Gluten Free Jersey Girl: "Well, what DO you eat?!" Part 2

A couple of months back, I posted a sample dinner menu in response to this question that I get very frequently when I tell people that we do not eat gluten. Immediately, most people's faces start to contort in horror, imagining a life without bread, bagels, pasta, and cookies.

The truth is that we eat very well and are not deprived in any way. For every gluten food out there that we cannot eat, there is a fairly reasonable substitute. However, for me personally, I have used the gluten-free diet as a stepping stone to my ultimate goal of eliminating grains altogether (or at least for the most part). I feel that I function best with little to no grains in my diet.

If you read my post yesterday, you will recall that I am still recovering from an onslaught of bad holiday food slip-ups, so I have decided to clear all grains and sugars from my diet for at least a few weeks to allow my body to heal.

The following is the dinner menu that I prepared for my family tonight. It is totally gluten and grain-free, as well as free of added sugar. It was amazingly delicious and nourishing and a big hit with everyone (with the exception of the creamed spinach- my kids refused it- they had cucumber salad instead). Most shocking to me was the awesomeness that was the mashed cauliflower. I swear, I may never eat mashed potatoes again. Even my son asked for a second helping!

If you try any of the items on the menu, be sure to shoot me an email and let me know what you think!

Enjoy,
GFJG

Marinated Flank Steak with Mashed Cauliflower and Gravy

-16 oz grass-fed flank steak
-1 cup extra virgin olive oil
-6 cloves garlic, minced
-1/2 cup thyme, minced
-1/2 cup rosemary, minced
-salt and pepper

Place steak in a dish. Mix all other ingredients together and coat meat with mixture. Allow steak to marinate for 1-2 hours. For more tips or recipes for good meat marinades, visit Mark's Daily Apple.

When meat has been thoroughly marinated, slice steak and cook in a skillet to desired temperature.

Meat Gravy

- drippings in skillet from steak
-1 cup homemade chicken soup aka bone broth
-1-2 tbsp coconut flour
-salt and pepper to taste

Once steak has been cooked, remove it from skillet, keeping the remaining drippings. Add in chicken broth, coconut flour, and salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Once gravy starts to thicken, remove from heat and serve immediately.

Mashed Cauliflower

-one large head of cauliflower (organic, if possible)
-4 tbsp softened butter (pastured butter is best)
-8 oz goat cheese
-2 gloves garlic, crushed
-salt and pepper to taste
-1 or 2 tbsp chicken broth (optional)

Wash and cut your cauliflower into chunks. Put cauliflower in a pot of boiling water and cook for 20 minutes or so until cauliflower is very tender.

Once cauliflower is thoroughly cooked, drain the water, and add cauliflower to a bowl with the garlic, softened butter, goat cheese, and salt/pepper. Mix with an electric mixer until mixture is completely mashed.* Serve with gravy.

*If mashed cauliflower mixture is too thick, you can add a few tablespoons of chicken broth. I like mine nice and creamy though, so I omit the broth
Click here for my super easy creamed spinach recipe.

grass-fed sirloin strips with creamed spinach and mashed cauliflower- DELICIOUS!

And because no dinner is complete without dessert, we finished it off with homemade hot chocolate and grain-free chocolate chip cookies. Yum!

Grain-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

-4 cage-free eggs
-3-4 very ripe bananas
-1/4 cup grass-fed butter or coconut oil
-1-2 tbsp honey
-3/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
-1/4 tsp GF baking soda
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350. Blend together eggs, bananas, honey, and coconut oil. Mix together dry ingredients. Then blend wet ingredients with dry. Mix in chocolate chips.

Drop dough in balls on cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Better Than Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate

- 2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
-4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- honey or stevia (to desired sweetness)

In a saucepan over medium heat, mix coconut milk, cocoa powder, and honey or stevia. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly to break up any clumps. Remove from heat and allow to cool a little before serving.