gluten-free ground-beef stroganoff

I gathered a few ideas here and there to use what I had on hand to make ground-beef stroganoff. One of the boys says this is one of his favorite meals now. These are approximate measurements, so use what you have in your kitchen and adjust it to your taste and what ingredients you can procure in your country.

You'll need:

• mushrooms of your choice (I used Japanese bunashimeji, or white beech mushrooms)
• 600 g ground beef
• 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 cloves minced fresh garlic
• 1 large chopped onion
• 1 cup water + 1 bouillon cube
• 1 cup soy milk mixed with 2 tablespoons katakuriko (potato starch), or you could use cornstarch or flour
• 1 cup soy yogurt
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• cooked rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes to serve
• sliced green onions for garnish

Do this:

Saute your butter with the onions, garlic, and mushrooms till soft and a bit browned, then add the beef, mustard, salt and pepper, and water and bouillon cube. When everything is cooked through and has simmered a little bit, add in the soy milk mixed with katakuriko (potato starch), and then the yogurt and parsley. When it's thickened and has cooked for a bit, serve over rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes and add sliced green onions on top for garnish if desired.

This is a new surprising addition to our menu rotation, which I conjured up at the last minute tonight because I decided I wasn't in the mood for what I had originally planned. It was a hit of Russian, American, and Japanese fusion. And maybe a little French from the Dijon mustard. 

chocolate-tofu brownie muffins

Because we're all pretty nutty anyway, I usually make them without the walnuts (I love them in; my kids don't).

These are called "Easy Brownies" (in Japanese, though) in my favorite dessert cookbook, Heta Oyatsu (which translates to something like badly-made snack, or unhealthy snack, which is opposite to what the book is actually about!). I don't think I've even ever made them as brownies as the recipe stipulates; it's easier just to do muffins. And nobody complains.

I've changed the recipe just slightly--it calls for coconut oil but I use grapeseed, and I put in less sugar and no honey. Also, the batter tends to be too dry so I splash in some soy milk as needed. My son Matthew made them with me for the first time tonight, and he was surprised that I usually whisk by hand--he got out the electric mixer and they definitely came out creamier.

You'll need:

• 300 g soft (silken) tofu
• 150 g rice flour
• 50 g almond flour
• 50 g cocoa powder
• 50 g brown sugar
• 8 g baking powder
• 30 g rum (optional)
• pinch of salt
• 100 g grapeseed oil
• splashes of soy milk as needed

Do this:

With your electric mixer, mix the tofu on its own, with a splash or two of soy milk, until it's creamy. Add in the rest of the ingredients and blend together till well mixed. Spoon into muffin cups, and bake for 10 minutes on 170 c and then about 5 minutes longer on 160 C. 

Serve with tea and chocolate-induced happiness.