Slow Cooker Carne Asada Tacos

Another week, another challenge for the 52 weeks of cooking. This week the challenge was tacos, which is right up my alley. Fajitas are one of my favorites things to make (and eat!) and tacos aren't very different as far as technique goes.

A couple weeks ago I made chicken fajitas in my slow cooker, so I thought I'd try to make the taco meat for this weeks challenge in the slow cooker as well. In the past year, I haven't used my slow cooker much, but I'm beginning to see the appeal. A little prep in the morning, let it cook all day and voila!, you have a tasty meal to come home to after a long day at work.

Enough mooning over my slow cooker, let's get to the recipe!

Slow Cooker Carne Asada Beef Tacos
adapted from the following recipes: Tyler Florence Tacos Carne Asada and Crock-pot Carne Asada Tacos

Ingredients

For the mojo:

4 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 large handful fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 limes, juiced
1 orange, juiced
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil

For the tacos:

3 lb flank steak

flour or corn tortillas

salsa

shredded lettuce

Directions

To make the mojo:

In a mortar and pestle or bowl, mash together  food processor, pulse the garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, salt, and pepper to make a paste. Put the paste in a glass jar or plastic container. (I used a mason jar and it worked really well. Bonus: you could make a bigger batch and store half for later use.)Add the lime juice, orange juice, vinegar, and oil. Shake it up really well to combine.

Taco Meat:

Set your slow cooker to low for 8 hours. Place the meat flat on the bottom and pour the mojo over. Poke holes in the meat with a fork so the sauce can penetrate it while cooking. After 8 hours, remove the meat and shred. Return to the crock-pot and keep on warm until ready to serve.

Heating tortillas:

Set oven to 350. Wrap up to five tortillas in aluminum foil and place in oven for about 15 minutes. Keep wrapped until ready to serve.

Rating
Overall, I'd say this recipe was a win. The meat was very tender from cooking all day and the mojo was just right. I'm not a huge fan of cilantro so I was worried when the sauce called for so much, but it ended up being perfect. If you're looking for a complete meal, serve with black beans and rice. 

Jjinmandu: Korean Steamed Dumplings (and I'm Baaaaack!)

To everyone who is still following this blog after a long two year hiatus, thanks for sticking by me (or not cleaning out your blog reader of choice)! Anyway, I've decided to make 2013 the year of getting back to the things I love, and cooking is one of them.

While I was away, I had a beautiful baby girl named Norah. She kept me very busy over the last year, but that's a take for another blog. If you're interested please visit, Playing Peekaboo for updates.


Anyway, I figured I'd kick off the new year with a challenge of sorts, and one of my favorite places on the internet, reddit, had just the thing for me. A group of people there are doing a 52 week challenge where they cook according to a theme each week. If you'd like to join in on the fun, here is a link to the official 2013 list.

All the veggies ready to be mixed.

Since I found this a little late, my challenge will only be for 50 weeks, starting off with a Korean dish. I'm not a huge fan of kimchi, so I knew this would be tough. I do love dumplings, though, and it turns out the Koreans have their own version called Jjinmandu.


Here is a link to the original recipe. As I mentioned above, since I don't like kimchi, so I substituted napa cabbage (something I've never had before).

Beef, veggies and spices mixed.

Ingredients
4 packs 1 pack wonton skins (rounds) square
1 lb ground beef
1 cup kimchi napa cabbage
1 bunch bu chu (Korean chives)
½ onion, finely chopped
3 green onions, finely chopped
3 tbsp cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt 
2 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp juice of ginger 
1 egg, beaten (to seal wonton skin)

Directions
Combine all except egg and wonton skins. Mix well with hands. Brush the ends of each wonton skin with beaten egg and add about a half tablespoon of beef mixture on top. Fold wonton over and press ends to seal. Submerge in boiling water for about 2-3 minutes. 

Wonton Jacuzzi!

Notes
Just a few notes on this one:

1. Don't add too many wontons to the pot at once or they will start sticking to one another and break.
2. When setting them out to dry, lay them flat and do not pile them on top of one another. As they dry, they get very sticky and end up forming one giant mass of wonton. (Yes, this happened to me.)
3. Side note: The won ton wraps were made by a company called "melissa's" so I just had to get them!

Has anyone else made wontons? How did you get them not to stick? If not, are you participating in any challenges? Link them up in the comments. I'd love to see what you're cooking!

Takeout Fake-out: Philly Cheesesteak

In light of some recent events that have hit a little close to home, my husband and I have decided to start saving more aggressively than we have been in the recent months. Ever since we purchased our home, it's been the wild west as far as spending goes. I'm surprised the people at Home Depot don't know us by our first names yet! One place that we could easily save is eating out. The problem is, I love trying new restaurants, so this will be a pretty big challenge for us.

Enter, this new feature, Takeout Fakeout. I'm going to try and do one recipe a week where I mimic something I see on a menu or that we've eaten at a restaurant. My main goal is to try and do it cheaper. So here is my first attempt, a Philly Cheesesteak (minus the cheese because we want to stay healthy, too).

Take Out Fakeout - Philly Cheesesteak
Kitchen Canister Original

Ingredients

1 lb of sirloin steak
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
fresh ground pepper
1 green pepper
1 onion


Directions

Slice the sirloin steak into very thing slices, so thin you can almost see through them, discarding any large pieces of fat you come across. Once all the meat is slices thinly, put it in a large Ziploc bag and add the Worcestershire and soy sauces, and pepper. Add about a half cup of water and toss around the mixture once the bag is sealed. Let marinate for a half hour.

While the meat is marinading, roughly chop the green pepper and onion into bite size pieces. Coat a pan with oil and, once hot, add the onions and peppers. Let cook until the onions are translucent and the green peppers soft. Put on low and coat another pan with a small amount of oil. Add the steak and cook for about 7-8 minutes, or until cooked through. Drain the steak and mix it into the pan with the onions and pepper. Raise the heat back to medium and cook for 3 minutes so the flavors combine.

Serve on a roll with desired toppings. (I prefer tomatoes, ketchup and pickles.)

Chef's Note:


photo credit: wallyg via flickr
This is a picture of a steak from Pat's King of Steaks in South Philadelphia. When visiting the area, tourists usually opt for Pat's or its rival across the street, Geno's. The debate between which establishment makes a better steak can get very heated. People in this area are very passionate about this. One thing everyone can agree on is one thing: It is all about the roll. If you're not using Amoroso, you might as well use an old shoe!




And now here is a picture of my version of Philly's claim to fame, besides Rocky and the Liberty Bell of course.


This tasted really great, and while it wasn't quite as big as the sandwich you'd get at Geno's or Pat's, it was still very filling. The only difference between my sandwich and the pro's version, was the way the steak was chopped. To do it right, you need a flat grill surface and two metal spatulas. If you get the technique down, you end up with slivers of steak that melt in your mouth. Since I have non-stick pans and plastic spatulas, I didn't quite get the same consistency. It still turned out great, though.

Price Comparison

Kitchen Canister
Amoroso Rolls - $3.99 for 8 = $0.50
Sirloin Steak - $9.01 for 1 lb, which made 4 sandwiches = $2.25
Green Pepper - $1.00 for 4 sandwiches - $0.25
Onion - $1.00 for 4 sandwiches - $0.25
Total Cost: $3.25

Pat's Steak Sandwich - $7.50

Total Savings: $4.25

Want to see more fakeouts? Click here.

If you'd like to read more about the Geno's/Pat's rivalry - see this Destination Eats blog post.

Fakeout - DIY Hamburger Helper

Ground Beef. Now, that's a tricky item. There are really two things I do with ground beef: meatballs and hamburgers. In the interest of this blog, and in branching out, I thought that tonight I'd try something a little different.

When I was a kid, my mom used to make Hamburger Helper all the time. Of course, as all mothers do, she put her own little twist on it. I posted her recipe around this time last year, and thought tonight was a great night to revisit it.

DIY Hamburger Helper
Kitchen Canister Original

Ingredients

1/2 of a large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 lb ground beef (93% lean)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
a dash of paprika, red pepper flakes and rosemary
1 can of cannellini beans
1 roma tomato, diced
2 cups egg noodles
1 packet of powdered brown gravy mix

Directions

Heat some oil in a large frying pan and add the onions and garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes, until onions are fragrant and start to become translucent. Add salt and pepper to taste, and stir. Meanwhile, boil the water to cook the egg noodles.

Add the beef to the frying pan and saute. After mixing the onions, garlic and beef together, add the Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and spices and mix. Once beef is browned, add the cannellini beans and heat through for about 5 minutes.

Once you add the beans, the water for the noodles should be ready. Add the noodles and cook for about 6 minutes. They're going to cook a little bit with the beef mixture, so don't cook them all the way.

While the noodles are cooking, add the tomato and stir the mixture. Turn it down to low heat.



Once the noodles are done, strain them, but reserve a little less than a cup of the boiling water. Add the water and noodles to the beef, and mix in the gravy packet. Turn the heat to medium-high and let the mixture come to a boil. Once it boils, put the heat on low and let it heat through.

Servings: 4


Chef's Notes
To modify this recipe, I added beans, and reduced the amount of noodles to make it a little healthier and more filling. This worked out great. I've been exercising a lot lately, so I find that I'm much hungrier at night than I normally am.

The next time I make this, the only thing I would do differently is use a can of diced tomatoes, or increase the fresh tomato to two. There wasn't enough tomato taste for me and I think it would be a nice compliment to the beans.

If you're looking to make this recipe even healthier, I think ground turkey would taste great, too.

Overall, I think it tasted very similar to hamburger helper. That little white glove guy can keep his prepackaged dinner, because I would definitely make this again!


sorry buddy!

Italian Wedding Soup

Did you ever have one of those trips to the grocery store where nothing can go right? This was me on Sunday afternoon. My husband and I ventured out around 2pm on Sunday, which is the same time we go almost every weekend. Today, the grocery store was packed, though. There was also mayhem in the produce section. Someone had spilled something in every aisle: a giant bottle of salad dressing was broken by the peppers, blueberries rolled every which way by the potatoes, and something really slippery was all over the floor by the lettuce.

After we got out of the produce section from hell, my husband fought his way through the deli counter and I tried to pick up the rest of our food. Unfortunately, everyone in NJ must have decided to make the same meals as me this week. This is what I get for looking at the circular and buying the meats that were on sale. Anyway, the store was completely out of a few items that I needed to make the soup below, and the Stir Fry I'm going to make later this week.

All in all, I don't think it mattered. The soup was really good.


Italian Wedding Soup
adapted from Wegmans Menu Magazine (Fall 2009)

Ingredients
1 Wegmans Large Egg
1/2 lb Food You Feel Good About 85% Lean Ground Beef (I found a package of 95% lean beef and used that to make this a little healthier)
Half of 1/4 cup chopped dried Italian parsley (flat leaf)
2 Tbsp Italian Classics Seasoned Bread Crumbs
2 Tbsp Wegmans Basting olive Oil
1 pkg (8 oz) Food You Feel Good About Cleaned & Cut Mirepoix - The store was completely out of its mirepoix mix. Since this is just onions, carrots and celery chopped up, I chopped equal portions of all three in my food processor and used that instead.
1 carton (32 oz) Food You Feel Good About Chicken Culinary Stock
1/3 of 15 oz pkg Food You Feel Good About Fresh Chopped Escarole (about 2 cups)- I used three big handfuls which was probably more than 2 cups, but it made the soup heartier
1/2 cup Wegmans Acini di Pepe Pasta
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp Italian Classics Italian Blend Grated Cheese

Directions
Beat egg slightly in medium bowl; add ground beef, parsley, and bread crumbs. Mix well with clean hands. Form into small meatballs, using about 1 tsp ground beef mixture for each.



Brown meatballs on all sides in basting oil in braising pan on MEDIUM, about 5 min. Remove meatballs; drain off all but 1 Tbsp pan drippings.



Add mirepoix; reduce heat to MEDIUM-LOW. Cover; cook, stirring occasionally, 6-8 min, until veggies are soft but not browned.

Add meatballs and stock; bring to boil on HIGH. Lower heat to MEDIUM and simmer for 5 min. Add escarole; return to simmer on MEDIUM-HIGH. Add pasta; let simmer about 5 min until pasta is tender.



Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish each serving with grated cheese.

Servings: 7



Chef's Notes
As I said above, I had to make some substitutions. The store was out of fresh parsley and the mirepoix mix, so I improvised. The soup came out great, but I think the meatballs were just a little too big. Next time, I think I'll make them closer to bite-size. Most of them need to be broken in half to easily chew. The soup itself isn't extremely flavorful, so I think I'd also add in some garlic next time.

Crockpot Beef Tenderloin

I was feeling lazy last week, so instead of actually cooking up a stew like I planned, I threw the beef tenderloin I bought into my slow cooker. I really love my slow cooker. You just throw it all in, and out comes a delicious meal with meat so tender that it just falls apart. YUM!

Crockpot Beef Tenderloin
Kitchen Canister Original

Ingredients

3 lb beef tenderloin
1 cup beef broth
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
about 1 tablespoon of McCormick steak rub
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1 bunch asparagus, broken into 1 inch pieces
1 cup baby carrots

Directions

Rinse beef and place in crockpot. Sprinkle spices over beef, and rub with McCormick spice mix. Pour beef broth and vinegar over mixture. Add vegetables. Cook for 8 hours on low.

Servings: 5






Chef's Notes:

Since this is an original, I don't really have many notes. When the beef was done, I pulled it out and put it aside, fishing out the vegetables with a slotted spoon. I made a gravy out of the broth remaining in the crockpot by emptying it into a small pot and adding 1 tablespoon of corn starch. Cook the gravy on high until it boils, then let stand for a few minutes. To complete the dish, I served with a baked potato.

Vegetable Beef Soup

It's getting mighty cold here in New Jersey. To me, that means cooking up some warm soups to get you through the night. We didn't really have much in the house, so I threw together this quick Vegetable Beef Soup in about an hour.

Vegetable Beef Soup
Kitchen Canister original

Ingredients

1.5 lb cubed beef
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 onion, sliced
2 handfuls of green beans, cleaned and cut into bite sized pieces
1 small bag of baby carrots, cut into slices
48 oz beef broth
1 cup shell macaroni
black pepper
oregano
parsley
2 dried bay leaves

Directions




Coat the bottom of a large stock pot with olive oil. When smoking, add onions and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, until onions are transluscent. Add the beef and saute until browned. Add all remaining ingredients except for the shells. Simmer for 1 hour. Add the macaroni when there are ten minutes left so it doesn't overcook.

Servings: about 8



Chef's Notes

This soup was savory and sweet. Normally, I just let the onions soften up during the hour that soup simmers. This time, I let them carmelize a little bit before adding the broth. I think that added tremendously to the taste of the soup. It goes great with a big piece of crusty bread!

The Ultimate Beef Stew

Last week it was rainy and gross out. I thought this would be the perfect week to make a stew. I've always felt that stews warm you're whole body up and make you feel cozy - the ultimate comfort food. As I looked through my backlog of recipes, I came across Tyler Florence's recipe for beef stew. Once again, he did not fail to impress me with his combination of ingredients.

The Ultimate Beef Stew
courtesy of Tyler Florence

Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, for frying, plus more to drizzle
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 to 3 pounds beef chuck shoulder roast, cut into 2-inch pieces (this cut is also called chuck shoulder pot roast and chuck roast boneless)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bottle good quality dry red wine (recommended: Burgundy) - I used Merlot and it tasted fine, too
8 fresh thyme sprigs
6 garlic cloves, smashed
1 orange, zest removed in 3 (1-inch) strips
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 bay leaves
2 1/2 cups beef stock
9 small new potatoes, scrubbed clean and cut in 1/2
1/2 pound carrots, peeled and sliced
2 cups frozen pearl onions, a large handful
1/2 of a red onion, sliced
1 pound white mushrooms, cut in 1/2
1/2 pound garden peas frozen or fresh
1/2 pound frozen corn
Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish
Horseradish Sour Cream, recipe follows, for garnish
Toasted Peasant Bread, recipe follows, for serving

Directions
Preheat a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat with the oil and butter.

While the pan is heating, arrange the flour on a large dish. Season the cubed beef with some salt and freshly ground black pepper and then toss in the flour to coat. Shake off the excess flour and add the beef chunks in a single layer to the hot pan, being careful not to over crowd the pan, you might have to work in batches. Thoroughly brown all of the cubes on all sides. Once all the meat has been browned remove it to a plate and reserve.

Add the wine to the pan and bring up to a simmer while you scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon being sure to loosen up all those tasty bits. Once the wine has gotten hot add the browned meat, thyme, smashed garlic, orange zest strip, ground cloves, freshly ground black pepper and salt, to taste, bay leaves and beef stock. Bring the mixture up to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered until the liquids start to thicken, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cover and cook on low heat for 2 1/2 hours.

After 2 hours add halved potatoes, sliced carrots, pearl onions and mushrooms, along with a pinch of sugar to balance out the acid from the red wine. Turn the heat up slightly and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes more, until the vegetables and meat are tender. Add the frozen peas during the last minute of cooking. Season with salt and pepper and remove the thyme sprigs.

To serve, place the stew in a soup bowl, garnish with parsley, drizzle with olive oil and add a dollop of Horseradish Sour Cream. Right before serving add a slice of Toasted Peasant Bread, half way submerged in the stew.



Chef's Notes
I didn't make the horseradish sour cream, or the Peasant Bread. Instead, I served the dish over egg noodles. The dish was really good. My only complaint was that the gravy was not thick enough to cover the noodles. On night number two, when we had it as leftovers, I added a tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken it up a little, which worked out well. It covered the noodles and still tasted great.

Crock-pot Beef Tenderloin

Now that we are finally somewhat settled into our new house, I've begun to get back into the cooking swing of things. The first few weeks it was really hard to get a routine down since we were always running here or there to pick up essentials for the house. I think past week was our first "normal" week. I've finally gotten used to working from home a couple days a week, and my husband is learning the ins and outs of the traffic flow for his commute.

On Tuesdays I go into the office and my husband goes into NYC, so that means neither of us are home very early. I decided this was the perfect day to try out a crock-pot recipe for the first time in the new kitchen. Cooking beef in the crock-pot is relatively easy, so I knew there wouldn't be any problems.

Crock-pot Beef Tenderloin

Ingredients

3 lbs beef tenderloin
about 15 baby potatoes
1 onion
1 bag pre-peeled carrots
1 cup water
olive oil

The following spices:
rosemary
fresh ground black pepper
garlic powder

Directions

Wash the potatoes and cut in half. Cut the onion into slices. In a large mixing bowl, combine carrots, potatoes and onion. Drizzle with olive oil and stir to coat.

Place the beef in the crockpot and pour water over it. Sprinkle the spices above, to taste. Add the vegetables. Cook on low for 10 hours.

Servings: 6



Recipe Notes:

This beef came out great. It was really tender and basically fell apart when I took it out the crock pot. I ended up shredding it with two forks because it was almost impossible to cut into slices. Since I was out at work all day, I put the veggies in along with the beef. If you prefer them to be a little firmer, you could probably put them in during only the last two hours of cooking.

Stir Fried Beef with Tangerines, Green Beans and Chiles

This recipe is sure to be another Tyler Florence favorite for our house. I received the cookbook Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen as a Christmas gift and it is quickly becoming my favorite gift of all time. So far, I have made Tyler's Thick Pork Chops with Spiced Apples and Raisins from this book and it was a real hit. Most of the recipes in this book require ingredients I don't keep in my cupboard and more time than I have on weeknights. I usually make his recipes on Sunday when I have a lot of time. They're always winners. For other recipes I've made by Tyler, see my Tyler Florence tag.

Stir Fried Beef with Tangerines, Green Beans and Chiles
from Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen

Ingredients

Marinade
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon sesame olive oil
1 teaspoon five spice powder - we didn't have five spice, so I used a substitute I found on recipezaar
1 tablespoon corn starch
sea salt and ground pepper

1 lb boneless beef top round, sliced paper thin
3 cups peanut olive oil - see note in review below
1 tangerine orange, unpeeled, sliced paper thin in circles
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, minced
4 2 garlic cloves, minced
2 green onions, minced
4 dried red chiles 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
3/4 lb green beans halved on the bias
1/4 cup low sodium chicken stock broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce (low sodium)
1 tablespoon black vinegar or balsamic
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Directions

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg white, sesame oil, five spice powder and cornstarch; season with salt and pepper. Add the beef, toss to coat in the marinade, and stick it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, pour the peanut oil into a wok and place over high heat. Heat the oil to 350 F (about 15 min). Toss the tangerine slices with 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch. When the oil is smoking hot, quickly fry the tangerine for about 4 minutes. Frying the tangerine first removes the bitterness from the skin and the slices become crispy so you can eat them whole. Carefully remove the tangerine slices with a strainer to drain on a paper towel lined platter; their shape should remain in tact.

Bring the oil back up the smoking point and add half the beef. If you fry it all at once, the oil temp will drop and the beef with stew instead of crisp. Fry for 2 minutes and the remove to a paper towel to drain. Repeat with the rest of the beef. Very carefully drain all but 1/4 cup of the hot oil into a heat proof container. Stir fry the ginger, garlic, green onions and chiles in the remaining oil until they perfume. Add the green beans; season with salt and pepper. Mix the chicken stock with the rest of the cornstarch and add it to the wok. Add the soy sauce, vinegar and sugar. Simmer until the sauce is thick and the beans are tender, about 10 minutes. Return the beef and tangerines to the pan and coat. Scatter the sesame seeds on top. Serve with steamed rice.



Serves: 6

Review

As far as the taste of this recipe goes, it was incredible. Before I made this, I searched some other blogs and found that Kristin of Sogkonnite Living had posted a review of this recipe. She mentioned that the sensitive stomachs in her house couldn't handle the deep frying. On her suggestion, I stir fried the oranges and the beef, instead of immersing it in oil. The recipe still turned out great. I also used a mix of black and white sesame seeds, though I'm not really sure this affected the taste at all. The only thing I was disappointed with was the oranges. Maybe I didn't cook them enough or something, but the skin definitely did not lose all of its bitterness. We ended up peeling the skin off. Next time I make this, I will peel them ahead of time.

Hungry for more Tyler recipes? Check out the roundup at:

Meatballs and Pasta

Before I give you the recipe for meatballs the way my mom makes them, I'd like to talk a little about what I serve on my meatballs. I've lived in Southern New Jersey (also dubbed South Jersey) for almost my whole life. In 2004, I moved to Monmouth County to go to college and found out that no one else in the state calls what they top their meatballs with "gravy". I was shocked - calling that tomato-ey goodness sauce never even crossed my mind. So now that I have friends from North Jersey, I seem to fight an unending battle with them over this topic. Is it sauce or gravy?? To me, it will always be gravy!

Meatballs

**Disclaimer**: As with all good recipes handed down, I don't really have a lot of exact measurements, so I'll try my best to quantify all of the ingredients appropriately.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef (I use 93% lean)
1 small onion, diced
pinch of:

garlic powder
red pepper flakes
black pepper
onion powder
Italian seasoning

1 slice of bread (I usually use Arnold brand Health Nut, but any type will work)
1 egg
1 tablespoon parmigiano reggiano cheese



Directions:
Add all ingredients to a large bowl except bread. Take the slice of bread and wet it, then tear it into pieces and add it to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Mix all ingredients well, making sure there aren't any large pieces of bread clumped together in the bowl anywhere (using your hands is definitely recommended!!). Form into balls (I usually make mine about the size of a quarter) and fry in olive oil on the stove. Serve with pasta and homemade gravy.

Beef and Noodles

Every once in awhile I get a craving for meals my mom used to make. Most of the meals she prepared were pretty quick and simple, and always had the taste of real "comfort food". Below is one of the recipes she used to make all the time, with my spin on it. Mom used to let the beef cook in the crockpot all day, but I opted not to do that this time. It makes the beef much more tender, so I'd definitely recommend it.

Beef and Noodles (like Mom used to make)

Ingredients:
1 lb cubed beef
1 package of yolk free egg noodles
1 can beef broth
1 package of powdered brown gravy for beef

Directions:
Saute beef in a large pan until it is brown on all sides. While beef is cooking, bring a pot of water to boil for the noodles. Cook the noodles as directed on your package (about 5-7 minutes);Drain and combine with the beef.

In a small saucepan, combine the broth and gravy packet. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 minute, or until thick. Stir the gravy into the beef and noodle mixture. Cook all the ingredients together for about 1 minute. Enjoy!

The Official Abs Diet Burger

This is by far my FAVORITE burger. When we tailgate at Phillies games over the summer, I always make sure I make them. They are always a hit. You almost forget that they are actually sort of "good" for you.

The Official Abs Diet Burger
adapted from Men's Health magazine

Ingredients

1 egg
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup oats
1/3 cup diced onion
1/2 cup chopped spinach
2 tablespoons reduced-fat shredded Mexican-blend part-skim Mozzarella cheese
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground flaxseed
1 teaspoon garlic powder


I used my food processor to chop the onions this time. Usually when I make them, I hand-chop, but that creates too chunky of an onion. The food processor created the perfect consistency.I also used it on the spinach, but didn't take a picture of the result.

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk egg. Add everything else, mixing it--your hands are the best tool--until well blended. Form into four patties. Place burgers in a grill pan or nonstick skillet that's heated over medium-high.



Cook 6 minutes per side or to desired level of doneness.(I must make mine thicker than they do, because mine took about 7-8 min per side to cook through)

Servings: 4 (Wrap any extra burgers in plastic and freeze them for later.)



Nutrition Information
Per serving: 263 calories, 27 g protein, 8 g carbohydrates, 13 g fat (5 g saturated), 1 g fiber, 416 mg sodium

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

I've had this crock-pot for a couple years now (inherited from my mom), and I've never really cooked with it. Usually, I just make a large meal on Sunday so we can eat it during the week because our busy schedules don't really allow the pleasure of cooking on a weekday. If I can learn to use the crock-pot, we can start to have some variety in our meals.

So, this is my first attempt at a whole meal in the crock-pot. I thought I would start easy with a simple recipe like beef stew.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups beef broth

3 potatoes, diced

4 carrots, sliced

1 stalk celery, chopped

Directions:

Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl, mix together flour, salt and pepper, and pour over meat. Stir to coat the meat with the mixture. Once mixed thoroughly, add remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.

Servings: about 6

Modifications:

1. I added a cup of red wine to the crock-pot for a little more depth.

2. I used a bag of the pre-cut carrots.

3. I used 4 potatoes instead of 3.

4. I bought the beef already cubed.

Review:

For my first attempt at the crock-pot on a weekday, I would say this was very good. It's a very hearty meal, and would be a perfect dinner for the winter months. The next time I make this, I will probably add some red pepper flakes or something to give it a little kick. Other than the spice factor, the recipe was very good, and very easy. I prepared the whole thing in the morning before work and it only took about 10 minutes.