Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps

These are quick to make and you can eat the leftovers for lunch the next day. Amounts of everything are variable - make enough chicken and rice for as many people as you are trying to feed. Leave out anything that you don't like. Peanut-free and vegetarian versions are at the bottom of the recipe.

Ingredients:
Uncooked rice
Five spice powder
Chicken breasts (can be frozen - you don't need to thaw them first)
San J Gluten Free Peanut Sauce (or another kind, or the homemade version at the end of the recipe)
Chopped tomatoes
Shredded carrots
Sliced green onions
Diced water chestnuts
Lettuce leaves - lots of kinds of lettuce will work, just make sure the leaves are fairly round and at least the size of your hand

Cook the rice according to the directions for the type of rice you're using. Add a bit of five spice powder to the water before you start. While you are cooking the rice, cover the chicken breasts with water, bring to a boil, and cook until they are no longer pink in the middle. I know that might sound a little weird, but just trust me. When the chicken is done, remove it to a cutting board and shred it with two forks. Heat a frying pan over medium low heat, and add the shredded chicken to it. Add some peanut sauce, a little bit at a time, and stir it into the chicken. You don't want to add to much or things will get messy when you try to pick up the lettuce wraps. To give you an idea, I probably use about a teaspoon per chicken breast. Just experiment and taste it as you go to figure out the right amount without using too much. To serve, put everything in bowls and assemble the lettuce wraps one at a time by putting small amounts of each thing on them. Roll the sides up over the filling, pick them up, and eat them!

Vegetarian version: There are two options here. The first is to simply replace the chicken with tofu. The second is to add some lentils to the rice as it cooks, and then mix the peanut sauce into the rice/lentil mixture.

Peanut-free version: Instead of using peanut sauce, mix a bit of gluten-free soy sauce, a splash of lime juice, and a bit of powdered ginger into the chicken. And just a note of caution here: If you are cooking for someone with a peanut allergy, I strongly recommend making the entire meal peanut-free rather than making two versions of this. Peanut allergies are serious business. I'm not saying that celiac disease isn't serious, but it's generally safe for us to eat our gluten free bread at the same table as someone eating wheat bread, as long as things have been prepared without cross-contamination. That may not always be the case for someone with a peanut allergy.

Homemade Peanut Sauce
Ingredients:
Peanut butter (smooth or chunky, doesn't matter)
Gluten-free soy sauce
Rice vinegar (the unseasoned kind)
Lime juice
Powdered ginger

This is a bit of trial and error - mix things in and taste it and stop when you think it tastes good. Start with some peanut butter. Add enough rice vinegar to thin it out to the point where you can easily stir it. Add small amounts of soy sauce, lime juice, and ginger until you decide it's done.

Chocolate Chip Nutella Cookies

This is my own variation of the ubiquitous flourless peanut butter cookie recipe. They are a bit gooey when they first come out of the oven, so let them sit for a few minutes before trying to get them off the cookie sheet.

Ingredients:
1 cup Nutella
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper. Mix all ingredients and drop spoonfuls onto the cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cookies have spread out and the edges are starting to crisp. It usually takes about 12 minutes for me, but oven temperatures vary. Makes 12 large or 24 small cookies.

Shrimp Stir-Fry

Very simple and very good.

Ingredients
1 lb shrimp, uncooked, peeled, and deveined
2 red bell peppers cut into thin strips
1 8 oz package snow peas
1/4 cup white wine
your favorite cooking oil

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the red peppers and snow peas and cook for a few minutes until they just start to soften. Add the shrimp and white wine and cook, stirring constantly, for a few minutes more until the shrimp is pink and most of the liquid has evaporated. Makes about 4 servings.