Healthier Broccoli Beef

Is it a happy Monday for you so far?  I super hope so.  After travelling last week to Kansas City and its 16 degree mornings, I'm definitely glad to be back here in the ATL, even if the weather can't make up its mind (very chilly weekend and then 70 degree prediction for tomorrow??).

Anyway, I wanted to share this quick weeknight recipe with you.  It's fantastic for getting loads of broccoli onto your plate, and like most Asian style cooking, it's pretty healthy - and tasty - all around.  I used bison in this recipe instead of beef because it was on sale and I just couldn't pass up all those omegas and lean, free range goodness.  This recipe would also work fantastically for venison if you've got that in your freezer.   It's quick to make, uses only one pan and is full of flavor.  Make a little extra to pack in your lunch the next day, and you'll be really glad you did.  I served this over steamed brown rice, but you can pair it with any carb you like best, or none at all.

I Heart Broccoli,

Food Rule 34 and The Bomb Chili

True Story:  I once made this oh-so-delicious chili recipe for a group of friends, and as we began eating, I was raving about how healthy my recipe is.  Especially when I make it with the ground venison my dad packages just for me, without any fat added to it.  Venison?  You all are ok with venison, right?  I'd forgotten that I was sitting at a table with a group of people raised in an enormous city and who'd probably never even met someone who hunts.  To this day, my best friend teases me about "that time you served us venison and asked if we were ok with it after we'd already started eating."  Ha!  And sorry, guys.

But, really, as a red meat, venison is insanely healthier than the beef you typically find in grocery stores.  And that's because it is wild game.

Plants and animals that are left to raise themselves turn out to be healthier options for eating, because they've grown as nature intended.  Without bulking-up feeds and fertilizers.  They're hearty because they've survived nature.  And therefore, healthier for us to consume. 

Wild game is packed full of Omega 3s, Vitamin E, and antioxidants and is typically very lean.  Yes, it can taste "gamey," but I nearly always use it chili or taco recipes where the spices stand out as the main flavor.  For those who don't have dads who fly clear across the country with a cooler full of venison and dry ice, you can definitely substitute with ground beef.  Try to find some that's labeled "grass fed" and "free range" in order to get the greater health benefits.

Enjoy!


p.s.  It was completely unintended, but that green towel in my photos looks like I'm trying really hard to be Superbowl festive!  I didn't even think about it looking like football turf until I uploaded my photos later.  But, I love it!

        

The Bomb Chili

1 medium onion, diced
1 – 2lb. ground venison or extra lean ground beef
4, 16oz. cans beans, rinsed and drained
2, 28oz. cans diced tomatoes in juice
1/4 c. Dijon mustard
2-4 Tbsp. red chili garlic paste
3 cloves garlic
1/2 bottle beer
6oz. can tomato paste
Johnny’s season salt (or your favorite seasoning salt), to taste

Cook the onion and ground meat in a skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through and onions are translucent.  Drain any grease.  Stir all ingredients into a crock pot or large roasting pan.  Cook in crock pot on High for 4 hours or Low for 8 hours, or bake in large roasting pan at 250 degrees for 5 hours. Stir occasionally. Makes a vat (about 14 cups).

        

Ingredient Lineup:

(MIA:  ground meat, beer, and tomato paste.  Whoops!)

Asian Beef Skewers

We love this recipe!  I've had it in my trusty cookbook for years now, but because our grill was out of commission, I've mostly been preparing the recipe as My Favorite Stir Fry.  But!  We got ourselves a thrifty grill a couple weeks ago, and I've been plowing through all my favorite grilled recipes.

This one's really easy to throw together, and the cook time is only about 5 minutes - a fantastically quick dinner if you put it all together the night before.  We love grilled zucchini, so Bo also grilled up some slices and we had them for last night's dinner with steamed broccoli and jasmine rice.

Enjoy!




Asian Beef Skewers
3 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
3 Tbsp. sherry
¼ c. soy sauce
1 tsp. bbq sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger or ginger paste
1 tsp. red chili garlic sauce, optional
1 ½ lbs. flank steak

In a small bowl, mix together hoisin sauce, sherry, soy sauce, bbq sauce, garlic, ginger, and optional red chili garlic sauce (aka chili paste).  Cut flank steak across grain on a diagonal into ¼“ slices. Place slices in a 1 gallon ziploc bag.  Pour marinade over slices, and mix well.  Refrigerate 2 hours, or overnight.

Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat. Discard marinade, and thread steak onto skewers.  Oil the grill grate. Grill skewers 3 minutes per side, or to desired doneness.  Makes 3 servings.

Ingredient Lineup.

Mix the marinade ingredients, then toss the meat in to coat.

Dump everything into a gallon-sized plastic bag and refrigerate.

Guest Post: Spaghetti Dinner

Because I knew that this week would be a crazy one for me (especially after last week's meltdown), I strong-armed sweetly asked my 12 year old nephew to do a post for me.  He lives cleeeear across the country in the beautiful state of Oregon, and during his summer break, he's in charge of Monday night dinners. Isn't that such a great idea?*  So today's post is one of his favorite dinners to make his family on his night to cook.  Hope you all enjoy it!  (I probably need to get busy shipping him some cake pops or something...)
 
Aunt


* He was worried that if other kids in his town got wind of how he's being so helpful to his mom (and me!), that he'd become very unpopular. I assured him that all the brownie points he'll earn from you moms out there will more than compensate for any disgruntled 6th graders who may not be excited about this :)



Quinn's Spaghetti Dinner

Start with easy ingredients:
    1 qt of Spaghetti Sauce (I chose the Fire Roasted Tomato and Garlic by Classico)
    1 pkg of spaghetti noodles (only use about ½ of the package)
    1 ½ lb of Venison burger (no fat in ours)
    1 bag of green salad
    1 tube of Pillsbury French Bread Loaf

Step 1:
    Fill pasta pan with 2/3 water and bring to boil


Step 2:
    Put burger in frying pan and brown

Step 3:
    Put French bread loaf on cooking sheet and follow instructions on the package.

Step 4:
    Once burger is browned you can add sauce (no need to drain because there isn’t any fat).

    Heat burger and sauce on medium until a low boil starts (just a few bubbles start in the sauce) and then put on low heat until you are ready to serve dinner.

Step 5 :
    Add noodles (I usually break them in half before adding them) to the boiling water.

    Stir just a bit and let them come to a boil again. Let them boil for about 3 to 5 minutes and then drain.

Step 6:
    Slice French bread and butter

Step 7:
    Dish the food onto a plate and eat!

My Favorite Stir Fry

This sauce recipe was originally intended for a grilled skewers dish, but we discovered that it also makes a delicious stir fry.  And for those of you who are venison fans, this is a fantastic way to prepare it.  Otherwise, you can use beef.  For either meat, cut very thin slices across the grain.  Tip:  It's easiest to cut thinner slices when the meat is partially frozen.

I rate this recipe 5 Spoons, because well....it's one of my favorites :)

Enjoy!

Stir Fry

3 Tbsp. hoisin sauce                             

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tbsp. sherry or beer                           

1 Tbsp. minced ginger (or 1/2 Tbsp. crystallized ginger)

1/4 c. low-sodium soy sauce                

1 tsp. bbq sauce                                    

1 tsp. red chili garlic sauce (optional)

1 1/2 lbs. flank steak, or other medium-tender cut

1 Tbsp. corn starch, dissolved in 1/4 c. cold water

rice noodles, cooked according to package directions

assorted chopped veggies

In a medium bowl, mix together hoisin, sherry, soy sauce, bbq sauce, garlic, ginger, and optional (but highly recommended!) chili sauce.  Cut steak across the grain into thin slices.  Add meat to the bowl and stir to coat.  Allow meat to marinade, stirring occasionally, for at least an hour.  (Refrigerate meat if marinating longer than an hour.) 

Heat a small amount of vegetable or sesame oil to a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat.  Dump the meat and sauce in the pan and cook until done.  Remove the meat to a separate bowl, leaving sauce in pan.  Add vegetables and saute until tender-crisp.  Return meat to the pan and stir to combine with the vegetables.  Bring sauce to a boil and add cornstarch solution.  Return to a boil and stir occasionally, until sauce is thickened.  Stir in rice noodles and serve.

The sauce ingredient lineup:

Hoisin has a jelly-like texture, and it tastes smokey like bbq sauce.

Because I rarely cook with ginger, I keep the crystallized version on hand.

Optional, but goooood.  Do it.

Add the meat to the sauce and stir to coat.

Allow to marinade for at least an hour.

I've used both kinds of rice noodles - the kind with only English on the package and the kind with other languages too.

Both are yummy.

Add the cornstarch and water mixture and boil for a minute, or until thickened.

We seriously devour this everytime I make it!