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Buffalo Style Avocado Toast {gluten-free}
I have said it before and I will say it again, you can take the girl out of Buffalo, but you can’t take the Buffalo out of the girl. The feelings of being homesick and missing my family back home in Buffalo, NY have hit new levels after over a year of being separated. Southern California is quite a far distance. This Buffalo Style Avocado Toast is quite possibly my favorite new way to blend together the flavors of my two homes and celebrate the heritages of these two great places.
We just had our 8 year anniversary of living in Southern California and there is so much to love about our home. The weather, the ocean, the people, the fresh, local produce year ‘round, just to name a few. But being so far away from family is definitely the trade-off. So of course, I am always looking for ways to bring the flavors of back home in Buffalo out here to California.
I learned pretty early on that Californians take their love of the avocado quite seriously and even more, a classic avocado toast seems to be a menu staple at restaurants everywhere out here. To ensure you’re enjoying locally grown avocados, be sure to check for California on the label from spring through summer! So let’s give it an update, shall we?
This recipe blends my two homes together in a delicious open-face sandwich that makes my heart so happy. There is a comfort with all of these flavors independently so together it just works for me. I know you will agree.
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Paleo Buffalo Ranch Dressing {dairy-free, whole30, keto}
Like my classic dairy-free ranch dressing, this Paleo Buffalo Ranch Dressing has turned into a bit of a staple around here. It’s creamy, rich and loaded with the flavors of classic Buffalo Chicken Wings, without the dairy or sketchy ingredients of most store-bought salad dressings.
At this point, we all know how I feel about Buffalo-style foods. After 30+ years in that city, it certainly left a mark on my heart, well, I suppose in this case, my palate. I’ve been in Southern California over 5 years now and I will ALWAYS have a large bottle of Frank’s Red Hot sauce in the fridge. Because when in doubt, make it Buffalo-style. I love a few dashes of that stuff on my scrambled eggs, on simple grilled meats and of course, on my Big F-in Salads.
This Paleo Buffalo Ranch Dressing adds the spicy flavor of classic Buffalo wings to classic ranch and it will add a kick to any boring salad, it’s a great dip for raw veggies, it’s perfect for roast potatoes or homemade french fries (your standard potato AND sweet potato) and I even love drizzling it over a big huge bowl of roasted veggies, like Brussel sprouts or broccoli.
Of course, if you are making some crispy Buffalo wings, (might I suggest Mark’s crispy grilled chicken wings) this Paleo Buffalo Ranch Dressing is the perfect compliment for even more flavor. I am not trying to tell you what to do, but definitely if you are making my Crispy Paleo Chicken Tenders, this Paleo Buffalo Ranch Dressing is an absolute must there, too.
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Paleo Buffalo Chicken Salad {Gluten-free, Keto, Dairy-free, Whole30}
All the flavors of classic Buffalo Chicken Wings that I grew up on get packed into this more healthful Paleo Buffalo Chicken Salad. This can easily be made ahead, it’s great for meal prepping for the week and it’s a perfect use for leftover chicken. Served in lettuce cups over a big salad, it’s a simple recipe bursting with flavor.
After a week back home in Buffalo, New York with my family, it felt appropriate to share this recipe with you as I return home to California. My Paleo Buffalo Chicken Salad has become a bit of a staple food around our house. With making a big batch of shredded chicken each week for meal prep, I always save a bunch of the chicken specifically for this flavor-packed chicken salad.
Making a batch of this salad fits into out meal prep plan, because we make a bunch at once to be eaten throughout the week. It’s a great make-ahead recipe, great for batch cooking and the perfect use for leftover chicken.
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Crispy Paleo Chicken Fingers {Buffalo-Style and Original}
These Crispy Paleo Chicken Fingers are a grain-free peek into my childhood. Buffalo-Style and Original with option for stove-top or baked. Growing up in Buffalo chicken fingers were a staple, but going gluten-free and consequently paleo, I have forever been on the hunt for the perfect, crispy tenders. I have perfected my recipe over the years and I am finally sharing with you.
We all had those foods we heavily mourned over, then forever lusted after when we first went gluten-free. Being a true Buffalo girl, growing up in the land of pizza, chicken wings and epic bar food, that food for me was chicken fingers. I have no shame in admitting that. I can fully remember the day I discovered my gluten intolerance, being so sad that I would never have chicken fingers again. A loss of great proportions. That said, I literally feel like I have spent the last nearly 13 years of being gluten-free, testing, making and perfecting my chicken finger game. I take my chicken fingers very seriously.
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Crispy Grilled Chicken Wings – Three Ways
These Crispy Grilled Chicken Wings are a summertime entertaining staple at our house. A recipe developed and perfected by my husband Mark, I am so excited to now share it with all of you.
I have to say, in the over 7 years that Tasty Yummies has existed, I cannot believe we’ve never had my husband Mark as a guest contributor here. While I do most of the cooking around here, the grilling duties land nearly exclusively on his shoulders and this man has truly mastered his craft.
These are a low and slow method, so they aren’t a quick throw them on the grill recipe, but this actually makes for a great recipe when entertaining. Our grill is front and center on our large deck, we all gather round with drinks and snacks while Mark tends to his duties. He likes having a job and I love relinquishing some of the cooking control. Don’t rush these, the crispiness and lack of dryness is all thanks to the indirect method Mark developed.
What Beth Says: Mark takes his grilling very seriously and he is always tweaking and adjusting his methods, creating new ways to use old tricks. This grilled chicken wing recipe of his is by far the most popular. Based on the concept of his long-perfected beer can chicken these wings are now legendary and the reputation of these wings might just precede Mark, at this point.
I love this particular recipe for so many reasons. 1) it’s created by the human I love most in this world. DUH! 2) this recipe has afforded me a little more opportunity to actually enjoy dinner guests, especially in the summer months. With most of the cooking generally being my responsibility, with good reason, I usually host dinner and feel like I spend more time preparing and cooking, than I do being able to visit. Now I can craft a few sides, a salad and a dessert and leave the main up to my man! 3) being from Buffalo, I feel like it’s in my DNA to love chicken wings. However I am usually underwhelmed and left feeling crazy gross with almost all restaurant chicken wings, so I just never eat them. I can assume that likely the feeling of hot gut death is because they are submerged in hot, rancid, oxidized garbage vegetable oil. With these grilled wings cooking low and slow, they are crispy, without being dried out and there is not of those horrible, ‘what did I just do?’ feelings in your tummy. 4) We get invited to a lot more BBQs, with the request that we show up and make these. Fair enough!
Thanks for the photo Gustavo Jaimes
What Mark Says: Marky love wingy. They say everything in art is inspired by something else, well at least that’s what I hope they say – because I say it all of the time. The idea for my backyard Crispy Grilled Chicken Wings came from two other works of art. Years ago before Tasty Yummies was the powerhouse it is today, we experimented with the infamous Beer Can Chicken and the Butterflied Chicken (link below), these types of meals gave me a chance to give back to the woman that feeds me everyday and, if we’re being totally honest, looks after my nutrition like hawks fly around roadkill. The grill became my thing, I got good at it and for a food dummy, Tasty Yummies was proud of me.
