Tag Archives: egg-free

Cheeseburger Soup

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I seem to have run out of inspiration lately because for the past two days I haven’t been able to choose a recipe that appeals to me. Every once in a while I run into this problem; but it doesn’t last too long, thankfully. What usually helps is trying to think of recipes I haven’t used in a long time – like this one. This is a surprisingly light, flavorful soup and perfect for chilly nights. Whenever I make it I use at least a pound of very lean ground beef and double the rest of the ingredients. If you have Frank’s Red Hot, I suggest you splash some in the soup. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Cheeseburger Soup ingredients – adapted from Dine & Dish

  • 1/2 pound ground beef
  • 3/4 c chopped onion
  • 3/4 c shredded carrots
  • 3/4 c diced celery
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
  • 5 Tablespoons butter, divided
  • 2 cans chicken broth
  • 4 cups peeled, diced potatoes (I used unpeeled red potatoes)
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 2 cups (8oz) Velveeta, cubed
  • 1 1/2 cup milk
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 cup sour cream

Directions –

In a 6-quart saucepan, brown beef; drain and set aside beef. In the same saucepan, sate onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 2 Tablespoons butter until vegetables are tender (about 10 minutes). Add broth, potatoes and beef; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, in a small pan, melt remaining 3 Tablespoons of butter. Add flour; cook and stir for 3 minutes or until bubbly. Whisk into soup; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add Velveeta, milk, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream. Makes 8 servings.

Beef Tacos and Flour Tortillas

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Note to self: take it easy on the salt next time. I followed the directions/amounts and this came out too salty for me. The ground beef mixture by itself is really flavorful and a tad on the spicy side, but when it’s combined with the rice, cheese, pico and some sour cream its much milder. I don’t usually advocate the use of sour cream in Tex-Mex dishes, but this time it was needed to cool things down a bit.

Tonight was my first try at making tortillas – the recipe isn’t authentic because there isn’t a drop of lard in the mix. I have nothing against the use of it, but I didn’t want to try that kind of recipe, fall hopelessly in love and be required to make them for the rest of my life!;o) As a kid, my parents would take us to Old Town San Diego to eat at this amazing Mexican restaurant. I enjoyed watching the ladies make tortillas through the big windows in the front of the restaurant. For some reason I was entertained by that; but more so I knew that some of those freshly made, authentic tortillas would soon be in my belly! They were so good!

Overall these were pretty good. If I make these again, I will cut the amount of salt in half and season to taste toward the end of cooking. The tortillas were good, especially for a first try but I am open to finding a new recipe for my next attempt. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

All American Beef Taco Ingredients – adapted from Alton Brown

  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 16 ounces ground sirloin
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 recipe Taco Potion #19, recipe follows
  • 2/3 cup low-sodium beef broth

Taco Potion #19 – adapted from Alton Brown

  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons hot smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions –

Add 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet. Once the oil shimmers, add the onion and cook until softened and lightly browned around the edges, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the ground meat, 1 teaspoon salt, and garlic. Cook until browned, about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, to break up the meat. Add Taco Potion and beef broth. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until sauce is slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.


Texas Flour Tortilla ingredients – adapted from Homesick Texan

  • Two cups of all-purpose flour (can make them whole wheat by substituting one cup of whole-wheat flour for white flour)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
  • 3/4 cups of warm milk

Directions –

1. Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and oil. Slowly add the warm milk. Stir until a loose, sticky ball is formed.
Knead for two minutes on a floured surface. Dough should be firm and soft. Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap for 20 minutes.
2. After the dough has rested, break off eight sections, roll them into balls in your hands, place on a plate (make sure they aren’t touching) and then cover balls with damp cloth or plastic wrap for 10 minutes. (It’s very important to let the dough rest, otherwise it will be like elastic and won’t roll out to a proper thickness and shape.)
3. After dough has rested, one at a time place a dough ball on a floured surface, pat it out into a four-inch circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center until it’s thin and about eight inches in diameter. (If you roll out pie crusts you’ll have no problem with this.) Don’t over work the dough, or it’ll be stiff. Keep rolled-out tortillas covered until ready to cook.
In a dry iron skillet or comal heated on high, cook the tortilla about thirty seconds on each side. It should start to puff a bit when it’s done.
4. Keep cooked tortillas covered wrapped in a napkin until ready to eat. Can be reheated in a dry iron skillet, over your gas-burner flame or in the oven wrapped in foil. While you probably won’t have any leftovers, you can store in the fridge tightly wrapped in foil or plastic for a day or so. Makes eight tortillas.


Bulgur Chili (vegan)

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I have never cooked with or tasted bulgur before today, but I can now say it’s a great healthy, whole grain to use. My only dilemma now is finding more tasty recipes to use up the rest of the package of bulgur! I’ve been looking through my trusty, stand-by websites for inspiration, but there aren’t a whole lot to choose from. I did however find a ton here, some of which I bookmarked and hopefully will get around to trying soon. I have so many bookmarked recipes…really, way too many! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Bulgur Chili ingredients – adapted from Naturally Ella

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 3 whole cloves, minced
  • 1 green pepper, diced
  • 1 cup corn kernals
  • 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
  • 2 mediums jalapenos
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • 1 can kidney beans, drained (I didn’t have kidney beans, so I used black beans)
  • 1/2 cup bulgur
  • 1/2 teaspoon each cumin, cayenne pepper, chili powder, paprika
  • 3-4 cups vegetable stock (I ended up using 3.5 cups, it just depends on how thick or soupy you prefer your chili)

Directions –

In a large stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onions, garlic, and peppers, saute until they begin to soften.  Stir in spices, corn, and tomatoes.  Continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes.  Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil (start with 3 three cups of stock.)  Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and stir occasionally.

If the chili begins to thicken too much, continue to add stock until it reaches a chili-like consistency (the bulgur will soak up a good majority of the liquid.)  Let simmer for 45 minutes until bulgur has softened.  Taste and adjust seasoning.



Simple but Elegant Lunch

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This was really good, and I love that I can easily throw this kind of meal together cause I have such a well stocked pantry and fridge. I was able to use some of the pesto that I made over the weekend,  crimini mushrooms, minced onion and some grape tomatoes to create a tasty pasta “sauce”.  Today I picked up some quinoa pasta shells because there is way more protein  and other good-for-you stuff that regular pasta can’t offer. I would have loved to add some peas to this, but sadly I had no frozen peas! Anyway, I am really happy with how this turned out, and I think having pesto on hand in the fridge or freezer is something I will have more often. It isn’t hard to make and it tastes worlds better than any pre-made pesto with unpronounceable ingredients. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Greek Night!

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Our first ever! Lots of prep, but it’s hopefully well worth it all. I made Greek dressing, tzatziki sauce, and marinated the chicken souvlaki. Oh – and I decided to make the pita bread to eat the chicken like a gyro. I love making bread especially different types like this one. The recipe is super simple with one rise lasting an hour, shaping then a rest of 15 minutes. They baked up really quickly too – just make sure your oven has preheated for at least 20 minutes.

Anyway, this dinner turned out fantastically which is always the desired outcome – especially when it’s my first try! The chicken flavorful, moist and juicy; the tzatziki sauce was creamy, garlicky and perfect with the gyros and the pita bread was a hit too. I bet the leftovers will be even tastier.

Souvlaki Ingredients – adapted from The Eclectic Cook

  • 2 lbs pork loin and/or chicken cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice (the juice of about 1½ lemons)
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper

Whisk together garlic, oregano, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Combine the marinade with the pork in a large freezer bag. Marinade in the refrigerator for at least 24 and up to 48 hours. Rotate the bag to redistribute the marinade at least twice during this time.
Preheat the grill to medium high heat. If you are using wooden skewers, soak them in water before using, or use metal skewers. Thread about 5 pieces of meat onto each skewer, enough for one serving. Grill the skewers for about 15 minutes, turning two or three times. The chicken will take less time to cook than the pork, so start checking for doneness at about 10 minutes. The meat should register about 150°F for the pork and 160°F for the chicken when you take them off the grill. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Because of the marinade ingredients, the meat (both the pork and the chicken) may still be slightly pinkish inside even when fully cooked.

Tzatziki Sauce Ingredients – adapted from Culinary Cory

  • 2 (7 oz) containers of Greek yogurt
  • 1 hothouse cucumber, seeded and unpeeled
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • 2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
  • 1 TBSP white wine vinegar
  • 1 TBSP fresh dill, minced
  • 1 ½ TBSP garlic, minced
  • salt and pepper

Directions –

Shred the cucumber with a grater and squeeze out the excess liquid. Add the dip ingredients to a medium mixing bowl. Stir until well combined. Garnish with any remaining dill. Serve with assorted fresh vegetables. Makes approximately 2 cups of dip.

Golden Pita Bread ingredients – adapted from King Arthur Flour

  • 3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions –

1. Combine all of the ingredients, mixing to form a shaggy dough.

2. Knead dough, by hand ( 10 minutes ) or by mixer ( 5 minutes ) or by bread machine ( set on the dough cycle ) till it’s smooth.

3. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, and allow it to rest for 1 hour it’ll become quite puffy, though it may not double in bulk. If you’ve used a bread machine, simply let the machine complete its cycle.

4. Turn the dough onto a lightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 pieces.

5. Roll two to four pieces into 6″ pieces ( the number of pieces depends on how many rolled-out pieces at a time can fit on your baking sheet ).

6. Place the circles on a lightly greased baking sheet and allow them to rest, uncovered for 15 minutes, while you preheat the oven to 500 degrees. ( Keep the unrolled pieces of dough covered. Roll out the next batch while the first batch bakes ).

7. Place the baking sheet on the lowest rack in your oven, and bake the pitas for 5 minutes; they should puff up. ( If they haven’t puffed up, wait a minute or so longer. If they still haven’t puffed, your oven isn’t hot enough; raise the heat for the next batch.)

8. Transfer the baking sheet to your oven’s middle-to-top rack and bake for an additional 2 minutes, or until the pitas have browned.

9.  Remove the pitas from the oven, wrap them in a clean dishtowel ( this keeps them soft ), and repeat with remaining dough.

10. Store cooled pitas in an airtight container or plastic bag.





Black Bean Confetti Salad

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Quick post: This salad is tasty and super healthy for you. I thought of adding seeded/de-ribbed jalapeno to this, but I chickened out. I did add red onion to this, and those can be quite “spicy” sometimes – especially raw. It adds a nice bite to the mix, but if you like more heat add more cayenne pepper. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Black Bean Confetti Salad – adapted from Smitten Kitchen

This works equally well as a small salad–even tossed with salad greens for more
bulk–or alongside salsa fresca for scooping up with a tortilla chip.

  • 2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and well-rinsed
  • 4 bell peppers, a mix of colors, chopped into a small dice
  • 1/2 super-large or 1 medium white onion, chopped into a small dice
  • Juice of one lime
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon honey
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
  • Optional: If you’re the kind of person who loves cilantro, it’s a great match for this salad.

Directions –

Mix beans, bell peppers and white onion in a large bowl. In a separate, smaller
bowl, whisk remaining ingredients into a vinaigrette. Ideally, you’ll have a 1/2
cup of dressing. Pour it over the bean mixture, toss it well and adjust
seasonings to taste.

Taco Night!

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Taco night is everyone’s favorite night:o) I have used this recipe before and it’s always a hit. Whenever it’s taco night, I always make my “orange” rice. It’s something I grew up eating and all the ladies in my family make variations of my Gram’s. It’s so simple and so comforting to me, and I love that my kids both really enjoy eating it, too. I remembered I had some homemade salsa verde in the freezer that was waiting to be used, so that’s what that green sauce is on the taco. I will be sure to post the recipe for that the next time I make chile verde or my husband’s favorite – chicken enchiladas with roasted tomatillo salsa. I haven’t made that meal in so long – it’s a lot of work and it makes so much food, but the flavor is excellent.

Anyway, these turned out great – the two men of the house had seconds. I however refrained from indulging in more carbs (frown). I did eat a nice green salad with lots of extra veggies, though. I am on my annual “health kick”…well, I guess it can’t be called annual if this is my third time this year. The holidays and all the yummy-bad-for-you-food caught up with me, along with the lack of exercise. Basically I have been feeling uber-blah, so in the past when this blah-ness has reared its ugly head I cut out a lot of junk and add in lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains and cut out lots of empty carbs. I feel a difference within a day of these changes so it’s totally worth it and then I wonder why I don’t eat like this all the time. Oh, yeah! It’s because it takes thought, preparation and discipline! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Shredded Tex-Mex Crock-Pot Chicken – adapted from goodLife(eats)

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (*I used 2 pounds)
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon coriander
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/3 cup chicken broth
  • 1/3 cup (packed) cilantro leaves, chopped
  • 2 limes
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Heat the oil in a medium sized sauté pan. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the cumin, chili powder, coriander, paprika and garlic and sauté two more minutes. Deglaze the pan with the chicken broth making sure to scrape up any browned bits. Turn off and set aside.

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Add to crock pot. Squeeze the lime on top, add the cilantro, jalapeno, and pour the onion and garlic mixture over top.

Cook on low for 3-5 hours, or until cooked through (different crock-pots cook at varying heats) and tender. Remove chicken breasts from the crock pot, shred and place in a bowl. Scoop out the onions and add to the chicken. Depending on the amount of juices produced, you may want to add some or all of the juice back to the shredded chicken.

For fast and easy soft tacos, add this chicken to taco sized flour tortillas with shredded lettuce, avocado, tomato, cilantro, red onion, and cheese (I like cheddar, pepper jack, or feta best). Add a dollop of sour cream and salsa, too, if you like.

Marinated Chicken Breast

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I came across this recipe the other day while trying to find a simple marinade for some chicken that I had sitting the fridge. This marinade has lemon zest, garlic and some dried herbs, but I decided to add two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice to go along with it. The night before I prepared the marinade in one of my dressing carafe and placed it in the fridge to let the flavors marry. Plan on marinating for at least four and up to twelve hours – any longer than that and the lemon juice will start to cook the meat. This morning I pounded the chicken breasts in a sealed, one gallon Ziploc bag – you don’t want all that chicken juice flying around your kitchen! Plus, once the chicken is nice and evenly pounded, you can pour the marinade over the chicken, mush the bag around a little and finally place it in the fridge. Whenever I marinade meat, I either put it in a Pyrex container and cover it, or as with this method I place the bag in another container. It’s just a way to be extra safe in keeping any raw meat juices from contaminating the rest of your fridge and it’s contents.

This chicken grilled up moist and flavorful and paired perfectly with the green salad. I added tomato, bell pepper, cucumber, avocado and grated carrot to the greens – the more veggies for me the better! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Perfectly Grilled Chicken Breasts with Lemon Zest, Garlic & Herb Marinade – adapted from Once Upon a Chef

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1¾ pounds total)
  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 large garlic cloves, minced (use a garlic press)
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 1½ teaspoons lemon zest (you’ll need one lemon)
  • * I added 2 TBSP of lemon juice

Directions –

1. Place chicken breasts between 2 pieces of wax paper and, using a meat mallet, pound to an even ½-inch thickness.

2. Mix all ingredients except chicken together in a 1 gallon zip-lock bag. Add chicken breasts and massage marinade into meat until evenly coated. Seal the bag and place in a bowl in the refrigerator (the bowl protects against leakage); let the chicken marinate at least 4 hours or up to 12 hours.

2. Clean grill and preheat to high. Lightly dip a wad of paper towels in vegetable oil and, using tongs, carefully rub over grates several times until glossy and coated. Place chicken breasts on the grill (make sure they are well-coated with the marinade; the more garlic, lemon zest and herbs on the chicken, the better!). Grill, covered, for 2-3 minutes per side.

Use a fine or Microplane grater to zest the lemon. Simply rub the lemon in one direction against the blades, turning the lemon as you go. Be sure to remove only the yellow part; the white pith underneath is bitter.

 

If you are using less than 4 chicken breasts, you’ll need to reduce the salt accordingly.

Steak and Potatoes

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Happy New Year! There has been lots of cooking and baking going on, so hopefully over the next few days I will put some posts together to share. I have tried quite a few new recipes over the past couple of weeks and some trusty old stand-bys. Yesterday, I checked Publix online for their weekly deals and saw “top loin” for sale – aka London broil. I have never purchased this up until now, but my mom used to prepare this cut when I was a kid so I was familiar with the name…that’s it! Luckily, TasteSpotting is an awesome website to use when I’m in the need for inspiration. I came across two new recipes via one link – I love when that happens. I have used this blog successfully in the past for new recipes, so I knew this blogger wouldn’t let me down.

The steak had great flavor, and it would have been even better on a more expensive cut of meat. There is not a lot of fat marbled throughout top loin, so it wasn’t the most tender steak. Maybe next time I will look for a marinade with some kind of acid to tenderize this cut. The potatoes were so simple to put together and so tasty. I picked up a bag of those tiny, multicolored potatoes that Publix carries now for this dish and they worked out perfectly, and the skin is super thin, and became delightfully crispy when roasted. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

*Parmesan Garlic Potatoes – adapted from Let’s Dish

  • 1.5 lbs. of potatoes, cubed
  • 2-3 TBSP of olive oil
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions –

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 9×13 inch glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Arrange potatoes in prepared pan.  Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with garlic, parsley flakes, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.  Toss to coat potatoes evenly.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.  Stir once half-way through baking time.

*Marinated London Broil – adapted from Let’s Dish

  • 1 flank steak or London broil – about 3 pounds
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce ( *I used low sodium)
  • 2 TBSP olive oil
  • 2 TBSP ketchup
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped (*I omitted this)
  • *I added about a TBSP of McCormick grill seasoning

Directions –

Mix ingredients for marinade in shallow pan or zip-top bag. Score meat on both sides in a diamond-shaped pattern.  Add meat to marinade and cover or seal. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight. Remove meat and broil or grill to desired doneness, 10-15 minutes. Let meat rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice thinly across the grain and serve.

Apple Crisp

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This apple crisp is probably the best one I have ever eaten. The addition of lemon juice (I also added some lemon zest) makes a huge difference. The flavors meld well and it doesn’t taste “lemony” at all. This will be my go-to recipe for now – I could have eaten the whole pan! This recipe is for individual ramekins, but I used my 11×7 inch baking dish and it worked perfectly. I substituted Fuji apples because they are my favorite, but I’m sure the Granny Smith apples would be equally tasty. And what takes any apple dessert to the next level?Vanilla ice cream! Don’t forget it:o) Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Apple Crisp – adapted from The Neely’s

Filling –

  • 5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, chopped small (*I used Fuji apples)
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans (*I omitted)
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Crumb topping –

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into pieces
  • 1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans (*I left these out, too)

Directions –

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.Mix all the ingredients together. Place into 7 to 8-ounce ramekins.

Mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in large bowl. Blend the butter into the mixture until it forms pea size lumps. Stir in pecans and sprinkle over filling.

Bake crisps for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.