Broccoli Beef

I created this recipe before going gluten free. I wanted something with the robust taste you get at a restaurant, but with the healthy flair of made at home. This is what I came up with.

Broccoli Beef

1/4 c soy sauce2 t oil1/3 c white grape juice1 t sugar2 t cornstarch¾ lb beef round steak (cut 1/8 inch thick)
3 T oil1 slice ginger root (or caramelized ginger from the spice isle)1 garlic clove (diced)1 - 2 lb broccoli (cut into florets)

Whisk together soy sauce, oil, grape juice, sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl. Stir until dissolved. Place steak pieces into a shallow bowl, pour the mixture over the meat and stir to coat well. Marinate 30 minutes to overnight.

Heat vegetable oil in a wok over medium high heat, and stir in the ginger and garlic. Let them sizzle in the hot oil for about 1 minute to flavor the oil, then remove and discard. Stir the broccoli, and toss and stir in the hot oil until bright green and almost tender (7 minutes). Remove the broccoli from the wok. Set aside.

Pour a little more oil in the wok. Stir and toss the beef with the marinade until the sauce thickens, and the meat is no linger pink (about 5 minutes). If the sauce doesn't thicken, add more cornstarch. Return the cooked broccoli to the wok, and stir until the meat and broccoli are heated through (3 minutes).
Serve over rice or noodles.

Beef Enchilada Caserole

Since going gluten free I've made enchiladas a few times, but the corn tortillas split when I roll them. It still tastes good, but doesn't look great. So I decided to make them into a casserole instead. It's easier and looks fabulous!

Beef Enchilada Casserole

1 lb ground beef or lean turkey
1 sm onion (chopped)
1 can refried beans
1 can kidney, pinto or black beans
1 can sliced black olives (optional)
corn tortillas
1 can enchilada sauce (Old el Paso is GF)
1/2 lb american or cheddar cheese (grated)

sour cream or plain yogurt
lettuce or spinach*
tomatoes (chopped)

Brown the meat and onions over medium high heat. Pour in a bowl. Add beans and refried beans and stir. If you like olives, mix most of them in. I don't, but Dave does, so I do half with and half without.

Open the can of enchilada sauce and pour a little on the bottom of your 9 x 13 pan. Line with tortillas, top with the bean mixture, and top with tortillas. Drizzle with a little enchilada sauce. Repeat the process twice (so there are 3 total layers).

Top with remaining enchilada sauce, cover with cheese and remaining olives. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Top with sour cream, lettuce and tomatoes.

Yeilds: 8 servings



* Spinach has two times as much iron, calcium, protein, potassium, niacin, and vitamins. It also has more fiber. Just saying ;)

Homemade Sushi

For my birthday I wanted Sushi. But it can be hard to go out to a sushi restaurant and find something gluten free. On top of that I'm pregnant, so no fried rolls or anything uncooked. I realized this wasn't an easy combination to find at a restaurant. So I decided to make it a fun sushi making night for my birthday.

I made a list of my favorite combinations from my favorite restaurants, and slightly altered them so they would be gluten free as well as cooked. I love the more fruity sushi's and my husband loves the spicy ones, so we did a little of both with a little combinations too.

Our favorite combinations*
crab, jalapeno, cream cheese, spicy sauce, topped with thinly sliced lemons
shrimp, mango, jalapeno, cream cheese, topped with eel sauce
crab, avocado, cucumber, cream cheese, topped with spicy sauce
shrimp, cucumber, sweet potato, cream cheese, topped with eel sauce
shrimp, mango, jalapeno, spicy sauce, topped with thinly sliced lemons

I decided to use crab sticks as well as shrimp as our foundations. Now as a heads up, the imitation crab stick I tried to get had wheat as an ingredient. So if you're strongly averse to gluten, make sure you find one without, or use real crab stick. If you want to use raw fish, make sure you use sushi grade fish (ask at the fish counter to make sure you can serve this raw).

Homemade Sushi

2 c sushi rice

3 1/2 c water

1/2 c rice vinegar

1 T vegetable oil

1/4 c sugar

1 t salt

Rinse the rice in a strainer or colander until the water runs clear. In rice cooker, combine water with vinegar, oil, sugar and salt. Add the rinsed rice and stir. Cook until rice cooker turns off.

spicy mayo

sweet eel sauce

10 seaweed wrappers

filling*

poppy seeds/sesame seeds

wasabi

soy sauce

To make the sushi you will also need a sushi mat, saran wrap if you want to make an inside out rolls (rice on the outside).

Lay down your sushi mat, followed by your rice paper. Top with sushi rice (covering 2/3 of the seaweed paper). If you want an inside out roll, flip the rice paper over on top of a piece of saran wrap (placed on top of the sushi mat). Fill with your choice of toppings. When you're ready to roll it up, slightly dampen the sushi on the end, and using the sushi mat, roll it all up! Slice it up and enjoy!

Gouda & Potato Soup

My mom introduced me to this recipe. It's probably the best tasting potato soup recipe I've ever made (and I've tried out my fair share of them). And best of all, it's a crock pot recipe! So chop the potatoes, shred the cheese and the hard work is over!

Gouda & Potato Soup

6 c peeled Yukon gold potatoes (9 medium)

3 ½ c chicken broth

½ c water

1 small red onion (finely chopped)

2 cups spinach

½ t salt

¼ t ground red pepper

¼ t black pepper

2 ½ c smoked gouda (grated)*

1 can evaporated milk

4 cloves garlic

Combine potatoes, broth, water, onion, spinach, salt, red pepper, and black pepper in the crock pot. Cover and cook on low10 hours or high 4 to 5 hours.

Turn slow cooker to high. Slightly mash potatoes, and add cheese, garlic & evaporated milk. Cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

*Smoked Gouda is not a flavor I enjoy on a sandwich or crackers (too much smoke for my taste), so I grate what I need, and freeze the rest for next time I want to make this.