Gluten Free Shredded Beef Tacos

I abhor the idea that your meal must be encrusted or sauteed, drizzled or infused with twelve totally obscure ingredients that come in one ounce packages for $21.99 to be considered legitimate or healthy or super fricken awesome. I'm about food. Food I can make with ingredients I have. Food I can cook up when my eyes are heavy and my hair is all out of whack and I've just driven from Torrance to Santa Monica in 35 minutes (No easy feat, I assure you). I'm all over food I can eat while Alex and I perch on floor cusions, taking in the last few episodes of The Wire, Season Two. Sure, every now and then I like to mix it up a little bit, get a little encrusting action going. (Despite the fact that encrust sounds like the very last word I want anywhere near my food. I'm conjuring up a vision of the underside of a 100 year old dock.) But when I want something good? Like "moan with delight" good? Break out the tortillas, it's GF taco night.



Tacos are beautiful in that they're one of those 'anything goes' sort of meals. No measuring, no squabbling over what ingredients to include. No bemoaning a lack of fill in the blank. Gather together all the fixins that tickle your taste buds, lay them out on the counter, pick and choose to your heart's content. We rotate between chicken, steak, salsa, pico, guac...it's all good. This is a naturally gluten free meal, and aren't those just the very best? (The correct answer is "darn tootin'".)

Naturally Gluten Free Shredded Beef Tacos 

How to Cook GF Shredded Beef

Note: We purchase our meats at Whole Foods where it's very easy to determine if there are any contaminants lurking in your parcels. As long as your meat is not marinated in anything it will be Gluten Free, but it never hurts to double check. This recipe is really for shredding using in sandwiches, if you want a really yummy, delicious, tender roast to eat just in slices it would be best to cook it in the oven.

Choose a lean cut of meat at the store, this makes for less gristle when you shred post-cooking. Good choices for this and other dishes would be Top Round, Bottom Round and Sirloin Tip. The 2lb. gave about enough to feed between 4-6 people, so be prepared for awesome leftovers if you're flying solo or snuggling up with a honey.

•  2lb. Top Round, Bottom Round or Sirloin Tip
  
• 1/2 Cup Water
• 1/2 Cup Red Wine
• 1/2 an Onion - minced
• 3 Stalks Celery - minced
• salt
• pepper
• garlic
• optional for more heat- minced jalapeno, smoked paprika.

Put all your ingredients into your crock pot* (Tip: put the meat in first, then add liquid, then veggies and spices) Cook on High for 3-4 hours or Low for 6-7 hours. 

When done cooking, remove meat from crock pot, place into large bowl and shred as desired with fork or knife. You might only shred half of it and leave the rest for delicious leftover delights such as stir fry, sandwiches or salads.

*Don't have a crock pot? Rub the above spices into your roast, stick your roast into a roasting pan, make a little tent over it out of tin foil, pour in the liquid and cook in the oven for 2 hours at 275 degrees. 

Tip

Right before you're ready to eat, get a frying pan warmed up on the stove. Rub your corn tortillas lightly with olive oil and lay them in the pan, turning once, until they are nice and soft. 


Here are some options for your taco creations, the bolded ingredients are ones we used this time around.

• 2 lb. Beef Bottom Round (You'll want leftovers. Definitely)
  
• 2 large breasts Chicken
  
• Lettuce
• Tomato
• Cheese of your choice (cow, goat, rice, Daiya!)
• Guacamole
• Salsa
• Pico de Gallo
• Frank's RedHot Hot Sauce
  
• Sour Cream
• RiceSelect Texmati Brown Rice
  
  

GF College Guide to Tacos
A roast would be a great thing to make on one of your infrequent visits home. Top salads, stuff sandwiches, perk up stir fry, nibble on straight out of the fridge. One roast could basically feed you for a week. If you don't have the chance to make a roast, tacos can still be really easy:

•  Pick up some Purdue Shortcuts Chicken instead of the beef. They are pre-cooked, pre-cut and gluten free. The hardest thing you have to do is open the package. If you're feeling adventurous, grill up some chicken or steak on your George Foreman Grill.
  

•  Cook rice in your rice cooker, cut up the veggies you want.

• Pat your corn tortillas with some water and heat them in the microwave for about 5 seconds. This will leave your tortillas nice and soft, ready for filling.