Frito Chili Pie

Another quick almost-a-snack meal. Hooray for corn being gluten free!



Serves 2
25 minutes
- large saucepan
Quick and simple

INGREDIENTS
3 large green onions
6 large fresh tomatoes
1/2 lb ground beef
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 (14 oz.) can pinto beans*
A handful of corn chips*;enough for two people
Cheddar cheese to melt on top; sour cream (dairy or otherwise) would be a good decision

*Bush beans are GF, so are S&W and Eden Organics
*Fritos are gluten free

DIRECTIONS
1. Wash the green onions and remove the end roots. Dice up the white parts; chop the green stems into larger pieces. Separate the green and white parts. Cut the stem off of the tomatoes. Cut them into rather large 1.5 inch pieces, don't bother peeling them. Save as much tomato juice as you can.
2. Rise off the ground beef and place into the large saucepan. Throw in the diced white green onion bits. Begin cooking over medium heat. Once the meat starts to brown and releases some fat, remove the oil by dabbing it out with a paper towel or carefully pouring it into another container to toss. At the five minute mark, the meat should be nice and browned. Add in 1 Tbsp chili powder; stir well.
3. Add in the green green onion parts and tomatoes (+ juice). Cook for another 5 minutes. You want the tomatoes to somewhat break down, not not dissolve completely.
4. When the beef looks totally done, add in the another 1 Tbsp. of chili powder. Drain the pinto beans, then carefully stir the beans into the tomato/bean mixture. Add in some more spice if you think the sauce needs it. Heat for another 2 minutes or so, perhaps turn the heat up to med-high to boil off any excess water. The chili shouldn't look like soup, but it should be moist enough to slop over a big helping of corn chips. Top with cheese and sour cream. Eat warm, while the chips are still crunchy.

Saucepan Bratwurst

For those of you who don't own grills but want crispy, juicy bratwurst: a bare-bone recipe for sausage with some caramelized veggies. Probably also a good recipe to try while traveling (Oscar Meyer franks are GF). If I'd planned ahead better I would have made fresh hotdog buns. Next time, maybe.



Serves 2
25 minutes
- medium saucepan
Quick and simple

INGREDIENTS
4 bratwurst sausages-- Niman Ranch has really good sausage links that are GF
1 large yellow onion
1 large red bell pepper
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. Wash and peel the onion. Slice into thin rounds, as if making onion rings. Half each disk, getting semi-circles. Slice the bell pepper into long, thin pieces.
2. Rinse off the bratwurst and place in frying pan alongside the onion and bell pepper. Begin cooking over medium heat. You want the onions to slowly caramelize-- so make sure the burner isn't hot enough to singe the veggies straight out.
3. Slowly cook the bratwurst, onion and pepper, tossing and turning pieces as needed. Once meat heats up enough, poke holes in the bratwurst with a fork to let the juices out. Stir. If things look to be burning, turn stove down to medium-low. Tend often or things will stick and char. Heat until the sausage is browned and sizzling and the onions are dark and caramelized. Mine took about 15 minutes to get nice and 'grilled'.
Enjoy alone or with buns.

Green Beans and Yellow Squash with Sausage

Crisp-tender green beans with yellow summer squash, onions and juicy chunks of sausage. Fast and good. Probably a side dish, but it's also a quick, filling dinner for one.



25 minutes
- large saucepan with deep sides -or- a wok
Quick and simple

INGREDIENTS
1 lb. green beans
2 large yellow summer squash
1 large white onion
1/2 lb. sausage (I used Hillshire Farms Polska Kielbasa sausage link)
[1 tsp. peanut oil-- optional]

DIRECTIONS
1. Wash and remove ends from the green beans and summer squash. Leave the green beans nice and long, but cut the squash into 1/2" thick slices. Halve (or even quarter) the slices if the circles are not bite-sized. Wash and peel onion. Slice the onion into this circles (as if you were making onion rings), then half each 'disk' into semicircles. Rise the sausage and cut it into 1.5" pieces. Quarter each piece lengthwise, so you have bite-sized 'links' of meat.
2. Place the green beans into the large saucepan with about 2 Tbsp. water. Boil the green beans over medium high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally to uniformly cook the beans.
3. Once the water has almost all boiled off, add in the sausage and yellow squash. Cook for 5 more minutes, stirring well. You don't need any more water.. the squash will give some up.
4. Add in the onion slices and, if needed, the peanut oil. Turn the heat up to high and stir-fry the veggies+meat for 2 to 3 more minutes. Stir often, scraping the bottom of the saucepan-- you want the veggies to sizzle and brown, but not get burnt. Serve when the beans and zucchini are crisp-tender, the onions are wilted and sausage browned.

Spinach, Sausage and Potatoes

Another easy hearty side-dish. Spuds with garlic, sausage and spinach. Spice it up some with more black pepper or red pepper flakes.

Serves 2
40 minutes
- large saucepan or wok
Quick and simple

INGREDIENTS
10 to 15 small red boiler potatoes
1/2 lb. beef or pork sausage (I used half of a Hillshire Farm Polska Kielbasa Sausage link)
1 large shallot
5 cloves garlic
[1 Tbsp. fresh parsley- optional]
[1/2. Tbsp butter- optional]
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
dash black pepper &/or crushed red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS
1. Scrub and half the red potatoes. Place potato halves into the large saucepan. Peel and dice the shallot and garlic cloves. [Chop up parsley.] Wash the spinach and set it aside.
2. Rinse and slice the sausage into half inch slices. Half each slice.
3. Begin boiling potatoes in a quarter inch of water over medium heat. Stir occasionally. Let it boil for about 10 minutes (over medium heat), then add in the sausage. Continue boiling/simmering for another 5 minutes. Test a spud. If they are still hard and starchy, then add in a bit more water and boil for another 3 to 5 minutes. Don't let the potatoes get too soggy (so no more than 20 minutes, tops).
4. When water is about to evaporate, add in the diced shallot, garlic, [and parsley]. Stir to coat.
5. Turn the heat up to medium-high. Let the potatoes sizzle and brown a bit. If the sausage you use isn't greasy enough, add in .5 Tbsp butter. Flip the spuds every minute or so-- you don't want them to burn badly.
6. Once they've sauteed for about 5 minutes, add in the spinach leaves. Stir till wilted. Let the dish saute for an additional minute or two then remove from heat and serve.

Spicy Sweet Bell Peppers (w/Beef)

A zesty, tasty beef fajita filling. The yellow bell peppers help tone down the heat of 2 large jalapeños. This was even better the next day inside a tortilla with melted colby jack cheese.
It's still satisfying to throw a few fresh things into a pan (without need of any GF 'substitutes') and get something good.



Serves 2 easily
40 minutes
- large saucepan with deep sides or a wok
Easy

INGREDIENTS
2 large jalapeños
3 cloves garlic
1 large sweet yellow onion
1 large red bell pepper
1 large orange or yellow bell pepper
small bundle of fresh cilantro
1/2 to 1 pound beef steak (I used pre-cut stew meat because it was way cheaper than New York Strip)
1 tsp. Chili powder*
1 tsp. ground cumin*
sea salt + pepper*
1 tsp. corn oil

*McCormick spices are GF

DIRECTIONS
1. Cut tops off of the jalapeños and remove the seeds. Finely dice the chilis. Peel the garlic and finely dice. Set garlic and jalapeños aside. Peel the yellow onion; cut into quarter inch thick disks (as if you were making thin onion rings). Cut tops off of both of the bell peppers and remove the seeds. Cut them in half first, then slice into quarter inch thick pieces. Cut the long pieces in half once to make them more manageable. Wash and chop the cilantro leaves.
2. Rinse off the meat and cut into bite-sized pieces. Place them into the large saucepan and partially fill with water (no more than 1/2" deep in the pan). Simmer uncovered over medium heat, stirring meat occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
3. When the water is all but boiled off, add in the diced jalapeños and garlic, plus another 1/4 c. water. Stir in the chili powder, ground cumin and a dash of salt + pepper. Cook meat for another 5 minutes; it should be nearing done-ness by the end (juices running clear).
4. Pour in the corn oil right before all of the water boils off. Add in the onion rings, red bell pepper and yellow/orange bell pepper. Stir to coat the pieces with oil. Continue to cook the entire dish until the peppers are about crisp-tender and the onion has just 'wilted' (should take around 5 minutes). Things shouldn't be burning if left unattened, yet.
5. Add in the chopped cilantro leaves and turn the heat up to medium-high. Stir fry the meat and veggies for about 3 minutes, or long enough for the onion to become translucent and the peppers to brown and soften a little.
Serve inside GF rice tortillas or over a little bit of white (perhaps brown??) rice.

Cowboy Hash

Tried this once before with potato slices, then grated potato, but this is the best version yet. I love the corn with the beans and the spuds.
I prefer fresh potatoes in this, but if you don't want to go through the trouble of slicing up potatoes, simply cook this up without the spuds and pop some GF frozen french fries into the oven before you begin. Spoon baked, crispy french fries into a bowl and top with the hamburger and beans. Yummy.



Serves 2
35 minutes
-large saucepan with tall sides
-mandolin slicer
Easy

INGREDIENTS
3 medium red potatoes [-or- OMIT fresh potatoes and bake up a handful of frozen french fries* separately in the oven]
1/2 of a red bell pepper
1 medium yellow onion
10 green onions
handful of fresh cilantro
1/2 lbf. hamburger meat
2 + 2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 tsp. chili powder*
2 tsp. ground cumin*
sea salt and garlic powder*
1 (15 oz.) can sweet corn* (not creamed corn) [-or- 2 ears fresh corn]
1 (15 oz.) can black beans*, drained

*Most all varieties of Ore-Ida french fries are GF!! Cook till golden and crispy (~20 min at 500F, if you place them in the oven while preheating). I suggest 'golden crinkles' for this.
McCormick spices are GF.
All DelMonte canned veggie are GF.
S&W and Bush's beans are GF.

DIRECTIONS
Cut up all veggies:
1. If using fresh potatoes, use a mandolin slicer with to cut potato into semi-thin strips (like you would for french fries). Soak in cold water for 3-5 minutes, then place into large saucepan.
[If using frozen potatoes, turn your oven up to 500 F and spread frozen spuds out on an Aluminum foil-covered pan (single layer). Place into oven while it's preheating. Cook till golden and sizzling (check often near the end of 20 minutes).]
2. Wash, de-seed and chop up the red bell pepper into squares. Wash and peel the yellow onion; also chop up (not too small). Set bell pepper and yellow onion aside.
3. Wash and dice up the green onion. Use both the green stalks and white bottoms, removing the little roots at the end. Wash and dice up the fresh cilantro leaves, removing any excess stem.
4. Turn back to the saucepan. Crumble the half pound of ground beef into the saucepan with the potatoes. Add a splash of water (not too much, just moisten the bottom). Begin cooking on medium-high. Stirring occasionally for about 5 to 8 minutes.
5. Once the meat is thouroughly browned (and water nearly evaporated), add in the chopped bell pepper and yellow onion. Stir. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes, or until onion becomes translucent. If you are using lean hamburger, you might need to add in 2 Tbsp. olive oil.
6. Add in the diced green onion and cilantro. Season generously with chili powder and ground cumin. Also throw in a little sea salt and garlic powder. Stir and let saute for an additional 5 minutes.
7. Open and thoroughly drain both the canned corn and black beans.
8. Once the potatoes are tender and browned (if you're using fresh potatoes) gently stir in the corn and beans and another Tbsp. of olive oil. Turn head down to medium and cook until heated through -- another 3-5 minutes. Serve warm in a bowl, perhaps topped with cheddar cheese or ketchup.
[9. If baking up the frozen fries, remove from oven. Serve topped with bean mixture.]

Sausage-Spinach Penne

A quick, hot, pasta dinner. The spinach/tomatoes make a grand combination. The sausage in this makes it a little on the greasy side, but it's not overpowering-- drain some if you wish before you add in the veggies. I like this spiced up with ample ground black pepper. Coat with cheese if you can handle dairy, but I leave it off and the dish doesn't lack too much.



Serves 3
20 minutes
-medium pot
-large saucepan or wok
Quick and simple

INGREDIENTS
5 oz of uncooked Tinkyada brown rice Penne pasta (little less than half of a bag)

6 cloves garlic
3 cups fresh spinach
10 cherry tomatoes
5 Hillshire Farms Beef Smoked Sausage hotdogs (or half of the large Hillshire Farms sausage link)
[1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese-- optional]
Enough ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. Place pasta into the medium pot. Fill pot with water such that it covers the pasta by about an inch. Bring pasta to a rolling boil over high heat, then turn down to medium-high heat; boil for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. When pasta is al dente (barely tender, not yet soggy), rinse and drain cooked pasta with cold water. Set aside.
2. While has begun cooking, prepare veggies: Wash and peel garlic. Dice into small pieces. Rinse off spinach leaves, removing long stems. Half cherry tomatoes down the center.
3. Now cut the sausage hot dogs into half inch slices (if using the larger sausage link, half each slice). Place cut sausage into the large wok or saucepan. Begin cooking over medium-high heat. 4. Cook sausage for 2 minutes, then add in diced garlic. Cook garlic and sausage for an additional 1 to 2 minutes-- you want the sausage the brown a little. Drain excess grease at this point, if you desire, leaving around 2 tbsp still in the pan.
5. Turn the heat down to medium. Throw in the spinach. Cook for 2 more minutes, stirring and tossing frequently. The spinach will quickly wilt and 'shrink' in size (it looks like alot at first).
6. Now add in the cut cherry tomatoes. Cook for another 1 minute, then throw in the prepared cooked penne pasta. Heat tomatoes and pasta for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, or just until the tomatoes begin to break down. DON'T overcook the tomatoes.. you want them whole, but tender, with their skins about to come off. The pasta will be warm enough.
7. When the tomatoes and pasta are soft, but not yet soggy, remove dish from heat. [Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and toss to coat.] Serve warm.

Cottage Pie

Kind of like chicken-pot-pie, but beef instead of chicken and mashed potatoes for the topping. I loaded this down with lots of veggies, since meat is more expensive. Moist rosemary/thyme meat filling topped with cheesy, garlic mashed potatoes. Not bad for a casserole.



Serves 3

25 + 15 + 30 minutes (meat, potatoes, baking; total: 1 hour 10 minutes)
-large saucepan
-9" round cake pan
Easy


INGREDIENTS
Filling:
1 medium white onion
3 carrots, peeled (~1/2 cup, chopped)
2 celery stalks
¼ c. frozen peas, defrosted
¼ lb to ½ lb ground beef
½ tsp. dried rosemary leaves
½ tsp. dried thyme leaves
Salt and black pepper
½ of a (14 oz.) can Swanson Beef Broth – about 1 cup broth
3 heaping tbsp. of GF flour— I used white sorghum
Spud Topping:
4 medium red potatoes (-OR- 2 large russets)
4 garlic cloves
¼ to ½ c. cheddar cheese
3 to 4 heaping tbsp. sour cream—I used Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream (try a bit of vegan butter if both soy and dairy intolerant)
[2 tsp. chopped fresh chives- optional]


DIRECTIONS
Filling:
1. Chop up the white onion into small-ish pieces (1/4th inch; not too coarse). Peel and cut the carrots into small-ish pieces. Slice and chop up the celery into likewise small pieces. Defrost and drain the 1/2 c. frozen peas. Place veggies near the stove.
2. Rinse off ground beef and place in large saucepan. Start cooking the beef over medium heat, breaking the meat into small pieces (don't pulverize it). Cook beef for 5 minutes, until it's fully grey on the outside. At this point, drain out all but 1 to 2 tbsp. meat grease. Discard excess grease.
3. Add in all of the chopped veggies (onion, carrots, celery, peas). Also add in the rosemary and thyme, salt and pepper. Stir to combine, then continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Pour in half the can of beef broth to the saucepan. Stir. Boil/cook for another 5 minutes. At this point the meat should be fully cooked and the onions transparent. There will still be some broth pooled at the bottom of the saucepan.
5. Turn off the heat, and tilt the pan to one side to separate the broth and the solid beef/veggies. Sprinkle the GF flour over the MEAT portion (it will clump if you add it directly to the liquid). Stir carefully to coat the beef/veggies, then slowly in with the liquid to thicken the broth. You should now have a gravy covering you meat mixture. Add in a little more GF flour if need be-- you don't want it too runny, more like a sauce.
6. Spoon meat mixture into the 9" cake pan (baking dish); make sure to evenly distribute. Leave on the stove, or place temporarily into the fridge why you boil up the potatoes.
Spud Topping:
-Preheat oven to 400 F-
7. Scrub the red potatoes-- don't bother peeling them, unless you have russets and don't care for the thicker skins. Cut potatoes up into 2 inch cubes; these don't have to be pretty, since they are about to get mashed. Wash and peel the 4 garlic cloves. Leave the garlic whole.
8. Quickly wash out the saucepan you used for the meat and return it to the range. Throw the potato pieces and garlic cloves into the saucepan. Add enough water to the pan to mostly cover the potatoes.
9. Bring the potatoes to a boil over high heat. Make sure to stir the spuds a little to evenly cook. Once the potato water is boiling, turn heat down to medium-high and boil for 10 minutes.
10. Remove potatoes promptly from the heat and carefully drain the hot water. I was able to mash the potatoes in my non-stick saucepan without scraping it, but I had to be very careful. However you do it, mash the potatoes and garlic until they are as creamy as you want (they will be soft and kinda dry).
11. Once they are mashed, fold in the cheddar cheese; spuds should be cool enough now to not totally melt the cheese on first contact. Stir in the sour cream [and chives] . The potatoes should be creamy.. add in a bit more sour cream if still too dry/starchy.
12. Spoon the spuds evenly over the meat layer. Use a fork to 'rough up' the top a little, if you wish. Place the pie into the 400 F preheated oven. Bake uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove when the potatoes develop a nice crispy top.
13. Let the pie sit for 10 minutes.. it tastes way better slightly cooled. Eat warm.

Steak Risotto

Another mirage of veggies-- I was surprised how good this was. It had the distinct texture and flavor of vegetable-beef stew, captured in a creamy rice dish. Simple. Add a single small tomato (diced) at the very end, if you wish.. I didn't have one on hand.



Serves 2
35 minutes
-large saucepan
Quick and simple.

INGREDIENTS
1/4 to 1/2 lb. thick-cut tender beef steak (-OR- lamb), uncooked
1 medium white onion
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 c. uncooked Aborio rice
1 (14 oz) can Swanson Natural Goodness Chicken (or veggie) broth
1/2 c. fresh snap peas
1 ear fresh corn, cut off the cob -OR-- 1/2 of a (15 oz) can Del Monte corn
1/2 tsp. ground sage
1 tsp. white pepper-- black would work, too

DIRECTIONS
1. Wash off steak and place in large saucepan. Cut into 1 inch cubes and begin cooking over medium heat. Brown the meat.. takes ~5 minutes.
2. Quickly, while the meat is heating, coarsely chop up the white onion. When the steak is browned (outside no longer pink), add in the cut white onion. Also mix in the olive oil and Aborio rice. Stir well to coat the rice with oil.
3. Continue cooking the meat and 'tanning' the rice for another 5 minutes; stir frequently.. don't let the rice burn. When the rice forms a white 'dot' in the middle of each grain, it's time to add the broth (the onions should begin to be translucent).
4. Stir in 1/3rd of the broth when rice is ready. Mix well, but let the rice begin to simmer slowly. Continue stirring frequently.. the rice will soak up all the broth (takes another 5 minutes). Once there is no longer any 'liquid' broth in the pan, temporarily turn down the heat and quickly wash and remove the ends from the fresh snap peas.
5. Add in another 1/3rd can of broth along with your prepared snap peas. Return the heat to 'medium'. Simmer the rice/meat/pea mixture for another 5 minutes, or until the broth is soaked up.
6. Add in the remaining broth and fresh (or canned) corn. Sprinkle with sage and white pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, still gently simmering until the broth becomes a thicker sauce ~ 5 minutes. Rice should be tender, but not mushy. Snap peas should be crisp-tender. Remove from heat and serve warm.

Tex-Mex Lasagna

This was GREAT! One of those dishes where you can add and subtract ingredients. I went 'all out' (extra 5 minutes) and made up my own refried beans, but if you were in a hurry, go ahead and use the canned version. Could use a square 9 x 9 pan and extra layers of tortillas, but I opted for a 9" pie pan (since the tortillas were round). Any tortillas would do, rice, corn.. I tried 'new' dark teff tortillas and liked them. Be sure to keep the first step, with the tortillas in the oil.
Adapted from "Simply Recipes".



Serves 4
10 + 30 + 5 + 15 minutes (1 hour total)
preheat 400 F
-large saucepan
-9 inch round pie/cake pan
-small pot
Easy

INGREDIENTS
Tortillas
4 large corn or rice or teff tortillas
2 tbsp. peanut oil (or olive oil)

Meat
1 medium white onion
½ of a red bell pepper
½ of a green bell pepper
1 fresh tomato
[Handful of fresh cilantro; optional]
¼ lb. ground beef
2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. ground cumin

Refried Beans
**skip this if using a can of pre-made refried beans
1 can drained Bush pinto beans
1 tsp. peanut oil
1 tsp. water
Garlic and onion powder

½ c. cheddar cheese
½ c. mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS
Tortillas
1. Defrost your tortillas and place your pie/square baking pan besides the range. Heat up 2 tbsp. of oil, over medium heat, in the large saucepan. Drop one tortilla at a time into the hot oil. Allow the tortilla to soak up a little oil on both sides (flip; no more than a minute on each side). Remove softened tortilla and place in the baking dish. Repeat for remaining 3 tortillas. Let them all sit in the baking dish.
Meat
--At this time, be sure to pre-heat your oven.--
2. Cut up vegetables: Coarsely chop the white onion. Wash and core both the red and green bell peppers. Coarsely chop up the bell peppers and set aside with onion. Coarsely dice up the tomato (don't bother to peel it). Wash and cut the fresh cilantro, if you have it on hand. Keep the tomatoes and cilantro separate from the onion/bell peppers.
3. Rinse off the ground beef. Place beef into the empty large saucepan used previously for the tortillas. Cook beef over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until the outside of the meat is no longer pink.
4. Add in the onions and bell peppers. Cook the meat and veggies for another 10 minutes. Add in a generous amount of chili powder and cumin. When the beef is cooked and the onion pieces are translucent, stir in the tomatoes and cilantro. Cook tomatoes for an additional 3 minutes-- don't let them break apart. Remove pan from heat when tomatoes are heated through.
Refried Beans
5. Open and drain can of pinto beans. Place beans into the small pot and mash with the back of a large spoon as best you can (mine still had bits of pinto beans). If you want totally creamy refried beans, use a potato masher. Begin heating beans over medium-low heat. Stir in the oil and the little bit of water. Season with whatever you want-- I used garlic and onion powder, but feel free to add chilies or cilantro. Heat through until beans are nice and spreadable ~5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Assemble
6. Remove top two tortillas from the baking dish (I used 2 tortillas per layer). Spread half of the refried beans evenly over the bottom layer of tortillas. Spoon half the meat/veggie mixture over the beans. Sprinkle generously with half of the cheddar and mozzarella cheese.
7. Place the last two tortillas on top of the cheese. Spread with beans, meat and top with a bunch of cheese.
8. Slide the dish into the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes-- just want the cheese layer to melt and flavors to blend. Remove from the oven, serve hot; top with sour cream or avocado and serve alongside Spanish rice.

Vegetable Beef Kabobs

Full of vegetables, I wanted a mild beef flavor that wouldn't overpower the combination. I settled for a slightly sweet honey-beer marinade and was fairly happy with the result. The really good part was (of course) the grilled, juicy vegetables dipped in olive oil and thyme.



Makes 6 long kabobs (15 inch skewers**)
2 hours + 30 minutes + grilling time
-small saucepan for meat
-6 long metal or bamboo skewers
-gallon size plastic baggie
-tongs for grilling
Easy

INGREDIENTS
Beef and Marinade
1/2 of a bottle of light-colored GF beer (I used New Grist)
1-2 tbsp. honey-- to taste
dash of dried ginger
1/2 lb. thick-cut steak, any kind
Veggies
1/2 of a medium red onion
8-10 cherry tomatoes
1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow zucchini squash
1/2 of a medium green bell pepper
1/2 of a medium red bell pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 tsp. dried oregano leaves
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Beef and marinade
1. Into the saucepan, pour the beer and mix with the honey. Add a dash of ginger, then taste your marinade. If not sweet enough, add in more honey. Could also try some Cayenne pepper for a kick.
2. Wash the steak and cut into 1 inch cubes. Place meat into the marinade. Cover and let sit for 2 to 3 hours in the fridge.
** If using bamboo or wooden skewers, don't forget to soak them in water for a good hour or so before threading and placing on the grill.
Veggies
3. Once the meat has soaked long enough, begin coarsely cutting up the vegetables. Thickly slice the red onion and cut into 1 inch 'squares'. Half the cherry tomatoes. Cut both the zucchini and yellow zucchini into 1/2 inch slices, then half each slice. Thickly slice both the green and red bell peppers and cut into 1 inch 'squares'.
4. Place cut veggies into a large gallon-sized freezer bag. Drizzle with 2 tbsp. olive oil; shake to coat veggies. Add thyme and oregano (plus salt and pepper) into the bag. Shake until spices are well distributed. Let sit.
5. At this point, either pre-cook (boil) the beef pieces in the beer marinade for 5-10 minutes. Discard the honey-beer, either way.
6. Skewer the vegetables and meat, alternating and varying along the kabob. There will be much more veggies than meat.
7. Cook kabobs on the grill over open flames until the veggies and meat are toasted and sizzling. My pre-cooked meat kabobs were done within 5-8 minutes over a hot wood-burning fire. Make sure the beef is fully cooked, if you did not pre-boil it. Serve hot, right off the grill, with beans or salad. EDIT: These are not so good re-heated, even in the oven; make sure you eat them hot off the grill.

Super-Quick Chili Topping

Whipped this up the other day to top off a loaded baked potato. Perfect for when you need a chili 'spread' but don't want to go all out and make a full batch. Great wrapped inside tortillas or as a Mexican-style chip dip. Could also spice up a hot dog or use for chili french fries.
Trade the fresh onion for 1 tsp. onion powder if really in a hurry.



Serves 3-4 (as a thick spread)
20 minutes
-large saucepan
Quick and simple

INGREDIENTS
1 medium white onion --OR-- 1 tsp. onion powder
1/3 to 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 (14.5 oz) can finely diced tomatoes*
1 (16 oz) can pinto beans*
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin

cheddar cheese, to melt on top
*DelMonte diced tomatoes are GF; Bush's pinto beans are GF

DIRECTIONS
1. Finely dice up the white onion. Set onion beside the range.
2. Rise off the ground beef and place into the large saucepan. Begin cooking the meat over medium heat. When the beef is browned (no longer pink on the outside), add in the diced onion. Cook until the meat until done, but still moist, about 10 minutes total cooking time.
3. Open and drain both the tomatoes and pinto beans, then add to beef/onion mixture; stir well. Season with chili powder and cumin. Add in a dash of cayanne pepper if you want more of a kick. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes, or until heated through. Serve with melted cheddar cheese over a baked potato, as a dip, in a tortilla wrap, or over a hot dog and french fries.

Mongolian Beef

I had a request to attempt something Asian, and this is the result. Tangy, sweet and spicy... wonderful over long grain white rice. I used fresh ginger and real sesame oil to really make this taste authentic. Serve this with Vegetable Fried Rice.




Serves 2
50 minutes
-large wok
-large saucepan with deep sides
Easy

INGREDIENTS
Sauce:
2 tbsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. fresh minced ginger (actually easy to get a small ginger root)
3-5 large garlic cloves
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. Swanson beef broth (about 1/2 of a can-- freeze the rest in a plastic container for another day)
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
Meat and Veggies:
1 medium red pepper
1/2 cup fresh snow peas
5 green onions
1 lb. steak, your choice of cut
cornstarch, to cover meat ~1/8 c.
2 tbsp. sesame oil

3/4 c. uncooked white long grain rice

DIRECTIONS
Sauce:
1. Pour sesame oil into saucepan. Peel both the ginger and the garlic; remove ginger's outer 'paper-ish' covering with your knife. Mince the ginger and garlic and place pieces into the sesame oil.
2. Heat sesame oil over medium heat, letting the garlic and ginger flavors infuse into the oil. Remove the saucepan from heat just when the garlic starts turning tan-- about 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Carefully pour in the soy sauce, it may spit a little. Stir in the brown sugar until it dissolves. Add in the beef broth; hold on to the remaining broth, since you may need to add more liquid later.
4. Place the saucepan back over the medium heat. Add in a dash of red pepper flakes (more if you like it spicy). Continue cooking the sauce, while it boils, for another 10 minutes. At this time it won't be very thick. Set sauce aside while you focus on the meat/veggies.
--At this time, you might want to start cooking up the white rice--
Meat and Veggies:
5. Coarsely cut up the red bell pepper, into slices, then 1.5 inch pieces. Remove ends from the snow peas and set aside with the red bell pepper. Chop up the green onions, using both the green stems and the white bulb. Leave the green onion pieces large, too. Set all veggies aside.
6. Wash meat off and cut into 1 to 2 inch slices (bite-sized pieces). Place dry pieces of meat into the large wok (NOT the sauce, yet). Sprinkle meat with cornstarch and toss/stir to coat. Pour 2 tbsp. of oil over the coated beef. Mix again.
7. Cook beef over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, until browned. Add in the red bell pepper pieces and the snow peas (NO green onions, yet). Stir-fry the beef and veggies for another 5 minutes (10 minutes total for the beef), adding more oil if needed.
Combine:
8. Remove the beef and veggies and place into the large saucepan, with the sauce. Stir well. Heat up the entire dish (saucepan) over high heat. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring well, while the sauce boils and thickens. Add in the green onions at the last minute, heating through.
9. Spoon hot beef + sauce over cooked white rice. Serve hot, with another Asian side-dish.

BBQ Beef Brisket

This oven-cooked recipe turned out wonderful-- incredibly juicy and tender. Cut into slices and serve with beans and a salad, or shred it and put on GF hamburger buns. Either way, slather with the following tangy BBQ sauce.. it really compliments the beef!

Serves 8 (10+ as sandwich meat)
Overnight prep
20 minutes + 5 hours
baked
-large, DEEP DISH, 13 x 9 inch disposable Al pan
-empty tin cans to collect beef fat

Easy

INGREDIENTS

4-5 lb beef brisket
2 tbsp. Colgin's liquid smoke (I used Mesquite flavor)
2 tbsp. garlic powder*
2 tbsp. onion powder*

3 cups BBQ Sauce: Beef BBQ Sauce (or favorite bottled BBQ sauce)
*Colgin's Liquid Smoke is GF; McCormick spices are GF

10 GF BBQ sandwich buns

Bakes beans

DIRECTIONS
Day before:
1. Cut the raw meat out from it's package and place into the large, deep dish Aluminum pan with the fatty side down. Rinse beef with water, then drain (careful to keep hold of the meat when draining).
2. Splash meat evenly with 1 tbsp. liquid smoke, then cover with 1 tbsp each of garlic and onion powder. Rub powders and liquid smoke into meat with your hands. Flip the meat (fatty side should now be up) and evenly pour 1 more tbsp. liquid smoke, garlic and onion powders over the beef. Rub flavors into this side like you did previously. Leave meat fatty side up.
3. Cover meat tightly with Aluminum foil and place in the fridge to marinate overnight.
Day of:
1. Preheat over to 300 F. Take marinated brisket out of the fridge and cook for 5 hours at 300 F. Remove fat periodically from pan if you want.
**Cook up BBQ sauce when there is ~30 minutes remaining for the beef
2. Remove beef from the oven and uncover. Scrape excess fat gently off the top of the meat (it should peel right off.. gross). Careful not to scrape off too much of the meat since the meat is very tender. Spoon fat into waiting empty tin can(s). Discard fat.

3. Once all the excess fat is removed, cut brisket (perpendicular to the grain) into thick slices or shred meat for BBQ beef sandwiches. Smother with warm BBQ sauce and enjoy with baked beans (I used Bush's Best Original Baked Beans), chips and a summer salad.

Simple Steak with Broccoli

When traveling, it's a pain to come up with simple meals that don't need extra oil, spices or kitchen equipment. Here's a fast one-person dinner that can be made with just a paring knife and small saucepan, cooked over a travel range. I like to use the fat from the beef to flavor the veggies.

--Hang with me while I still feature easy, minimalistic dishes.. school will soon be out and I plan on spending the summer baking and trying more 'involved' food (I'm dreaming of rum cake, layered brownies and eggplant parmesan)!



Serves 1
20 minutes
-small saucepan
Quick and simple

INGREDIENTS
1 small steak of choice, bone or no bone
1 small head of broccoli
salt and pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder* (if you have some)
1 tsp. dried chives* (if you have some)
*McCormick spices are GF

DIRECTIONS
1. Rinse the raw beef and cut off most of the excess fat, leaving SOME of the fat still intact. Place meat in small saucepan and begin cooking over medium heat. Let cook for about 5 minutes, or until light brown on both sides.
2. Wash the broccoli head and cut off the florets right into the saucepan using a dinner or paring knife (no cutting board!). Season the meat and broccoli with ground pepper and a little salt. Also, sprinkle with garlic powder and dried chives, if you have them.
3. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Continue to cook the meat and veggies for another 10 minutes, being sure to stir the broccoli bits frequently and turn the steak. Your easy dinner is done when the broccoli is very crisp-tender (still with a slight crunch) and the meat is only slightly pink on the inside.

Sloppy Joes

Slop-Sloppy Joe, yeah. This one is 100% college (or middle school, however you want to look at it).
Pretty sure I got this recipe from my mother's files. I know most people can buy the canned stuff, but this is very easy and you can spice it up as you wish for a super-quick hot lunch. Easily doubled or tripled to feed a gang of hungry kids.





Serves 2 (3 with a side)
25 minutes
-medium saucepan
Quick and simple

INGREDIENTS
1/2 lb. ground beef
1 medium white onion
3 tsp. chili powder*
2 tsp. garlic powder*
1 tsp. dried celery flakes (or 1/2 tsp. celery salt)*
salt and black pepper
1 tsp. yellow mustard*
dash of Worcestershire sauce*
1/3 c. Heinz ketchup (or other GF brand)
2 hamburger buns-- I used EnerG tapioca buns
corn chips* for serving
* McCormick spices are GF; French's original mustard is GF; Lea and Perrin's Worcestershire sauce is GF; Frito's original corn chips are GF

DIRECTIONS
1. Chop up onions in small-ish pieces. Dice them fine if you want (I prefer larger pieces). Set aside.
2. Begin cooking ground meat over medium heat in the saucepan. Break up large pieces of meat while cooking, but don't pulverize it. Cook for around 5 minutes, then drain out some excess grease if needed (not all of it).
3. When meat is browned, but still juicy, add in the onion. Also shake in the chili powder, garlic powder, celery flakes, salt and pepper-- mix well, and continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes or until onion becomes barely translucent. Don't burn the meat.
4. Remove meat/onions from stove and add in the mustard, a dash of Worcestershire sauce and then the ketchup. Start out with the 1/3rd cup of ketchup; if the mixture looks too dry, work your way up to 1/2 c. The exact amount will vary depending on how sloppy you want your Joes.
5. Heat up the GF hamburger buns in the microwave for 20 seconds on 'high' (makes them waaay softer). Re-heat meat/ketchup mixture over low heat on the stove to make sure it's still warm, then spoon a generous helping of meat into the buns. Enjoy with a side of pan-fried potatoes or corn chips.

Stuffed Bell Pepper, Tex-Mex style

You will need a sweet bell pepper for this, orange or yellow-- they really compliment the spicy hot sauce and rice. I intended on baking the stuffed peppers, but found out I preferred them tender and still crunchy. Cook em at the end if you want the peppers even softer. Without the baking step, this was a quick, finger-food dinner that's easily doubled to feed 2 people.



Makes two stuffed pepper halves -OR- one 'whole' stuffed pepper (a half is shown above).
25 minutes; (45 minutes with baking)
Preheat oven to 350 F
-medium saucepan
-medium (or large) pot
-cookie sheet covered with Aluminum foil (if baking)
Quick and simple

INGREDIENTS
1 large orange or yellow bell pepper
1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 c. uncooked white long grain rice
1/2 c. water, for cooking rice
1/4 lb ground beef
+6 heaping tbsp. favorite GF salsa (I used my own, but I think Pace Picante sauce is GF)
2 tbsp. chili powder*
1 tbsp. ground cumin*
cheese for topping
*McCormick spices are GF

DIRECTIONS
1. Coarsely cut onion into small-ish pieces. Wash and core the bell pepper.. either remove the stem and leave as is (hole on top, forming sort of a mug) -OR- remove the stem and cut downward lengthwise, so that the pepper is halved into shallow-er bowls. I liked the bowls, since you could eat it with your fingers and they will for sure cook with the rice.
2. Begin cooking rice: pour uncooked rice into water and heat over 'high'. Place bell pepper halves into the same pot just when the rice begins to boil. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer gently, uncovered, for 10 more minutes, stirring every so often to evenly cook the bell pepper.
3. While rice/pepper is cooking, place washed ground beef into medium saucepan. Start cooking over medium heat. When the meat is browned (outside no longer pink ~ 5 minutes), add in the chopped onion. Season generously with chili powder and cumin. Cook onion and meat until meat is fully cooked and onion just starts to wilt (not totally translucent, yet; another 5 minutes).
4. Rice and bell pepper should be done by now. Carefully remove hot bell pepper from rice and rinse under cold water. It should be firm, but slightly soft. Set on prepared cookie sheet. Make sure to re-drain any more water that's collected inside the peppers once again before filling.
5. Turn back to rice.. add in 6 (or more, if you wish) heaping spoonfuls of salsa to the warm rice. Stir to combine well and heat thoroughly.
6. Also add in cooked beef/onion mixture to rice and salsa. Re-heat briefly over medium heat of a minute or two if you desire. Remove from burner and mix in cheese of choice.
7. Spoon rice/salsa/beef/onion mixture into waiting, drained crisp-tender bell pepper halves (or stuff all into the top of one whole bell pepper), distributing equally. Smother top again with more cheese.
8. Immediately serve hot with some chips and dip, or refried beans, or continue on...
9. Pop the stuffed bell pepper into the preheated oven. Cook for an additional 20 minutes, or until bell pepper is fully tender and cheese is melted.

Hamburger Risotto

I've decided to stay true to my URL and cook up a few really easy dishes for the next week or so. Just in the past two days I've talked with over 5 fellow students who are trying to learn to cook. Their biggest complaint: having very little time and only a few random ingredients. I didn't think risotto with hamburger, chicken broth and orange bell pepper would be any good, but for a college kid, and hot, fresh meal is appreciated. (Plus, this really isn't too bad!)



Serves 2 (as a quick dinner or lunch)
35 minutes
-large saucepan
Quick and simple

INGREDIENTS
1 medium yellow onion
1 medium orange bell pepper (or maybe yellow)
1/3rd lb ground beef
1/2 c. Italian ABORIO Rice <---- yo undergrads...please buy some Aborio rice
1 15 oz. can of Swanson Natural Goodness chicken broth
dash of ground sage

DIRECTIONS
1. Coarsely cut up yellow onion. Set onion aside near range. Wash and core the orange bell pepper, then cut into 1/2 inch squares. Don't mix onion and pepper, yet.
2. Rinse off beef and place in a large saucepan. Throw yellow onion into pan with beef and begin cooking over medium heat. Cook until meat is browned and onions just become translucent (around 5 minutes). Keep meat in larger chunks and DON'T drain the grease, unless you still have over 2 tbsp. in the pan.
3. Add Aborio rice to the meat/onion mixture. Stir, while the rice soaks up the excess fat, for 2 minutes. The rice should be mostly translucent with a white 'dot' in the center of each grain.
4. Add in the chopped orange bell pepper and a dash of sage. Also pour in about 1/4th of the chicken broth can. Continue stirring the rice mixture while the broth comes to a boil (raise the temp to medium-high if necessary).
5. When the rice soaks up most of the liquid, add in another 1/4th cup to the saucepan. Stir. Keep adding in small quantities of broth until you totally run out or the rice is creamy and tender. This whole process (add in broth, stir while rice soaks up liquid, repeat..) should take around 15 minutes.
6. Remove from range and season further with salt and pepper, if desired. Eat with a fresh green salad.

Potato-Broccoli Skillet

Cayenne pepper gives these loaded hash browns a nice kick. I think a saucepan 'crisps' the potatoes better than the wok (not sure why). After I took this picture, I realized these would be great smothered in melted cheddar cheese. Leave out the meat and you have a hearty veggie side-dish.**



Serves 2
35 minutes
-large saucepan or skillet
Quick and simple

INGREDIENTS

1/2 lb beef steak, thin cut

2 medium-small red potatoes

1 large head of broccoli

1 medium white onion

1+1 tbsp. peanut oil

2 tsp. garlic powder*

2 tsp. onion powder*

2 tsp. parsley flakes*

1/2 tsp. (or less) ground cayenne pepper*

fresh chives (optional), diced

cheddar cheese, for topping

*McCormick spices are GF

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut red potatoes into smaller, 1/2 inch cubes. Let them sit in cold water for 5 minutes, then rise and set aside.

2. Cut broccoli into bite sized pieces. Also chop up onion. Set aside.

3. Place beef into saucepan and brown both sides over medium heat (3-5 minutes). Cut into bit sized pieces.

4. Turn up heat to medium-high and add in potatoes and 1 tbsp. peanut oil. Season with generous portions of garlic powder, onion powder, parsley flakes and chives. Also add in desired amount of cayenne pepper. Stir to coat. Cook potatoes and meat for another 10 minutes.

5. Add in broccoli, onion and another 1 tbsp of peanut oil. Cook for another 5-8 minutes, or until broccoli are crisp tender and potatoes are golden. Potatoes should be cooked through, but onion and broccoli should still have a bit of a bite.

6. Remove from heat and smother with freshly grated cheddar cheese while still hot. Let the potatoes cool slightly, then serve warm as a light lunch or dinner side dish.

**Sorry if this is reminiscent of my "Silver Dollar Stir-fry", I just love potatoes and thought this had a different taste with out sausage and with the pepper.

Fajitas

Truth be told, I didn't use any marinade for the meat shown below, but I'll include the recipe I was going to use. Instead, I was frugal (lazy) and cut up Friday's remaining steak and dumped on a bunch of spices-- it was still incredibly good.



Serves 2
5+40 minutes
Overnight prep
-large saucepan or skillet
-large, heavy-duty freezer bag
Easy

INGREDIENTS
Marinade (for beef or chicken):
1 lb steak, favorite cut, or 1-2 chicken breasts; uncooked
1/3 c. beef or chicken broth*
6 cloves garlic, washed, peeled and crushed (I think a Ziploc baggie and hammer works just fine)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce* (for beef only)
1 tsp. ground cumin*
1 tsp. chili powder*
1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper*
juice of 1/2 lime
handful fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Rest:
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 medium white onion
1-2 tbsp. olive oil
cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt-- all to taste, use what spices you have
Cheese of choice-- I used DF rice shreds (mozzarella!)
3-4 soft brown rice tortillas*
*Swanson canned plain chicken and beef broths are GF. Lea and Perrins worch. sauce is GF. McCormick spices are GF. Food for Life GF brown rice tortillas are big and tasty. Warm them up on the microwave so they'll be nice and pliable.

DIRECTIONS **
Night before:
1. Pour broth, crushed garlic, 1 tbsp. olive oil, Worch. sauce, cumin, chili, cayenne pepper, lime juice, and fresh cilantro into a heavy duty freezer bag. (I'd use said freezer bag to first carefully crush my garlic, then add the rest of marinade ingredients)
2. Shake, then add 1 lb of raw chicken or beef into baggie. Seal tight and let marinade overnight in the fridge.
Day of:
1. Wash bell peppers and onion. Core bell peppers and cut into 1/4th inch thin strips.. keep them nice and long. Likewise slice onion into 1/4th inch thick O's and cut slice in half (once). Set veggies aside.
2. Pull marinated meat out of baggie, place in large saucepan and turn range on to medium heat.
3. Cook meat until it reaches desired done-ness.. about 20 minutes or so. Don't let it burn.
4. Remove meat from saucepan (turn off burner) and carefully slice meat width-wise into 1/4th inch strips. Keep cut meat near range.
5. Reheat saucepan over medium heat and add in bell peppers and onion. Add 1 tbsp. olive oil into cooking veggies. Let them sizzle in the oil for 5 minutes.
6. When onion just begins to turn translucent, add sliced, cooked meat back into saucepan. Smother mixture in more chili powder, garlic powder, and cumin-- your onions should be colored!
7. Let spiced meat and veggies cook for another 5 minutes, adding in more olive oil if necessary.
8. When meat begins to 'crisp' and peppers are tender, spoon into waiting rice flour or corn tortillas. Top with cheese and eat hot.
**The quick way is using leftover, pre-cooked, unseasoned beef or chicken. Skip meat cooking step, instead cut meat as directed and throw in with partially-cooked veggies and more olive oil. Season generously with above spices.