Lighter Version of Shepherd's Pie (with a Southwest twist)

I've never had Shepherd's Pie before.  Decided to give it a go when I found a recipe on dLife.  There are a lot of ingredients in this one, and it's more complicated than what I normally like to do, but I got Sara to help me through it step by step and we did a good job.  I got all of my ingredients out first.  I separated them into two groups:  one for the base and one for the topping.

Here's what you need for the base:
1 large onion (chopped)
3 medium cloves garlic (minced)
3 oz shredded carrots (or one average full size carrot)  I used my favorite kitchen tool, the Ninja Express Chop to make mine into tiny bits that were perfect for this.
6 oz mushrooms (chopped...used the Ninja for this too)
1 lb lean ground beef
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp ground thyme
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp flour
1 1/3 C low sodium, fat free beef broth
2 Tbsp tomato paste
Cooking spray

For the topping you will need:

1 lb russet potato (peeled and cut into chunks)
3 Tbsp low fat milk
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
1 oz diced jalapenos.  (I used jarred jalapenos and chopped them up in the Ninja.  You can use fresh--just make sure to seed and de-rib it and don't touch your eyes before washing your hands.  Or, you can use a small can of diced jalapenos too.  I will use the hot canned jalapenos next time for ease and extra heat.)
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro (minced)
2 Tbsp green onions (chopped)
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 C shredded Monterey Jack cheese.

The ingredients list is a little overwhelming, I know, but if you just break it down step by step instead of looking at the whole big picture it's not too bad.



Prepare the base:

1.  In a large non stick skillet, saute onion, garlic, carrots and mushrooms over medium heat, stirring occasionally until vegetables are wilted (about 6 minutes)

2.  Add the ground beef and cook thoroughly until well browned.  Drain off any excess fat.
3.  Add oregano, thyme, cumin and pepper.
4.  Sprinkle flour over the beef and stir.
5.  Add beef broth and tomato paste.  Stir until well combined.

Prepare the dish:

6.  Line a 2 quart casserole dish (smaller around, but taller in height would probably work best) with aluminum foil so that it can completely encase the casserole.  I have no idea what the purpose of that is, but I did it anyways.  Lightly spray the inside of the foil with cooking spray.
7.  Transfer the beef to the prepared casserole dish.  Set aside.

Prepare the topping:

8.   Put the potatoes in boiling water and let them cook until they are fork tender.  Drain.  Put potatoes back in pot or in a bowl.

9.  Mash the potatoes, add milk so they get fluffy.  If 3 Tbsp is not enough, add a little more.

10.  Stir in salt (optional), jalapeno, cilantro, and green onions.
11.  Spoon potatoes over beef, careful not to push the potatoes down into the beef, but just spread on top.
12.  Sprinkle top with cheese and paprika.

Bake:

13.  Close up the foil around the casserole.  Bake at 375F for 40 to 45 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

The original direction said that it may bubble over and a sheet of aluminum foil under the casserole is a good idea.  My casserole was completely closed in so I didn't have that problem, but it's something you may want to consider.

So, you see, if you break it down into 4 sections--base, topping, preparing the dish and baking--it goes pretty smoothly.  And I just put the ingredients away right after I added them so that my space was cleaned up and decluttered as I went along.

I think it would be better with more potatoes, but then it wouldn't be lighter, would it?  The taste was fabulous.  The seasonings were just right and the jalapenos and cilantro gave it just a little Southwest flare.  Every one, husband and meat-eating kids, loved it.  It reminded me of a cross between chili and beef stew.  It was a very interesting and different flavor for me, but in a good way.  Even though it was a little more involved to make, I'm sure I will make this again (just not an every week thing!).  Fortunately, my vegetarian child was not home that evening and so I didn't have to attempt to make a vegetarian version for her.  That would be a total pain in my butt to make 2 complete casseroles that are this involved.  Next time we have it, if she's home, she'll be getting Morningstar Farms BBQ Riblets or something like that.  Unless I'm in a completely manic mood that day and decide to tackle it, but I won't promise anything!

It's a little high in calories, but it's not beyond my limits.  Here are the stats (serves 4):  393 calories, 16g fat, 5.8g saturated fat, 1.2g polyunsaturated fat, 1.8g monounsaturated fat, 78.7mg cholesterol, 738mg potassium, 720mg potassium, 34g carbs, 3.9g fiber, and a whopping 28g protein. (10 Points Plus)

Pick a day when you're not in a rush and give this one a go.  Serve it with a nice little salad or some other vegetable on the side, and it will be a winner for sure.

Enjoy!
Lisa
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Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Beef and Barley

It's been quite a while since I've posted anything new.  I have to make an admission.  I fell hard off the wagon.  It all started last summer when I went from a manic high, to a very low depression.  I started eating for comfort.  You know, that 15 minute euphoric high, followed by nothing but guilt.  It's such a great cycle, in fact, that I repeated it daily. :(  Truthfully, I didn't know how to make the roller coaster stop and let me off.  Then the holidays came.  I ate anything and everything.  And then some more.  What did all this binging get me?  Set back by 30 lbs.  Yes, that is the correct number and not a typo.  I stopped healthy eating for 6+ months and gained on average 1 lb a week.  Sad, isn't it?  All that hard but rewarding work I did in the beginning of the year just shoved aside.  To my defense, living with Bipolar disorder is a very difficult and tricky thing.  It is so very hard to adjust to a new normal when the highs suddenly in the blink of an eye become the lowest of lows.  Where does that leave me?  Right here.  Today.  Today I get back on the wagon and get back to my live-it.

Today's dinner was something I never tried before.  Stuffed Cabbage Rolls.  I looked up some recipes, compared the similarities and noted the differences.  Then I made some changes to my own liking.  The biggest change was that instead of rice in the stuffing I used pearled barley.  Pearled barley is a new find for me, and I really love it.  I think it is more filling than rice.

Here are the ingredients:

- 12-14 Cabbage leaves (It took me 2 heads of cabbage to get 14 decent sized leaves that weren't ripped.)

Filling:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 C uncooked pearled barley
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped, or I just used 2 Tbsp dried onions
- 1 egg
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp oregano
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 Tbsp dried parsley

Sauce:
- 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (mine were flavored with basil, oregano and garlic)
- 3 Tbsp Stevia (or sugar)
- 2 Tbsp vinegar
- 1/2 C water
- 2 - 3 Tbsp Shredded Parmesan

Directions:
1.  Put 1/2 C barley and 1 1/4 C water in a pot.  Bring to a boil.  Cover, simmer for about 45 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.
2.  Cook ground beef.  Try to break up large pieces into small pieces as much as possible.
3.  To the beef add onions, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper.
4.  Prepare the cabbage leaves.

This part is not difficult, but is the trickiest to explain.  I'll do my best.  Cut out the core of the cabbage.

To remove the leaves, do not try to remove by peeling back the thinnest part of the leaf.  Instead, use your thumb to press up on the rib of the leaf to get it loose.  If your cabbage is very compact and you are having a hard time getting the leaves off (you want them to be in 1 piece without tears as much as possible) then here's what you do:  Get a pot of water and bring it to steaming.  Place the head of cabbage in the water for 1 to 2 minutes.  You should have an easy time pressing up on the ribs for 2 or 3 layers and get those leaves off easily.  When it starts to get difficult again, put it in the water for another minute or 2 and then take off more leaves.  Also what I did was sliced a little off the ribs of each of the leaves so they're not so thick.

Ok, now you need to boil the leaves once they are separated.  Bring the pot of water to a boil, place a few leaves in at a time, or as many as your pot will comfortably fit.  Boil them for about 4 minutes.  Take out and drain.  Now your leaves are ready.

5.  Once the barley is cooked, and the beef is cooled a little, put them in a bowl and mix them together.  This is where I added in the parsley.
6.  Mix in the egg and milk.
7.  Lay out a leaf.  Put a couple spoonfuls of beef and barley into the center of the cabbage leaf.

Fold in the sides.

Roll up.  Place seam side down in a 9x13 pan.  Repeat for all the leaves.

Now you make the sauce, and it couldn't be easier.
8.  Mix all the ingredients of the sauce except the cheese together in a bowl.  (Told you it was easy)
9.  Poor sauce on top of cabbage rolls.  Top with parmesan.
10.  Bake in 350 F oven for 45 minutes.

Let me know how you like it.  You can serve it with salad, vegetables, mashed potatoes, and some people like it with crusty bread to sop up the sauce.  Just be careful with the starches...they add a lot of calories.  I made mine with some delicious mashed potatoes.  First, I sauteed 1/2 a thinly sliced onion in olive oil.  Then I added the water, milk and butter, along with some garlic powder and parsley flakes.  Sooooo tasty!  I really wanted more of those, but *heavy sigh* too many calories for me.

It's a little difficult for me to do the nutritional information because I don't know what percentage of fat is in the ground beef you are going to use.  The numbers here are based on 80% lean.  So if yours has less fat, your calories will be lower than I have here.

Nutritional Info for 2 cabbage rolls:
353.5 calories, 14.8g fat, .38g sat fat, 31.7mg cholesterol, 364mg sodium, 336mg potassium, 28.8g carbs, 4.9g fiber, 26.7g protein. (9 Points Plus)

I hope you enjoy your cabbage rolls!

Lisa
happyfairylove@live.com

Crock Pot Beef with Broccoli and a Vegetarian Version

I sure have been using my crock pot a lot lately.  It's a pain in the butt to clean the huge, heavy ceramic pot that goes in it.  So worth the effort though.  Keeps the kitchen much cooler, the house smells wonderful all day long, its almost effortless, and the meat is always perfect.

I'd like to share this recipe with you that I found on dLife.  My husband thought it had a hint of an Asian taste to it, and he would be right because it has a little ginger in it.  It's not overwhelming...just a hint and a nice change up for a standard crock pot roast.

Here's what you need:

1 1/2 - 3 lb beef roast, lean, cut into a couple pieces
3/4 lb carrots, peeled and in pieces
2 medium onions, cut into wedges
1 Tbsp fresh ginger root, finely grated or minced
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/2 C water
2 Tbsp soy sauce (low sodium is better)
1 packet dry beef gravy mix (I actually used mushroom gravy)
4 C fresh broccoli florets

1.  Place carrots, onions, meat ginger and garlic in a large slow cooker.
2.  In a small bowl combine water, soy sauce and beef gravy mix.  Pour over meat.
3.  Cover and cook on low heat for 8-10 hours or on high heat for 4 to 5 hours (mine took about 6 hours to get really tender, so just check it.)
4.  Then put the cooker on high, put in broccoli.  Cover and cook for 15 more minutes until broccoli is crisp-tender.

It was really delicious.  The meat was melt-in-your-mouth tender, the vegetables were perfectly cooked.  My roast today was not very lean, and the crock pot completely filled with fat/juice when it was done cooking.  So I'm thinking that if it was a very lean piece of meat the gravy sauce would be thicker.

I'm a little unsure of the nutritional stats because I think it all depends on your specific cut of meat.  For a 4 oz serving of meat with carrots and broccoli, it will be approximately 300 calories, 700mg potassium, 600mg sodium, 20g carbs and 35g protein.

Also, whenever I made anything like a beef roast before my vegetarian daughter was completely out of luck because I did not have any suitable vegetarian products that I could convert the recipe to.  Until now.  I found a new product that I am totally excited about.  It's been around for a while, but it is really hard to find.  I found just a couple different items at Safeway.  You can go to Gardein's website and look at there store finder, although I will warn you, it was not accurate for me.  They listed several stores that did not carry it.  You'll just have to look around.  I found these "beefless tips":

It was enough to make 2 single serving meals, and it was under $4.  Such a bargain.  Sami is so excited now that she can have pot roast again.  Here's what hers looked like:

I steamed the vegetables, mixed them in with gravy, heated up the "meat" and then stirred it all together.  So easy, and she was in Heaven.

Hope you enjoy your Beef with Broccoli stew!
Lisa
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Mouth-Watering Crock Pot Beef & Barley Stew

I'm going to tell you right from the get-go.  This was an INCREDIBLE dinner!!!  It was so melt-in-your-mouth good I can't even wait to have some leftovers.  I don't make beef very often.  First, I never seem to cook it right and it ends up being tough.  Second, it's very expensive.  Since I cooked it in the crock pot, though, it was pretty fool-proof.  As for the cost, yes, a beef roast is pretty pricey.  But if you wait for your grocery store to have a sale on them you can get really good deals.  This roast cost $19.53 (yikes!!!) BUT it was a "buy one get one free" sale.  So, for two 3+ lb boneless beef roasts it cost me $9.77 and THAT is a GREAT deal.  Keep your eye on the weekly grocery store sale papers!

I originally found this recipe on dLife, but I made changes to it, as usual.  Here's what you need:

3 lb boneless sirloin tip roast
32 oz low sodium, low fat beef broth
14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes (not drained)
1 lb sliced carrots
2 medium onions, cut into wedges
1 C pearled barley
1 bay leaf
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
A little salt, maybe 1/2 tsp

As for the barley, I found mine in the bulk bins at Sprouts (farmer's market) and it was very inexpensive.  Here's what it looks like raw. 

I cut my roast into 3 pieces.  Then I just added everything to the crock pot, and I put the bay leaf on top so it would be easy to find and take out before serving...remember, you can't eat bay leaves.  The directions for the original recipe said to cook on low heat for 9 or 10 hours or on high heat for 4 1/2-5 1/2 hours.  I put mine on the low heat setting and it was fall apart tender in just 7 hours.  I guess maybe different crock pots cook differently.

This is what it looks like when you first put it in the pot.

When it was done cooking I took out the 3 pieces of beef, put it on a cutting board and shredded it up.  Then I put it back in the crock pot and stirred it all up.  I tell you, I couldn't even cut the meat; it was too soft.  It literally just feel apart under my fork.  Scrumptious!!!  I served it with a slice of sour dough bread, but you can omit that to save calories and carbs.

My whole family just completely loved this.  Sami, my vegetarian, missed out though.  I have some left overs, and I can't wait to dig it into it.  And, if you remember, I got 2 roasts for the price of 1, so I still have another roast in the freezer that I can make this again with.  This is going to be soooo good on a cold winter day.  So thick, hearty and filling.  It's stick-to-your-ribs good.  And I'm not exaggerating. 

This pot will serve about 12 with 1 C servings.  286 calories, 8g fat, 2.8g saturated fat, 66mg cholesterol, 314.6mg sodium, 297.5mg potassium, 22.5g carbs, 4.5g fiber, 30g protein. (7 Points Plus) This is really great on calories, carbs and protein.

This dish will be a crowd-pleaser, for sure.  Again, watch the sales in your grocer's meat department, and when you find a good deal on a boneless beef roast, pick one (or two) up.

Hearty Eating!
Lisa
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