Steak Marinade {gluten, dairy, egg-free}

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It's getting to be grilling weather (yaaahh!), so I thought I'd share with you our favorite, and very simple, steak marinade recipe.  But before I could share this with you, I had to look up the proper use of the words 'marinade' and marinate', because I certainly don't want to be caught using the wrong word (gasp)!  It turns out I am not alone in my confusion.  According to the Grammarist, these two words have been misused for so long, they have become irreparably tangled together.  But to set the record straight, 'marinade' is a noun referring to the liquid in which a meat is soaked.  'Marinate' is the verb form, referring to the action of soaking meat in marinade.  Got it?  Good.

Now a bit about allergy-friendly cooking.  Of course steak, along with the green salad, oven fries, and veggies that often share a plate, are all naturally gluten-free.  But you do have to watch ingredients in store-bought marinades, as they often include soy sauce which usually has wheat in it.  So I prefer to skip the allergens along with the other questionable ingredients, and make my marinade at home.

Here is our ultra-simple, flavorful steak marinade.  Use it with any cut of beef you like.

Steak Marinade {gluten, dairy, egg-free}

1/2 cup oil (I usually use canola or safflower, but I'm sure any cooking oil would do)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar*
2 TBSP gluten-free soy sauce such as Bragg's Liquid Aminos or coconut aminos**
2-3 cloves garlic, minced or squeezed through garlic press

Mix ingredients together and let steak marinate for several hours or all day.  This is especially nice for marinating a london broil or other lesser quality steaks.


*In case you are concerned about vinegar and the gluten-free diet, this article may clear things up a bit.
**Here's a link to a nice list of gluten-free soy sauce options.

This recipe is being shared at Tasty Traditions, Full Plate Thursday, Thriving on Thursday, Frugal Food Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Gluten Free Friday, Foodtastic Friday, Allergy Friendly Friday, Friday Food Frenzy, Freedom Friday, Food on Fridays, Fresh Bites Friday, TGIF Link Party

New Cultures For Health Blog Giveaway

Pin It There has been so much interest in my recent article on water kefir that I thought I'd share some exciting news with my readers.  Cultures For Health, my source for water kefir grains, has just launched their new and improved blog.  The Cultures For Health Blog features recipes and information about cultured foods.  And to promote their improved site, they are hosting some exciting giveaways THIS WEEK ONLY!  Today's giveaway is for their milk kefir starter kit which may not be too helpful for many of us (ya know, dairy allergies and all).  But Thursday, May 2nd they'll be giving away five kombucha starter kits and on Saturday, May 4th, the giveaway is for a water kefir starter kit!  

So stop by their new blog and enter to win!  What a great way to get started on your own cultured beverage adventure!  And if any of my readers win a kit, please come back and share your good news with us!

-Happy Culturing!

I am an affiliate of Cultures for Health and will get a small percentage of any purchases made through those links.  Thank you!

Shredded Potatoes and Beef Casserole {gluten, dairy, egg-free}

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In my previous life, you know the one in which we didn't have food allergies to deal with and I cooked whatever I felt like for dinner, I used to cook a lot of casseroles.  But most casseroles are pasta based and, while I do have a few gluten-free pastas I like, I really don't serve many casseroles anymore.  But casseroles can be so convenient because they usually don't require much kitchen time - just put together a few ingredients and pop it in the oven to bake (while you go fold laundry, change diapers, paint your nails - whatever).   So a few weeks ago, as I was craving something baked in one dish, I came across a bag of shredded potatoes in my freezer and a new family-pleasing dinner was born.  And as always, it has no gluten, dairy or eggs.  I imagine this one would freeze well, too.  See what you think?

Shredded Potatoes and Beef Casserole

1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz tomato sauce
1 cup peas
1 cup corn
5 cups shredded potatoes (fresh would be nice, but frozen works just fine)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  In a large skillet, saute onions in a bit of olive oil for a few minutes.  Add ground beef and brown it.  Add in garlic and other seasonings.  Add tomato sauce, peas and corn.  Cook until everything is mixed and heated through.  Transfer to a 13 x 11 baking dish.  Sprinkle shredded potatoes evenly over the top.  Bake uncovered at 450 for about 30 minutes.  Enjoy!

This recipe is being shared at Gluten Free Fridays, Foodie Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Foodtastic Friday, Food on Friday, Weekend Kitchen Creations, Inspire Me Monday, Musings of a Housewife, Better Mom Monday, Melt In Your Mouth Monday, Make Your Own Monday, Motivation Monday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Traditional Tuesday, Wednesday Extravaganza, Fresh Foods Wednesday, Cast Party Wednesday, What's Cooking Wednesday, Gluten Free Wednesday, Healthy 2day Wednesday, Allergy Free Wednesday, Tasty Traditions, Frugal Food Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, Thriving on Thursday

Meal Plan Monday - April 8, 2013

Pin It Its been a while since I've shared my weekly meal plan.  Its not that I haven't been planning our meals, 'cause I have.  I really can't function without a plan!  But I do like the idea of sharing meal plans.  I am often inspired to try something new or reminded of an old favorite when I read other people's plans, especially gluten, dairy and egg-free meal plans.  So in the hopes that someone (anyone) might be inspired, here's our plan for the week.

MONDAY - My favorite Java Crockpot Roast minus the cream cheese with mashed potatoes and a veggie

TUESDAY - Crockpot Salsa Bean Chicken I'm really giving my crockpot a workout this week - two dinners in a row!

WEDNESDAY - Pizza  It's my boy's 9th birthday so we'll be having his requested dinner

THURSDAY - Mongolian Beef and Broccoli

FRIDAY - Sausages with peppers, onions, and mushrooms over rice

SATURDAY - My 11 year old and I will be going to the annual Mother & Daughter Banquet hosted by her Faith Girls group.  Not sure what my hubby's going to feed the rest of the family, but I know he'll do a fine job!

SUNDAY - Hamburgers on the grill!  I'm so excited that its getting to be grilling weather!

So what's on your plan this week?

This plan is being shared on Gluten Free Menu Plan, Menu Monday, Musings of a Housewife and Menu Plan Monday

Water Kefir - What It Is and Why I Drink It

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Everyone wants to be healthy, right?  And we know that those with food allergies usually need a little extra help supporting the digestive and immune systems.  One easy (and tasty) way to do that is by adding water kefir to your daily diet.  So what is it, anyway?

Water kefir is a natural, dairy-free probiotic beverage that you can make at home.  If you've been thinking about adding lacto-fermented foods to your diet, but haven't taken the plunge, this is a great place to start.  Its main benefit is its wide variety of beneficial necessary yeast and bacteria.  Although the  specific strains will vary batch to batch, the list, which you can read here, is wonderfully long.  Other benefits include:

• Immune System Support:  A huge percentage of our body's immune system resides in the gut (70%-80% according to a study published by the American Journal of Physiology).  The probiotic bacteria in water kefir can help to strengthen this.
• Leaky Gut:  If you suspect leaky gut, as is common in those with food allergies, one of the first and best things to do is add probiotics to help balance the internal gut flora.  You can do this by taking a probiotic pill, but as with most nutrients, its better to get it through real food/beverage because you'll also get the other nutrients that help promote colonization and healing.
• Candidiasis:  Many people who suffer from issues with Candida/yeast infections benefit from water kefir.  That's because it contains friendly yeast that can starve out Candida Albicans.
• Children:  Probiotics are important for kids too, and, depending on the cause, may help with things like atopic dermatitis (read more here).  Its easier to get kids to drink a tasty beverage than to take a pill, so water kefir is a good probiotic option for kids.
• Antibiotic Use:  After killing off the good with the bad, you'll need to replenish your natural internal flora.

So how is water kefir made?  I'm glad you asked!  Its really quite a simple process and doesn't take much hands-on time at all. The most helpful resource I've found is this video tutorial.   Here's what you need to make 1 quart of water kefir:

• Water kefir grains (about 1/4 cup):  These are not grains at all, but get their name from the way they look.  They are actually a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast.  If you have a friend who is already making water kefir, you should be able to get some grains from her as the grains tend to multiply.  If not, you can order from a reputable source such as Cultures for Health.
• Water:  Pure water.  Avoid using chlorinated water, but if you must, you can boil it beforehand to get the chlorine out.  I use reverse osmosis water (read more about water filtration here) which means my water doesn't contain chlorine or fluoride (yah!), but I do add mineral drops to keep the kefir grains happy.
• Sugar (1/4 cup):  This should be an unprocessed sugar like sucanat, rapadura, or evaporated cane crystals (just avoid bleached white sugar as the chemicals in it are likely to damage the kefir grains).

To make water kefir, put 1/4 cup sugar into a quart mason jar.  To this, add a bit of hot water and stir to dissolve.  Once sugar is dissolved, fill the jar the rest of the way with cold water.  Add a few drops of mineral drops if your water is lacking minerals.  Lastly, add in kefir grains.  Cover with a clean cloth or coffee filter and let sit for 24-48 hours (I usually let mine sit for about 36 hours).  Once made, strain out kefir grains to use for the next batch.  If cared for properly, your kefir grains will continue to produce water kefir indefinitely.  I like to pour my water kefir into a glass pitcher.  Now it's time to add flavor!

There are tons of flavor options, but here are my family's favorites:

• Lemonade/Limeade:  To 1 quart water kefir, add 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice or lime juice.  This makes a lightly sweet and very refreshing beverage!
• Cream Soda:  While making the water kefir, add 1 tsp molasses to your sugar.  Once water kefir has been prepared, add about 2 tsp vanilla extract to it.  Yum!
• Blueberry:  To 1 quart water kefir, add about 1/2 cup blueberry juice. 

So there you have it.  A beneficial probiotic beverage that's easy to make and tastes good.  There's tons more info available on making water kefir.  I encourage you to follow the links I've provided to get a fuller understanding of it all.  And I hope you'll give it a try!

In addition to personal experience, information for this article was obtained from these sources:  Cultures For Health, Yemoos, Whole Traditions: Water Kefir Instructions, Vitabase

This post is being shared at Motivation Monday, Gluten Free Weekly Menu, Inspire Me Monday, Make Your Own Monday, Melt In Your Mouth Monday, Better Mom Monday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Allergy Free Wednesday, Gluten Free Wednesday, What's Cooking Wednesday, Cast Party Wednesday, Wheat Free Wednesday, Wednesday Extravaganza, Real Food Wednesday, Healthy 2day Wednesday, Tasty Traditions, Frugal Food Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, Thriving on Thursday, Gluten Free Friday, Foodie Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Foodtastic Friday, Food on Fridays, Allergy Friendly Friday, Weekend Kitchen Creation, Saturday Spotlight, Your Great Ideas

I am an affiliate of Cultures for Health and will get a small percentage of any purchases made through those links.  Thank you!

P.F. Chang's Mongolian Beef and Broccoli

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Ever been to P.F. Chang's?  How about Pei Wei?   If you're not familiar with these, they are both excellent Asian-inspired restaurants that also have gluten-free menu options.  Pei Wei (read Pay-Way) is the fast-food version of P.F. Chang's and one restaurant that our whole family can enjoy (4 yr old-adult plus allergy-friendly).

Anyway, my sister-in-law sent me this P.F. Chang knock-off recipe created by Kelly Senyei at Just a Taste.  I've made it twice now and have enjoyed it greatly.  Even though it's not my recipe, I thought I'd share it with you since its just so good!  If you follow the recipe as written, you'll notice it doesn't include broccoli.  To add broccoli, just toss your florets in during the last step when you add the beef back in to the sauce in the skillet.  That lets the broccoli take on the flavor of the sauce while staying crisp.  I left out the scallions.  And be sure to use gluten-free soy sauce.   Serve with brown rice.




This recipe is being shared at Wheat Free Wednesday, Cast Party Wednesday, What's Cooking Wednesday, Gluten-Free Wednesday, Healthy 2day Wednesday, Allergy Free Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Tasty Traditions, Full Plate Thursday, Thriving on Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Frugal Food Thursday, Gluten Free Fridays, Foodie Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Foodtastic Friday, Food on Fridays, Weekend Kitchen Creations, Show and Tell Saturday

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies {gluten, dairy, egg-free}

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You know that recipe - the one you look forward to seeing at family gatherings or church picnics.  You expect to see Mrs. Jones' apple pie or Miss Taylor's macaroni and cheese.  You hope to see it because it's famous, at least in your circle.  It's famous because it's fabulous.  Well, let me just tell you that is the kind of recipe I'm sharing today.  But it's not my recipe.  It is my husband's and it is all it's cracked up to be.  It is requested, anticipated and gobbled up at most any occasion.  And the good news is, it is quick and easy to make.

The only tricky part is deciding if you want to make the chocolate version or the blonde version?  I have yet to decide which is my favorite so we (meaning me and the kids) usually request that my husband make a batch of each.  The best thing to do is just split the recipe in half and make one of each kind - you'll be glad you did.

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies {gluten, dairy, and egg-free}

Chocolate Version:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup dairy-free butter (our favorite is Earth Balance No-Soy Spread)
1/2 cup dairy-free milk (we use almond milk)
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup chunky peanut butter
3 1/2 cups gluten-free quick oats

Blonde Version:
as above, except omit cocoa and add 1/4 cup more peanut butter (total 1 cup peanut butter)

In a large pot (4-6 quart size gives enough room for mixing), combine sugar, cocoa, non-dairy butter and non-dairy milk.  Over medium-high heat, bring mixture to a boil stirring constantly.  Once mixture comes to a boil, continue boiling and stirring for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Add vanilla and peanut butter.  Stir until peanut butter is dissolved.  Add oatmeal and stir until thoroughly combined.  Spoon cookies onto wax paper and allow to cool.  Once set, eat and enjoy!

This recipe is being shared at Motivation Monday, Gluten Free Weekly, Inspire Me Monday, Make Your Own Monday, Melt In Your Mouth Monday, Better Mom Monday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Allergy Free Wednesday, Healthy 2day Wednesday, Gluten Free Wednesday, Cast Party Wednesday, What's Cooking Wednesday, Wheat Free Wednesday, Wednesday Extravaganza, Thriving on Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, Frugal Food Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Allergy Friendly Friday, Food of Fridays, Foodtastic Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Foodie Friday, Gluten Free Friday