Pots & Plots

We’ve been on a sandwich kick with the beer bread this week.  After some fantabulous grilled chicken, roasted red peppers, and swiss sandwiches the other night (which I will duplicate and photograph, I promise!), we polished off the last of the loaf with these burgers.  They were a bit messy to eat, as the bread’s a bit crumbly, but boy did they taste good!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of ground beef
• beer bread
• swiss cheese
• half a cup of fresh baby bella mushrooms
• 2 tsps olive oil
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• fresh ground pepper
• kosher salt
• sweet smoked paprika (this is my new favorite spice–the smoky flavor is AWESOME!)

Directions:

1. Sprinkle garlic powder,  onion powder, smoked sweet paprika, kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper onto the meat.  (I am sad to say I didn’t measure–my meat actually started out in patties and I sprinkled a light layer of each spice and just a bit of salt and pepper over each before mixing well to incorporate).
2. Mix well with your hands.
3. Form into two patties.
4. Light the grill and preheat to 350 (if you use gas–if you’re a charcoal person–you know better than I).
5. Grill on each side 8-10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, slice your bread and cheese.  With about five minutes left on the timer, pop the bread, with the cheese slices on one side, into the oven at about 275.  Don’t worry about preheating.
7. In a small skillet, add the olive oil and turn to medium-high heat.
8. When oil is hot, add your mushrooms and sprinkle lightly with the same spices you used on the burgers.  Sautee for approximately 3 minutes or until mushrooms begin to slightly brown.
9. If you time it right, you should be taking the burgers off the grill by the time the cheese is melty and the bread toasted.
10. Assemble your burger with plain slide on bottom, burger, mushrooms, cheesy slice on top.  The cheese helps hold the mushrooms in place.
11. If you’re one of those people who eats all that other stuff on a burger, the rest is up to you.  I’m a purist. 

At last!  I have been trying for SEVEN YEARS to duplicate the sauce my favorite Chinese place uses for their lo mien.  Finally, courtesy of The Crepes of Wrath , I have a base for a good lo mien sauce.  I adapted her original recipe for garlic noodles and wound up making this three days in a row!

Ingredients:

• 7 oz. whole wheat spaghetti noodles
• 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil based margarine (I used Smart Balance Light)
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 2 tablespoons finely minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar Splenda
• 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1/2 cup sliced fresh baby bella mushrooms
• 1/2 medium zucchini thinly sliced
• 1 cup sliced leftover steak, chicken, pork, or shrimp (optional–this dish is great with just veggies)
• 1 handful of chopped cashews

Directions

1. Boil your noodles according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile melt your butter or margarine  over medium high heat, and add zucchini, meat, and mushrooms.  Saute for 3-5 minutes or until zucchini begins to get slightly limp.
3. Meanwhile, mix the brown sugar Splenda, light soy sauce, and oyster sauce in a small bowl.
4. Add cashews, green onions and garlic to the skillet.  Sautee for about 1-2 minutes.
5. Add in your sauce and mix well.
6. Add noodles and mix thoroughly until well coated.
7. Serve immediately.

If you keep this vegetarian, it serves about 2.  If you add in meat, you can stretch it to feed 3.  Careful, these are REALLY addictive!

Still on the “what to do with leftover pizza dough” kick. As Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes a la Rachael Ray are a huge favorite in our house, but we were out of rolls, I decided to try the filling as calzones. This was a supurb inspiration–all the tasty of the philly cheese steak sloppy joes, with none (or less) of the mess (the original recipe has a habit of falling off the bun). There’s no pic because, hey, calzones all pretty much look like calzones regardless of what’s in them.

Ingredients:

• Pizza dough

Filling:

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 pound extra-lean ground sirloin or ground all-white-meat chicken
• 1 softball-size onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup steak sauce
• 1 cup beef stock
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup provolone cheese, shredded

Directions:

In large skillet over medium-high heat with one turn of the pan of EVOO, brown the ground meat, about 5-6 minutes. Add the onion and cook for another 3-4 minutes, until the onion starts to get tender. Stir in the steak sauce and beef stock, season with salt and pepper, bring up to a bubble and cook for about 2 minutes.

Split open the rolls and toast them under the broiler, keeping an eye on them so that they don’t burn!

While the meat is cooking, melt the butter in a medium size skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk, then bring up to a bubble and let thicken, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the cheese in a figure-eight motion until it is all incorporated.

Roll your dough out as large as desired (for these I made them about 8 inches square-ish). Scoop meat mixture onto one side, top with cheese sauce. Fold the dough over and pinch closed. Bake at 425 for 18 minutes. Enjoy!

This is another one of those dishes that’s great to make ahead and freeze. I’m doing a bunch of cooking this weekend to try to make next week easier on me (as work is going to be insane).
Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 ribs of celery, diced
• 1 medium zucchini, grated or diced
• 1-2 carrots, peeled and diced (or 1/2 to 3/4 cup of frozen crinkle cut carrots)
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 can of 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup
• 3 wedges of Laughing Cow garlic and herb cheese
• 1/2 cup petite English peas
• 1 cup chopped portobello mushrooms
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• ground pepper and salt to taste
• the kitchen sink (not really but any other veggies you like really)

Directions:

1. Brown and drain ground beef.
2. Using either the leftover drippings from the beef or olive oil, sautee the vegetables (except the peas and mushrooms) along with all spices until onion is slightly translucent.
3. In a large bowl, add mushroom soup, mushrooms, peas, and 3 wedges of Laughing Cow or other garlic and herb cheese spread. Mix well.
4. Add ground beef and sauteed veggies. Mix well.
5. Pour into large casserole dish.
6. Add mashed potato topping (see below).
7. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Cook’s note: If freezing, allow to thaw before baking (pull it out of the freezer and throw it in the fridge over night). You can freeze it with the mashed potato topping, but I find it works better to make the potatoes fresh and add them when you get ready to cook.

Mashed Potato Topping:*

• 4-5 small russet or other potatoes
• 2 wedges laughing cow garlic and herb cheese
• half and half (Fat Free by Land O’Lakes is what I prefer)
• 1 Tbsp margarine
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Scrub potatoes clean and add to pot. DO NOT DICE! I know, it takes a lot longer (like an hour), but it’s part of my secret to making creamy potatoes.
2. Boil for an hour.
3. Drain. Peel if you wish, but I prefer to eat the peels.
4. Add salt, pepper, garlic and herb cheese, and margarine, and mash well.
5. Add half an half in small splashes, mixing well until you reach the desired consistency.

* Can also be used as a recipe for plain old mashed potatoes.

This recipe is courtesy of Rachael Ray. I saw it on her daytime TV show recently and had to try it. My husband and I liked them so much that we’ve had them twice this week! They’re a quick and easy and very tasty meal. There’s a salad she devised to go along with it that you can find here.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 pound extra-lean ground sirloin or ground all-white-meat chicken
• 1 softball-size onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup steak sauce
• 1 cup beef stock
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 whole grain dinner rolls
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup provolone cheese, shredded

Preparation

Pre-heat the broiler.

In large skillet over medium-high heat with one turn of the pan of EVOO, brown the ground meat, about 5-6 minutes. Add the onion and cook for another 3-4 minutes, until the onion starts to get tender. Stir in the steak sauce and beef stock, season with salt and pepper, bring up to a bubble and cook for about 2 minutes.

Split open the rolls and toast them under the broiler, keeping an eye on them so that they don’t burn!

While the meat is cooking, melt the butter in a medium size skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk, then bring up to a bubble and let thicken, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the cheese in a figure-eight motion until it is all incorporated.

To serve, place a scoopful of the meat mixture onto the bottom of the rolls, then top with the cheese sauce and add the top of the roll.

Go ahead! Try to eat just one!

This is one of those meals that’s good if you’ve got leftover rice–as we frequently do. I tend to batch cook brown rice because it reheats well and goes in a lot of stuff. It’s a good one to try on both the Sonoma Diet and South Beach Diet because it’s chock full of good stuff. Not pretty but tasty.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of lean ground beef
• 1 cup finely diced Portobello mushrooms
• 1/2 onion, finely diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• basil
• thyme
• oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes
• 2 cups finely grated cheddar (or cheese of choice)
• balsamic vinegar
• 3 large bell peppers
• 1 to 1.5 cups cooked rice (I prefer brown)

Directions:

1. Most people, when they make stuffed peppers, cut the top off and pull out the core and ribs of the pepper. This winds up being enormous (and as I am the only REAL pepper fan in our house, wasteful), so I cut them straight down the center, vertically and carefully scoop out the core, ribs, and seeds. Boil in salted water for 3 minutes, then remove to a clean kitchen towel to drain.
2. Brown the hamburger meat with the onion and garlic. Drain off any excess fat.
3. Add meat mixture, can of undrained diced tomatoes, rice, mushrooms a splash of balsamic vinegar, 1/2 tsp each of the oregano and basil, and 1/4 tsp of the thyme. Mix well. Add salt and pepper.
4. Overfill each pepper and place in a baking dish. Any leftover filling can go in the empty spaces.
5. Cover entire dish with cheese.
6. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

I was looking for something simple to cook for supper tonight. This came together with a lot of household staples and is like a bit more upscale version of homemade hamburger helper.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 package of fresh baby portobella mushroom
• 8 oz whole wheat extra wide noodles
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 can 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup

Instructions:

1. Brown the ground beef, drain and rinse.
2. Add can of mushroom soup and 1 canful of water back to the skillet. Mix well.
3. Add beef back to skillet.
4. Add mushrooms.
5. Add spices.
6. Bring to low boil and simmer on medium low until liquid is reduced by half.
7. Meanwhile, cook noodles to just before al dente (approx. 8 minutes)
8. Add sour cream. Mix well.
9. Add noodles and stir well, coating with the sauce and letting them rest for a few minutes as the sauce is absorbed.

Cook’s note: You can substitute stew meat or any cut up beef for the ground beef, and replace the can of water with a good red wine (your preference–I used merlot) to make the sauce more flavorful. Also, add a bit more of the wine and cook the noodles in the sauce for a richer dish.

As the weather cools down (yes, even in Mississippi), I always crave Mexican style dishes. One of my family’s all time favorites is taco soup, which is actually a year round staple meal. This is one of those recipes that’s great for crock pot cooking or can be made in about half an hour on the stove. Freezes and reheats well, but there’s usually no leftovers!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef or turkey, browned and drained
• 1 can condensed tomato soup (I like the Campbell’s Healthy Request)
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can corn, undrained (or you can use frozen corn–about a cup and a half)
• 1 can black beans, undrained (or you can use black beans that you batch cooked yourself–also about a cup and a half to two cups)
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 packet of taco seasoning (I prefer Old El Paso)
• 1 tsp chipoltle chili powder if you can find it, but it’s fine without

Combine ingredients in slow cooker or on stovetop. Add about 1 can’s worth of water if using stovetop or cooking for only half day in crock pot. Add more water if you’re going to leave it all day on low. Serve with sour cream, scallions, and shredded cheddar and/or Monterey jack cheese. Also good with corn chips if you’re not watching your waistline.