Carne Asada and Spanish Cauli Rice

I've been getting more serious about my eating this winter. That means no sugar and no grains since Thanksgiving.  The only thing I've missed is brown rice occasionally.  Fortunately, cauliflower can fill that gap.  I made this carne asada recipe yesterday. (A little bit of honey won't hurt me!)  MR had nachos, but I skipped the chips and just made a rice bowl.  Lots of good flavor and not much effort.

The original recipe calls for Instant Pot, but I think the meat would be more tender done in a slow cooker.  If time is of the essence, though, use the pressure cooker!

Carne Asada Nachos

2 TBSP lime juice
2 TBSP orange juice
1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
2 TBSP honey
1 tsp ground cumin
1 or 2 small jalapeños, seeded and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (or 4 TBSP dry)
3 Tablespoons avocado oil, divided (or olive oil)
2 pounds flank steak
1 1/2 cups beef broth

Combine lime juice, orange juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, cumin, jalapenos, garlic cilantro, and 2 tablespoons oil in a small bowl. Place the meat in a large zip bag,  Pour the mixture into the bag and make sure the meat is coated on all sides. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.  
When ready to cook, set the Instant Pot to Saute.   Heat 1 tablespoon oil.  
Remove the beef from the zip bag, preserving the leftover marinade.
Sear meat 4-5 minutes on each side. 
Add beef broth. Lock lid.  Turn vent to seal!
Press the Meat button and set cook time to 15 minutes. When the timer beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes then quick-release. 
Remove the meat.  Shred or slice thinly to serve.  Serve as nachos or tacos or over Spanish Cauli-Rice (below).


Spanish Cauli-Rice

1 bag frozen riced cauliflower (or clean and chop a head of cauliflower)
Leftover marinade from above recipe
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes with green chiles

Pour riced cauliflower into medium saucepan.  Stir in leftover marinade and can of Ro-Tel.  Cook over medium heat until jalapeños are tender, stirring occasionally (about 15 minutes).

Easy Cauli Crust Pizza (with a little help...)

I just discovered the frozen cauliflower pizza crust at Trader Joe's.  Now you can bet there is one in my freezer at all times!  With this little helper, making a pizza couldn't be easier.  I also make my pizza sauce ahead of time so my life just got real easy!  The sauce keeps well in the freezer too.

Making pizza couldn't be much easier...  Use the pizza sauce recipe below and just add Trader Joe's frozen cauliflower pizza crust and your favorite toppings.



Pizza Sauce

1 TBSP olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves chopped garlic
2 TBSP minced sun-dried tomatoes
2 tsp dried oregano
1-1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
1 cup water
6 ounce can tomato paste
saltblack pepper

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add onion and garlic.  Saute until soft.

Add sun-dried tomatoes, oregano and basil.  Stir and cook a minute.
If using wine, add now and allow it to simmer and reduce by about half.
Add tomato paste and water.  Using a wire whisk, stir until combined.  If it's too thick, add a little more water until you get the right thickness.  Season with salt and pepper.
Reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes.  Allow to cool slightly (or freeze or refrigerate for future use).  If you like a smoother sauce, you can use a stick blender to puree it.

Blueberry Pancakes... it's what's for breakfast!

Sometimes I just want pancakes.  Not often.  But sometimes!  Today was a sometime.  Enjoy these pancakes, adapted from a recipe I found here on Facebook.

Single Serving Blueberry Pancake Recipe

(double or triple for more servings)

1/2 cup almond flour
Scant 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 egg
sprinkle of cinnamon
Scant 1/2 tsp vanilla
2/3 tsp sweetener (optional)
1/24 cup cream or unsweetened almond milk
Blueberries
Butter for pan

Mix together all ingredients.  Add additional milk to get desired consistency, if necessary.  Melt butter in a heated pan.  Pour in desired amount of mixture to make one pancake, spreading out to desired size.  Cook over medium heat until begins to firm up.  Flip and cook a little longer.  Repeat to make more pancakes!  (Add a topping if you desire.)