Pakistani Kima - beef curry

The husband and I love ethnic foods.  Especially Indian.  I've never cooked Pakistani food before, so this was a first for me.  Boy was it delicious!  Full of flavor and very hearty for a cold evening, like we had here last week.  The only change I'd make is to double the curry powder.  But our curry is a bit old, so maybe it's lost flavor over the months?  Otherwise, I wouldn't change a thing!


Ingredients

• 2 – 3 Tbsp oil
• 1 cup chopped onion 
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 lb ground beef 
• 1 1/2 Tbsp curry powder 
• 2 1/4 tsp salt 
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ginger
• 1/8 tsp turmeric
• 2 1/2 – 3 cups tomatoes (about 1 1/2 14 oz cans)
• 3 potatoes
• 2 1/2 – 3 cups peas

Directions

1.  Melt oil or butter in a large pan.

2.  Add onion and garlic.

3.  Cook until onion softens and garlic begins to brown (watch it carefully – garlic burns easily!)

4.  Add meat and cook thoroughly.

5.  Add curry, salt and spices.  Stir well.

6.  Dice potatoes into 1/2 inch chunks.

7.  Add potatoes, tomatoes and peas to the pan.

8.  Bring to a simmering boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes, or until potatoes are done.

original recipe found here

Chinese Beef with Broccoli

This is better than takeout!  It's SO easy and tastes better than our local Chinese restaurant.  I used skirt steak instead of flank, because our store was out of flank steak.  It took about 30min to prepare and was plenty to feed 2 people with leftovers for lunch.  The original recipe is from FoodNetworkMagazine and I only made some slight changes - omitted the red peppers, used skirt steak instead of flank, and added a dash of cayenne at the end for some kick.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 5 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1 pound flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 thin slices peeled ginger
• 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 large onion, halved and sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 3 plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Cooked white rice, for serving (optional)

Directions

1. Whisk 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 tablespoon peanut oil in a large bowl. Add the steak and toss to coat; refrigerate until ready to cook.
2. Whisk the remaining 1 tablespoon each cornstarch and soy sauce, the oyster sauce and chicken broth in a small bowl; set aside.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the ginger, broccoli and the remaining 1 teaspoon sugar and stir-fry 3 to 4 minutes; transfer to a plate. Heat 1 more tablespoon peanut oil in the skillet, add the onion and stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, turning gently, 2 minutes. Transfer the onion and tomatoes to the plate with the broccoli.
4. Reduce the heat to medium high; add the remaining 2 tablespoons peanut oil to the skillet. Add the garlic and steak and stir-fry 1 minute. Whisk the sauce mixture, then add to the skillet and simmer 1 minute. Return the vegetables to the skillet; cook until the meat is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve with rice, if desired.

Definitely not the best picture, but I forgot to snap one before putting the leftovers in a container!  Oh well.

Chili

It's a cold and snowy night, which means it's perfect for chili and cornbread! It seems like every time I make chili, I use a new recipe. Some are good, some are great, and some are pretty damn worthless. But this one, is delicious! It's easy, quick, very chunky, spicy and pretty much perfect.

I did make a few changes, as per the suggestions of fellow readers on Allrecipes, and added 2 links of pepper/onion pork sausage. My changes are noted below. The chili starts off pretty thick, so it's great for a weeknight when you only have a few hours, vs. an entire day to let the chili thicken up. We served it with a side of cornbread, of course! And that recipe is also below.

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef (I used 1 lb ground beef, and 1/2 lb pepper/onion sausage)
  
• 1 (23 fluid ounce) can tomato juice (I used 23oz tomato sauce)
  
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce (I used a 15oz can of diced tomatoes, drained)
  
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
  
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
  
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
  
• 1/4 cup chili powder
  
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  
• 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
  
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  
• 2 cups canned red beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  

Directions

1. Place ground beef & sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and put back in pan.
2. Add all ingredients to a large kettle. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Meatloaf

It's always so difficult to find the perfect meatloaf recipe. One that's not too dry, not too wet, not too chunky, but just chunky enough, not too sweet, but not too spicy. This time, I think I've found the winning recipe! It's from Allrecipes, of course. The original recipe calls for buffalo meat, but I used a meatloaf mix (pork, veal and beef) instead. It was delicious! Full of flavor, and chunky with veggies, not too sweet, and just a little spicy. I served it with some Texas Toast and steamed veggies.

Ingredients

• 1 slice multigrain bread
  
• 1 pound ground buffalo meat (I substituted meatloaf mix and it was perfect!)
  
• 1 onion, diced
  
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
  
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
  
• 3/4 cup canned diced tomatoes, drained
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 dash ground black pepper
  
• 1/3 cup ketchup

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Crumble the bread slice into crumbs and set aside. Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish.
2. Thoroughly mix ground buffalo meat, onion, egg, ground mustard, tomatoes, salt, pepper, and bread crumbs in a large bowl.
3. Form the meat mixture into a loaf shape about 8x4 inches and place into the middle of the baking dish. Apply ketchup to the top and sides of the meatloaf.
4. Bake in preheated oven until meat is no longer pink and ketchup forms a glaze over the meatloaf, 1 1/2 hours. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Operation Lasagna

Lasagna is one of those meals that must be planned. Shopped for. Prepped in advance. Spur of the moment dish, it is not. I've been craving some Lorna's Lasagna from San Diego for quite a while now, but who knows the next time I'll get out West to actually get some. So I decided to suck it up and make one myself. It's an easy dish to prepare, just time consuming. But the end result was gooey and cheesy and about the most perfect meal for 2 lactose intolerant people!

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 20 oz can whole tomatoes, drained
• 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• crushed red pepper/cayenne to taste
• 1/2 lb lasagna noodles
• 1 lb ricotta
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 1/2 lb sliced mozzarella (I doubled this!)

Directions

1. Brown the beef and garlic in a saute pan until cooked. Add whole tomatoes, tomato sauce and spices to beef; simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions.
3. In a 9x13 baking dish, spread 1 cup beef mixture along the bottom. Top with noodles, 1/2 the ricotta, 1/2 the parm, and 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat layers again. Top with remaining beef and mozzarella.
   
4. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes and let sit 15 minutes before serving.

Unlayered Lasagna

Sunday evening. Fridge is full of random foodstuffs, and I notice a few things that need to get used up. 1/2 a bunch of fresh spinach. 1/2 a container of Ricotta. 1 pound ground beef.

So of course, I decided a spinach lasagna would be quite tasty on this rainy night, but we didn't have lasagna noodles. So I sort of improvised and made a non-layered lasagna with Rigatoni, tomatoes, garlic, onion, spinach, ricotta and mozzarella. The end result was awesome! Very cheesy, gooey, and warming on a cold rainy night.

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 bunch fresh spinach, roughly chopped
  
• 1 14.5oz can chopped tomatoes, drained
  
• 1 6oz can tomato paste
• salt, pepper and crushed red pepper to taste
• 1/2 pound Rigatoni, or any pasta shapes really
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1.5 cups shredded fresh mozzarella (buy a big hunk of mozzarella and shred it, instead of the pre-shredded mozzarella. It'll taste much better!)
• 1/2 cup Ricotta

Directions

1. Heat saute pan over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook 3 minutes. Add onion and garlic, and cook additional 2 minutes. Add spinach in two batches, waiting until the first batch is mostly wilted before adding the remaining spinach. Continue cooking until beef is thoroughly cooked.
2. Stir in chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Reduce heat to low, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, cook Rigatoni 10 minutes, or until desired doneness.
4. Drain pasta. Add beef/tomato mixture and stir. Add Ricotta cheese, stir. Add parmesan and 1/2 of the mozzarella. Stir until evenly mixed. Pour into baking dish, and top with remaining mozzarella.
   
5. Cover with foil and bake on 375 for 30 minutes, until cheese is bubbly.

Tenderloin Steaks with Red Onion Marmalade

We still have a few steaks leftover from the fabulous Omaha Steak package Justin got for Hanukkah. We vowed to try a new recipe with each cut of beef, hoping to add some "favorites" to our on-going collection of recipes. I paired this with garlic mashed potatoes and some steamed spinach. The onions have a nice sweet, slightly acidic flavor to them, which really went well with the meat. And the potatoes. Well, who doesn't love some roasted garlic?! And a whole head of garlic in these? Yum!! They were uber-delicious. Both recipes are, of course, from Cooking Light.

Tenderloin Steaks & Marmalade
Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 1 large red onion, sliced and separated into rings (about 2 cups)
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 (4-ounce) beef tenderloin steaks, trimmed (1 inch thick)

Directions

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan. Cover and cook 3 minutes. Add vinegar, honey, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to pan. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 8 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally.

3. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, thyme, and pepper evenly over beef. Place beef on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Serve with onion mixture.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients

• 1 whole garlic head
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound peeled Yukon Gold or red potatoes, quartered
  
• 3 cups water
  
• 1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
   
2. Remove white papery skin from garlic head (do not peel or separate cloves). Rub oil over garlic head; wrap in foil. Bake at 375° for 1 hour; cool 10 minutes. Separate cloves; squeeze to extract garlic pulp. Set aside. Discard skins.
   
3. Place potatoes in a saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil; cook 15 minutes or until very tender. Drain. Heat milk in pan over medium heat until hot (do not boil). Add potatoes, salt, and pepper, and beat at medium speed of a mixer until potato mixture is smooth (I just used a handheld potato masher, since I'm not a fan of using a hand mixer for mashed potatoes). Add garlic pulp, and stir well.

Guinness & Onion burgers

This recipe came from The Little Black Book of BBQ. Simple and delicious. We used Guinness, though I think any dark beer would work well. Served on a fresh ciabatta roll topped with onions and mustard, a side of sliced sweet potatoes that we grilled with some olive oil and salt, and some kettle chips, made for a perfect Sunday dinner.

Ingredients

• 2 beef burgers
• 3 ounces Guinness (or any dark beer)
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1 tsp olive oil
• dash of salt
  

Directions

1. Dice red onion and place in food processor with Guinness, olive oil and salt. Puree until smooth and liquidy.
   
2. Liberally baste burgers on one side with marinade. I use a fork to poke holes in the burger so the beer mixture seeps in a bit more.
3. Place burgers on grill, marinade side up. Grill 2-3 minutes, flip, and brush other side liberally with remaining marinade. Discard any leftover marinade. Continue cooking until burgers are done to your liking.

Grilled Pepper Steak and Herb-Roasted Onions

Tonight's dinner was superb. Really, fantastic. We grilled top sirloin steaks, which were so darn simple. Just drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and coat with cracked pepper. Then grill to perfection (135 degrees for me)! Yum.

And Ina Garten's Herb-Roasted Onions were such an easy compliment to the dinner. I'd definitely recommend the recipe, especially the vinaigrette. It's pretty versatile and would taste good on just about any vegetable, or even used as a salad dressing.

The original recipe is here, but I'll repost for convenience sake too.

Ingredients

• 2 red onions
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves (I used oregano instead, personal preference)
  
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Remove the stem end of each onion and carefully slice off the brown part of the root end, leaving the root intact. Peel the onion. Stand each onion root end up on a cutting board and cut the onion in wedges through the root. Place the wedges in a bowl.

3. For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, mustard, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Pour the dressing over the onions and toss well.

4. With a slotted spoon, transfer the onions to a sheet pan, reserving the vinaigrette that remains in the bowl. Bake the onions for 30 to 45 minutes, until tender and browned. Toss the onions once during cooking. Remove from the oven, and drizzle with the reserved dressing. Sprinkle with parsley, season to taste and serve warm or at room temperature.

Peanut Ginger Beef & Veggies

This is a Weight Watchers recipe from, "Cook it Quick!" The beef definitely takes on a Thai-inspired taste, but next time I'd double the peanut butter. It was good, but I was hoping for more peanut flavor. Be sure not to overcook the beef either -- the strips cook really fast, so I had to keep a close eye on them to make sure they didn't get too tough. We served this over white rice and it was a nice change from our typical stir-fry meal.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 3 tsp oil
• 3/4 pound top round steak, cut into strips
• 2 T grated fresh gingerroot or 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 cups baby carrots, halved lentghwise, or precut carrot sticks (I used bell pepper instead)
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1/4 onion, sliced thick
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
• 2 green onions, sliced
  

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, peanut butter, pepper flakes and 1/4 cup water; set aside.

2. Place a very large nonstick skillet or work with a lid over high heat until a drop of water skitters. Heat 2 tsp of the oil until it shimmers. Stir-fry the steak until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add gingerroot and cook, stirring, 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a bowl and keep warm.

3. In the skillet, heat the remaining tsp of oil. Stir-fry the carrots 1 minute; add broccoli and garlic; stir-fry 1 minute longer. Add 1-2 tbsp water; simmer, covered, until the vegetables are tender-crisp, about 1 minute. Return the steak and gingerroot to the skillet; add the peanut butter mixture and stir-fry until heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat; stir in cilantro and green onions, and serve over rice.

Baked Orzo with Beef

This is another WW friendly dish, from WW, "Take-Out Tonight." The original recipe uses ground lamb, but it wasn't in the budget for this week so I used ground beef instead. It came out really well. Lots of flavor from the fennel and onion, and sort of like a Greek lasagna, I guess. The prep time is about 40 minutes though, then it bakes for 25, so it's not a quick and easy dish. Just an easy dish. Well worth it though, and the leftovers are even better!

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound orzo
• 6 ounces lean ground lamb (or beef)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fennel bulb (save the leafy top part for garnish!)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried mint
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 ounces reduced-fat feta cheese, crumbled
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8-inch baking dish with nonstick spray; set aside.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook about 6-8 minutes until tender (do not overcook). Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook until browned, 3-4 minutes. Remove from skillet with a slotted spoon and transfer to bowl with orzo.

4. Add onion, fennel, garlic, mint and oregano to the same skillet. Cook, stirring, until the onion begins to soften, 3-4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and cinnamon; cook until mixture thickens, 6-8 minutes.

5. Combine the tomato mixture with the orzo and lamb. Stir in the feta and mix well. Pour mixture into the baking pan. Sprinkle top with Parmesan. Bake until hot, 25 minutes.

Beef and Broccoli with Oyster Sauce

I'd made a WW Beef & Broccoli dish in the past, which was close to the "real deal" but seemed like it was missing something. This recipe comes from Cooking Light's "Low-Fat Ways to Stir-Fry" and it's a dead ringer for our favorite takeout restaurant's version of the same dish.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dry sherry (I omitted this, and didn't replace it with anything)
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoons sugar (I omitted the sugar entirely)
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 pound lean flank steak (I used top round)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar (again, I omitted this)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup diagonally sliced green onions
  
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 6 cups fresh broccoli flowerets (about 1 pound)
• 1/4 cup water
• 6 cups cooked rice

Directions

1. Combine first 6 ingredients, stirring well; set oyster sauce mixture aside.

2. Trim fat from steak. Slice steak diagonally across grain into thin slices. Combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons sugar in a medium bowl, stirring well; add steak, stirring to coat. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 15 minutes.

3. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a wok until hot. Add steak mixture; stir-fry 2 minutes. Remove steak from work; set aside. Reduce heat to medium-high. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil, green onions and gingerroot to wok; stir-fry 30 seconds. Stir in broccoli and 1/4 cup water, cover and cook 3 minutes.

4. Return steak to wok, and stir in oyster sauce mixture; stir-fry 2 minutes or until thickened. For each serving, spoon 1 cup beef mixture over 1 cup rice. Makes 6 servings.

Beef & Veggie Stir-Fry

This is sort of Thai inspired, though definitely not authentic. I was just in the mood for something vegetabley and light, so this is what we made.

Ingredients

• oil
• 2/3 pound top round, cut into thin strips
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon hot chili paste
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1 cup fresh peas, trimmed
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 carrot, cut into thin strips
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl in oil, then add beef. Cook until lightly browned. Add garlic and chili paste, stirring to evenly coat beef. Cook 1-2 minutes. Add coconut milk, brown sugar and fish sauce; cook about 1 minute until sugar dissolves.

2. Add vegetables; cook until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in fresh cilantro and serve over white rice or rice-stick noodles.

Fiery Beef Salad

On New Years, I had planned a nice prime rib dinner with mashed potatoes, a salad, the works. Since Justin was sick, I decided to take some leftover top round and make a steak salad for myself, while he dined on a not so luxurious bowl of chicken noodle soup. The beef in this salad dish is quite spicy but really good. It would also work well as skewers or on the BBQ with a whole steak.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 1 teaspoon ginger powder
• 1 teaspoon chopped dried lemongrass
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 T soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 4-5 drops hot pepper sauce
• 1 pound flank steak or top round
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions
• 3 cups chopped lettuce
  

Directions

1. To make the marinade, combine the honey, onion, ginger, lemongrass, garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil and hot sauce in bowl. Pour over steak and let marinade about 1 hour (I only marinated it for 15 min and it was just fine). Leave about 2 T marinade in bowl, uncontaminated by the raw beef.

2. Line broiler pan with foil, and heat oven to broil.

3. Broil steak 5 inches from the heat for about 4 min per side, or until it's cooked to your liking. Let rest about 5 minutes, then slice thinly. Arrange steak slices over lettuce and top with scallions. Drizzle remaining marinade over salad and enjoy!

Chinese Beef with Broccoli

This is one of my FAVORITE take out dishes from the local Chinese hole-in-the-wall down the street. I've tried on several occasions to recreate the sauce, so I was super excited to try the recipe in the WW Take-Out Tonight cookbook. So delicious. Sweet, saucy, and totally yummy. I served this over white rice and it tasted just like the real deal.
4 WW points without the rice

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound beef top round, cut into thin strips
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
• 2 Tablespoons oyster sauce
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon dry sherry (I didn't have any, so I omitted this)
• 1 pound broccoli crowns, cut into florets
• 2 tsp oil
• 1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger, or 1.5 teaspoons ginger powder
• 3 garlic cloves, minced

Directions

1. Combine the beef with 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch; toss well to coat and set aside. Combine the remaining 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, broth, oyster sauce, honey, soy sauce and sherry in a small bown; set aside.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add the broccoli and cook until crisp-tender, 3-4 minutes; drain.

3. Heat a nonstick wok or a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles. Swirl in the oil, then add the beef. Stir-fry until just cooked through, 3-4 minutes; transfer to a plate.

4. Add the ginger and garlic to the wok and stir-fry until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add the broth mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens, about 1 minute. Add the beef and broccoli and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.

BBQ Beef Bowl

This came from the free Kraft magazine I get, which usually has great recipes. This was a good one, though not GREAT. It needs some jazzing up, so next time I'll probably experiment with some more veggies and seasonings. I can't find the recipe right now, so this is what I remember. I reheated the leftovers with some Frank's Red Hot sauce and it was much tastier, so I would probably add some to the beef while it's simmering next time.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 white or yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 1/2 cup sliced green onion
• 1/2 cup bbq sauce
• cooked white rice

Directions

1. Brown beef and yellow onion in skillet over medium high heat. Drain excess fat from pan and place back on heat.

2. Add corn, tomatoes and bbq sauce, mixing thoroughly. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer 15 minutes until thick.

3. Serve beef over white rice and top with green onions.

Saucy Tomato and Pepper Steak Fajitas

This is a Kraft recipe for the steak, and we just served it in fajita wraps instead of on a plate. If you aren't doing fajitas, don't slice the beef. Just top beef medallions with the vegetable mixture.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp each chili powder and ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1.5 lb sirloin stead
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1/2 each red and green pepper, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese (we omitted the cheese)

Directions

1. Preheat broiler. Mix chili powder, cumin and cayenne; rub over both sides of steak. Place on rack of broiler pan.

2. Broil 4-5 inches from heat for 8 to 10 minutes on each side, or to medium doneness (150 degrees). Meanwhile, heat dressing in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add onions; cook and stir 3 min. Add peppers and garlic; cook 5 min or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add tomatoes; stir. Cook 2-3 minutes or until heated through.

3. Cut steak across grain into slices. Place in center of fajita shell and top with vegetables and cheese.

Dad's Famous Flank Steak

This is definitely a family favorite. So much so, that even now, when we go back to Maryland, the first meal we request is Dad's famous flank steak. You really need a non-non-stick pan to make this work, as a non-stick pan won't sear the meat nearly as well.

Ingredients

• 1 flank steak, pounded thin
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• Soy sauce
• Lawry salt
• Garlic powder
• Paprika
• 2 T butter
  

Directions

1. Pound flank steak so it's an even thickness all around. Pour about 1 T soy sauce on the flank steak and massage it in with your fingertips. Sprinkle liberally with Lawry salt, garlic powder and paprika. Flip over and repeat same seasonings on other side. Refrigerate overnight or for several hours.

2. In large skillet over medium high heat, melt 1 T butter. Add onions and fry until almost done, but not quite. Remove onions from skillet.

3. Return pan to medium-high heat and melt another 1 T butter. Add flank steak and sear (without moving the meat) for 2-3 minutes. Flip and sear other side for 2 minutes. Add onions back into pan, turn heat to medium low and simmer about 2 minutes per side until desired doneness.

Serve with mom's famous bashed (these are baked AND mashed) potatoes. I didn't have the right dish to make these, so I made steamed broccoli instead.

Taco Stuffed Bell Peppers

Recently we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant in Old Town, San Diego, when I tried Chiles Poblano for the first time. I was looking for a stuffed recipe that would be similar in taste, simple to make, and completely different from the stuffed peppers Justin is used to. These were VERY tastey. Spicy, but not overly so, and full of flavor from the salsa and beans.

Ingredients

• 2 large green peppers (We used red)
  
• 1/2 jar of salsa (We used fresh salsa -- tastes much better than jarred)
  
• 1/2 pack of taco seasoning (We used Cajun seasoning, as that's all I had)
  
• 1 8oz can of kidney beans, drained
• shredded Mexican blend, or Taco blend, cheese
• 3/4 pound of ground beef
• 1/4 onion, finely chopped
  

Directions

1. Cut peppers in half horizontally, removing stem and seeds.

2. Brown hamburger, drain fat. Add beans, salsa and taco seasoning and bring to a boil.

3. Stuff peppers with mixture and place in Pyrex dish. Cook at 350 for 20 minutes, until heated through. Top with cheese and place back in oven for 4-5 minutes.

We served this with a side of Rice-a-Roni's Mexican rice.



I stole this recipe from someone on The Nest, but don't know who. If this is yours, please let me know!

Meatball Kebabs

This comes from my college best friend, Peggy. She's also a newlywed, and enjoys cooking easy and relatively healthy meals. Apparently it's a WW recipe, though I'm not sure of the source. I got 15 meatballs out of this recipe, which was enough for 2 dinners and Justin's leftover lunch. They're super easy and fast to make -- we were seeing Jim Gaffigan tonight and had to eat quickly, so this was a nice alternative to stopping for fast food before the show.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup low-fat milk
• 1 pound raw lean ground beef
• 3/4 ounce romano cheese, grated (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 large egg white
• 1 medium garlic clove, coarsely chopped
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 medium red pepper (or whatever color you'd like) cut into 16 chunks
• 1 medium onion cut into 16 1-inch pieces

Directions

1. Soak eight 10-inch skewers in water to prevent them from burning on grill (or use metal ones like I did!).

2. In small bowl, mix bread crumbs and milk; set aside 5 minutes. Heat grill. (I broiled them as I don't have access to a grill.)

3. In food processor, combine beef, cheese, egg white, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper. Strain bread crumbs and squeeze lightly to extract excess milk. Add to beef mixture and process just until blended.

4. With moistened hands, shape mixture into 16 meatballs, about 2 inches in diameter. (I used a cookie scoop for this part -- they were all perfectly uniform.) Alternately thread 4 chunks of red pepper, 4 chunks of onion and 4 meatballs onto skewers, beginning with pepper.

5. On lightly oiled grill (or broiling rack covered in foil), cook kebabs for 8 - 10 minutes, rotating about every 2 minutes to cook evenly. Meatballs should be just cooked through, be careful not to overcook.

We served these yummy kebabs with a side of blanched broccoli, drizled with a butter/old bay/garlic powder mixture. They worked well in the oven on broil, but I think I made my meatballs too big because they were really hard to turn. Still tasted damn good though!