French Dip Sandwich with Au Jus (Slow Cooker – SRC)

I don’t eat much red meat. While I love a good steak on occasion, I typically opt for a seafood, veggie or poultry dish when cooking at home. Boy, that might change after making this fuss-free recipe!

I adapted this dish from The Spiffy Cookie’s recipe for a slow cooker French dip sandwich. I was assigned Erin’s delicious blog this month for the Secret Recipe Club and could not choose what I wanted to make! I was salivating just looking through her recipes with many calling my name like her Reese’s Oatmeal breakfast cookie and Guiltless Avocado Alfredo with Spicy Chicken.

I’ve already started a list of must-makes from her archives but in the end, I selected a dish that forced me to dust off my crockpot that I hadn’t used in ages and get outside my comfort zone with my protein choice– the French dip.

I adapted the recipe slightly by using London broil in place of chuck roast, rubbed the meat with onion powder and a pinch of dried rosemary and then seared the meat prior to adding to the slow cooker to add a little color. I also used a combo of coconut aminos and gluten free tamari in place of the soy sauce and omitted the Worcestershire sauce as I didn’t have any on hand. Since I love mushrooms and will find any excuse to include them in a recipe, I sauteed a few for an added bonus to my sandwich.

Not only did I break out my crockpot, I made my own homemade grain-free rolls to serve with this oh-so-tender meat (recipe to come)! Topped with melted cheese, sautéed mushrooms and onions, this French dip sandwich was one tasty, flavorful bite! Plus, the leftovers are yummy in a beef and veggie soup or on top of salad greens

French Dip Sandwich with Au Jus (Slow Cooker) (adapted from The Spiffy Cookie)

Ingredients:

3 tsp oil, Earth Balance or butter, divided (use oil or Earth Balance for dairy free)
1 medium yellow onion
1 cup low sodium beef broth/stock
1/4 cup gluten free soy sauce, tamari, Braggs or coconut aminos (I used 3 Tbsp coconut aminos and 1 Tbsp tamari)
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp onion powder
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp creole mustard
~3lb London Broil (or chuck roast)
pinch of dried rosemary, optional

sea salt & pepper
2-3 cups sliced mushrooms
6-8 gluten free sandwich rolls, split
6-8 slices of provolone or swiss cheese (can use a dairy free cheese or omit if needed)

Directions:

1. Slice the onion into ~1/4-inch rounds. Keeping the rounds intact, place them in the bottom of the crockpot.
2. Sprinkled the meat with salt, pepper and onion powder. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat and add 2 tsp oil/butter. Sear the meat on all sides until golden brown to seal in the juices and give the meat a little color.
3. Add beef broth, soy sauce/tamari/ aminos, mustard, rosemary and garlic to the crockpot.
4. Place meat on top of the onions.
5. Cook on low 6-7 hours until beef is fall-apart tender.
6. Shred meat with a fork or transfer the roast to a cutting board and thinly slice.
7. Remove the onions and set aside. I strain the juice into a large “defatter” measuring cup and get rid of the oil that collects on top (I .
8. Return the roast, juice, and onions to the crockpot for up to an hour before serving (I usually switch it to “Keep Warm” so it doesn’t continue cooking).
9. While meat is on “warm”, heat a medium saute pan with remaining 1 tsp of oil/butter. Add mushrooms and cook until golden brown, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper is desired.
10. Heat the broiler. Place the split sandwich rolls on a lined baking sheet and toast for 1 minute or just until the bread begins to brown.
11. Remove the tops from the pan. Lay the beef on the bottom of the rolls and top with mushrooms and cheese.
12. Return to the oven just until cheese is melted. Top with onions and sandwich halves and serve with small bowls of au jus, Enjoy!

For other scrumptious recipes from this month’s assignments, visit the link below!

High Protein Oatmeal Pancakes with Mixed Berry Chia Jam

Sunday mornings and big breakfasts go hand-in-hand in my world. Pancakes and waffles remind me of lazy weekend mornings…and because I slept in this morning, pancakes were on my to-do list when I woke up

I also had a bag of mixed berries in the freezer so I made some berry chia jam to top off this stack of my favorite pancakes. Not only do these pancakes have fiber from the gluten free oats and (optional) flax, they are protein-packed from the cottage cheese for extra staying power! I’ve made them before with my Peach Poppyseed variety but this time I went a more basic route since I was adding a bunch of berry goodness on top!

I went through a long phase growing up where I preferred jelly/jam on my pancakes over maple syrup. When I look back, I pinpointed the issue: soggy pancakes! I never ate my pancakes fast enough because I was a chatty kid at the breakfast table. No more soggy cakes for me though! To this day, my remedy is to serve my syrup on the side

Feel free to add more sweetener if this jam is a little too tart for your taste. You can use this jam on toast, in your PB &J sandwiches, stirred into oatmeal, or smeared onto anything your little heart desires

High Protein Oatmeal Pancakes (adapted from my Peach Poppyseed Cottage Cheese Pancakes)

Ingredients

1/2 cup gluten free oats
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
2 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk (or other milk works fine too)
1 tsp honey, agave or maple syrup (or stevia to taste)
1/2 tbsp flaxseed meal (optional for added nutrition)
1/2 tsp gluten free vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract (optional but I love the flavor)
1 1/2 tsp coconut oil, butter, ghee or other oil for pan (or cooking spray if preferred)

Optional add-ins:  1-2 tablespoons fruit of choice, chopped nuts, seeds, chocolate chips

For serving
Mixed Berry Chia Jam (recipe below)
Fresh blueberries or other berry
Coconut butter

Directions

1.  Heat griddle or large frying pan over medium-low heat.
2. In a blender (I use the individual serving Cuisinart here) or small food processor, add oats and pulse until resembles a flour. Add ingredients (cottage cheese through extract) and blend until well combined. Stir in add-ins if using at this time.
3. Add oil or butter to pan until melted. A couple tablespoons at a time, add batter to the pan and cook golden brown on the bottom and there are a few bubbles on the surface. Flip and cook another 2 minutes or so until golden brown.
4. Garnish with berry chia jam, coconut butter and/or your favorite pancake topping (more butter, maple syrup, honey, applesauce, fruit compote, coconut butter etc) and serve!!!

Makes 6-8 small/medium pancakes, serves one hungry person (me after my workout) or 2 small portions
Recipe can be doubled or tripled if needed

Mixed Berry Chia Jam (adapted from Oh-she-glows)

3 cups mixed berries, frozen or fresh (I used the assorted frozen from Costco)
2 Tbsp honey, agave or maple syrup (or more to taste, do not use honey if strict vegan)
1 Tbsp coconut milk (or other non-dairy milk)
1 1/2 Tbsp chia meal/flour (ground chia seeds OR use 2 Tbsp chia seeds)
4-5 drops of liquid stevia (or to taste)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a medium-sized non-stick pot, bring the berries, liquid sweetener and coconut milk to a low boil.  Stir frequently, and reduce heat to low-medium to simmer for about 5 minutes.  Mash the berries with a potato masher or fork, leaving some for texture if desired.

2. Stir in the chia until thoroughly combined and cook the mixture down until it thickens to your desired consistency, or about 15 minutes.  Stir frequently so it doesn’t stick to the pot.

3. Once the jam is thick, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract and stevia.  Add more sweetener to taste if desired.  The jam should keep for at least a week in an air-tight container in the fridge.

*If you want a smoother texture, you can puree the jam in a food processor liked I did. Next time I will leave it more chunky for added texture…plus it’s one less thing I have to clean up!

Cinnamon Cappuccino Sour Cream Muffins

I think a little morning pick-me-up is in order! These grain-free, high-protein treats are a great way to start your day.

I am not a routine coffee drinker but I do enjoy the flavor in certain treats (ie. Coffee ice cream with chocolate chips = love) so I thought I would make a muffin version. I was very pleased with the results! The coffee flavor, in my opinion, is not overwhelming and the cinnamon complements the other ingredients and flavors nicely. These muffins are springy and light in texture while at the same time filling and hearty.

Cinnamon Cappuccino Sour Cream Muffins

Ingredients

1 cup almond flour (or other nut meal – I wanted to try hazelnut flour but didn’t have enough!)
3 Tbsp vanilla whey protein powder (use chocolate whey for a lightly flavored mocha version)
2 Tbsp granulated sweetener (coconut palm sugar, sucanat or xylitol)
1/4 – 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp Himalayan pink sea salt
1/8 tsp pure stevia powder or more or less to taste (or another 2-3 Tbsp sweetener)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup non-dairy milk (coconut, soy or almond)
1 Tbsp espresso powder
6 Tbsp sour cream
2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted (ghee, Earth Balance or butter can also be subbed)
1 egg, room temperature and whisked
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Optional: 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips or cacao nibs for “mocha” version

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325F and line a muffin tin with 6 muffin liners or grease well with oil or butter.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine almond flour through xanthan gum and set aside.
3. In a small mixing bowl, combine non-dairy milk and coffee granules, stir for one minute and let sit for 5-10 until well incorporated and mixture comes to room temperature (this will avoid coconut oil hardening in next step)
4. Add eggs, coconut oil and vanilla to the coffee-milk mixture and stir to combine well.
5. Mix wet into the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Divide into prepared muffin cups and bake for 22-24 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted and cooked through completely. Remove from oven and let cool in pan. Enjoy!

Makes 6 muffins
Store leftover muffins in the refrigerator.

Kitchen Sink Veggie Burgers + Grain-Free Flax Bun

This recipe is way, WAY overdue. I made these veggies burgers back in December and completely forgot about them…better late then never I guess! It’s one of those that slipped through the cracks but I couldn’t help but share.

Also, I want apologize to the fabulous Cara for making her wait so long for this one. She mentioned veggie burgers were one of her favorite things and I’ve since deprived her for 5 months…shame on me! I hope it was worth the wait

This recipe was born out of desperation. I was without a car for a week after first moving to Montana and I was too much of a baby to walk to the store in the middle of a winter storm.  Instead of being lazy and snacking on brownies + chips and salsa, I decided to be creative on a healthier approach while using up a few leftover veggies and canned beans. Thank goodness I did, these were delicious!

I had just made my orange-scented cranberry sauce the day before and this was the perfect topping for these veggie burgers. Along with a generous smear of Vegenaise, fresh spinach leaves and sprouts, this burger was a hearty and satisfying meal. These patties are actually on my to-cook list this week…it’s about time I whipped up another batch!

Kitchen Sink Veggie Burgers 

Patty Ingredients

1 egg or flax egg for vegan (1 tbsp ground flax mixed with 3 tbsp water, let sit for a few minutes)
1 cup cooked black beans
1 cup cooked garbanzo beans
1/2 cup small diced onion
1/3 cup green or red bell pepper, small diced
1/4 cup celery, small diced (can omit or increase the bell pepper if desired)
2 – 3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp coconut oil, butter, ghee, or Earth Balance, melted
1/4 cup sunflower seeds (I used roasted for extra flavor but raw is ok too)
1 Tbsp gluten free soy sauce, Bragg’s liquid aminos or tamari

Spice-Binding Mixture
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 to 1 tsp paprika
3/4 to 1 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp celery salt
sea salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats, ground into a flour
1 Tbsp flaxseed meal

coconut oil/butter/ghee/Earth Balance/olive oil for pan-sauteing

For Serving
Flax bun below OR your favorite gluten free bun or sandwich bread
Vegenaise or mayo
Alfalfa sprouts
Orange-Scented Cranberry Sauce  (this completed the meal! or use a sweet and tart chutney)
Fresh spinach leaves or leaf lettuce

Directions

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the spice mixture.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine egg/flax egg and beans. Mash beans with a fork until chunky (I left some whole beans but this helps keep the patty together).
3. Add in remaining patty ingredients and stir to incorporate well.
4. Sprinkle in the spice-binding mixture and stir again to combine and evenly distribute until the batter comes together.
5. Divide into 6 balls and flatten into patties about 2/3 inch thick and lay on the baking sheet. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, preheat large skillet (preferred) over medium heat or oven to 350F.
For Skillet Method: heat a small amount of oil/butter in pan and saute for 5-6 minutes on each side until slightly crispy and lightly browned
For Oven Method: Bake patties at 350F for 14-16 minutes on each side until lightly browned (this method results in a slightly drier patty but is lower fat)
7. Assemble the burger by spreading Vegenaise or mayo on bun/sandwich bread. Top with spinach leaves, patty, sprouts, cranberry sauce and enjoy!

As for the flax bun, this was an experiment that needs a little tweaking. This bun is a little crumbly…ok, a lot crumbly due to the lack of eggs or gums. While very yummy, this one is a work in progress if you are looking for a “typical” bread that holds up well. I wound up eating this burger with a fork and knife but I enjoyed every last bit!

Vegan, Grain-Free Flax Bun 

Ingredients

1/3 cup + 2 tsp flaxseed meal
dash of sea salt
1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp seasoning to taste (italian, cajun, southwest, etc)
1 Tbsp chia seed meal (I ground white chia seeds)
1 rounded Tbsp chickpea flour (could sub oat flour)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp + 3-4 Tbsp water
1 1/2 tsp olive oil/coconut oil/ grapeseed or Earth Balance melted

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. Stir in wet ingredients until incorporated.
3. Spread mixture into a circle onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes, cut in half horizontally carefully, top/fill and enjoy!

Makes 1 bun