Salmon Burgers

Here we go with another late-summer burger recipe, this time featuring salmon!  Throughout my life I have not been a huge fan of food that "lived under water", but with all of the talk about salmon being such a healthy food, I felt I owed it to myself and my family to get it into the rotation.  I'm proud to say I've found quite a few variations that I really love - Maple Glazed Salmon, Salmon Cakes, and even some canned salmon mixed with mayo for an easy lunch.  Earlier this summer, I was shopping in Whole Foods and saw that salmon burgers were on special, only $2.50 instead of $5.00 each for a burger made with wild salmon, so I had to try them.  They grilled up beautifully and were delicious, but the regular price just seemed excessive for something I should be able to make at home!

Of course I decided to try to make them one afternoon when my fridge and pantry were sparse (we were even out of soy sauce!) and no time to go to the store, so when I went searching for recipes I was very limited on what I'd be able to try.  I came across a somewhat odd sounding Rachael Ray recipe for "Everything Salmon Burgers" which seemed to be trying to replicate the flavor profile of an everything bagel with lox and cream cheese.  That was a little much for me, but I liked the stripped down idea for the burger (well, it sounded good enough and I could make it quickly with what I had on hand!).

The result was perfect for me...with all of the seasoning and grilling, the salmon taste is not overly strong, but the burgers are flavorful, easy to throw together, and such a great way to eat more fish.  Note that I would NOT recommend going out and spending $20/lb for fresh wild salmon for this recipe - it is perfect for when you can get wild salmon at a bargain price.  My favorite is frozen wild salmon from Trader Joe's, which comes already skinned for $7.99/lb!  The previously frozen kind doesn't have the best texture when cooked as a filet, but is the perfect solution in a recipe like this :)

Salmon Burgers
adapted from Food Network

2 6-ounce skinless wild salmon fillets, cut into large chunks

1 tablespoon grill seasoning

1 tablespoon sesame and/or poppy seeds (I used all sesame)

1 rounded teaspoon dried dill (or 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped)

Olive oil for drizzling

Preheat outdoor grill if using to medium high. Prepare hot grill with cooking spray. 

Place salmon in food processor and pulse a few times to coarse grind meat to form burgers (do not puree!). Transfer fish to a mixing bowl and season with grill seasoning, seeds, and dill. Mix and form 3 patties. Drizzle the burgers with extra-virgin olive oil.

Cook burgers 3 minutes on each side.

Serve on toasted 100% Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns with Lemon Dill Sauce and your favorite toppings (we love beefsteak tomato and avocado slices!).

Serves 3

Mini Spinach and Cheddar Frittatas

As I mentioned in my post about the naming ceremony we recently hosted for the peanut, I decided to plan a menu that mixed traditional bagels with some homemade sides that helped round out the meal.  I was serving lox (smoked salmon) with the bagels, but for people who may not be a fan, I thought it would be nice to have another protein selection.  I love egg dishes, but thought it would be difficult to make enough quiches or frittatas for 35 people.  While doing some recipe searching, however, I found this recipe for Crustless Spinach Quiche which had tons of suggestions in the comments to make it in muffin tins instead of a pie plate.  I thought that sounded perfect!  When testing the recipe, I made some other changes suggested by reviewers (more egg, less cheese, less spinach, add milk) and also decided that this really isn't quiche since it has no cream and a very different consistency.  And so mini frittatas were born.  I served these to two separate groups - the friends I tested them on last week, and my family at the naming, and got tons of rave reviews.  On top of being delicious, they were also so fun to serve and eat, and even reheated well the next day (or were yummy straight from the fridge!).

I quadrupled this recipe for my crowd and borrowed muffin tins from my mom so I could make all 48 at one time.  But if you are making this for a crowd and don't have multiple muffin tins or enough oven space, they were delicious at room temperature, so feel free to make them one batch at a time.  I also prepped the egg mixture and the spinach/onion mixture the day before and mixed up all of the ingredients right before baking, which saved me a good amount of time and didn't seem to impact the final result at all.

As a side note, you could definitely play with this recipe if you want - I think it would be great with broccoli, or different kinds of cheeses, using the proportions here as a base.  Please let me know if you find any variations that are especially yummy - I have a feeling I'll be returning to this recipe time and time again!

Mini Spinach and Cheddar Frittatas
adapted from All Recipes

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
8-10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well
6 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or any cheese you prefer)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and just starting to carmelize.  If you're not sure your spinach is well drained, you can add it to the pan for a few minutes with the onions to get rid of any extra water.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together eggs and milk.  Add cheese, salt and pepper, spinach, and onion. Distribute mixture evenly into 12 standard muffin cups.  Bake until eggs have set and sides are light brown, about 20-25 minutes.  Let cool for 5-10 minutes and gently remove from muffin tin before serving.

Makes 12 mini-fritattas

Baked Ziti

I have exciting news - my little munchkin, who for months and months has rejected anything with tomato sauce, has finally started warming up!  This has changed my life, as she will now eat pizza with us, and also opens up more options in terms of pasta dishes I can make since I don't necessarily need to have plain pasta set aside for her.  One of my favorites is baked ziti - it's similar to lasagna, but without all of the effort that goes into layering.  Over the past year I have tried a few versions that were trying to be too healthy (e.g., turkey instead of beef, not enough cheese, adding in veggies that didn't quite work), so I went back to more classic proportions.  I still consider this a wholesome dish, however, when made with whole wheat pasta and lean beef, and can be even more so if you use part-skim or low fat cheeses. 

Below I've described how I made it, but the beauty of ziti is that it's also infinitely flexible depending on your preferences and what you have on hand.  Prefer turkey over beef?  No problem.  Vegetarian?  Leave out the meat altogether.  Don't feel like making sauce?  Open a jar :)  But I did find that these basic proportions seemed to work well - cheesy and moist without being goppy.  And the best part is that ziti freezes and reheats beautifully, so if you find yourself with a bunch of leftovers, you are all set for a meal another night!


Baked Ziti
adapted from my mom

1 pound whole wheat ziti or other tube shaped pasta
1 pound shredded mozzarella, divided
1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
4 cups sauce (with or without meat - I used 2 cups leftover meat sauce + 2 cups crushed tomatoes directly from a can)
1/4 cup grated romano or parmesan

Preheat oven to 375.  Take out a 9x13 baking pan, and lighly grease if not non-stick.

Cook the pasta, draining it while it is still al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, combine the mozzarella (reserving 1/2 cup for the topping), ricotta, and sauce in a large bowl.  (Note that if you have prepared tomato sauce but still want to include meat, you can brown 1 lb of lean ground beef and just mix in with the sauce and cheese at this step).  Add the pasta, mix thoroughly, and pour into prepared pan.  Sprinkle reserved mozzarella and romano over the top and bake for 30 minutes.  Enjoy!

Serves 8-12

Meat Sauce

As I've mentioned many times, we are a family of pasta eaters.  More often than not, we end up making some whole wheat pasta mixed with frozen veggies, tomato sauce from a jar, and maybe broiled chicken breasts when I remember to take some out of the freezer.  But when I have a little more time to plan, I really enjoy making a more interesting sauce or topping, like pesto or meatballs with home made sauce (check out the pasta section of my recipe index for more ideas!). 

I am also a huge fan of meat sauce.  In college I used to brown a pound of meat and simmer for a few minutes with a jar of sauce, but I thought I should be able to do better than that now.  For some reason, though, I have been struggling to get the consistency and flavors right.  I tried looking up recipes, but most of the ones I found with good ratings also required tons of steps (e.g., first simmer with milk, then wine, then tomatoes, etc) and ingredients (e.g., multiple kinds of meat).  I just wanted a basic sauce I could throw together without too much fanfare!  And then I remembered my Classic Lasagna, which has a delicious, easy meat sauce as part of the filling.  With some very slight modifications, I finally found my recipe!  I made it a little less thick by cutting back on the amount of meat, added carrots for additional veggie power and sweetness, and replaced the fresh basil with dried so that it was easier to always have the ingredients on hand.  The result is is simple, adaptable, and delicious.  I hope you enjoy as much as we do!

Meat Sauce
adapted from me!

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion
1 cup carrots
2 garlic cloves
1 pound lean ground beef
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
2 tablespoons dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet.  Chop the onion, carrots, and garlic by hand or in the food processor.  Add the veggies to the pan and cook for 5-10 minutes over medium-low heat, until onions are translucent.  Add the beef, breaking it up as it cooks, until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, salt, and pepper.  Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.  Serve over your favorite whole wheat pasta.

Serves 4-6

Classic Lasagna

---This meal is part of my Canadian Thanksgiving series---

Hubby's family had a long trip to our house for Canadian Thanksgiving - about 8-10 hours.  So before I could worry about the Thanksgiving feast itself, I wanted to have a nice meal for them when they arrived.  I decided that I needed something that could be made and frozen in advance but could also be reheated multiple times in case hubby's parents and sister arrived at different times.  My first thought was baked ziti, until a friend recommended a Barefoot Contessa recipe for lasagna that she's had great success with in the past.  After a few failed veggie lasagna attempts recently I've been kind of avoiding it, but this recipe sounded very safe and not complicated at all to make.

I got to work, making a couple of changes - the original recipe calls for chicken sausage and goat cheese, both of which would make this dish very special but also not as universally liked, so I wanted to stick to more classic flavors.  If those ingredients sound good to you, though, please check out the original as it gets amazing reviews from my friend and reviewers over at the Food Network website!

I have to admit, making lasagna is a pain in the neck - every step was simple and the components were easy to pull together, but it took me a solid 20 minutes just to layer everything in the pan!  The result, however, was delicious, and accomplished my goal of still tasting good even after being reheated several times.  I was especially excited to get rave reviews from my mother-in-law who makes a great lasagna herself!  The proportions were great - cheesy but not too much cheese with plenty of sauce, and I think the fresh mozzarella adds a really special touch - I got several comments about it.  I served this with caesar salad and home-made whole wheat rolls, but I ran into some issues with those so the recipe on that will have to wait until I get it right :)

Classic Lasagna
adapted from Ina Garten

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/2 pound whole wheat (or regular) lasagna noodles
15 ounces ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Romano or Parmesan, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Take out a 9x13 baking dish (I used a disposable foil pan so as to not tie up one of my others while the lasagna was in the freezer).

Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the beef over medium-low heat, breaking it up as it cooks, until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.

Meanwhile, fill a large bowl or dish with the hottest tap water (I used instant hot). Add the noodles and allow them to sit in the water for 20 minutes. Drain. (If you are using no-cook noodles, follow directions on the box - you may be able to skip this step.)

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 cup of romano cheese, the egg, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into baking dish, spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Then add the layers as follows: half the pasta (this should fit nicely in one layer), half the mozzarella, half the ricotta mixture, and 1/3 of the sauce. Add the rest of the pasta, mozzarella, ricotta, and finally, sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of romano. Bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling.

Do ahead: Entire lasagna can be cooked according to directions above and frozen.  Place frozen lasagna covered in 350 degree oven for approximately 90 minutes, until lasagna is steamy when uncovered and knife inserted into the middle feels hot when removed.
 
Serves 8 for dinner, or 12 for lunch

Simplest Mac & Cheese

I know, I've already posted two mac & cheese recipes on this site, but I'm still on a quest for the perfect healthy recipe.  The Mac & Cheese (with Squash!) is yummy, and I love the Broccoli Mac & Cheese, but I have to admit pre-cooking pasta and making a cheese sauce is a bit of a pain.  It's not complicated, but inevitably requires lots of time and creates lots of dishwashing!  I had tried a recipe once before which didn't call for cooking the pasta or making a cheese sauce and it was pretty disappointing (greasy instead of creamy), but when my friend who is an excellent cook passed on a similar recipe, I was intrigued enough to try again.  As it turns out, the main differences in the recipes is that the new one called for 1/4 the amount of cheddar (!) and adding a bread crumb topping.  Less cheese could certainly solve the greasiness problem, but would it be good??

The first time I tried the recipe, I listened to her advice to just throw in an entire small onion instead of measuring 1/4 cup - big mistake!  I'm not sure if she really does this, but I found the resulting dish WAY too oniony (and I love onion!).  Plus, I thought I'd throw in some broccoli, which just complicated the results even more.  I decided to give it another try with no onion or broccoli so I could get a good baseline for the basic recipe. 

The result is a dish which is really tasty, although not particularly cheesy.  I'm not a fan of cottage cheese but couldn't detect it at all, and it really couldn't have been more simple to make.  The whole family gobbled it up as a great side dish to hot dogs (well, the munchkin had it as a side dish to her hot dog bun, but let's not split hairs!).  Next time I'm going to start playing with it again, possibly adding more cheddar since there's really not that much and I don't need the recipe to be quite THAT healthy!  A happy medium of 1:1 ratio cheddar to pasta might be right, instead of double or half.  Also might add in broccoli again (since the broccoli mac and cheese is the only way the munchkin will eat broccoli).  I will keep you posted on the variations, but in the mean time if you're looking for an easy and super healthy mac & cheese recipe, definitely give this one a try, and let me know if you make any changes that work (or not)!

(apologies, no pic again this time; we have gotten really bad at remembering to get out the camera while the food still looks good!  I promise an update at some point in the future! :)

Simplest Mac & Cheese
adapted from my friend

1½ cups cottage cheese (low fat or whole)
1½ cups milk (skim, low fat, or whole) or buttermilk
1 teaspoon dried mustard or 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
Pinch of cayenne
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ cup grated onions (optional; I left this out and didn't miss it)
1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese (4 oz), or more if you want to experiment
½ pound uncooked elbow macaroni (I used whole wheat)
2 tablespoons finely grated pecorino or parmesan cheese
¼ cup bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare a 9x13 baking dish with a light coating of cooking spray or oil (this makes a very shallow mac & cheese...you could also use a smaller dish , or double the recipe in the 9x13).

In a blender or food processor, combine the cottage cheese, skim milk or buttermilk, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg, salt and pepper and puree until smooth.

In a large bowl, combine the pureed mixture with onions (if using; or, if you use a food processor you can process them right in with the milk mixture and not pre-grate), cheddar cheese, and uncooked macaroni. Stir well.  Pour the mixture into the baking pan.

Combine the grated pecorino or parmesan cheese and the bread crumbs and sprinkle over the top.  Bake for about 45 minutes until the top is browned and the center is firm.

Makes 6-8 side dish servings

Crispy Baked Chicken Tenders

Since we started introducing solid foods to the munchkin about a year ago, she has pretty much been a vegetarian.  She was quick to like fruits, grains, dairy, and even eggs, but somehow none of the ways I prepared meat seemed to work for her.  Until I found this recipe for Chicken Teriyaki, which she gobbled up, but only if the chicken was cut into pieces barely bigger than the grains of rice it was mixed with!  And then recently, something changed, and she started becoming more open to different kinds of chicken, whether it be bigger pieces of the same Chicken Teriyaki, some chicken from a salad I ordered out, or chicken parmesan at an italian restaurant.  The theme seemed to be chicken was ok as long as it was really moist from a sauce or breading - fair enough!

So recently, I decided to try making some breaded chicken at home to see if she would really eat it, and boy did she - the first night she ate an entire chicken tender, which is quite a bit for a little munchkin!  I didn't do anything too fancy here; just followed a basic process for breading chicken and baking it in the oven.  The only thing I did to make it more kid friendly was to cut my chicken breasts into strips to make them like tenders, even though I wasn't just using the tender from the breast.  This helped with portioning for the munchkin, and had the added benefit of a higher breading to chicken ratio, but you could easily do the same thing with whole breasts - just adjust the cooking time accordingly.  You can also season your breadcrumbs however you want - I really like romano cheese and basil, but you could easily skip the cheese and use whatever seasoning makes you happy. 

I have to apologize in advance that the recipe may not be exactly right - I was improvising quite a bit and didn't pay attention to exact measurements, so please adjust the amounts as needed for your taste.  In the mean time I thought I'd share the basic idea and I will update if necessary the next time I make these!

Crispy Baked Chicken Tenders

1 lb chicken tenders, or boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into strips
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 egg
3/4 cup plain panko or other dried breadcrumbs (please read ingredients here and find a brand that doesn't include partially hydrogenated oils!  Whole foods and Trader Joes both have good options)
2 tablespoons romano or parmesan cheese
Dried basil (enough so that it is visible throughout breadcrumb mixture)
Pinch of salt
Olive or canola oil spray

Preheat oven to 350 and line a large baking sheet with foil.  Spray baking sheet generously with oil.

Prepare 3 wide, shallow dishes (I used pasta bowls) as follows:  the first with flour, the second with egg beaten with a splash of water, and the third with breadcrumbs mixed with seasonings (in my case, cheese, basil, and salt).  Coat each piece of chicken with the flour, shaking off any excess.  Next, dip into the egg mixture, and finally into the breadcrumbs, ensuring that each piece is completely covered.  Place on prepared baking sheet.

Once all of the chicken is on the baking sheet, spray generously with oil.  Bake for 10-15 minutes until chicken is cooked through (it should be firm to the touch and easily pierced with a fork).  Try not to overbake!  Juicy with a very slight pink tinge is ok as long as you can see the fibers of the chicken are cooked and no longer has any raw texture when cut open.

Serve with the dipping sauce of your choosing - tomato sauce, ketchup, or bbq sauce would all work!

Serves 4

Turkey Meatballs and Spaghetti

**This post has been updated since it's original posting date in December 2009**

My husband and I love pasta.  We could, and do, eat it several times a week, every week.  Usually we just make some pasta to toss with veggies and some chicken, but every once in a while we need to dress pasta up for company.  And that's where this recipe comes in.  It is a combination of recipes from 2 of my favorite Food Network chefs - Ellie Krieger, who makes healthier versions of traditional dishes, and Rachael Ray, who has great ideas for making quick meals.

The dish includes turkey meatballs, quick homemade tomato sauce, and whole wheat spaghetti - incredibly healthy, simple, and impressive and tasty enough for company, especially when served with a salad (e.g., caesar, or simple arugula) and some bread.  The sauce is also versatile - you can use it whenever you need a basic tomato sauce, since it comes together so quickly!

Turkey Meatballs and Spaghetti
adapted from Food Network (here and here)

Meatballs
Cooking spray
1 pound ground turkey meat
1 slice fresh whole-wheat bread
1/2 cup carrot
1/2 small onion
2 large cloves garlic
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Sauce
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic
1 small onion
1 cup chicken stock (or beef stock if using sauce with traditional meatballs or meatsauce)
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
10 leaves fresh basil leaves, torn or thinly sliced
Splash of red wine (optional)

Other
1 lb whole wheat spaghetti
Additional parmesan/romano cheese for passing at the table
Crusty bread
 
Put a large pot of water on the stove to boil.  Preheat the broiler on high.  Cover a baking sheet with foil and spray with a non-stick spray (olive or canola oil).
 
Place the ground turkey in a large bowl.  Remove the crust from a slice of wheat bread, pulse to crumbs in a food processor, and add to turkey.  Finely chop onion, garlic, and carrots in the food processor and add to turkey.  Add remaining ingredients (parmesan, egg, thyme, salt, and pepper) and mix well with clean hands.  Divide mixture into 12 lightly rolled balls and place on prepared baking sheet.
 
Place a saucepan over medium heat.  Wipe out the bowl of the food processor and add chop onion and garlic for sauce.  Add oil, onion, garlic and red pepper to pan and sautee.  (Note that this is half the red pepper from the original recipe, which I think is enough to add subtle heat - feel free to add more if you prefer).  Once onions are soft, add crushed tomatoes and stock and simmer.
 
At this point, place the meatballs under the broiler for approximately 8-10 minutes, until tops are brown and meatballs are almost entirely cooked through.  Take the meatballs out of the broiler, and add to the sauce along with the basil and wine (if using)*.  At this point, salt the boiling water and add spaghetti.  The meatballs will keep cooking in the sauce while the pasta cooks.
 
When the pasta is ready, drain and toss with a few ladles of sauce, and pour the rest of the sauce and meatballs on top.  Serve with salad, bread, and additional parmesan or romano cheese. 
 
Serves 4 hungry adults

*This sauce is somewhat chunky, with obvious pieces of tomato and onion.  If you prefer a smoother sauce, feel free to use an immersion (stick) blender to puree the sauce before adding the meatballs, basil, and wine.

Moroccan Lamb Stew

Last time I ordered meat from my CSA, I decided to branch out a bit from my typical beef and poultry selection and bought two kinds of lamb - stew pieces and a lamb leg steak.  The steak is still in the freezer waiting for the right recipe, but the stew meat got put to excellent use last week with a Moroccan inspired Rachael Ray recipe.  I've made this before, but it's been years so this was a good opportunity to dig it out.  Fortunately, since I last made it there are tons of new comments on the Food Network website.  As you probably know, Rachael Ray is all about the "30-minute meal", and as great as that is in theory, stews are really not meant to be rushed.  The reviews suggested throwing the timing out the window and cooking this for a few hours to get really melt-in-your-mouth results, which I think was an excellent idea.

The nice thing about stew is that, despite the long cooking time, it's usually pretty quick to pull together, and this is no exception - the hardest part of the prep work was finding all the spices on my spice rack!  But still, 2 hours of cooking required some advance planning since I generally don't start dinner until about 7pm.  Instead, I made the stew during the munchkin's nap time, let it simmer until it was time to leave for our afternoon activity, let it hang out in the fridge for a few hours, and then put it back on the stove after she went to sleep.  This worked perfectly, and I highly recommend the do-ahead approach, even getting it started the night before!  The flavors in this dish are amazing...sweet and savory and rich all at the same time.  The meat really did melt in your mouth along with the dates, which are so sweet and yummy.  The only problem is that it is not the most beautiful looking meal - lots of brown, which is why there's no picture this time :)  I'd recommend serving this over couscous, although I made quinoa this time because I was out of couscous and I think in the end any grain you like would work.  I hope you enjoy!


Moroccan Lamb Stew
adapted from Food Network

1 1/2 pounds boneless lamb stew pieces
2 teaspoons grill seasoning (I used a combination of kosher salt, black pepper, and a different meat seasoning blend I had on hand)
1 rounded teaspoon turmeric
1 rounded teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon paprika (not smoked)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced or chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
10 to 12 pitted dates, halved, about 8 oz
1 1/2 cups chicken stock

Add all of the spices to a gallon sized food storage bag and shake to mix.  Add lamb and shake to evenly coat all of the pieces with the spice blend.

Heat a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, then the lamb. Sear the lamb and caramelize the meat all over, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onions and garlic and cook 5 minutes more. Add the chicken stock to the pan and cover.  Simmer for approximately 2 hours or until the lamb can be easily pulled apart with a fork (leave plenty of time; you can always keep it warm until you're ready to eat if it cooks faster than you expect).  About 5-10 minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the dates.  If there seems to be too much liquid near the end, cook with the cover off to thicken, or add more stock if needed.

Serve over whole wheat couscous or whatever grain you prefer.

Serves 4 (generously)

Chicken Teriyaki

In the past, one of my favorite cooking shortcuts was to pour a store-bought marinade over some meat and cook it up.  These marinades were always super-tasty and easy to have on hand, turning some chicken breasts from the freezer into an easy weeknight meal.  Unfortunately, the more I become obsessed with reading ingredient lists, the more difficult it has become to find marinades that I'm willing to use because so many have tons of sodium, artificial flavors, corn syrup, and other scary ingredients.  On the flip side, home-made marinade recipes often require tons of ingredients that are not easy to have on hand.

Until Weelicious came to the rescue, yet again, with a recipe for teriyaki sauce that only has 5 ingredients, all easy to keep around.  I could not wait to give this a try, and I'm so glad I did because it is delicious, and so easy!  Of course I did change a couple of things...skipped the garlic because I wasn't in the mood, and increased most of the other ingredients because I could only find a 14 oz can of organic crushed pineapple and I didn't want the rest to go to waste.  This ended up making a ton, so I froze half for the next time I make this, which will certainly be soon! 

Oh, and one more change - you might notice that my sauce does not look nearly as pretty as the picture on Weelicious, and that's because I didn't read carefully and therefore missed the part about thickening the sauce with cornstarch.  Oops...I would recommend either following this step (I've included the original instructions below) or just pureeing the bit you intend to spoon over the chicken because otherwise the runny marinade with chunks of pineapple is not the best texture for a sauce.  Nonetheless, this was a successful dish with hubby and me (we ate it with brown rice and some roasted broccoli), as well as the munchkin, who got bits of the chicken tossed with rice, peas, corn, and a little extra sauce - yum!

Chicken Teriyaki
adapted from Weelicious

1 14 ounce can crushed pineapple in juice
3/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup honey
1/2 tablespoon fresh grated ginger*
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Place the crushed pineapple and juice, soy sauce, honey, and ginger in a large bowl and whisk to combine.

Place the chicken breasts in a zip top bag add with enough of the teriyaki sauce to coat well (reserving the remaining for the sauce).  Marinate in the refrigerate for at least 30-60 minutes, or up to 24 hours for maximum flavor.

Preheat your oven to the broil setting and place the rack in the upper third of the oven (at this point you can discard the sauce that you marinated the chicken in).  Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and broil for 5-7 minutes on each side (monitor carefully for doneness; if the chicken is thick, it may take an extra minute or two).

While the chicken is broiling, put approximately 3/4 cup of reserved teriyaki sauce in a saucepan, add 1 tsp of cornstarch and cook over medium heat for 1 minute or until thickened.  Alternatively, puree sauce with an immersion blender, or in a blender or food processor to smooth out consistency.  (You can freeze any unused marinade for next time).

Remove the chicken breasts from the oven and allow to cool for several minutes.  Slice the chicken, cover with sauce and serve.

Serves 4
*I keep a peeled piece of ginger in my freezer - it is easier to grate this way and becomes an ingredient I can always have on hand!

Meat Loaf

Hi everyone, I'm back!  Sorry for the down time last week...it's not that I wasn't cooking, I just wasn't cooking anything I haven't already told you about :)  But this weekend has been busy so I have a few posts coming up this week to make up for it!

First up is meat loaf, which is such a classic comfort food.  I already told you about my Turkey Meatloaf Mini-Bites, but sometimes you just need a basic beef meatloaf.  I found a recipe on Epicurious which is designed to use buffalo, so I thought it would be perfect for my lean grass-fed ground beef.  Like the turkey recipe, this one has the benefit of some added veggies to give it extra flavor, moisture, and texture. 

As it turns out, I used 1 pound of beef but kept all of the other proportions the same (not on purpose; just wasn't paying attention to the fact that the recipe called for 1 3/4 pound of meat - oops!).  I served it last night to hubby and another close friend, and, despite my "mistake", I got rave reviews, including a "best meatloaf ever" declaration from hubby.  So I've posted my version below.  The extra veggies make this very juicy and flavorful, but also make it a little more crumbly than your standard meatloaf, which makes the individual loaves a good choice - not sure it would have held up to slicing.  But if you want something a little more sturdy, feel free to cut back on the rest of the ingredients or use more meat.  I hope you'll give it a try and let me know what you think!

Meat Loaf
adapted from Epicurious

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 large onion
2 celery ribs, cut into chunks
1 carrot, cut into chunks
2 cloves garlic
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs*
1 large egg
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
 
Preheat the oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with foil.
 
Place beef in a large mixing bowl.  Use a food processor to very finely chop onion, celery, carrot, and garlic, and add to beef**.  Add the remaining ingredients and gently but thoroughly mix with your hands.
 
Score mixture into 4 equal sections and form individual meatloaves that are approximately 1-1.5 inches thick.  Place on prepared baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes.
 
Serves 4
 
*I learned a great tip for fresh breadcrumbs from my friend Kara at Itty Bitty Bistro...my family doesn't like the ends of bread, so we've started throwing those in a separate bag in the freezer.  When I need some fresh breadcrumbs, I just take out a couple of slices, defrost in the microwave, tear into pieces and pulverize in the food processor.  So much healthier than most of the breadcrumbs you can buy!
 
**By making the individual loaves which only take 20 minutes to cook, even very finely chopped veggies stay pretty crunchy.  I liked it this way, but you could certainly sautee the veggies (and let cool slightly) before adding to the meat if you are so inclined.

Cheesy Burgers and Baked Potato Chips

Last week we had a bit of a heat spell in NYC - temps well into the 80's in April were a bit unexpected, and not altogether welcome given that our building has yet to turn on the air conditioning!  But it did put us in the mindset that summer is coming, which meant that when I gave hubby the option of shepherd's pie or hamburgers for dinner, he actually chose the burgers, something he is virtually never in the mood for.  I was pretty psyched about making burgers, although a bit disappointed to not have the opportunity to try out that shepherd's pie recipe!  I'm wondering if that will have to wait until the fall...

In any case, I set out to find a wholesome burger recipe that would work well with my very lean grass-fed ground beef.  I came across a recipe on the Food Network website that was originally from EatingWell.com called Inside-Out Cheeseburgers.  The seasonings looked really nice and I was intrigued by the idea of putting the cheese inside the burger.  It turns out that while it's a little more labor intensive to make the burger halves to stuff and then put together, these burgers were incredibly flavorful and stayed really juicy with the cheese inside.  Plus, I'm sure I used less cheese this way than if I had put it on top - a half cup shredded is only about 1.5 ounces divided into 4 burgers - not bad at all!

Next stop was side dish - burgers need potatoes, and I happened to have some yukon golds in my fridge that needed to be used up.  I am always trying to perfect the art of the baked potato chip/fry, and actually had some luck this time!  They came out crunchy without being greasy.  Note that I tried following the same method with sweet potatoes, but the only states I could achieve were raw, soggy, and burned - I couldn't quite get them to crisp, so please let me know if you have any suggestions!

Cheesy Burgers
adapted from Food Network

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 pound lean ground beef
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat the broiler.  Cover a pan with foil and coat with oil spray.

Gently mix beef, worcestershire, paprika, onion powder and pepper in a large bowl, preferably with your hands, without overworking. Shape into 8 thin, 4-inch-wide patties. Mound 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture on each of 4 patties, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Cover each with one of the remaining patties. Crimp and seal the edges closed.

Broil the stuffed patties, about 3-4 minutes per side for medium-well (I broiled 4 minutes on the first side and 2.5 on the second).  Let the burgers stand for 5 minutes before serving with your favorite toppings (photo includes ketchup, tomato, and pickles).

Makes 4 burgers

Baked Potato Chips
adapted from Teri's Kitchen

Cooking oil spray, preferably canola
Russet or Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400° F.  Line two large baking sheets with foil. Spray lightly with oil, then use a paper towel to spread it all over the bottom and remove any excess.

Slice the potatoes to about 1/8-inch thickness - this is easiest using a mandolin or food processor.  Place on the baking sheets in one layer (you may need to do multiple batches depending on how many potatoes you are using). Spray the tops lightly with the oil. Pat off any excess with a paper towel. Bake until brown and crispy, about 15-20 minutes. (Start monitoring them after 15 minutes; some of the slices may brown more quickly than others, which which case you can take them out sooner and continue baking the others.)

Remove the chips from the pans and place on paper towels, salting immediately to taste.  Chips may be served immediately, or allowed to sit while making the remainder of the dinner.

Baked Salmon with Dill

Earlier this week, I set out to make an ambitious dinner menu - Maple Glazed Salmon with Pineapple, broccolini, and sweet potato fries.  After starting after 7pm and hacking away at 3 large sweet potatoes, my motivation waned and I decided I couldn't quite take on the pineapple, too.  Instead, I remembered that I had dill in my fridge for an upcoming spanakopita meal (stay tuned!), and realized that making salmon without using the fresh dill that I had way too much of in the fridge would be a crime.  So I did a quick search for an easy recipe and came across one that was originally published in Cooking Light.  It was perfect - minimal prep and minimal ingredients that were all in my kitchen.

The resulting dish is definitely a keeper.  It was so easy to prepare and really made a weeknight salmon dinner a little more special.  Unfortunately I can't say the same for the broccolini and sweet potatoes that went along with it - I way overcrowded the pan for the broccolini so they really didn't get the full effect of the butter and garlic I intended to toss them with, and I am still trying to figure out how to make baked sweet potato fries that are crunchy (please let me know if you have suggestions!).

Baked Salmon with Dill
adapted from Cooking Light

2 6-ounce salmon fillets (preferably wild)
Oil spray
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 lemon

Preheat oven to 350.  Cover a baking sheet with foil and spray with oil.

Place fish on the baking sheet and lightly spray fish with oil.  Sprinkle fish with dill, salt, and pepper. Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.  Squeeze lemon over salmon before serving or serve with lemon wedge.

Makes 2 servings

Marinated Flank Steak

When hubby and I first met, he did not eat chocolate or red meat.  Given that these were two of the most important staples in my diet at the time, I decided these food restrictions made us incompatible and told him at least one would have to change if our relationship were to succeed.  I'm not kidding about that - I really did insist he start eating either chocolate or red meat!  Well, as it turns out, I managed to win him over on both fronts.  We can now share a chocolate dessert, and he has learned to appreciate a good steak on occasion.  He is still particular about his meat, however, and really doesn't like fatty cuts.  Which means when we go to steakhouses, he generally gets filet mignon.  But filet is such an expensive cut that I'm worried if I cook it myself I'll ruin it, so at home we stick to flank steak, which is inexpensive and very lean.  It is also incredibly easy to cook, although you do have to know what you are doing.

Flank steak is a tough cut of meat, which means that it really benefits from being tenderized by a marinade, and should be cooked quickly to sear the outside but leave the inside medium-rare.  Well done flank steak will be very chewy and less enjoyable.  It also needs to be sliced thinly, against the grain, for further tenderizing.  I have tried many flank steak recipes over the years, and just came across another one on Simply Recipes which looked  delicious.  This recipe has the benefit of including only a few simple ingredients that I pretty much always have on hand.  She also suggests scoring the meat before marinating, something I've never done before but sounded like a good idea.  The main change I made was the cooking method - living in the city, I do not have a grill, and while I do enjoy the taste of cooking on a grill pan, I do not enjoy the smoke or the clean-up.  So my new preferred method is broiling, which is so easy and much neater - simply cover a pan with foil and throw the foil away when you're done (assuming you're more talented than me and don't drip the juices on the pan as you're removing the foil ;).  You don't quite get the same crust on the outside, but in my opinion the meat is more evenly medium-rare throughout rather than being well done at the edges and rare at the center.

The steak came out great.  Not quite the best flank steak I've ever had (my mom makes a marinade with hoisin sauce which is really hard to beat), but definitely a good recipe to keep in the rotation!  The vinegar gives it a really nice tang, which is balanced nicely by the honey.  If you go to Simply Recipes, there are also a bunch of suggestions for different recipes in the comments section if this doesn't strike your fancy :)

Marinated Flank Steak
adapted from Simply Recipes

Marinade Ingredients
1/3 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Other ingredients
2 pounds flank steak
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

Score the surface of the steak with 1/4 inch deep knife cuts, about an inch apart, across the grain of the meat. Whisk together the marinade ingredients. Place steak and marinade ingredients in a large zip top bag and ensure the steak is completely coated. Seal the bag and place in a bowl in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
 
Take the steak out of the fridge 1 hour before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature.  Coat a baking sheet with foil, and preheat your broiler on high.  Take the steak out of the bag, letting the extra marinade drip off, and place on prepared pan.  Generously sprinkle on both sides with salt and pepper to help the steak to form a savory crust*.

Broil the meat 3-4 minutes on each size for a thin steak (I had a 1 lb steak, and this was perfect for me), 5-6 minutes for a thicker cut.  When the steak has cooked to your preferred level of doneness, remove from the pan and place on a cutting board. Cover with aluminum foil to hold in the heat and to keep the steak from drying out, and let rest for 10 minutes**. 

Cut against the grain on an angle to make very thin slices. 

If you want, you can take the excess marinade and bring it to a boil, simmer for several minutes, and serve with the flank steak.   My steak was less than 1 pound, so I ended up with tons of marinade that I didn't want to throw out, so we did this.  I thought it was delicious, but hubby thought the flavor was a bit strong.  The oil will separate when you boil it, so you'll need to either whisk it back in or skim it off, depending on your preference.
 
Serves 3 people per lb of meat
 
*I have to confess that I completely forgot this step, but it sounds like a great idea so I wanted to share with you all!  Only thing is that the sauce is pretty salty, so you might not need/want the sauce if you have a salt crust.

**Ok, while I'm being honest, I put the meat in too late and the Red Wine Barley Risotto, despite taking forever to make, was ready by the time the steak came out of the oven, so my steak only got about 3 minutes of resting before I lost patience.  It was still good but the juices definitely came flowing out, so I'd highly recommend trying to give the steak its full resting time!

Turkey Meatloaf Mini-Bites Revisited

After a week of feeding the munchkin french toast and scrambled eggs for dinner, I decided it's time to restock my freezer with some quick, go-to meals.  I've also been trying to figure out what to make with the ground turkey in the freezer and realized that my Turkey Meatloaf Mini-Bites would be perfect!  The only problem was that I didn't have any zucchini at home.  So rather than go to the store on a rainy, yucky day, I realized that I had some formerly-frozen chopped spinach in my fridge that I've been adding to the munchkin's scrambled eggs, and decided to see what would happen if I used that instead of zucchini.

I kept everything the same except I used about 3/4 cup of the spinach instead of the zucchini.  My first observation, not surprisingly, is that the mini-bites are green!  But as far as taste, they are just as yummy.  I couldn't detect any spinach flavor, but was happy to add a nutritional boost.  In fact, this experiment has made me wonder how much veggie goodness I can pack in - stay tuned to see what happens next time!

Chicken Piccata with Pasta and Arugula Salad

When I was trying to decide what to call this blog, the first thing that came to my mind was "The Lazy Chef."  This is because I am constantly looking for short cuts, taking the most simple recipes and making them even simpler.  Sometime I find easier ways of doing things that don't compromise the end result, and sometimes I decide a little compromising in the end result is worth the savings in time, money, or effort.  This meal is a combination of both!

The first part was inspired by my sister-in-law, who made a delicious chicken picatta meal for a large group a few weeks back.  Despite the fact that she was in the kitchen for ages, she promised me that making chicken picatta for a few people was actually really simple.  Only problem is that most picatta recipes have a good deal of butter in them, so I searched for a lighter recipe and found one at Recipezaar.  Here's where my laziness came in: I immediately decided that I didn't need to include the fresh parsley because I really don't love the taste and I hate buying a big bunch of fresh herbs only to throw out most of it.  Then, as I sat down to review the recipe before starting to cook, I realized that we didn't have any white wine on hand that's suitable for cooking, so chicken stock had to fill in!

The salad was inspired by our recent vacation to Turks & Caicos.  On the last night, we went to an Italian restaurant that served an arugula salad tossed with olive oil, garnished with some shaved parmesan and a lemon wedge.  It was so simple and so delicious!  Hubby hasn't stopped talking about it since our trip and I thought it would tie in perfectly with our lemony entree, so I added it to this menu.  Talk about lazy - this salad didn't even require cutting vegetables or mixing up a vinaigrette!

So did my compromises work out?  I would consider this a very successful weeknight meal.  The chicken was good - not as yummy as my sister-in-law's, but really tasty and, in my opinion, well worth fewer ingredients and less butter.  Wine probably would have added a nice complexity to the sauce, but the lemon and capers added good zing and it still reduced nicely.  And the salad was as delicious as the one we had on vacation - in this case I don't think the simplicity is a compromise at all, and I would happily serve this to company.

Chicken Piccata
adapted from Recipezaar

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
*2 teaspoons butter, divided
*1 1/2 cups chicken stock (or white wine)
*4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (approximately 1 lemon)
*2 tablespoons capers
Cooked pasta for serving (optional; I used whole wheat spaghetti)

Place chicken breasts, one at a time, in a zip-top bag or between two sheets of plastic wrap/parchment paper/wax paper.  Pound to 1/4-1/2 inch thickness using a meat mallet, rolling pin, heavy skillet, etc.  Remove from the bag and dredge with flour mixed with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 teaspoon each of oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Sautee chicken breasts for about 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and cooked through.  Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to do this in two batches.  If so, use half of the oil and butter for the first batch and add the rest for the second.  I also got the first piece sauteeing and pounded/dredged the second piece while the first was cooking to save time.  Once cooked, remove the chicken pieces to a plate.
Add the chicken stock, lemon juice, and capers to the pan, scraping up the brown bits.  Cook for about 5 minutes or until thickened.  Add all of the chicken back to the pan, turning to coat with the sauce, and simmer for an additional 2 minutes.  Remove the chicken to a plate and stir one teaspoon of butter into the sauce.  Pour sauce over chicken.  Serve chicken with pasta or any other side you prefer.
 
Serves up to 4
 
*There was just enough sauce for the chicken.  If you'd like enough to toss with pasta (or if you just like a lot of sauce), I'd recommend doubling or even tripling the sauce ingredients.



Arugula Salad
adapted from Bella Luna restaurant in Grace Bay, Turks & Caicos
 
Ok, this isn't really a recipe because I have no idea how much of each ingredient I used.  But here is the basic idea in case you'd like to try on your own!
 
Arugula
Olive oil
Salt
Lemon wedges
Chunk of romano or parmigiano-reggiano
 
Place enough arugula in a bowl for the number of people you are serving.  Season with salt and toss with just enough olive oil to lightly coat the leaves.  Serve with a lemon wedge and a few shavings or a thin slice of romano.

Salmon Cakes with Lemon Dill Sauce

I am always trying to eat more salmon, so when I saw canned wild Alaskan salmon at Trader Joe's, I bought a few cans to give it a try.  Problem was I wasn't quite sure what to do with it.  In the back of my mind, I thought I'd heard of salmon cakes, something I'd assumed would be similar to a crab cake.  But when I started searching for recipes, I wasn't having a lot of luck finding one that got good reviews, was simple to make, used canned salmon, and wasn't fried.  I thought those were reasonable criteria but I guess I was asking a lot!

I finally came across a recipe in Eating Well called Easy Salmon Cakes that got 3.7 stars out of 5.  Not quite the raving endorsement I'd hoped for, but they seemed to meet the other criteria.  Unfortunately, the comments muddied the waters quite a bit - it sounded like most of the people who rated them highly made some significant changes, so I wasn't going to be able to just follow the recipe.  Plus, these "easy" cakes were not so easy at all!  They called for sauteeing veggies, making breadcrumbs, and both sauteeing AND baking the salmon cakes.  So after reading the comments and trying to figure out what the general themes were, I made some adjustments to both the ingredients and the process and gave them a try.  Major changes were to cut down on the amount of breadcrumbs, add carrots for more moisture and flavor, keep the veggies raw, and just bake in the oven instead of sauteeing first.  Somehow I managed to get lucky on my first try and they came out great!

The website recommends serving them with Creamy Dill Sauce, which sounds good.  But I still had some Lemon Yogurt Sauce in my fridge from when I made Garbanzo Burgers, so I just added a spoonful of mayo and some chopped fresh dill and it worked great!  (Update: since this post, I have made a variation of the creamy dill sauce sauce a number of times, so I've added my version below!)

Salmon Cakes with Lemon Dill Sauce

adapted from Eating Well

1 small onion, cut into chunks

1 stalk celery, cut into chunks
1/2 cup carrots, cut into chunks
12 ounces (2 small cans) canned wild salmon (skinless and boneless), drained well
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 + 1/4 cups plain breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Pinch of salt

Lemon Dill Sauce
1/4 cup plain yogurt (I have had success with both whole and 1%)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon (or a good squeeze) of lemon
1 teaspoon dried dill (1 tablespoon fresh would also be great if you have some on hand)

Preheat the oven to 450.  Cover a baking sheet with foil and generously spray with oil.

Place veggies in a food processor and pulse until very finely chopped.  Pour into a mixing bowl and add salmon, egg, mustard, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, and ground pepper.  You may need to break up the salmon with a fork, and then mix until all ingredients are well combined.

Put 1/4 cup breadcrumbs in a small bowl and mix in a pinch of salt.  Use the side of your hand to score the salmon mixture into 8 equal portions (cakes will have about 1/4 cup of mixture each).  Form cakes by shaping with your hands, carefully coating with breadcrumbs, and placing on prepared baking sheet.  They will be a little prone to falling apart at this stage, so just gently place on the breadcrumbs and turn over, trying to keep them together as best as possible, and push them back together if a piece breaks off (I have actually found it's easier to make a ball from the mixture, roll it in the breadcrumbs, and then flatten into a patty on the baking sheet!).   

Generously spray the tops of the salmon cakes with oil.  Bake for 10-12 minutes (or until bottoms are golden brown), flip cakes, and bake for another 5 minutes to brown the other side.  While the salmon cakes are cooking, whisk together ingredients for dipping sauce.  Serve with a side salad or vegetable, or as a starter to a larger meal.

Do ahead: Prepare salmon mixture earlier in the day (while your kids nap, are in school, etc.!) and store covered in the fridge until you are ready to make your salmon cakes.
Serves 4

Beef Stew

Beef stew is one of my favorite winter meals.  Every year I make it once or twice when I'm in the mood for something really comforting, and so in preparation for this craving I ordered grass-fed stew beef the last time I was stocking up on meat from my CSA.  Last week, as I was looking through my freezer trying to figure out what I could make with what I had at home, I came across my stew meat and got excited - this is the perfect time of year!  I dug up the Irish Beef Stew recipe that I had adapted ages ago and got to work on Saturday night when hubby was home so that I could start dinner before the munchkin went to sleep.

I think this recipe is pretty classic - no fancy flavors, just wholesome ingredients that cook together for a long time and become really yummy.  In the years that I've been making it, I've probably never made it exactly the same way twice.  So while I can't promise you that I have ever actually made it exactly as the recipe states below, I can promise you that every single time I've made it the results have been delicious, so I've basically decided that you can't go wrong!  Feel free to be creative with the veggies, for example...I'd bet any root vegetable that can stand up to cooking for a long time would work.  I was thinking the next time I might throw in some sweet potato to mix things up - why not?

Apologies for the photo...turns out it's really hard to make stew look good! 

Beef Stew
adapted from Epicurious

2 tablespoons (approx) olive or vegetable oil
1/4 cup flour seasoned with black pepper
1 1/2 pounds stew beef, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 cup dark beer or red wine
3 cups chicken or beef stock (homemade or the best quality low sodium you can find)
1 small can tomato paste (use about 3/4 of the can)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves or 2 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter or oil
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (I do not peel my potatoes, but the skin does fall off the potato in the cooking process, so if you don't think you'll enjoy that feel free to peel!)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups carrots, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups celery, cut into 3/4 inch pieces

1 cups frozen peas (optional)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (for garnish, optional)

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil (or enough to thinly coat the bottom of the pot) in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Toss beef in flour seasoned with black pepper. Add beef to pan and sauté until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.  The beef really should be able to fit in one layer; otherwise it just steams and does not brown.  1 1/2 lbs just fit in my pot, so if you're increasing the amount at all you may need to do 2 batches or use 2 pans.

Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add beer or wine and scrape up the bits stuck to the bottom of the pan while it cooks for a few minutes. Add stock, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, then cover and simmer, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, melt butter or additional oil in another large pot over medium heat. Add potatoes, onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté vegetables until golden, about 20 minutes. Add vegetables to beef stew.* 

Simmer uncovered until vegetables and beef are very tender, about 1 hour from the time you added the liquid to the beef. Add more broth or keep covered if the stew is getting too thick.  Discard bay leaves. Tilt pan and spoon off fat (if necessary; my grass-fed beef is so lean that there was no fat to skim).

Can be prepared several hours and up to 2 days ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer and add peas just before serving. Garnish with parsley if desired and serve with crusty bread.

Serves 6

*Theoretically this is an important step because getting color on the veggies should add flavor to the stew. I'm not convinced. If you overcrowd the pan at this stage (which I have in the past) the veggies just get soft, not golden, so this time I did them in batches to get good color and my stew did not taste noticeably better. The next time I'm going to try just adding the veggies directly to the broth and letting them cook in there to see what happens!  If it still tastes good I'd be very happy to make this a one pot dish :)

Garbanzo Burgers

Here we go with another recipe from my Weelicious list!  While I often have a hard time eating whole beans because of the texture, once they are mashed up or pureed I am happy to indulge.  Which makes these Garbanzo Burgers a great way to add more legumes to my diet.  I first made this a few months back, pre-blog, but wanted to make it again so that I could get a photo for you all :).  The burgers are so flavorful that you really can't tell there are beans in there, they come together really easily, and they got rave reviews both times I made them (from hubby and me; the munchkin is still a bit skeptical).  Plus, they are packed with healthy ingredients.  In my home that make this recipe a winner, and I'm happy to have another vegetarian meal to add to the rotation.

I served them on a bun with avocado, tomato (a big tomato would have been better, but as you can see I only had grape tomatoes at home so those worked in a pinch!) and a lemon yogurt sauce.  But feel free to take liberties - I'm sure there are tons of way these can be enjoyed!

Garbanzo Burgers
adapted from Weelicious

1 15 Oz. Can Garbanzo Beans, drained and rinsed
1 Small Carrot, cut into chunks
1 Garlic Clove
1 Small Onion, cut into chunks
2 Eggs
1 Tsp Salt
1/3 Cup Bread Crumbs
2 Tsp Sesame Seeds
Oil (up to 1 tbsp)

Place the first 6 ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth.  Move mixture to a bowl and stir in bread crumbs and sesame seeds. 

Heat oil in a large saute pan (or spray a large skillet) over medium heat.  Place approximately 1/4 cup of the mixture in your hands (I used the 1/3 cup measure that was out for the bread crumbs and didn't quite fill it), and form into a patty.  Place on hot pan and repeat to make 8 patties.

Cook the patties for approximately 5 minutes on each side, reducing the heat when you flip them or if they are browning too quickly.

Makes 8 patties

Double Broccoli Quinoa

In the world of grains, quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a winner.  It is easy to cook (similar to rice but faster), has the nutritional benefits of being a whole grain, and is even a complete protein (most grains are missing a couple of the essential amino acids, which means that while they are good protein sources, you need to ensure you are eating foods with complementary amino acids to get everything you need.  For example, rice and beans are a perfect combination because the beans include amino acids that rice lacks).  Sadly, a few years back I tried making it a few times and just couldn't get excited about the taste - I found it to be boring and a little bitter.  Well, that was before I realized that you can toss it with pesto (in this case, broccoli almond)!  I just came across this recipe for Double Broccoli Quinoa on 101 Cookbooks, and it is delicious.  Remember I told you that hubby declared our recent Avocado Lentil Salad to be one of his favorites?  Well, this quinoa dish may have topped that. 

What's even more exciting than this recipe just being wholesome and delicious (as if that's not enough!) is that after years of thinking that no meal is complete without a piece of meat, I am finding that vegetarian meals can be totally satisfying.  We ate this topped with slivered almonds and feta cheese with some toasted bread on the side, and it was a great dinner.  The original recipe recommends avocado as another topping, and I think that would taste great, too!  Feel free to be creative with this one...you could probably even add some dried fruit if you want to make it more like a salad.  We enjoyed it warm for dinner, and I just had it cold for lunch, so it's also versatile from a temperature perspective.  Let me know if you come up with any other ideas that work well, as I'm sure I'll be making this again many times!

Double Broccoli Quinoa
adapted from 101 Cookbooks

1 cup dried quinoa
2 cups broth (or water)

5 cups raw broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets and stems

Pesto
2-3 medium garlic cloves
2/3 cup toasted almonds
1/3 cup grated romano cheese
2 big pinches of salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (approx. 1/2 large lemon)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup (or less) broth

Toppings (optional)
Feta or goat cheese, avocado, toasted slivered almonds, extra pesto

Cook the quinoa according to package directions, using broth or water.

Lightly steam the broccoli by bringing 3/4 cup water to a simmer in a medium pot and adding the broccoli, leaving it in there covered for 2-3 minutes.  I needed to stir a couple of times to get the raw edge off of the whole batch.  Transfer to a strainer and run under cold water to stop the cooking.

Make pesto by pureeing 2 cups of the cooked broccoli with garlic, almonds, romano, salt, and lemon juice in a food processor.  Drizzle in olive oil and then add additional broth until smooth.

Toss the quinoa and remaining broccoli with about half of the pesto*, adding more if necessary.  Top with any toppings you are using.

Makes about 4 servings.

* You could, of course, just make less pesto, but having some extra in my fridge to toss with pasta later this week is pretty exciting!