Beef Stew

Beef Stew

(The next time you cook bacon save the drippings for this stew, I promise using bacon drippings to brown this beef will make all the differnce in the world)

 

· 2 ½ pounds boneless beef chuck, trimmed of excess fat and cut in 1-inch cubes

· ¾ cup flour mixed with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

· 3 tablespoons bacon drippings

· 1 large yellow onion, chopped

· 1 large whole bay leaf

· 1 small sprig fresh rosemary chopped

· 2 cups beef broth

· 6 golf-ball-size redskin potatoes, cut into cubes

· 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut in 1-inch chunks

· 2 medium celery stalks, trimmed and sliced

· 1 ½ cups  frozen yellow corn kernels

DIRECTIONSDredge beef in a large plastic zipper bag with seasoned flour and set aside.

Heat drippings in a large heavy Dutch oven over moderately high heat until ripples appear on pan bottom — 1 ½-2 minutes. Brown dredged beef in several batches in drippings, remove each batch to a bowl as it browns.  (Save some of the left over seasoned flour to add to the stew to thicken if needed)

Add onion, bay leaf, and rosemary to pot and sauté, stirring often, until onion is lightly browned.

Add potatoes, carrots, and celery, sauté for a few minutes.   Return beef to pot along with accumulated juices, add broth, and bring to a boil. (Add seasoned flour to thicken the broth, stir flour in until well combined)  Add Adjust heat so liquid bubbles gently, cover, and simmer until beef is nearly tender — about 1½ hours.

Add corn, cover, and simmer just until corn no longer tastes raw and flavors mellow — about 20 minutes. Discard bay leaf.  Taste for salt and pepper, and adjust as needed.

SOFRITO CHICKEN

I am posting this recipe on here because it turned out so fabulous I wanted someone else to try it, but I feel like I really need to give proper credit.  First most of the credit goes to Lisa and her MIL for the Bean Stew we had while we were in PR.  I made it when I got back because Ryan loved that dinner so much.  Afterwords I had sofrito left over.  So I searched for other recipies with that ingredient.  I found a recipe for Sofrito Chicken which I altered and this is what I came up with.....

SOFRITO CHICKEN

1. 1 tspvegetable oil
2. 4 whole chicken legs, separated into drumsticks and thighs
3. Salt and  black pepper
4. chili powder for dusting
5. 1 medium onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
6. 4 or 5 large heaping tablespoons of Sofrito**
7. 1 tsp thyme 
8. 1 med tomato, chopped
9. 3 cups chicken broth
10. 1 cup short-grain white rice
11. ½ teaspoon Salt

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the vegetable oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dust lightly with chili powder. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook over moderate heat until well browned, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
2. Add the onion, sofrito and thyme to the skillet and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 8 minutes.  Add the chopped tomatoes, raise the heat to high and cook until bubbling. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Stir in the rice and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and bring to a simmer. Arrange the chicken pieces on the rice, skin side up. Bake in the upper third of the oven for about 25 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked through and the rice is tender and has absorbed the stock.
3. Preheat the broiler. Broil the sofrito 6 inches from the heat for about 2 minutes, until the chicken skin is crisp. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Serve.

SOFRITO RECIPE

(Sofrito is a base ingredient in alot of Peurto Rican dishes)

1 tomato chopped

1 green pepper chopped into large squares

½  red pepper chopped into large squares

1 onion

½ head of garlic (I used about 5 or 6 cloves)

Big bunch of fresh Cilantro

Small bunch of fresh Parsley

Add all ingredients into a food processor or blender and pulse until it becomes a somewhat fine mixture. 

Apple Pear Crisp

4 large Granny Smith apples, pears or combination of both, peeled, cored and sliced thinly
1 cup white rice flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup chopped raw cashews

2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat over to 350. In bowl, mix flour and salt together. Mix in 1/4 cup maple syrup and oil until well combined. Add cashews and mix well (works best using your hands). In a separate bowl, combine the water, 1 Tbsp maple syrup and vanilla. Set aside. Layer apples, pears and any other fruit (blueberries work great) in a pie dish. Add liquid mixture to fruit and mix until all fruit is covered. Cover fruit with the dry crumble. Cover crisp with foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove foil then brown topping an additional 15 minutes, uncovered.

Buckwheat Pancakes

1 C buckwheat groats
2.5 C almond milk (or 1/2 C almond milk and 1/2 C almond milk yogurt)
Soak together overnight

In blender add
Soaked buckwheat groats and almond milk
1 egg replacer - 1 Tbsp ground flax meal and 2-3 Tbsp water
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp Grade A or B maple syrup

Really good blog VEGAN

http://www.theppk.com/blog/

Chocolate Pumpkin Loaf

1/4 cup applesauce

2 tablespoons coconut oil (or canola oil)

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons boiling water, divided (see note)

1 cup pumpkin puree1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F and lightly grease an 8 inch loaf pan. Also, boil some water in a tea kettle (no need to measure yet.)Put applesauce, coconut oil and cocoa powder in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, spices, baking soda and salt.Measure out 1/3 cup boiling water and pour into the bowl with the chocolate mixture, mixing quickly to make a smooth chocolate sauce. Add pumpkin, sugar and vanilla and mix well.Dump about half of the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture and gently stir just to incorporate, then measure out 1 tablespoon of boiling water and stir again. Now add the rest of the flour mixture and another tablespoon of boiling water and stir just until smooth. Take care not to overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips.Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan. It will be good and thick. You can smooth the top out with a spatula.Bake for 55 minutes to an hour. Stick a steak knife into the center of the loaf to check for doneness. A little bit of wetness is okay since it could be from a chocolate chip, but the knife should come out mostly dry.Let cool for 10 minutes, then invert pan and place loaf on a cooling rack to cool most of the way. It’s yummy a little bit warm, or thoroughly cooled. Slice and serve!

Vegan Thai Soup

In a pot and this is all "about"

Olive oil

garlic

cook. Add

carrots

celery broccoli

cauliflower

cook for a few minutes

add about2 cups vegetable oil

bring to boil add

rice noodles

boil about 5 more min

add chopped kale

chopped green onions

also add to your taste

red hot chili sauce

soy sauce

Vegan Tofu and Vegetable Pot Pie serves 2

Crust

1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 stick or 1/2 cup frozen Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks

Ice water

Filling

8 ounces super or extra firm tofu

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 small yellow onion,diced

1 celery rib, diced

1 carrot, diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 Russet potato, diced

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons nutritional yeast

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 1/4 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas

1 teaspoon finely chopped sage

1 teaspoon thyme leaves

Salt and pepper

Special Equipment2

(12-ounce) ramekins or other oven-safe dishesFor the Crust (Part 1)

The secret to this crust is chilling the ingredients and tools. Place the flour in a mixing bowl and chill in the freezer while you are preparing the filling. Also place a pastry blender or fork in the freezer. For the FillingPreheat oven to 400° F. Cut tofu into 1/3-inch dice and press between clean kitchen towels or paper towels to rid of excess water.Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook tofu until golden on all, or most, sides. Remove tofu from skillet and set aside. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the same skillet. Add onion, celery, carrot, and garlic and sauté until onion is translucent. Add potato to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until tender but not mushy. Add flour, nutritional yeast, and soy sauce to the skillet and stir into the vegetables. Add vegetable broth and stir until combined, scraping all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.Add tofu, peas, sage, and thyme and stir until combined. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper. For the Crust (Part 2) Take the supplies out of the freezer. Cut the Earth Balance into smaller cubes or slices and add to the flour. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut the mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Then, using your hands, quickly rub the mixture together so that the Earth Balance is absorbed into the flour. Gradually drizzle ice water into the bowl, mixing with the pastry blender or fork until the dough just comes together. Quickly shape the dough into a ball and flatten into a disk. Place on a floured surface a roll out to 1/8 inch thick. Place the ramekins upside-down over the dough and use a paring knife to cut out circles about 1/2 inch larger on all sides. Assemble and BakeDivide the tofu and vegetable mixture between the ramekins.Place a dough round over each ramekin and tuck the sides under to form a thicker crust around the edge. Press to seal around the edges of the dishes and crimp with a fork. Cut a slit in the middle.Bake in the oven until golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Picky Palate Website

This website has a lot of recipes that look sooo good, i thought i'd share

http://picky-palate.com/recipe-index/

Roasted Veggies and Chicken (easy dinner)

This is not really a recipe, but I thought I would share since its my new favorite dinner and I have this once a week.

Cut up a bunch of vegetables. I use potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, peppers, onions, mushrooms (just a seggestion, of course I don't really use these)and zucchini. Toss lightly with olive oil and salt, or add seasoning, lemon pepper, pepper, italian, whatever you are in the mood for. Cut your tubers smaller as they take longer to cook. Throw in the oven at 375 for about 20 minutes, stir and flip, then go another 20-30 minutes.

After I flip it the first time, I start my chicken, just take some defrosted breasts and fry them in a pan on the stove with BBQ sauce, Italian dressing, or lemon pepper and butter, whatever is easiest.

That's it. Any its almost done, so now I am going to go eat it. Yum!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing

roll dough adapted from King Arthur Flour

makes approximately 15-16 rolls

Ingredients:

Roll Dough:

1/4 cup warm water (not hot, about 110 degrees)

1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast

1/3 cup warm milk

1 large egg, beaten

3/4 cup pumpkin puree, either fresh or canned

1 tablespoon melted butter

2 cups (approximately) All-Purpose Flour

1 1 /4 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

Filling:

1 stick butter

2/3 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon each of allspice and ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cloves

Cream Cheese Frosting:

4 ounces cream cheese

1 stick (4 ounces) butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon lemon juice

2-3 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

In a large bowl, stir yeast into water to soften. Let rest for 5 minutes before stirring. Add milk, eggs, pumpkin, butter, 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom to yeast mixture. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes.

Gradually add remaining flour (all purpose), a little at a time, until you have a dough stiff enough to knead. Start with about 1 1/2 cups and increase if necessary. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead, adding flour as necessary, until you have a smooth, elastic dough.

Put dough into an oiled bowl. Turn once to coat entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Combine the white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg and cloves in a small bowl, set aside. Transfer the risen dough to a lightly greased work surface, and pat or roll it into a 16" x 12" rectangle. Spread softened butter over dough and then sprinkle with the sugar mixture.

Roll the dough into a log the long way; it'll stretch to about 20" long as you roll. Using a very sharp knife, slice the log into 15 slices. In order to cut down on drag, it helps to rinse the blade in hot water, and wipe it off, between slices. Place slices in a greased 9x13 inch baking pan (or in two 8 or 9 inch round cake or pie pans). Cover with a towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.

Bake in a preheated 375°F oven. Bake the rolls till they're brown around the edges and beginning to turn golden brown across the center, about 20-30 minutes.

While rolls bake, prepare the cream cheese frosting. Add the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and lemon juice to a small food processor. Blend until smooth and combined. Add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, blending in between, until well mixed and desired consistency is reached. (I used 2 cups powdered sugar)

Frost warm rolls with the cream cheese frosting and serve immediately.

For night before prep: Prepare the rolls up to the point where you roll and place in the pan. Then, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, remove the pan from the fridge and proceed with the instructions where you left off. Rising time may be slightly longer than noted in the recipe due to the dough being cold vs room temp.

Banana Zucchini Walnut Bread

3/4 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 cup grated zucchini
2 bananas, mashed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 1/ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour two 9-inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs until light and fluffy. Add oil, brown sugar, sugar, grated zucchini, mashed bananas, and vanilla. Blend together until well combined. Stir in the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the walnuts.

Divide the batter evenly between two 9-inch loaf pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Allow to cool in the loaf pans for about 15 minutes. Remove from the pans and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Sweet Potato Enchilada Stack

6 servings

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 Tbsp. water
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can enchilada sauce
2 tsp. chili power
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3 tortillas
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

In a large microwave safe bowl, combine sweet potato and water. Cover and microwave 4-5 minuted or until potato is almost tender.

Meanwhile in a large skillet, cook beef and onion until no more pink. Add black beans enchilada sauce, chili power, oregano, cumin and sweet potato; heat through.

Place a flour tortilla in a greased 9 inch deep dish pie plate; layer with a third of the mixture and cheese. Repeat layers twice. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

Its in the oven right now so we will see how it is.

Potato Cheese Soup

2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup carrots
1/4 cup onions
1/4 cup celery
1/2 cup broccoli
2 cups potatoes
1/4 cup butter
salt and pepper

2 cups milk
1/3 cup flour
1 cup cheese

I don't actually measure anything, just chop up the veggies and boil them, adding the potatoes last and simmer for 10 minutes. Don't drain. Cut the veggies as small as you like, I like the smaller the better and sometimes if I want it smoother, I actually put them all in the blender and blend them all up.

Make the white sauce (heat, do not boil) with the last 3 ingredients and then add it to the veggies.

Chicken & Spinach Tortellini Soup

This makes 10 serving so cut it in half for a family of 4.

3 small red potatoes peeled and cubed
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 small onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. plus 1-1/2 chicken bouillon granules ( I used 2 bouillon cubes)
2 Qt. water
3 cups cubed chicken
10 oz. chopped spinach
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
2 pkg. (9 oz each) refrigerated cheese tortellini

In a Dutch oven ( I just used a big pot, same thing right?) combine the potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, bouillon and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in the chicken, spinach, parsley, garlic powder, oregano, pepper and salt; return to a boil. Add tortellini; cook, uncovered, for 7-9 minutes or until tortellini is tender.

I loved this and so did the WHOLE family! Highly recomend!!

Green Chili Rice

1 Cup water
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup chopped sweet orange pepper
1/2 cup black beans, rinsed off
1 can (4oz) chopped green chilies
2 Tbsp butter
1 garlic clove
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp ground turmeric
1 cup uncooked instant rice

In a large saucepan, combine the first 10 ingredients; bring to a boil. Stir in rice. Cover and remove from heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork.

So this looks like a lot of ingredients, but its really not. This rice is soooooo good! and it goes great with the pork chops. I used instant brown rice and it took longer to cook. I bet to could just throw it all in the rice cooker to though.

Taco Pork Chops

4 Servings

4 boneless pork loin chops
1Tbsp. canola oil
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 medium onion
1 envelope taco seasoning
2 Tbsp. flour

In large skillet, brown pork chops in oil. In a small bowl, combine the tomato sauce and 3/4 cup water, onion and taco seasoning. Pour over pork chops and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until meat is tender.

Remove pork to a serving plate and keep warm. Combine flour and remaining water until smooth. Stir into skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Serve with pork chops. YUM!

I made this last night. It was SUPER easy! which is always good. Once you have this cooking then start the rice since that is so fast.

Donita's Pumpkin Roll Recipe

I got this from Natalie a couple years ago. Enjoy!

3/4 c flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 c sugar
2/3 c 100% pure pumpkin (I think we both normally use the Libby brand)

Filling:
8 oz cream cheese (softened)
1 c powdered sugar
6 Tbls butter
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 375'. Grease 15x10" jelly roll pan (cookie sheet) with wax paper. Sprinkle towel (like a dish towel-set to the side) with powdered sugar.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and sugar in large mixing bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture (Or I normally just mix in a little at a time). Spred evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts, if desired.
Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen cake from sides of pan.
Allow to cool off (5-10min) and then turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool completely on wire rack.
Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixing bowl until smooth.
Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

Pan Fried Tilapia

The kids love fish. Usually we just grill talapia in foil with a rosemary sprig, maybe some veggies and olive oil, we made this last night and I think I like it even better. Enjoy.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons seafood seasoning (I used old bay)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh tilapia fillets
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves

Directions

Heat oven to 300 degrees F. (or you could just stick in the micorwave so it doesn't get cold)

In a shallow baking dish combine flour, seafood seasoning, salt and pepper. Add the tilapia and lightly coat each side.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Shake off any excess seasoned flour and place in the skillet. Brown on both sides, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Place tilapia on a baking sheet that is lined with a paper grocery bag or paper towels and keep warm in the oven while you prepare the sauce.

Turn down the heat to the pan the tilapia was cooked to low and add the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the garlic, lemon juice and parsley and saute for 2 minutes. Place the fillets on serving plates or a platter, top with the sauce and serve.

Muffins {That Taste like Donuts}

1-¾ cup Flour

1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder

½ teaspoons Salt

½ teaspoons Nutmeg

½ teaspoons Cinnamon

⅓ cups Oil

¾ cups White Sugar

1 whole Egg

¾ cups Milk

FOR THE TOPPING:

¼ cups Butter

⅓ cups White Sugar

1 Tablespoon Cinnamon

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Combine oil, sugar, egg and milk. Add dry ingredients and stir only to combine.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a bowl. Combine the white sugar with the cinnamon in another bowl.

Shake muffins out while still hot. Dip muffins in butter, then into the sugar/cinnamon mix. Let cool.