Kayte and I are on W30 again. And cooking from the two cookbooks that we share. The recipe I chose – Balsamic Beef – is from Hartwig’s Fast and Easy. it is a slow cooker recipe and easy to put together. But since I have an instant pot it is even easier. Since I can brown in the pot I only used it instead of two pots. Caramelizing the beef was easy. I browned the potatoes, (I left out the parsnips) onions, and garlic with the beef and then added in the rest of the ingredients to the pot – Balsamic vinegar and Italian seasoning.
I am not a big fan of Balsamic vinegar but it worked with his recipe. It added a deeper quality of flavor. The stew was even better a couple of days later after the flavors had had a chance to blend more.
This week I needed something easy and KETO friendly.
On page 128 of Ellie’s so easy I found this nice side. It is something I’ve made before, but not with slaw and not with her ingredients. While I usually use sour cream, Ellie used Greek yogurt. And instead of red wine vinegar she uses lemon juice. I subbed in some Stevia for the honey (2 tsp) and added just a touch to up the sweetness.
This is a great side that goes with anything. And if you add bacon and cheddar cheese it really amps up the protein and flavor. (Although they aren’t in Ellie’s recipe.)
We do not publish the recipes from Ellie Krieger’s books as those belong to her, we like to honor that and encourage you to buy her books to get the recipes. If we find a link for a recipe we will include it.
And if you want to join in just make something from one of Elllie’s books and post it and let us know. No themes, just cook what you want.
The coldest days we have had are coming up this week. Lows will be in the upper 20s this week and that is chilly for Central Louisiana. And it is perfect weather for comfort foods – like Ellie’s Hearty Beef Stew.
It is chock full of beef, potatoes, carrots, peas and flavor. I did make a few changes. I used venison instead of beef and left out the rutabaga. Not a fan.
¼ c all-purpose flour ¼ tsp paprika 1 lb lean stew beef (round or chuck shoulder) venison, cut into cubes 3 Tbsp olive oil 1 med onion, chopped 1 sm rutabaga or turnip (10 oz), peeled and cubed 1 lg carrot, chopped 1 lg russet potato (12 oz), cubed 2 Tbsp tomato paste 1 1/2 c dry red wine 21/2 c reduced-sodium beef broth 1 pkg (10 oz) frozen green peas
Mix flour, paprika, and ¼ tsp each salt and pepper. Coat meat well.
In a large pot (or Instapot) heat 2 Tbsp of the oil in large over medium-high heat. Brown meat.
Add onion and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden but not browned, about 10 minutes. Add carrot, and potato and cook until vegetables begin to soften.
Add tomato paste and cook 1 minute longer. Add wine, and boil for 3 minutes. Add broth and return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer covered until meat is tender, about 90 minutes. Add peas and cook 5 minutes longer
The original recipe can be found in Ellie’s Comfort Food Fix (pg 136) or here.
Ellie’s stew is filling, flavorful, and comforting on a cold night. You should try it!
See what Kayte, Peggy, and Gaye had in their kitchens this Thursday.
A whole new year as begun. 2022. Fingers crossed it is a good year for everyone.
And it is time to start eating healthy again. I have been neglectful since Thanksgiving. Too long to neglect my health. I am going back to KETO which has been my friend off and on for the last year to so. It is easy to stick to and the food is often delicious. Especially since it is all made at home with fresh ingredients and NO sugar. No processed food. No starch, etc.
So, this week I decided to start the year off right with Ellie’s Autumn Vegetable Curry. Delicious!!
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 1 1/2-inch length fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 1/2 2 tablespoons yellow curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 cup light coconut milk
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1/2 head cauliflower, broken into 1½-inch-wide florets (about 3 cups)
2 cups broccoli florets
1 pound medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch rounds
2 tomatoes, cored and chopped
Grated zest of 1 lime
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 15-ounce can no-salt-added chickpeas, drained and rinsed
5 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
3 cups cooked brown rice, for serving, optional
Directions
Place the onion, garlic, ginger, curry powder, and cayenne pepper in a food processor and process to combine. Add the oil and process until a smooth puree is formed. Transfer the curry puree to a large pot and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture begins to darken, about 5 minutes more.
Add the vegetable broth, coconut milk, cinnamon stick and ¼ teaspoon black pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the cauliflower, sweet potatoes, carrots, and tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick. Stir in the lime zest and juice, chickpeas, and spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes. Season with up to ¾ teaspoon salt.
Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice.
Cook time is about 30 minutes.
You can see that I left out some ingredients. Some of them simply because they aren’t keto friendly. I did leave in the sweet potato but decreased the amount. A little of it was needed for the taste of the stew. I also increased the amount of broth to use it more as a soup rather than a stew. It was just spicy enough to warm you up on a winters day.
The recipe is HERE if you want to see it in the original form and in Ellie’s comfort food fix (page 208).
Check with
Kayte, Peggy, and Gaye or their first Eating with Ellie post for 2022.
If you would like to join in, just leave a link to your post in any of the comment sections of the participants and we will come and see what you made.
For the last few days I have been reading It Starts with Food which has been very helpful in understanding the Whole 30 program. It’s one thing to follow a program. It’s another thing to understand how and why it works. I wish I had found this program many years ago for many reasons.
But, anyhoo… I am still cooking from The Whole 30 guide etc. and still eating really well on really good food. This is Day 18 and for dinner I fixed a good healthy Whole30 meal.
This chicken stir-fry included broccoli, mushrooms, green beans, carrots, and green onions. For the cooking fat I used a mix of coconut oil and sesame oil which gave it great flavor. On the plate I added a little Coconut Aminos (since I cannot have soy sauce) and that added more to the flavor.
The dish was clean, light, and filling. The chicken is browned and right before it is finished you throw some garlic and ginger into the saucepan. Remove the chicken and wipe out the pan. I think this would have been better if the garlic and ginger would have been left and just added more oil and then the veggies. But I always follow the recipe the first time. No matter how you fix it – it’s good.
The recipe is from The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom page 340.
1 (16 ounce) box orzo pasta
1 cup carrot, shredded
1⁄4 cup raisins dried cranberries
1⁄4 cup pine nuts sunflower seed kernels, lightly toasted
Cook orzo according to directions on box. Drain and run under cold water. Let set to finish draining.
Mix the sauce ingredients and blend well. Mix into the pasta and chill.
Add raisins dried cranberries, shredded carrots, and pine nuts sunflower kernels , and mix gently.
Note, this can be made 1 day ahead of when you plan to serve it, just don’t add the carrots or sunflower kernels until just before serving so they will remain crunchy.
Since I am not a fan of raisins I subbed in some dried cranberries. I really liked the counter point of the tart dressing with the sweet fruit. Definitely a repeat.
The full recipe serves 8. I made 1/2 and it was more than enough for 4 as a side.
IF you want to add some other veggies or some chicken it would make a nice meal. The dressing alone would be good cooked with some diced chicken.
Recipe is on page 67 of The Frog Commissary Cookbook.
This week’s theme for IHCC is Local and Seasonal. Which is perfect because our garden is now producing. That’s definitely local and absolutely seasonal. We have been harvesting cucumbers, tomatoes, and zucchini for about a week now. The corn is growing beautifully and the eggplant is ALMOST there. In addition our neighbor’s garden is also thriving with all the rain we have been having. Between the two gardens I managed to find all the right ingredients for Curtis’
crispy vegetable fritters
These little fritters are full of zucchini, carrots, potatoes, and onions and that’s really about all. There is no flour, no milk, just two eggs, seasoning and the veggies. They are light and crispy and delicious. They went together in no time and were the perfect side.
The veggies are cut into very thin strips ( I used my mandolin and the smallest julienne setting) then simply mixed and fried. Shallow frying with very little EVOO makes them healthier than deep frying.
The recipe is on page 34 of Curtis’ Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone.
What more Local and Seasonal? Click on over to I Heart Cooking Club for this week’s table full of goodness.
The theme this week for IHCC is Ancient Grains. That means any dish that included:
Farro Polenta
Kamut Chia
Spelt Freekah
Barley Buckwheat
Blue Corn Wild Rice
Teff Amaranth
Millet Quinoa
and one they didn’t list – lentils.
Ancient grains are those that have been around for many eons of time. The original grains that have been unchanged since they were originally cultivated. Many of them thousands of years ago. Full of protein and gluten free.
I had already made all of the quinoa recipes in Ellie’s books but then I found one that had quinoa AND lentils. Score!!
Savory red lentil, quinoa, and vegetable stew
Not very photogenic but darn tasty. The red quinoa and red lentils {which I had run out of and so used plain lentils. If I had had the red there would have been more color in the dish.} mean the dish is full of protein and gluten free.
5 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 large onion
1 large carrot
2 tablespoons olive oil
One 2-inch piece fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic
1⁄2 small bunch kale (2 cups packed leaves)
1 1⁄2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1⁄2 teaspoons ground coriander
3⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more to taste
1 cup red lentils
1 cup quinoa, preferably red
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup peas, fresh or frozen
1⁄2 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons packed fresh cilantro leaves
Bring the broth to a boil in a medium saucepan, then keep warm over low heat until ready to use.
While the broth is heating, chop the onion and dice the carrot. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, mince the ginger and garlic. Stem the kale; discard the stems and coarsely chop the leaves. Add the ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, and cayenne to the onion-carrot mixture and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the lentils, quinoa, and all but 1 cup of the boiling broth. Stir in the kale leaves and cinnamon stick. Cover, decrease the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the quinoa and lentils are nearly tender, about 10 minutes.
Add the peas and cook until the peas, quinoa, and lentils are tender, 2 to 4 minutes more. Stir in the remaining broth as needed if the mixture seems too thick. Serve garnished with a dollop of yogurt and a sprinkle of cilantro leaves.
I almost didn’t include the dollop of Greek yogurt on top. ALMOST… but I am so glad I did because it added an extra layer of flavor and a little ‘tang’ to the whole dish.
The full recipe makes a bunch. It says a serving is 2 cups of the stew and 2 Tbl of yogurt. That is a lot. I used it as a side and since I am the only one eating it I have plenty left over.
The recipe is from Ellie’s Weeknight Wonders on page 235.
There are more Ancient Grain dishes over on I Heart Cooking Clubs. So go check them out.
Big thanks going out to CHAYA for choosing this recipe from Weeknight Wonders. Veggies and shrimp cooked together in a healthier dish than a creamy pasta. PANCAKES!!
A combination of Napa cabbage. carrots, green onions, and shrimp quicky ‘fried’ on a griddle and served with a spicy sauce. And they are good with just about anything!!
I made 1/2 of the recipe and ended up with 6 nice sized pancakes. I liked them a lot, but the Hubs was not so taken with them. I guess I will just have to suffer and make them just for me!!!
The only change I would make would be to add a little more seasoning. Maybe double the sesame oil and add a little more salt.
Of course the spicy sauce makes all the difference.
Wanna see more pancakes – just hop over to Eating with Ellie for more. Some with shrimp and I imagine some without. The recipe is on page 183 of Weeknight Wonders. We are not posting the recipes but if you want to join us all you need is Donna’s book. The ‘rules’ are on the home blog.
There are just some things I would never think of. I am not an out-of-the-box person when it comes to cooking. But there are so many cooks/bloggers/friends out there that are that my box is at least getting a little bigger. Such is the case with this weeks Wednesdays with Donna Hay pick from CHAYA.
Roasted carrots mixed with onions and cumin topped with dumplings with chives and parsley. It was delicious. The dumplings were light and fluffy and were just right with the soup. I only made 1/2 of the recipe of the soup and the dumplings but then made smaller dumplings so there would be plenty for leftovrs.
The only change – I would add more cumin.
Visit with Chaya, Gaye, and Sarah for their soups. This one is definitely a repeat.
Tea and Scones 