Boeuf Bourguignon – Pressure Cooker Style!!!

Tags

Beef, Boeuf Bourguignon, Carrots, instant pot, Julia Child, mushrooms, Pressure Cooker

I have previously posted a recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon that was inspired by Julia Child. It is delicious! In the past I have slow cooked it, but I thought I would try making this in my pressure cooker and voila, a delicious and quick meal is born! The pressure cooker not only speeds up cooking times, it infuses the flavor into your ingredients in a way that slow cooking or stovetop cooking does not. And nothing is as warm and soothing on winter night as Boeuf Bourguignon! It is also sophisticated enough to serve to company!

This recipes takes the total prep and cooking time from about 4 hours down to maybe an hour, plus. I have a pressure cooker with various functions, so was able to do everything in the one pot. If yours does not have this capability, you might have to do some of the initial steps in a separate pan on your stove top. Now you can have Boeuf Bourguignon on a week night! So here’s how I did it…

Boeuf Bourguignon – Pressure Cooker Style!

6 oz of bacon, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks

3 pounds lean stewing beef cut into 2 inch cubes

1 large carrot, sliced

1 onion, sliced

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 tbsp flour

3 cups full-bodied red wine (I used a Cabernet Sauvignon. Remember, if you wouldn’t drink it, why cook with it???)

2 to 3 cups beef broth

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 cloves garlic, pressed or diced

1/2 tsp thyme

1 bay leaf

1 pound fresh mushrooms, quartered (I like to use baby Bella’s or crimini)

1 tbsp butter

Cook bacon in the pressure cooker, uncovered on the brown function. I waited until after I cooked the bacon to cut it into smaller pieces, so it was easier to turn and cook evenly. Remove bacon and transfer to a plate. I drained it over paper towels. Leave your bacon fat in the pot. Pat beef dry in paper towels. It will not brown properly if it is damp. Sauté the beef in the bacon fat a few pieces at a time until browned on all sides. As it finishes browning, remove beef and transfer to dish with bacon. In the same fat, brown the onions and carrots. Pour out any remaining fat. Return meat to the pressure cooker sprinkle on the salt, pepper, flour, thyme and toss. Pour in wine and then enough beef broth so that the meat is barely covered. Add onions and carrots. Stir in the tomato paste and garlic. Add bay leaf. Cover, set valve to pressure cook and pressure cook for 30 minutes.Towards the end of this cooking time sauté the mushrooms in a tbsp butter. Serve beef over noodles or rice and top with mushrooms.

Bon appetit!!!

Vegetables and Noodles in a Red Curry Coconut Sauce – A Quick, Delicious Vegan Meal

Tags

Carrots, eggplant, Thai, vegan, Vegetables and Noodles in Red Curry Coconut Sauce, vegetarian

I love watching cooking shows and there are several that I enjoy. On one recently, someone made a dish with red curry paste and coconut milk that looked delicious, so I picked up these ingredients and stashed them in my pantry. Yesterday, I bought some beautiful vegetables at the store and decided to try my hand at this dish. I was very happy with how it turned out! The sauce had a bold flavor without being too spicy. I know some of you may be thinking, “but I don’t like curry!” You have to give red curry a try! It has a completely different flavor than the curry flavors you find in Indian food. I really think you’ll find that you like it! So if you’re just looking for something different or needing to feed the vegans & vegetarians in your life, give this delicious dish a try!

It takes a little time to do your mise en place (prep work such as chopping, dicing, etc.), but thiis dish cooks pretty quickly. 

Funny story: Last night my husband was down at the golf course at the driving range. He texts me asking what I wanted to do for dinner (Husband code for “come down here and lets eat at the golf course restaurant!”). I responded telling him I already had something in mind and had begun my “mise en place”. He tells his buddies that we’re having Mise En Place for dinner and none of the guys could figure out what that was! Guess I better skip the French cooking terms and speak English for the golfers in my life.

Of course, you could add protein to this dish in the form of tofu, chicken, or shrimp to this dish and I think it would be equally as tasty.

Vegetables and Noodles with a Red Curry Coconut Sauce

1/2 Eggplant, peeled and chopped (Tip: To keep from getting slimy, salt and weight in caulinder to drain. I put it in a caulinder and then set a bowl on top and set a heavy jar in the bowl. You’ll be suprised how much liquid comes out.)

1/2 red onion, chopped

2 Carrots, julienned (Tip: I use the Pampered Chef Julienne tool. It looks like a wide vegetable peeler and makes this job SOOO easy!)

4 oz Mushrooms, sliced

1 Red bell pepper, chopped

1 clove Garlic, minced or pressed

1/2 tsp dried Ginger

1 tbsp Soy sauce

2 tbsp Red curry paste

1 – 14 oz can Coconut milk

6.75 oz package of Maifun Rice Sticks

I filled my tea kettle with water and put it on to boil. This is for the noodles. Meanwhile, I spray a large non-stick skillet or wok with Canola Oil. Over medium high heat, saute onions and red pepper for 3-4 minutes or until beginning to soften. Then I added the eggplant, mushrooms and carrots and continue to stir over heat until mushrooms become tender. Reduce heat to medium low and add garlic, ginger, soy sauce, red curry paste and coconut milk. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes. At some point your water should have started boiling. Set the dry noodles in a large pot, pour boiling water over noodles and allow to sit for a couple minutes. Drain and mix noodles into sauce.

Enjoy!

Creamy Gnocchi Soup with Spinach – Warm, Creamy Goodness!!!

Tags

Carrots, creamy, Gnocchi Soup, low-fat, spinach, vegetarian

I just love gnocchi!! They are wonderful, fluffy little pillows of potato-ey goodness! Now you add some veggies and a generous amount of creamy sauce and you have a tasty, comforting soup that will warm your soul this fall and winter! This creamy sauce could get out of control with the fat content, but in an effort to keep this reasonable I used fat free creamer to keep the fat content down. I also used pre-made gnocchi, which made this dish quick and easy to make. 

Leaving out the chicken would easily make this a delicious and still hearty vegetarian meal!

Creamy Gnocchi Soup With Spinach

3 -4 boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cooked and diced (I baked it for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees)

4 cups fat free chicken stock (I used my home made stock)

2 cups fat free half-and-half

1 garlic clove, minced or pressed

1⁄2 carrot, shredded (Use a vegetable peeler or julianne)

1⁄2 onion, diced

1 cup fresh spinach, chopped

1/2 teaspoon thyme

salt and pepper

16 ounces pre-made potato gnocchi (You can find this in the pasta aisle)

1 tablespoon cornstarch 

Spray a frying pan with non-stick spray. Saute the onion, garlic, carrot over medium heat until onion is translucent.

Mix cornstarch and 2-3 tbsp of half and half in a small bowl until smooth, set aside. Add chicken, chicken stock, half and half, salt and pepper, thyme to frying pan and then stir in cornstarch mixture. Heat to boiling, then add gnocchi. Gently boil for 4 minutes, then turn down to a simmer for 10 minutes.

Add spinach and cook for another 1-2 minutes until spinach is wilted.

Enjoy!!!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup – An Easy, Healthy Version of a Family Staple

Tags

Carrots, Chicken Noodle Soup, healthy, low cholesterol, low sodium, low-fat, oregano

I know it’s summer, but it’s never the wrong time for a good bowl of soup! My in-laws have been having some health issues, so we’re trying to stock up their fridge and freezer with some easy, healthy meals. My father-in-law loves soup, so I figured I would make some Chicken Noodle Soup. What is more comforting than a big bowl of delicious, homemade chicken noodle soup??? My goal with this batch was to keep the sodium and cholesterol to a minimum as my mother-in-law is on a cardiac diet. That is one of the joys of cooking from scratch. You’re in control! And it is possible to keep fantastic flavor and make a healthy meal!

I used lots of herbs and fresh ingredients to give this soup plenty of flavor. Of course, if you’re not watching your sodium you can add more salt, but I found this to taste great without much.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

6 cups low sodium, fat free chicken broth

3-4 medium size carrots, finely chopped (I used my Pampered Chef chopper to get the fine chop quickly)

1/2 large white onion, finely diced (I’ve also used leeks in the past. These add a really nice subtle flavor)

1 tbsp fresh or dried oregano

1/2 tsp thyme

1 tsp tarragon

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 garlic cloves, diced or pressed

1 tsp garlic and herb Mrs. Dash

16 oz whole wheat fettuccine noodles or rotini pasta

Put all ingredients, except pasta in a slow cooker and give a gentle stir. Cook on low for 6 hours. Gently remove chicken breasts to a cutting board and use two forks to shred them, then add back to the slow cooker. Add pasta and cook an additional 15-20 minutes until pasta is cooked. This soup freezes well if you want to save it for later.

Enjoy!

Healthy Hash – Spicy, Hearty and Healthy!

Tags

Carrots, Cooking, ground turkey, Hash, healthy, potatoes, ranch dressing, recipe, spicy

  

It was one of those nights, where I didn’t have a specific plan for dinner other than using stuff I had on hand that needed to be eaten! I hate wasting food, so this used some fresh veggies I had on hand and the ground turkey that needed to be used. It turned out to be a delicious, hearty dinner that had a nice amount of spice to it. It would be a great meal for a chilly evening. As tasty as it is, the ingredients are pretty basic, so chances are you’ll have them on hand and most people will enjoy this dish. You can always dial the spice up or down depending on your tastes.

Hearty Hash

4 russet potatoes, diced

2 carrots, peeled & diced

1/2 medium white onion, diced

1 pound ground turkey

1 packet ranch dressing mix

1 – 14 oz can diced tomatoes

1 – 6 oz can tomato sauce

Salt and pepper

2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (These could be left out to dial back the spice quite a bit.)

1/2 tsp paprika

1 tsp dried parsley

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking pan with non-stick spray. Pour diced potatoes into pan and spread In single layer. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes.

Spray a frying pan with non-stick spray, brown ground turkey with onions and carrots. One the meat is cooked through, add ranch dressing mix, tomatoes, tomato sauce, peppers, paprika, parsley and potatoes. Stir and cook until veggies are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Corned Beef and Cabbage – Better Late Than Never!!!

Tags

Carrots, Cooking, Corned Beef and Cabbage, Food, potatoes, recipe, Slow Cooking, St. Patrick's Day

  
My youngest daughter’s birthday is on St. Patrick’s Day and she wanted to go out that day, so our traditional dinner of corned beef and cabbage was put on hold. But that’s OK!!! Corned beef can be kind of pricey and I was happy to get it on sale after the holiday. It tasted just as good a few days after the holiday! Better actually! Since it was Sunday, not Thursday, I had all day to pamper this meal. This particular version was the best version I’ve ever made. Tons of fantastic flavor and beautiful colors!

One difference you’ll notice, is that I choose to use red cabbage. Our German family, loves pickled red cabbage, so I kind of go that route with this dish. As I’ve mentioned in numerous posts, I’m not a huge fan of cooked carrots, so I opted to cook my carrots separate from my corned beef and cabbage. I did use some of the liquid from the corned beef, so I got the same fantastic flavor, but everything else did not take on the flavor of the carrots. I just simmered these in a separate pot. They took on the great flavors of the liquid!

I also chose to serve mashed potatoes. I had a large group, so the corned beef and cabbage filled my slow cooker. This is why I opted to go with mashed that I could cook in a separate pot. I actually included a couple of turnips too. I just boiled those right along with the potatoes and the mashed them all together with some fat free sour cream, fat free milk, fresh garlic, salt and pepper.

You’ll also notice the wedge of Irish soda bread. I blogged that recipe yesterday. It was incredibly good and so easy to make!!!

Slow Cooked Corned Beef and Cabbage

4 pound corned beef brisket with seasoning packet

3 1/2 cups beef broth

3 bay leaves

3 garlic cloves,pressed or diced

1/2 yellow onion, sliced

1 1/2 heads red cabbage, shredded

3 cups fat free chicken broth 

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp pepper

In slow cooker, add corned beef, garlic, onion and beef broth. Put seasoning packet from corned beef and bay leaves in cheese cloth packet or herb infused and submerge in broth in slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours. Add red cabbage and chicken broth. Continues to cook for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, uses a slotted spoon to transfer cabbage to another pot. Spoon in about 1 1/2 cups of liquid from the slow cooker. Add vinegar, sugar and pepper to cabbage and simmer for a few minutes. 

While cabbage simmers, remove corned beef from slow cooker and slice against the grain. We like to serve our corned beef with various types of mustard. I really liked mine with a Hawaiian Honey mustard we had on hand. Dijon is really good too!

Enjoy!

Roasted Potatoes and Carrots – Delicious and Healthy Side Dish

Tags

Carrots, Cooking, Food, healthy, low-fat, potato, potatoes, recipe, side dish, vegetable

 

As you can see by my photo, I’m still getting the hang of this food blogging thing. For example, I need to take pictures of the delicious food BEFORE my family devours it! Or I can keep posting pictures like this one to prove my family really does like my cooking!

Anyway, what’s not adequately shown here are the roasted potatoes and carrots that I made the other night. I was grilling some nice, big sirloin steaks, rubbed with my basic barbecue rub (See earlier blog entry for recipe) and was trying to decide on a good side dish.

Our family loves potatoes; mashed, baked, twice baked, barbecued! Love them all! Since we like them so much, we tend to eat them a lot, so I was trying to think of something new to do with them. I also always serve some sort of vegetable with dinner, even if it’s just a salad. I’ve always tried to stress the importance of balanced eating with my kids. It must have worked pretty well, as both of my girls are not terribly picky eaters.

On this particular night, I had organic carrots on hand again, so I thought why not combine the two! I don’t much care for cooked carrots (I seem to be cooking them a lot lately though!) and my younger daughter isn’t either. I thought this combo might make the carrots more palatable for both of us, and sure enough, it did!!!

Roasted Potatoes and Carrots

5 Russet or 7 Red potatoes, washed and cut into bite-size pieces (I left the skins on)

5 carrots, washed, peeled and sliced

2/3 of a white onion, diced

Salt and Pepper to taste

Olive oil spray

Spray a baking pan with olive oil. Add potatoes, carrots and onion to the pan. Spray ingredients with more olive oil and toss. Season with salt and pepper and toss some more. Roast in a 400 degree oven. Toss mid-way through cooking. Make sure potatoes and carrots are fork-tender before removing from oven.

Garlic Carrots – So Tasty!!!

Tags

Carrots, Cooking, Food, garlic carrots, healthy, low calorie, low-fat, side dish, vegetable

 

I REALLY don’t like cooked carrots! Let’s just say my mother got new carpet when I was a kid, because my father forced me to eat my carrots and I didn’t make it to the bathroom in time. I’ll let you use your imagination.

As an adult, I do try new things and I try things in new ways to see if I like them. My husband and son-in-law both love cooked carrots, so I do make them occasionally, so they can get their fix.

Our family has also fallen in love with the multi-colored carrots (yellow, purple, etc.). You can see them in the photo above.

This particular carrot recipe is my favorite so far! They were really delicious! And that’s from a carrot hater! I hope  you enjoy!

Garlic Carrots

8 full size carrots, cut into bite-size pieces

1 tbsp ollve oil

2 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped or through garlic press
  

Boil carrots for 10 to 15 minutes until softened. Add remaining ingredients to a sauté pan and sauté for about five minutes in medium high heat. 

Enjoy!