Chili Beef

At one of our favorite Chinese take away places they had a dish called Crispy Chili Beef that we absolutely loved. Now that we don't live near that take away place, I have been determined to find a recipe to make it at home. This Chinese dish is really good and has a nice heat to it from the chili pepper. Instead of dicing up fresh chili peppers, I was able to buy fresh crushed red chilies which one tablespoon of it would equal one chopped chili.

Ingredients:

1/4 lb (150g) beef (frying steak), thinly sliced strips (0.5-1 cm wide)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp cornflour (corn starch)
vegetable oil, for deep frying
1 carrot, finely shredded
1 spring onion, shredded
1/2 garlic clove, chopped
1 red chilli, shredded
3/4 tsp sugar (10g)
2 Tbsp white rice vinegar
2 Tbsp sweet chili Sauce
Splash light soy sauce

Method:

Prep your vegetables - shredding and chopping as directed.

Mix together sauce ingredients.

Slice meat thinly.

Combine the eggs, salt and corn flour then coat the beef strips.

Heat oil to 350 F/180C then deep-fry the beef strips, taking care to add them to the wok one by one. Don't stir for approx. 10 seconds, then stir to ensure the pieces don't stick together.

Cook for approximately 6-7 minutes until brown and crispy. Remove them and drain.

Using some of the oil from your frying, stir fry the spring onion, garlic, chilli and carrot.

Add the sugar, vinegar, sweet chili sauce and soy and mix together.

Finally, add the beef and toss together.
Serve.

Light Cabbage Rolls

As I was looking for some new recipes, I found an old classic that I personally hadn't had before but thought would be fun to try. Normally this dish has rice mixed into the hamburger but to cut a out a few carbs I left it out. I think what really makes this dish is the type of tomatoes you use. I found some basil and garlic diced tomatoes and it enhanced the flavor so much. It is definitely a meal that we'll make again and again and especially one when we need to kick on the ol' South Beach diet as this recipe complies with Phase 1 pretty well.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup water
8 cabbage leaves
1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes (you may want to add more,
depending on your preference)

Method:

Bring a large, wide saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add cabbage leaves and cook for 2 to 4 minutes or until softened; drain.

(Prep the cabbage leaf by cutting off the hard base.)

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, onion, egg, salt and pepper, along with a few tablespoons of tomatoes. Mix thoroughly.

Divide the beef mixture evenly among the cabbage leaves.

Roll up "meatball" by first folding up the trimmed base of the leaf, then fold over the sides, then finish with the top.

Secure them with toothpicks or string.

In a large skillet over medium heat, place the cabbage rolls in single layer.

Pour the remaining tomatoes and water over the top. Cover and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 40 minutes, stirring and basting with the liquid often.

Remove string or toothpicks and serve.

No-Potato Beef Stew

I thought it would be hard to make a beef stew without potatoes but I adjusted my mom's old recipe to make it "low carb" and it tastes amazing. The potatoes are usually what thicken up the stew with it's starchiness, but I mixed a little bit of corn starch and water for a thickener. The carrots are what puts this dish in Phase 2.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil

1 lb lean beef roast or casserole steak (450g), diced in 3/4 inch cubes

2 medium carrots, diced

3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cups beef broth

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Fry up beef in oil until browned. Add onions and continue to fry for 2-3 minutes until onions are slightly soft. Add carrots, celery, broth, tomato paste, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir until it boils. Turn down heat and simmer for at least 2 hours so that the meat is super tender. If stew needs to be thickened, mix together 1 Tbsp cornstarch with 1 Tbsp water and add enough until desired consistency is made.

Creamy Beef Sandwiches

This sandwich is a little different twist than your typical loose meat sandwich or maid rite. We used to have these sandwiches at church youth group get-togethers and I really liked them, so I made them up for my family. For some you may think it's like putting hamburger stroganoff on a bun (like my husband), don't worry it tastes great on a bun!

Ingredients:

1 lb hamburger

1 medium onion, chopped

1 can cream of celery soup, undiluted

1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Fry up hamburger and drain if necessary. Add in onion and fry until onions are tender.

Add cream of celery soup, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Heat through and serve on buns.

Black-Pepper Beef

Another great Chinese dish that I cheat on a bit by using a ready made black pepper sauce, but my "Chinese cooking" teacher said it's best this way. I have added in the onion and peppers to make it more like the dish we eat in our favorite Chinese restaurant. The black pepper beef sauce can be found in most Asian supermarkets.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs (675g g) sirloin steak, sliced thinly

1/2 onion finely chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced (opt)

1/2 green bell pepper, sliced (opt)

3/4 cup Lee Kum Kee* Black Pepper Sauce (3 Tbsp/170g meat)

3/4 cup water

Method:

Add 2-3 Tbsp oil into hot wok. Fry meat for 5 minutes or until all browned. Add onions and fry for additional 2-3 minutes. Next add peppers and fry for 1 more minute. Add black pepper sauce and water and heat through. Serve immediately with rice.

***Note: This is the brand of sauce that we like to use, but a warning that it can be a little spicy.

Hamburger Beef-Vegetable Soup

A great soup to have on a cold day. The nice thing about this soup is that you can add about any vegetables that you like and use up any left over bits you have in your refrigerator.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb ground beef

1 cup celery, thinly sliced

1 cup carrot, diced

1/2 cup onion, diced

1 cup potato, diced

1/2 cup sweetcorn

1 cup canned green beans, cut in 1 inch peices

1 cup frozen peas

6 cups beef broth

1 small can tomato sauce or 2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp celery salt

Serves 6-8

Method:

Fry up hamburger in large stew pot. Drain off grease. Add in onion, celery, and carrot and cook until onions are soft.

Add green beans, potatoes, peas and corn.

Pour in beef broth.

Add tomato sauce or tomato paste. Next add bay leaf and salt, pepper, garlic powder, celery salt. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat and let soup cook for 20+ minutes on medium low or until all vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Goulash

Another childhood favorite of mine and such an easy one to just through together. My husband and I differ in opinion on what should actually be included in a goulash, as I believe it's great to have veggies like carrots, corn, and celery, where he thinks they shouldn't be there. Since I'm the chef I make it they way I like it but I think I've got him converted because he said this was the best goulash I've ever made. Also we both have to agree that the best way to eat this kind of goulash is spooned up on a slice of well buttered bread. Trust us!!!

Ingredients:

Serves 4

1/2 lb hamburger

1 1/2 cups uncooked pasta

1 large carrot, chopped

1 stalk of celery, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 - 1 cup sweet corn (depends on your taste)

2 cans finely chopped tomatoes or tomato sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp celery salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 Tbsp sugar

Method:

Brown hamburger then add onion, carrot, and celery. Cook for another 3-4 minutes until veggies are slightly tender.

Add tomatoes, salt, garlic powder, celery salt, sugar and pepper and heat until bubbling.

Stir in uncooked pasta and cover for 15-20 minutes until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally and adding water if needed.

Finally add in sweet corn and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Serve up with some soft and well-buttered bread. We like to scoop some goulash up on the bread and eat it like a little open faced sandwich.

***Note: I found that dicing the vegetables to a finer consistency will give the goulash a smoother texture and make them less noticeable especially if you have a picky eater. If you all don't mind the vegetables cut them a little more coarsely. They do add a lot of the flavor in the dish and if you have other vegetables that you like don't be afraid to chuck them in the pan with it all.

Meal-in-One

My mom used to make this ALL the time when we were kids and for the first time in my adult life I have made it myself. I had to call my mom to have her explain exactly how she made so I could replicate its great taste, but like all great moms she didn't give very exact measurements. What I put together turned out great and tasted just like mom's. It is such a great to have this entire "meal (meat, veggies, and potatoes together) in-one" pot.

Ingredients:

4 slices bacon, chopped

1 lb hamburger (500 g beef mince)

3-4 large potatoes, sliced (skin on)

3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 large onion, peeled and sliced

3-4 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce

2 cups water

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Slicing your carrots, potatoes and onions can be done very quickly if you have a slicer like this but if not you can slice them by hand very thinly.

Fry bacon in the bottom of heavy stewing pot.

Form hamburger into small 3 inch sized patties.

Fry the patties in the bacon grease until both sides are browned.

Next, add one layer of potatoes, carrots and then onions, then add salt and pepper. Repeat 2 more times for 3 layers total salting and peppering each layer. Pour two cups of water over the top and then pour 3-4 Tbsp of Worcestershire sauce over the whole thing.

Put a lid on it and continue cooking it on medium low heat for about 1 hour or until vegetables are tender. To serve, scoop through the layers to make sure you get a beef patty with your vegetables.

***Note: You could also bake in a covered casserole dish in the oven at 350 F/180C for 1 hour or put in a crockpot for 4-5 hours on high, but be sure to first fry bacon and hamburger patties for your first layer.

Beef Stroganoff

This is the quick and easy way to make beef stroganoff. This was a family favorite of mine growing up back in Iowa, but I've tweaked it a bit.

Ingredients:

1 lb beef sirloin or round steak (or hamburger)

1 medium onion, sliced thinly

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

2 small cans of cream of mushroom soup

1 cup beef broth

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup sour cream

salt and pepper

Method:

Slice up steak into thin pieces. Brown meat in skillet. Add onions and fry for 3-4 minutes. Then add garlic and fry for one more minute.

Pour in cream of mushroom soup and beef broth and bring to a bubble. Cover and turn down heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add sour cream and cook for 1 more minute. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over pasta, rice or mashed potatoes.

Beef and Ale Pie

Another favorite traditional English dish which is essentially an amazing slow cooked beef stew with a pie crust topping. It's amazing and full of flavor. The recipe calls for using short crust pastry, but I think it would be even better with a puff pastry topping and made into smaller individual pies. It is great served with buttery baby new potatoes or mashed potatoes and garden peas.

Ingredients:

Pastry:

300 g/10 oz rich short crust pastry

1 beaten egg to glaze

Filling:

25 g/1 0z/3 Tblsp flour

900 g/ 1 3/4 lbs chuck steak cut into 1" cubes

2 carrots, cubed in 1" chunks

20 g/ 1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp oil

2 large onions, thinly sliced

2 tsp Worchestershire sauce

2 tsp tomato puree

500 ml/17 oz Guinness stout

300 ml/1 cup hot beef stock

2 tsp sugar

salt and pepper

Method:

Mix flour, salt and pepper in bowl. Toss meat in flour and coat well.

Heat butter and oil until melted. Add meat in small batches and brown quickly then remove with slotted spoon. Set aside.

Add onion and carrot and fry gently for 2 minutes.

Then return meat with Worchestershire sauce, tomato, ale, stock and sugar. Grind in plenty of black pepper and a little salt.

Stir well and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer slowly for 2 hours until meat is tender and sauce is thick. Remove from heat and let cool in 2 1/2 pt deep pie dish. Preheat oven to 400 F / 200 C.

Roll out pastry 1/8" thick. Cut 3/4" strip and place around rim after brushing rim with water. Press down.

Cut out remaining pastry 1" larger than dish. (My stewing pot lid is the right size.)

With pie funnel in the center of the filling, place pastry lid over top and press down edges to seal. Trim excess pastry and crimp edges with fork or between thumb and forefingers. Brush top with egg. Make hole in center to reveal pie funnel (my pie dish was a bit shallow so it stuck out a lot). Bake 30-35 minutes.