Beef Bourguignonne with Egg Noodles

This recipe takes a while to make, but is AWESOME.  Best stew recipe ever, and doesn't taste the least bit "diet-ey."  This is a great Sunday dinner kind of dish to make.  Everyone loves it.  But, as I said, fair warning, it is a lengthy process.

• 1/3 c flour
• 2 tsp salt, divided
• 3/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper, divided
• 2 1/4 lbs lean beef stew meat
• 4 bacon slices
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 1 cup sliced carrot
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 c dry red wine
• 14 oz low sodium beef broth
• 8 c halved mushrooms (about 1.5 lbs)
• 2 TB tomato paste
• 2 tsp fresh chopped thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 16 oz package frozen pearl onions
• 7c hot cooked medium egg noodles (about 6c uncooked)
• 3 TB chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Combine flour, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper in a zip plastic bag.  Add beef, seal and shake to coat.  Cook half of bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp.  Set aside.  Add half of beef to grease in plan.  Cook 5 min, browning on all sides.  Remove beef from pan, cover and keep warm. Repeat with remaining bacon and beef.  Remove and keep warm.  

Add chopped onion, sliced carrot and minced garlic to pan.  Sauté 5 min.  Stir in red wine and broth, scraping browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Add bacon, beef, remaining salt & pepper, mushrooms, tomato paste, chopped thyme, bay leaves and pearl onions.  Bring to a boil.  Cover reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes.  Uncover and cook1 hour or until beef is tender.  Discard bay leaves.  Serve beef mixture over noodles.  Sprinkle with parsley.

Yield 9 servings, 447 calories, 14.6 g fat, 5.1 g sat fat, 32.7 G protein, 45.7 g carbs, 3.9 g fiber, 117 mg cholesterol.

Broccoli Bacon Mac & Cheese

OK, people, I am a whole foods kind of eater these days, but - like many children of the 70's - I grew up on that nasty, totally fakey-fake Kraft Mac & Cheese.  And, truth be told, I like it.  I thought that, once I started eating healthy, that I would need to pretty much give that up.  BUT NO!  Cooking Light has come up with a brilliant way to make vegetables taste like Kraft Mac & Cheese.  And, it's easy.  And, it has bacon in it.  Note that this one tastes a bit better the night you make it than via leftovers.  But, that didn't stop me from eating it for several days - grin.  Awesome new find.  Think I'll make it again this week.

• 2 slices center cut bacon
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2c unsalted chicken stock
• 1 cup 1% fat milk
• 1x 10 package of frozen butternut squash puree, thawed (OK, this is tough to find, but is really the magic ingredient in this dish.  I found frozen squash chunks that I had to puree myself, but they say you can also use mashed sweet potatoes if that is easier to find)
• 10 oz uncooked elbow macaroni
• 3 c chopped broccoli florets
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 5 oz (1.25 c) shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I used a bit more but used 2% milk cheese, tradeoffs!)

INSTRUCTIONS

• Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon, cook till crisp, flipping often.  Remove from pan.
• Add garlic to drippings in pan.  Sautee 30 seconds.
• Add stock, milk and squash.  Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
• Add pasta.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in broccoli.  Cover and cook 3 minutes or until pasta is done and sauce is thickened.  (NOTE: I like my broccoli softer, so I pre-cooked it a bit before cooking the bacon.)
• Stir in salt, pepper and 4 oz cheese.
• Sprinkle bacon and remaining cheese on top.  Cover, let stand one minute, then serve.

Serves 6

Calories: 339, Fat 10 g (sat fat 5.7g, mono 2.8g, poly 0.7g), Protein 18g, Carbs 45g, Fiber 4g, Chol 29 mg, Iron 3mg, Sodium 566 mg, Calcium 267 mg

Blue Cheese Veal Chops and Yellow Rice

This is a recipe I've been making for a couple of years now and it is not only gourmet but very fast to make.  Definitely a must-try!

• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 4x 6oz lean veal chops, trimmed (lamb chops work as well if you can't find veal)
• Cooking spray
• Boil in bag rice
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 14 oz can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 c chopped green onions
• 1/4 c / 1 oz crumbled blue cheese
• 1 TB yogurt based butter spread (e.g. Brummel & Brown)

Preheat broiler.  Combine salt, pepper, paprika and sprinkle over both sides of chops. Place chops on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray.  Broil 6-7 min each side.  While chops are broiling, boil water and cook rice to package instructions.  Once rice is cooked, add in turmeric, 1/4 tsp salt, artichokes and green onions.  Combine blue cheese and yogurt spread in a small bowl, spread over chops.  Broil for 20 seconds or until cheese is melted.  Serve chops over rice.

Apricot Teryaki Chicken Thighs

I got this recipe from an Ellie Krieger cookbook, my new favorite chef, since everything she makes is real, delicious and easy.  Try these - they're so simple I was able to make them for 20 people at a Boy Scout campout, and I got rave reviews.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup all fruit apricot preserves
• 3 TB reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1TB unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1.5 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 8 skinless boneless chicken thighs

Instructions:
Put apricot preserves, soy sauce and vinegar into a large microwave safe bowl.  Microwave for 30 sec then whisk until the preserves are dissolved.  Whisk in ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes.  Add chicken and marinate for 15 min.

Preheat broiler to high.  Transfer chicken pieces to a broiler tray.  Broil about 3" from the heat until cooked through and well charred on the surface, about 5 min per side.

I can't find my cookbook at this particular moment, so I don't have calorie counts, but will add those back in once I come across it.

Oh! Oh! Oh! Okonomiyaki!!!

During the two years I lived in Japan, Okonomiyaki became my absolute, positive favorite food to eat, and - other than at a food trailer in a dodgy Austin neighborhood with inconsistent hours (I've been 3 times, and they are never open) - I've never seen it prepared in the US.  So, what is Okonomiyaki?  The recipe in the book is aptly titled, "Japanese-style savory vegetable pancakes with shrimp."  It's better than it sounds, believe me.  The Japanese version is not super-healthy I believe (cooked in loads of oil usually), so when I found a recipe for healthy Okonomiyaki that I could make at home, I definitely had to try it.  There is a lot of upfront chopping on this (though I skipped the carrot shredding and bought pre-shredded carrots), and there were times during the preparation of the recipe, where I said to myself, "This can't possibly be right..."  But, the result was, indeed, more than all right - it was downright delicious!  Just like okaa-chan used to make.  Word to the wise, though - these are best eaten hot out of the pan, and don't unfortunately do so well reheated in the microwave.  Maybe next time I will try reheating them in the pan instead.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 medium head napa cabbage
• 4 large scallions
• 1 large carrot (or 1/4-ish cup pre-shredded carrot)
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 TB canola oil

For the sauce:

• 1/4 c ketchup
• 1 TB Worcestershire sauce
•  1 tsp low salt soy sauce

Directions:
Chop the shrimp into 1/2 in pieces.  Thinly slice the cabbage, so you end up with about 3 cups.  Thinly slice the scallions, setting aside 2TB for garnish.  Coarsely shred the carrot.  In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs, sesame oil and salt.  Add the shrimp, cabbage, scallion, carrot, and eggs and mix to combine.

Heat 1 TB of oil in a large griddle or nonstick skillet.  Ladle half cup mounds of batter into the skillet and use the spatula to shape them into 3/4 inch pancakes.  You should have 8 pancakes.  Cook until golden brown on the bottom, 6-7 min, then flip and continue to cook until cooked through, another 6-7 min.  If 2 batches are necessary, heat remaining oil and repeat.

While the pancakes cook, combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl and stir.  Spread 1.5 tsp of the sauce on each pancake, sprinkle with scallions, and serve hot.  Serves 4 (2 pancakes each).

Nutritional Info:
Calories: 360
Fat: 15 grams
Protein - 24g
Carbs - 35 g
Fiber - 6g
Cholesterol - 300 mg
Sodium - 640 mg

Wok-Charred Lettuce and Spinach Noodle Stir Fry with Shrimp

I'll be honest - I wasn't sure about this recipe.  It's from a new cookbook, called Weeknight Wonders by Ellie Krieger, and it's got SAUTEED LETTUCE, for god's sake.  Sounded a little wierd, but I gave it a try, and I loved, loved, loved it.  It's a good, healthy Asian stir fry with just a bit of a bite to it.  Have happily been eating leftovers for days.  I have since made a second recipe from the book, just as good (posting that next), so I think this one's a winner.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz spinach fettucine
• 1 1/2c fish stock or vegetable broth
• 2 TB low sodium soy sauce
• 4 tsp corn starch
• 1 tsp chili-garlic sauce (sriracha)
• 2 small hearts of romaine lettuce (0.25 lb)
• 4c baby spinach leaves
• 1 large shallot (2.5 oz)
• 3 whole cloves garlic (can't use pre-minced)
• 3/4 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 TB canola oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add pasta and cook for one minute less than the directions on the box indicate.  Drain and reserve.

In a small bowl, whisk together fish stock, soy sauce, corn starch, sriracha.  Cut the romaine into 1-inch pieces (including the white portions toward the bottom).  Coarsely chop the spinach if leaves are large.  Thinly slice the shallot and the garlic.  Rinse and pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel.

Heat 1 TB of oil in a large skillet or wok (14") over med-high heat.  Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and cook in the pan until pink.  Remove the shrimp from the pan and reserve.  Add the remaining 1TB of oil to the pan, add the shallot and garlic, and cook till fragrant, 1-3 min. Add the romaine and cook till the edges are charred, 3-4 minutes.  Add the spinach and cook until just wilted (30 sec).  Return the shrimp & fettucine to the pan, add the fish stock mixture, and cook, stirring, until the liquid reduces and thickens, 1-2 min.

Serves 4, nutritional information:
Calories: 410
Fat - 10g
Protein - 28g
Carbs - 54 g
Fiber - 5 g
Cholesterol - 130 mg
Sodium - 680 mg

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

Woo-hoo. These are amazing. I made these for the first time tonight and got huge compliments all around. They are also pretty easy for homemade enchiladas. Yum.

Filling

• 1/2 sweet onion, chopped



• 12 oz shredded herbed chicken (HEB has this in the meat aisle, with the prepared meatloaves, etc.)



• 1/2c shredded cheddar cheese



• 1/2c shredded mexican cheese blend

Sauce

• 2/3 c reduced fat milk



• 1/4 c egg beaters



• 1/4 c chopped cilantro



• 11oz can tomatillos



• 4.5 oz can diced green chiles undrained



• Pinch of salt

Remaining Ingredients

• 8 corn tortillas



• 1/2 c shredded cheese



• 1/4 c crumbled queso fresco

Spray pan with cooking spray, and cook chopped onion until soft. Add chicken and stir. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Set aside.

Pour all sauce ingredients into a blender or food processor, and puree until smooth. Set aside.

Boil 1 inch of water in a medium sized skillet. Use a tongs to dip each of the tortillas in the water, not leaving them in too long. After removing each tortilla in the water, put it in a 11x17 glass or ceramic casserole dish. Add 1/2 cup of the filling to the tortilla, roll tightly and repeat with the next tortilla.

Once all tortillas are filled, pour sauce over top of all tortillas. Cover with foil, and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Then, uncover, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, uncovered. Yields 4 servings, 2 enchiladas each.

Nutritional Information
Amount per serving
Calories: 502
Calories from fat: 30%
Fat: 16.6g
Saturated fat: 8.4g
Monounsaturated fat: 3.7g
Polyunsaturated fat: 2g
Protein: 47.6g
Carbohydrate: 40g
Fiber: 4.6g
Cholesterol: 114mg
Iron: 3mg
Sodium: 725mg
Calcium: 598mg