I have attempted gluten free hamburger buns on several occasions, but it wasn’t until I tried the recipe out of Gluten Free Baking Classics (book review here) that I had a true success.

I have made this recipe multiple times and adapted it slightly; my family loves them for both hamburgers and sandwiches. Like all gluten free bread, these do taste best the day they are baked.

I have made these in individual tart pans, disposable mini foil pie pans, and a whoopie pie pan. They all worked, but personally I like the whoopie pie pan the best.

If you plan on making your own dinner rolls or hamburger buns on a regular basis you should consider investing in something similar; whoopie pie pans, muffin-top pans, and hamburger bun pans are all very much alike and seem to range between $10-20. These pans provide the necessary support for the gluten free batter.

This recipe makes 6 conservatively sized buns (so I double the recipe when using my whoopie pie pan, which has 12 spaces), which I think are perfectly sized and make great little sandwiches for lunches.

I like to sprinkle sesame seeds are dried onions on the tops to make them seem more like the hamburger buns my family was used to.

You can also make these rolls smaller, getting 12 out of the recipe below. This makes them a very nice dinner roll size. They are a great accompaniment to soups this way.

The hamburger bun dough ready for pans; yes, it looks like cake batter.

Baked hamburger buns; half topped with sesame seeds & half topped with dried onions

We think they make a very cute ham & cheese sandwich

Gluten Free Hamburger Buns

Don’t let the long ingredient list scare you, they really are quite simple to make. These can be made smaller, in a muffin pan or ramekins, and used as dinner rolls; these gluten free rolls actually taste wonderful warm. I like to add some dried herbs to the dough, but it isn’t necessary.

wet ingredients:

• 2 large eggs, at room temperature is best
• 3 Tb canola oil
• 1 packet (1/4 oz) active dry yeast (not quick-rise)
• 3/4 cup + 2Tb warm milk, (110 degrees)

dry ingredients:

• 1/2 cup millet flour
• 1/2 cup sorghum flour
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/3 cup potato starch
• 1/3 cup tapioca starch
• 1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp unflavored gelatin
• 2 Tb sugar
• 1/2-1 tsp dried herbs (onion or garlic powder, Italian seasoning, etc), optional
• sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or dried onions for topping, optional

1. Lightly grease desired pans* (hamburger buns should be about 4 1/2 inches in diameter) and dust with rice flour or cornstarch (I use cornstarch).
2. Mix eggs and oil together in small bowl and set aside.
3. Mix all dry ingredients in large bowl of electric mixer. Quickly add milk, yeast,  egg, and oil to bowl; mix until just blended. Scrape bowl and beaters and then beat at high speed for 3 minutes; dough will be very sticky.
4. Spoon dough into prepared pans and smooth tops with table knife or rubber spatula. Sprinkle seeds or onions on top if desired. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size about 30-40 minutes.
5. While dough is rising, place oven rack in center position and heat oven to 375, do not use convection as buns will brown too much.
6. Place buns in preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until they have a hollow sound when tapped on top. If buns are browning too quickly cover with foil.
7. Remove buns from oven and remove from pan, allowing them to cool on rack.

*Disposable foil pie pans, muffin-top pans, whoopie pie pans, miniature tart pans, hamburger bun pan or whatever oven proof pans or dishes you have similarly sized should work.

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A few weeks ago I posted about Jamie Oliver’s reality show, Jamie’s Food Revolution on ABC Friday nights.

I hope you have tuned in, but if not you really should. I think Jamie is attempting  to do something great in this country; help us rethink what we are mindlessly eating everyday and serving to our kids via the school lunch program.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I think the idea of a school breakfast/lunch program is good, and the task is enormous. I know many kids would go hungry if it weren’t for these meals. But….and it is a huge BUT, we need to provide them with healthy meals, not just any cheap and easy meal.

Let’s stop and think about it, french fries are considered a vegetable serving by the USDA. Hey, I love a french fry as much as the next person, but I don’t eat them everyday. I don’t even eat them every week. And when I do, they are potatoes I cut up and toss with olive oil and a little salt; not some processed, preservative-laden potato product.

Pizza and chocolate milk for breakfast, chicken nuggets and fries for lunch, every day, every week, every year of childhood.

I was thinking that every Friday, while the show is airing, I will come up with a Food Revolution challenge of sorts; something small that we can do in our home cooking to make eating healthier a normal part of our diets. I think it is really about changing our eating habits one small step at a time.

This weeks challenge, if you are up for it……..Let’s all introduce one new fresh produce item to our families. This is actually quite easy considering the international produce section we have at local grocery stores. There are of course rules, #1  it can’t be deep fried and #2 it can’t be made into a dessert.

You might want to start with something simple, like a tomatillo for making a salsa or a new variety of squash, lettuce or bananas. Try to pick something that will be fun and is similar to foods they already enjoy.

Get the kids involved, have fun and don’t forget to comment and let us know what you tried and how it went. Just a piece of advice, when in doubt, ask the produce manager for ideas of how to pick out the fruit or vegetable and how to cook or serve it. It my experience, they have been very knowledgeable and helpful.

Cooking With Kids, Gluten Free, Kitchen Extras Food Revolution at home

I really wanted to figure out how to make scones gluten free. I figured having a good scone recipe could come in handy for entertaining or a child’s tea party. I have seen a few recipes, but they had a lot of ingredients.

Personally, I hate recipes with twenty ingredients. Not only do you have to gather all those things and put them away, chances are you’ll have to make a trip to the store.

I wanted to find a reliable scone recipe that wasn’t too sweet and sugary and wasn’t too complicated. I went to one of my favorite sources, the people at America’s Test Kitchen. These are the same people from Cook’s Illustrated and Cook’s Country magazines, and they have a show on PBS, America’s Test Kitchen. If you like cooking and really knowing why recipes work, this is a show to watch.

I adapted their Cream Scone recipe and it worked very well. It has a few steps, but they weren’t hard, and I pictured them below so you could see how easy it really is.

I added dried cranberries and orange zest, but I think you could really stir in any dried fruit or even some chocolate. They would, or course, also be could without any additions and topped with preserves or lemon curd.

The  dough after needing a few times on the counter.

The dough pressed into a round, floured pan.

The dough, turned out of the pan and cut into wedges.

The scones ready to bake.

The scones ready to eat!

Gluten Free Cream Scones

Resist the urge to eat these hot out of the oven; I learned the hard way that the texture really improves as they cool.

• 2 cups of your favorite gluten free flour blend (I used the Brown Rice Flour Blend given below)
• 3/4 tsp xanthan gum, if not in your flour blend
• 3 TB sugar
• 1 TB baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 5 TB butter, chilled and cut into cubes
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2-3/4 cup nuts or dried fruit, optional
• 1 tsp citrus zest, optional
• cornstarch for dusting pan

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425.
2. In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until combined. Scatter the butter over the top and pulse until the mixture resembles a course cornmeal; about 12 pulses.
3. Add any dried fruits or nuts and pulse once to combine.
4. Transfer the dough to a large bowl and stir in cream with a rubber statula until the dough begins to resemble a dough; about 30 seconds.
5. Turn the dough out onto counter, I used a silpat mat, and knead a few times to form a slightly sticky ball..
6. Press the dough into a  8 or 9-inch cake pan that has been liberally dusted with cornstarch. Unmold the dough and cut into 8 wedges. Place the wedges on a cookie sheet, I used a silpat-lined baking pan.
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until scones are lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes; serve warm or at room temperature.

Brown Rice Flour Blend

• 2 cups Brown rice flour (Authentic Foods Superfine)
• 2/3 cup Potato starch (not potato flour)
• 1/ 3 cup Tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch)

1. Place all ingredients in a resealable bag or container; close and shake to combine. You can also try to place in bowl and stir, but I find this make a huge mess.
2. Make sure to shake vigorously before measuring the flour. It seems to really settle and doesn’t measure accurately unless shaken first.

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Since going gluten free I have made a few different breaded chicken recipes. And although quite a few were good, I found a favorite.

I adapted the Chicken-Fried Chicken recipe from 1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes by Carol Fenster. It is cornstarch based and I love that it just uses regular ingredients, things anyone would have in the pantry. No alternative flours, so there is no need to run to the health food store.

Although frying isn’t healthy, chicken nuggets are a fun, kid-friendly food. I think these would be perfect for serving when friends come over or at birthday parties. No one will know they are gluten free, and adults and kids alike will love them.

Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets

• 1 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 2 tsp of your favorite seasoning salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 large eggs
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• canola oil for frying

1. In a shallow bowl (I use a pie plate) combine cornstarch, salt and pepper.  In another shallow bowl whisk milk and eggs together until smooth.
2. Cut chicken into small bite-sized pieces. If chicken breasts are very thick, it might be necessary to pound with a meat mallet first.
3. Dip chicken into cornstarch mixture, then egg mixture, then back into cornstarch mixture.
4. In a large, heavy skillet (I used a large cast iron pan) heat about 1/2 inch of oil over medium high heat. Fry chicken until golden brown; make sure it has been about 5 minutes before turning chicken, as coating may fall off otherwise. I always use a meat thermometer to make sure my chicken is cooked. The frying time will depend on how hot the oil is and the size of your chicken pieces. (If you prefer, you can just quickly fry the outside of the chicken until browned, and place them on a baking sheet to finish cooking in the oven)
5. Remove chicken from oil and place on a paper towel lined plate to drain. Serve warm.

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I made some  quick and easy cheese buns that my family really enjoyed. They taste a lot like the Chebe mixes, probably due to the tapioca  flour and that both breads are versions of the Brazilian cheese bread “pao de queijo.” I have read that these buns are traditionally served for breakfast or snacks and often sold by street vendors; but we ate ours at dinner.

I adapted a recipe from King Arthur Flour, but the other recipes I have looked at were almost identical. King Arthur definitely didn’t invent these rolls The texture is light and airy and I think they could be seasoned with herbs and spices if desired.

And just as an extra bit of information, we use the terms tapioca starch and tapioca flour interchangeably here in the United States; which I find confusing. For one thing, potato starch and potato flour are NOT the same thing. So, just when I thought I got the tapioca thing figured out, I discovered that tapioca flour is also known as manioc, yuca, and cassava flour. Wow! This is a lot to remember.

Brazilian Cheese Buns

• 1/2 cup butter or olive oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups tapioca flour (I use Bob’s Redmill)
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan, Roman, or Asiago cheese
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets or line with parchment or silpat mats.
2. Place tapioca flour in bowl of a stand mixer.
3. Put butter, water, milk and salt in a saucepan and heat over medium until it comes to a full boil. Remove from heat and pour over the tapioca flour and beat to combine. Beat at high speed until the mixture becomes smooth and elastic, this happens pretty quickly.
4. Add the garlic and cheese and mix to combine. At this point, touch the dough, if it feels very hot let it cool a few minutes before proceeding. The dough should be warm or hot, but not burning hot; you don’t want to cook the eggs when you add them.
5. With the mixer running, add the eggs slowly, beating until combined. The dough will look somewhat lumpy.
6. Drop the dough onto prepared pans, I made mine about 1/4 cup sized balls, and bake 15-20 minutes or until tops are lightly browned. Remove from oven and serve hot; these really taste best fresh, we have found that leftovers do not refrigerate well.

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My youngest daughter turned three this week, so we got to experience a gluten free birthday celebration. It was just family, but I find adults can be pickier eaters than children.

Birthdays are so much fun. They are a great time to celebrate another healthy and happy year! And what is a better way to celebrate than fun, memorable food?

I love to make my kids really special and unique cakes. I am way too uptight to use a pastry bag; no frosting roses for me. But I still try to find a way to make their birthday cakes memorable.

You might also notice we visited a cake decorating store and bought a few miniature items to grace the top of the cake. For those of you wondering, the “water” is whipped cream colored (cool whip also would work great here) with blue and green food coloring and the “sand” is a mixture of raw and brown sugar. The sand could also be made using cookie or cracker crumbs, but I figured sugar was cheaper.

I have learned through they years that it isn’t so much how “perfect” the cake looks, it’s how fun and personal it is for the individual. Kids will love it, even if it isn’t pretty enough to grace a magazine cover.

The cake can’t just look good, it has to taste good as well. I adapted the Yellow Cake recipe from Gluten-Free Baking Classics by Annalise Roberts. I added ripe bananas, which gave the cake a nice subtle banana flavor.

The cake was a huge hit. Everyone ate seconds and raved about how “normal” it tasted. It was really nice hear other people say this. Being gluten free for six months, I thought maybe I had forgot what cake was supposed to taste like.

I have been a pretty serious home baker for all of my adult life, and I have spent my share of money on chocolate and other fancy ingredients, but I was still skeptical of spending $12 for a bag of rice flour. But just like buying expensive chocolate, it does really make a difference in the end product.

If you are going to go to the effort to make a homemade gluten free birthday cake, you really need to make sure you ingredients will perform. This cake really needs the Authentic Foods Superfine Brown Rice Flour; I think it is what makes it taste so “normal.” And if you are having trouble justifying the cost, remember it’s cheaper than going to a specialty bakery and buying a gluten-free cake. They are very expensive and not nearly as good as this recipe

Gluten Free Banana Birthday Cake

I have made this cake several times, and it always tastes great. It seems pretty forgiving, I seriously let my 3 year old help measure and make the cake and it still turned out great! If you just want a vanilla cake, omit the bananas. Cupcakes taste fine, but they seem to fall as they cool.

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 1/2 cups Brown Rice Flour Mix (recipe follows)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 TB baking powder
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 cup milk (I use 1%)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 very ripe bananas, mashed with a fork

1. Preheat oven to 350. Position rack in center of oven. This recipe will make 1 9×13 cake, 2 8- or 9-inch layers, or 24 cupcakes so prepare pans accordingly. I line the cake pans with parchment and spray with cooking spray; for cupcakes I use liners.
2. Beat sugar and eggs in bowl of a stand mixer, at medium speed for 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients and beat at medium speed for 1 minute.
3. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven.
4. 8-inch cakes take about 40 minutes; 9-inch and 9×13 cakes take about 35 minutes; cupcakes 18-20 minutes.  When done, cakes will pull away from sides of pan and center will spring back when gently touched.
5. Cool cakes on wire rack for 5 minutes. Use a small plastic knife or spatula to cut around sides of pans to loosen cake. Invert cake layers onto a rack, peel off parchment and cool completely.
6. Frost and decorate as desired.

Brown Rice Flour Blend

• 2 cups Brown rice flour (Authentic Foods Superfine)
• 2/3 cup Potato starch (not potato flour)
• 1/ 3 cup Tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch)

1. Place all ingredients in a resealable bag or container; close and shake to combine. You can also try to place in bowl and stir, but I find this make a huge mess.
2. Make sure to shake vigorously before measuring the flour. It seems to really settle and doesn’t measure accurately unless shaken first.

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Although I have had some gluten free baking successes, I am not baking up a storm. As much as I like sweets, I am making a conscious effort to limit our baked goods; this is easier on our waists and wallet. However, when I do choose to bake, I want ingredients that will really perform, so I have decided to post about my favorite ingredients.

Authentic Foods is a company that specializes is wheat free and gluten free products, specifically baking mixes and flours. According to their website, it was founded by a man who has a degree in biochemistry and has also been a successful restaurant owner.

I first heard of Authentic Foods’ flour products in Gluten-Free Baking Classics by Annalise Roberts (cookbook review here). She highly recommends both their superfine brown rice flour and superfine sweet rice flour. I looked them up (they have a very informative website with product information, recipes and even a blog) but decided they were too expensive and went about making a few of the recipes in her book.

I was extremely disappointed with my results. So, a few months later I decided to track down her suggested flours. I had to go to the company website and locate a store in my area that carried it.

The results: Yes folks, the Authentic Foods Brown Rice Flour Superfine does work better in baked goods than ordinary brown rice flour. My baked goods were not crumbly, dry, nor did they have that “rice” taste. The recipes in Roberts’ cookbook now turned out fabulous.

At around $12 for a 3 pound bag, this isn’t cheap flour, but it is very, very good flour for you gluten free baking needs. I feel like baking with brown rice flour is a healthy choice and it is worth the extra money to get amazing gluten free desserts.

I think spending the extra money, even if you have to pay the outrageous shipping costs, is really money well spent. Baking gluten free can be very frustrating and finding ingredients that really work is essential. I highly recommend that you get a some superfine flours from Authentic Foods, I think the results will amaze you.

Has anyone else used Authentic Foods Superfine Flours? Or is there another must-have product for gluten free baking?

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I don’t drink alcohol, it’s not really my thing. But cooking with it is a whole different story. When used correctly, alcohol can really elevate an ordinary dish like chicken into something truly special. You don’t have to appreciate tequila, bourbon or any other alcohol to enjoy the flavor it imparts to cooked dishes.

And don’t feel embarrassed about going to the liquor store clueless, I just ask the salespeople what inexpensive brand they would recommend for cooking. Sometimes they will try to suggest something expensive, but more times than not they give me an idea of what lower-priced bottle will do, and often have smaller bottles that better fit my needs. I don’t need a huge top-shelf liquor at home just to make a marinade or cake occasionally.

One of my favorite grilled chicken recipes  is tequila-lime chicken. I have a couple different marinades that use tequila, but this one is my favorite.

We like to eat it over brown or wild rice but it would be equally good in a salad. You are supposed to serve it with a pineapple-citrus salsa, but my kids just prefer eating it with some fresh pineapple, either way it is very good.  You reserve some of the marinade to serve with the grilled chicken; the tequila does not get cooked out of this, so I would not serve this sauce to children.

The Tequila Marinated Grilled Chicken.

The Tequila Chicken with Pineapple-Citrus Salsa served over wild rice.

This recipe can easily be halved.

Tequila Marinated Grilled Chicken Breasts

• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 cup tequila
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 bunch cilantro, I cut the stems off close to the top of the bunch
• 1 Tb peeled and freshly chopped ginger
• 1/2 a jalapeno pepper, seeded
• 1 Tb white vinegar
• 1 Tb sugar
• 1 Tb Kosher salt
• 1 cup olive oil
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1. To prepare the marinade, in a food processor, combine the lime juice, tequila, garlic, cilantro, ginger, jalapeno, vinegar, sugar and salt. Pulse about 10 times. With motor running, add oil in steady stream until emulsified. (I have made this in a blender,  but it doesn’t work quite as well)
2. Reserve 1/4 of the marinade and set aside to serve with cooked chicken.
3. Place chicken breasts in a non-reactive bowl or a resealable plastic bag. Pour marinade over chicken and refrigerate 1-3 hours.
4. Grill over medium heat, turning once, until meat is done, about 7 minutes per side (I always use an instant read thermometer to check)
5. Serve cooked chicken with reserved marinade and fresh pineapple or Pineapple-Citrus Salsa.

Pineapple-Citrus Salsa

• 1 Ruby Red grapefruit
• 1 orange
• 1 cup diced fresh pineapple
• 1 small red onion, diced or small bunch of green onions, diced
• 2 Tb chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced
• 2 tsp raspberry vinegar (or another fruit vinegar)
• 2 tsp sugar
• salt to taste, optional

1. To prepare orange and grapefruit, using a knife, cut off the peel, removing as much white pith as possible (this part is bitter). Slice into segments, catching the juice and fruit into a bowl.
2. Add remaining salsa ingredients to bowl and stir to combine.
3. Refrigerate until ready to use.

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Oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits are probably the most common supermarket citrus, but there are many different varieties within these categories. Have you ever tried a blood orange? A pummelo?

The citrus growing season is fall to spring, so now is the perfect time to get some fresh, flavorful citrus, maybe even try a new variety. It is high in vitamin C and low in fat and calories, making it a smart way to add flavor, without fat, to your food.

The most obvious use of citrus in cooking might be the fruit itself to liven up a salad or make fruit salsa in winter. But I find myself using the juice more often.

Sure, you can buy the juice in those green bottles on the store shelf, but don’t. Buy fresh fruit and juice it yourself. It only takes a minute and the flavor is so much fresher and intense.

To extract the most juice, the fruit should be at room temperature (you can microwave it for about 30 seconds) and then roll it around on the counter with the palm of your hand before cutting in half; and I mean really roll the heck out of it. This would be a good job for a kid. I have a fancy juicer, but I lived years without it; you can just squeeze the fruit over a fine sieve to catch the seeds, I did this for years and is worked well.

The zest of the fruit packs a lot of flavor due to the oils. It is important to only get the colorful part of the peel, the white part called the pith is very bitter. I use a special tool called a citrus zester, and it is designed for this purpose, but you can also use a grater of vegetable peeler.

I like to add zest to marinades and main dishes, but you’ll find a lot of pudding, quick breads and desserts also call for zest. It does add a very pronounced citrus flavor, but you will also have little pieces of zest in the food. Personally, I never add zest to things like cheesecake or pudding for this reason.

And one of the best parts, fresh-squeezed juice and zest can be stored in the freezer and used later.

Here are some fruit juice estimations; they seem pretty accurate based on my kitchen experience:

*Medium oranges are ideal for wedging and juicing. Three or four medium oranges will yield 8 ounces of juice. Two medium oranges will yield one cup of bite-size pieces.

*One medium grapefruit will yield 8 ounces of juice and three cups of bite-size pieces.

*It takes 5-6 medium lemons to get 8 ounces of juice; limes are about the same, with smaller limes producing a much smaller yield.

Here are a few of my recipes that use fresh citrus, Lemon Pie Filling, Caesar Salad Dressing, and Cuban Pork Roast.

Gluten Free, Kitchen Tips adding flavor not fat, Cooking with citrus

I was first introduced to chicken lasagna as a kid. My mom and my older sister made a creamy chicken lasagna in a white sauce; the recipe came from one of those church/community cookbooks. If I remember right the ingredients go something like this, pasta, chicken, cream cheese, mozzarella, 2 cans cream of something soup.

I like the idea of a creamy chicken lasagna, but I am not a fan of the cream of anything soups (I am pretty sure they are full of gluten, so I have yet another reason to avoid them). I know this might make me sound like a food snob, I have heard people call cream of whatever soups an American staple, but I really just find them gross, so I had to come up with my own version of chicken lasagna. I like both the idea of using chicken in lasagna and the richness of the original recipe, but I wanted a more traditional red sauce.

After trying several different things, I came up with a version of chicken lasagna my family loves. I am not going to tout this as healthy lasagna, but unlike the original version, it does actually have vegetables in it. I like to add spinach, but I know many people dislike it, so it is very optional. This isn’t a really firm-set lasagna, if that bothers you, you can add an egg to the cheese mixture and it will help it set.

We use Tinkyada brown rice lasagna noodles, but if you aren’t gluten free, use your favorite lasagna noodles. If you haven’t used the rice lasagna noodles before, they are pretty fragile so handle with care. Every time I cook them I seem to end up with more broken noodles than not, so I just lay the pasta pieces down and proceed with the recipe.

Chicken Lasagna

• 1/2 an onion, chopped
• 1/2 a green pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• oil
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 chicken breast halves, cooked and chopped (leftovers work great here)
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated or chopped
• 1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 package frozen spinach, thawed and drained, optional
• 9 rice lasagna noodles, cooked and drained

1. Saute onion, green pepper and garlic in a few teaspoons oil. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and herbs. Simmer until flavors are blended, about 10 minutes.
2. In a separate bowl, combine chicken, cream cheese, mozzarella and spinach if using. Add about 2/3 cup of warm sauce and stir to combine.
3. In an 11×7 pan (you could use 9×13 but it won’t be as full), spoon enough sauce to cover the bottom. Layer three noodles; spread about 1/3 of the cheese & chicken mixture on top. Repeat noodle layer, cheese & chicken mixture two more times. Pour remaining sauce on top of pan.
4. Place pan on top of rimmed baking sheet to catch drips and bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let set 5 minutes before cutting.

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