Mongolian Beef

Ingredients

  • 1/4 C corn starch
  • 1 lb beef, sliced thinly
  • 2 T oil
  • 2 T ginger, grated
  • 2 T garlic, minced
  • 1/4 C tamari
  • 1/4 C water
  • 1/4 C brown sugar
  • oil for frying
  • 1/4 C San-J Szechuan sauce
  • 1/4 C water
  • 1 carrot, peeled and sliced
  • 1-2 ribs celery, sliced
  • 2-3 napa cabbage leaves, chopped into 1" squares
  • 1/2 of a yellow onion, sliced
  • 1 bunch of green onions, chopped into 1" long pieces
  • 1 T salt
  • cornstarch

Procedure

  1. Toss gently together to coat beef and cornstarch.
  2. Heat oil; add garlic and ginger and sauté until garlic is golden. Immediately add tamari, water, and brown sugar. Stir and bring to a brisk boil; reduce heat and simmer the brown sauce for a few minutes to thicken.
  3. In a wok, heat an inch of oil. Fry beef in small batches until crisp and browned on the edges; add to a bowl containing Szechuan sauce to marinate once cooked.
  4. Remove wok from heat and discard oil. Return the wok to heat and add 1/4 C of water to deglaze. Using a metal spoon, scrape up the fond from the bottom of the wok.
  5. Add vegetables to the wok and cook until carrots begin to soften, 5-7 minutes.
  6. Add back to the wok the beef, the Szechuan sauce marinade, and the brown sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Add salt to taste. If the sauce needs additional thickening, use a few teaspoons of a cornstarch and water slurry.

Lemon Chicken

Ingredients

  • 3 large lemons
  • 1/4 C vegetable oil
  • 2 Tb fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 2 Tb fresh parsley, minced
  • 1 Tb minced garlic
  • 2 ts dried red chili flakes
  • 2 ts salt
  • 2 lb chicken pieces

Procedure

Halve then lemons and juice them; keep the juiced peels. Whisk together the lemon juice, vegetable oil, herbs, chili flakes, garlic, and salt.

Toss the chicken pieces in the marinade so that they are thoroughly coated. Add the reserved peels to the mix and allow everything to marinate, refrigerated, at least six hours. (Overnight is better, but sometimes I don't think that far ahead.)

Cover a deep-sided cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place a baking rack on top of it to hold the chicken.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and arrange it on the baking rack. Top it with the lemon peels.

Bake at 400F until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is crisp, usually 25-35 minutes for chicken thighs. While the chicken cooks, boil the remaining marinade to use as a dipping sauce. Add to it the drippings from the pan when the chicken is done.

Serving suggestions

I usually serve this with peas and rice. Pour a bit of the dripping sauce over the rice to spice things up.

Gf Cinnamon Muffins

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 C gluten-free flour (Bette Hagman's Four Flour Bean Mix recommended)
  • 1/2 C sugar
  • 1 ts xanthan gum
  • 2 ts baking powder
  • 1/2 ts salt
  • 1 ts cinnamon
  • 1/2 ts ginger
  • 1 egg + 1 egg white
  • 1/2 C milk
  • 1/3 C vegetable oil

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Prepare a muffin pan by lining it with papers or greasing the wells with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, spices, and xanthan gum.

In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and vegetable oil. Pour this into the dry ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. (Without gluten, there is less danger of overmixing and having tough muffins.)

Pour into the prepared muffin pan and bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown.

Cinnamon-sugar topping

  • 1/4 C butter, melted
  • 2 T sugar
  • 1/2 ts cinnamon

Combine the sugar and cinnamon in one bowl, melt the butter in another in the microwave.

Brush the muffins' tops with butter, then dip them into the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Tips and tricks

If you do not have a pastry brush, use a bunched up piece of clean plastic wrap. It will hold melted butter almost as well, and cleanup is as simple as throwing it away.