Calling All Bacon Lovers

I made this recipe for Scott recently using one of my favorite tricks: Gluten Free Cream of Mushroom Soup (by Progresso). I was so excited when I found this soup because it's at NORMAL store prices and you can substitute it for a lot of recipes that use cream based soups (which usually contain flour).

I found a recipe online and tweaked it a little and the result was fabulous. I actually prepared it in advance and put it in the fridge so that Scott could just pop it in the oven. He loved it.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken with Mushrooms

What you need:
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into halves (I used 6 boneless skinless tenderloins, instead since they are smaller)
6 strips bacon
1 can of PROGRESSO Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 cup sour cream (I used regular, but you could easily use low fat)
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms (I bought them pre-sliced in a can, but you could get them fresh and slice them and I bet it would taste even better!)
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

What you do:
1. Defrost the chicken breasts. Take each chicken breast and wrap a strip of bacon around it as many times as necessary for the bacon strip to be wrapped completely around the chicken. Repeat this for all chicken breasts.
2. Mix sour cream and PROGRESSO Cream of Mushroom soup to create a cream mixture.
3. Put bacon wrapped chicken breasts in a glass or metal pan. Cover with sliced mushrooms. (I used an 8x8 pan, but I think anything would work)
4. Cover chicken and mushrooms completely with sour cream/cream of mushroom mixture.
5. Top with cheddar cheese (optional).
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Scott still RAVES about this, and it was so simple (ingredient and preparation wise). It's also something you can easily do ahead. Personally, I'm not a bacon eater, so I didn't try it, but I think anyone that loves bacon and is sick of bland, chicken dishes would love this meal.

Most recipes I found similar to this used low fat ingredients. I chose not to do that, because I thought Scott would enjoy it more this way. However, it could be made more healthy if some simple substitutes were made: turkey bacon, low fat cheese (or no cheese), and low fat/fat free sour cream. I think it would still turn out just as well.

Enjoy!

Some of my favorite GF tips

In a year, I've picked up a lot about gluten free ingredients/store items, etc. One of the first things I learned is that cooking gluten free, and buying gluten free items from the grocery store or a speciality store GETS EXPENSIVE. There are certainly a bunch of substitute ingredients out there and they are all good, but it is pricey. I have come up with some tips to keep things a little more simple, and easier on the wallet.

Here are some tips that will help you out:

1. Trader Joe's is great if you have one nearby. They will give you a list of store items that are gluten free, or you can find it online.

They have some really great things that I am sure I will bring up later. We love their brown rice bread, their brown rice pasta, and many other things. It's much more reasonable than the speciality aisles at the mainstream grocery stores.

2. One of my best tricks: Progresso Cream of Mushroom soup is gluten free! It's just a normal grocery item, but it's great because it means you can use it in any casserole recipe that requires cream of mushroom (or even cream of chicken) soup. I have found some great recipes with this!

3. Always check labels on normal grocery items. They make it a lot easier now, and bold the allergen items at the bottom of the ingredient list. It's still annoying to have to check everything, but it's a quick glance now instead of reading every single ingredient. Look for "WHEAT" in the bold ingredients at the bottom. Not everything is always labeled and it's worth checking out to be able to buy some normal grocery items that actually go on sale. I have found multiple frozen meals, soups, and shelf items that do not contain gluten!

More to come!
Amy

Introduction to the Gluten Free Diet and Cooking

Hello!

My name is Amy and I am from Chicago, Illinois. Approximately a year ago in January 2010, my boyfriend Scott was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, meaning his diet, and therefore my cooking have been altered.

I have loved to cook and bake since I was a little girl, so I immediately gained an interest in gluten-free cooking and baking. I follow several blogs, have read a few books and articles, and have certainly done my fair share of experimenting with gluten-free ingredients. Also, I try to do as much research as I can so that I can still shop at regular grocery stores for gluten free ingredients.

I finally decided I should start my own blog, since I have so much to share on this topic. I plan to write about cooking/baking gluten free, recipes, substitutes, recipe alterations, restaurants, and grocery items that I find along the way. I hope to make it easier for people who are new to the diet!

Thanks so much for reading!
Amy