The Nifty Foodie

Beef

Pot Roast

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On our honeymoon, my fabulous DH brought me to the outlets in Orlando, where there was a Le Creuset outlet. I was overwhelmed by the beautiful cookware there, but I was on a mission – to get a 5 quart dutch oven in a pretty, fun color!

And did I? Yes, yes I did! I bought a dijon colored one for just over $100, because I purchased a “second quality” oven and also had a 40% off coupon given to me by the lady working there. Second quality still has the lifetime warranty, and it’s called second quality because of purely just cosmetic flaws. I don’t personally see flaws, so I was super stoked to buy it!

I promised DH I would break this bad boy in with a pot roast, and I found the perfect recipe on Cooking Light online. This recipe did not disappoint at all.

I made a few adaptations, which are noted in red.

Classic Pot Roast
Source: Cooking Light

Ingredients:

  • 1  teaspoon  olive oil
  • 1  (3-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed (We used rump roast..it was on sale!)
  • 1  teaspoon  kosher salt
  • 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
  • 2  cups  coarsely chopped onion
  • 1  cup  dry red wine
  • 4  thyme sprigs
  • 3  garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 head of garlic
  • 1  (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
  • 1  bay leaf
  • 4  large carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
  • 2  pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 pound whole mushrooms, cleaned
  • Fresh thyme leaves (optional)

Directions:

  1. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chuck roast with salt and pepper. Cut small slits in the roast and put cloves of garlic in for flavor. Add roast to pan; cook 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove roast from pan. Add onion to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender.
  2. Return browned roast to pan. Add the red wine, thyme sprigs, chopped garlic, beef broth, and bay leaf to pan; bring to a simmer. Cover pan and bake at 350° for 1 1/2 hours or until the roast is almost tender.
  3. Add carrots, mushrooms and potatoes to pan. Cover and bake an additional 1 hour or until vegetables are tender. Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaf from pan; discard. Shred meat with 2 forks. Serve roast with vegetable mixture and cooking liquid. Garnish with thyme leaves, if desired.

Baked Pizza Casserole

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I like to peruse The Nest a lot. I read forums about cooking (of course), gardening, financial matters and fitness. I found this blog on the health & fitness forum and I’m SO glad I did. Amanda of Random Ramblings posted this great recipe that I just had to try. It’s W/W friendly and involves PIZZA. I’m there!

Baked Pizza Casserole
Source: adapted from Random Ramblings

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb lean beef
  • 1 can chunky italian tomato sauce
  • 1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese  (We used 1 1/2 cups…I love cheese!)
  • 1 refrigerated roll of pizza dough
  • 1/2 tsp. each of oregano, marjoram and basil
  • 1 tsp. each of salt and pepper

Directions:

  2. Brown meat in a pot and add spices during the cooking time. Add tomato sauce and stir together.
  3. Put meat mixture into pan. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Add cheese and cook another 5 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Spray a 9×13 pan (or use parchment like I did) and spread dough onto bottom. Make sure it goes up the side a little to catch the toppings when you put them in the pan.

 
Serves: 6   POINTS* value: 8 (since I added extra cheese!)

Salisbury Steak

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Again, here is a recipe I made way back when in the planning days. We had some ground beef thawing in the fridge, and we weren’t in the mood for burgers. So, I came across this recipe and decided that we should give it a try.

These were very juicy and flavorful salisbury steaks. I would definitely make these again!

Salisbury Steaks
Source: Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

  • 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed French onion soup
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
  • 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

Directions:

  1. In a large bowl, mix together 1/3 cup condensed French onion soup with ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, salt and black pepper. Shape into 6 oval patties.
  2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown both sides of patties. Pour off excess fat.
  3. In a small bowl, blend flour and remaining soup until smooth. Mix in ketchup, water, Worcestershire sauce and mustard powder. Pour over meat in skillet. Cover, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Throwdown Meatloaf

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I LOVE watching Throwdown. I really enjoy watching family based businesses flourish, and enjoy when they take on Bobby Flay (and most of the time, win!!!).

So, Joey and I have a love for meatloaf. We decided to try the Colluci Bros. recipe featured on Throwdown, and we were NOT disappointed!! We made homemade mashed yukon gold potatoes as well, and this made for a great addition to the meatloaf!

Meatloaf
Source: Food Network, courtesy of Colluci Bros.

Ingredients:

  • Salad oil
  • 1 carrot, small to medium dice
  • 2 stalks celery, small to medium dice
  • 1 medium onion, small to medium dice
  • 2 pounds ground beef (we used 1 lb. beef, 1 lb. turkey)
  • 2 eggs
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Dash hot sauce (We used Louisiana loved Tabasco)
  • Dash Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 slices bread (we used whole wheat)
  • 1/2 cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs
  • Ketchup

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven at 375 degrees F.
  2. In a medium-sized saute pan, put 2 dribbles of salad oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onions and saute, about 5 minutes. Put aside and let cool.
  3. In large bowl put the carrot mixture, ground beef and remaining ingredients, except for the bread, the bread crumbs and ketchup. Soak the bread in cold water, then squeeze water out (like a sponge) and drain it. Add to the ground beef and mix. (A stand mixer is may help make it easier). Add the bread crumbs and mix.
  4. Roll into firm loaf, spread ketchup over the top, and place into preheated oven for approximately 45 to 55 minutes, or until cooked through. Take out and serve hot.

Beef Wellington

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I decided to go all out for Valentine’s Day for my fiance. I found filet on sale at my local grocery store, so I bought a couple. I decided to go beyond grilled filet and make this recipe that I’ve been drooling over in my Google Reader. Thanks to Annie’s Eats for this simpler version of Beef Wellington.

Beef Wellington
Source: Annie’s Eats

Ingredients:

  • 2 (6-oz.) thickly cut filet mignons
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp. minced shallots
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • 8-10 oz. button mushrooms, wiped clean, stemmed and finely chopped
  • 2 ½ tbsp. dry white wine
  • 1-2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed (enough for two 7-inch squares)
  • 1 egg beaten with 2 tsp. water for egg wash

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Season both sides of each filet with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the filets and sear for 1 minute on each side for medium-rare. (I ended up doing 4 minutes on each side for medium well) Transfer to a plate to cool completely.
  3. While the filets cool, prepare the mushroom duxelles. Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and reduce the heat to medium; cook, stirring, until all the liquid had evaporated and the mushrooms begin to caramelize, about 12 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring to deglaze the pan, until all the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat and let cool before using.
  4. Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface and cut into two 7-inch squares. Spread up to half of the mushroom duxelles on top of each filet. Place each filet, mushroom side down, in the center of a puff pastry square. Using a pastry brush, paint the inside edges of the puff pastry with the egg wash. Fold the pastry over the filet as though wrapping a package and press the edges to seal. Place the packages seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet. (I didn’t wrap it around the bottom of the filet b/c I thought it would result in soggy puff pastry.) Brush the egg wash over the tops and sides of each package and bake until the pastry is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Beef Daube Provencal

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I was searching for the perfect beef stew recipe, and was pointed out to this recipe by someone on the What’s Cooking board that I frequent. I have to thank her so much for pointing me to this recipe because I would have never made it or known to search for it. 🙂 This was a wonderful recipe! FI went for seconds and he RARELY does that for anything I cook! I guess my skills are growing!

Beef Daube Provencal
Source: Cooking Light

Ingredients:

  • 2  teaspoons  olive oil
  • 12  garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1  (2-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes (I used extra lean stew meat)
  • 1 1/2  teaspoons  salt, divided
  • 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper, divided
  • 1  cup  red wine (I used 12 oz.)
  • 2  cups  chopped carrot
  • 1 1/2  cups  chopped onion
  • 1/2  cup  less-sodium beef broth
  • 1  tablespoon  tomato paste
  • 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh thyme
  • Dash of ground cloves
  • 1  (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1  bay leaf
  • 3  cups  hot cooked medium egg noodles (about 4 cups uncooked noodles)
  • Chopped fresh thyme (optional)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 300°.
  2. Heat olive oil in a small Dutch oven over low heat. Add garlic to pan; cook for 5 minutes or until garlic is fragrant, stirring occasionally. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon; set aside. Increase heat to medium-high. Add beef to pan. Sprinkle beef with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove beef from pan. Add wine to pan, and bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add garlic, beef, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, carrot, and next 8 ingredients (through bay leaf) to pan; bring to a boil.
  3. Cover and bake at 300° for 2 1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Discard bay leaf. Serve over noodles. Garnish with chopped fresh thyme, if desired.

Note: To make in a slow cooker, prepare through Step 2. Place beef mixture in an electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 5 hours.

Serves: 6

POINTS*: 8 (with noodles)

Guinness Braised Beef Brisket

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This is a recipe I found off Cooking Light. It was our first experience with a slow cooker, and I learned the lesson of never, ever open the cover of the slow cooker…after 8 hours, we seared the brisket in the Le Creuset and put it in the oven at 350 for 1 additional hour. The meat was still super tender (the meat literally fell apart) and was delicious!


Ingredients
2 cups water
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup Guinness stout
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh or 1 tablespoon dried dill
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can low-salt beef broth
6 black peppercorns
2 whole cloves
1 (3-pound) cured corned beef brisket, trimmed

Preparation
Combine first 11 ingredients in a large electric slow cooker, stirring until well blended; top with beef. Cover and cook on HIGH 8 hours or until beef is tender. Remove beef; cut diagonally across grain into 1/4-inch slices. Discard broth mixture.

Yield
6 servings (serving size: 3 ounces)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 226(39% from fat); FAT 9.7g (sat 3.2g,mono 4.7g,poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 17.9g; CHOLESTEROL 87mg; CALCIUM 28mg; SODIUM 1105mg; FIBER 0.9g; IRON 2.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 15.2g

Points: 5*

Steak Sandwich Delight!

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I had been craving beef for quite some time and let me tell you, it was well worth the wait! My dad brought home tons of hamburger buns, leftover from a concession stand at the rec park he coaches at, so this used them quite nicely. This recipe was yum! I would recommend tenderizing the meat more than the marinade does though. It was a slight bit tough!

Enjoy this with some grated cheese…I had pepperjack..yum!

Source: Cooking Light

Ingredients

Steak:
3/4 cup cola (used diet cola)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (used balsamic)
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bay leaf, crushed (didn’t have this)
1 (1 1/2-pound) flank steak, trimmed

Remaining ingredients:
Cooking spray
6 (1/2-inch-thick) slices Vidalia onion
6 (2-ounce) Kaiser rolls (I used hamburger buns)
12 (1/4-inch-thick) slices tomato

Preparation
To prepare steak, combine first 7 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add steak; seal and marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours, turning bag occasionally. Remove steak from bag, reserving marinade. Pour marinade into a microwave-safe bowl; microwave at high 2 minutes or until mixture comes to a boil. Set aside.
(forgot to do this step…may have played a huge factor in tenderizing the meat!)
Prepare grill.

Place steak on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 8 minutes on each side or until steak is medium-rare or desired degree of doneness. Remove steak from grill; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Place onion slices on grill rack; grill 4 minutes on each side, basting occasionally with reserved marinade. Place rolls on grill rack, cut sides down; grill 2 minutes or until lightly browned.

My trusty Foreman!

Basting…

*Drool*

Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices. Spread 2 tablespoons dressing on bottom half of each roll. Divide steak, tomato, and onion evenly among bottom halves of rolls. Top with top halves of rolls.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 sandwich)
Nutritional Information

CALORIES 417(24% from fat); FAT 11g (sat 3.3g,mono 3.8g,poly 2.2g); PROTEIN 30.5g; CHOLESTEROL 38mg; CALCIUM 104mg; SODIUM 747mg; FIBER 3.2g; IRON 3.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 49.1g