Ok yall, so I know that I am super late posting these, but life has gotten in the way a little bit over the last month. I am back and better than ever with some fun and different recipes for the fall weather. As we get closer to thanksgiving, be sure to check back for some of my old family recipes revamped to match dietary restrictions. A little preview of my granny’s cracker dressing is even up on twitter and facebook, so head over there if you are already in the festive state of mind.

Tex-Mex style Beef Empanadas

These empanadas are not your typical Argentinian empanadas by any means. They are more of a mashup of a taco and empanada rolled into one (artificial) cheesy pocket of dough, but when you combine them with rice and beans they make a quick school night dinner that even the pickiest eaters will enjoy. There are quite a few steps and the first time that I made them they took a little while to make, but once you get the hang of it, they are quick and easy, and can even be made ahead of time and thrown in the oven. I had no leftovers left, but this easily fed my family of 7.

What you’ll need:

For the empanada:

·         2 cups warm (room temperature) water

·         8 tablespoons of butter substitute (lard works here as well), melted

·         1.5 tsp salt

·         6 cups of gluten free 1:1 flour (plus some on standby if the dough becomes too sticky)

·         4 tbsp butter substitute for brushing on after filling

For the filling:

·         1 pound of hamburger (any ratio works great, the leaner the meat the more it will absorb the flavor)

·         3 tbsp butter substitute

·         1 tsp salt

·         1 tsp pepper

·         1 medium white onion, finely diced

·         ½- ¾ pound of potatoes, peeled and finely diced (think hashbrowns)

·         2 tbsp minced garlic

·         2 tsp Italian seasoning

·         1 tbsp paprika

·         1 tsp cayenne pepper

·         2 hard boiled eggs (optional, omit where allergies don’t permit the use)

·         1 tbsp tomato paste (optional, omit where allergies don’t permit the use)

·         1 cup chicken broth or water

·         2 cups cheese substitute (cheddar, monterrey jack, etc.)

·         Water to seal edges

What to do:

For the empanada dough:

(1)    Put the water, butter substitute, and salt into a mixing bowl and stir.

(2)    Stir in the flour until a dough forms. Add flour if needed to get a smooth consistency and refrigerate for at least one hour

For the Filling:

(1)    In a large frying pan or wok, melt butter substitute.

(2)    Add beef, salt and pepper and allow to brown.

(3)    Turn the heat down to a medium low and add in the onion, cooking until the onion has browned.

(4)    Add in potatoes, garlic, and Italian seasoning and cook for about 5 minutes, or until well incorporated

(5)    Stir in the tomato paste and chicken broth and allow to simmer for 10 minutes (you want to give the potatoes time to soften and the broth to form a slight sauce)

(6)    Add in hard boiled eggs and cheese and refrigerate until ready to use.

To combine:

(1)    Pick up a golf ball sized blob of the empanada dough and form them into balls.

(2)    Flatten the balls until they make a circle

(3)    Add 2 spoonfulls of filling to the dough and moisten the edges around it with water.

(4)    Wrap the dough around the filling to make it fully enclosed.

(5)    Pinch the edges with a fork or your fingers.

(6)    Brush the tops of the empanadas with a little bit of butter substitute and put them on a baking sheet (use foil if you want to cut down on the clean up- these tend to get a little messy in the oven)

(7)    Bake in a 400F oven for 30 min, turning once. Or for a crispier crust- deep fry in any cooking oil for 3 minutes per side.

***if you are looking for a crispier alternative, frying these also works well, just be sure to refrigerate them for at least an hour after crimping the edges to ensure that the filling stays in the actual empanada as you are frying.