French Dip Sandwiches au Jus

Like many couples, Stan and I have different ideas about what makes a good meal.  I take more of the foodie approach.  I like variety; I want different flavors and colors and textures.  I like to try new things – even when they take a long time to make and turn our kitchen into a disaster.  I like the process almost as much as the eating.  I also think vegetables are a necessary component of every (non-breakfast) meal. 

Stan, on the other hand, is more of a stereotypical man.  He sees food as fuel.  To him, trying new recipes and experimenting in the kitchen merely delays getting food on the table – and leaves more dishes to wash.  He most certainly does not consider vegetables a necessary part of any meal.  Stan likes meat.  With a side of meat.  And some potatoes.  And ideally, some bread for dipping. 

Considering our different approaches to eating, I feel pretty lucky that Stan will eat pretty much anything I put in front of him, including vegetables.  Since he eats kale, broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, and other assorted green food on a regular basis, I like to “reward” him from time to time with a “man meal”.  Like French Dip Sandwiches au Jus. 

When I told Stan I was going to be making French Dip Sandwiches for dinner, he actually got excited about food.  (This is rare unless we’re talking about Doritos.)  When he came home the next night and I was shredding the beef, I actually had to kick him out of the kitchen so he wouldn’t eat all of it before I had a chance to turn it into sandwiches.  (I felt a little guilty about that since I couldn’t stop snacking on the meat myself.)  And then the sandwiches were ready - crusty bread filled with tender, salty, savory beef and sliced provolone cheese with a cup of jus (the beef’s cooking liquid) for dipping.  I even made roasted potatoes to go with the sandwiches. Stan was a happy man.  So happy he didn’t even mind the kale salad.

Greek-Style Stuffed Peppers

I know stuffed peppers don’t exactly scream summertime, but with fresh peppers being so abundant at my local farmers markets, I think it’s ok to buck tradition a little. And that’s a good thing, because these Greek-Style stuffed peppers aren’t exactly traditional (at least not based on what I grew up with).

Like many of their peers, these peppers are stuffed with ground beef.  (You can also use turkey.)  Unlike their peers, these peppers are also stuffed with lots of veggies, including fresh, grated zucchini, chopped spinach, garlic, and onions.  Instead of rice, wheat bulgur acts as the binder.  (If you’re not familiar, bulgur is the grain used to make tabbouli.)  On top of the peppers, canned stewed tomatoes make an easy, slightly sweet, and savory sauce.  Crumbles of feta top everything off and add a salty, creamy component to the dish.  Like I said, they may not be traditional, but they are delicious.  They’re even good enough to make me consider turning on my oven in the middle of August.

Ground Beef Enchiladas

If you’ve been a reader for a while, you might remember a post I did quite awhile back for Tex-Mex Stuffed Shells.  That recipe took a Tex-Mex flavored ground beef filling and stuffed it into jumbo pasta shells.  What you ended up with was an Italian-looking recipe that tasted decidedly South of the border.  A weird fusion, I know, but extremely delicious.

Today’s Ground Beef Enchiladas are a spin-off of those Tex-Mex Stuffed Shells.  I took the ground beef filling we loved in the shells and rolled it into whole wheat tortillas – something we have on hand much more frequently than jumbo shells.  The result? Recipe adaptation awesomeness.  The flavorful meat filling and the easy, homemade enchilada sauce worked just as well with tortillas as with pasta.  If you’re looking for a crowd-pleasing, crowd-feeding recipe for your Cinco de Mayo festivities, look no further than these ground beef enchiladas.

P.S. Please do not be alarmed by the extremely shiny cheese topping my enchiladas.  I was experimenting with a new brand of reduced-fat cheese.  While the cheese did actually taste okay, it formed that lovely, shiny, rubbery layer that low-fat cheeses tend to do.  Lesson learned.

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

I know I don’t typically share a whole lot of personal stuff with you in my posts, but I’ve got some great news I just can’t keep to myself. And no, before any of you who are related to me get super duper excited, we’re not having a baby. I can’t even get Stan to agree to get a dog…yet. But I’m working on it. In the meantime, I am thrilled to tell you that I began an exciting new job this week. After not working full-time since starting grad school in 2007, this has been quite an adjustment. I’m enjoying the work, but man oh man, I am so tired I could fall asleep standing up.

Needless to say, cooking has not exactly been on my radar this week.  Fortunately, I have a slow cooker to do some of the cooking for me.  Take today’s recipe for Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff.  It’s crazy delicious.  And ridiculously easy. Like throw everything in the pot and let it go, easy. No need to brown the meet first. No need to sauté vegetables.  Yes, you have to add some more ingredients towards the end of the cooking time, but all you’re doing is adding them in – nothing difficult whatsoever. Honestly, I was a bit shocked by the depth of savory flavor produced by this simple slow cooker meal.  Served up over buttered egg noodles (or mashed potatoes or rice), this beef stroganoff is comfort on a plate – exactly what you need after a long day’s work.

Ancho-Chipotle Turkey Chili

Lately, a lot of you have told me about your desire for some healthier recipes.  Whether it’s upcoming spring break vacations or a desire to refuel those New Year’s resolutions, a lot of you are thinking thinner. And so I have a confession to make.  A few weeks ago I made the decision to get healthier myself. I’m eating less and working out more.  I feel good, and I know I’m going to continue feeling even better.

I’ve held off on telling you guys about this for a couple of reasons.  First, I don’t want to scare any of you away.  I know some of you come here for your butter and sugar fix, and I don’t want you to fear a shift to all “health food” recipes. To you, I say don’t worry.  That’s just not going to happen.  I have no intention of turning this into a diet blog.  I have lots of guilty pleasures saved up waiting to be posted.

I was also afraid to say anything about my healthy-eating plans because the last time I mentioned going on a diet (way back I don’t even remember when), it lasted all of four days. An opportunity to try an El Salvadoran restaurant did me in. We’re talking lots of cheese.  When I fall off the wagon, I tend to fall hard, and that was the end of that!

Eating healthier doesn’t have to mean eating tasteless, boring food. I love the challenge of taking typically less-than-healthy dishes and turning them into guilt-free options I can enjoy without feeling like I’m giving anything up. Take today’s recipe for example. Chili is not always the best choice for cutting back. This one, however, is pretty darn healthy, and it is ridiculously tasty. The recipe uses ground turkey breast, which is virtually fat free, and kicks up the flavor with garlic and onions and lots of spices. There is a fantastic smoky taste from the chiles and a very small amount of bacon. Plus, I enjoyed how this chili is so different from the tomato-laden, bean-filled chili recipes I typically make. If this is what diet food tastes like, sign me up!

Beef Carbonnade

When the in-laws come to visit, it’s time to bust out the big guns. Of course we’re talking culinary guns here. No need for the real thing. Especially if you have in-laws you like, which I hope you do. And whether or not you are lucky enough to like your in-laws, or co-workers, or random visiting dignitaries, when you have important people coming to dinner, the pressure is on.

A few weeks back, my in-laws came to visit. (If you’ll recall, they were witness to the skin-frying, too-hot-to-handle incident.) While I knew they wouldn’t care one bit what I served for dinner, they know I cook all the time, so I felt a little bit of pressure to deliver the goods. Show them I’m a good wifey and all. I went back and forth for at least a week before they arrived. Chicken or beef? Make ahead or made to order? Eventually I settled on Beef Carbonnade.

Beef Carbonnade is a classic Belgian dish comprised of beef cooked low and slow with beer and onions. As it cooks, the beef becomes meltingly tender. The onions cook down to an almost creamy consistency and give the sauce sweet onion flavor that melds perfectly with the malty essence of the beer. After a couple of hours in the oven, the stew is rich, savory, and utterly delicious. It just begs to be ladled over hot, buttered egg noodles or a pile of fluffy mashed potatoes – something to cradle all of the luscious sauce you will want to lick off your plate. Try not to do that though. Especially if you’re cooking for visiting dignitaries. Or if your mother-in-law doesn’t like you. 

Skillet Lasagna

I love this recipe. I really do. I love it because it’s easy. I love it because, like the Chili Mac I told you about recently, the entire meal cooks in one skillet. Most of all, I love it because it brought lasagna back into my kitchen. And that is a glorious thing.

I grew up eating lasagna on a fairly regular basis. My mom would make it all the time for company and often just for our family, too. Stan, however, did not grow up eating pasta. When we first met, he had very little interest in my carb of choice. Being the pasta-lover that I am, I sort of beat him into submission through years of pasta dinners. Seven years later, he likes a good bowl of pasta. What he doesn’t like, however, is lasagna. No matter whether it came from a restaurant, my mom, or us making it together, Stan has never met a lasagna that he genuinely liked.

This Skillet Lasagna changed everything. Stan loved it. He went back for seconds. I had to stop him from eating thirds so that he’d have enough left for lunch the next day. In other words, for the two of us, this recipe is a winner. It’s a perfect dinner – a skillet full of broken lasagna noodles, cooked until al dente, in a flavorful meat sauce. There’s cheese in this version too, but it accents the pasta rather than taking a starring role. Dollops of creamy ricotta and a light sprinkling of mozzarella and Parmesan decorate the top of the pasta. Topped off with some fresh basil confetti, this skillet lasagna looks as good as it tastes.

Chili Mac with Corn and Green Chiles

Okay, I held out as long as I could. I know it’s January, the month of healthy eating and dieting resolutions. I tried to give you as many healthy recipes as I could. I haven’t even mentioned dessert so far this month. But the time has come for me to cave. I just have too many delicious (slightly fattening) recipes to tell you about. I hope you’ll forgive me.

Apologies and disclaimers aside, today’s recipe is one I’ve been waiting to tell you about for the last few weeks. It’s a new, fresh, kicked up take on the family-friendly classic chili mac. In this version, lean ground beef and macaroni are cooked up with a delicious mix of onions, garlic, and spices. Corn and green chiles are thrown into the mix to jazz things up a little. Oh, and did I mention the whole thing is topped with gooey cheese and fresh cilantro? Just telling you about it is making my stomach growl.

In addition to the fabulous flavors, let me give you three more reasons why you will love this chili mac. Number One: The entire meal is cooked in one skillet. That means you only have one thing to wash after dinner. Can I get a hallelujah? Number Two: The entire meal can be prepped and ready to hit the table in under 30 minutes. How often does that really happen? Number Three: Leftovers (if you have any) taste just as good as they did the first night. Honestly, I’m a little bummed I don’t have any ground beef in the house so I could make this for dinner tonight!

Healthy Recipes to Kick Off the New Year

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful New Year’s Eve with friends and family and have kicked off 2011 with a bang. We stayed in to ring in the New Year this year, and celebrated with friends, an enormous meal, and a whole lot of celebratory libations. After all of that revelry, Stan and I are feeling the need for some healthier meals and a little more exercise in our lives. While neither of us are big on New Year’s resolutions, eating better and moving more are certainly tops on many people’s lists for this time of year. So, in honor of those, like us, who need some holiday detox, or are trying to make good on healthy resolutions, today’s post features recipes that can help you cook your way to a healthier new year.

Soups and stews are always good in January, heating you up without filling you out. Here are some delicious, belly-warming options... (Just click on the recipe titles to link to the original posts!)

Coconut Curry Noodle Soup

Island Kale and Sweet Potato Soup

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

 Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Soup

Tortellini Soup

Shrimp and Corn Chowder

Chickpea and Kale Stew

Chicken Posole

Three Bean and Beef Chili

The days are still nice and warm here in Nashville. We’re talking 70 to 80 degrees most days. But the nights? Oh, the nights are wonderfully, finally, cool. You know the kind of nights I’m talking about. The kind that make you want to be outside sitting around a campfire roasting marshmallows. Or cozy in bed under a pile of blankets with the windows open. Or sitting at the dinner table (or in front of the television) eating a bowl of something warm and hearty. Ah fall… how I’ve missed you.

And folks, let me tell you, I’ve missed this chili too. However, before I tell you about it, let me start off by saying that I know this is not a true, Texas-style, meat-and-nothing-else chili. But I’m okay with that. So chili-purists, please keep your objections to yourself – and forward me your recipes, because I’d love to try them.

Now about this chili... It’s got beans – pinto, black, and kidney. It’s also got lean ground beef and some carrots and red bell pepper to make it a little healthier. To top it off, it’s a little smoky because it gets its heat from chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. (Chipotle peppers are actually just smoked jalapenos.) Basically, this chili is ridiculously delicious. It’s also versatile. We eat it as is, tuck it inside tortillas to make chili burritos, serve it over brown rice, and always top it with sour cream and cheese. It’s one of the few recipes I make repeatedly throughout the fall and winter. Give it a try for your next family dinner or football watching party. It might just become your new go-to chili. Beans and all.

Slow Cooker Hoisin Beef Stew

Spring may be just around the corner, but it’s certainly taking its time here in Nashville. Flowers have yet to bloom, and the sky has taken on a seemingly perpetual shade of gray. Needless to say, things are looking a little gloomy around here. Instead of being depressed about, well, the depressing weather, I am instead choosing to look on the bright side – from a gastronomical perspective if not a meteorological one.

Gray skies and cool temperatures are the perfect excuse to try out warm and cozy recipes. If the recipes simmer all day in a slow cooker and fill your house with rich, meaty, mouthwatering aromas, so much the better. Culinary good times can certainly be found indoors, at least until sunny skies lead us outside to picnics and barbecues.

This recipe is a new spin on a classic beef stew. The traditional beef, onions, carrots, and celery are mixed with Asian flavors for a stew with a uniquely savory, slightly sweet flavor profile. If you haven’t tried it before, hoisin sauce is sometimes referred to as Chinese barbecue sauce. It is a little sweet, a little tangy, and a little spicy; how sweet, tangy, or spicy depends on the brand you use. You can find hoisin sauce in the Asian foods section of pretty much any big grocery store. They also carry it at places like Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and of course, Asian markets.

Tex-Mex Stuffed Shells

Sometimes I think my kitchen could double as an international foods emporium. On any given day, you are more likely to find Thai fish sauce or Indian curry powder than potato chips or hamburger patties. Despite a childhood spent in a suburb teeming with numerous chain restaurants but few authentic ethnic-food options, I am now something of an international foods magnet. I am drawn to trying new foods, spices, flavors, restaurants, and home recipes. In recent years I have developed a deep and abiding love of Japanese, Thai, Indian, Turkish, Greek, and Moroccan cuisines… just to name a few.

And while Mexican and Italian cuisines may not be the most exotic (since you can typically find them in most areas, suburbs and small towns included), they are two of the favorites in this newlywed household, at least when it comes to home cooking. Between me being a pasta addict (seriously, I need help) and Stan loving south of the border flavors, we prepare a lot of Italian and Mexican dishes, some more authentic than others.

This dish is a fusion of our favorites – traditional Mexican spices and flavors stuffed into warm, al dente pasta. When I came across the recipe at elly says opa! I knew it was one we had to try. While it clearly not an authentic Italian or Mexican recipe, it brings together many of the most delicious aspects of the two cuisines. Stan could not stop raving about the subtly spiced sauce, the rich but not heavy filling, and the overall combination of flavors. I agreed with him wholeheartedly, while also appreciating the recipe’s ease of preparation and the fact that it made more than enough for several meals’ worth of leftovers.

Cincinnati Chili

This post is dedicated to all of my readers who have ever lived in Ohio. You know what this stuff is, and I bet you are drooling. For the rest of you, I suspect you are scratching your heads and saying something along the lines of, “Cincinnati chili? What the heck is that?!”

We’ve all heard of Texas chili, white chicken chili, chili with beans, chili without beans… But what is Cincinnati chili? The short answer? It’s unlike any chili you’ve likely ever had, and you should try it right away. The longer answer is, well, a little bit longer. Cincinnati chili is thinner than your average chili with a unique flavor profile. True Cincinnati chili includes seasonings such as cinnamon, allspice, and chocolate or cocoa powder. These additions don’t make it sweet, they just give the chili its distinctive aroma and flavor.

Cincinnati chili is typically served over spaghetti. Prepared as such, it’s known as a Two-Way. Pile a mound of bright orange shredded cheese on top, and you have a Three-Way. Adding either diced raw onions or beans makes it a Four-Way, and adding both gives you the ultimate Five-Way. You can also serve your Cincinnati chili on top of a hot dog with cheese, onions, and mustard. That particular culinary masterpiece is known as the Cheese Coney. And for some reason or another, Cincinnati chili always comes with oyster crackers on the side.

This particular recipe is pretty close to the authentic taste I was looking for. I don’t think it’s 100 percent spot-on, but one of my Cincy chili-loving friends thought it was close to perfect. For those of you who grew up (or learned to love) eating this stuff, let me know how you like it. And if you have another recipe, please share it with us. I’d be more than willing to stage a Cincinnati chili taste test and post the results.

Taco Soup

Every home cook needs an arsenal of good, easy recipes that can be put together quickly with ingredients that are likely always on hand. These are the throw-together recipes for when you are in a hurry, have unexpected company, or are just tired and don’t want to spend a lot of time making (and cleaning up) dinner.

This is the perfect recipe to add to your arsenal. (If I use the word arsenal much more, you’re going to think I watch a lot of police shows… You would be right.) It’s quick, easy, and only uses one pot, which makes my dirty dish-hating husband a happy camper. Basically it’s taco night in a bowl. And who doesn’t love taco night?

Perhaps the best thing about this recipe though, is that it is incredibly versatile. Don’t like zucchini? Substitute some green pepper. Out of corn? Stir in some cooked rice. You get the idea. So go fill up your bowl with hot soup, top it off with some cheese, sour cream, or chips, and dig in. It’ll be like a fiesta in your mouth.