Tator Tot Casserole

This is an easy make-ahead meal to just pop in the oven to cook. It also freezes beautifully before and after cooking. I couldn't find the picture I took of it, so you'll just have to take my word for it that it was pretty.

1 lb ground beef, lean

1 onion, diced

2 16 oz frozen cut green beans (you can used canned if you prefer softer)

Package Frozen Tator Tots

32 oz beef broth

1/2 c butter

2/3 cup flour

2 tsp salt

1 T. pepper

2 tsp poultry seasoning

1 T. onion powder

1 T. garlic powder

2 T. dried parsley

1/2 tsp mustard powder

1 tsp oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Saute onion in oil until translucent. Add beef and cook till done. Drain the fat. Season beef and onion with all the seasonings. Set aside. In a medium pot on medium-low heat, melt butter. Add flour and whisk together. Cook for 2 minutes constantly stirring. Slowly whisk in beef stock until all added. Turn heat up to bring to a boil, constantly stirring. Once it starts to thicken, turn off heat. Add green beans and seasoned beef/onion mixture. Mix well. Pour into a 9x13 or bigger casserole dish. Top with tator tots in rows till covered completely. Bake in the oven uncovered for 30 minutes. 

Note: A sauce substitute can be cream of mushroom soup if you don't feel like making the sauce from scratch.

Cornish Pasties (meat pies)

Erika made this recipe for us while we were visiting her last fall. The Pirate Pie's are from that trip. I LOVE Pasties! My Grandma made them all the time while I was growing up. Here is the original from Sorted. It's worth watching. There is also a Cornish Pasty Company in Phoenix, AZ that I miss eating at. If you get the chance, GO! It's delicious. Having an easy recipe for traditional Cornish Pasties was an easy sell. I made them for Christmas and meant to freeze some. That didn't happen. I ate them for lunch for two weeks straight until they were gone. It was worth it! You can make your own dough or use store bought. Both work great!

1 lb stewing steak

1 small onion

1 small carrot

1 rutabaga

1 potato

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp mustard powder

3 oz water

1 egg, beaten

Enough dough for 4 pasties. (1 box store bought, one recipe of Best Pie Crust EVER.)

Preheat oven to 320 degrees. Peel and finely dice all of the vegetables. Try to make them as uniform as possible. Finely cube the beef as well, to match the vegetables. Mix veggies and beef together in a bowl. Add the seasonings and a splash of water. Mix well. You can cut the dough in circles to make half-moons, make mini-pies or make Pirate ships. Put about 1/4 of the mixture in the center of your dough shape. Use a bit of water along the edges of the dough to seal and crimp shut. Repeat till all mix and dough is used. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or non-stick foil. Brush the entire top of each pasty with the egg wash. Bake for 1 hour. Let cool for about 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

I went to a cooking demonstration at Sprouts (a grocery store in AZ, CA & TX) a few years ago, led by a woman named Dee McCaffrey, CDC.  She is an advocate for processed-free whole food eating.  This is one of my favorite recipes from her cookbook Plan-D.  The only part that I can't find at regular grocery stores yet is the unsweetened or naturally sweetened ketchup.  Polaner and St. Dalfour are the brands that are readily available at stores in AZ and TX.  The recipe is fast and easy.  It's great over white or brown rice and quinoa.  I've even made it in the crock pot on low for 7-8 hrs.  It's also good with ground chicken or beef.  Ground Turkey Breast is the leanest and lowest in calories. 

Mongolian Beef

1 lb flank steak, thinly sliced crosswise
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 tsp canola oil
1/2 tsp grated ginger (about 1/2 in piece)
1 Tbsp chopped garlic (about 2-3 large cloves)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3 large green onions, sliced crosswise into thirds

Prepare the meat:
First, make sure the steak slices are dry (pat them dry) and mix them with the cornstarch. Using your hands or a spoon, move them around to make sure all pieces are coated. (I shook meat and cornstarch in a gallon ziplock bag.) Place beef slices in a strainer and shake off excess corn starch.

Make the sauce:
Heat half of the oil in a large wok (I used a large non-stick skillet) at medium-high and add the garlic and ginger. Immediately add the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes. Cook the sauce for about 2 minutes and transfer to a bowl. Don't worry if the sauce doesn't look thick enough at this point. The cornstarch in the beef will thicken it up later.

Cook the meat and assemble the dish:
Turn the heat up and add the remaining oil to the wok. Add the beef and cook, stirring until it is all browned (this is a quick thing). Pour the sauce back into the wok and let it cook along with the meat. Now you can choose to cook it down and reduce the sauce or leave it thinner. Add the green onions on the last minute so the green parts will stay green and the white parts crunchy.

Serve it hot with rice.
2 servings

I refer you to http://www.pinkbites.com/2009/01/mongolian-beef.html for additional tips and a great picture.
*For gluten free, use GF soy sauce.

Basic Beef Marinade

Marinades are used to flavor meat, but also to make it more tender. This is a general all purpose beef marinade.

In a glass dish or Ziplock bag, combine:

1 cup oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbsp fresh ground pepper
1 sliced onion (optional)

Place meat in bag and seal shut, removing as much excess air as possible. Marinate in fridge 1 hour to overnight, turning occasionally. (1 hour for smaller kabob cuts or milder flavor, longer for larger whole steaks or stronger flavor) Discard marinade when steaks are removed.

Dad's Spanish Rice

This is a special "Dad" dish in the Porter household. I am estimating the quantities, since it is done more by memory. It can serve at least 6 to 8. It's a great one-dish wonder!

1 lb. ground beef
4 cups white Minute Rice, cooked
1 can tomato sauce
1 can hominy, drained
taco or enchilada seasoning
1 cup shredded cheese, divided
1 cashew or peanut

While your rice is cooking the microwave, brown the ground beef. Drain the fat off the meat. In the pan, combine meat and tomato sauce. Season liberally with taco or enchilada seasoning (when you add the rice it will tone it down some). Add hominy, rice and 1/2 cup cheese. Mix to combine. (You can simmer this a while if it's too runny.) Add cashew. Flatten in pan and sprinkle top with rest of shredded cheese. Cover with lid until cheese melts.

Serve with a wedge salad, glass of milk, and bread or tortillas. Whoever finds the cashew in their portion is the lucky winner! (It's usually Mom. ;D)
(Note: For the picture, I just made a half batch.)

Shepherd's Pie

Here's another entry in the Quick-and-Easy-Family-Dinners category. A family favorite that can be scaled to fit the size of the family.

1 lb ground beef
2 cans vegetable beef soup (or 1 family size can)
mashed potatoes

1. Brown beef. Drain grease.
2. Stir in condensed vegetable beef soup. Heat through.
3. Top with mashed potatoes. (If you're going to be fancy, or waiting for people to get home, place the skillet in the oven at 350' until the potatoes start to brown.

Serves: 6

Meat Loaf "Muffins"

These are based off a recipe from Cooking Light. I liked the recipe because it was easy to halve (so I only had two extra servings instead of leftovers for the whole week) and it was faster to cook than a full regular meat loaf.

Ingredients
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup ketchup, divided
1 1/2 pounds ground beef, extra lean (raw)
1 cup finely crushed fat-free saltine crackers (about 20)
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
Cooking spray

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, chopped carrot, dried oregano, and minced garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Cool.
Combine onion mixture, 1/2 cup ketchup, and the remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a large bowl.
Spoon the meat mixture into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Top each with 2 teaspoons ketchup. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Servings: 6 (2 "muffins" per serving)

Nutritional Information
Calories:276 (28% from fat)
Fat:8.6g (sat 3g,mono 4g,poly 0.8g)
Protein:28.7g
Carbohydrate:21.7g
Fiber:1.8g
Cholesterol:131mg
Iron:3.9mg
Sodium:759mg
Calcium:48mg
David Bonom, Cooking Light, MARCH 2006

Beef Satay & Peanut Dipping Sauce

BEEF SATAY

1 lb beef (something about 1" thick, like a flank steak), sliced cross-grain into 3/8" strips

For marinade, combine:
1/2 c. coconut milk
1/2 c. lime juice
2 fresh red chilis, diced (or red pepper flakes, or cayenne)
3 stalks lemongrass (1 Tbsp. lemon juice)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. ground corriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground cardamon
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. granulated sugar
lime zest

1. Mix the marinade in a gallon size Ziplock bag. Add sliced beef. Marinate for 2-24 hours.
2. Soak wooden skewers in water for at least 10 minutes. Turn on broiler.
3. Thread marinated meat onto soaked skewers. Brush with peanut oil, if desired. Broil till brown and tender (approximately 3 minutes per side). For easy cleanup, line the cookie sheet/broiler pan with tin foil.
Tastes great over Jasmine rice. Makes about 10 skewers.

PEANUT DIPPING SAUCE

Blend together to form a paste:
1/2 c. peanut butter
5 dried red chilis (or red pepper flakes)
8 small shallots (or one large onion, diced)
1 garlic clove, minced
8 almonds, ground
1 stalk lemongrass (1 tsp lemon juice)

Sautee sauce for 5 minutes.

Add:
1 c. coconut milk
2 tsp. lime juice
1 tsp. brown sugar
dash of salt.

Mix and serve with beef satay.

beef chip gravy

I had this at a diner in Pennsylvania and fell in love with it. It's good over toast, home fries, hash browns, baked potatoes, biscuits, and probably pasta.


1 pkg. dried chipped beef
4 T butter
4 T flour
2 1/2 c milk

In skillet, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Break up 1 package dried chipped beef into small pieces. Add beef to butter and stir until browned. Sprinkle flour over beef, mix well. Add 2 1/2 cups milk slowly. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly. Makes 6 servings.

It took me a while to find chipped beef. Not sure where it will be in your grocery store. Might be in the canned meat section or like DE, in the meat section of the store - comes in either a jar or a sealed package.


p.s. No need to add salt - the beef is plenty salty.

Ranch Steak Bruschetta Salad

a.k.a. My favorite steak salad that is super easy, yet impressive.



This recipe is modified from one that won the Cooking Light Ultimate Reader Recipe Contest 2008. The original recipe is on their website should you want it. I'm giving their nutritional values as a reference point. I leave some stuff out when I make it.

Ranch Steak Bruschetta Salad

Steaks:
1 T freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 t ground cumin
1 t ancho chile powder
4 (4-oz) beef tenderloin steaks, 1 inch thick
[tenderloin steaks can be pricy (but oh, so good) so I've also used a cheaper flank steak]
cooking spray

Ranch dressing
1/4 c chopped shallots/green onions
1/4 c chopped fresh basil
1 T lemon juice
12 cherry tomatoes, halved (or 2 tomatoes, chopped)
6 c salad greens
12 (1-oz) slices French bread, toasted (or Gina's homemade croutons work great! see 4/16/10 post)

1. To prepare steaks, combine pepper, cumin and chile powder. Rub both sides of the steaks with the pepper mixture, and let stand 10 minutes. (I rub in just a light sprinkling because I don't want my steak as strong, and wind up with seasoning left over.)

2. Heat a nonstick grill pan over medium heat. Coat steaks with cooking spray. Add steaks to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove steaks from pan; let stand 7 minutes. (4 minutes each side with a 1" steak gives me medium rare, when I do it. I've also cooked the steak by broiling and grilling 'george forman' style. Same time frame.)

3. Combine green onions, basil, juice and tomatoes in a small bowl; toss well.

4. Arrange 1 c salad mix on each of 6 serving plates, and top each serving with 2 toast slices. Cut each steak diagonally across grain into thin slices. Divide steak slices evenly among the toast slices; top each serving with about 2 T tomato mixture. Drizzle each serving with about 1 T salad dressing. Serve immediately.
Yield: 6 serving

Calories 384; Fat 13.2g; Protein 25.3g; Carb 41.4g; Fiber 3.4g; Chol 55mg; Iron 4.2mg; Sodium 565mg; Calc 88mg

Notes: If you're not a Ranch dressing fan (*gasp*), just add a little olive oil into your tomato mixture and use that as your dressing.
The Ranch and bread evens out the pepper of the steak.
The recipe is easily halved and works just as well for those with small households.
If you're using flank steak, it is typically thinner so 4 min per side gives more of a 'medium' to 'medium well.'

Unique Taco Salad

1 lb. ground turkey/beef/whatever
2-3 c. grated cheddar cheese
2 lg. tomatoes
Lettuce (usually 3/4 of a head)
Black olives (which I leave out)
1 bag of Doritos - Original flavor
1 can kidney beans (I also leave this out)
1000 Island dressing
1 packet taco seasoning

Add the taco seasoning to the meat as you brown it. Turn heat to low and add 3 cups of cheese. Stir until melted. Remove from heat and add to large bowl. Add the tomatoes, lettuce and 1000 Island dressing. When ready to serve, crush up chips into large pieces and add to (I prefer to sprinkle on top of) the mixture. Serve warm - although refrigerated leftovers are pretty good, too (as long as you keep the chips separate).