Mun's Dutch Oven Classic Beef Stew

 

Image from Here

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 TBS butter
1 pounds boneless sirloin tip, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered
2 medium sliced red or yellow onions
3 sliced medium carrots
2 medium parsnips peeled and sliced
4 large red new potatoes unpeeled, cut lengthwise into 4, then cut in half lengthwise,
10 ounces frozen pearl onions (about 1 3/4 cups)
6 small garlic cloves, smashed
1 cup cooking masala wine
1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour (omit for gluten free version)
1 quart beef stock, divided
1 herb bundle tied with kitchen twine: 2 sprigs fresh thyme (or 2 tsp. dried thyme) and 4 large sprigs of parsley, and 2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh chives for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Sprinkle beef with pepper and 1 teaspoon salt and cook until well browned on 2 sides, 4 minutes per side. Transfer browned beef to a plate or bowl and set aside.

2. Add butter and mushrooms to Dutch oven, and cook, stirring often, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate or bowl. Add sliced onions and cook until begin to brown, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add masala wine; cook until liquid has almost evaporated, 6 to 7 minutes, stirring and scraping to loosen browned bits from bottom of Dutch oven.

3. Whisk together flour and 1 cup of the stock in a small bowl; whisk into mixture in Dutch oven until incorporated. Stir in carrots, potatoes, parsnips, mushrooms, beef, herb bundle, bay leaves, pearl onions, remaining 3 cups stock, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil.

4. Stir in mustard and red wine vinegar into beef mixture. Cover and bake in 350-degree oven for 1 1⁄2 hours. Remove from oven; discard herb bundle and bay leaves. Ladle stew into soup bowls and sprinkle with chives.

Michelle's Slow Cooker (or Instant Pot) Beef Stew

Stew is a classic.  This is a simple and hearty meal that men particularly like.  Serve with warm biscuits if you want to have extra happy diners!  Note, when making stew, try to have all your vegetables/meat cut to the same size so they cook more similarly. Image from here. 

INGREDIENTS:
1-2 lbs beef stew meat (1 inch cubes)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp paprika (smoked paprika is good too!)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups beef broth
3 potatoes, diced
4 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 can petite diced tomatoes
*optional--can also add sweet potatoes, (mushrooms/peas--add these two at the very end before serving)

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Place all ingredients in the slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.  

2.  If using an instant pot, brown the meat first and cook about half-way through, then add the rest of the ingredients and pressure cook for 3-4 minutes.

3.  Serve warm in bowls (note this recipe does not have flour, so your stew will have a thinner broth).

The BEST Blue Cheese or Gorgonzola Burger

 

I made this recipe from Pioneer Woman.  It is in my TOP 2 favorite burger recipes. I'm going to assume you've made burgers a lot, so there won't be a lot of specifics here :)

Image and recipe ideas from Pioneer Woman

Toasted Bun of choice

Spread mayo and 3-6 drops of Tabasco sauce on one side of the toasted bun

Hamburger (add some cracked pepper during cooking process)

Lettuce Greens

Carmalized red onions (caramelize with butter and a little brown sugar)

Blue OR Gorgonzola Cheese

Bacon (optional)

Bacon Jam (Optional)

Burger Salad

If you're wanting a new salad or are looking for a new Keto recipe...look no further!

Picture from 40aprons

INGREDIENTS--get creative!

Salad greens (romaine, iceberg, spinach)

red onion (carmelized for extra tastiness)

bacon, cooked/crumbled

ground beef, cooked and fat drained

cheese (blue cheese or cheddar are my favorite)

pickles

mushrooms

tomatoes

avocado

Sauce/dressing of choice (mayo, coconut aminos, ranch, etc)

Taco Soup (chicken or beef)

I love taco salad, so I guess it makes sense that I love this hearty taco soup (I often even use leftovers for "taco salad" the next few days).  Fall is never complete if I don't whip up some of this.  My family loves this meal.  It is also a great meal for entertaining.

Makes 6-8 servings
Ingredients:
1 c. ground beef (cooked) or 1 c. cooked/diced chicken
1 medium onion, chopped
2 bell peppers chopped (any color)
1.5 oz taco seasoning
1 16 oz can corn
1 16 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 14 oz can stewed tomatoes (blend this up before adding if you don't like huge tomato chunks)
1 14 oz can petite diced tomatoes
1 14 oz can tomato sauce
1 4 oz can green chilies
Tortilla chips, cheese, avocado(a must in my opinion!), sour cream, fresh tomatoes for topping
1.  Caramelize onion in 3 TBS olive oil over medium heat for 7-10 minutes.  
2.  Add all other ingredients (except toppings) and simmer on low for 20-30 minutes.  
3.  Serve warm with desired toppings.

Korean Rice Bowls

 I love eating at family members homes.  Their food always tastes so good!  Here is a tasty recipe from one of my amazing sister-in-laws!  This makes a great "Pot-luck" meal where you can divide out topping assignments.

1 ½ lbs ground turkey or ground beef or ground chicken

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

Salt and pepper

½ c brown sugar

1 c low­ sodium soy sauce

½ c low ­sodium chicken or beef broth

2 TBS sesame oil

½ tsp red pepper flakes 

2 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger

Garnishes/Toppings:

green onions, chopped

Hot, cooked sticky rice

Romaine lettuce, chopped
shredded carrots
red peppers, chopped
mung bean sprouts
spinach
sesame seeds
roasted zucchini

• Start the rice cooking according to package directions.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, add the meat, garlic and ¼ tsp salt and pepper. Cook, stirring to break the meat into small pieces, until the meat is cooked through and crumbly, about 7­10 minutes. Drain any excess grease.
• In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the brown sugar, soy sauce, broth, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and ginger.  Stir the sauce into the meat and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes or so. 
• In serving bowls layer lettuce, rice, and meat with sauce.  Serve topped with green onion, shredded carrots, sesame seeds. 

Gourment Taco Sald--Mexican Mess

Growing up this was called Mexican Mess in my family. It's really just a delicious taco salad variation. It is VERY easy to make with four simple ingredients...but the meat prep takes a little extra work.

In 9x13 pan layer:
1 15 oz can refried beans
2 cups shredded eye of round roast (see recipe below)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 small bottle Medium Pace Salsa

-Cover with foil and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes or 350 for 30 minutes
-Serve over bed of shredded lettuce. Top with salsa, diced tomatoes, guacamole, cheese, sour cream, creamy cilantro ranch dressing, corn chips, etc.

Meat Recipe:
Brown Eye of Round steaks (about 2 1/2-3 lbs) in frying pan (about 2 minutes on each side). Place steaks in crockpot with 1 cup water and 1 envelope of Lipton Dry Onion Soup. Bake on low for 8 hours. Shred meat.

Hints: I like to buy a large Roast from Sams or Costco, then cut it up into steaks. Then I have extra to freeze. This meet works well to make BBQ sandwiches or steak tacos, etc.

Veggie Sloppy Joes

I was craving sloppy joes the other day. I don't think I've EVER made sloppy joes! This recipe turned out great. My children loved them, although they found the name "Sloppy Joe" weird!

In large skillet, brown beef with the following:
1/2 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
2 green peppers, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced

Drain grease and Add:
2 TBS brown sugar
2 TBS Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. chicken broth
15 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 c. BBQ sauce
salt/pepper to taste
-Simmer 5 minutes then spoon mixture onto wheat bun or bread (I prefer it toasted).

Vegetarian Taco Salad

Taco Salad is one of my husband's favorite meals. We eat some form of this taco salad at least once a week. My recipe varies slightly every time I make it depending on the beans in my pantry...and every other batch I usually make a bean/meat mixture omitting the carrots and pepper and adding 1 1/2 cups browned hamburger meat.

Carmelize with a little olive oil:
1 large yellow onion
Add:
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 bag shredded carrots
3 cans black beans, drained
2 cans kidney beans, drained
2 cans pinto beans, drained
2 15 oz cans plain tomato sauce
1 15 oz can diced petite tomatoes (optional)
1 TBS prepared mustard
1/4 cup water
Taco Seasoning to Taste

-Serve warmed bean mixture over bed of lettuce. Top with shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, fresh guacomole, chips, etc.
-This freezes very well! You can also use this as a filling for quesadillas or tacos.

Mock Steak Sandwiches

Normally your steak sandwich is mostly meat. I prefer to go heavy on the veggies and light on the meat. Using a high vegetable to meat ratio, you get this delicious sandwich which you can serve closed or open-faced. My whole family loves this recipe. Below are approx. ratios...

1-2 bell peppers, diced (red, yellow, green)
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2-3 roma tomatoes, diced
4-8 mushrooms, sliced
1 c. browned hamburger meat (browned and seasoned with garlic salt)
mozzarella or Swiss cheese
salt/fresh pepper to taste
-Caramelize the onion in 1 TBS olive oil for 3 minutes. Add the peppers and cook 3 more minutes. Then add the tomatoes and mushrooms if desired and cook 2 more minutes. Add browned hamburger meat and mix together. Serve on top of whole grain bread (picture on whole grain ciabatta bread) sprinkling grated mozzarella or swiss cheese over warmed filling. You can also toast the sandwich (or broil) if you like your bread crunchy (which of course I ALWAYS DO!).

Spaghetti Pie

This is a twist on your traditional spaghetti and meatballs meal. Using whole grain pasta works very well. This is a recipe I've modified that came from a family I used to babysit for. It freezes great or works well to make ahead of time. I've taken this dish to friends and family often when they need a meal. Serve with wheat garlic bread (buy wheat french bread), salad, and steamed veggies.

Crust:
8-10oz whole grain linguine, spaghetti, or angel hair pasta
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1 TBS dried parsley
1 TBS butter (or whipped butter)
-Cook pasta and drain until dry. Combine cooked pasta with egg, cheese, and butter. Press mixture into bottom and sides of 9" pie plate.
Crust Topping:
1/2-3/4 cup cottage cheese
1 egg, beaten
-Combine cottage cheese and egg and spread on top of cooked pasta.

Meat Sauce Topping:
1 1/2-2 cups cooked ground beef (Browned with onion)
1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce (my favorite Bertolli's organic Tomato and Basil)
-Spread meat/sauce mixture on top of cottage cheese mixture.
-Top meat mixture with 1/2 cup mozzerella cheese.
-Bake 350 for 20-30 minutes (depending on if it has been refrigerated before cooking)
-Cut into pie wedges and serve.

-Note: Most grocery stores carry whole grain or whole wheat pasta now. I find the spaghetti type pasta substitutes very easily into recipes that use that type of pasta. I have a couple more recipes I'll post later that use it. Ronzini Healthy Harvest is a common brand.