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Chef Gina Makes Beef Bulgogi Bowls – Paleo + Whole30

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It’s that time of the year (the beginning of the year to be exact) when many decide to get healthier. Whether you are looking for a long-term lifestyle change or just using January to “reset”,  you will find great recipes here!

Over the next several weeks I will share recipes that you can easily adjust to follow certain popular eating guidelines including paleo, whole30, and gluten-free. Each week, I will point out what changes you can make, if any are even needed, to ensure tese recipes fit into your diet but remain full of color, nutrients, and most importantly, flavor. 

Let’s start with Beef Bulgogi.  Beef Bulgogi Bowls are a staple in my house. Easy and customizable, they use a variety of vegetables that can be repurposed into other meals later in the week (think stir-fry and salads) and they are packed full of protein thanks to a double dose protein with both beef and eggs. If you are incorporating some element of meal-planning into your week, I would marinate the beef on Sunday and cook this meal Monday or Tuesday, again using the same vegetables in other recipes throughout the week to cut down on your ingredient list and grocery bill. This particular recipe is specifically Paleo and Whole30 friendly.

Recipe Name

Total Cook Time: 30 min

Serves: 4 Bowls

Ingredients

  • 1 LB. BEEF, CUT OF CHOICE, THINLY SLICED (SEE NOTES FOR SUGGESTIONS) 
  • 1 ONION, SLICED
  • SPLASH OF SESAME OIL
  • CAULIFLOWER “RICE” 
  • 4 FRIED EGGS

Marinade

  • 6 TBS COCONUT AMINOS (SEE NOTES)
  • 2 TSP SESAME OIL 
  • 1-INCH FRESH GINGER PEELED, MINCED
  • 3 GARLIC GLOVES, MINCED
  • 2 TBS APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
  • ¼ TSP GROUND BLACK PEPPER

TOPPING OPTIONS (see notes) 

Zucchini, Carrots, Cucumbers, Radish – any or all, cut very thin or shaved 

Cilantro, Sesame seeds – as a garnish.

Directions

  1. Thoroughly mix all of the ingredients for the marinade together. Place in a plastic bag and add sliced meat. Toss to coat and let the meat marinate for anywhere from two hours to two days. The longer you can marinate, the more flavor it will soak up.
  2. Add a splash of sesame oil to a large pan or wok. Sauté sliced onions for about two mins before adding marinated beef. Cook through about 5-7 mins depending on how thin the beef is sliced.
  3. Pulse cauliflower in a food processor (you can also buy it already “riced” in the healthy frozen food section of many grocery stores). If pulsing on your own, cut into chunks and work in batches, pulsing until rice-size. Remove cooked beef from pan and use the same pan to cook cauliflower for 3-5 minutes, keeping the hard texture but taking the “bite” out of the raw cauliflower.
  4. In a separate pan, fry the four eggs to the desired texture.
  5. Top “rice” with beef, eggs, and vegetables of choice; garnish with cilantro or sesame seeds, if desired.

Notes

  • Any type of grass-fed, marbled beef will work. I’ve used ribeye, top sirloin, and flank steak. The trick to cutting the beef very thin is to briefly freeze it (about 30 mins), then cut against the grain. The thinner the slices, the faster it cooks – and the more marinade it will soak up. Paleo specifically suggests grass-fed meats as one of the core beliefs as you are also eating what that animal ate (in theory if the animal ate corn, you too, are ingesting corn). Whereas Whole30 and Keto are not as specific about the type of beef used.
  • Soy sauce is not Paleo-friendly. However, coconut aminos are. They actually taste fairly similar, in that they are salty, albeit slightly milder, but with a similar in color and consistency. They don’t taste like coconut. If you are following Whole30, you will also want to use coconut aminos instead of Soy Sauce as soybeans are legumes, which are restricted on many food plans.  
  • Feel free to use an array of vegetable toppings. Avoid corn or potatoes for Paleo but nearly anything else will work. I used zucchini, carrots, sautéed mushrooms, bell peppers, snap peas, and cilantro, as that’s what I had on hand. I looked up and confirmed that snap peas ARE allowed since certain, green “beans” are both Whole30 and Paleo-friendly. It has to do with the amount (or lack thereof) of lectin in these types of beans (I didn’t make the rules, I’m just following them).  
  • Over time I imagine cauliflower rice is going to get a bit old. For this recipe, I used it but, I have also topped off shredded, blanched brussels sprouts and mashed squash with this meat, and for future recipes, I want to try a riced plantain option. Stay tuned!  

About Chef Gina Veneziano

Hailing from a long line of chefs, Gina spent much of her early childhood at her family’s restaurant.  Always wanting to make a career of it, she has spent the last 15 years doing everything from interning at a butcher shop to concepting food trucks to catering sales to most recently, recipe development and culinary innovations. She prides herself on being the only person to successfully recreate her grandmother’s famous meatballs – you can usually catch her, apron on, and a glass of prosecco in hand – cheers!

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