Mongolian Beef

This is a version of P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef.  Mine has extra vegetables :-).

 

Sauce Ingredients:

2 tsp oil (I used canola.)

1/2 tsp minced ginger

1 T. minced garlic

1/2 c. soy sauce (I use Kikkoman’s Gluten Free Soy Sauce)

1/2 c. water

3/4 c. brown sugar

 

Beef Ingredients:

1 c. oil

1 pound steak (I used whatever was a good price at the store.), cut into 1/4-inch thick strips.

1/4 c. cornstarch

2 large green onions, chopped (I think I may have used the whole bunch)

1-3 c. frozen Asian veggie mix- allow to thaw while you are cooking

 

Directions:

Heat the 2 tsp. oil in a small saucepan over medium low heat.  Carefully add the ginger and garlic and then immediately add the soy sauce, water, and brown sugar.  Stir to dissolve the sugar.  After sugar is dissolved, boil for 2-3 minutes and then set it aside.

Heat 1 c. oil in a wok or large skillet.  Coat the steak in the cornstarch and allow it to rest for 10 minutes so the coating will stay on.  Cook beef briefly until all sides are browned, but meat should not be cooked through.

Remove meat from the pan and dump out the oil.  Return the meat to the pan and add the sauce and green onion and frozen veggies.  Serve over rice.

Adapted from: http://www.topsecretrecipes.com/pf-changs-mongolian-beef-copycat-recipe.html

Lemon-herb Chicken

 

Ingredients:

1/4 c. olive oil

3 T. minced garlic

1/3 c. white wine

1 T. lemon zest

2 T. lemon juice

1 lemon, cut in 8 pieces

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

Salt and pepper to taste (maybe 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper)

4 chicken breasts

 

Directions:

In a saucepan, heat oil and add garlic.  Take off the heat before the garlic turns brown (about 1 minute).  Add wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper.

Pour sauce into a 9×13 pan and then coat chicken breasts with a little olive oil and put them in the dish.  Add a little more salt and pepper on top and then spread lemon wedges throughout pan.  Bake for 30-40 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and make sure the chicken is cooked thoroughly.  Wait 10 minutes to eat.  This keeps the chicken moister if you wait to cut into it.

 

Original recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/lemon-chicken-breasts-recipe.html

One-serving Lemon Herb Chicken

I really don’t like to make only one serving of things, but I know some people don’t like leftovers.  I made my other lemon herb chicken recipe and had leftover chicken, so I made this single serving.  Here’s to all of you who don’t like leftovers :-).

 

Ingredients:

1 large chicken breast

2 sprigs rosemary

1 T. olive oil

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1/8 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp garlic

4 T. white wine

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

juice of one lemon, rind cut into quarters

 

Directions:

Pour all ingredients over the chicken breast in an oven safe pan.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until chicken is baked through (this will depend on the size of the chicken breast).

Mashed Potatoes

I LOVE mashed potatoes.  I loved them as a kid and I love them now.  However, without dairy, I haven’t made a great batch of mashed potatoes until now.  If you can have dairy, you can easily use the regular stuff.  These have kept well in the fridge and the consistency has stayed true even several days later.  The large amount of salt makes it taste like restaurant mashed potatoes.  Yum!  We served this with pork loin and a salad.

 

Ingredients:

3 large russet potatoes- washed but with skins on

3-4 T. butter (I used SmartBalance which is non-dairy)

6 oz. sour cream (I used Tofutti’s Better Than Sour Cream which is non-dairy)

2 tsp sea salt or less depending on your tastes

1 tsp parsley, chopped (optional)

optional: sliced green onions for garnish

 

Directions:

Cut potatoes into 1/2 to 1 inch chunks.  Put them in a pot and cover with water.  Bring water to a boil and continue to cook until potatoes can easily be pierced with a fork.  Strain out potatoes into a large bowl.  Fold in butter and sour cream so they can melt.  Use a hand mixer to cream the potatoes to the desired texture.  Add salt one teaspoon at a time to taste.  Mix in a parsley.  Top with green onions.

 

This is my 100th recipe on my blog!

Updated Categories

Sometimes mothers have the best ideas.  My mom suggested I put my recipes into categories such as cookies, cakes, pies, etc. so that people don’t have to scroll forever or remember the name of a recipe.  Why didn’t I think of that?  I have now organized the recipes to be more user-friendly. I hope this leads to many more delicious meals for you and your family.  Thanks, Mom!

Carrot Cake

This recipe pairs perfectly with my Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting.

Wet Ingredients:

2 c. shredded carrots

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 c. milk (I used coconut milk to make it dairy free.)

2/3 c. coconut oil

Dry Ingredients:

2 1/4 c. flour (I used 1 c. brown rice flour, 3/4 c. potato starch, 1/2 c. tapioca starch, 1/2 tsp xanthan gum)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cloves

3/4 c. chopped walnuts

 

oil and flour for dusting (I used white rice flour)

Directions:

Stir together the carrots, sugars, and vanilla in a large bowl.  Add the milk and coconut oil and stir.  In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients except for the walnuts.  Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  Stir until there are no lumps and then add the walnuts.  Pour into two oiled and floured round cake pans (I used spring form).  It should be about 1.5 cups of batter per pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes.  A toothpick should come out clean when inserted in the middle.  Do not over bake.

 

Cool completely and frost it with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting.  To make a two-layer cake, frost the top of one cake and put the other cake on top of it.  Then frost the top and edges of the whole cake.  Store in the refrigerator.

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

I think this is my favorite icing I have ever made.  This goes well on carrot cake, sugar cookies, and anything else that cream cheese frosting complements well.

 

Ingredients:

2/3 c. shortening (I used Spectrum Palm Shortening, but Crisco should work)

8 oz. cream cheese (I used Daiya- it’s dairy free)

2 2/3 c. plus 1/4 c. powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp lemon juice, optional, but I used it

 

Directions:

Using a stand mixer, whip the shortening.  Add the cream cheese and continue whipping.  Add the powdered sugar gradually (in about 3 additions) and continue whipping.  Add vanilla and lemon juice and whip again.  Sets up nicely in the fridge.  Here it is on top of my sugar cookies:

IMG_5884

Original recipe:

Vegan Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Shortcut Fudge

I recently went to the beach with my in-laws.  Some of them had never had s’mores before, so I got the ingredients, the men scouted out firewood, we found a hole that was already dug in the beach, and my husband got the fire going quite successfully.  Everyone had a good time.  And then we came back with half a bag of large marshmallows.  We keep our house fairly warm in the summer, so I knew they had to be used soon.  All the recipes I could find online called for small marshmallows.  So, I made something up.  The result was good- the texture was more marshmallowy than normal fudge, but if you eat it straight out of the refrigerator, it holds up nicely.

 

Ingredients:

1 T. butter (I used SmartBalance- the green tub)

1/2 bag of large marshmallows (hopefully leftovers from a fun cookout!)- about 15-20 marshmallows

1/2 c. peanut butter or other nut butter

4 oz. Baker’s chocolate or Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips

 

Directions:

Put butter in a 2-quart sauce pan.  Turn heat on low/medium-low.  Add marshmallows and stir until they begin to melt.  Allow them to melt most of the way and then add peanut butter and chocolate.  Continue to stir until everything is melted and the mixture is smooth.  Pour into a wax-lined 8×8 pan.  Allow to cool slightly and then chill in the fridge.  After it is chilled, cover.  Use within a week or less.

Goulash

My husband said, “Make sure to save this recipe for if/when we have kids.”  It makes a lot and it tastes similar to the goulash I ate growing up.  It’s supposed to be a one-dish wonder, but I was afraid the noodles wouldn’t hold up, so I did them separately.  So now it’s a two-dish wonder :-).

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef

1 onion, chopped

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

1 large can of diced tomatoes (1 lb, 12 oz)

4-8 oz cans of tomato sauce (32 oz total)

3 bay leaves

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

2 T. Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

2 c. macaroni noodles (I used HEB’s gluten free elbow noodles)

 

Directions:

Cook the ground beef in a deep skillet or wok.  Add onions and garlic and cook until they soften, maybe 5 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients except for the noodles.  Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring water to a boil and cook macaroni noodles according to the package’s directions.  Once cooked, drain and then add to beef mixture.  We served it with a side of green beans.

IMG_5934

 

Original recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/bobbys-goulash-recipe.html

 

Key Lime Pie

So many of the recipes I saw online for key lime pie called for things I couldn’t eat.  I decided to try my hand at making up my own recipe for pie filling and the result was better than I hoped!  It is so easy and I hope you give it a try!

Ingredients:

4 1/2 T. cornstarch

1 can coconut milk (don’t get the lite version), about 13.5 oz

1 packet of gelatin (not vegan, but I’m not actually vegan- I just can’t eat gluten, dairy, and eggs.  There are probably other substitutes if you need it to be truly vegan.)

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. key lime juice

1 1/4 tsp. lime zest

 

Directions:

Zest and juice the limes before putting anything on the heat.  Stir together cornstarch and coconut milk in a 2-quart saucepan.  Boil and whisk constantly until thick.  Add in package of gelatin, sugar, key lime juice, and lime zest.  Stir until sugar is dissolved and mixture is very thick and smooth.  Pour into a crust of your choice.  I tried it with an unbaked crumb crust and it was good (using Kinnikinnick gluten free graham style crumbs).  I am trying it next with a baked walnut crust.  May be topped with whipped coconut cream or SoDelicious’ CocoWhip.  If you want it to be greener, you could add food coloring.

IMG_5955
It sliced so nicely!  This is with the unbaked crumb crust.  Next time I will bake the crust first because it started getting a little melty.

Crumb crust:

1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs (I used Kinnikinnick graham-style crumbs)

1/3 c. sugar

6 T. butter, softened (I used SmartBalance- the green tub)

Combine sugar and crumbs.  Add in butter and mix well.  Press into a pie plate.  Chill for at least one hour before adding filling.

Original crust recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/228423/graham-cracker-crust/