Bison Salisbury Steak Dinner

The past couple weeks have been cold here. So warm comforting foods have been on the menu. A while ago I clipped a Salisbury Steak recipe from a magazine. I finally got around to making it, but when I looked at the recipe again I just wasn't feeling it. So I decided to make my own with ground bison and a nice full flavored sauce. This recipe would also work well with ground beef.

I served the Bison Salisbury Steaks with mashed potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts. Ben and I love Brussels sprouts, so next time I make this I will double the sprouts. 

This is dinner is going to be a winter staple in our house. You would never know that it is a gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, food allergy friendly dinner. 

Bison Salisbury Steaks

Patty Ingredients
20 oz ground bison
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 Tbsp coconut flour
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1 Tbsp canola or olive oil

Gravy Ingredients
3 large cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/4 onion, diced
1 Tbsp vegan butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup beef broth
1 Tbsp sherry
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce


1. Combine all the patty ingredients except oil in a large bowl. Form into 5 patties.
2. Heat the 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook 3 of the patties for about 4-5 minutes per side until cooked through. Set the cooked patties aside. I kept my patties warm on a cookie sheet in warm but off oven. Add the remaining oil and cook the last 2 patties. Set those aside when done.
3. Add the vegan butter, salt and onions to the skillet. Saute until the onions are almost clear. Add the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes until they're browned but not soft. 
4. Whisk in the beef broth, sherry, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer, stirring up all the browned bits. 
5. In a small bowl, combine the potato starch and cold water. Add to the beef broth mixture, whisking constantly. Stir until thickened. Serve the gravy over the patties.

Dairy-Free Mashed Potatoes

2.5 lbs russet potatoes
1/2 cup coconut milk
3 Tbsp vegan butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp granulated garlic
1/4 tsp granulated onion
1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1. Peel and chop the potatoes. Add to a large pot filled with enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain and return to the pot.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and mash until smooth.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

1.25 lb Brussels sprouts
2 slices bacon
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cook the bacon in a skillet until crispy. Set cooked bacon aside and save the grease.
3. Cut the bottoms off the Brussels sprouts, remove any discolored outer leaves and slice in half or in quarters depending on the size of the sprout.
4. Combine the Brussels sprouts, bacon grease and seasonings in a 9 x 9 glass baking dish.
5. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring once.

Oh the Injustice! (Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, and Kale with Bacon)

Tonight we had meatloaf, mashed potatoes and sauteed kale with bacon. Ben, our nephew Aaron and I all thought it was delicious. Tommy loved the meatloaf but didn't care for the rest. He picked the bacon out of the kale. Then came the mashed potatoes. Full on toddler/mommy stand-off. He refused to take his required one bite. I told him he could have a cookie if he had one bite of mashed potatoes. Many big tears later he finally agreed. Oh the injustice of having to eat mashed potatoes! Seriously, what kid doesn't like mashed potatoes?! 

For the meatloaf I used some store bought ketchup. I love the Annie's Natural ketchup since they list all the ingredients. It's such a relief to know that there are no hidden mystery spices (which might be mustard). And it's organic too. Apparently I'm out of coconut flour. So tonight I used potato flour in the meatloaf. It worked well, but coconut flour binds a bit better.

I didn't measure anything when I made the mashed potatoes. I made a lot since we had three hungry adults for dinner and I love leftover mashed potatoes. So just season it to taste and keep adding milk and butter until it's the texture you like. When in doubt add more butter. 

The kale shrunk down much more than I expected. Next time I'll use even more. Mmmm, kale. Our nephew is visiting us for a couple weeks. He's been a great sport about eating everything I've made, like eggplant for breakfast, kale for dinner and cabbage in a breakfast burrito. I love cooking for people who aren't afraid to try anything.

Meatloaf

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1/2 cup dried minced onions
1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
1/2 cup ketchup, divided
1 Tbsp coconut flour or potato flour
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp chipotle powder
1/2 tsp granulated garlic

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with tin foil.
2. In a small bowl, combine the minced onion and coconut milk. Let sit for 5 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients except for the ketchup. Add in the onion mixture and 1/3 cup ketchup. Mix thoroughly with your hands.
4. Form the meat into a loaf on the lined baking sheet.
5. Spread the remaining ketchup over the top of the meatloaf.
6. Bake for 45-60 minutes, until the internal temperature is at least 160°F.
7. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Mashed Potatoes

I didn't measure anything, since I wasn't even sure how many potatoes I used. I peeled the russet potatoes, boiled them until tender, drained and returned them to the pot. I mashed them with Earth's Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks, canned coconut milk, salt, pepper, granulated garlic, granulated onion and a little smoked paprika. They turned out delicious. The coconut flavor isn't overwhelming as long as you have a good amount of the spices.

Sauteed Kale with Bacon

1 bunch kale
3 strips bacon
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/4 tsp salt

1. Devain the kale and break into smallish pieces. Wash throughly, drain, and set aside.
2. In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon and set aside.
3. Add the kale and seasonings to the pan. Saute over medium heat until the kale is tender. Stir in the crumbled bacon.

Chicken and Waffles

It wasn't until I was actually cooking the waffles that I realized we were having chicken and waffles for dinner. But not the traditional Southern kind with fried chicken. We had BBQ shredded chicken in a crock pot and mashed potato waffles. And salad with a balsamic vinegar reduction. Overall a tasty and pretty low fuss dinner. 

Tommy has a cold and the air quality down in the valley has been bad, so we've been voluntarily housebound for a couple days. So I've spent more time than normal on the internet and browsing random articles on Buzzfeed. Today I saw an article called 21 Ways You Can Take Mashed Potatoes to the Next Level. I love mashed potatoes, but so far Tommy won't eat them. One of the ideas was to make Mashed Potato Cheddar and Chive Waffles. We have some leftover bacon mashed potatoes from our football party on Sunday, so I figured this would be the perfect use for those. Tommy likes waffles, so maybe he'll actually eat these! I modified the original recipe so that Tommy can eat it. Ben and I really like the waffles with chicken on top and a little maple syrup and Frank's Red Hot Sauce. The calories for the waffles are a best guess estimate since I didn't write down exactly what I put in the mashed potatoes.

Mashed Potato Waffles

Makes 16 Small Waffles

1 1/2 cups leftover mashed potatoes with bacon
1 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1 1/2 cup Silk Original Coconut Milk
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp garlic powder

1. Combine all ingredients in a 4 cup measuring cup or a medium sized bowl. 
2. Preheat a waffle iron and spray with oil.
3. Preheat oven to 200°F and place a cooling rack on a rimmed baking sheet.
4. Drop four ~1/4 cup dollops of batter on the waffle iron and cook. 
4. Place the cooked waffles in the oven while you cook the remaining waffles.

Nutritional Info (From My Fitness Pal, per little waffle)
Calories: 90
Fat: 1 g
Fiber: 1 g
Sugar: 2 g
Sodium: 51 mg
Protein: 2 g

Crock Pot BBQ Chicken

1.5 lb frozen chicken tenderloins
1 cup bbq sauce

1. Combine chicken and bbq in a crock pot. Cook on low for 4 hours. Shorten the time if you're using thawed or fresh chicken.

Balsamic Vinegar Reduction

Makes 1 Cup

2 cups balsamic vinegar

1. Bring the vinegar to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally. 

Thanksgiving Practice Dinner (Why Did I Think This Would Be Easy?)

Earlier this week I decided that I wanted to try out a few more recipes before Thanksgiving. Somehow I thought I could make green bean casserole from scratch (including making my own fried onions), mashed potatoes with bacon gravy and chicken all in about the same time as a usual dinner. About halfway through the cooking I was thinking, why did I ever think this was a good idea? At least I had made the cranberry sauce the day before.

I was getting pretty stressed when I realized I had been cooking for over an hour and I was still working on the green bean casserole. Tommy was fussy and running back and forth between the living room and the kitchen. It was a really long 2.5 hours. I'm surprised that everything actually came together in the end. It was like our own little mini delicious Thanksgiving dinner. On a weeknight.

I was wiped out and the kitchen was a disaster, but at least the food was delicious. Although Tommy wasn't fooled. Even with gravy he still knew the mashed potatoes were made with white potatoes and wouldn't eat them. 

Since there are several recipes from that night, I decided to give each recipe its own page and just put the links here. 

Gluten and Dairy Free Green Bean Casserole
Mashed Potatoes with Bacon Gravy
Quick Baked Chicken Tenderloins
Cranberry Sauce

Mashed Potatoes with Bacon Gravy

Bacon is a great way to get a full flavored gravy without pan drippings. I used homemade broth. If you use canned broth, you may want to add more seasonings, like thyme or garlic to the gravy. 

Mashed Potatoes with Bacon Gravy

4 strips bacon
2.5 lbs russet potatoes
1 lb frozen cauliflower
2 Tbsp potato starch
3 cups broth
3/4 tsp black pepper, divided
3/4 tsp salt, divided
1/4 tsp granulated garlic
1 Tbsp refined coconut oil

1. Peel and chop the potatoes. Combine the potatoes and cauliflower in a large pot with enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender. 
2. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet until crispy. Remove bacon from the pan, reserving the fat.
3. Whisk in the potato starch and then the broth. Add 1/2 tsp black pepper and 1/2 tsp salt. Simmer over medium low heat until thick, stirring occasionally. 
4. When the potatoes and cauliflower are tender, drain and return to the pot. Add coconut oil, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp granulated garlic and 2 Tbsp of the gravy. 
5. Crumble the cooked bacon and add to the mashed potatoes. Serve with the gravy.