Gluten-free Hawaiian Haystacks

OK, if you've never eaten Hawaiian Haystacks, I know they sound crazy. But, trust me, they are delicious. Plus I love to serve them because I just put the toppings out in bowls, and people can decide what they want, and EVERYONE ends up happy.


Hawaiian Haystacks (6 servings or so)

3-4 Skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3 cups of chicken broth
3 T. cornstarch
2 c. Japanese rice

Toppings:
shredded cheddar cheese
thawed frozen peas
chopped celery
chopped tomatoes
chopped green onions
drained pineapple tidbits
shredded coconut
salted peanuts or cashews

Cook chicken breasts in chicken broth in crockpot on high for 4 hours or low for 6 to 8 hours. Remove chicken from crockpot. Turn crockpot to high and keep lid on it. Mix cornstarch with a little cold water and then whisk into the broth. Put the lid back on the crockpot. Shred the chicken and return to the crockpot for half hour or so, or until the broth has thickened. (OK, you don't have to do this in the crockpot, you just need to end up with shredded chicken in chicken gravy.)

While the gravy is thickening, cook the rice with 2 2/3 cups water (or according to package directions). Bring it to a boil, cover it and cook over low heat for 20 minutes. (If you don't have Japanese rice, long-grain white rice, or even brown rice works just fine.)

Place a scoop of rice in a bowl, and top with a generous ladle of chicken and gravy. Top with your favorite toppings. Back in the day, before my son was diagnosed with celiac disease we would also top them with La Choy chow mein noodles. When I figure out how to make GF chow mein noodles, I'll let you know.... ;)

My Mother-in-law's Sloppy Joes

I have been making this recipe since, well, ever since I married my husband. It not only is gluten-free, it tastes better than any packet or canned Sloppy Joe mix I've ever had. I serve them on hamburger buns made from Annalise Roberts' book "Gluten Free Baking Classics." (This is the best GF cookbook, by the way!) My mother-in-law makes it in an electric skillet, but I've made this on the stovetop or in a slow cooker.



Sloppy Joes

2 lbs. lean ground beef or turkey
1/2 c. catsup
1 11.5 oz can of tomato juice (if you use a slow cooker, you might need another can)
1 tsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. white vinegar
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
1 diced onion or 4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 c. Splenda (or brown sugar or a mix of brown sugar and Splenda)

Brown the burger in the skillet with the onion. Combine the rest of the ingredients for the sauce and mix it into the mixture. QUICKIE STOVETOP VERSION: Cut juice to 1 cup, and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until it thickens up. ELECTRIC SKILLET: Use whole can of juice, and simmer for 1-2 hours. SLOWCOOKER: Use one can juice and cook on low for 2-4 hours, OR use a can and a half and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Note for diabetics: This is a little hard to count the carbs on, I figure 10 servings at 6g of carbs using all Splenda and Heinz catsup. Catsup varies wildly on its carb counts from brand to brand. If you use brown sugar it obviously increases the carb count.