Beef with Brocolli and Bell Peppers

Ingredients:
Prepared Rice (optional use Coconut Rice)

2 Tbsp corn starch
2 Tbsp. Water
2 Tbsp. Minced garlic
1 Tbsp. Minced fresh ginger (or 1 1/2 tsp. Ground ginger)
1/2 tsp. Garlic powder
1 lb. lean cut steak (such as round steak) sliced thin

1 tsp. Olive oil
1 tsp. Sesame oil

1 tsp. Olive oil
1 tsp. Sesame oil
6 cups broccoli cut up into bite size bunches
1 onion cubed
1 bell pepper cut into large chunks

3 tbsp. Brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. Cornstarch
1/2 cup soy sauce

Directions:
Prepare rice.  I like to add 1/4 cup coconut while the rice cooks and a little salt.

In a medium bowl mix 2 tbsp. Corn starch, water, garlic, ginger, and garlic powder until combine.  Add sliced steak and mix to coat.  Set aside.

In large skillet heat 1 tsp olive oil and 1 tsp. Sesame oil on high.  Add steak and cook until done.  Place steak in clean bowl.

Add another 1 tsp olive oil and 1 tsp sesame oil and heat on high.  Add vegetables and cook until still crisp but onions are translucent (about 8-10 minutes).  While cooking stir together sauce - brown sugar, 1 1/2 tbsp. Corn starch and soy sauce.  When vegetables are about done add beef and stir to combine.  Add sauce and sauté 1-2 minutes until sauce is warm and coats the beef and vegetables.

Serve immediately over rice.

Enjoy!

Works without the bell pepper too!

Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef ( 93% lean, ground turkey also works great)
2 cloves garlic minced (or 2 tsp. garlic if from a jar)
2 medium sized onions diced
1 whole very large tomato diced (or two medium tomatoes; can used 1 (28 oz.) canned diced tomatoes if prefer)
1/2 cup + about 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tbsp. Worcestershire
1 1/2 tsp. season salt (I like Tastefully simply; or substitute 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper)
1 cup cooked rice
6 Bell peppers (green, red, yellow or orange are all fine), stems and seeds removed, cut in halves
1 can tomato soup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook rice according to directions on box, set aside.

In large saucepan cook beef, minced garlic and diced onions on medium until beef is browned and fully cooked and vegetables are translucent.  Add tomatoes, 1/2 cup cheese, Worcestershire, season salt, and cooked rice to saucepan and stir until combined.  Cook for 5 minutes at medium-low.

In a large 13X9 in. baking dish, pour 1 can tomato soup into bottom.  Place pepper halves in sauce (so they look like bowls).  Fill each pepper to top with beef mixture.  Cover each pepper with some cheese.

Bake peppers for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and peppers look tender.  Serve hot!

Crockpot Hearty Beef Tomato Sauce

Crock Pot Hearty Beef (or Pork) Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

2 small sweet onions chopped (or 1 large)
2 Tbsp. garlic minced
1-2 Bell Pepper diced, orange, red or yellow
1 lb. 97% lean ground beef (or 1lb. pork sausage)
4 slices of Prosciutto sliced into small pieces (***optional)
3 diced tomatoes (or 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes with garlic and green pepper)
1 jar tomato sauce of your choosing (or marina sauce)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a crockpot (except the Parmesan), break up the beef or sausage into chunks.  Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.  Serve over Cheesy Bread or pasta of your choosing.  If you love cheese, top with some shredded mozzarella.  Serves 8.

***My all-time favorite Tomato Sauce is Ragu Robusto Parmesan & Romano...it's amazing!

If you don't have fresh tomatoes, the 3 tomatoes can be replaced with another jar of tomato sauce such as Ragu Parmesan Romano Robutso

Balsamic Glaze

1/3 cup balsamic
3 Tbsp. brown sugar

Cook over medium heat in small saucepan stirring ingredients together while it cooks.  Mixture will start to bubble.  When mixture has thickened and is filled with bubbles.  Turn off and let thicken.  Mixture should have reduced to about half.

Great as a drizzle over your favorite pizza, grilled chicken, or tomato Caprese salad.

Also great as a pizza sauce for a pizza with savory toppings like prosciutto, fig and Manchego cheese.

Hearty Beef Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. oil
1 small sweet onion chopped
2 Tbsp. garlic minced
1-2 Bell Pepper diced, orange, red or yellow (***optional)
1 lb. 97% lean ground beef
4 slices of Prosciutto sliced into small pieces
3 diced tomatoes (or 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes with garlic and green pepper)
1 small jar tomato sauce of your choosing (or marina sauce)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Directions:
Place the oil in a large skillet.  Heat the oil on medium to medium-high heat.  Add the onion, garlic and the bell pepper (optional) and cook until tender for 5 minutes, stirring often.  Add the ground beef and Prosciutto and cook over medium heat until the ground beef is browned and cooked through.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer for at least 20 minutes.  Serve over Cheesy Bread or pasta of your choosing.  If you love cheese, top with some shredded mozzarella.  Serves 8.

***My all-time favorite Tomato Sauce is Ragu Robusto Parmesan & Romano...it's amazing!

Sloppy Joes

From my youth.  What can I say, like mac'n'cheese this is a delicious childhood favorite.  Recipe courtesy of my Mom.

Ingredients:
Grandma's Best Barbecue Sauce
1 1/2 lbs. 90% Lean Ground Beef
6-8 Hamburger Sized Buns of your choosing (I love Seasame Buns)

Directions:
In a large skillet cook beef over medium heat until cooked through.  Add Grandma's Barbecue Sauce.  Turn to low and simmer covered for 30 minutes.  Serve hot on your favorite buns.  Serves 6-8.

Cheesy Bread with Hearty Beef Tomato Sauce for a Cold and Stormy Spring Night

So for a lack of specific ingredients, I made these two dishes up this week; and they taste amazing together!  This is seriously one of my new favorites.  I actually made the Cheesy Bread as a side at a dinner party and it is delicious by itself (it is basically a savory bread pudding or a savory french toast casserole).  However, it is amazing when covered with the Hearty Beef Tomato Sauce.  I highly recommend you try this on a cool spring day, before its Summer and it is too hot to cook anything in the oven.

I love to buy the day old Hearty Italian Loaves from Market Street Wine Shop in downtown Charlottesvillle.  They are always on sale and still taste amazing!

Cheesy Bread:

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. of butter
5 eggs
1 cup milk
1 (15 oz.) container of part-skim ricotta (or you can use 1 brick low fat cream cheese cut into cubes
2 cups shredded Pizza Cheese (*optional for cheese lovers))
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 large french loaf, Garlic Parmesan Skillet Bread or loaf of your choice cut into cubes (can be older bread) or
1 tomato diced (optional)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Put the butter in a 13X9 inch baking dish.  Bake the butter in the oven until melted.  Make sure the butter evenly covers the bottom of the dish, place aside.

Whisk the eggs in a large mixing bowl; add the milk, 1/2 of the ricotta, cheese if desired, salt and pepper; mix to combine.  Pour the butter from the baking dish into the egg mixture and stir to combine; leave a layer of butter in the bottom of the baking dish.  Add the bread to the egg mixture and mix to combine covering all the bread cubes.  Pour half of the bread mixture into the 13X9 baking dish and spread evenly.  Add about 1 tsp. sized drops of ricotta randomly over top, using half of the remaining ricotta.  Cover with remaining bread mixture.  Add about 1 tsp. sized drops of ricotta randomly over top, using remaining Ricotta.  Spread diced tomato evenly on top if desired. Bake covered at 350 degrees for40 minutes.  Remove cover and bake for 10 more minutes at 400 degrees or until set and lightly browned on edges.

Cheesy Bread before going into the Oven:

Cheesy Bread after being baked:

While the cheesy bread is baking make:

Hearty Beef Tomato Sauce

or...

Hearty Sausage Tomato Sauce