Grandma's Favorite Gluten Free Beef Stew

   There's nothing like a bowl of mouth watering stew on a nippy winter night to make you glad it's January! This is my mother-in-law's (Grandma Marilyn's) stew.   It has definitely been her go to stew.    Make some rolls or muffins and add a salad and you're set!  

Grandma'a Favorite Beef Stew 

Before you start here's a preparation note:  This stew takes about 2 hours to cook!

1.  Prepare veggies:  
(1)  Dice up 4-5 carrots
(2)  Chop up 4-5 stalks of celery
(3)  Chop up 1 large onion
(4)  Cube 3-4  medium potatoes

2. Dredge package of 1 pd stew meat:  

(1)  Rinse and cut stew meat  into 1-2” cubes
(2)  Dredge in 2 T rice flour and  then put 4 T of olive oil into a soup pot or Dutch oven.
(3)  Brown the meat and the onion.

3. Add water, spices & veggies to the pot:

(1)  Then add 6 cups of water to the pot along with 1/4 cup of cooking wine, 4 tsp. small tapioca (or rice flour), 1 T gluten free Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (or I used 1 clove minced garlic),  1-2 tsp. of salt, and 1/2 tsp. black pepper. 
Note:  On July 23, 2014 I added 1 T of Beef Better than Bouillon, and then I tasted the broth and checked to see if I needed to add any more. It made the stew richer tasting.

(2)  Add all the vegetables.

4. Put in the oven and bake at 250 for 5 1/2 hours.

Blog Update 7-23-14:  Today I didn't have that much time to bake it so I left it in my Dutch oven on the stove for 1 1/2 hours on medium heat, and it came out great. 

List of My Favorite Soups, Chili & Stew Recipes: 

Beef 

Grandma's Favorite Beef Stew  (My mother-in-law's delicious recipe!)

Just Like Home Ukrainian Borscht  ( a Polish student  said this tasted like his mom's!)

Poultry

This is the Best Gluten Free Minestrone Soup!   (A recipe my son modified)

Mouth Watering Italian Turkey Sausage Soup   (This is  my friend Debbie's recipe)
Mexican Fiesta Chicken Soup   (A recipe I got years ago from a Mexican cookbook)
My Thanksgiving Turkey Soup  (My very own special concoction!)
Gary's Incredible Gluten Free Arkansas Gumbo  (Given to me by a Bible study friend)
Jeannie's French Market Soup  (A mom friend from when my kids were little)
Southwest Turkey Soup  (From my Syre School cookbook)

Fish
Northwest Salmon Chowder  (From my Heritage School cookbook)

Bean & Legumes
Vi's Best Chili  (A  Bible study friend's great recipe)
Bethany's Crowd Pleasing Tortilla Soup  (One of my daughter's friends special soup)
Country-Style Lentil Soup   (From my Heritage School cookbook)
Kathy's Texas Chili & Chips (From my Come & Dine cookbook)

Vegetable

Creamy Pumpkin Soup  (from Food Network)
My Favorite Gluten Free Pumpkin Curry Soup  (Combo from Food & All Recipes)
Downright Delicious Potato & Kale Soup  (From my daughter-in-law's family cookbook)

Asian
Chinese Chicken Soups  - Bok choy chicken, chicken & spinach, and chicken & cabbage
Make Your Own Gluten Free Chicken Pho!  (From a newspaper article)
Gluten Free Chinese Hot Pot  (Modified by a Chinese student)
Chinese Egg Drop Soup  &  Chinese Egg & Tomato Soup  (Adapted from our students)

Vegetarian & Gluten Free Tom Yum Soup (A delicious Thai soup) 
Deluxe Miso Soup (Kenchinjiru)   (Adapted from Internet search)
A Thai Mom Teaches Me How to Make Tom Yum Kung  (A student's mom's recipe)
A Vietnamese Cooking Lesson - Lien's Vietnamese Sweet & Sour Soup  (An International student's aunt's recipe)

A Korean Friend Teaches Me How to Make My Own Sushi!

     A few years ago a Korean student taught me and some others how to make sushi.  To be honest, making my own sushi seemed a bit daunting to me.  I had watched her make sushi at a friend's house, and so I wanted to learn.  I took notes from her demonstration, and then typed them up.  I have followed these instructions about three times so far, and it works every time!  I've always like California rolls, and so when I make sushi my ingredients are relatively simple.  I enjoy making my own variations with all the ingredients that I cut up. 


     Last weekend we made sushi part of our New Year's Eve dinner menu.  One of our students from China helped me make them. It was her first time making sushi, and it was a neat experience for us to share together.

Authentic Sushi - - for 9

1.  Prepare the sushi rice:   Unlike making regular rice, the rule of thumb for making sushi rice is to use equal parts of rice to water. First wash the rice in a colander to remove any excess starch.  Extra starch makes it harder for the vinegar to penetrate the rice.  Put 4 cups of  short white rice and 4 cups of  water into your  rice cooker.

 2.  Prepare sushi rice seasoning in a glass bowl: Mix together  8 ½ T rice vinegar, 8 t sugar, and 4 t salt.

3. Prepare the ingredients for sushi filling:

*       Avocado  - narrow slices                               * Cucumber – thinly sliced

*       Carrots – parboiled & cut into thin slices      * Spinach wilted

*      Crabmeat – canned or cooked                         *Shrimp – cook in skillet
*  2 eggs cooked like an omelet and cut in strips

3.  Prepare vinegar for moistening hands and tools:
(1)  Put 1/2  cup of rice vinegar into a small glass bowl with 1 ½ c of water (a 1:3 ratio).
(2)  You will be continually dipping your hands into this mixture so the rice doesn't stick to them!
(3)  Also put a small amount of this mixture into a glass for you to dip your knife into when you're cutting the sushi rolls. 

 

4.  Making the sushi rice:  (Make sure the rice never touches metal)

1. Put the hot rice into a large glass bowl with a wooden paddle.
2. Mix gently so the rice grains don't get  mashed.
3. Gradually add the sushi rice seasoning folding it in. 
4. As you are folding the rice, some else needs to fan it with a piece of paper to quickly bring it down to room temperature.

5.  Preparing the sushi:   

1. Put a piece of nori shiny side down on a sushi mat.
2. Put ½ cup of rice on it, press to edges leaving 1” margin at top.

3.  Put the filling end to end in the middle.

4. Holding the core ingredients, use your thumbs to slowly turn up the edges of the mat. 

5. Form into a log, gently press the ends down with a bit of the vinegar mixture and allow it to sit on a plate a few minutes before cutting.

6. Dip the knife blade into the vinegar water before slicing.

7. Put tamari or soy sauce into a small dish with a squirt of wasabi to dip the sushi rolls in.

8. I would suggest not cutting all your rolls, leave some whole on the plate, and if you don't eat them, you can wrap them with plastic wrap and refrigerate them for the next day.  Enjoy!!

Sorry for the awkward angle!

Blog update 3/27/12:  We made sushi rolls last night.  To the list of options we added smoked salmon.  I looked on line and smoked salmon is combined with avocado and cucumber.   We made several different variations, and they were all delicious! The students have shared their comments about this recipe. 



Other Japanese recipes on this blog:

Easy Steps to Make Your Own Sushi!
Outstanding Gluten Free Sukiyaki
Delicious Gluten Free Yakisoba
Incredible Gluten Free Teriyaki Chicken
Deluxe Miso Soup (Kenchinjiru)

Fantastic Gluten Free Baked Chimichangas

     Mexican food is a terrific choice for gluten free people because there's only a few things you have to adjust to make it work.  This recipe comes from a cookbook I picked up years ago when I was substituting at an elementary school.  I was so glad to find a recipe for making baked Chimichangas because they are normally deep fried. 

 For years I made it with flour tortillas; when I found out I had celiac disease, I tried it with the rice ones from Trader Joe's, but it's definitely not the same.  So I usually make them with corn tortillas.

Megan and Mama's Chimichangas - Makes 8

1.  Prepare chicken:   Poach 2 large chicken breasts in water to cover.  Then shred and put aside. 

2.  In a pan combine:   Then put the shredded chicken in a pan and mix it with  2/3 cup red salsa,  1/3 cup chopped green onion,  1 tsp. cumin, 1/2 tsp. oregano, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Simmer for 5 minutes.  

3.  Grate about 2 cups of cheddar cheese.

4.  Prepare tortillas:   
(1)  Brush one side of 8 flour/rice tortillas (I use warmed up corn tortillas)  with melted butter. (2)  Spoon about 1/2 cup of chicken mixture into the center on the UNBUTTERED side. 
(3) Top with 2 tablespoons of grated cheese.  

5.  Assemble like a burrito - How to get it right:
(1)  Fold two sides over the filling.
(2)  Fold the ends and then place seam side down in a 13 x 9 baking pan.  

6. Bake in preheated oven at 425-450 for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown.

Top with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, guacamole, sour cream and/or additional salsa. 

 Note:  If you're making these for your family, don't forget to use separate baking pans to separate the corn tortilla ones from the flour ones.

Other Mexican recipes on this blog:

Mexican Casseroles
Texas Style Gluten Free Stacked Enchiladas  (From my Come & Dine cookbook)
Acapulco Delight - A great Mexican Enchilada (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Michelle's Favorite Vegetarian Enchiladas   (From my daughter)
Kathy's Baked Chili & Chips Casserole  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Fiesta Gluten Free Tamale Pie   (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Authentic Chicken Enchiladas Verde  (From a church friend)
Rebecca's Favorite Chicken & Chile Enchiladas  (From a church friend)
Delores's Chicken & Tortilla Casserole (Made Gluten Free)  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Great Beef Enchiladas - From my church cookbook, Come & Dine

Tacos, Chimichangas  & Etc.
The Best Fish Tacos   (Modified from Food Network)
Fantastic Baked Chimichangas  (From my Syre School Cookbook)
Authentic Chicken Flautas  (My hispanic friend Abbie taught me how to make these!)

Delicious Chicken Fajitas  (A mix of many recipes)
Easy Gluten Free Baked Taquitos  (From a newspaper clip)

The Best Homemade Refried Beans  (From an Internet search)
Sara's Grandpa's Recipe for Mexican Beans (from my nephew's wife-a yummy side dish that is thick like a stew)

Mexican Chicken & Beef
Anna's Pollo Guisado (Mexican Braised Chicken)  (From a church friend in Phoenix)
Fantastic Gluten Free Carne Asada!  (From an Internet search--a combination of sites)
Belizean Chicken, Black Beans & Rice, and Belizean Coleslaw  (From my daughter's family)

Soups
Mexican Chicken Soup- A Great Remedy for Colds & Flu  (I got this over 25 years ago from a Mexican cookbook)
Bethany's Crowd Pleasing Tortilla Soup  (From a friend in California)
Southwest Turkey Soup   (From my Syre School Cookbook)

Salads
Baja Salad with Black Beans & Quinoa  (My own version of something I ate in Seattle)

The Best Gluten Free Mongolian Beef Stir Fry

     I think Mongolian beef is one of the best Chinese recipes I make for our international students.  I first made this recipe in December 2009, and it's a combination of two recipes.  I have to credit the amazing  P.F. Chang sauce to www.recipezaar.com. 

When I was first learning how to make Chinese stir fries, I tried to stay away from deep frying the meats. Instead I looked for recipes that just stir-fried, and that's why I liked this recipe.  I also added carrots so that it would have more color.  This recipe is an amazing combination of flavors!  All of our students have loved this recipe!!  

The Best Gluten Free Mongolian Beef Stir Fry- Serves 6

1.  Prepare the beef:  Slice the 1 lb of sirloin or flank steak across the grain into thin strips. Mix the following and let meat marinade: 1 egg white, Pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon sesame oil,  and a tablespoon cornstarch and let beef marinate  for at least thirty minutes.

2.  Prepare the vegetables: 
(1) Wash 4-6 green onions and slice on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces. 
(2)  Peel and mince 2 cloves garlic. 
(3)  Scrub and cut 2 carrots on the diagonal. 
(4)  Rinse the can of baby corn with warm running water. Drain thoroughly. 

3.  Make the sauce:  Combine 1 cup tamari, 1 cup water, 1 cup brown sugar, 3 T cornstarch, 1 tsp. ginger, and 2 tsp. minced garlic in a glass bowl.  Set aside.  

4.  Stir-fry the beef:   When the beef has finished marinating, heat the wok or  skillet and add 2 T of oil. Stir-fry the beef until it changes color. Put the beef in a covered dish.  Wipe out the wok.

5.  Cook the veggies:  Add 2 more tablespoons of oil, and when the oil is ready, add the garlic. Stir-fry briefly, and add the carrots and baby corn.  After two minutes, add the green onions.

6.  Adding sauce & beef:  Make a well in the middle of the wok by pushing the vegetables up to the side. Add the sauce and bring to a boil, stirring to thicken. Add the beef and combine 
with the sauce and vegetables. Taste and make any adjustments.   Serve with rice. 

Other Chinese recipes on this blog:

Note about Internet recipes:  For the past 6 years we've hosted international students. Whenever I've made something, they have tasted it, and given me recommendations to make it taste more authentic.  Most of these Internet recipes have been tweaked by their suggestions.

BEEF RECIPES:
Delicious Gluten Free Beef Broccoli Stir-Fry  (Modification of Internet recipe)
The Best Gluten Free Mongolian Beef Stir-Fry  (Modification of Internet recipe)
The Best Gluten Free Ginger Beef Stir-Fry (Modification of Internet recipe)

CHICKEN RECIPES:
Gluten Free Chinese Almond Chicken Stir-Fry   (Modification of Internet recipe)
Amazing Gluten Free Chinese Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry   (Modification of Internet recipe)
Gluten Free Garlic Chicken Stir-Fry  (Modification of Internet recipe)
Gluten Free Chinese - Chicken Broccoli Stir-Fry  (Modification of Internet recipe)
Gluten Free Chinese - Spicy Kung Pao Chicken Stir Fry  (Modification of Internet recipe)
Gluten Free Chinese - Authentic Chinese BBQ Chicken  (From my Bible Study friend Rose)
Rose's Chinese Yellow Curry with Chicken & Vegetables  (From my Bible Study friend Rose)
Gluten Free Chinese - Fantastic Soy Sauce Chicken  (Modification of Internet recipe)
Rose's Authentic Stir-Fried Chicken & Vegetables (Made Gluten Free!)
Gluten Free Sweet & Sour Chicken (From my daughter-in-law's family cookbook)
Authentic Chinese Chicken & Leek Stir Fry  (Shared with me by a Chinese student's mother)

TOFU RECIPES:
My Asian Student's Favorite Tofu & Vegetable Stir-Fry  (Modification of Internet recipe)
Orange "Beef" Tofu Stir- Fry  (Modification of Internet recipe)

FISH RECIPES:
Steamed Scallion Ginger Fish with Stir-Fried Bok Choy  (Modification of Internet recipe)
Fantastic Mahi & Vegetable Stir Fry   (Modification of Internet recipe)
Tasty Gluten Free Sweet & Sour Fish  (From my daughter-in-law's family reunion cookbook)

NOODLES & RICE:
Gluten Free Chinese Fried Rice    (From my Come & Dine Cookbook)
The Cheung's Gluten Free Chow Mien  (My Bible study friend Rose taught me this)

SOUP RECIPES:
Chinese Chicken Soups  - Bok choy chicken, chicken & spinach, and chicken & cabbage
Gluten Free Chinese Hot Pot  (Combination of Internet & Yingying a student from China)
Making Congee with a Chinese Student  (Recipe from a Chinese friend & a student)
Chinese Egg Drop Soup   (From my Syre School Cookbook)

SALAD RECIPES
Gluten Free Chinese Chicken Cabbage Salad  (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Rose's Refreshing Cucumber Salad  (From a Bible study friend)
Chinese Mandarin Salad & Thai Peanut Dressing   (Dressing is from my friend Judi)

Seeing the Healing Power of the Cross in Mark 15:16-41

     

Golden Ears in British Columbia

   Everyone is sick.  Maybe not on the outside, but for sure on the inside.  I  was touched to find out in my reading of Chapter 65 of the Life-Study of Mark that all the cases in Mark 15 show us the true condition of all of our hearts.  

    It was amazing to see that actually we're the paralytic, and the deaf man, who apart from the healing work of the cross cannot serve God or hear God's word.  And we're also unable to speak for the Lord or see spiritual things. 

Embedded in this gospel is the classic parable of the sower. I was intrigued when Witness Lee connected on page 550 all these accounts to the Lord's crucifixion:
  

As we have seen, to follow the Lord is to be put into His “pocket.”  But how does the Lord heal the soil that is in His pocket?  He heals the soil by bringing it to the cross and causing it to die out and then bringing it into resurrection” (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Mark. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1983, Print).  

When I read this it made me realize that the cross was not just something the Lord did objectively to accomplish our redemption and destroy Satan.  The Lord also brought us there with Him because He knew that through His crucifixion He would make the way to truly heal us.  

Other Posts on the Life Study of Mark:

You can listen to excerpts from the Life Study of Mark along with excellent commentary by tuning into the Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee.    

What's the Purpose of Mark's Gospel?
How Does the Kingdom of God Come in Mark 4:1-20, 26?
Explaining the Parable of the Sower to a Chinese Student
How Does the Lord Heal People's Hearts According to Mark 7:24-30?
Seeing the Healing Power of the Cross in Mark 15:16-41

Making Gluten Free Pad Thai With a Thai Student

     When my older son worked as a waiter at an Asian restaurant, he invited us to try out their lunch special of pad Thai and panang curry. I had never had Thai food before and was a little hesitant. It was absolutely delicious, and being the recipe scout that I am, I started looking for some recipes. 

Of all the Thai dishes I've made, Pad Thai is the trickiest, and the chef from my son's work told me that it's hard to duplicate because you have to have a very hot wok to do it right.   

     A few weeks ago I asked a Thai student to come and help me cook it with his girlfriend.   They gave me permission to take some side pictures of them. We used a recipe given to me by another gluten free friend from the test kitchen of Cooks Illustrated.   This student tweaked this recipe according to what he knew it should taste like.

Gluten Free Pad Thai - for 8

1,  Make sauce:  Put 4 T of tamarind paste into 1 1/2 cups of boiling water for about 10 minutes, then push through a mesh strainer to remove the seeds and fibers.  Stir into this tamarind liquid 6 T of gluten free fish sauce, 2 T rice vinegar,  6 T of granulated sugar, and 1 1/2 t of cayenne pepper.  Set aside.

 Note:  The Thai student told me we needed to triple the sauce for the noodles.  I'm going to let you decide if you need to do that when you make it!  Also we used tamarind concentrate and didn't use the boiling water.  I think next time we will add some water to the concentrate and see how that works.  You can decide how you want to make the sauce. 

2.  Prepare the noodles:  Cover 16 oz of dried rick stick noodles about 1/8" wide in hot water for about 40 minutes.  I usually cover the pan with foil and check it every 10 minutes or so to see if the noodles are softening.  If not, I drain out and add a little bit more hot water. (Try to time the noodles being done close to when you need to stir-fry them below.)

3.  Prepare the veggies: 
(1) Mince 6 cloves of garlic
(2)  Chop 6 T of shallot (I've used regular onion)
(3)  Slice 10 green onions--just the green part
(4)  Chop 1/2 cup  cilantro.


4.Cook the eggs:  Beat together 4 large eggs.  Put 1-2 T of peanut oil into a pan and cook them like an omelet.  When they're done, you can cut them with scissors or cut them with a knife into strips.

5.  Cook the shrimp:     Heat 1 T of peanut oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat then add 12+ oz of medium shrimp and sprinkle them with a bit of salt.  Cook until they are done which takes about 3 minutes.

6.  Stir-fry the noodles:
(1)  Take the pan off the burner and add 1-2 tablespoons more of peanut oil; then add the garlic and onion and cook for about 1 1/2 minutes.
(2)  Add the noodles and toss with 2 wooden spoons to combine.
(3)  Pour the sauce over  the noodles and increase the heat to high and cook the noodles tossing constantly until noodles are evenly coated.
(4)  Then scatter 3-4 cups of bean sprouts,  all but 1/4 cup of green onions, shrimp, and 1/4 cup of peanuts into the noodles and cook tossing constantly until noodles are tender about 2 1/2 more minutes.  
(5)  Eat a noodle to make sure it's just right.   If they're not tender, add 2 tablespoons more water to the skillet and continue to cook until tender.

One of the things that you have to watch with making pad Thai is that you cook it fast or the noodles will take up all the sauce and it will start to dry out.

7.  Assembling platter:  Put noodles into a serving bowl or platter and sprinkle with the rest of the green onions, some peanuts, and the cilantro.  Put out a dish of lime wedges so everyone can squeeze a bit over their noodles.  Some squirts of lime juice really enhances the flavor!  

  

Check out some of the other curries on this blog!

Tasty Thai Red Curry   (Modified  recipe from back of curry paste & Thai recipe)

Fantastic Thai Green Curry (Modified a recipe from back of curry paste & Thai recipe)

Rose's Authentic Chinese Yellow Curry  (From a Taiwanese friend who brought this to dinner)

Thai Salmon & Vegetables in Green Curry  ( Modified recipe from Internet search)

Massaman Chicken Curry with Yams & Pineapple (Modified  recipe from back of curry paste & Thai recipe)

Spectacular Chicken Panang Curry (Modified  recipe from back of curry paste &  recipe)

Amazing Vegetable Panang Curry (Modified recipe from back of curry paste & Thai recipe)

Gluten Free Thai Chicken & Pumpkin Curry  (From Internet search)

Other Thai Recipes on This Blog 

Making Gluten Free Pad Thai With a Thai Student (A combination of recipes & student's know how!)

Gluten Free Thai Basil Beef    (From Internet search)

How to Make Your Own Thai Fresh Rolls   (From Internet search)

Rachel Ray's Thai chicken with Basil & Pineapple   (From Internet search)

Gai Pad Prik (Chicken with Peppers) in a Peanut Sauce  (From Internet search)

A Great Thai Soup - Gluten Free & Vegetarian Tom Yum Soup  (Modified from Internet search)

Delicious Gluten Free Thai Wraps  (From Internet search)