Sunday, October 20, 2013

Beef Stew



Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds chopped beef chuck
2 thick slices of bacon, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
2 cups beef broth
2 cups red wine
1 Tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 Tablespoon vegetable oil
3 Yukon gold potatoes
Bread of choice


Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cook chopped bacon until slightly crispy, remove from dutch oven.  Toss beef in flour, salt and pepper until evenly coated.  Add 1-2 Tablespoons vegetable oil to heated dutch oven.  Add beef and cook until most sides are browned.  Add chopped garlic and bacon.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, careful not to burn the garlic.
Add beef broth and red wine.  Add rosemary, thyme, sage and worcestershire sauce.  While waiting to bring broth to a boil, deglaze the pan (scrape flat spatula on bottom of pan).

Once broth comes to a boil cover and place in preheated oven.  Bake for 3 hours.  During the last hour add carrots (and any other vegetables of choice).

Peel and chop potatoes and add to pot of water.  Boil for 15-20 minutes or until fork tender.

Serve stew over potatoes and with a slice of bread or roll.  Enjoy!


*Crock pot recipe*
Follow all directions in a large pot on the stove top.  Instead of bringing to the oven, pour contents into crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Tex-Mex Quinoa Bowl



Ingredients:
1 cup dry quinoa
2 cups water
1-2 Tablespoons taco seasoning (store bought or see recipe below)
1 medium sweet potato
1 can black beans
salt and pepper to taste
toppings of choice (salsa, sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt), shredded cheese guacamole, diced tomatoes, cilantro, etc)


Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Peel and chop sweet potato. Microwave for 4-6 minutes or until soft.  Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake on foil lined baking sheet for 15-20 minutes. Heat black beans in microwave for 1-2 minutes.

Rinse quinoa then add to sauce pan with water and taco seasoning.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cover for 10-15 minutes or until water is absorbed.

Mix quinoa, black beans and sweet potatoes together. Add desired toppings and enjoy.


Taco Seasoning from allrecipes.com
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Baked Taquitos




Ingredients:
24 fresh flour tortillas
1 medium sweet potato
1 can of black beans
8 chicken breast tenderloins or 2-3 chicken breasts
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons taco seasoning (store bought or see recipe below)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup water

Instructions:
Place chicken breasts, water and taco seasoning in crock pot for 4-6 hours on low (4 hours if fresh or 6 hours if frozen). During the last hour of cooking shred the chicken and place back in crock pot.

Peel and cut sweet potato into small pieces and microwave for 4-6 minutes or until soft. Spread sweet potatoes onto a foil lined baking sheet and toss with salt, pepper and cooking spray. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mix sweet potatoes and black beans together in a small bowl. Warm a few tortillas at a time in the microwave for 15-20 seconds. Put a small amount of chicken, sweet potatoes, black beans and cheese on the bottom 1/3 of the tortilla and roll tightly. Place all taquitos in a foil lined baking dish and spray with cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Serve with salsa, guacamole or plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream). Makes 24 taquitos.

Taco Seasoning from allrecipes.com
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Pumpkin Muffin Tops with Cream Cheese Frosting






I found this recipe from Chocolate-Covered Katie. The original recipe used a lot more sugar and oil. I also omit nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice from all of my recipes only because I am allergic to it. I also used a completely different cream cheese frosting using no butter or sugar (it still tastes like the real deal).

Pumpkin Muffin Tops:
1 cup flour (white, wheat, oat, etc)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or a 1/4 teaspoon each of ginger and cloves)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup milk of choice
1/4 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Whisk all dry ingredients together, then add all wet ingredients. Mix until fully combined. Spray muffin pan with oil and fill 1/3 of the way up with mixture (if you want bars, pour mixture into greased 9" x 14" baking dish). Bake for 13-15 minutes. Let cool before frosting them. This recipe makes 18 muffin tops.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/2 cup whipped cream cheese
1-2 tablespoons honey (until desired sweetness achieved)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine ingredients. Add honey until desired sweetness is achieved.


Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Balsamic Pork Tenderloin



I got my initial idea for this recipe from Let's Dish and changed just a few ingredients.


Ingredients:
1-2lb pork tenderloin (if using frozen, cook 8 hours in the crock pot)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon Trader Joe's South African Smoke (or 1/4 teaspoon basil and paprika)
1/2 cup water

Glaze:
1/4 cup balsamic glaze
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey

Instructions:
Place pork tenderloin in crock pot. Rub garlic, salt, cumin, pepper and Smoke seasoning onto pork. Add 1/2 cup water surrounding the pork. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Mix balsamic glaze, soy sauce and honey together in a bowl. During the last hour of cooking baste the glaze on the pork every 10-15 minutes. Remove from crock pot and let rest a few minutes. Slice and enjoy!