Breaded Turkey Cutlets with Brown Gravy

Batter up! This bodacious breading for turkey cutlets is Thanksgiving dinner simplified, and free from gluten and the top eight allergens. These cutlets fit the bill not only for the holiday, but for any night of the week–quick, easy and delicious! It’s like Thanksgiving dinner year-round. A cutlet is a thin, boneless slice of meat which speeds up the cooking time for this quick entrée. You can also use chicken in place of turkey. Here are the steps to making these delicious turkey cutlets. Step #1 Cut the turkey breast into ½-inch slices. Or to make it easier, ask your local butcher to slice the breast into cutlets for you. Step #2 Place cutlets between two sheets of plastic wrap. Using a mallet, pound the cutlets working from the middle outwards, until they are about ¼-inch thick. You can always cut in half before breading if the pieces are too large. Transfer cutlets to the refrigerator while you set up your breading station. Setup for the Standard Breading Procedure Right-handed cooks work from left to right. Reversing the pans, left-handed cooks work from right to left. Step #3 Now you’re ready to bread the turkey. One by one, dredge each cutlet with the flour blend in bowl 1, coating evenly and firmly packing the breading onto the cutlet. Transfer the cutlet to bowl 2, coating evenly. Here the liquid is soaking into the flour and forming a thick wet coating on the turkey. Remove from milk mixture, letting excess liquid drain off. Place in bowl 3 and coat evenly with flour blend, firmly packing breading onto cutlet. Repeat process until all cutlets have been breaded. Step #4 Heat skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Coat bottom of pan with ¼-inch vegetable oil. When oil is hot and shimmering, add two cutlets. Sauté until brown, 2-3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Step #5 When all cutlets are sautéed, transfer to a baking pan lined with foil. Bake cutlets in preheated oven for approximately 8-10 minutes until cooked through. Serve with brown gravy and all the holiday fixings. Did you know? Some culinary historians believe Scrooge’s gift of a Christmas turkey to the Cratchit family helped cement the turkey’s place at the center of the holiday meal.

Breaded Turkey Cutlets

Makes 4 servings Free of gluten and the top eight allergens

• 1 lb Turkey Breast, thawed
• ½ cup Bob’s Red Mill Tapioca Flour
• ½ cup Bob’s Red Mill Cornmeal
• ¼ cup Bob’s Red Mill Amaranth Flour
• ½ cup Bob’s Red Mill Potato Starch
• ½ cup Bob’s Red Mill Sorghum Flour
• 2 tbsp Bob’s Red Mill Flaxseed Meal (See Recipe Note)
• 6 Tbsp lukewarm Water
• 1 1/2 tsp Salt
• ¼ tsp White Pepper
• ¼ tsp dried Thyme
• 1 tsp dried Oregano
• ¾ tsp Paprika
• 1 cup alternative Milk, such as hemp
• ½ cup Vegetable Oil

Method Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut the turkey breast into ½-inch thick slices. To make it easier, ask your local butcher to slice the breast into cutlets for you. Place between two sheets of plastic wrap. Using a mallet, pound the cutlets working from the middle outwards, until they are about ¼-inch thick. You can cut in half before breading if the piece is too large. Refrigerate until needed. In a medium bowl, combine tapioca flour, cornmeal, amaranth flour, potato starch and sorghum flour. Mix well and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together flaxseed meal and water. Set aside for 5 minutes. Portion 1 cup of flour blend into a bowl. Add salt and white pepper and mix well. Set aside. To the remaining flour blend, add thyme, oregano and paprika. Mix well. Set aside. Place the milk in a bowl. Return to flaxseed mixture and vigorously whisk; it will be gelatinous. Add flaxseed mixture to milk and stir to combine. Assemble your breading station starting with cutlets, followed by bowl of flour blend with salt and pepper. Next line up the milk mixture. The third bowl will be the flour blend with thyme, oregano and paprika. Finally, have a pan ready to hold the breaded cutlets. To start the breading process, dredge each cutlet one by one with the flour blend in the first bowl, coating evenly and firmly packing the breading onto the cutlet. Transfer cutlet to the bowl with milk mixture, coating it evenly. Here the liquid is soaking into the flour and forming a thick wet coating on the turkey. Remove from milk mixture, letting excess milk drain. Place in third bowl and coat evenly with flour blend, firmly packing breading onto cutlets. Repeat until all cutlets have been breaded. Heat skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Coat bottom of pan with ¼-inch vegetable oil. When oil is hot and shimmering, add two cutlets, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Sauté until brown, 2-3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. It may be necessary to add a little more oil to the pan. Be sure to bring new oil to proper temperature before adding cutlets. When all cutlets are sautéed, transfer to a baking pan lined with foil. Bake cutlets for approximately 8-10 minutes until cooked through. Serve with brown gravy and all the holiday fixings. Recipe Note:

• If egg allergy is not an issue, two lightly beaten eggs can be substituted for the flaxseed meal and water.

Brown Gravy

Makes 2 cups Free of gluten and the top eight allergens

• 4 Tbsp allergen-free Margarine, such as Earth Balance Soy Free Buttery Sticks
• 2 cups Onions, finely diced
• ½ cup Bob’s Red Mill Garbanzo Bean Flour (See Recipe Note)
• 4 Tbsp Tomato Paste
• 5 cups Vegetable Broth
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 tsp dried Thyme
• 5 Black Peppercorns

In a medium saucepan, melt margarine over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring often. When onions begin to brown, add flour and tomato paste. Stir to combine and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add 1 cup of broth and whisk to make a smooth paste. Add remaining broth, bay leaf, thyme and peppercorns. Whisk until incorporated. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Skim, aka remove foam that rises to the surface. Add bay leaf, thyme, and peppercorns. Simmer for approximately 35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Skim as needed. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into another saucepan, pressing onions gently to extract their juices. Discard onions and herbs. Return gravy to medium heat and reduce until gravy coats back of spoon, approximately 5 minutes. Recipe Note:

• Garbanzo bean flour is also known as chickpea flour, cici flour, besan flour, and gram flour.

Joel and Mary Schaefer are the husband-and-wife team behind yourallergychefs.com and share a passion for teaching allergy-friendly and gluten free cuisine to food service professionals and consumers alike. Joel, a certified chef de cuisine, is the former Special Dietary Manager at Walt Disney World who developed the food allergy program used across the Disney properties and cruise line. Mary is a certified executive pastry chef, and an expert in gluten free baking. Joel lives with gluten and milk intolerance. Mary has recently been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and sensitivities to gluten, milk, soy, egg, and almonds. Visit their blog, yourallergychefs.com, for more incredible allergy-friendly recipes!