Steak Fajita Bowl

1 ½ - 2 lb. Flank Steak (or other meat)

Marinade:

¼ cup Lime Juice
1/3 cup Water
2 tbsp. Olive Oil
4 Cloves Garlic, crushed
2 tsp. Soy Sauce
1 tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Liquid Smoke
½ tsp. Cayenne Pepper
½ tsp. Black Pepper

Mix together the lime juice, water, olive oil, garlic, soy sauce, salt, and liquid smoke flavoring. Stir in cayenne and black pepper. Place steak in marinade in a large bowl or plastic ziplock baggie.

Place desired meat in the marinade and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

Heat cast iron skillet on medium for 1-2 minutes. Add 1 tbsp. oil and let heat for another minute. Add steak and sear on each side for at least 3 minutes (medium rare), or to desired doneness. Remove from pan and let sit, tented with foil for 5 minutes.

Slice the meat against the grain into thin slices. If sliced at an angle, you will be able to get the slices pretty thin. These cuts of steak are flavorful but can be a little tough, so thin slices really help make it easier to eat.

Serve immediately with desired toppings: sauteed vegetables, salsa, pico de gallo, shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole. Can be served in a bowl or wrapped in tortillas.

Queso

1/2 lb. white American cheese, chopped into chunks
1/4 cup water, more as needed
2 pickled jalapeños, chopped
1/8 cup onions, diced

Put cheese, water, peppers and onion in a glass bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir, then continue in the microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring in between. It will gradually start to thicken. Add more water if it begins to get too thick. 

Serve warm with tortilla chips. Can place in a crockpot on the low setting. Refrigerate leftovers and reheat the same way as above.

Original version:

1 1/4 lb block white American cheese, cut into cubes
2/3 cup whole milk
1/2 cup cold water
1/4 cup diced green chiles, from a can
2 pickled jalapeños, chopped
Pinch of cumin (optional)

Salisbury Steak

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup almond meal, flour or breadcrumbs
1 tbsp coconut aminos or Worcestershire (optional)
Salt and pepper

Oil
2 onions, diced
8-12 oz. mushrooms, diced
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
2 tbsp starch: arrowroot, corn or potato (optional)
Salt and pepper

In a bowl, combine beef, egg, garlic, almond meal, coconut aminos and salt and pepper to taste. Form 6 burger patties. Heat cast iron skillet over medium and cook the burgers 3-4 minutes on each side to sear. Set burgers aside (they will not be fully cooked at this point).

In the same skillet, add some more oil and saute onions and mushrooms until tender. Add in the tomato paste, broth and water and continue to simmer until sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Can add starch to help it thicken faster. Add the burgers into the sauce and continue to cook another 10 minutes, or until burgers are cooked through. Serve warm over mashed potatoes or rice.

Pickled jalapenos

2 1/2 cups vinegar
2 1/2 cups water
4 tbsp pickling salt
Spices (peppercorns, garlic) optional
Jalapeños, sliced

Slice jalapeños and place into jars. Bring vinegar, water and salt to a boil. Pour brine over jalapeños and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for about 3 days. Enjoy!

Paleo Baked Spaghetti

2 medium spaghetti squash, cooked and shredded into noodles
1 lb ground beef
1 large onion, diced
1 lb mushrooms, chopped

 tsp dried sage

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp minced fresh rosemary 

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt
28oz can crushed tomatoes or 8-10 oven roasted roma tomatoes

9 oz can tomato sauce
4 garlic cloves or 1 head of garlic oven roasted
1 handful fresh basil leaves or 1 tbsp dried basil

3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350. Slice spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and lay cut side faced down on a baking sheet. Bake about 40 min or until flesh is easily pierced with a fork. Once cooled enough, use a fork cross-wise to scoop out spaghetti strands. Set strands in a strainer or saute in a skillet to remove excess water.

Optional: Oil another baking sheet and slice tomatoes in half and place cut side down on sheet. Cut the top off a head of garlic, wrap bulb in foil and place cut side down. Bake the tomatoes and garlic for 40 min as well. Let everything cool. Peel skins off tomatoes and pop out garlic from peels. Place tomatoes and garlic in a blender to make homemade roasted garlic tomato sauce.

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 13x9 baking dish. Saute onions and mushrooms in a skillet until softened, about 5 minutes. Add beef to skillet to brown. Add sage, thyme, rosemary, garlic powder and minced garlic. Saute 1 min until fragrant. Drain any excess grease. Turn off heat. Mix in tomato sauce, basil and add salt to taste.

Put spaghetti squash strands into a large bowl. Add spaghetti meat sauce and mix well. Next, add the eggs and mix until fully incorporated. Place spaghetti into casserole dish and bake for 40-50 minutes.

Green Chile and Chicken Enchilada Casserole

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 cans green child enchilada sauce (or homemade)
14 (at least) green chiles or 27 oz can of whole green chiles
4 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups Monterey jack cheese

Preheat oven to 375 and grease a 9x13 casserole dish.

Put enchilada sauce into a small sauce pan and simmer over low heat until the sauce has thickened and reduced to 2 cups. Turn off the heat and stir in the cream cheese and sour cream.

If using fresh chiles, broil or bake them at 450 until blackened. Place hot peppers into a container and cover to steam and cool a bit. When able to handle, remove skins, split down the middle and remove seeds.

Start making a layer of half the flattened green chiles on the bottom of the baking dish. Spread half of the chicken over the top of the chiles. Next, do a layer of sauce and then cheese over the top. Repeat.

Bake uncovered until the casserole is bubbling and the cheese is melted and browning on the top, about 40 minutes. Let sit 5-10 minutes before cutting.

Chili

2 lbs ground beef
1 onion
1/2 red bell pepper
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
1 can 28 oz crushed tomatoes
1 can 15 oz fire roasted diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper

Brown onion and ground beef in a skillet. Add in spices and mix well. Pour in tomatoes and simmer for 1-2 hrs. Can also put in crockpot for 1-2 hrs on low. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve warm over sweet potato home fries with jalapeños or over a bed of lettuce topped with an egg.