Steak Fingers & Sweet Potato Fries

For tonight's dinner, I took another meal that we have made and loved before and attempted to Paleo-ize it.  I knew it might be a challenge because steak fingers (courtesy of my idol the Pioneer Woman) is one of those meals that my husband begs me to make, so I really didn't want to mess it up.  I had to make some significant changes, since two of the most important ingredients are flour and milk, neither of which we can eat!  I replaced the flour (which serves as a breading for the steak) with almond flour, which actually gave it more of a texture that I rather enjoyed.  The less-than-perfect swap I made was using coconut milk for regular milk.  This was not ideal, since coconut milk has a bit of a sweetness to it, and it is also thinner than say, 2% milk.  So when it came time to make the gravy (which usually thickens with flour and milk), it wasn't as gravy-like as the original version.  Perhaps almond milk would be better, but I've never tried it.  Even though I ended up with more of a thinner sauce than a gravy, it still tasted great, at least!

For the side, I decided to make sweet potato fries.  Now, sweet potatoes are one of those controversial food items within Paleo.  Technically they are a root vegetable and nomadic tribes would have eaten them, so they should be allowed.  However, some argue that they are so carb-heavy that they are not ideal if you are trying to lose weight.  Well, lucky for us, we are just trying to eat like cavemen, so I decided they were fine.  I've done sweet potato fries before, and they turned out pretty well- not exactly crispy (since they were oven baked, not fried), but still tasty.  So, check out what I did:

Steak Fingers with Gravy
(serves 2)

• 1/2 pound cube steak, cut into 1-inch strips
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 egg
• 1-2 cups coconut milk
• olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation Instructions 

Combine almond flour, seasoned salt, pepper, and cayenne in a dish.  Whisk together the egg and a splash of coconut milk in a separate dish.  To bread the meat, dip a strip into the egg mixture, then immediately into the almond flour mixture. Flip it to coat both sides. Repeat with every strip. Heat 1 T olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry steak strips 3 or 4 at a time, turning midway through (after about 3 minutes). When golden brown, remove from the pan to a paper towel-lined plate. Continue until all the meat is done.  You will likely want to add another 1 T of oil to the pan before each batch.  Cover loosely with foil to keep warm.

To make the "gravy," sprinkle on 1-2 tablespoons of the almond flour mixture (or whatever is left). Whisk mixture until it becomes deep golden brown (It won't really be pasty since it's not regular flour). Pour in coconut milk, whisking constantly.  Allow the gravy to cook and thicken (as best it can), whisking regularly and adding more milk if needed.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve the "gravy" as more of a dipping sauce if it is too thin like mine was.

Sweet Potato Fries

• 1 large sweet potato
• olive oil
• honey
• salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Peel the sweet potato and slice into thin fry-like strips.  Spread them flat on a roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil and honey.  Sprinkle on salt & pepper.  Give it a little stir to coat all the fries, but make sure they are in a single layer when they go in the oven.  Bake for 15 minutes, but take them out and turn/stir them every 5 minutes or so. 

Well, this probably wasn't the most Paleo meal we've had, since it was a little low on vegetables, but it was still delicious and grain/dairy-free.  I encourage you to try it out, and look for more of my Paleo versions of some of our favorite meals!