Beef with Peppers

I saw this recipe on Pioneer Womans site and thought it looked delicious. We dont eat usually come across too many meals that have steak in it that look appealing so when I saw this I knew we had to make it. I was worried it will be too much like peppered steak but the flavor was delicious and my husband enjoyed it and he is not big on "stir fry". Definitely worth a try!

Beef with Peppers by Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 1-½ pound Flank Steak, Sliced Very Thin Against The Grain
• ½ cups Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 3 Tablespoons Sherry
• 2 Tablespoons Packed Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
• 1 Tablespoon Minced Fresh Ginger
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 teaspoon Red Chile Paste (or A Few Dashes Red Chile Oil)
• 2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• 1 whole Medium Yellow Onion Sliced
• 2 whole Red Bell Peppers, Cored And Sliced Into Rings
• 1 Tablespoon Diced Fresh Jalapeno (or 1 Teaspoon Dice Hot Pepper)
• Red Pepper Flakes, For Sprinkling
• Cilantro Leaves

Directions

1. Mix together soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, cornstarch, ginger, garlic, and chili pasta (or chili oil.) Place sliced beef in the mixture and toss to coat. Set aside.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high to high heat. When it is very hot throw in the onions, cook for less than a minute. Remove to a separate plate.
3. Return skillet to flame, allow to reheat, and add bell peppers (and hot pepper/jalapeno if using). Cook for a minute, tossing, until peppers have brown/black bits but are still firm. Remove to a plate.
4. Return skillet to heat and allow to get hot. Add the remaining tbsp of oil to the skillet. Add 1/3 of the meat mixture, evenly distributing over the surface of the skillet. Allow to sit for 20 to 30 seconds then turn with tongs. Cook for another 30 secionds then remove to a separate plate. Repeat with remaining meat until all brown. 
5. Reduce heat to low. Add all meat, onions and peppers to the skillet and toss to combine. Pour in remaining sauce (the sauce the meat marinated in*) and stir. Allow to simmer on low for a few minutes. Sauce will slowly thicken. Turn off heat.
6. Turn off boiling water, then throw in noodles. Stir, then allow noodles to sit in hot water for 8 minutes or so (check package directions to be sure). Drain, then add 1/2 the noodles to stir fry. Toss together, then add more noodles to taste. Add very hot water if needed to thin.
7. Top with cilantro leaves. Serve immediately.

* Update/Note: you can also whip up extra batch of liquid if you do not want to use the same liquid you used for the meat.

Meatloaf

Believe it or not, I went almost my entire life thus far without eating meatloaf. I guess because the name is kind of sketchy and I watched several shows as a child where the cafeteria served mystery meat which I linked directly with meatloaf. My mom never made it so I never ate it. Then last year I was thinking about how many people love meatloaf and decided to try and make it. My first time didnt go horribly (I did enjoy it enough to make again) but I felt like it was missing something. So after several attempts at meatloaf, this is my tried and true recipe. We always come back to this one. 

Meatloaf by Kimba

Ingredients

• 1.5- 2 lbs of ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• 1 small onion, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, diced
• 1/4 tbsp pepper
• 1/4 tbsp sage
• 1/2 tsp ground mustard
• 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

Topping Ingredients

• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 cup ketchup

Directions

1. Mix together beef, onion, garlic, pepper, sage, and ground mustard. Once it is mixed add in egg, milk and worcestershire sauce. Once that is mixed add in breadcrumbs. Mix until evenly coated.
2. Form meatloaf into loaf pan.
3. In a small bowl combine vinegar, ketchup and brown sugar. Whisk to dissolve of any clumps. 
4. Spread ketchup mixture over the top of the meatloaf and bake at 350* F for 45 minutes.

Cajun Meatloaf

We had this last night for dinner and while I did enjoy it, it tasted pretty similar to my usual recipe for meatloaf. Next time I make this I am going to add in a little more flavoring, it didnt seem spicy enough for cajun meatloaf! So this is my modified recipe for cajun meatloaf (for the actual recipe, visit PW's site)

Cajun Meatloaf by The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 3 whole Bell Peppers (red, yellow & orange)
• 2 whole Medium Onions
• 8 cloves Of Garlic
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire
• 1 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• Optional: A Few Shakes Of Hot Sauce
• 2 cups Ketchup
• ½ cups Whole Milk
• 1 cup (to 2 Cups) Breadcrumbs
• 2 pounds Of Lean Ground Beef
  
• 3 whole Eggs
• 2 Tablespoons Honey

Preparation Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Chop all of the fresh vegetables (peppers & onions) into a small dice and mince the garlic.
  
• Over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Once butter begins to start browning, add the diced vegetables and garlic.
  
• Add about 1 tablespoon salt.
  
• After these have cooked for a few minutes add 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon nutmeg and 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
  
• If you like it hot, add a couple shakes of your favorite hot sauce.
  
• Next add about ½ cup of ketchup.
  
• Continue cooking and stirring for a few more minutes. Remove from heat.
• After allowing the mixture to cool for a couple of minutes, add about ½ cup of milk.
  
• Stir until combined.
  
• Next add at least 1 cup of breadcrumbs.
  
• Continue adding breadcrumbs and stirring until mixture is a nice, thick paste.
  
• In a large mixing bowl place the ground beef.
  
• Whisk 3 eggs and add to the meat.
  
• After allowing the pasty vegetable mixture to cool down a bit, begin incorporating it into the meat.
  
• Keep working all of the Cajun-Vegetable mix into the meat until all is blended well.
• Spray a loaf pan with some non-stick cooking spray. Next, using your hands, form your meat mixture into a loaf pan.
  
• In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together ¾ cup of ketchup with about 2 tablespoons honey.
  
• Slather this sauce over the whole meatloaf.
• Place in a 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes.

Meatloaf

I was never a fan of meatloaf because almost every single one I had tried was dry and lacked flavor. My husband also isnt a big fan but after doing some research I decided to give it a try. It took several attempts to get it how I like it and a hodge podge of recipes combined together. This meatloaf is now one of my most favorite meals, specially in the fall and winter months. Its juicy, tasteful and delicious!

Meatloaf

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 lb hamburger
• 1 onion
• a few cloves of garlic (depending on how much you like it, we like a lot so I ususally use 3-4 cloves.
• 1/4 tbsp pepper
• 1/4 tbsp sage
• 1/2 tsp ground mustard
• 1 tbsp worchestire sauce

Topping

• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 cup ketchup

Directions

• Mix all main ingredients together and form into a loaf and place inside a lightly greased loaf pan.
• Mix topping together and spread over the loaf.
• Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes
• Uncover and bake for 15 additional minutes

colorado chili

This recipe is so good and so easy to play around with. I've made it 3 or 4 times now and every time I add something different. I found this recipe from my friend Katie, you can view her blog here, "Busy Mom's Cookbook", she has tons of fabulous recipes!

Here is the original recipe copied from her blog, I used 1 pound of ground turkey for a smaller batch. Enjoy!

Colorado Chili

This recipe is a combination of a few recipes I've tried. Deon really likes Boulder hot italian sausage and hates kidney beans so this is the chili recipe I came up with for him. If you don't like sausage just use 2lbs of ground beef or turkey. And of course, you can use dark red kidney beans instead of plain red beans. It also makes a TON of Chili and freezes very well. We ended up with about 5 meals for the two of us (very generous portions). We ate one and I froze 4 in gallon ziploc bags.

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

1 lb hot italian sausage - We like Boulder Sausage. (Boulder sausage is a Colorado thing - don't kill yourself trying to find it if you don't live here, :P)

2 cups chopped onions

1 cup chopped green sweet peppers

4 garlic cloves minced

2 (14 1/2 ounce)cans tomatoes , cut up (I used one plaincan and one can of rotel for extra kick)

2 (15 ounce)cans red beans , rinsed and drained

2 (8 ounce)cans tomato sauce

4-5 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon dried basil , crushed

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. In a large saucepan cook meat, onion, sweet pepper, and garlic until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain fat.

2. Stir in undrained tomatoes beans, tomato sauce, chili powder, basil, and pepper.

3. Bring to boil; reduce heat.

4. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

5. Crockery-cooker directions: Cook meat, onion, sweet pepper, and garlic as above. Drain fat. In a 3-1/2- or 4-quart electric crockery cooker combine meat mixture, undrained tomatoes, beans, tomato sauce, chili powder, basil and pepper. Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours.

Asian Beef Stir-Fry

Yum, Yum, Yum! The only word that describes this super quick, easy & kid friendly meal. Oh, and did I mention it is also healthy?

Ingredients:
- 2 cups instant brown rice, uncooked (I used the brown rice boil-a-bag)
- 1 lb. boneless beef sirloin steak, cut into thin strips
- 2 tsp. minced garlic
- 1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen stir-fry vegetables, thawed, drained
- 1/4 cup Asian Sesame with Ginger Dressing
- 1/4 cup lite soy sauce

- Cook rice as instructed on box (boil or microwave)
- Heat large nonstick skillet on medium-high and add garlic & meat.
- Stir-fry for about 2 minutes.
- Add vegetables (I never bothered thawing mine), dressing, and soy sauce, stir-fry until veggies are tender. About 3 minutes.
- Serve over brown rice.

That's it! So simple and REALLY good!




::Nutrition Information::
Calories- 400
Total fat- 11g
Saturated fat- 3g
Cholesterol- 60mg
Sodium- 740mg
Carbohydrate- 45g
Dietary fiber- 4g
Sugars- 7g
Protein- 27g