Beef Banh Mi Bowls

1 cup white rice
2 cups water

1 cup rice
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 limes
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 english cucumber or 2 persian cucumbers
2 large carrots
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1-2 tsp sriracha sauce
1/4 cup gf soy sauce
2 TBS sugar, divided
1 TBS butter
1/2 TBS oil
salt & pepper

Zest limes and quarter. Trim and halve cucumber lengthwise, thinly slice into half-moons. Medium dice onion. Peel and grate carrots. Bring 2 cups water to boil. Add rice, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook 15-20 minutes, turn off heat and let set an additional 5-10 minutes.

Combine cucumber, 1/2 tsp. sugar, a dash of salt and juice of one lime, about 1 TBS. Mix well and set aside to marinate.

Combine Mayonnaise, 1 small garlic clove, a squeeze of lime juice and sriracha to taste. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add onion and cook, stir until softened, about 4 minutes. Add beef, garlic and 1 TBS sugar. Cook until browned and cooked through. Stir in soy sauce and season with salt and pepper.

fluff rice with fork. Add lime zest and 1 TBS butter. Place rice in bowls, add beef, grated carrot, and pickled cucumber. Top with a squeeze of lime juice if desired and drizzle with sriracha mayo.

Gluten Free Meatballs

1 lb. ground beef
1egg
1/4 cup quinoa, cooked
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. basil
(Can use 1 /2 tsp. Italian seasoning instead of oregano, parsley, basil)
fresh ground pepper


Cook quinoa in 1/2 cup of water.  Mix beef, onion, egg, quinoa, and spices.  Shape into small balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.  Brown in pan over medium high heat.  Add 1/4 cup water and cover.  Turn heat to low and simmer 15 minutes or until no longer pink inside.  Add additional water if necessary.  Can skip this step if simmered in sauce instead.


Use in your favorite sauce.  Can be flash frozen, then placed in a ziploc freezer bag. I made gluten free spaghetti & meatballs.

Meal In Pictures

I hate it when I make perfectly good dishes, take the time to snap a photograph, but don't write anything down. I think, oh this looks good. What is it?

I end up with this:

Or this:


But I can't recall what I did or the secret ingredients.

I need to keep a pen and paper handy while I'm cooking. If I write everything down, and don't throw the paper away, I might be able to share these recipes.

Mexican Lasagne-GF

The Original Burrito Pie was not gluten free, and it made a lot! I tried to scale back a bit since most of my kids are not home. This still serves 8-10 easily, but I fit it in a smaller dish. Here is the updated recipe:

1-1.5 lbs. ground beef or turkey
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans refried beans
2 4 oz. cans green chilies
1 cup salsa-mild or hotter, depends on your preference
1 (2 ounce) can black olives, sliced*
6-12 corn tortillas
2-3 cups shredded cheddar, jack or colby/jack cheese
Salt
Pepper
(I might have added a tsp. of taco seasoning to the ground beef.)

Brown ground meat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper if desired. Add onions and garlic. Stir-fry until onion is soft. If using beef, drain off any oil. Add refried beans & salsa. Mix thoroughly and heat through. You can add chopped green chilies too. If you prefer more green chili flavor, use whole chilies, slicing them into strips.

Spray casserole dish with non-stick spray. Add a thin layer of meat/beans to bottom of dish. Add a layer of green chilies, if you didn't mix them in with the meat. Cut or tear tortillas to layer over meat/beans. Add a layer of cheese and repeat for another layer or two. Top with remaining cheese and olives.

Bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with additional salsa, sour cream, or avocado slices.

*optional

Spicy Chili

2 1/2 lbs stew meat, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
2 TBS oil
1 can tomatoes w/ green chilies
2 cans pinto beans
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBS lime juice
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp. ground chipotle chile powder (can use more if you like it hot!)
1-1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in skillet. Brown meat and transfer to plate. Place the onion, jalapeño, and garlic in pan and cook until softened. Put meat back to pan. Add cumin, oregano, chili powder, coriander, salt, lime juice, and tomatoes. Cook on low for 1 1/2-2 hours, until meat is tender. (Or in crockpot for 4 hours on high or 6-8 hours low.) Add beans and cook another 30 minutes.

Garnish with chopped avocado, cilantro, and fresh chopped onion, if desired.

Beef Taquitos

3 cups leftover roast beef, shredded (or cooked stew meat, shredded)
1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
1 lime
1 can chipotle peppers (I only use 1-2 TBS and save the rest for another dish.)
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
2-3 TBS water
1 8oz. pkg monterey jack cheese, grated
corn tortillas

In a large bowl, finely grate (zest) lime peel. Slice in half and add about 1 TBS of juice. Add 1-2 TBS of diced chipotle peppers with any juice, jalapeno, and seasonings. Stir in water to thin so it is easier to mix into the meat. Combine with meat and cheese. This is enough filling for 10-20 tacquitos, depending on how thick you want to roll them. I was in a hurry and made mine rather thick. Most tacquitos are much smaller in diameter.

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Wrap tortillas in a damp towel and warm in microwave. (If tortillas are too dry, they can be brushed or sprayed with a bit of oil.) Place a couple TBS of filling on each tortilla and roll up. Place on a baking sheet, seem side down. Before baking, lightly spray or brush with oil if you didn't use any before.

Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with sour cream, guacamole, and/or salsa. For an appetizer, cut them in half and use less filling so they roll up tightly.

Gluten Free Meatloaf

2 lbs. ground beef or turkey
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup quinoa, cooked
1 small onion, chopped
1 TBS ginger, peeled and grated
1 1/2 tsp. salt
fresh ground pepper

Topping:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup

Rinse quinoa.  In a small saucepan, boil 1/3 cup of water.  Add quinoa, cover, and turn to low for 12 minutes.  Let sit a few minutes.  Mix meat with the rest of the ingredients (except topping.) I use a 2 prong fork or my hands.  Add quinoa.

Spray 1 large or 2 small loaf pans with non-stick spray. Add meat and shape. Spread ketchup over meat and top with the brown sugar. Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until juice is clear. Let set 5 minutes before slicing.

I was pleased with the results using quinoa.  I tried making meatloaf with gluten free crackers, but it turned out mushy.

Ginger Steak Salad

I didn't take a pic of this meal. I figured the creator of the recipe had plenty of her own good photos. But I had to give a shout out to Pioneer Woman for this excellent salad. Everyone here loved it. And I followed the recipe EXACTLY, which is foreign to me. The only difference was the gluten free soy/tamari sauce. Otherwise the same.

This is a link to Pioneer Woman's Ginger Steak Salad.    This post is for Michael, my husband, when he is browsing my blog for dinner ideas.

Best Burger Ever

Working on the best gluten-free burger ever! And I think you are going to like it.

CrossRibRoast

A cross-rib roast is usually a very tender, full-flavored pot roast.

3 1/2-4 lb. cross rib roast or tip roast
garlic salt
onion powder
fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup red wine
1 tsp. beef base (Better Than Bouillon) or 1 tsp. beef bouillon

A cross-rib roast usually comes wrapped in twine to hold it together.
Leave twine on while cooking.
For this roast, I used a clay baking pot in the oven. This roast also works well in a crockpot. Place meat in pot, side with the most fat up. Sprinkle liberally with garlic salt, pepper, and onion powder. Place top on and bake in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. (My roast wasn't thawed all the way, so I did this to speed it up.) But I think it is also browns the outside a bit.

Turn the oven down to 250 degrees and bake for 2-3 hours. Add 1 cup of warm water with boullion dissolved in it and wine. Continue cooking for 2 hours or so more. It doesn't seem to matter with this type of roast if you cook it longer. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, remove twine and slice. The longer you cook it, the more the meat will fall apart and the harder to slice. But don't let that bother you, it is delicious either way.

Add 1 TBS corn starch mixed in 1 TBS cold water to the pan juices and heat in another pan until thick. Add salt and pepper to taste. Can be used as a sauce for the meat or gravy for potatoes. For a creamy sauce, use sour cream to thicken-about 1/2 cup. To change the flavor try adding dijon mustard or horseradish along with the sour cream to pour of beef if you don't make mashed potatoes.

Gluten Free Beirocks

Some friends were talking about beirocks and runzas. (This is the link if you want regular ones instead of gluten free.) I haven't made them in quite awhile. I was hestitant to attempt to make anything with a gluten free dough. But here they are. They weren't amazing, but good. I'm not sure if it was the added flavor gluten-free flours sometimes add, but I felt like these should be served with a dipping sauce or something. Michael ate his with mustard. I dipped mine in ranch dressing. Next time I'll play with adding a sauce inside and see what happens. In the meantime, these are possible to make gluten free.

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
3 cups sliced and chopped cabbage
1 onion, chopped
garlic salt or salt
fresh ground pepper
1-2 cups grated cheese
1 package Pamela's Gluten Free Bread Mix (or your choice of gluten free bread mix.)

Mix bread dough according to package directions for bagels. Divide dough into 8-10 pieces. Grease a baking sheet. I rub vegetable oil on my hands before working with the dough to keep it from sticking. Roll into balls and then use a rolling pin to roll them into circles or rectangels. I let my dough set for an hour after rolling it out, but I doubt it was necessary. It didn't seem to change much. Next time I will just let them set while I prepare the filling, then fill right away.

Brown ground beef & onion. Drain. Add cabbage and 1/2 c. water. Season with salt/pepper. Cook until water is gone. Top each with meat mix, then some cheese.

Actually I found that it worked better to lay the cheese on first.

That way when you fold the ends together, pinch, then lay them seam side down on the baking sheet, the cheese won't tend to melt out of any cracks at the bottom.

Bake 25-35 minutes at 350 degrees or until lightly browned.

Beef Stir-fry

1 1/2 lbs beef strips (I used the precut beef as it was on sale, but you can thin slice your own)

1/2 large onion, slivered

2 medium zucchini, juilienned

1 red pepper, juilienned

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced

1 can sliced waterchestnuts

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 TBS cornstarch

1 TBS vegetable oil

Salt

Pepper

Mix

Sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce (For gluten free, use GF Tamari or GF Soy Sauce)
2 TBS brown sugar
1 TBS seasoned rice vinegar
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated

Mix sauce ingredients. Place meat in a bowl or dish. Sprinkle a tablespoon or so of sauce over meat and mix. Let sit while you chop of vegetables. When ready to cook, stir in a tablespoon or 2 of cornstarch to the meat. Heat oil in a wok or pan over med/high (in electric skillet 375 degrees.) Add one clove of garlic and meat to pan and stir-fry. If you have a lot of meat, cook in smaller batches. Remove from pan and keep warm.

Add another clove of garlic to pan and stir-fry the zucchini, red pepper, onion, and mushrooms. If desired, grate a little ginger over them while browning. When tender, add meat back in and waterchestnuts. Sprinkle salt & pepper over all. Pour sauce over and heat, stirring to coat all. If you want to thicken the sauce, mix 1 TBS cornstarch with 1 TBS cold water. Pour half into sauce and let thicken. If sauce is too thin, add the rest of the cornstarch mixture to further thicken.

Serve over rice.

Refried Black Beans & Beef Tacos

This is what we had for dinner last night. I was in a pinch. I had leftover pot roast and wanted shredded beef tacos. I was out of canned refried and no time to make homemade. I didn't have premade taco shells but did have corn tortillas. Worked out great.

For the Beans:

1-2 cans black beans
1 TBS olive oil

2-3 TBS salsa or chopped green chilies

2-3 TBS grated cheese

Heat oil in pan. Drain beans, then add to pan. Use a potato masher to stir and mash a bit. When you achieve the desired consistency, add cheese and salsa.

For the taco shells, heat about 1 inch of oil in wok or frying pan. Bring edges of tortilla together so it is gently folded. Hold with tongs and dip fold into hot oil. Hold for 20 seconds or so until the bottom is somewhat formed. Lay shell down into oil and let one side cook. Flip over and lightly brown other side. Drain on paper towels. For a softer shell, leave tortilla open and lightly fry each side 15-20 seconds. Remove from pan and pat with paper towel to remove excess grease. Serve warm. Experiment a little to find how crisp you like your shells.

Shred leftover pot roast in food processor. Add 2-4 TBS beef broth and heat gently in skillet. (I usually just throw mine in the crockpot on high and let heat for about an hour or until I have beans, shells or whatever else I need to do.) You can add a bit of taco seasoning if desired.

Serve tacos with shredded cheese, lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole, avocado, olives, and of course salsa & refried beans.

Shredded Beef Enchiladas

I bought a huge chuck roast the other day. I cooked it up in the crockpot, like a pot roast. I used part of it to make french dip sandwiches we had for dinner. Made lots of roast beef & pepper sandwiches for lunches, and with the rest I made enchiladas.

2-3 cups of shredded beef or cooked stew meat for tacos
Enchilada Sauce
dozen corn tortillas
3 cups shredded cheese
1/2 cup chopped onion
black olives (optional)
1 TBS fresh chopped chives or cilantro (or both)

For filling, mix together meat, 1 1/2 cups of cheese, onion, and about 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce. If you like black olives, you can add 1/4 cup of chopped or sliced olives to the filling also. Since I have family members who despise them, I just put them on the top. Easy to pick off that way.

Spray or grease a 9x13 inch pan. Ladle a think layer of sauce in pan. Place tortillas in paper towels and heat in microwave for about a minute. Dip each tortilla in sauce, place a couple of tablespoons of filling and roll up. Place in pan, seam down or against the side. When finished, pour remaining enchilada sauce over all. Top with cheese, olives, and chives/cilantro. Bake 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, & sour cream.

Another Chili Dish

2 lbs. ground beef (or ground turkey)
1 can black beans

1 can pinto beans
1 can tomato sauce

1 12 oz. bottle beer
1 onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped red or green pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBS chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
2 tsp. sugar

Brown ground beef, adding onion powder and garlic salt. When almost cooked, add onion and garlic. Drain off any fat. Add beans, tomato sauce, beer, & remaining spices. Simmer for 30 minutes or throw into crockpot on low until ready to eat. Usually I add tomatoes, green chilies and such for chili, but I had to use what I had on hand. I served this with Lisa's One Hour French Bread.

Baked Ziti

1 16 ounce box of ziti, mostaccioli noodles, or penne pasta
3-4 cups of grated parmesan cheese
2 packages of sliced provolone cheese or 18 slices from the deli
3 to 4 cups of grated mozzarella cheese
1 lb. sausage or ground beef (optional)

Italian Sauce:
1 – 6 ounce can of tomato paste
3-15 oz cans of tomato sauce
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 cloves minced garlic
1 TBS fresh chopped parsley
1 TBS oregano
1 TBS basil (if using fresh, increase to 3 TBS each)
1-2 tsp. crushed fennel seeds

Brown sausage in a medium saucepan. Drain any oil. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 1-2 hours. For dishes like baked ziti, simmering isn't necessary and can be assembled right away. If sauce becomes to thick, thin with additional wine.

Spoon a layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Add a layer of noodles, enough so you can’t see the bottom of the pan. Layer each of the following:

1 cup of shredded mozzarella
1 cup of grated parmesan
6 slices of provolone

Add another layer of sauce and repeat layers.T op with a little sauce and shredded cheese. Bake 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Quicker Shredded Beef Tacos

3-4 lbs. beef stew meat

1 tsp. onion powder*

1 tsp. garlic salt*

1 tsp. instant beef bouillon*

1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper

2-3 cups of water

2-3 cups shredded lettuce

1 chopped tomato

chopped onion

chopped avocado

salsa*

sour cream

shredded cheese*

1 pkg. taco shells*

Toss stew meat in pressure cooker. Mine is usually frozen. Add 2-3 cups of water. (Because my pressure cooker is nearly 30 years old, I think it leaks a lot. So I need 3 full cups of water to keep from running out. Add onion powder, garlic salt, pepper, boullion & water. When rocker begins rocking, cook 20-30 minutes. (Longer if your meat is frozen.)

While meat is cooking, chop, shred, and slice your other ingredients. Heat taco shells and serve with toppings. Of course you can always make ground beef tacos, but my family would be very unhappy. If you buy the stew meat in 3-4 lb. packages, it is every bit as inexpensive as ground beef, but so much better. And sometimes cheaper too.

*For Gluten Free, check labels on these products to ensure they are truly gluten free.

London Broil

2 lb flat iron or flank steak
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup red wine, merlot or cabernet sauvignon
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
2 TBS honey or brown sugar
2 TBS olive oil
fresh ground black pepper

Mix marinade ingredients together in glass bowl. I warm in microwave 15 seconds to warm the honey to mix better. Place meat in a gallon size ziploc bag. Pour marinade over and seal. Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Overnight is best.

Drain marinade. Grill on high heat about 4 minutes a side, or to your likeness. Slice across the grain and serve.

Beef Barley Stew

Do you ever throw something together for dinner, then forget just exactly what you put in it? Of course it will be a dish everyone loves and wants you to make again. I put together this Beef Barley Soup, remembered to take a quick photo, but didn't write out the ingredients. So I will have to make it again and see if I can figure it out. (I made this December 1st and left it sitting in my drafts until I had the recipe written. My memory just isn't what it used to be.)
Ok, here it is to the best of my recollection:

2-3 lbs stew meat, (can use less, but my bunch are meat eaters)
1 onion chopped
1 TBS olive oil
2 TBS flour
1 cup chopped celery, include some green leaves
2 cups chopped carrots
1/2 cup fresh or frozen green beans, cut in 1 inch pieces
1 can diced tomatoes
2-3 TBS fresh chopped parsley
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic cloves, minced
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup red wine
salt
pepper
1/2 cup medium pearl barley

Brown meat in oil. Add onions & garlic, cooking until onion is soft. Add flour to coat meat. For slow-cooker, at this point tranfer this to crockpot. Add broth and stir well. Add remaining vegetables, wine, seasonings, and water or more broth to cover all. Cook 8-10 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high. Remove bay leaf and add barley during the last hour, cooking on high until it is tender. Serve with crusty french bread.

Taco Soup

This recipe came from a friend.

2 lbs ground beef browned w/onions
1 large chopped onion
small can chopped green chilies
15 oz can corn
2 cans pintos
1 can kidney beans
3 cans stewed tomatoes
1 pack taco seasoning
1 pack ranch dressing mix

Cook 1 hour on low heat or in the crockpot for several hours. I didn't use an entire package of ranch dressing, it just seemed like overkill. I used my own taco seasoning and frozen corn. Instead of stewed tomatoes & green chilies, I used 2 cans of tomatoes w/greenchilies. And I added garlic. Gosh, I suppose I should just rewrite the recipe as I made it.

2 lbs ground beef browned
1 large chopped onion
1-2 cloves garlic or 1 tsp. garlic salt
2 cans tomatoes w/green chilies
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
2 cans pintos
1 can kidney beans
3 TBS taco seasoning
1/2 package ranch dressing mix

Brown ground beef with onions and garlic. Drain & add all ingredients to the crockpot. If in a hurry, simmer on stovetop 30-40 minutes.