GF Dijon Meatloaf Muffins

I like meatloaf.  But I don't like ketchup.  (I know, crazy, right?)  So here is a quick and easy version using Dijon mustard instead.  I love Dijon mustard.  :-)  This version is also gluten-free.  I replaced the typical bread crumbs with buckwheat flour.  You could also use a GF oat flour, too.

And I divided the meat into muffin molds for easy individual servings.  BOOM!

Also check out my previous, and fancier, meatloaf recipe: Mustard-Dill Meatloaf Patties with Pomegranate Sauce.  (See?  Mustard.  Not ketchup.  :-D)
 
Gluten-Free Dijon Meatloaf Muffins


Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound ground sirloin
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan
• 1/4 cup buckwheat flour
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (plus more for topping)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• several generous dashes of (a GF brand of) Worcestershire sauce
• many turns of the black pepper grinder

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray 6 wells of a muffin tin with olive oil and set aside.
• Sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes.  Pour into a mixing bowl and let cool for 5 minutes.
• Add the rest of ingredients to the onion/garlic mixture and combine with your fingers.  (Yes, fingers are better than a spoon or spatula!)  Be light, don't smoosh!
• Divide the meat mixture evenly into the 6 greased muffin wells.  Pat down lightly.
• Bake uncovered for 15 minutes.  Then increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F and continue baking for another 5-7 minutes, until the muffins are cooked through and internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.
• Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes.  Run a butter knife around the muffins to remove them from the tin.  Top with more Dijon mustard before serving.

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

I've seen a number of these recipes on the Internet.  Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls are so easy and so yummy.  Bonus: it's a one-pot meal.  I chopped the onion and cabbage this afternoon, then went to work out.  Came home, threw it all together and had a satisfying, hot dinner in 30 minutes.  Here's my version.

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls


Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1.5 pounds extra lean ground sirloin
• 1 small head of cabbage, chopped
• 1 large (28 oz.) can of diced tomatoes
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 to 2 cups water
• a few dashes of worcestershire sauce
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add onion and stir until translucent.  Add garlic and stir for about 30 seconds until fragrant.  Stir in ground beef and cook, stirring often, until nicely browned.
• Add the cabbage, diced tomatoes and lemon juice to the pot.  Add 1 cup water if you like it a little thicker.  My daughter likes to eat it like soup, so I add another cup of water to make it extra saucy.  Add the worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper to taste.  
• Bring to a boil, then put a lid on the pot and reduce to simmer for about 20 minutes until cabbage is tender.  (Don't overcook or the cabbage becomes mushy!)

We like to serve it over brown rice.

Stuffed Zucchini

Another use-what's-in-the-fridge night including another delicious giant zuke from Ferrari Farms (thanks, Cheri and Dorian!).  The marinara on top was an afterthought when the top of the filling looked dry as it was baking; next time I will probably either mix it in, or omit it but cover the tops with foil while baking.  Soooo good!

Make sure you drain the meat mixture and squeeze the spinach really dry.  Mushrooms and zucchinis put out a lot of liquid when cooked, and if your filling is too moist the whole thing will be soupy.

Stuffed Zucchini


Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 2 large zucchinis
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound lean ground sirloin
• 1 (8 oz. bag) trumpet mushrooms
• 1 large handful frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1/2-ish cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 egg
• a few tablespoons prepared marinara sauce (optional)

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a baking sheet with olive oil and set aside.
• Cut the zukes in half and remove the pulp, keeping a 1/2-inch border all around.  Chop and reserve the pulp.  Place the zuke halves cut side up on the sprayed baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with TSSS.  Set aside.
• In a skillet over medium heat, saute the onion and garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil until soft. Add the ground sirloin, some TSSS to taste, and brown.  Drain.
• Add the reserved zucchini pulp, mushrooms and spinach and continue to saute until the mushrooms are soft.  Drain.  Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
• Add the feta and egg and combine.
• Divide the mixture into fourths and fill each zucchini half.  Cover with foil (so they don't dry out) and bake for 25 - 30 minutes.  Remove the foil (and top each zuke with a little marinara sauce - optional) and continue baking for another 5 - 10 minutes until the zukes are tender (but not mushy).

Steak Chili

A slightly fancier version of my Chilly Night Chili.  Perfect for rewarding your hubby on those days when he vacuums the floors without you asking.  :-)

Steak Chili

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs. roast or steak, trimmed of all visible fat and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 (15 oz.) cans of beans, drained (pinto, kidney, black, etc.)
• 2 cans (14.5 oz.) petite diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• a few generous dashes of Worcestershire sauce
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

• Place all the ingredients into a crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours, stirring occasionally.  Add more s&p at the end if necessary.

Simple Tomato Beef Stew

This recipe is for Todd's friend, Brett.  A long time ago (5+ years?) we had Brett and some friends over for lunch.  I'd made a beef stew, and Brett asked for the recipe.  At that time I was winging it (I still wing it most of the time nowadays) and didn't keep a recipe book.  So I honestly don't remember exactly how I made it.  I decided to make a beef stew for dinner tonight and thought I might try to make something similar and document it for Brett.

Since I'm trying to keep this South Beach Diet friendly, I did not add any potatoes.  (I don't think I'd added potatoes back then either.)

Simple Tomato Beef Stew


Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 pounds rump round or chuck, trimmed of fat and cubed into 1" pieces
• salt and pepper
• 1/4-ish cup Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 carrots, cut into large pieces
• 3 celery ribs, cut into large pieces
• 2 (15 oz.) cans diced tomatoes

Directions:

• Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Generously season the cubed meat with salt and pepper, add to the heated oil and brown on all sides.
• Add the rest of the ingredients in the order listed above and bring to a boil.  Reduce to medium-low heat to simmer.  Cook, covered, for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender.  Add more salt and pepper as needed.
• Serve with crusty bread.

If you like a thicker stew, you can mix a tablespoon of whole wheat flour with a little bit of water until it forms a loose paste, then add it to the pot about 10 minutes before the end of cooking time.

Crockpot Beef Barley Stew

The original recipe is done in a dutch oven on the stove top, but considering all my Le Creuset pieces are still in boxes somewhere since we moved here over a year ago (*sigh*), I ended up throwing everything into a crockpot and it still turned out great.

Crockpot Beef Barley Stew
Adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2-pound roast (sirloin tip roast, chuck roast, etc.), cubed, all visible fat removed
• 6 medium carrots, sliced
• 6 celery stalks, sliced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 (5 oz.) packages of sliced mushrooms
• 2 (14.5 oz.) cans of diced tomatoes
• 3 cups beef broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• 1 teaspoon Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• a dozen turns of the pepper grinder
• 2/3 cups of pearl barley
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• a few dashes of worcestershire sauce

Directions:

• Dump all of the ingredients, except the last 4, into a crockpot and cook for 6 - 8 hours.
• In the last 1/2 hour, whisk 1/4 cup flour and 1/3 cup water in a bowl until smooth.  Add to crockpot and stir.
• Add balsamic vinegar and worcester sauce and stir.
• Finish cooking.

Easy Slow Cooker Brisket

Easy Slow Cooker Brisket

Ingredients:

• a 2-pound beef brisket, all visible fat removed
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic
• Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

• Liberally season both sides of the brisket with TSSS and TSGG.
• Place in the bottom of a crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours.
• 1/2 hour before the brisket is done, add several generous dashes of Worcestershire sauce to the meat, flip it over, and add a few more dashes.
• Once brisket is done, remove it to a cutting board and let sit for 10 minutes before cutting.  Slice against the grain.
• Scoop up any leftover juices in the crockpot and spoon over the sliced meat.

Tri-Tip Sauteed with Tomatoes and Mushrooms

When I was growing up, my mom would, every so often, take very thinly-sliced steak, sauté it up with tomatoes, and serve it over a bed of watercress. It was delicious, especially with the crisp bite of the watercress.

I used to love watercress. Until last week, when I found a disgusting critter in the bunch that I had bought. Not a jumping or crawling critter, those I can handle. This bunch had a long, thin, wriggling, sucking, leeching critter about an inch long; it had suctioned itself to the side of my salad spinner and was squirming in the water. I kid you not. I threw everything right out and am never eating watercress again. (I also immediately ran the salad spinner in the dishwasher to sanitize it.)

Anyway... sorry for that unappetizing detour. I just had to get that off my chest. The rest of this post is in much better taste. I promise.

I love this dish when the steak is very thinly sliced.  But I'm not as skilled with a knife (nor am I as diligent) as my mom is, so don't sweat it if you can't get the steak paper-thin.  I just try to do the best I can.  And if I'm lazy pressed for time, a finished meal is more important than having perfectly-sliced meat.

Tonight I used tri-tip, but you can use any tender cut of beef like rib eye, sirloin, tenderloin, etc. 

Tri-Tip Sautéed with Tomatoes and Mushrooms

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 2 large handfuls of shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and thickly sliced
• 3 medium vine-ripened tomatoes, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 pound tri-tip, all visible fat removed, thinly sliced
• fish sauce

Directions:

• Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a sauté pan.  Add the shiitakes and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until they start to get soft and begin to brown.
• Add the tomatoes and sauté for a few more minutes until both the mushrooms and tomatoes are soft.
• Move the veggies to one side of the pan.  Add the garlic and sliced tri-tip to the empty side of the pan and stir for about 30 seconds.
• Toss the veggies and meat together.  Season with a few generous dashes of fish sauce.
• Stir for another minute or so until the meat is no longer red/pink.  Make sure not to over-cook.
• Serve over a green salad or brown rice.

Sirloin Tip Roast

People have asked me why I always make adaptations instead of following recipes.  It's not because I think my way is better, really.  It's more based on what I have in my pantry.  If I don't have a specific ingredient that a recipe calls for, I'll substitute with something else, or omit it.  I'm just a lazy cook, plain and simple.

For example, this original recipe calls for dry mustard, which I don't have, so instead of going out and picking some up at the grocery store (too much work), I chose instead to use regular Dijon mustard.

And why did I pre-heat the oven at 400 degrees F instead of the 350 that the original recipe called for?  Because I was roasting veggies in the oven at the same time and didn't want to do two separate batches, I just shortened the roast's cooking time accordingly.  See?  I told you I was lazy.  :-)

Sirloin Tip Roast
Adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients:

• a 2-pound sirloin tip roast, all visible fat removed
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic
• Dijon mustard
• olive oil
• worcestershire sauce
• chicken broth

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Season the roast liberally with TSSS and TSGG.
• Rub several generous squirts of Dijon mustard over the seasoned roast.
• Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in an oven-proof skillet.  Sear roast on both sides.
• Shake a few generous dashes of worcestershire sauce over the roast.  
• Pour about 1/4 cup chicken broth over the roast.
• Place the skillet in the oven for 30 minutes.
• When done, remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before slicing.
• In the meantime, reduce the juices in the skillet.  Pour over sliced roast.

ETA 1/5/12: tri tip roast

Cabbage Rolls

Deeeelish!

Cabbage Rolls
Adapted from this recipe.


Ingredients:

• one medium head of cabbage
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 1/2 small onion, minced
• 1 pound ground sirloin (or other lean ground meat)
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar (Splenda if you're strictly SBDing)
• juice of a small lemon
• few dashes of worcestershire sauce

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.
• Carefully remove a dozen or so of the large outer cabbage leaves and wash them. Microwave on high for a minute or two with a splash of water, until the leaves are soft.  Set aside.
• Core the remainder of the head of lettuce, and chop into bite-size pieces.  Spread the chopped cabbage across the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
• In a mixing bowl, combine rice, egg, milk, onion, ground sirloin, TSSS and pepper.
• One at a time, place 2 huge heaping tablespoons of meat mixture in the center of each cabbage leaf and roll.  Place in a single layer on top of the chopped cabbage in the baking dish.  Sprinkle TSSS and ground pepper over the top.
• In a separate bowl, mix tomato sauce, sugar, lemon juice and worcestershire sauce.  Pour over cabbage rolls.
• Cover baking dish with foil and bake in preheated oven for1 hour.

Crockpot Roast

This is a spin on pot roast that's cooked in the crockpot. I've done many different variations on this, but here's tonight's version.

Crockpot Roast

Ingredients:

• 2 pound chuck roast, all visible fat removed
•  Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• olive oil
• 5 medium carrots, thickly sliced
• 6 medium red potatoes, cubed (omit if you are strictly following the SBD, or use sweet potatoes)
• a few generous dashes of Worcestershire sauce
• 2 6-oz. packages sliced mushrooms
• 2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes, drained, reserve 1 cup of the juice

Directions:

• Liberally season both sides of the chuck roast.  Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and sear the meat on both sides.
• In a crockpot, place the carrots and potatoes.  Season with TSSS.
• Place the seared meat on top of the veggies and add a few generous dashes of Worcestershire sauce.
• Add the mushrooms, diced tomatoes and reserved juice.  Season with TSSS.
• Cook on low heat for 8 hours.  Towards the last hour, stir the veggies with a wooden spoon.

In the past, I've also added a large sliced onion, celery, as well as peas.