Slow Cooker Beef Stew

When we got married, I registered for a slow cooker...it's what everyone does, right? I didn't really think I'd use it that much unless we were having a cookout. Well, I got the one I registered for...and another one. This one had a locking lid to make it easy to transport. I remember thinking to myself, "what on earth am I going to do with two?!"

Here I am almost two years later using my slow cookers an average of once or twice per week. I also got a small 2-1/2 qt. one (in purple!) for St. Nicholas Day from my parents. I have completely converted to the foodie greatness that can be made in these little ceramic cookers. A new favorite, aside from soup and chili, is beef stew. It's so wonderful to come home from a long day slinging tea at the Tea Room to find my house permeated with the smell of stew simmering away on my counter top. A few things thrown together in the morning reaps HUGE rewards at supper time. You'll notice green peas are absent from the picture-don't be fooled! Peas in beef stew are a must around here, considering my husband gets pretty excited when I put peas in/with just about any of our suppers. :) I pop the peas in (frozen) about a 1/2 hour before we eat and they keep their shape and flavor.
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
barley adapted from Real Simple Slow-Cooker Beef Stew

2-1/2 to 3 lbs of stew beef
1 cup flour
olive oil
2 large onions, cut in large chunks
1 small jar tomato paste
4 carrots, cut in 1 inch pieces or 1/2 a small bag of baby carrots, whole
4 small potatoes (I used red potatoes), quartered
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups beef broth (can or boxed)
1 tsp dried or fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper (to taste)
1 to 1-1/2 cups frozen peas

Place flour in a 1 gallon Ziploc bag and add 1/2 of the beef. Shake to coat beef completely. Heat about 2 Tbsp of oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Shake off excess flour from beef and add to skillet. Brown on all sides, set aside and repeat above procedure with the remaining beef.

Add more oil to skillet and add onions. Cook onions for about 5 minutes until soft. Add tomato paste and 1 cup of beef broth to the skillet. Stir and cook until the tomato paste breaks up and starts to form a smooth sauce. Place seared beef chunks into slow cooker along with remaining ingredients except peas. Pour onion/sauce mixture over meat and veggies.

Cook on low heat for 7-1/2 hours or high heat for 4 hours. Add peas and cook for another 1/2 hour on low.

This stew was great on a cold night with some homemade bread and applesauce to round out the meal. Leftovers are great!


Enjoy!
Emmy

Tilapia Parmesan

I've been making tilapia parm with Panko bread crumbs several times, but this was my first go with my homemade bread crumbs. It was really good and reheated great for lunch this afternoon! It's pretty easy to make; I served it with some wild rice blend and buttered peas-YUM!Tilapia Parmesan

4 fresh or frozen (thawed) tilapia fillets
1-1/2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning (I use Penzey's Pasta Sprinkle)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil
olive oil cooking sprayPreheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking dish with olive oil cooking spray. In a shallow dish, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and seasonings with a fork. Pour olive oil in another shallow dish. Coat fillets in oil, then dredge in bread crumb mixture. Place fillets in baking dish (you may need two dishes or one large baking sheet, depending on the size of you fillets. Spray tops of fillets with olive oil cooking spray. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until fish flakes off in big chunks. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Emmy

Homemade Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs

If you've checked out any of the recipes on Skinnytaste.com that have been a great inspiration for me in the last few months, you'll see that she often uses whole wheat bread crumbs in place of the typical bread crumbs you find in the store. I converted to Panko bread crumbs about a year ago, but I'm now being converted to whole wheat bread crumbs (and you can still do them Panko-style)! However, I could never find them in any store in my area. My mom even hunted around the local natural food store with no success. Well, doing a bit of online research lead to the creation of a quick, easy, and homemade recipe for whole wheat bread crumbs! Being the foodie that I am, this has needless to say brought me great joy in the kitchen! :)

What you need:

1 bag of store bought whole wheat bread, sliced
(you could always make your own whole wheat bread and slice it for this, but this makes it super simple. As a side note-if you want organic ww bread crumbs, just get organic whole wheat bread...simple as that!)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for about 15-20 minutes; turning slices half-way through baking.

Once the bread is browned nicely and crispy. Process slices in a food processor or blender; course grind for Panko-style bread crumbs or fine for regular. If you use a blender like I did, you'll probably want to brake the slices into big chunks first and only do 2 at a time.


If your crumbs are still soft, you can slip them back into the oven to bake for another 5 minutes or so on the same baking sheet. Let cool before you store in an airtight container in your pantry. From what I can tell from my research, they will keep forever...within reason. If they get stale, you can always baking them up a bit more...or make some more!Too easy, right? I haven't done it yet, but for Italian bread crumbs, just add some Italian seasoning to the crumbs.

I've really found it amazing how many things you can easily make yourself, for way cheaper than buying them. You could buy an organic loaf of bread or make your own for around $3-$4 (or less if you make your own). I have a feeling organic ww bread crumbs would be a lot more in the store-if you could even find them! :)

So, you have homemade whole wheat bread crumbs. What should you make with them?
Thanks for asking...

Tilapia Parmesan

Shrimp Curry & Homemade Whole Wheat Naan

In the past year, I've developed a love of Indian food. We ate at Indian restaurant in Madison, WI last year with my family on a little Winter Weekend get away. Their lunch buffet was fun, because we could try all sorts of dishes. When our friends from England were here, we got take-out from the Chicago Curry House and ate on the roof of the hotel. It was so fun and yummy!

I saw a recipe for homemade naan (Indian flat bread) on another blog and decided to give it a try with the curry since the two seem to go together. It was a lot of fun to make the naan and cook it over the open gas burner on my stove. I learned to watch and move it carefully, but the end result was great! It was a two person effort (the hubby and me), but it was a great little impromptu cooking date! :)

I hope some of you will step out of your comfort zone and try to make curry on your own. You could use chicken, shrimp, or lamb if you'd like with this recipe.

Shrimp Curry

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and de-vained (wild, American shrimp, if possible)
2 Tbsp oil
1 large onion
1 green bell pepper or 1 jalapeno pepper (depending on the spiciness you'd like), diced small
2 plum tomatoes, quartered and cut into big chunks
1 Tbsp curry powder (I use Red Curry)
1 can tomato paste
1 cup water
1 small container plain Greek yogurt
2 tsp lime juice
3 cups cooked brown basmati rice

Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add onions and pepper. Saute until onions become translucent. Add curry powder, tomatoes, water and tomato paste. Saute until tomatoes begin to break down. Add shrimp and saute until shrimp are pink (about 3-5 minutes*don't overcook!) Turn off heat and add yogurt and lime juice. Serve immediately. Makes enough for 3-4 hearty meals.


Find recipe for Whole Wheat Naan at: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/breads/homemade-naan-2/

I followed this recipe to the letter, except for the addition of flavorings. After I finished all the naans, I brushed them with hot butter. They were excellent that way and made a great addition to the curry. I froze the leftovers for a later date.

Also, if you have a gas stove, I highly recommend toasting the other side to get a real authentic look for the naan. It was pretty easy...as long as you keep and eye on it and turn it around frequently.

I was so impressed by how authentic looking this was! Usually when I try something like this it just doesn't seem to equal the real thing. This was a great recipe and a fun way to bring something different to the dinner table!

Enjoy!

Emmy

P.S. My new camera was used for these pictures. Still trying to figure everything out, but I'm happy with the results thus far! :)

Lazy Saturday Comfort Food

Let me just start by saying, I LOVE Saturdays! More specifically, the lazy Saturdays were there is nothing pressing and no where to be in a hurry. As I sit here typing away, my hubby is lounging on the couch next to me reading a book and the pup is peacefully snoozing (almost) on her blanket. Oh, did I mention the smell of split pea soup is constantly teasing us, by filling up the entire house with a warm, yummy aroma? Aaahhhh...
Our morning started with a late breakfast of French toast, bacon and fruit. The bread for the toast was some honey whole wheat oatmeal bread-homemade a few days ago. The eggs and bacon were locally produced and the fruit was...good. :) Here's how we do French toast...

4 thick slices homemade whole wheat bread
3 eggs
2 Tbsp milk
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Whisk up eggs, milk, cinnamon and vanilla in a shallow dish. Place bread in egg mixture, waiting about 2 minutes to flip over. On a griddle or skillet, toast bread about 3-4 minutes per side.Serve with real maple syrup. We like Trader Joe's Organic Grade B Maple Syrup.
Enjoy!

Since it's about time for lunch, how about some homemade Split Pea Soup for a cold February day? It's super easy!

16 oz pkg. dried split peas (rinsed & sorted)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large carrots, diced small
2 stalks celery, diced small
8 cups vegetable broth or water
1 bay leaf
2 smoked pork shanks
salt & pepper- to taste

Saute onions in about 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add carrot & celery. Saute for about 5 minutes. Then add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for about 2-1/2 hours or until peas turn to mush (or however you like your peas). Remove pork shanks from soup, remove meat from bones, chop the meat and add back into the soup. Serve with warm bread or croutons.Happy Lazy Saturday!

Emmy

PS-My new camera came the other day! Now, I need a lens! :)

Lighten Up: General Tso's Chicken

Well, if I get this posted today (Saturday), I can say that I made my one post a week deal. :) I just need to get posting on my to-do list and maybe it would just get done. I love doing this, but other things often drown it out. My inspiration to post today came from an excited purchase I made today. Pooling some Christmas money together, I was able purchase a new camera! It's my first digital SLR, the Canon Digital Rebel XSi. I chose this one because it's said to be a good beginner SLR, and I'm definitely a beginner! The suggestion came from Gina at Skinnytaste.com, who uses the XSi for her food blog photos. I can't wait to get it, figure out how it works (this is key), and start using it! Hopefully this will help enhance the look of my blog and get me posting more! :)

As for the recipe-I tried this a few weeks back, after we had just eaten at a local Chinese buffet with my side of the family. I love their General Tso's Chicken and Mongolian Beef, but I know they are not the best options for someone trying to shed a few pounds. I came across this recipe on Ziplist (which is great if you haven't discovered it yet), and decided to give it a try because of the rave reviews in the comment section. I adapted it a bit to fit what I had on hand and it was a winner! I don't know if I can say that it's better than Imperial Buffet, but it satisfies the Chinese take-out desire in a lighter way. I paired it with some teriyaki veggies and fresh pineapple. Hope you give it a try!

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups long-grain brown rice
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1-1/2 lbs. snow peas, trimmed and halved crosswise (or more if you like snow peas like I do)
  
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
  
• 3 tablespoons light-brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 2 large eggs or 2 large egg whites
  
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

Cook rice according to package directions.
In a large bowl, mix together 1 Tbsp of the corn starch and 1/2 cup cold water, mixture is no longer lumpy. Add snow peas, garlic, sugar, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes and toss to coat in the cornstarch mixture.

In a another bowl, mix together beaten eggs, 3 Tbsp corn starch, 1/2 tsp salt & 1/2 tsp pepper. Add chicken and toss to coat.

Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the chicken pieces, shaking off the excess egg mixture. Cook until golden brown, turning a few times (6-8minutes). Remove chicken and cook the remaining chicken, adding another 1 Tbsp of oil to the pan. Remove chicken.

Add snow pea mix to the skillet and cook, covered 3-5 minutes until the peas are tender crisp and the sauce as thickened. Return chicken to skillet and toss with the peas and sauce. Serve with brown rice.

Barely adapted from Martha Stewart's Lighter General Tso's Chicken recipe

Enjoy!
e