Sunday Dinner - 080/29/2010

Yesterday when I was considering what to eat for dinner to prepare for today's planned 11miler, I was thinking grilled fish, garlic-Parmesan pasta, and a salad. My standard go-to lean protein/carbo load night-before-race meal. Tasty but I wanted something different. Shepherd's pie met my pre-run requirements.

My mom makes the best shepherd's pie. Mine is not as good as her's. It's just not. But to qualify, like most things she cooks, she uses the full fat and calorie ingredients. And sometimes the healthy substitutions just do not hold a candle to the real stuff. Having said that, this is a good recipe. Lots of veg, lots of flavor, lean beef and carbs.

Note: I made a few errors when I made this recipe. Red potatoes do not work as well as Yukon gold for mashed potatoes. Also, be sure to measure the spices. Last night's dinner was a little too flavorful. These are rookie mistakes. I've made them before and I'll make them again. You should try not to.

Shepherd's Pie (Serves 6, 5pts)
Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
1.5lbs potatoes
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp fat free sour cream or Greek yogurt
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
paprika, to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 400°.

Dice potatoes to approx. 1in cubes. (No need to peel.)

In a large pot, boil potatoes in salted water until fork tender soft, about 15-20mins. Drain and mash with chicken broth, sour cream, salt and pepper.

Meat Mixture
Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
4 oz mushrooms, diced
20 oz corn, peas, green beans
1 cup water
3 tsp tomato paste
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp basil
1 tbsp oregano
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Directions
In a large pan, brown meat. Season meat with salt and pepper. Drain off any fat.

Add mushrooms frozen vegetables, water, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, basil, oregano and mix well. Simmer on low about 5-10 minutes.

Spread the meat mixture in a medium casserole dish. Top with mashed potatoes. Bake for 20mins in 400deg. Remove from oven and let rest for 15mins.

If you have any question/comments about this recipe, pls leave me a comment or email at megmehell at yahoo dot com.

I hope you enjoy this dinner as much as I did. What did y'all have for dinner? 

Sunday Dinner - 05/02/10

This weekend I shopped at our local Sam's Club. As usual, I got a little carried away with my produce buying. While laying in bed the morning, I was trying to figure out how I would use up some of the veg I bought. Then I remembered my mom makes this tasty dish. She uses bread crumbs instead of rice. But I've been obsessed with rice lately.

This is a typical New Orleans dish. Shows the Italian influence of the area. 

Stuffed Bell Peppers
Ingredients
6 green bell peppers, tops cut away, seeds removed
2tbsp olive oil
1 onions, finely chopped
1/2cup bell pepper, use tops of bell peppers
1lbs ground meat of your choice, beef, turkey, pork, chicken,
1tbsp garlic, minced
3tsps parsley flakes
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
red pepper flakes, to taste
2cups cooked rice
1cup tomato sauce (I used canned today)

Directions
Heat the oven to 350 deg. In a large pot of boiling water, boil the peppers  for 3 minutes. Remove peppers from water and set aside to dry.

In a large pan on medium-high, heat the oil. Add the onions and bell peppers. Cook until onions are nearly clear. 

Add the ground meat, garlic, parsley, salt, black pepper, and pepper flakes. Cook until the meat is browned, stirring to break up the large clumps of beef.

Add the rice and tomato sauce and stir well.

Pour enough water into a baking dish to just cover the bottom. Stuff the bell peppers with the meat/rice mixture and place in the baking dish. Bake until the peppers are very tender and the filling is heated through, about 30 minutes.

 

Remove from the oven and let rest before serving.

Six bell peppers is a lot of food. This recipe is really for a large family. But it reheats well for tasty leftovers. I made extra filling for us to eat over rice through out the week.


If you have any question/comments about this recipe, pls leave me a comment or email at megmehell at yahoo.

Sunday Dinner - 04/25/10

Growing up, I never understood why people didn't like meatloaf. My mom is an amazing cook. Her meatloaf is like an Italian meatball. It's moist and flavorful. I've tried to get the recipe but she's one of those "You put a little of this and a little that" cooks. I've never successfully mimicked her recipe, unfortunately. Below is a recipe is nearly as good.

Meatloaf with Red Sauce
Ingredients
Loaf
1lbs lean ground beef
1lbs lean ground turkey
2 eggs
1tsp Worcestershire
Salt, to taste
hot sauce, to taste
1cup onion, chopped
1/2cup bell pepper, chopped
2tbsp parsley
1tbsp garlic, minced

Red Sauce:
2cups tomatoes, crushed
1/4cup dry white wine
1tbsp Worcestershire

Directions
Preheat oven to 350deg. In a small bowl, beat eggs with the Worcestershire, salt, and hot sauce.

Add egg mixture to the ground turkey and beef. Mix well. Add the onion, bell pepper, parsley and garlic to the meat mixture. 

Mix well. Form the meat into a loaf and place in a large roast pan.

Blend the tomatoes, Worcestershire, and white wine in a bowl.

 
Pour the sauce over and around the meat loaf and bake for1hr. Slice and serve with the red gravy on top.

While, I'm still refining my recipe. It is tasty. Tonight, we had over meatloaf with smashed potatoes,  fruit salad, and broccoli. I love how many serving of fruits & veg I snuck into this meal.


If you have any question/comments about this recipe, pls  leave me a comment or email at megmehell at yahoo.

Sunday Dinner March 7, 2010

My mom, Mel, is an amazing cook. She can cook just about anything. Mel has always worked but she came home everyday and made us dinner. We rarely ate out and never fast food. For Mel, cooking your family a well rounded meal with quality ingredients is an expression of love.  Of her culinary talents, anything with a red sauce is my favorite; spaghetti & meatballs, manicotti, and of course lasagna.

Lasagna is the first dinners I learned how to cook well. (I'm pretty sure this is why the Big Man thought I was marriage material) .This recipe has taught me a lot about cooking. It has taught me patience and how to experiment. This recipe can be modified in many ways and still be tasty. You can use what ever ground meat you choose; chicken, turkey, pork, etc. Actually, you can probably leave out the meat if you're a vegetarian. Tonight, I decided to add spinach since we had some in the freezer. Like all moms, I want to sneak in veg when I can.  I use healthier ingredients than the original recipe but,  with lasagna, it is most important (and difficult) to serve the right portion size.

While I love this dish, it is not quick cooking. You'll need about two hours. But its only about 30mins active time. It's a great thing to cook while you're getting other stuff done around the house. I always double it and freeze the leftovers. And like most red sauce dishes, lasagna is better the next day.

Lasagna
Ingredients
1lb lean ground meat (I used turkey and pork)
16oz pureed (or diced) tomatoes, no salt added
12oz tomato paste, no salt added
2clove garlic, minced
2tbsp parsley
1tbsp oregano
1tbsp basil
1tsp black pepper
1tsp salt
1pk whole wheat lasagna noodles, cooked per package directions
24oz low fat cottage cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2cup part-skim Parmesan cheese
1/2lb part-skim mozzarella
1cup frozen spinach, cooked per package directions

Directions
In a heavy bottom pot, slowly brown meat on med heat.  

Add tomatoes, paste, 1tbsp parsley, oregano, basil, garlic, pepper and salt. Mix well.

Cook uncovered for 1hr, stirring every 15mins or so.

In a separate bowl, mix cottage cheese, eggs, 1tbsp parsley and 1cup Parmesan.

In a rectangular high sided dish (like corningware), layer the noodles, 1/2 meat mixture, 1/2 cheese mixture, 1/2 cup spinach, and 1/2 mozzarella. Repeat layers. Sprinkle top with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan. 

Cook in oven heated to 375deg for 30mins. Allow lasagna to cool and set up for 15mins before serving. Tonight, I served it with a salad, broccoli, and homemade french bread.

I know the recipes I've posted so far have been time consuming. This is generally how I prefer to cook on the weekends, taking my time. But I have plenty of simple, quick cooking recipes. Keep coming back, I promise I'll have something for every skill level. 

Of course, this dish is Italian and not Cajun. But that's what makes NOLA food so interesting...all of the cultural influences we have. I hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as mine does.

If you have any question/comments about this recipe, pls leave me a comment or email at megmehell at yahoo.