The Best Easy Beef and Broccoli

I stumbled onto a recipe today that I didn't plan on making.  My original intention for supper tonight was stew and biscuits.  But somehow my stew beef went missing between picking it up at the meat department to getting home.  It's not on my grocery bill so obviously one of the kids wasn't looking forward to stew and ditched it before the grocery till :)
On short notice, I had to come up with something else.  I had broccoli in my fridge that was needing to be used up.  I also had a couple of frozen steaks in my freezer.  I googled, "Beef and Broccoli" and may have come up with one of our favorite new recipes.  It is easy and doesn't use any unusual ingredients.  I found it on www.chinese.food.com but it shows the recipe originally came from Taste of Home.

3 tbsp. cornstarch, divided
1/2 cup water plus 2 tbsp, divided
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 lb. boneless round steak, cut into 3" strips
2 tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
4 cups broccoli florets
1 small onion, cut in to wedges
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. ground ginger

In a bowl, combine 2 tbsp. cornstarch, 2 tbsp. water and garlic powder in a small bowl and mix until smooth.

Add beef and toss.

In a large skillet or wok over medium high heat, stirfry beef in 1 tbsp. oil  until beef reaches desired doneness.  Remove from pan and keep warm.

Stirfry broccoli and onion in remaining oil for 4-5 minutes.

Return beef to pan.

Cook and stir for 2 minutes.  Serve over hot rice.

Taco Soup

Being that it's feeling like a soup and biscuits day...here's a new soup recipe that was given to me by a friend.  The flavor is fantastic and the consistency is somewhere between a chili and a soup.  The base of the soup is V8 and it adds a great flavor to it.  My V8 came in a large container and I was able to freeze the leftover juice for the next batch.

Snuggle in and enjoy a bowl of soup and a good book today!

3/4 pound Extra Lean Ground Beef 1/2 cup chopped White Onion (I prefer red) 1/2 cup chopped Bell Pepper 1 (1-1/4 ounces) package Taco Seasoning Mix 4 cups Vegetable Juice Cocktail 1 cup Medium or Hot, Thick and Chunky Salsa 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese Toppings: Sour Cream, shredded Lettuce, sliced Green Onion, chopped Tomato, Tortilla Chips

1. Add ground beef, onion, and green pepper to large stockpot. Brown over medium heat until beef is no longer pink. Use wooden spoon to stir and crumble beef. 2. Drain off all excess fat. 3. Stir in taco seasoning mix. Simmer 1 minute. 4. Stir in vegetable juice and salsa. Simmer 5 minutes. To serve: 1. Ladle soup into serving bowls. 2. Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese. 3. Garnish with desired toppings

Slow-Cooker Lasagna

I love when the new Kraft Canada "What's Cooking" comes in the mail.  Usually the Kraft recipes are quite simple and use normal ingredients.  That being said, this is one of my favorite Kraft Canada recipes.  I have adapted this recipe to my own liking.  I must admit that this lasagna doesn't actually look that great but it tastes great!

Photo taken from Kraft Canada

1 lb. ground beef

1 jar  (24 oz.) spaghetti sauce

1 cup water

1 container  (15 oz.) Ricotta Cheese (I use cottage cheese and blend it up with the parmesan and egg, salt & pepper)

1 pkg. (7 oz.) Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided

1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided

1 egg

2 Tbsp.  chopped fresh parsleyFrozen spinach (defrosted & drained), divided

6 lasagna noodles, uncooked

BROWN meat in large skillet; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and water. Mix ricotta, 1-1/2 cups mozzarella, 2 Tbsp. Parmesan, egg and parsley.

SPOON 1 cup meat sauce into slow cooker; top with layers of half each of the noodles (broken to fit) and cheese mixture. Place spinach over cheese layer to cover.  Cover with 2 cups meat sauce. Top with remaining noodles (broken to fit), cheese mixture and meat sauce. Cover with lid.

COOK on LOW 4 to 6 hours or until liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses; let stand, covered, 10 min. or until melted.

One Loaf to Love

After hearing about this meatloaf recipe from a friend, I borrowed, "Eat, Shrink & Be Merry" by Janet & Greta Podleski. This is the kind of recipe that I like to tackle and blog about. I love cooking things that are a bit out of the ordinary and taste fantastic. This recipe didn't have anything in it (except the Superburger seasoning which I had other available) that I didn't have in my cupboard regularily. It was not difficult but did take a bit of time.

Today I've had an extra baby around the house so I made this up while two kids were sleeping and stuck it in the fridge until it was time to bake it. Hubby says that this was his favorite new "meal," implying that he enjoyed all of it :) We had mashed sweet potatoes (with Herb & Garlic cream cheese) and corn with it and it was definitely a keeper.

One Loaf to Love

1c. finely diced mushrooms

1/2c. each finely diced red bell pepper, zucchini, and onion

1tsp. minced garlic

1/4 tsp. dried basil

1 1/2 lbs. extra-lean ground beef

1c. fresh bread crumbs or 1/2c. dry unseasoned bread crumbs

1/4c. +2 tsp. barbeque sauce or ketchup

1 pkg. (25g) hamburger seasoning mix (Superburger by Clubhouse was recommended)

1 egg

1/4c. chopped fresh parsley

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 c. packed shredded light Monterey Jack, provolone, or mozzarella

Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a medium, non-stick skillet with cooking spray. Add mushrooms, red pepper, zucchini, onions and garlic. Cook and stir over medium heat until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add basil and cook 1 more minute. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, 1/4c. bbq sauce, hamburger seasoning, egg, parsley, and pepper. Mix well using your hands.

On a large sheet of waxed paper, form meat mixture into a 10x12-inch rectangle. Make sure edges are nice and straight, not jagged. Spread reserved vegetable filling over meat, leaving a 1/2" border. Sprinkle with cheese. Roll up meat loaf from the shorter end, lifting the wax paper to help get it started. Roll it as tightly as possible. Pinch seam closed.

Transfer meat loaf to a broiler pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 40 minutes, or until meat is cooked through and a meat thermometer inserted in the centre registers 160F.

Let meatloaf stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

Makes 1 loaf, 8 slices

204 cal. per slice, 9.3g fat, 1.6g fibre