Korean Beef Noodles

This was a yummy dinner we enjoyed (with chopsticks, of course!), courtesy of the latest Food Network Magazine. I really liked using the cellophane noodles, a little something different from the usual. I had to adapt the ingredients slightly due to what I had on hand, but in the end this was a great Asian-style meal that I'd like to have again.

Korean Beef Noodles


Ingredients 

1 5-to-6-ounce package cellophane noodles (I only used about 3/4 package)
1/3 cup soy sauce
5 Tbsp. sesame oil (That is a LOT of sesame oil! I only had about 2 Tbsp. left in my bottle. I added a little oyster sauce and some extra soy sauce to make up for it)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
12 oz. skirt steak, sliced 1/4 inch thick against the grain (I used a thin-cut sirloin)
1 yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch wedges 
Kosher salt 
10 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed (I used cremini)
1 cup shredded carrots (from about 3 carrots) 
6 cups baby spinach (about 10 ounces) 


Directions 


Soak the noodles in warm water to soften, 5 to 10 minutes, then drain and snip into pieces with kitchen shears. 


Meanwhile, combine the soy sauce, 3 tablespoons sesame oil, the garlic, brown sugar and vinegar in a bowl. Put the beef in another bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce mixture. 


Heat 2 teaspoons sesame oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add the onion and 1 teaspoon salt and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add the beef and stir-fry until just cooked through. Transfer to a bowl. 


Rinse and wipe out the skillet, return to the heat and add 2 teaspoons sesame oil. Add the mushrooms and carrots; stir-fry 3 minutes. Add the noodles and 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce mixture and stir-fry 1 minute; add 1/3 cup water and cook until the noodles are just tender, 3 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the beef. 


Wipe out the skillet, return to the heat and add the remaining 2 teaspoons sesame oil. Add the spinach and the remaining soy sauce mixture and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add to the beef and toss.

Tex-Mex Beef Enchiladas

I found this recipe on Everyday Food, and Marci had also posted an adaptation on her blog, so I decided to stray from our usual Perfect Enchiladas and try this...and I was glad I did! I used elements from both versions to make mine. I love chipotle flavor and was already planning on doing my favorite Mexican Chicken Lime Soup this week, so this was a great way to get more use out of the chipotles I was going to buy anyway. The only thing I worry about with chipotles is that they can be too overwhelming, but this sauce used just the right amount where the flavor comes through without too much heat. I'm already trying to think of more ways I can use this sauce!


Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 can (14.5 ounces) reduced sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 canned chipotle chile in adobo, minced, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from can
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 pound lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
8-10 corn tortillas (6-inch)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

1. Make sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add flour and cook, whisking occasionally, 1 minute. Add broth, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, chipotle and adobo sauce, and 3/4 cup water; bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat, stir in 1/4 cup cilantro and simmer until lightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

2. Make filling: In a nonstick skillet, add onion, garlic, and beef; season with salt, pepper, and some cumin (optional). Cook, stirring, until cooked through, about 8 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 450°. Spoon 1/4 cup sauce in bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Set aside. Make enchiladas: Heat tortillas about 30-45 seconds in the microwave to soften. Fill each with a heaping 1/4 cup beef mixture and 2 tablespoons cheese; tightly roll up.

4. Arrange enchiladas, seam side down, in baking dish. Top with remaining sauce; sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, until hot and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. Serve garnished with additional cilantro.

Taco Meat Loaf

I used to be scared of meat loaf but once I found that it didn't have to be a dry lump of meat served with ketchup, and that you can change it up with any variety of flavors you want, I'm becoming more of a fan. This yummy version smelled soooo good while it was cooking I couldn't wait to eat it, and it didn't disappoint.

Taco Meat Loaf
from Cooking with Paula Deen, Sep/Oct 2009

Ingredients

2 lbs. ground chuck
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 (1 oz) pkg. taco seasoning mix
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 large egg
1 cup crushed tortilla chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2. In a large bowl, combine ground chuck, onion, cilantro, and taco seasoning mix. Add tomato sauce and egg, stirring to combine. using hands, work in crushed tortilla chips until mixture is combined. Shape into a 10" loaf on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until meat loaf is cooked through. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Macaroni Mambo

I found this recipe on Eating Well, and although it seemed like a glorified hamburger helper, it had lots of good ingredients and was something even Baby Madyson could eat, so I went for it.

The only issue was that it was originally called "Hamburger Buddy". Seriously. How unappetizing is that name? It sounds like a toy from a happy meal or something, not dinner. So I decided that if I were going to take a chance with this one, it would have to be called something different. And that is how we came to enjoy Macaroni Mambo.

Its pretty good, and I think I'll be making it again because you can disguise lots of veggies in it (I added in some fresh spinach) and the overall flavor is mild enough for picky eaters.

Ingredients
adapted from Eating Well
3 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
2 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
10 ounces white mushrooms, large ones cut in half
1 large onion, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 pound 90%-lean ground beef
1/4 tsp. ground thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
4 cups beef broth, divided
8 ounces whole-wheat elbow noodles, (2 cups)
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 Tbsp.chopped fresh parsley, or chives for garnish

Directions

1.Fit a food processor with the steel blade attachment. With the motor running, drop garlic through the feed tube and process until minced, then add carrots and mushrooms and process until finely chopped. Turn it off, add onion, and pulse until roughly chopped.

2.Cook beef in a large straight-sided skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped vegetables, thyme, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables start to soften and the mushrooms release their juices, 5 to 7 minutes.

3.Stir in water, 1 1/2 cups broth, noodles, spinach and Worcestershire sauce; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

4.Whisk tomato paste with the remaining 1/4 cup broth in a small bowl until smooth, then whisk in flour until smooth. Stir into the hamburger mixture. Stir in the sour cream. Simmer, stirring often, until the sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve sprinkled with parsley (or chives), if desired.

Mexican Beef Stew

I started out with an entirely different plan for this meal, but when I pulled out the recipe for what I had intended to make, I decided it really didn't sound good and changed direction. I did a little search for something that would include all the ingredients I had planned on using, as well as a few other things I had on hand, and came up with the idea for this "stew".

I ended up straining off most of the liquid at the end and serving the meat and vegetables over rice with some homemade guacamole and baked tortilla chips (yes, at the risk of carb overload), and it was delicious. You could just as easily thicken up the broth a little more and enjoy it as a more traditional stew with some fresh tortilla or cornbread...yum!

Ingredients

1 lb. beef stew meat
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 mediun onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground thyme
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 cups beef broth
2 large red potatoes, diced

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine stew meat, red pepper, onion, jalapeno and garlic. In a separate bowl, combine flour, chili powder, cumin, black pepper, salt, thyme, and cayenne. Mix well, then add to the meat and vegetable mixture and stir to coat.

2. Transfer meat and vegetable to a slow cooker and pour beef broth to cover. Cook on low for 6 hours. Add potatoes and cook 2 hours more or until potatoes are tender (can turn up to high at this point to speed the cooking of the potatoes).

Beef and Portobello Mushroom Stroganoff

I'm starting to like anything that ends with "Stroganoff". It means you can mix up some broth and a little reduced-fat sour cream and you get a nice, light cream sauce that you enjoy without feeling guilty!

This one, also from Jillian Michaels, was really good. I know a meal is a hit when my husband says "I'd have that again". We both agreed that this would be just as good meatless - all those portobellos certainly hold up enough on their own!

Ingredients

2 tsp. plus 1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 lb. beek flank steak, trimmed
4 large portobello mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
1 large onion, sliced
3/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
14 oz. (1 can) reduced-sodium beef broth
2 Tbsp. liqueur, cognac or brandy (I didn't add this)
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar (didn't add this either)
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
4 Tbsp. fresh chives

Directions
1. Heat 2 tsp. oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add steak and cook until browned on both sides, 3-4 minutes per side. The meat will be rare but will continue to cook as it rests. (I had a pretty thick piece, so I needed about 6-7 minutes on each side). Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut lenghtwise into 2 long pieces, then crosswise across the grain into 1/4" thick slices.

2. Heat the remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in the pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion, thyme, salt and pepper adn cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned, 8-12 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables; stir to coat.

3. Stir in broth, cognac and vinegar (if using) and bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue cooking, stirring often, until the mxture is thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in sour cream, chives, the sliced steak and any accumulated juices. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until heated through.

I served over brown rice.

Nutrition
4 servings
Each serving has 404 calories, 19g fat, 14g carbs, 37g protein

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients

2 lbs. top round steak, cut into 1" cubes
Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
1 - 26 oz. can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 - 4 oz. can sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup diced onion
*I had some leftover French Onion soup that I used for the broth/onions and it worked great

Directions

1. Place meat in the bottom of slow cooker, and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

2. In a large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients. Pour over meat. Cook on low 7-8 hours. Thicken with a little cornstarch slurry, if desired, and serve meat and gravy over rice or noodles.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

It doesn't get any easier than this...

Ingredients

2 (10 3/4 oz) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 package dry onion soup mix
1 1/4 cups water or beef broth
1/2 cup sliced onion
1 (4 oz) can sliced mushrooms
1 - 5 1/2 lb. pot roast

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine soup, soup mix, water, onion and mushrooms. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. Place roast in slow cooker. Pour soup mixture over the roast and turn to coat. Cook on high 3-4 hours or low 8-9 hours.

Once its done, I'll thicken the gravy with a little cornstarch slurry, and serve the meat and gravy with rice or potatoes.

Spicy Albondigas

Meatballs = Totally not my thing

I don't make them. I don't eat them. They've never appealed to me.

And then I found this recipe and was very intrigued, but I almost passed on it because of the whole meatball thing.

Oh. But these aren't meatballs. No, no.

They're albondigas.

It was the name that convinced me. Its too fun to say. I pranced around the house chanting "albondigas" while they were cooking. True story.

I'm glad I didn't pass on this one because it was delicious. The meatballs totally take on the great flavor of the spicy broth (instead of tasting like, well, balls of meat) and had such a nice, soft texture too. It will definitely be added into our dinner rotation - and I'm enjoying the leftovers for lunch today!

Spicy Albondigas
original recipe from Allrecipes.com (I reduced it down, so I'm posting a version with my changes)

Ingredients

Meatballs
1 lb. lean ground beef (could also use turkey)
1 egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup uncooked white rice
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Soup
5 cups chicken broth
2 carrots, sliced (I used about 2 handfuls of baby carrots)
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers (such as RO*TEL®)
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce (I used a spicy Mexican tomato sauce)
1 (7 ounce) can diced green chiles, drained (I didn't use this because of the spicy tomato sauce, and I didn't miss them)
1 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tsp. ground cumin

Directions

1. Combine ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, rice, cumin, garlic powder, and salt in a large bowl. Mix well.

2. Bring chicken broth to a boil over medium heat in a large kettle.

3. Form the beef mixture into 1 inch meatballs, using about 1 1/2 tablespoons of meat for each. Turn the heat down under the chicken broth to a simmer and drop the meatballs into the broth. Simmer the meatballs in the broth for 20 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through.

4. Stir in the carrots, onion, celery, canned diced tomatoes with green chiles, tomato sauce, canned chiles, cilantro, garlic powder, oregano, and cumin. Simmer the soup for 1 hour to cook the vegetables and blend the flavors. (I let mine cook for over an hour and a half, and it reduced down to a more stew-like consistency)

We topped ours with some fresh avocado and served with fresh, homemade tortilla chips.

Perfect Enchiladas

My new favorite recipe for enchiladas comes from Pioneer Woman. The sauce is so good we eat it just with chips and have used it on other things like pork tacos....yuuummm!

*Picture from PW

They are a bit time consuming, but you can get the sauce and meat prepared ahead of time to cut down on the prep time.

Ingredients

FOR THE SAUCE:
1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
1 Tablespoon All-purpose Flour
1 can (28 Ounce) Enchilada Or Red Sauce
2 cups Chicken Broth
½ teaspoons Salt
½ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Chopped Cilantro
_____
FOR THE MEAT:
1-½ pounds Ground Beef
1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
2 cans (4 Ounce) Diced Green Chilies
½ teaspoons Seasoned Salt
_____
FOR THE TORTILLAS:
10 whole (to 14) Corn Tortillas
½ cups Canola Oil
_____
TO ASSEMBLE:
3 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
½ cup Chopped Black Olives
1 cup Chopped Green Onions
½ cup Chopped Cilantro

Preparation Instructions

Step #1 – The Sauce.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, add oil and flour and whisk together to make a paste, cooking for one minute. Pour in the red sauce, chicken broth, cilantro, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30-45 minutes.

* My note: I find the sauce is still pretty runny after the suggested cooking time, which is fine for the enchiladas...but when we used it for pork tacos, I let it simmer for several hours and it thickened up really nicely.

Step #2 – The Meat.
Brown the meat with onions in a skillet. Drain off fat. Stir in 2 cans diced green chilies and seasoned salt. Set aside.

Step #3 – Tortillas.
Heat canola oil in a small skillet over medium heat. One by one, using tongs, fry tortillas in oil until soft, not crisp – about 30 seconds per side. Remove to a paper—towel lined plate. Repeat until all tortillas have been fried.

Step #4 – Assembly.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour ½ cup red sauce in bottom of baking pan. Spread to even out. Dip each tortilla into red sauce, then remove to work surface. Spoon meat, a little grated cheese, a little black olives, and green onions in the center of tortilla. Roll up and place, seam down, in baking pan. Repeat until pan is filled. Pour extra red sauce over enchiladas. Top with remaining cheddar cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle cilantro over enchiladas before serving.