Beef steak stir fry with veggies

What a saga this meal turned into! I couldn't find the beef for stir-fry and spent five minutes digging in the fridge. I gave up and turned to the chicken that I had reserved for Chicken with Olives. I cut up the chicken thighs, all the while thinking that there was an odor that reminded me of cat abscesses. That couldn't be a good thing, so the chicken got chucked in the trash. I pulled out the beef for the Pot Roast and cut it up. My knife was mildly dull and the meat was tough ...

Finally, we were ready to cook! And, then I needed to head to an appointment and I didn't get to eat any of it! Shaun actually ended up cooking most of it.

He says it was a good meal. Here's how it went down (loosely based on this recipe):

1 40 oz beef chuck roast, cubed into one-inch squares
1/2 cup red cooking wine
1/4 cup dark molasses
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar


Cover beef with liquid and let sit

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Slice vegetables for stir fry. I used: 2 leeks, one onions, 4 carrots (cut thinly) and a bag of frozen broccoli.

Mix together 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 inch grated ginger (unpeeled) and 2 tablespoons coconut oil

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Heat wok with 3 tablespoons of coconut oil. Add beef in a thin layer. Cook 1-2 minutes on each side, until brown. DON'T OVERCOOK. Remember, this will be cooked again later. It took 3 batches to get all the beef cooked because I didn't want to overcrowd the wok. I did cook the beef in all the liquid marinade.

Remove the beef and set aside. 

Add the vegetables and garlic/ginger liquid. Mix gentle. Cook until soft (~5 minutes). Add beef and stir together for 1-2 minutes.

Remove and eat immediately.

Spaghetti with spicy peanut sauce

This was a tasty meal that was relatively easy to make. I didn't modify it much from The Perfect Pantry's recipe. I will say, though, that it didn't quite hit the spot and I don't know if I would make it again. It didn't seem ... substantial. I got filled up with pasta without actually feeling satiated.

This is what I used:

1 inch unpeeled ginger
5 large cloves garlic, peeled
1 TB chili paste with garlic
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/2 pound spaghetti
1 napa cabbage, cut into thin pieces
1 green pepper, diced
1 pound mushrooms, sliced

I mixed the first eight ingredients in my small cuisinart (a great holiday gift from S. Thanks, S!).

While that was mixing, I cooked the spaghetti al-dente.

I diced the last four vegetables and stir fried in the wok on 350, with a few TB of sesame oil. When the spaghetti was done, I mixed the stir fried vegetables with the spaghetti and coated with peanut

Perhaps if I were more of a vegetarian, I would enjoy this dish. I think it would've benefited from some meat. :) Also, the lack of Worcestershire sauce and Soba noodles may also have hurt.

I'm curious to see what true vegetarians think of this dish, if they make it.

Inside-out stuffed peppers

We really, really liked this meal. I have always been a fan of stuffed peppers but it always seems like so much work. On the evening of this meal,  our groceries were delivered at 6 pm and I wanted to get supper on the table. This is what I did:

• Brown 1-1.5 lbs of ground beef. Drain fat
• Add one diced onion, a diced green pepper and 8 ounces frozen corn kernels and cook until soft
• I added a couple of handfuls of cooked navy and garbanzo beans because they were sitting in the fridge. I think they added some nice texture and substance, but I wouldn't go out of my way to add them
• Stir in 1-2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning and oregano
• When the onions and corn are soft, add a can of diced tomatoes. It's a plus if they are seasoned as well. I used a 14 oz can, but a 28 oz can will do nicely if you like tomatoes
• Stir occasionally and serve when heated through

This is an easy, hearty dish. We ate them with baked potato slices. I told S that next time I will add more frozen vegetables and he gave me the stink eye. I may keep this as a primarily beef meal but I think it would be good with more veggies.

Beef, squash and tomatillo slow cooker dish

 Ok, stick with me on this one. It was so good, I was almost done with my second bowl before I remembered to take a picture. The recipe is based on a stewed pork and squash recipe.

• Brown ground beef in a skillet. Drain fat. Add to crockpot.
• Add one diced onion and eight medium-sized diced tomatillas to the beef. 
• Peel and cube one butternut squash and add to the crockpot. This was the worst part, mostly because many of my knives are dulled.
• Open a can of diced tomatoes (I used one flavored with onion and garlic) and add to the mixture
• Stir together with chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. 

Simmer on low for eight hours. The meat was tender and full of flavor. I loved the nutrients from the vegetables.  S liked the beef. We really liked this meal.

Easy taco salad and sauteed spinach

This is one of J and S's favorite suppers. Unfortunately, it is neither especially cheap nor healthy. I suppose it's healthier and cheaper than food we'd buy at a restaurant ...

I tried to healthy-up my supper. I microwaved a baked potato and sauteed spinach to eat along with the taco salad. And ate it on a monkey plate. The rest of the family did not want to join me in healthying-up their meal :)

Taco salad:

• Brown 1-2 pounds of beef in a skillet. Add taco seasoning with water as directed. One of these months we will perfect our own taco seasoning
•  Crunch mission chips onto a plate. Top with beef
• Add tomatoes, black olives, canned diced chilies, diced onions, diced tomatoes, diced green pepper
• Top with sour cream, cheddar/taco cheese, salsa

A child's hand reaching for the black olives.

Any ideas how to make the taco salad healthier? Cheaper?

For the spinach, I sauteed onions in tarragon vinegar. Added defrosted frozen spinach (catch that?). Sautee until cooked through. I'm trying to up my calcium intake and I think that regular spinach will help.

Sausage and vegetable stir fry

 Herbivores and carnivores: UNITE

S made chili and it was DELICIOUS! So delicious that it disappeared before I could take pictures. We will try to document next time.

Tonight, I made a fantastic meat and veggie stir fry. The recipe is based on this recipe. I started with ground sausage, since it was just as cheap as hot dogs. Plus, I like sausage better.

Instructions:

• Brown the sausage in a frying pan
• Remove the sausage and cook vegetables. I use whatever veggies I have on hand. Tonight I used potatoes (cut up small to cook faster), carrots, frozen vegetable mix, leeks, onions and celery. The vegetables cook in the sausage juice, which adds so much flavor. I did end up adding a little olive oil to keep the potatoes from burning
• Add the sausage back and let simmer for a few minutes 
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Serve on a starch. In the past, we have put it on rice. Tonight, we put it on leftover mashed potatoes. 

Delicious! Easy, relatively inexpensive dish that packs a lot of nutrients and flavor. It's not the fastest recipe; the vegetables took about 20 minutes to cook. But, I was able to start the veggies cooking and continue working nearby.

We will definitely be making this often.

Christmas dinner: make this simple baked ham!

E woke to find mac 'n cheese in her stocking. She was ecstatic. I think she would've preferred to eat this instead of our delicious Christmas meal!



Garlic for the mashed potatoes. Mmmm. I split the potatoes in two batches. One received cream cheese and cow's milk and one received coconut milk. The garlic gave the potatoes so much flavor. Highly recommend the heavy-duty mixer.



Green beans for the casserole. It was OK. I don't think we needed more meat for the meal and S was a little disappointed that there wasn't fried onions on top. I think if I could've used butter and real cream, instead of olive oil and coconut milk it would've been better. Probably not a surprise.



Homemade bread for the stuffing. I used PWs recipe and the bread was amazing! The stuffing was good and easy to make. I think next year I will omit the meat and add more fresh herbs.



Extra bacon for snacking. Yum!


The ham was amazing. I cannot recommend this ham more. Sweet, succulent, moist. It was easy and delicious. I used a roasting bag and a liberal amount of apple juice. I basted every 20 minutes and used a roasting bag.


The dessert was OK. I used unsweetened baking chocolate and lard to keep things dairy/soy free. I wonder if that made a difference. The torte was a little dry. I also only had one 9-inch pan and had to make the cakes in batches. The second batch congealed a little and I had to warm it up to spread in the pan. I think I need to do a little reading on tortes because I think I was missing something.

Please share your torte secrets, if you have any.

Looking forward to the next big holiday meal!