Tasty and Fast

 This recipe is right out of New York Times Cooking--a great website for wonderful recipes!  This Beef and Broccoli has become a favorite in our quick and tasty rotation of entrees.  I've made a few minor changes to the original recipe such as less oil.

Beef and Broccoli

1/4 c. seasoned rice vinegar

3 T. plus 2 tsp soy sauce

1 T. cornstarch

1 pound chuck or rib steak, sliced thin against the grain

1/4 c oyster sauce

1 T. Chile-garlic sauce (Sriracha)

3 T. neutral oil such as canola or peanut

1 pound broccoli, cut into florets and tender stem pieces, sliced

1 T. butter

In bowl large enough to hold the beef, mix together the vinegar, 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce and the cornstarch.  Add sliced beef and mix together.  Cover and set aside while preparing the other ingredients.

For the sauce, combine in a small bowl the remaining soy sauce, oyster sauce and the Chile-garlic sauce.  Then add a tablespoon of water and mix again.

Heat the oil on high heat in a wok or large skillet.  When the oil is shimmering hot add half the beef and stir.  Cook until browned, barely cooked through for about two minutes.  Remove to a plate and cook the remaining beef. 

Add the broccoli to the empty wok/skillet and stir-fry for about two minutes until the broccoli is lightly charred.

Add two tablespoons water to the wok/skillet and toss and stir the broccoli in the steam for an additional two minutes.  Return the beef and marinade to the wok/skillet, followed by the sauce.  Stir/toss for about 30 seconds or so, then add the butter.  Stir/toss for another 30 seconds.  Serve immediately over rice.

If you want more heat in the seasonings, use more Chile-garlic sauce--one to two more tablespoons.

I've made this in a skillet and found that a little more time is needed for the broccoli.

Another Easy Winter Time One Pot Meal

I'm always looking for dinner recipes that are fast, easy and don't need a lot of clean up.  I was looking for a recipe for cabbage and sausages.  I ended up combining the ingredients and cooking methods of two recipes.  For wintertime comfort food, we thought it quite tasty as well as fast, easy and cheap!

Roasted Cabbage with Sausages and Yams

 

 

3 T. olive oil

½ c. sweet onion, sliced lengthwise

1 small cabbage, roughly shredded

1 Pink Lady or Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced into 16 wedges

1 tsp thyme

¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

12 ounces pre-cooked chicken sausage (4 sausages)

12 ounces yam, cut into wedges

Salt & pepper to taste

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 T olive oil

1 T wine vinegar

 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a sheet pan(s) with parchment paper.

 

Mix together cabbage, onions, apples, thyme and red pepper flakes with 2 T olive oil.  Spread in a single layer on the sheet pan.  Sprinkle with salt & pepper.

 

Mix yams with remaining 1 T olive oil.  Spread in a single layer on the sheet pan.  Sprinkle with salt & pepper.  Place sausages on sheet pan.

 

Roast 10 to 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.  The yams may need to go into the oven five minutes before the remaining ingredients depending on their size.

 

Mix together the olive oil, vinegar and Djion mustard.  Pour over cabbage mixture once in the serving bowl.

 

This can be served in one large bowl or platter.  The vegetables will be more crispy and with singed edges if spaced so they are not touching, otherwise they will steam vs. roast.

 

 

Tasty Vegan Entree!

This is a great vegan recipe!  Which for us carnivores is saying something!  And it is pretty quick to prepare.  It needs to cook for 30 minutes which is plenty of time to get the table and any side dishes ready.

Lentil Mushroom Stew

 

Makes 4 servings

 

1 T. olive oil

½ c onion, chopped

2 c sliced mushrooms

2 T soy sauce or aminos

2 tsp fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)

2 T. Italian parsley, chopped

2/3 c green or brown lentils

2 c vegetable broth

 

Heat a large rimmed skillet over medium heat.  Add olive oil and onions.  Saute’ three minutes, stirring occasionally

Add mushrooms and soy or aminos sauce.  Saute’ for five minutes.

Add thyme, parsley, lentils and broth.  Once boiling, cover and reduce heat to maintain a slow simmer.  Cook approximately 30 minutes.

Once the lentils are tender, taste mixture and adjust seasonings if desired.

Turn off heat and let mixture rest for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, if desired, at the table

 

Serve over mashed potatoes, pasta or rice.

 

Nutrition:

         280 calories

         43 grams carbohydrates

         9 grams protein

         8 grams fat

         10 grams fiber

Comfort Food in Trying Times!

Black Beans with Eggs
Serves 2

Who isn't looking for comfort food in these days of COVID-19 quarantine?  I could eat this dish every other day!  

Cooking is one way to fill the day even though this dish is very fast.  Before starting the beans, you can spend some time on making a great salad to go with it.  Hit all the food groups!

2 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1 small carrot, sliced
1/4 c. celery, thinly sliced
1/4 c. tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (or more if you like hot)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 14-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained, or 2 cups home cooked beans
1/2 c. hot water
Salt & pepper to taste
4 eggs
1/4 c. cheddar cheese, grated

In a smallish (10" cast iron works great) skillet on medium low heat, saute' onions, carrot, celery and garlic until vegetables are soft.  Add tomato paste, paprika, red pepper, cumin and fry for 30 seconds.

Add the beans, water and salt and pepper.  Stir to combine all ingredients.  Let simmer five to 10 minutes.  Make four indentations in the beans and crack an egg into each.  Cover and cook for four to eight minutes, depending on how done you like your eggs.  When ready to serve, sprinkle the cheese over the top and serve in the skillet.

Based on a recipe from NYT Cooking 

A Great Picnic Salad!

Cherry Tomato and White Bean Salad


Makes 4 to 6 servings.

This recipe is very tasty and right out of NYT Cooking. I served it at a family picnic and got rave reviews.  The original recipe included shaved Parmesan cheese (2 oz) but I thought it was over the top.  I like the fresh taste of the vegetables and adding cheese seemed to make the dressing thick.  I like the crunch of the onions and celery.

¼ c olive oil

3 T red wine vinegar

½ tsp Dijon mustard

¾ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 small or ½ large red onion, sliced vertically in narrow pieces

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved

4 c cooked cannellini or Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained

2 ribs celery, sliced thinly

¼ c chopped fresh parsley

In a large bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper.  Stir in the onion and garlic.  Set aside to marinate for 15 to 30 minutes.

Once the tomatoes, celery and beans have been prepared, add to the dressing in the large bowl.  Gently toss together.  Just prior to serving fold in the parsley.

I’ve made this in advance and combined the dressing with the other ingredients right before serving.

Adding more and different fresh herbs would also go well.

Curry Garbanzo Beans with Chicken

I've got a new cookbook!  "Feed Zone Table: Family-Style Meals to Nourish Life and Sport".  There are two authors, Biju Thomas and Allen Lim.  They both consult with professional sports teams.  One is a professional chef and the other a PhD exercise physiologist.  In the book, they both focus on pro cycling teams and how to improve performance through nutrition.  While doing research they found that cyclists perform better when their training is more socially connected to each other.  So they now train and eat in groups.  The authors then focused on family-style meals that are nutritious, made from fresh ingredients, quick to prepare and tasty.  The following recipe is one that I adapted from one of theirs.

Curry Garbanzo Beans with Chicken

One pound zucchini cut into ½” matchsticks

1 small clove garlic, minced

½ red onion, sliced vertically

¼ tsp cinnamon

1 T. Madras curry powder

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

¼ tsp Ufra chili or red pepper flakes

1 15 ½ oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed

6 – 8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1”x2” pieces

2 T. olive oil

½ c. chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, dill, mint, cilantro and/or basil.

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees regular bake or 400 degrees convection roast.

Place all ingredients, except the herbs, into a large bowl and mix until the spices are well distributed.  Spread on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and distribute to one layer.  Place in the oven.  After 10 minutes check for doneness of the chicken.  It should be just cooked through.  Continue to roast for a few more minutes if the chicken is not quite cooked.

Place on a serving platter and distribute herbs over the top.  Serve with yogurt on the side.  Serves two as an entree.

I found this to be very tasty and very fast.  In a convection oven on roast (vs. bake) this cooked up in 10 minutes.  You could make this vegan by eliminating the chicken and adding 1/4 c. pine nuts or chopped walnuts.

For those who count carbs, the number of carbs per serving (approx. 1 cup) is 44 grms.  Subtract the dietary fiber of 12 grms. and the number of carbs that count is 32 grms. You can reduce the quantity of carbs to 1 cup/recipe.  An individual serving of countable carbs will drop to 16 grms.  One serving or one exchange for my diabetic friends.

Wintertime is Squash Time!

It's the middle of winter and comfort food gets my tastebuds working! I love winter squash--all the varieties, but I find my favorite to be butternut.  It roasts easily in the oven and can be used for any recipe calling for squash or pumpkin. We have started receiving produce shipment bi-weekly delivered to our door from Imperfect Product.  www.imperfectproduce.com   or Ugly Produce as most people describe their fresh products.  Our last box contained a butternut squash.  In a effort to make the roasted squash more interesting, I came up with the following recipe: Roasted Butternut Squash with Pears 1 – 1 ½ pounds butternut squash 2 T olive oil 1 small onion, diced 1 small fresh pear, diced, peeled or not 2 tsp fresh chopped rosemary 1 – 2 tsp curry powder 2 T heavy cream Salt & pepper to taste Cut the squash in half lengthwise.  Remove seeds.  Brush cut edge with oil.  Line a sheet pan with foil or parchment paper.  Places squash cut side down on the sheet.  Roast at 425 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes, or until soft when pierced with a knife.  Remove from the oven and let cool enough to handle.  Scoop out cooked squash and set aside. In a large saute pan, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onion, pear, rosemary and saute until the onion is soft.  Add curry powder and stir to coat the onions and pears. Add the roasted butternut squash and cream.  Stir until completely mixed.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Continue to heat on low until serving temperature is reached.  Makes 4 servings plus or minus depending on the size of the squash. Nutritional Information per serving: Calories 143 CHO 12 grms Protein 0 grms Fat 11 grms Fiber grms My husband, who I experiment on all the time, said this recipe was worth writing down.  I thought it was a keeper too.  The flavor of the roasted squash comes through but the seasonings give it a bit more interest, the pears a bit of sweetness and the cream--that comfort food touch. Imperfect Produce is a great idea and service.  Their mission is to divert produce that doesn't make it to store shelves to people who will eat i, resulting in less food waste.  Their products either don't pass the "appearance" test or are surplus.  Either way, their produce is fresh and tasty and is delivered to your door (in certain cities.)