Try This!

Beef Stroganoff

I’m on a low-sodium diet because I have Ménière’s Disease, so I got this recipe from Mrs. Dash and it’s pretty darn good. It doesn’t make a huge amount, though, so you may need to adjust the quantities if you’re cooking for more than two people.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 Tbsp. (7.5mL) all-purpose flour
• 5 oz. (140g) condensed beef broth
• 1/2 cup (120mL) fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 3/4 lb. (340g) lean, 1/2 inch (1.25cm) cut top sirloin steak, sliced into 2 inch (5cm) strips
• 1 Tbsp. (15mL) Mrs. Dash® Onion & Herb Seasoning Blend
• 1/4 cup (60mL) reduced-fat sour cream
• vegetable cooking spray
• 2 cups (480mL) wide egg noodles, cooked

INSTRUCTIONS:

Spray large skillet with vegetable cooking spray. Sauté steak 5 minutes, or until no longer pink. Add mushrooms and continue cooking for 1 minute. Combine beef broth, flour and Mrs. Dash® Onion & Herb; mix well. Add to meat and mushrooms. Bring to a boil stirring frequently; continue stirring 1 minute. Just before serving, stir in sour cream. Serve over egg noodles.

Turkish Spinach and Lentil Soup, adapted from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant 

This was my first time trying this recipe, and it was a knockout. It also happens to be directly in line with the whole-food, plant-based diet that I just won’t shut up about. I’ve posted a little more in-depth look at one of the key ingredients for this soup, bulgur, over at vera-salus, if you want to learn more about its nutritional aspects. But let’s set that aside for a moment, and just look at this recipe. It’s simple, but has complex flavors. It’s crazy healthy, but yet is rich and satisfying. 

I wanted to try this recipe for a couple of reasons, one of which is because I have somehow ended up with a boatload of dry lentils in my cupboard and I’d really like to get rid of it before it starts to get too hot here to cook (summer: I hate u).

Please to try this one out - it’s slightly different from most lentil recipes - the rosemary and the fresh spinach and parsley make it taste pretty unique. I promise you’ll like it.

This recipe is cooked in two parts, the lentils in the broth is one part, and the rest of the veggies are another part, and you unite them at the end.

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup dried lentils
• 5 cups vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon salt

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• 1/4 cup olive oil (I skipped this altogether - doesn’t need it)
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 bay leaves
• 3/4 cup raw bulgur wheat
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes (I used fresh, you can probably use canned)
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• sprig of rosemary
• salt and pepper to taste

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• 2 cups chopped fresh spinach (well-rinsed)

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• chopped fresh parsley to top

Preparation:

• In a saucepan, pour in the stock and turn flame on high to heat quickly. Meanwhile, rinse and drain lentils. When stock is nice and hot, pour in lentils. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer, covered, for 40 minutes.
• While lentils are cooking, heat up a heavy soup pot. On medium flame, saute onions. I didn’t use oil, and this worked out just fine. As long as the heat isn’t on too high, you can saute. It’s ok if they stick a little bit. It feels awkward because it’s a new way of cooking, but I promise it yields just as good of results. If you get any hot spots where onions are starting to char, pour in a little water or some stock to loosen. Cook until translucent, then add garlic, cayenne, bay leaves, and bulgur. Stir mixture on medium heat until the mixture becomes slightly browned.
• Mix in the parsley and tomatoes. When the tomatoes begin to give up their juices, add the tomato paste. 
• Once the lentils are cooked, add the lentils to the soup pot containing all the other ingredients (onions, bulgur, parsley, tomatoes, etc.). Add the rosemary sprig. Simmer for 15 mins. Add salt and pepper to taste. Feel free to add water or more stock if it’s become too thick. 
• Just before serving, stir in the spinach and let it wilt in the hot soup. 
• Garnish individual servings with fresh parsley.

We both loved it. Highly recommended. A+. Will probably be excellent on a rainy day.

So I’ve been bad about posting, but I’m back! 

Tilapia over Quinoa with Feta, Cucumber, and Dill

Original recipe from Martha Stewart. I modified mine to suit me. Turned out more than suitable!

I don’t often cook with paprika, but I’d like to use it more. I also am not always a dill enthusiast. I like it, but it can be so overpowering sometimes. 

• 1 cup quinoa - I am super temperamental about quinoa. I think I taste bitter more than some. They key for me has been to soak it for at least 15 minutes beforehand. 
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound boneless, skinless tilapia fillets, divided into 8 pieces (I used more and just made sure that I chopped it into pieces that would cook in about the same amount of time.)
• 3/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1 cup English cucumber (6 ounces), diced small
• 1/3 cup roughly chopped fresh dill (I used about 1/4 cup and it was plenty for me.)
• 1/3 cup feta (1 1/2 ounces), crumbled (I used more because I love cheese. BOOM!)
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

• In a small saucepan, bring quinoa, 2 cups water, and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil over high. Reduce to a medium simmer and cook until water evaporates, about 15 minutes. Transfer quinoa to a medium bowl and let cool 5 minutes. Mine took a little longer because there was extra water from soaking it beforehand.

• In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil over medium-high. Pat fish dry and season with salt and pepper; sprinkle with paprika. Cook fillets until opaque throughout, about 4 minutes, flipping halfway through. Stir cucumber, dill, feta, 1 teaspoon oil, and lemon juice into quinoa. Season with salt and pepper. Divide quinoa among four plates and top with fish.

1. Heat shortening in a large, deep skillet. Sear pork until it turns white, then add onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add celery, hot water, salt and pepper. Cover skillet and simmer for 5 minutes. Add sprouts and heat to boiling.
2. In a small bowl combine the cold water, cornstarch, soy sauce and sugar. Mix together and add to skillet mixture. Cook for 5 minutes, or until thickened to taste.

Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad

You guys. This salad. I don’t think I can adequately convey how addicting this stuff is. I’ve had it for lunch at least two days a week for the past three weeks. We’ve had it for dinner. I brought it to a big dinner with family and everyone *raved* about it. People have -not asked- but commanded me to give them this recipe. I promised to, and the next day I received texts to remind me to send the recipe. My three teenage nieces went apeshit over this salad.

This salad is very, very good.

It’s the combination of hearty greens, which are very filling, the Parmesan, which is salty and rich-tasting, the roasted/salted almonds, which give a smoky depth to the flavor profile, and the dressing, which is pungent and oily and very, very rich.

The way this works is that you buy the recommended amounts of greens, and immediately find out that you don’t have enough room in your entire apartment/house to prepare it all. So you prepare half, and save the rest of the uncut, unprepared Brussels sprouts and kale for another batch. However, even with that, you’re still making up to two enormous prep-kitchen bowls full of the stuff. Mind you, this is technically half the recipe’s worth of greens. But then I went ahead and used the full recipe’s worth of the rest of  the ingredients. What I’m saying is that I doubled up on the dressing, cheese, and almonds. Because why wouldn’t I? The flavors are so, so yummy.

I’m dying to have more sitting here describing it to you.

MAKE THIS SALAD. If you don’t, you are seriously missing out.

Recipe from epicurious.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt plus more for seasoning
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large bunches of Tuscan kale (about 1 1/2 pounds total), center stem discarded, leaves thinly sliced
• 12 ounces brussels sprouts, trimmed, finely grated or shredded with a knife
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/3 cup almonds with skins, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup finely grated Pecorino

Preparation:

Combine lemon juice, Dijon mustard, shallot, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper in a small bowl. Stir to blend; set aside to let flavors meld. Mix thinly sliced kale and shredded brussels sprouts in a large bowl.

Measure 1/2 cup oil into a cup. Spoon 1 tablespoon oil from cup into a small skillet; heat oil over medium-high heat. Add almonds to skillet and stir frequently until golden brown in spots, about 2 minutes. Transfer nuts to a paper towel–lined plate. Sprinkle almonds lightly with salt.

Slowly whisk remaining olive oil in cup into lemon-juice mixture. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Dressing, kale mixture, and toasted almonds can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Cover dressing and kale mixture separately and chill. Cover almonds and let stand at room temperature.

Add dressing and cheese to kale mixture; toss to coat. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Garnish with almonds.

Beef Stew

I seldom measure anything when I cook, so all of the following measurements are ballpark, at best. If you prepare a stew following these directions and it tastes awful, it’s totally my fault.

stew meat, patted dry
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp tomato paste
red wine
beef stock
4 cloves of garlic, smashed
1  med onion, chopped
5 or 6 big carrots, cleaned, peeled and sliced
1 celery rib including leaves, sliced
2 bay leaves
2 tbs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dry
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 325. Add butter and olive oil to a dutch oven on medium heat that can go from stovetop to oven. Once butter is melted, add the meat, making sure it’s not touching other pieces so it will brown evenly. Once browned on each side, remove from pan and set aside. 

If the pan is dry, add a bit more butter and olive oil and then add the onions, garlic, celery (minus the leaves), some salt and pepper and saute until the onions start to go translucent, then stir in the tomato paste and heat through. Add at least a cup of red wine. Use something you’d drink, it makes a difference. Stir to combine with onions, celery, garlic and tomato paste. Add one of the sliced carrots, the celery leaves, bay leaves, thyme and a bit more salt and pepper. Stir. Once it starts to bubble, add the browned meat, then cover the meat with beef stock. Stir to combine and cover. Remove pan from stove and place in oven for 1.5 hours.

After 1.5 hours, remove pan and stir. Add the rest of the carrots, replace lid and return to oven for another 1.5 hours.

After removing the pan, the meat should be falling apart tender. If the liquid is not reduced enough and seems too thin, you can brown a tbsp of flour in tbsp of butter in a saute pan and add some beef stock, stirring until it’s a gravy and add to the stew. 

I like to saute some mushrooms and throw them in and mash some potatoes to serve with it, but you can add potatoes to the stew after 1.5 hours with the carrots if you prefer.

Jambalaya

There are a million jambalaya recipes out there but this is the only one I know which involves both Tony Chachere’s seasoning and Sriracha. As with most cajun recipes, the listed amounts and proportions are approximate. Adjust as you see fit.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces lean turkey Polish-kielbasa sausage, cut into 1/8-inch slices
• 2 cups frozen bell pepper and onion stir-fry, thawed
• 1 1/2 cups cubed fully cooked fat-free ham (about 8 oz)
• 4 ounces cooked salad shrimp (optional)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh or 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning 
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups Muir Glen® organic diced tomatoes (from 28-oz can), undrained
• 1 3/4 cups Progresso® reduced-sodium chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)
• 1 cup uncooked parboiled (converted) rice
• Red pepper sauce, if desired

Directions

1. Spray 4-quart Dutch oven with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. In Dutch oven, cook sausage about 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until brown. Remove sausage from Dutch oven; set aside.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients except rice, shrimp, and pepper sauce. Heat to boiling. Stir in rice; return to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 20 minutes.
3. Stir in sausage (and shrimp); heat until hot. Serve with pepper sauce.

Spicy Garbanzo Bean and Turkey Sausage Soup

Adapted from epicurious.

I had intended to post a different recipe today, but I just made this soup last night and had to share it right away. I have made a TON of very good Italian sausage soups in the past, and they almost always taste the same, no matter what veggies or seasonings I add - sausage, canned tomatoes, broth, garlic, oregano, rosemary, etc.

This one was different - and it was delicious - and it was just as effortless as those other soups. I liked that this was a more concentrated soup - not watery, not a ton of broth. Heartier. Andy and I had one big bowl each for dinner, and this is all that was left. So, not a huge recipe. If you’re wanting to freeze a bunch for later, I recommend doubling the recipe.

Flavor-wise, what’s different about this soup is the jalapeno and the cumin. They provided a little Mexican flavor and a little heat, but didn’t overpower the soup or make it too spicy. And I was surprised how well these flavors worked with the minced rosemary - a unique combination I haven’t cooked with before. Also, I used chicken sausage, because that’s what I could find, and it was very good. Spicy chicken sausage from Sprouts market. 

Tip: any more, when a recipe calls for canned diced tomatoes, we always use fire roasted tomato. They have a bit more depth of flavor from being slightly charred, and it worked really well in this dish. Note: I used the whole 15.5 oz can when I made it, and thought it needed the full amount.

I could see adding some spinach or some kale to this, perhaps green beans. It was perfect, but I wouldn’t mind a little more in the way of veggies. If you decide to try this and add veggies, I’d also increase the liquids proportionally. As you can see above, there’s not a lot in the way of liquids.

And one more thing: this recipe calls for 8 cloves of garlic. Eight. That is a LOT of garlic. I was leery, but I always try to follow a recipe all the way through the first time - and it was absolutely wonderful. You cook the strong garlic flavor down when you’re browning the sausage - you cook it long enough that the pungent garlic taste cooks out, to be replaced by a caramelized flavor, so don’t hold back. It really can take 8 cloves. Which is crazy.

This was super yummy, and super easy. Cheap, too. You really should try to make this.

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 3/4 pound turkey sausage (I used spicy chicken sausage), casings removed, crumbled
• 8 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 cup canned diced peeled tomatoes with juices (I used the whole can)
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced seeded jalapeño chili
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 3 15- to 16-ounce cans garbanzo beans (chick-peas), undrained
• 2 cups canned chicken broth or beef broth
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• Chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 avocado, peeled, sliced

Preparation:

Heat olive oil in heavy large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add turkey sausage and chopped garlic and sauté until sausage is golden brown and cooked through, breaking up sausage with back of fork, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add tomatoes with their juices, sliced jalapeño chili, ground cumin and chopped fresh rosemary and simmer 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garbanzo beans with their liquid and chicken broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer soup 15 minutes. Stir in fresh lemon juice. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before continuing.)

Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle soup with chopped fresh cilantro and top with sliced avocado. Serve immediately.

 

BALLS OF MEAT SUBS

I admit, these are desperately, horribly bad for you, but holy cow are they yummy. They are perfect to warm you up on a cold night when you’re not going anywhere because after you eat one, you can’t go anywhere. Nor should you.

Meatballs:
1½ lb ground sirloin
2 egg yolks
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
¼ cup grated Parmesan
¼ cup finely chopped onion
¼ cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley
¼ cup finely chopped bell pepper
¾ cup day old bread, crumbled finely
salt and pepper

Bread:
2 to 4 Italian bread rolls, depending on size
1 stick of butter at room temprature
4 cloves of garlic, very finely minced 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
¼ cup of grated Parmesan

Sliced Mozzarella

Mix the meatball ingredients together with your hands, roll into meatballs and place on a lined cookie sheet. I make between a golf ball and tennis ball sized meatballs for sandwiches. I usually divide the mixture into 4, then make 4 meatballs from each section (here’s where my nana would smack me because you’re supposed to cook the meatballs in the sauce all day, but ain’t nobody got time for that). Bake in preheated 350° oven for 12 to 15 minutes. I use one meatball for testing and cut it open to make sure it’s cooked and put the “ugly” meatball on my sandwich.

Once the meatballs come out of the oven i put them in a pan with simmering marinara sauce. Use your favorite. I let the meatballs simmer in the sauce while I prepare the bread.

Mix the butter, garlic, oregano and cheese and set aside. Split the rolls and spread each side with the butter mixture. Place rolls with butter facing up on a cookie sheet. Place in oven at 350° and remove when butter topping begins to bubble. Put a slice of Mozarella in each split roll, then top with meatballs and sauce. Place another slice of Mozarella on top of meatballs and return to oven. Bake until cheese is melted.

Egg Rolls at Home

1 lb of protein (I used sausage but you can use chicken, pork, shrimp, etc)
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
1 cup chopped cabbage
1 cup bean sprouts
1 chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped water chestnuts
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1 package egg roll wrappers
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon water
peanut oil for frying

In a large skillet, heat sesame oil over medium heat and add onions and ginger. Cook until almost transluscent, remove from pan and set aside. Add sausage (protein) to pan and saute until browned through. Drain and return to pan. Stir in onion/ginger mixture. Add 1/4 cup of water, soy sauce, cabbage, carrots and sprouts and stir until combined. Place a lid on the pan and let cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Remove lid, add water chestnuts and stir until mixed. Remove pan from heat.

Open egg roll wrappers and separate. Fill with meat mixture folding up from the bottom corner, like a burrito, tucking in the sides. Make a paste with the water and flour and brush the edges to seal. 

Heat peanut oil in a deep skillet to 375 over med high heat. Place no more than two egg rolls in the oil at once and fry until golden brown, turning as they cook. Remove from oil onto paper towels or a rack.