Black Pepper Beef

To celebrate the Chinese New Year, my coworkers and I had a potluck lunch.  One coworker brought an amazing Black Pepper Chicken dish.  I wanted to recreate it and home, but didn't have any chicken, so I turned it into Black Pepper Beef, super easy and super delicious!

Also, just a reminder, I'll be teaching a webinar tonight on essential oil basics and some of the best essential oils to have in your home.  If you would like to be a part of it, go here to register. I hope to 'see' you there!

Black Pepper Beef
3/4 lb sirloin steak or similar
1 tablespoon GF soy sauce
3 tablespoons Corn Starch
1 tablespoon canola or coconut oil
1 small onion, peeled and cut into wedges
4 stalks celery, cut into large pieces
1 stalk of green onion, diced
grated fresh ginger, to taste (optional)
1 tablespoon Gluten Free Soy sauce or Coconut Aminos
1 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
Salt, to taste

Directions:
Cut the beef into thin slices, about 1/4" thick.  Toss the pieces with soy sauce, then evenly coat them with the corn starch.  Evenly spread the beef out on a wire rack set atop a sheet pan, and place the beef in the freezer for about 30 minutes.

Heat up a deep fryer to about 375F.  Fry about 1/4 of the beef at a time, for about 3 minutes.  Allow the beef to drain on paper towels while you cook the remainder of the beef.

Heat a wok or skillet over medium high heat and add in the oil.  Saute the onion and celery for about 5 minutes, until it it tender crisp.  Add in the beef, ginger, green onion, soy sauce, vinegar, and salt and pepper. Cook until heated through and well mixed.

Serve over rice.

This post was shared on Gluten Free Tuesdays, Waste Not Want Not Wednesdays, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Allergy Free Wednesdays, and Gluten Free Fridays.

Adopt a Blogger: Trish from Gluten Free in SLC

I'm taking part in Adopt A Gluten-Free Blogger again. If you’re not familiar, Adopt A Gluten-Free Blogger is a monthly event created by Sea at Book of Yum to help us gluten-free bloggers get to know each other and recreate each others recipes. This month it is hosted by Alta from Tasty Eats At Home. This month, I adopted Trish from Gluten Free in SLC. 

Both Trish and her husband have Celiac disease.  Trish also is intolerant to casein (just like me).  I love her blog, because (1) she's a fellow Utahn. I live in Logan, Utah, she lives in Salt Lake.  I am always checking her restaurant reviews before heading down to the Salt Lake area. She also has a page devoted to places she shops in Salt Lake, which comes in handy, too; (2) she also has some pretty fantastic recipes...and she loves millet flour like I do. :)

I made her chili colorado the other night for dinner and my boys both absolutely loved the sauce.  My older son proclaimed it was the best sauce for dipping tortilla chips.  And I have to say, it is a pretty dang good sauce, and the beef was so tender it was falling apart.  I ate mine with some quinoa, the rest of the family ate their's with corn tortillas and chips.

Note: In her recipe she cooks it on the stovetop, but made a note at the bottom that it could be done in a slow cooker.  So, I did mine in a slow cooker.  The sauce was super thin that way.  So, I made a roux using 2 tablespoons canola oil and 2 tablespoons millet flour, cooked that for a couple minutes, then whisked in about a cup of the sauce and added that mixture back into the slow cooker...it was perfect that way.

Chicken Fried Steak

One day my coworker and I were talking (which we do all the time), and she happened to mention that she recieved some cube steaks from her mother-in-law and she had no idea what to do with them.  I excitedly exclaimed that she should make chicken fried steak...then, I felt left out.  So, I went to the store and bought some cube steaks and made my own. :)  The flour mixture for these steaks is actually the same as my fried green beans (it really is an amazing blend, with the perfect balance of black pepper and cayenne, and enough salt to actually season the meat well).

Chicken Fried Steak

1 cup gluten free flour blend 

1 cup  yellow cornmeal

1 tablespoon  salt

1/2 tablespoon  ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon  ground cayenne pepper

1/2 cup So Delicious Coconut Milk

1 egg

4 cube steaks (1-1.25 lbs)

canola oil for frying

For gravy:

1/4 cup canola oil that was used in frying

1/4 cup millet flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2-1 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2-2 cups So Delicious Coconut Milk

Directions:

Mix together flour blend, cornmeal, salt, and peppers.  Place mixture on a plate. In a bowl mix together the 1/2 cup milk with the egg. 

Heat 1/4 cup or so of canola oil in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat.  Dip steaks in the egg wash, then in the flour mixture, back in the egg mixture, then back into the flour mixture (so doubling breading it). Cook in the canola oil until both sides are golden brown. It should be about 2-3 minutes per side.  Keep steaks warm, while you prepare gravy.

To prepare gravy, mix together 1/4 cup of the used oil with 1/4 cup millet flour in the same skillet used to cook the meat.  Mix together scrapping up the drippings from the pan.  After a minute or two add in the milk and salt and pepper.  If you like your country gravy peppery add in more pepper, if not, add in less. Stir until thickened.  Start with 1 1/2 cups milk, if it's too thick for your liking, add more milk.

Serve steaks with mashed potatoes and top both with the gravy.

This post is featured on Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

I think everyone has there own version of beef stew.  This one is fantastic, you can play with the herbs that you add, or leave them out entirely depending on your taste preference or mood.  I was in the mood for rosemary and thyme this time, so that's what I have in the recipe.  This is enough to feed my family for 3 meals.  I freeze the leftovers and then just thaw and reheat for the subsequent meals...it saves me time and money.

Beef Stew
2-2 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 3/4" squares
salt and pepper
3-4 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 millet flour
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chopped carrots
2 cups chopped celery
3 cups chopped potatoes
4 cups beef broth (I used Pacific Foods brand, I've also used Imagine brand in the past)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leafs
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon black pepper
salt, to taste (depends on how salty your broth is)
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons cold water

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high to high heat.  Season meat with salt and pepper and toss in the flour to evenly coat.  Brown the meat in the skillet for 1-2 minutes on each side and place the meat into the slow cooker.  Add in the remaining ingredients, except for the corn starch and cold water.  Cook on low for 10 hours. Thirty minutes before serving time, mix together corn starch and water and add it to the stew.  Turn the heat up to high and cook until thickened. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.

This post is featured on Gluten-Free Wednesdays.

Barbecue Beans (i.e. Famous Dave's Wilbur Beans)

Before our diet change one of our favorite restaurants to frequent when visiting my mother-in-law was Famous Dave's.  I know they have gluten-free options, but we still haven't been back since the diet change.  My favorite side dish from there is one I'll never be able to enjoy there again--their Wilbur Beans.  But, there are a ton of copy cat recipes out there, and modifying them is quite easy.  And that's exactly what I did, so we could enjoy them with our Christmas dinner this year.  And really, these beans could be a meal on their own, with a bit of cornbread, you'd definitely have a meal. Also, they get better each day, really these are the best leftovers ever!

Gluten-Free Barbecue Beans

8 oz thick sliced bacon
8-16 oz sirloin steak (depending on how much meat you want in your beans, we used 16 oz)
Steak seasoning for the steak (I use Famous Dave's Rib Rub Seasoning)
8 oz smoked sausage (just check and make sure it's gluten-free)
2 tablespoons bacon drippings
2/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon diced jalapeno
2 (28 oz) cans Bush's original baked beans
1 (20 oz) bottle barbecue sauce (find one you really like the flavor of, because that's what your beans will taste like, I use Famous Dave's Texas Pit Barbecue Sauce)

Directions:

Fry bacon in a skillet until crisp. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of the drippings.Cruumble bacon and set aside.

Sprinkle steak with seasoning and grill over high heat until cooked to medium. Cut into 1/2 inch cubes and set aside.

Slice sausage length wise into quarters and then into cubes, set aside.

Saute onions and jalapeno in reserved bacon drippings in a skillet until tender. And in sausage and cook for a few more minutes.

Stir in bacon, steak, beans and bbq sauce. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasinally. 

The flavor is enhanced if stored covered in the refrigerator for at least 8 to 10 hours and reheated just before serving.

Sweet Pork (or Chicken) with Refried Beans

Okay, this is an old standby recipe, and I can't believe I haven't put it on here yet.  It's basically a easy copycat recipe for Cafe Rio's or Costa Vida's Sweet Pork.  And its incredibly easy.  It works with about any meat...I usually use pork, but if I happen to not have any in the house (like this time), I use chicken thighs or breasts, or a beef roast. I thought I would attempt to make homemade refried beans and corn tortillas to go with it and it worked out pretty well. I didn't have dried beans in the house, and this was a spur of the moment thing, so these are more of a shortcut refried beans, because I used canned black beans. With the corn tortillas, I simply followed the directions on my Masa flour...I know I can improve this recipe, they were tasty, but kind of fell apart, like corn tortillas tend to do.

This post is linked here for Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays on Simply Sugar and Gluten-free.

Sweet Pork (or Chicken or Beef)
3-4lb pork shoulder roast, or country style ribs (or equivalent amount of chicken or beef)
1 jar salsa (I actually usually use Pace Picante Sauce)
1 cup brown sugar

Place meat in a slow cooker. Mix together salsa and brown sugar and pour over meat.  Cook on low 8-10 hours (unless you have chicken then do 6-8 hours).  Shred and serve over rice or with corn tortillas.

Shortcut Refried Black Beans
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4-1/2 cup onion (optional)
1-2 cloves garlic (optional)

1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste

Place drained beans into a saucepan and cover with 4 cups of water and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer for 2-3 hours. Drain beans, reserving the liquid.

In a heavy skillet heat oil.  Stir in onions, cook until transparent, add in garlic and cook another minute.  Stir in beans and seasonings.  Mash thoroughly with a potato masher. Stir in enough of the cooking liquid to make a pastelike mixture. 

Cocktail Meatballs

I'm way behind on posting, so I apologize.  We had these meatballs on Sunday, my boys usually do not like meatballs and always attempt ways to get out of eating them...but my older son really loved these, and they are super easy to make.  I'm sure many of you have seen this recipe, or ones similar to it, but it's awesome, because it's easy! We ate our meatballs with rice, just so you know. :)

Cocktail Meatballs

1 16oz bottle grape jelly
1 12oz bottle cocktail sauce
~2lb of gf meatballs, you can use this recipe or the recipe below

Directions

Mix grape jelly and cocktail sauce together in a large sauce pan.  Bring to a boil, add meatballs and reduce and simmer for ~30 minutes.


Sausage Meatballs
12 oz  hamburger
8 oz pork sausage
1 cup soft breadcrumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients and form into 1" balls and place on cookie sheet.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Bacon-wrapped Meatloaf

Okay, I know I already have a meatloaf recipe, but I have always had to standby meatloaf recipes...depending on if I have rolled oats or breadcrumbs handy.  The other recipe is oat based, so this one is obviously my breadcrumb based meatloaf. :)  My older son is finally eating the crusts on his Udi bread, it took until this week, and at $6/loaf, I wasn't going to waste any bit of the bread.  So, when I cut off his crusts, they went straight into the freezer to then be made into breadcrumbs. Quite handy, actually. :)

Bacon-wrapped Meatloaf

1 lb ground beef
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 egg
1/4 cup So Delicious Regular Coconut milk
1 C fresh bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 slices bacon

Combine all ingredients, except bacon, and mix well.  Shape into loaf.  Cover with bacon and cook at 350F for 50-60 minutes.  You can also use this recipe for meatballs (minus the bacon, unless you want bacon-wrapped meatballs, I guess).  Shape into balls and cook at 400F for 20 minutes.

French Dip Sandwiches

I love french dip sandwiches, and I like them fast and easy.  Before this whole diet change, it was one of those meals that I could throw on the table in under 15 minutes, and not even think about it.  Well, we haven't had French Dips since then, because I just didn't feel like it.  Well, the other day I actually did feel like it, and realized that we could no longer use the packets for the Au Jus sauce (yes, I am that lazy, or at least I used to be that lazy).  And, I wasn't cooking a roast, so no drippings there....So, I decided I needed an easy throw together Au Jus recipe, so I could still have my easy throw together French Dip sandwiches. 

French Dip Sandwiches and Au Jus

1 lb thinly sliced roast beef
4 gluten-free buns (I actually had some homemade hot dog buns in the freezer that I used and they were perfect, they held up really well being dipped in the Au Jus)
Au Jus for dipping

Au Jus
1 1/2 cups beef stock (I used Swanson beef stock)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce (I use Lea and Perrins because it's gluten and soy free)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions
Mix ingredients and bring to a boil.  Serve warm with assembled sandwiches.

Meatballs

So, my sitter informed me yesterday that they are having meatballs today...wasn't on the schedule, but luckily I had some breadcrumbs in the freezer, so I whipped up a quick batch and they turned out pretty dang good.  I make my own breadcrumbs, using my bread, once it starts going stale, I cube it and stick it in the blender to make crumbs.  I store mine in the freezer for when I need them, and now my meatballs are in the freezer until I need them as well. :)

Meatballs

1 lb hamburger
3/4 cup soft breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons finely chopped green peppers
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine all ingredients and form into 1" balls and place on cookie sheet.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Gluten-free Teriyaki Marinade

I love teriyaki...chicken, salmon, beef, broccoli, anyway you have it, I like it.  So...here is my gluten-free version:

Gluten-free Teriyaki Marinade/Sauce

1/2 C gluten-free soy sauce (I use Coconut Aminos, if you can have soy, San-J Organic Tamari gluten free soy sauce is fantastic)
1/4 C vegetable oil
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp mustard
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 lb meat (I used chicken this time)

Directions
Blend the soy sauce, oil, ginger, mustard, garlic and brown sugar together in a blender.

Put meat (I cut my chicken and beef into strips) in a large ziploc bag, cover with marinade (reserving a few tablespoons), and place in fridge.

For chicken or beef marinate 6-8 hours, for salmon marinate 2-3 hours.

Broil or grill for 8-10 minutes, basting every few minutes.

(I'm sorry, I forgot to take a picture, before we consumed it all...it really is that good.)

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Meatloaf

I am one of those people that loves meatloaf...it is pure comfort food for me, so once I got my stock of gluten-free oats I knew I was going to be making meatloaf.  Here's my Mom's recipe, modified slightly to make it dairy free as well:

Mom's Meatloaf

1 lb ground beef
1/4 C ketchup
1/2-3/4 C gluten-free rolled oats
1 egg
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper

Mix together and put in a greased bread pan or in muffin tins (I like meat muffins, because they cook a lot faster and they are already in individual servings).  Cook at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes for a loaf or 20-30 minutes for muffins.