This recipe has a huge part of my heart, it was the dinner I requested for every birthday and one of the first things my grandmother taught me to cook. My birthday is coming up in a few days and I still want this as my birthday dinner! Once I changed how and what I ate, I needed to find a way to recreate this classic combination. Traditionally made with store-bought breadcrumbs and corn meal, these two dishes have stayed true to their flavors with better ingredients. When I finally perfected the recipe, I honestly got a little teary, I missed this so much. I live very far away from my family (and have for many, many years) and my grandmother is at the point where travelling is hard. I immediately texted her the first success and they promptly told me I needed the traditional "salsa" on top if I was going to serve it to my family. She was right of course so I made it again and included the little salsa, it was perfect.

This meal takes a little time but it is so worth it! I made it Whole30, Paleo, gluten and dairy free, and it tastes exactly how my grandmother made it. The polenta was a tricky one for me since it is usually made with corn meal, enter the ever versatile cauliflower! I love to give y'all full dinners so I made sure to hit both dishes and share it in one post. We also enjoyed it with my favorite Quick Collards, you can find it in my Feijoada recipe.This is perfect to serve your family and friends too. You can even prep it ahead of time and just put a cooling rack over a baking sheet and pop into the oven at 350 for a few minutes. The salsa you can make with tomatoes, peppers, and onions or you can take a shortcut like me and grab some fresh salsa from the store. But, shhhhh, don't tell my grandmother.

Beef Milanesa

2 eggs
1 1/4 cup Almond flour
5 Tablespoons Arrowroot flour (can use Tapioca too)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon Italian herbs
1 teaspoon garlic powder
5 Tablespoons coconut oil, divided
1 - 1.5 pounds Milanesa Steaks or Round Steak sliced as thinly as possible (mine was 4 slices)

- Place eggs in a dish and add a couple tablespoons of water, whisk until all combined.

- Mix the flours and seasonings in another large dish and mix with a fork.

- If the steaks are too large, cut them down to be about palm sized.

- Dredge into the egg first then shake off any excess, then transfer to the flour mixture. Once evenly coated on both sides, place on a plate and continue until all the beef is prepped.

- In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons coconut oil on medium-high heat. Once all hot, add 2-3 steaks in at a time. Turn after the sides are browned and crispy, about 2 minutes each side. Set on a paper towel lined plate, sprinkle with a little salt. To start each batch, add an additional tablespoon of coconut oil and continue with the same process. I did 4 batches to do all the steaks.

- Enjoy with a salsa!

Cauliflower Polenta

1 large head cauliflower
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup almond milk
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons salted ghee
large drizzle olive oil

- Preheat the oven to 425.

- Chop the cauliflower into chunks and place on a baking sheet, toss with a large drizzle of oil, salt, and garlic powder.

- Roast for 30 minutes until tender and some pieces are browned. Cool to warm.

- Add the cooled cauliflower to a food processor, run on high for a few minutes, until almost smooth.

- Add the almond milk, nutritional yeast, and ghee. Cover and blend until all combined. Adjust seasonings if needed.

Get all your stuff set up before starting. Mix the flours and seasonings, I like to use pie plates for this and the eggs (forgot to snap a pic of the eggs). This is what the steaks look like, I have always been able to find these but if you can't, find round steak and slice thinly, you might need to pound it out too. Coconut oil ready for frying, right next to the stove.

First set the steak into the eggs, make sure both sides are coated. Then place in the flour, making sure the mixture is even on both sides. Place on a plate until they are all done.

Heat the oil, add the steak, fry for a couple minutes, turn over when browned, fry for another couple minutes then place on a towel lined plate. Sprinkle with salt (don't skip this, it really helps with the flavor). Repeat, make sure to add another tablespoon of oil for each batch.

This is about the size of the cauliflower pieces you want, drizzle oil then season with salt and garlic powder. Roast for about 30 minutes.

These are perfectly roasted, cool them down while you prep the beef. Add to your food processor and run on high and alternate pulsing to get it smooth-ish. Then add the milk, nutritional yeast, and ghee, pulse a few times to make it smooth. Warm up and serve!