This was a combination of Chinese/Thai flavours.  Initially, the marinade was made with a typical Chinese style marinade.  But then, I decided to turn the meal into a more Thai flavour influence - and it turned out great.  Leftovers the next day were even better.

Marinade:

1 lb. sirloin strips

3 cloves garlic, sliced

3 Tblsp. Gluten Free Soy Sauce

3 Tblsp. water

few splashes sesame oil

1 Tblsp. Rice wine vinegar, or white vinegar

2 Tblsp. Avocado oil

Vegetables:

1/2 cups broccoli florets, 1/2 cup stems, chopped

3 crimini mushrooms sliced and cut in half

1/2 a green pepper, sliced into lengthwise strips, and cut in half

1 shallot, sliced

Thai Sauce:

4 Tblsp. Red Thai Curry Paste

3 Tblsp. peanut butter

1 cup vegetable of beef broth

2 Tblsp. corn starch - mix separately in a bowl with 2 Tblsp. Vegetable stock

chopped cilantro

Make up the marinade, and slice the sirloin rounds into strips.  Add to marinade and refrigerate 4-6 hours.

Add the Thai sauce ingredients to a bowl and whisk well and put aside until ready to use.  Don't worry if some of the peanut butter stays a bit clumpy - it will melt once added to the hot pan.

Heat up a cast iron pan or wok with the avocado oil, on medium high heat - on my electric stove I put it at 6.5 mark.  Remove the marinated  sirloin strips and add to the pan.  Continually stir the sirloin, it will only take about 3 minutes to cook, then remove to a bowl and set aside.

To the drippings add in the mushrooms, and shallot.  Turn the heat to medium and saute about 6-7 minutes.  Then add in the broccoli and green pepper, continue to saute another 5 minutes.

Pour in the vegetable broth, lid on and simmer until the broccoli is tender - 3-5 minutes.  Remove the lid and saute to reduce some of the liquid.  Then pour in the Thai sauce mixture stirring and add in the cornstarch mixture - it will thicken quickly.  If it gets too thick add a bit more vegetable stock to get to a nice consistency.  Return the cooked sirloin strips, and saute to lightly re heat through.

Serve with cooked rice, and top with fresh chopped cilantro.

 

 

 

 

Recently I stumbled upon a youtube video made by Food Around The World.  The videos were of 3 different young women living alone in the mountains, or in small villages (in Ukraine) where they cook local food, are self sufficient in all manners of living.  Often they have a couple of cows, sheep, chickens, they make home made sausages, breads, render lard, make homemade cheese, churn butter, preserve food, forage wild mushrooms, grow gardens, chop wood for wood stove cooking, and carry water from wells.

I love their simple self sufficient lifestyle, and the food looks wonderful.  The videos show what foods/ingredients are being prepared, although there is no recipe.  I would have to guess at some of the seasonings.

There are a some interesting recipes I would like to recreate, so you will from time to time see a few of these national dishes in the coming weeks.  As there is no actual recipe given, I will have to take a guess at the amounts used in the recipes  Therefore, I will do my best to interpret a few of the recipes based on what ingredients we have and what we can get.  And of course, in this household it will all be gluten free.  Hopefully I can do justice to these incredibly strong, resilient, and self sufficient lovely women and their national recipes.  If you are interested in pursuing these stories/recipes further, check out You tube Food Around The World, Ukraine.

Their breads look amazing.  So with that thought in mind I started with Fermented Buckwheat Bread, the recipe can be found here.

Recipes to come....

Well now...this was a recipe where I was "winging it" and let me tell you it exceeded my expectations.  The flavours of garam masala in the meatballs, with the madras curry powder was a match made in heaven.  Add in the fresh vegetables, creaminess of the yogurt, it was delicious.

Meatballs:

1 lb. extra lean ground beef

1 egg, whisk well

2 Tblsp. finely chopped red onion

1/2 tsp. garam masala, salt and fresh cracked pepper

1 Tblsp. Sorghum flour or brown rice flour

To cook meatballs heat up your wok, pan on medium heat with 1 Tblsp. butter, 1 Tblsp. Avocado oil

Vegetables:

2 Tblsp. Avocado oil - use more if needed

3/4 lb. chopped potatoes, chopped in 1 inch pieces - yukon gold work nicely

1/4 red onion sliced into quarter pieces

1/4 red pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 lb. cut up cauliflower - cut up not too small or large

good handful of baby fresh spinach

2 1/2 cups chicken stock

1/4 cup well rinsed basmati rice

3 Tblsp. yogurt

2 tsp. Madras curry spice

2 bay leaves

good handful of chopped green onion and cilantro

In a bowl mix up the ingredients for the meatballs and shape into balls.  Refrigerate 1-2 hours before cooking, and remove from fridge 1/2 an hr. before cooking

Heat up a wok, or large cast iron pan with the butter and Avocado oil on medium high heat.  Fry the meatballs in batches so the pan is not overcrowded, about 6 minutes each side.  Transfer to a bowl and put aside.

Add more Avocado oil the pan and add in the potatoes, onion, and red pepper.  Cook a good 12 minutes, sauteing.

Then add in the cauliflower, spinach, rice, chicken stock, madras curry spice, and 2 bay leaves. Mix well scraping up any brown bits in the pan.  Bring to a good simmer, lid on and then turn down low heat to simmer 12 minutes.

Remove lid and return the meatballs to the pan, stirring occasionally, add salt and pepper to taste continue to cook another 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and add in the yogurt stirring well to combine.

Serve with a good sprinkling of chopped cilantro and green onion.

 

 

 

With the number of chili recipes on this blog, I realized I never seem to make chili the same way each time.  Guess I love playing with flavors, textures of food, lol, and chili offers a perfect opportunity to do just that.  This chili was simple to put together, yet there is definite complex flavors going on.  In this recipe you can certainly play around with different peppers depending on the heat you like.  We always do mild, but this chili offers a nice "smokey" flavor with the extra cilantro added.

1 Tblsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 lb. ground beef (I like to mix my ground beef - 1/2 lb. lean, 1/2 lbs. extra lean)

1 medium onion chopped

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 celery stalk with leaves, chopped

1/4 of a red pepper, diced

1/2 of a green pepper, diced

1 small can, 5.5 oz. of tomato paste, plus 1 can of water

1 can tomatoes and green chilis like Rotel

salt to taste, 1 Tblsp. chili powder, 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 1/2 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. dried rubbed oregano

one 14 oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed

huge handful of chopped fresh cilantro

grated cheddar cheese

tortilla chips, on the side

Heat up a dutch oven on low medium heat with the EVOO.  Add in the onion, garlic, peppers, celery saute for 5 minutes.  Then add in the ground beef, breaking up with a spoon to brown well - about another 5-6 minutes.  Sprinkle in the seasonings, then pour in the can of tomatoes with green chili, tomato paste with water, stirring well to combine.

Add the drained/rinsed black beans, and fresh cilantro.  Lid on, turn down to a low simmer, cooking for for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  Check for seasons and adjust if necessary, serve topped with cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips on the side.

 

This recipe can be increased to feed however many people.  Here it was made for one - and could not be easier to make.  It is also a very liberal recipe - you can use any seasonings, spices, or even marinades for this recipe. Super quick cooking time as well.

1 small top sirloin medallion - about 4- 5 oz

sliced cremini mushrooms - however many you want

a drizzle of Avocado oil

a drizzle of Gluten Free Worcestershire Sauce

Seasoning blend - I use this one

Slice the sirloin medallion steak into strips, and slice up the mushrooms.  Place into an 8 inch round baking pan.  Drizzle a bit of Avocado Oil, and a drizzle of Worcestershire sauce through out the meat, then sprinkle with the seasoning blend.  Toss/mix to coat well.

Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees for 5 minutes.  Place the pan inside the Air Fryer and cook for 5 minutes, tossing ingredients half way through the cooking time.

Serve with any side vegetables.

This is a dish I have never made before.  Why?  We have never found a decent tasting gluten free flour wrap until now.  This is a very filling meal, and while absolutely scrumptious and healthy, it was a bit of a process, but so worth it!  We have a local grocery store (in Canada) that gets these wraps from Burnaby B.C., called Western Family Brand Gluten Free Wraps. Once cooked they were crispy and held together nicely.  So, it is worth your while to find a good quality tasting Gluten Free Wrap to make this recipe.  You could certainly use Corn Tortillas in this recipe, but again, find one that is good tasting in texture, that does not dry out.

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 small onion diced

1 minced garlic clove

2/3 cup diced red and green pepper mixed

1/2 cup frozen corn

2/3 cup black beans, drained and rinsed well

3 rounded Tblsp. tomato paste

2/3 cup water

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 Tblsp. chili powder, or more to taste

1/2 tsp. smoked Paprika

salt to taste

1/4-1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

grated cheddar cheese

On the side:

chopped lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, salsa

Heat up a skillet on medium heat and brown the lean ground beef.  Once browned, remove to a bowl, set aside and drain any excess fat, leaving a small amount left in the pan.  Turn the heat down to low, then add the onions, garlic, and chopped peppers to the pan.  Saute until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes.  Return the beef to the pan, and add in all the seasonings, saute a few more minutes.  Add the corn, black beans, tomato paste and water, stirring to combine.  Keep on low, and simmer stirring from time to time, cooking 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, place a quesadilla onto a plate and sprinkle with cheddar cheese.  Add the meat mixture to half of the quesadilla, add the chopped cilantro and then fold in half.

Heat up a non stick pan on low medium heat.  Do not add any oil to the pan.  Once heated place the folded quesadilla into the pan and cook about 2-3 minutes, then turn over with a large flipper and cook 2-3 more minutes on the other side.  Plate and serve with lettuce, tomato, salsa, guacamole and an extra sprinkling of cheddar cheese.

We added all the accompaniments on top of the quesadilla to get a flavorful bite of everything in one go.

 

Each night I ask...what to cook tonight??  We had tacos the night before, with this recipe here.  There was about 1 cups worth of taco meat sauce left in the fridge.  With the high costs of groceries, well truthfully inflation overall everywhere, I refuse to throw away good food.  With a few pantry/fridge staples this recipe came together easily enough and was mighty tasty.

Quite often I will cook enough for 4 (there are 2 of us in our household now) and have the leftovers the next night.  This recipe here, worked perfectly for 2.

By the way, with the black beans, I froze the remainder in the canned sauced/water they came in, in an airtight container to use another day.  This made a great dinner, but would be lovely for lunch too and came together in about 30 minutes.

1/4 stalk celery, with leaves finely diced

good handful of fresh cilantro minced with the stems

2/3 cup black beans, rinsed well, separate in half in a bowl and mash one half of beans with a fork

398 can diced tomatoes drained, but reserve liquid

1 cup leftover taco meat sauce

1/4 cup frozen organic corn

1 tsp. chili powder, salt and pepper to taste

grated cheddar cheese

slices of avocado

corn chips

To a sauce pan, add the drained tomatoes with 1/3 cup of juice, celery, corn, cilantro, chili powder, and salt and pepper. Bring to a lite simmer, with lid on and simmer 15 minutes.

Add the beans and meat sauce plus 2-3 Tablespoons of reserved tomato liquid.  Mix well and simmer on low for another 5-10 minutes.

Serve with a topping of grated cheddar cheese, and avocado and corn chips on the side.

 

I found this recipe from Cooking On the Ranch...please check out the blog for this yummy original recipe.  It sounded so good I had to try with a few of my own ideas.  I can never leave a recipe alone lol, and made a few changes, I must say the results were yummy and leftovers the next day were delicious.  Thank you Lee Ann, of Cooking On the Ranch for your delicious inspiration.

1-2 tsp. Avocado Oil (to lightly oil a 9x13 in. casserole dish or pan

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 large shallot, diced

2 minced garlic cloves

1/4 cup diced green pepper (I prefer to peel mine, but this is optional)

1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained, and reserve liquid

14 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained well

2/3 cup frozen corn

Season blend:

1 1/2 Tblsp. chili powder, 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika, 1 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. garlic powder

1 cup yogurt

1/4 cup chopped cilantro including the stems

1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese (use smallest grate on the box grater)

12 corn tortillas

grated cheddar cheese

salsa

Add seasonings to a small bowl, mix to combine and set aside.

To another bowl, add the yogurt, grated cheddar cheese and chopped cilantro.  Mix well and place in fridge until needed.

Heat up a dutch oven or 3 quart frying pan.  On low medium heat, add in the ground beef to brown breaking up with a spoon.  Once it starts to brown add in the green pepper, shallot, minced garlic, and season blend, continue to saute about another 5 minutes.  Season with salt to taste.

Pour in the tomatoes and 1/2 cup of reserved juice, the black beans, and corn.  Turn the heat to minimum and continue to saute another 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Remove from heat, and ladle in a cups worth of meat/sauce to a 9 by 13 casserole pan that has been lightly oiled with Avocado oil.  Place down 6 corn tortillas, it is ok if they slightly overlap and come up the sides a bit.  Add a layer of meat sauce to the tortillas and then evenly spread on the yogurt mixture.

Add another layer of tortillas, meat sauce and then cover with grated cheddar cheese and dollops of salsa.  (I actually made an error and covered the dish in another layer of tortillas and then added a good layer of cheddar cheese and dollops of salsa hoping it would work.  It was great!)

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake 25-30 minutes.  Allow to rest 5-10 minutes and serve with extra salsa and extra chopped cilantro.