Orange Curried Rice with Tarragon & Beef Broccoli Stir Fry & Tuna Rice Casserole

This is a good way to use up your leftover roast beef, or use lean ground hamburger and make a hearty meal in under a half hour. A little planning helps you have a delicious dinner after a long day at work when you just want something good, but quick!

Tarragon is a member of the ginger family and not only a spice with a fragrant aroma, it actually contains elements that are very good for you. Tarragon will turn the rice a beautiful golden yellow color and brighten up your plates at the same time. 

Serving 4, this meal is safe for alternative diets. It is gluten free, nut free, soy free, casein free, milk free, egg free; with a slight change, it is corn free ...and if you leave out the meat, vegetarian. A meal that can be enjoyed by anyone!

A quick tip for any leftover rice:  Before putting the rice away in the refrigerator, just toss in a few frozen peas, a little mayonnaise and perhaps some cut up celery or green pepper and a few cubes of cheddar. Voila, lunch is ready for the next day. 

Orange Curried Rice with Tarragon.

Set rice on to cook first.

2 cups rinsed white or brown rice, (fragrant oriental white rice is nice)
Please note, brown rice will take more water and longer to cook.
4 cups cold water
¼ cup frozen concentrated unsweetened orange juice
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon curry powder
¾ teaspoon Tarragon
Zest of 1 orange

Bring rice to a boil, turn heat down to simmer, cover with a tight fitting lid and cook for 25 minutes or until rice is tender. Turn heat off, fluff rice and cover again until ready to serve. (Brown rice requires longer, stir occasionally)

Beef Broccoli Stir Fry

Step One, Slice ingredients

1 carrot
1 large onion
3 Portobello mushrooms thickly sliced or 5 or 6 button mushrooms
2 large florets of Broccoli
½ teaspoon each, Salt, pepper,
2 tablespoons gf soy sauce
Left over roast beef and drippings (fat removed).
1 orange, sliced

Alternates for roast beef:

1. Sauté, 1 ‘quick fry’ steak, set aside until called for.
2. Using lean ground beef, make miniature meat balls by adding an egg to the meat, salt, pepper, 1 tablespoon of freshly ground gingerroot and 1 tablespoon of ground sesame seeds ( use a coffee grinder) and sauté in the wok until browned and well done. Set aside and use as called for in the recipe.
3. Omit meat for a vegetarian meal. For additional protein, add a tin of well rinsed chick peas.

Step two, Stir fry:

In a large wok, place a little beef fat or vegetable oil to fry in. Heat wok and place carrots in the wok first, then sauté until almost soft. Add other ingredients, sliced in the order stated above.

When the onions and carrots are just about soft, add:

1 cup of cold water -simmer for 3 or 4 minutes to heat through, then add:
1 cup cold water in which you have dissolved
2 tablespoons corn starch (or to make it corn free, use Arrowroot Starch. Tapioca will also work, but it can create a more slick mouth feel that some people don't like)
2 tablespoons orange marmalade

Stir into the hot mixture to form a sauce and serve beside the Orange Curried Rice with Tarragon Sit down and enjoy a hearty healthy meal.

A few tips to help you save time and money

1. Planning meals and cooking ahead saves time and money. Make extra and freeze for another day.

2. Gluten free items are more costly than others, so buy in bulk. Split purchases with a friend.  Not only will you have items for less, you will have the help of a friend, and the joy that comes with working together.

4. Have a kitchen garden this winter. 

Buy some raw sunflower seeds in the shells.  Place them on wet paper towels on a plate, water them each day to stay moist. In a few days you will have some very nutritious sunflower sprouts to add to your salads, place in sandwiches, or just munch on. These pretty sprouts, packed with fresh nutrition will give you a real lift as they brighten up your kitchen décor!

Easy and Quick Tuina Rice Casserole

A fast casserole that saved me many a time when I needed a quick and hearty meal. The trick to the speed -is the boiling water. Eat in 30 minutes.

Prep one large casserole dish by greasing it with a bit of oil.

Boil a kettle of water.

Place 1 or 2 tins tuna in a bowl, add
dash pepper,
1 chopped onion
frozen veggies
2 tablespoons  gf mayonnaise
grated cheese
2 cups rice

Mix it all together and spread in casserole pan.

Cover with 6 cups boiling water and place in a 350F oven for 30 minutes or until rice is soft.