Orange Beef and Broccoli

I have started this thing where I am trying to use up sauces and such that I have just sitting around.  I have had rice vinegar in my cabinet for awhile and it is time for it to get moving.  Fortunately, I found this recipe.  My advice it to chop, juice, and zest all ingredients before starting to cook.  The way I made it, it wasn’t very spicy, but you could always leave the jalapeño seeds in or add in some chili peppers to spice it up.

Sauce Ingredients:

1 T. oil (I used canola)

1 and 1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

1 jalapeño, chopped (I easily removed the seeds with a grapefruit spoon)

2 T. orange zest from a navel orange

3 garlic cloves, minced

juice of the navel orange that you just zested

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. rice vinegar (not the seasoned kind)

1/4 c. soy sauce (make sure it’s gluten free if you are eating gluten free)

1 T. fish sauce (I know Thai Kitchen is gluten free- not sure about the others)

 

Beef Ingredients:

1 egg (I used 1 Ener-G egg which is 1 1/2 tsp of the powder plus 2 T. water)

1 T. cornstarch

1 pinch of sea salt

1 to 1 1/2 pounds of steak, cut into 1-inch slivers (I used sirloin steak I think, but flank or rib-eye would do also)

1/4 c. canola oil

1 bunch of green onion, sliced into one inch pieces with white and green parts separated

Broccoli, optional

 

Sauce directions:

Heat oil in a 2-quart saucepan.  Add in ginger, orange zest, and jalapeños.  Stir for 1-2 minutes to heat them up, then add garlic.  Stir for another 1-2 minutes.  Add remaining sauce ingredients to the pan and stir well.  Bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer while continuing to stir.  Sauce should thicken and reduce a little.

Beef directions:

In a medium bowl, make Ener-G egg (see directions on the box) if not using real eggs.  Add in cornstarch and salt and stir well.   Add sliced beef and mix well (I used my hands.)  Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet.  Add in beef and cook for 1-2 minutes on one side, add the white parts of the green onions, and then turn the beef over.  It will be medium/medium-rare at this point.  Cook until the outside of the meat is browned and then pour in sauce and green onions.  Mix in steamed broccoli.  Serve over basmati rice.

 

Original recipe:

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017697-orange-beef

Peach Cobbler

I created this recipe the weekend I got engaged.  My now-husband was with me in the store waiting patiently (or so it seemed) to propose (unbeknownst to me) while I spent time comparing recipes and deciding if fresh or canned peaches would work better.   Finally, I made all my purchases, checked out, and put the fresh peaches in the cooler.  We made it to the park and he proposed and then we went and played pre-scheduled laser tag with my family.  All in all it was an eventful day!  A recipe can never compare to being proposed to by the guy you love, so obviously the proposal takes the cake as to the most exciting part of the weekend :-).  Nevertheless, here is the cobbler that ensued.

 

Part one ingredients::

8 peaches, sliced and pitted with peels still on

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. brown sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

2 tsp cornstarch

Part one directions:

Stir all ingredients together and then bake in an oven-safe dish for 10 minutes at 425 degrees.

Part two ingredients:

8 T. butter (can use less)

1 1/2 c. flour (1 1/4 c. brown rice flour, 1/4 c. tapioca starch, 1/4 tsp xanthan gum)

2 1/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. milk (I used coconut)

Part two directions:

Melt 8 T. butter and put into 8×8 pan or 9×9.  Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and stir well.  Pour over the butter in the 9×9 dish.  Don’t stir.  Spoon in peaches and then gently pour in syrup.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until dough on top is cooked through. Serve in bowls.  May be served with vanilla ice cream.

 

Southwest Chicken Salad

We couldn’t get enough of this salad.  You can increase or decrease ratios of what you want in your salad.

 

Ingredients:

Lettuce- I used spring mix

Frozen corn- steamed or microwaved

Chopped fresh tomatoes

Cooked brown rice- I did mine in a rice cooker

Black beans- from a can or cooked in a crockpot

Southwest Chicken*

Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing*

 

 

*Southwest Chicken ingredients:

1/3 c. oil

3 T. white vinegar

1 T. fresh cilantro, chopped

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 pound of chicken breasts

Directions:

Combine spices.  Add oil, vinegar, and cilantro.  Place all into a plastic ziploc bag and add chicken.  Allow to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.  Grill chicken until cooked through- about 6-7 minutes per side. Baste chicken with leftover marinade when you turn it.  Make sure chicken is thoroughly cooked.

 

*Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing ingredients:

2 small avocados

2 T. mayonnaise (I used Vegenaise so it would be egg free)

1 c. cilantro, washed

2 green onions, sliced

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

juice of 1 lime (about 1 T.)

3 T. milk (I used unsweetened cashew milk)

4 T. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp white vinegar

Directions:

Scoop out the avocados and save the pits for storing in the dressing. Blend all ingredients in the blender until smooth.  Store in the fridge in an airtight container with the avocado pits in the dressing to help keep it fresh.  Could also be used as a dip.

Southwest Chicken

This chicken goes perfectly on top of a salad.  It has a nice, strong flavor.

 

Ingredients:

1/3 c. oil

3 T. white vinegar

1 T. fresh cilantro, chopped

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 pound of chicken breasts

 

Directions:

Combine spices.  Add oil, vinegar, and cilantro.  Place all into a plastic ziploc bag and add chicken.  Allow to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.  Grill chicken until cooked through- about 6-7 minutes per side. Baste chicken with leftover marinade when you turn it.  Make sure chicken is thoroughly cooked.

May be combined with my Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing.

 

Original recipe:

http://www.mccormick.com/recipes/main-dishes/southwest-chicken

 

Honey Garlic Pork Chops

These pork chops are ridiculously easy.  Switch out regular soy sauce for gluten free soy sauce.  Marinate.  Grill.  Done.

 

Ingredients:

1/4 plus 1/8 c. honey

3 T. soy sauce (I prefer Kikkoman’s Gluten Free Soy Sauce)

6 cloves garlic, minced

6 pork chops

 

Directions:

Combine honey, soy sauce, and garlic.  Put pork chops in a ziploc bag, add sauce, and marinate for 5-6 hours.  Grill on medium-high heat and turn them twice, brushing on extra marinade each time.  Check to make sure chops are cooked through.  May be served with a side of grilled vegetables or a salad.  This may be made in a skillet if you do not have a grill.

 

Original recipe:

http://www.food.com/recipe/honey-garlic-pork-chops-306048

 

 

Easiest Enchiladas

These enchiladas were ridiculously easy.  I just skipped the whole rolling up part and put enchiladas on the top and bottom of everything.  There is real cheese pictured here.  You could either use real cheese, skip the cheese altogether, or use a dairy free “cheese”.

Ingredients:

1/2 bag of black beans, pre-cooked in crockpot (about 8 oz)

1 1/2 lb ground beef, cooked

1 onion, chopped

1 small can of Rotel (10 oz)

1 large can of Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce (28 oz)

1 can tomato sauce (8 oz)

12 corn tortillas

1 c. white cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, or non-dairy cheese (optional)

 

Directions:

Pre-cook the beans and beef separately.  Reserve 1/4 of the can of enchilada sauce for later. Combine all ingredients except the tortillas and cheese in a skillet and cook until warm.  Grease a 9×13 pan.  Put 1/2 of reserved enchilada sauce on bottom of pan to help keep tortillas moist.  Lay down a layer of 6 tortillas.  Pour in all of the ground beef and bean mixture and 1/2 c. of cheese.  Put down a second layer of 6 tortillas.  Top with the remaining enchilada sauce and make sure to cover every piece of exposed tortilla with a little sauce.  Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

 

Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing

Even my husband, who doesn’t really care for avocados, was helping me lick the bowl after this one.  We served it over a southwest salad.

 

Ingredients:

2 small avocados

2 T. mayonnaise (I used Vegenaise so it would be egg free)

1 c. cilantro, washed

2 green onions, sliced

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

juice of 1 lime (about 1 T.)

3 T. milk (I used unsweetened cashew milk)

4 T. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp white vinegar

 

Directions:

Scoop out the avocados and save the pits for storing in the dressing. Blend all ingredients in the blender until smooth.  Store in the fridge in an airtight container with the avocado pits in the dressing to help keep it fresh.  Could also be used as a dip.

 

Inspired by:

http://www.food.com/recipe/creamy-cilantro-avocado-dressing-449407

Gnocci and Spaghetti Sauce

 

Our store carries gluten free gnocci.  If yours doesn’t, I’m sorry and the link at the bottom has  recipe for gnocci.  If you need to to be gluten free, I would probably just blend some brown rice flour, tapioca starch and potato flour together instead of the all-purpose flour, but I haven’t actually tried that so I don’t know how it would go…  If you can’t find gnocci or you don’t want to make it, you could sub in spaghetti or macaroni noodles.

 

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves

4 cans tomato sauce (8 oz each)

1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz)

1 tsp dried oregano (I used 1 T. fresh)

1 tsp dried basil (I used 1 T. fresh)

1/2 tsp dried rosemary (I used 1 T. fresh)

1 to 2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

 

Directions:

Brown ground beef.  Add all ingredients and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Boil gnocci until it floats to the top.  Scoop out the pieces that have floated to the top until all pieces are cooked.  Stir into meat sauce.

See this link for gnocci and the original meatsauce recipe:

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/gnocchi-with-meat-sauce

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Raspberry Cordial

The other night we had an Anne of Green Gables party complete with raspberry cordial.  Truth be told, raspberry cordial takes too long to make, so this is actually raspberry lemonade masquerading as raspberry cordial.  But you know what?  No one cared.  It was quite good and very quick to make.  I also like that I could use the raspberry  pulp instead of throwing it out as so many recipes suggested.  That may be all well and good if you picked raspberries from the wild and have plenty to spare, but these were purchased for a price at a grocery store, so I didn’t want to throw out the pulp.   So here you have it: quick and easy “raspberry cordial”.

Ingredients:

12 oz. raspberries (I used fresh, but you could use frozen ones that you’ve defrosted)

1 1/2 c. lemon juice (I used 2 limes in there because that’s what I had)

1 1/3 c. sugar

4 c. water

 

Directions:

Crush raspberries in a bowl with a spoon.  Stir in the sugar and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.  Then, blend the raspberries in a blender until smooth (the seeds probably won’t blend and that’s good.  Strain them out later.)  Stir in the lemon juice and water.  Strain out the seeds.  Chill for 3-4 hours and serve- preferably while watching Anne of Green Gables :-).

 

Original recipe:

http://www.myrecipes.com/m/recipe/raspberry-lemonade-4

Italian Salad Dressing

I had dinner guests over the other night and wanted to use lots of herbs.  This is what happened.

Ingredients:

2 garlic cloves

1 tsp dried thyme or 1 T. fresh thyme

1 T. fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried

1 T. fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried

1 T. fresh basil or 1 tsp dried

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 c. olive oil

2 T. rice vinegar

2 tsp sugar (optional)

1/2 tsp sea salt

 

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until minced.  All of my herbs were fresh from the garden except for thyme.  This goes well on a spinach salad with vegetables mixed in.

See my garden?  Please ignore the grass that is growing in :-).

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