in a food processor. Pulse until the zest is fully mixed into the salt. (you can make the salt as coarse or fine as you like)
2. Spread the mixture into a shallow dish and allow to dry out for a few hours. Once dry, transfer Citrus Salt into an airtight container. If the mixture hardened while drying, simply crush it back up.
3. Sprinkle over fish, chicken or vegetables and enjoy!

note: store in an airtight container for around 3 months


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Breaded Pan Fried Chicken, Brussel Sprouts & Quinoa

Gluten & Dairy-free Breaded Pan Fried Chicken. What on earth could be better? My mother used to make something similar when I was growing up and this is my Laura Friendly version. Served with a side of Pan Fried Brussel Sprouts and a heap of Quinoa… It’s heaven on a plate.   

Over the years, I’ve experimented with different ways of breading chicken. Through trial and error (sometimes a lot of error) I have found gluten-free cereals are a great breading choice. This particular batch of Fried Chicken was made with the cereal I had in my cupboard. Gluten-free Corn Flakes. Perfect! It’s really such a versatile dish and can be seasoned anyway that you like. Try adding rosemary, lavender or a little cayenne powder.

This gem has become My Special Man Friend’s favorite dinner. That’s gotta mean something, right?


Breaded Pan Fried Chicken with Brussel Sprouts and Quinoa
by Laura Friendly
start to finish: about 55 minutes total
serves: 4


Breaded Pan Fried Chicken
by Laura Friendly
start to finish: 35 minutes
serves: 4

• 1 ½ cups dried quinoa
• 1 ½ lbs chicken tenders (or boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in two, lengthwise)
• 2 ½ cups gluten-free corn flakes
• 2 tsp garlic salt
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Flour
• 2 eggs & ¼ cup water, whisked together
• olive oil

Prepare quinoa according to package instructions. (I add 1 tsp of sea salt to the water for extra flavor)

In a food processor, combine corn flakes, garlic salt, onion powder, pepper and thyme. Blend until the cornflakes are crushed into a meal. Set aside.

On a clean counter top, place the chicken between two pieces of waxed paper. Pound the chicken with a meat mallet or pan, until it’s about ¼ inch thick.

Place the GF flour, eggs with water, and cornflake mixture into three separate shallow bowls. Coat both side of the chicken in the flour, shaking off the excess; next, dip chicken into the eggs; finish, by fully coating both sides of the chicken with the cornflake mixture. Set chicken onto a clean plate and continue to bread the remaining tenders. note: do not stack the breaded chicken tenders on top of each other

Heat a large nonstick skillet to medium high and add olive oil. When the olive oil is hot, using tongs, lay the chicken into the pan. Do not overcrowd the pan.

Let the chicken cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until browned, then turn to the other side. Continue to cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Continue to turn the chicken, cooking for an additional minute per side, until cooked through. The chicken is done when the juices run clear, when pierced with a fork.

Transfer the pan fried chicken to a paper towel lined plate and continue to cook the remaining tenders.


Pan Fried Brussel Sprouts
by Laura Friendly
start to finish: 20 minutes
serves: 4

• 20 to 24 brussel sprouts, washed, stems trimmed, cut in half lengthwise
• garlic salt & pepper
• olive oil
• ¼ cup white wine
• juice of 1 lemon

In a large bowl, toss brussel sprouts with olive oil, garlic salt and pepper.

In a non-stick saute pan, over medium heat add sprouts, cut sides down. Drizzle with wine and lemon juice, cover and steam for about 5 minutes, or until sprouts are slightly tender.

Remove the lid, and increase the heat to medium-high & fry until the sprouts begin to lightly brown. Flip over and brown the other side. Season with additional garlic salt & pepper, remove from heat and serve.


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