We’ve been eating one of these steaks most nights we have been home these last few months – DH has perfected his method to a science. I just tried it and smoked the damn house out (again) 😂🙄🤷♀️.
gluten-free, paleo, keto
Air Fryer Steak
A steak – preferably ribeye or strip of about 12 – 14 ounces and an inch thick
A little butter
Your favorite seasoning (we use Lowry’s Seasoning Salt)
Preheat your air fryer on 400F for 3 minutes.
Season 1 side of your steak, add to the basket of the air fryer seasoning side down and season the other.
Let cook 3 minutes.
While that’s cooking, get a pan ripping hot. When DH does this, he uses the center burner of our stove – which apparently doesn’t get as hot as my favorite burner, which smoked the house out.
Cook 1:30 per side.
Remove from the heat, pop your little bit of butter on, and let rest a few minutes.
We slice ours into bite-sized pieces because we are heathens and have been having great fun with ‘kitchen steak’. Seats are for sides. 😆
I tried every which way from Sunday to screw this dish up. I let the meat thaw too long, wrapped it halfway and let it sit for a day, took little care in the actual cooking, and then added insult to injury by not eating it for a day after.
And it was still damn delicious, despite the disrespect.
healthy-ish
(Nearly) Weeknight Wellington
3-ish pound beef tenderloin
Package filo or puff pastry dough
250g mixed mushrooms
2 tsp beef stock starter
1/2 tsp dry thyme
1 tsp soy sauce
Bourbon
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
1 package proscuitto
Chinese hot mustard
1 egg
Preheat your oven to 400F/200C.
Rub your tenderloin with oil, salt & pepper generously. Put on a roasting pan and bake 10 minutes to brown a bit.
While the beef is working, chop the mushrooms very fine.
Sauté in 1 Tbsp olive oil until softened. Add 2 tsp beef stock starter, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp soy sauce, a splash of bourbon and 1/3 cup water. Let cook, stirring often, until the liquid is absorbed.
When the beef is finished, remove and let cool completely.
Remove the mushrooms from the heat and let cool as well.
Lay some Saran Wrap down (or a layer of aluminum foil + a layer of baking paper if you, like me, didn’t get your ish together). Layer the prosciutto over top in a single layer with no gaps showing.
Spread the mushrooms over top in a thinish layer to almost the edges.
Slater the top of the beef generously with the mustard and lay down over the mushrooms mustard side down.
Roll the ham around the beef, using the wrapping to do so, tightly. Chill at least :30 (I let mine go overnight and it was fine).
When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven again to 400F/200C.
Prepare a baking sheet. Roll the dough over the sheet into a flat rectangle.
Unwrap the beef roll and place onto the edge of the dough. Wrap the beef in the dough, ending up seam side down.
Brush the seam with the egg (beaten) to seal. Tuck the ends under as well to make a package.
Make some small slashes in the top to let steam escape. Brush with beaten egg.
Bake :30 for rare-mid rare; longer for more doneness.
Serves 4? 5? 6? You decide how far you want to stretch it
4 Tbsp flavored vinegar (I used ume plum but sherry would be good here)
2 anchovies
Salt, pepper & oil
First, make your salsa & sauce by adding half of the following to a blender & half to a bowl: chopped tomatoes, parsley, thyme and almonds; sliced and salted garlic, and vinegar. Add the sardines to the blender only.
Blend half the mix and toss the other. Set aside.
Heat a pan over high heat, and add a bit of high smoke point oil. Salt & pepper the steak and brush some of the blended sauce over. Sear on one side, flip, re-sauce and let cook a couple minutes (about halfway done). Flip again and sauce. Continue cooking until your desired doneness is reached. Re-sauce and let rest.
To serve, layer slices of steak over a bit of the blended sauce and top with the chunky salsa.
Another Middle Eastern-inspired meatball recipe, this time with beef. Do you see a trend here? I’ve got a lamb version coming soon (hopefully – if my idea works out).
gluten-free, paleo
Pomegranate Beef Meatballs
1 lb. ground beef
1/3 c. slivered almonds
3 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses
3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp. pomegranate arils
3 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
1/2 small onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. turmeric
2 Tbsp. fish sauce or Worcestershire (check labels if paleo or gf)
Salt & pepper
Preheat your oven to 200C/375F and prepare a baking sheet.
Combine all ingredients with your hands, mixing well.
Form into meatballs – mine were roughly golf ball shaped.
Bake about 15 minutes.
Great alongside last week’s recipe for Pomegranate & Fig Salad.
This dish *started* as a riff on a Mediterranean steak bowl … and then my local grocery had nice peaches. So we went a different way. FYI, hummus pairs quite well with peaches.
gluten-free
Peachy Keen Steak Bowl
Steak:
1kg. flank steak or something similar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. onion powder
Liberal cracked black pepper.
First, combine all steak ingredients in a bag or vessel of some sort and marinate at least an hour and up to over night. When it’s time to cook, remove the steak to a prepared baking sheet. Toss the marinade.
Salady bit:
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1/2 red onion, fairly thinly sliced
1-2 peaches, sliced into quarters or eighths
1 small cucumber, chopped
Splash rice vinegar
Splash oil
Salt & pepper
Juice of 1/2 a lemon (I halved and roasted mine along with the veggies)
Set your oven to broil. Add the cherry tomatoes, halved lemons, peach wedges and onion slices to the prepared sheet with the steak.
Pop into the oven for 4 minutes, flip the steak, and back into the oven for 2 more for rare (if your steak is thin); more for not-rare. When the steak is cooked to your liking, remove and let sit 4 – 10 minutes to rest. Slice thinly against the grain with rested.
While the steak and veggies are broiling, make the dressing.
When the tomatoes are blistered and the peaches have some color, add to a large bowl with the cucumber (chopped). Add the rest of the ingredients, toss, and taste for salt and acid.
Dressing:
1/2 cup yogurt (I was lucky enough to find plain soy yogurt this week)
1 Tbsp. neutral oil
The other half lemons’ juice
1 clove garlic, grated
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried dill
1/2 tsp. salt
A little black pepper
Stir all dressing ingredients to combine. Taste for salt and add more if necessary.
Bowl:
Hummus
Microgreens (optional, I used radish)
Toasted pepitas (Optional)
Chives or green onions (would also be lovely)
To assemble the bowl, lay a Tablespoon or a few of hummus down. Top with greens if you’re using and some salad. Lay the steak on top, top with dressing, and sprinkle with the optional garnishes. Hit with a few grinds pepper & an extra sprinkle salt.
Our little Monday night burger night needed a little kick in the pants. We’ve been doing whatever fake meats our local market has on hand (our favorites so far have been the Beyond Burgers and the Quorn Southern Fried “chicken” patties)j, and it’s been going really well. This week they happened to be out of good (non-lentil, non-bean) options, so I went for something a little different.
It was a big hit with me; with DH, not so much. He’s much more of a traditionalist when it comes to “staple” kid-friendly foods and has to be in the right mood for anything too far off the beaten path.
gluten-free, paleo
Indian Spiced Burgers
500g ground beef
1 Tbsp. ginger garlic paste (I used prepared)
3/4 small bunch cilantro
2 small green chilis
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. curry powder (your favorite mix)
Juice & zest of 1 lime
1 tsp. red chili powder (I used cayenne)
Mince your cilantro and chili. Add with the rest of the ingredients into a large bowl with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Mix until combined well, but not gluey.
Divvy into 4 burger patties and fry until your desired done ness has been reached.
I served mine with Kewpie mayonnaise and a generous dollop of Bombay Sandwich Chutney on a soft bun. DH added cheese to his.
Sorry I’ve been AWOL from recipe posting lately – I’ve put my pantry cleanse on hold (or actually have restocked it even fuller in recent weeks), and have been making nothing terribly new or inspiring. Tasty things from staples, but not exactly balanced Internet-friendly dishes.
When it was in theaters, DH and I saw Parasite – which was fantastic – and were just as curious as to what the mixed ramen noodle dish with steak was. We heard it was delicious, and were having friends over for game night – so we decided to make a whole Korean-themed meal.
For sides, we had 4 banchan (vegetable side dishes): spicy cucumbers, sauteed spinach, lightly blanched and seasoned bean sprouts and kimchi. This dish was our main, and the recipe is only slightly augmented from the official recipe(s) listed here. When I made this a second time for just the two of us, I couldn’t help but add a little seasoning to the steak and some green veg.
While the water is working, add the neutral oil to a pan over medium-high heat. Add the steak bits, hit with salt, pepper & garlic powder and sautee until your desired doneness is reached.
While the steak and water are working, thinly slice your green onions.
About halfway through cooking, add the sliced green onions and hit a second time with seasoning.
Add the butter and toss until melted. Set aside.
Add the noodles and dehydrated veggies from both packages to the boiling water.
Boil 4:30, adding the frozen spinach in the last minute or so.
Strain, keeping enough water so the mixture is nice and wet still – not swimming, but not dry. The directions say to keep 150ml, but my American non-metric self had no idea what this looked like with noodles so I guessed.
Turn off the heat and add the strained noodles back to the pot. Add the seasoning packet from the green package (the green packet that looks like beef bouillon). Add the oil from the green package and half the spicy looking seasoning (all if you like spicy) from the red package. Stir to combine.
Divide between 2 bowls (can easily stretch to 3 or even 4 if you serve with banchan), and top with steak.
The idea for this low carb, Keto-friendly dinner came from a good friend who was looking for something tasty to eat while on a Whole30 – and started making stuffed zucchini pizzas.
I had eggplant and went a little nuts in the veggie aisle. Yum.
Also: I found a fantastic lactose-free sharp cheddar cheese that doesn’t kill my stomach. Win-freaking-win, and I’m happy it costs an arm and a leg, so I won’t be buying it every week!
gluten-free, paleo, Keto-ish
Eggplant Pizza Boats
1 large Italian (dark purple) eggplant
1 lb. ground beef
4 oz. crimini mushrooms, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4-6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2-1 c. marinara
2 Tbsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. onion powder
4 tsp. dried oregano
4 inches 2 in. diameter stick style pepperoni, chopped
2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast (optional)
Hand full green olives, chopped
Double hand full lactose free cheese, shredded
Salt & pepper
1 Tbsp. fat of choice
Green onion, chopped (optional topper)
Parsley, chopped (optional topper)
Big pinch red pepper flakes
Preheat your oven to 200C while you prep all your veggies.
Halve the eggplant lengthwise, scoop out a fair amount of the middles (reserve middles, chop & add to veggies), and bake 20 minutes or until mostly soft.
While the eggplant boats are baking, make the stuffing by sautéing the mushrooms, onion, pepper, and garlic in the fat until soft. Salt & pepper as you go. When desired doneness is achieved, remove from pan and reserve.
Put the pan back on the heat and add the pepperoni. Give that a couple minutes to start rendering and add the beef. Brown, adding the spices a half at a time and tasting as you go. You want this mix to be a hair salty.
When your desired brownness is reached, add the marinara, nutritional yeast and olives and stir to combine. Add the veggies back in. Taste. Season more if needed.
Pile into the boats and top with shredded cheese.
Bake 20-30 minutes or until browned and bubbly.
Top with chopped parsley & green onion if desired.
We’ve been on a Korean kick lately – and it’s been delicious. This recipe comes together relatively quickly, can be eaten hot or cold, and can accommodate a bunch of different eating styles.
Gluten-free, paleo-ish, keto-ish
Low Carb Instant Pot Bulgogi Bowls
For the Beef
3 – 4 lb. chuck roast
4 Tbsp. ginger garlic paste (or the equivalent chopped fresh)
1 small apple or pear, cored (I used Granny Smith, but I’ve heard Fuji is closest to a pear)
4 Tbsp. gochujang
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1/4 c. tamari, soy or coconut aminos
2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. avocado or other neutral oil
1 date, pitted
Whiz all ingredients but the beef in your blender. Cut the roast into bite sized chunks and marinate 2 hours to overnight.
To prepare, pressure cook 12-14 minutes.
Bowl Fixins
Baby asparagus (I lightly sauteed in sesame oil)
Enoki mushrooms (I lightly sauteed with the asparagus)
Green onion slivers
Shredded carrots
Fried eggs
Bowl filler – I tried to “rice” cucumber, which ended up with cucumber pulp – which was a hot mess, but wasn’t bad when drained — DH had sushi rice, which he also pressure cooks and makes in big batches. Cauli rice would be great here, as would broccoli rice. Zoodles would work, too
This dish is quick to throw together, takes a minimal amount of effort, and makes enough to last a few days.
gluten-free, paleo, keto
Thai Coconut Beef Curry
2 – 3 Tbsp. your favorite oil
1 medium onion
1 lb. ground or sliced beef
5 – 7 cloves garlic
1 inch piece ginger
13 ounce can coconut milk (full fat is best)
10 ounces shredded cabbage
1 orange bell pepper
5 Tbsp. Thai red curry paste
1 c. frozen spinach
Juice 1 lime
Salt & pepper
Chop the onion. In a large steep-sided pan or pot, add the oil and heat to medium. Sautee the onion until softened.
Add the beef, hit with some salt and pepper, and cook through.
While the beef is working, chop the garlic and ginger and bell pepper and cabbage. Add the ginger and garlic to the beef mixture and cook 1 – 2 minutes or until fragrant.
Add the veggies, coconut milk, 1 can of water, curry paste, and another hit salt & pepper.
Bring to a boil, add the frozen spinach, knock the heat down and let simmer 10 – 15 minutes or until the coconut milk has reduced to the consistency you want.
Turn the heat off, add the lime, and taste for seasoning. Add more salt/pepper/acid if needed.
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