hands of love #20...

Really? 20 Hands of Love's?!? Had you told me a year ago I'd be posting FOOD pictures on my blog, I'd probably laugh my head off. And now, 20 Hands of Loves? Praise God! What began as a huge, overwhelming feat to cook gluten free (AND at at times dairy-free, soy-free, etc.) has now become a delight!

And since it's Memorial Day weekend, we're probably all thinking about FOOD, right?? So, made for my sweet family with hands of love...


If steak is on your menu anytime soon, THIS was the best steak I'd ever had. I am not joking. It was even delicious as leftovers the next day. TRY this and you won't be sorry... (measurements are somewhat approximate, sorry! But it'll be delicious. Don't worry.)

First, make this steak seasoning (below) & store the extra in an airtight container for future steaks.

Steak Seasoning

Combine the following ingredients and mix well. (makes 1 1/3 cups, which will last for several more meals if stored in an airtight container)

1/2 cup Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1/3 cup Black Pepper
1/4 cup Lemon Pepper
2 Tbl Garlic Salt
2 Tbl Garlic Powder
1 Tbl Onion powder

Rub a liberal amount of seasoning into each side of the steak to coat it. Then, combine the following ingredients for a marinade:

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 red wine
3 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp dijon mustard
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/8 cup of fresh lemon juice
salt
pepper

Combine all in a gallon-sized plastic bag with (thawed) steaks and let marinate in the fridge for a few hours. (turn the bag over halfway through if you think of it...) When you're ready to grill, take the steaks out of the bag & discard the marinade. Grilling is hubby's job in my house. Honestly, I don't even know how to work the thing. So Marc said he used these tips to make the perfect steak. And they were pretty darn near perfect. I'd put this up against a steakhouse any day.


Baked salmon with sauteed veggies over quinoa. Don't know what quinoa is? (pronounced "KEEN-wah") Neither did I. It's similar to rice and tastes great. (plus it takes less time to make!) I like to use homemade broth instead of water to cook it in because it enhances the flavor and packs in lots more nutrition. Quinoa is a good grain to eat because it's got more protein than others like rice. I decided to cook a little extra. One batch to eat with this meal...


...and then use some leftovers the next day for lunch with this meal- a quinoa salad with pears, baby spinach, toasted walnuts, and chick peas in a maple vinaigrette. DELICIOUS! Got the recipe here. (of course mine doesn't look even HALF as good as hers, but it tasted great!! I also just saw the "gluten free goddess" as she calls herself made a quinoa taco salad, so that'll probably be next on my list to try...)


One thing that becomes much more special & hard to come by when you're gluten free is BREAD! (unless you want to shell out the big bucks, you gotta make your own, and by the time I'm done cooking a main course & veggies, I don't usually have the time to worry about bread. Sorry honey.) But THESE biscuits were simple and quick. Great for you gluten free folks out there. (got this recipe from elanaspantry.com)

Gluten Free Biscuits

2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup of butter (softened or melted)
2 eggs
1 tbsp agave nectar

1. In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, salt, & baking soda.
2. In a large bowl, blend together butter, eggs, and agave.
3. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until a nice dough forms. (you can dust the dough with extra almond flour if it is sticky and/or misbehaving)
4. Roll into balls to a parchment lined or greased baking sheet
5. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, until biscuits are browned on the bottom edges
6. Serve with gravy, jelly,or whatever your heart desires!


I know, I know... I always put up a pic of a greek salad, but it's just so beautiful and so delicious I can't help it. :) So take that.

And thus concludes our 20TH "Hands of Love!" Wow! Who'dda believed that the gal who was in a TOTAL PANIC on day one of gluten free to 20 "Hands of Love" gluten free entries?! Only by the grace of God!