Italian Beef Stew

On Presidents’ Day I found myself with a lot of time to spend in the kitchen thanks to a much needed day off from school.  The weather was cool and comfort food seemed perfect.  I had wanted to try Cooking Light’s Italian Beef Stew after I saw the recipe reviewed on their website.  People were singing its praises and it seemed like a nice variation on the traditional slow-cooker beef stew.  I had the time to spend on its semi-lengthy preparation process so I gave it a try.  I replaced the fresh herbs with dried except for the parsley because that is what I had on hand.  The recipe calls for fresh tomatoes, which I used, but I may try canned tomatoes in the future for convenience.  Several members of Cooking Light’s Bulletin Board mentioned that they used canned tomatoes and enjoyed the finished product.  Garlic mashed potatoes were served on the side of this thick stew; I may try egg noodles next time.  The results of this Italian Beef Stew were outstanding.  The meat was tender and the tomatoes created a sweetness that was really quite different from the typical beef stew flavor.  I enjoyed this the following day for lunch and found it to be just as delicious, if not better.

-Heather

Italian Beef Stew

Other Time: 2 hours, 40 minutes minutes
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients
7 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 pounds boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into cubes
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup dry red wine
3 3/4 cups chopped seeded peeled plum tomato (about 2 pounds)
1 1/2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium beef broth
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 (8-ounce) package cremini mushrooms, quartered
3/4 cup (1/4-inch-thick) slices carrot
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Directions
1. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil to pan. Add onion and chopped carrot; sauté 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; sauté for 45 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from pan.

2. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan. Place 1/4 cup flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle beef with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper; dredge in flour. Add half of beef to pan; sauté 6 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan. Repeat procedure.

3. Add wine to pan, and bring to a boil, scraping pan. Cook until reduced to 1/3 cup (about 5 minutes). Return meat and the onion mixture to pan. Add tomato and next 6 ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover, and stir in sliced carrot. Simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour or until meat is very tender, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaf. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, basil, and parsley.

CALORIES 334 ; FAT 13g (sat 3.9g,mono 0.8g,poly 6.6g); CHOLESTEROL 86mg; CALCIUM 51mg; CARBOHYDRATE 12.2g; SODIUM 387mg; PROTEIN 40.6g; FIBER 2.4g; IRON 4.1mg

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil to pan. Add onion and chopped carrot; sauté 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add garlic; sauté for 45 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from pan.

Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan. Place 1/4 cup flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle beef with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper; dredge in flour.

Add half of beef to pan; sauté 6 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan. Repeat procedure.

Add wine to pan, and bring to a boil, scraping pan. Cook until reduced to 1/3 cup (about 5 minutes).

Return meat and the onion mixture to pan.

Add tomato and next 6 ingredients.



Bring to a boil.

Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Uncover, and stir in sliced carrot.

Simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour or until meat is very tender, stirring occasionally.

Discard bay leaf. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, basil, and parsley.

Taco Pizza

A fond memory that I have from high school is stopping at Taco Bell with my friends Marie and Mike and eating Mexican Pizzas.  We laughed and came up with some of our most hilarious inside jokes in that little fast food restaurant.  Obviously this was not the picture of healthy eating, but back in those days I could eat anything I wanted and get away with it.  Being much more health conscious now, but still enjoying fast food-style treats, I toyed with a Taco Pizza recipe from Pampered Chef and really enjoy the results.  My recipe makes three pizzas at a time. I always make double the amount of food that we need so we have leftovers for lunch.  Terry eats an entire Taco Pizza at each sitting and I eat half of one.  We served sour cream, bottled salsa and Terry’s guacamole on the side.  I used fat free flour tortillas from Sprouts and  ground turkey can easily be substituted for the ground beef.  This recipe has been repeated often and really hits the spot when you are in the mood for something a little bit bad and don’t want to have to work it off at the gym.

-Heather

Taco Pizza

(Adapted from Pampered Chef’s Kitchen is the Heart of the Home)

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef or ground turkey cooked and seasoned with1 batch All Recipe’s Taco Seasoning or 1 envelope taco seasoning mix

6 (10-inch) flour tortillas

1 14 oz can fat free refried beans

1 cup diced tomato

1 bunch green onions sliced

1 cup sliced pitted ripe olives

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Cooking spray

Bottled or fresh salsa (optional)

Sour Cream (optional)

Guacamole (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cover two large baking pans with tin foil and lightly coat with cooking spray. Layer two tortillas on one pan and one tortilla on the other pan. Divide the refried beans into thirds and smear onto each tortilla. Divide the cooked beef or turkey into thirds and sprinkle onto each tortilla.

2. Divide a half cup of the cheese into thirds and sprinkle on top of the beef, then top with the remaining three tortillas. Divide the remaining cup of cheese into thirds and top each tortilla. Divide the tomatoes, green onions and olives into thirds and sprinkle on top of the cheese. Bake for 10 to15 minutes, until the edges of the tortillas begin to lightly brown. Top with salsa, sour cream and guacamole if desired. 

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cover two large baking pans with tin foil and lightly coat with cooking spray. Layer two tortillas on one pan and one tortilla on the other pan. Divide the refried beans into thirds and smear onto each tortilla.



Divide the cooked beef or turkey into thirds and sprinkle onto each tortilla.



Divide a half cup of the cheese into thirds and sprinkle on top of the beef, then top with the remaining three tortillas. Divide the remaining cup of cheese into thirds and top each tortilla. Divide the tomatoes, green onions and olives into thirds and sprinkle on top of the cheese.



Bake for 10 to15 minutes, until the edges of the tortillas begin to lightly brown.  Top with salsa, sour cream and guacamole if desired. 

Steak Tips with Peppered Mushroom Gravy

It is an extremely rare event when Terry and I deicde to stay in on a Friday night.  Last Friday we chose to take it easy and go to bed early so we would be ready to help our friend Stephen celebrate his 30th birthday the following evening. Since we were doing things we normally wouldn't do to start with, I continued the theme when I picked out a recipe with steak in it.  We very rarely eat red meat and besides ground beef, I am a little intimidated by working with this versatile protein.  The recipe for Cooking Light’s Steak Tips with Peppered Mushroom Gravy has been lingering around the CLBB as of late.  Top sirloin steak was on sale at Von's so the stars seemed to be aligned, it was time to give this one a go. 

Steak Tips with Peppered Mushroom Gravy
Adapted from Cooking Light, JANUARY 2010


2 cups uncooked egg noodles (I made brown rice instead)
Cooking spray
1 pound top sirloin steak, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
1 (8-ounce) package presliced baby bella mushrooms
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 fresh thyme sprigs (I used dried)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, optional

1. Cook noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.
2. While noodles cook, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add steak; sauté 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan; cover.
3. Melt butter in pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in soy sauce. Sprinkle flour over mushroom mixture; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly. Add pepper, salt, and thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thickened. Return beef to pan; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Discard thyme sprigs. Garnish with thyme leaves, if desired.

Yield:  4 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup beef mixture and 2/3 cup noodles)

CALORIES 344 ; FAT 12.5g (sat 5.3g,mono 4.2g,poly 1.2g); CHOLESTEROL 95mg; CALCIUM 28mg; CARBOHYDRATE 28.7g; SODIUM 538mg; PROTEIN 27.3g; FIBER 1.7g; IRON 4.3mg 

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add steak; sauté 5 minutes, browning on all sides.

Remove from pan; cover.

Melt butter in pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds.

Stir in soy sauce. Sprinkle flour over mushroom mixture; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly.

Add pepper, salt, and thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thickened.

Return beef to pan; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Discard thyme sprigs. Garnish with thyme leaves, if desired.

This was SUPER good.  I was nervous that the steak would be chewy, but it remained tender.  I didn't have any fresh thyme, so I sprinkled in some dried thyme instead and the flavor of the herb was still easily detected.  We enjoyed some pasta the night before, so instead of egg noodles I made brown rice to accompany CL's Steak Tips with Peppered Mushroom Gravy.  This recipe pulled together very quickly, I think it took me longer to cut and trim the steak than it did to cook the meal.  The next time that I prepare this dish I will definitely serve it with a side of some sort of green vegetable.  I am also looking forward to to smothering some egg noodles rather than brown rice to see which starch works the best.  I would strongly recommend giving this recipe a try, it will be especially good during these cooler months.

-Heather   

Beef, Cheese, and Noodle Bake

I’m BAACCCKKK! To make a very annoying and lengthy story short: I have been taking classes rather than blogging for the past couple of months. Without going on an angry rant, I can just say that I have reached the last column of my school district’s pay scale (even though I already earned those units years ago, but again, we will end it there)!

I am back in action and ready to document my cooking adventures. I started with something very simple, Cooking Light’s Beef, Cheese and Noodle Bake from the January 2006 issue. I actually prepared this meal the night before and just popped it in the oven last night to finish the baking portion of the directions. For something so simple, we were extremely surprised and delighted with our end results.

Beef, Cheese, and Noodle Bake
Adapted from Cooking Light, January 2006

Ingredients
1 (8-ounce) package small elbow macaroni
Cooking spray
1 cup prechopped onion
1 cup preshredded carrot
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1 pound lean ground sirloin (I used ground turkey)
1 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup fat-free milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I omitted the nutmeg)
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) 2% reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided


Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and carrot, and sauté 4 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add ground beef; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes or until most of liquid evaporates.

Add pasta to beef mixture in pan, stirring to combine.

Place milk, flour, nutmeg, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan; stir with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add 1 cup cheese, stirring until smooth.

Pour cheese mixture over pasta mixture; stir.

Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top evenly with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Yield
8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 283(24% from fat); FAT 7.7g (sat 4.2g,mono 2.4g,poly 0.7g); PROTEIN 22.3g; CHOLESTEROL 46mg; CALCIUM 209mg; SODIUM 622mg; FIBER 2.1g; IRON 3.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 30.1g

Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and carrot, and sauté 4 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute.

Add ground beef; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble.

Add tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes or until most of liquid evaporates.

Add pasta to beef mixture in pan, stirring to combine.

Place milk, flour, nutmeg, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan; stir with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly with a whisk.

Add 1 cup cheese, stirring until smooth.

Pour cheese mixture over pasta mixture; stir.

Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Top evenly with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

As you can see from the picture above, Terry couldn’t wait to dive into this casserole. I Used ground turkey instead of beef and I omitted the nutmeg. The original instructions seemed to add an extra step so I changed those as well and am excited about the finished product. This dish was surprisingly flavorful. I did not have very high hopes because it just seemed too simple. Cooking Light’s Beef, Cheese and Noodle Bake is not quite dinner party food, but it is hearty and great for a weeknight family dinner. The leftovers reheated wonderfully for lunch today and I think the flavor actually improved a bit overnight. I have a feeling this one is going to sneak its way into our monthly rotation.

-Heather

Mexican Pot Roast Tacos

We love guacamole and are always looking for new things to serve it with. I happened across Tyler Florence's Mexican Pot Roast Tacos about a year ago and we have made them many times since. The original recipe comes complete with directions for shells, guacamole and salsa. Because we already have tried and true recipes for these things, we use only the meat portion of this recipe.

Mexican Pot Roast Tacos

Ingredients

2 pounds beef shoulder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 large onion, sliced
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, (recommended: San Marzano)
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
3 bay leaves

Directions

Season all sides of the beef with a fair amount of salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, or other heavy pot that has a tight cover, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over moderately high heat.

Add the garlic and the beef to the pot, browning the meat on all sides, taking the time to get a nice crust on the outside. Add the onion and allow to lightly brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the crushed tomatoes, plus 1 tomato can of water, spices, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and add enough water to cover the meat.

Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer with a lid for 3 hours until the meat is fork tender. Let meat cool in the liquid.

Shred meat and set aside.

Season all sides of beef with salt and pepper.

Smash and mice two cloves of garlic.

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil over moderately high heat.

Add garlic and meat to the pot.

Brown meat on all sides, allowing a nice crust to form.

Add the onions and allow to brown, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the crushed tomatoes, and one tomato can of water.

Spices to be added.

Add the spices to the pot.

Mix together and add enough water to cover the meat.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 3 hours.

Let meat cool in the liquid.

Shred and set aside.

At this point I add the meat back into it's cooking liquid and serve from there.

Lately each time I make Tyler Florence's Mexican Pot Roast Tacos I double the recipe and freeze half for a later date. I have used this meat in enchiladas, over nachos, and in this case as a taco filling. The meat produced from this recipe literally shreds with a fork and is so tender that you will not believe that it comes from a reasonably priced cut of beef. The only downfall of this recipe is that it cooks for 3 hours, however with simple planning this does not present a problem.

-Heather