Sweet and Savory Flank Steak

This is another great one from Our Best Bites. It's almost naturally gluten free.

Ingredients:
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C olive oil
1/2 C soy sauce (LA CHOY, SAN-J WHEAT FREE SOY SAUCE, BRAGG'S AMINO are gluten free)
1 C pineapple juice
1 T freshly grated ginger
4-5 garlic cloves, finely minced

up to 2 lbs flank steak

Combine first 6 ingredients for the marinade and mix well. Reserve about 1/4 cup and set aside.

Score flank steak with a knife diagonally on both sides (about 1/8 inch deep)

Put the steak in large ziploc bag and pour marinade over it. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Take out of fridge 30 minutes before grilling. Place steak on grill and cook for 5-10 minutes per side, depending on the size. Use the 1/4 C marinade you set aside to brush over steak in the last few minutes of grilling. Flank steak should still be pink in the middle when done.

Remove from grill and let stand for 5 minutes before cutting so the juices can redistribute. Always cut flank steak against the grain, in thin slices to serve.

Jambalaya

Here's another great naturally gluten-free meal from Our Best Bites. Here's the link to the original recipe.

Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 1/2 c. white rice
5 c. water
2-3 Tbsp. butter
1 green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped (my husband doesn't like celery so we left it out!)
A lot of garlic (probably 5-6 cloves), minced
1/2 lb. high-quality smoked sausage(approximately; you can actually use a little less if you buy, say, a 14-oz. package of sausage) We used Hillshire Farms beef Kielbasa
1/2 lb. ham (you can also substitute leftover chicken, shrimp, or other shellfish; however, you'll also need to compensate for the smokey flavor and the salt from the ham, so be prepared with liquid smoke and salt to taste. And you'll want it to have a distinct smokey flavor.)
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
Cajun or Creole seasoning to taste (I used about 2 tsp. of Cajun spice mix)

Directions:
Put rice and water in a medium-large saucepan and cover. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and cook 20 minutes or until rice is cooked. Remove from heat and allow to stand.
While rice is cooking, finely chop sausage and ham (in your food processor if you have one) and set aside.
Melt butter over medium heat in a very large skillet. When butter is hot and bubbly, add onion, green onions, green pepper, garlic and celery and cook until tender. Add chopped meat and cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. Add tomato sauce and then add cooked rice. Add Cajun spices and cook for about 10 more minutes, stirring frequently.

Spicy Honey Chicken

I'm back! Had to take a break to give birth and survive the first few months of a new baby :)

But I'm cooking again and still always trying to find delicious gluten-free meals.

Here's one we tried the other night. I found it here at the Our Best Bites website. There are some other tasty looking recipes there so you might see more.

I used chicken breasts

2 tsp vegetable oil

Rub:
2 tsp granulated garlic
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp coriander
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder (I just used regular old chile powder above and omitted this because I didn't have any!)

Glaze:
1/2 Cup Honey
1 Tblsp Cider Vinegar (BRAGG'S, HEINZ are gluten free)

Directions:
Combine the rub spices in bowl and mix well. Trim off any excess fat from the chicken pieces. Drizzle oil over chicken and rub it in to coat all the pieces. Rub spice mixture on each piece of chicken to thoroughly coat. Grill chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through.

While chicken is cooking, warm honey in the microwave so it's not so thick. Add the vinegar and combine well. Reserve 2T honey glaze for later. Take the rest and brush on chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling.

Then, when you're done cooking and your chicken is on the plate, drizzle some of that set-aside glaze on top.

Yum!

Glazed Pork

This is from this month's issue of Real Simple.

* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 small pork tenderloins (about 1 1/2 pounds total) (I used pork chops)
* kosher salt and black pepper
* 3 tablespoons ketchup (HEINZ (not Organic Heinz), HUNTS, TRADER JOE'S ORGANIC are gluten free)
* 1 tablespoon honey
* 1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chili pepper (I used chili powder because it was all I had)


Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Season the pork with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Make the glaze: In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, honey, and chili pepper. Brush the pork with half of it, transfer the skillet to oven, and roast, turning once, until the pork is cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Brush with the remaining glaze and let rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.

Butter Chicken

I got this recipe from the Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen blog. It's really good and naturally gluten free. It requires you to marinate for 12 hours, though. It says overnight but I just threw it together in the morning and by the evening it was ready.

Ingredients:

* 4 pieces Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
* 5 cloves Garlic, Minced
* 1 teaspoon Salt
* 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon Ground Coriander
* 1/4 teaspoon Cumin
* 1/4 teaspoon Cardamom
* 1 whole Lime, Juiced
* 1 whole Onion, Diced
* ¼ cups Butter
* 1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Tomato Sauce
* 1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Petite Diced Tomatoes
* 1 pint Whipping Cream
* 1 bunch Chopped Cilantro, to taste
* 2 cups Basmati Rice (or However Much You Want)

Directions:

Combine first 9 ingredients and marinate overnight.

Saute the onion in the butter until soft. Add marinated chicken and cook about 10 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Cook for 30 minutes over medium-low heat with the lid on. Add the whipping cream (I have used light cream or half-and-half also) and cilantro just before serving over Basmati rice.

Bacon Strata

Ingredients:

-3 cups white rice, cooked and cooled to room temp
-1 1/2 cups cooked bacon (or ham cut up)
-3/4 cup finely diced fresh tomatoes
-1/4 cup sliced green onions
-1/4 cup finely diced green pepper
-1 tablespoon basil
-salt and pepper to taste
-1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
-4 eggs, beaten
-1/2 cup milk
-3/4 cup cheddar cheese divided
-3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In large bowl, combine rice, bacon, tomatoes, onions, green pepper, basil, salt and pepper, cayenne, eggs, and milk and stir well until incorporated. Pour into a greased 9x13 inch pan. Top with cheeses and bake for 20-25 minutes or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cut strata into squares and serve.

Simple Perfect Chili

This recipe comes from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Ingredients:

-2 garlic cloves, chopped
-1 tsp. ground oregano
-1 tblsp. ground c umin
-1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
-2 tblsp. chili powder
-2 lbs. ground beef
-one 8 oz. can tomato sauce
-1 tsp. salt
-1/4 cup masa (corn flour, found in the Mexican food section of many supermarkets)
-1 can pinto beans, drained
-1 can kidney beans, drained
-1 can diced tomatoes

Optional ingredients:
-1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced

Directions:

1. Begin by measuring the spices: chopped garlic, oregano, cumin, cayenne, and chili powder.
2. Place the ground beef in a large pot and throw in the garlic
3. Cook the beef until brown.
4. Drain the fat.
5. Pour in the tomato sauce
6. Followed by the spices and the salt
7. Stir together well, cover, and reduce the heat to low. COver the pot and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. If the mixture becomes overly dry, add in 1/2 cup water at a time as needed.
8. After an hour, place the masa in a small bowl. Add 1/2 cup water and stir together with a fork.
9. Dump the masa mixture into the chili.
10. Stir together well. Taste, adjust the seasonings, and add more masa paste and/or water to get the chili to your preferred consistency, or to add more corn flavor. Add the beans, jalepeno, and tomatoes if desired. Simmer for 10 minutes.
11. Served with shredded cheddar, chopped onion, and Fritos.

Cottage Pie

-1 lb. ground beef
-1/3 cup ketchup (HEINZ (not Organic Heinz), HUNTS, TRADER JOE'S ORGANIC are gluten free)
-1 tblsp. Worcestershire sauce (LEA and PERRINS is gluten free)
-salt and pepper to taste
-1 1/2 cups frozen peas and carrots
-3 cups mashed potatoes

Directions:
Brown the ground beef and stir in ketchup, worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper. Add the peas and carrots and mix well. Transfer to 4 individual baking dishes (or one pie pan) and top with mashed potatoes. Bake at 400 until golden brown about 25-30 minutes.