Shepherd's Pie

I love potatoes. I could eat them all day and all night. When I was a little girl I used to get in trouble because of potatoes actually. At dinnertime, I'd just want potatoes, potatoes, and more potatoes. I would just want potatoes. I wouldn't eat anything else, because all I wanted was that starchy goodness.

My mom should have fed me shepherd's pie every night. While it isn't a substantial vegetable source, there at least is some vegetable in it and a protein source.

Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients

1 lb potatoes

1 tbsp Brummel&Brown

2 tbsp milk

1 1/2 onions

1/2 lb ground beef

5 oz frozen peas, thawed

5 oz frozen corn kernels

1/2 tbsp paprika

1 pinch ground nutmeg

1 pinch salt

1 pinch ground black pepper

Directions

1. Boil the potatoes until tender. Mash with milk and Brummel&Brown. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

2. Saute the onions with paprika. Add the ground beef and cook until browned.

3. In a sauce pan blanch the frozen vegetables for 5 minutes in boiling water. Drain.

4. Spread a thin layer of potatoes in a baking dish. Add half the peas and corn and top with potatoes.

5. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes, until golden brown.

* serves 4

* 252 calories per serving

Ground Beef Tostadas and Spanish Rice

Dinner tonight was very filling and very tasty.

I haven't made tostadas in the past. And really, the recipe I followed actually had me making my own tostada shells by either baking or deep frying a tortilla.

While I do want to make tostadas from scratch completely one day, today was not the day. Buying pre-made tostada shells from the Mexican market was a lot easier than trying to create my own shell and potentially ruining it and then not having a shell to work with at all. That's the kind of mood I was in today.

As for the rice, I had never used saffron before. Time to change that!

Ground Beef Tostadas

Ingredients
6 tostada shells
1/2 lb ground beef
6 tbsp refried beans
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt, pepper, oregano, and cumin to taste
3 tbsp sour cream
1 tomato, chopped

Directions

1. Cook ground beef in a skillet with the spices. Cook until cooked all the way through.

2. Heat the refried beans. Spread the beans on the tostada shells.

3. Top with meat, sour cream, tomato, and cheese.

* serves 3

CALORIES: 642 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 96 milligrams
FAT: 44 grams
SODIUM: 767 milligrams

Spanish Rice

Ingredients

1/2 cup uncooked rice
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup tomato juice
1/4 cup green bell pepper, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
1/8 tsp saffron
pinch of oregano

Directions

1. In an oven preheated to 400, put the rice in a dish and cook for about 5 minutes until brown. Stir frequently.

2. In a casserole dish combine all the ingredients.

3. Cover and bake in an oven at 350 for half an hour.

* serves 3

CALORIES: 126 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 1 milligrams
FAT: 0 grams
SODIUM: 423 milligrams

Red Onion Steak Sandwich

I rarely make sandwiches. I should more, because they can be SO filling. They can also be really tasty. This sandwich was "all of the above". I was actually going to make this and bring it for work, but I had a lot of leftovers from the night before which I figured would be more suited for lunch and then instead of making the empanadas for dinner that I had planned (which would have also meant having to go to the store and getting pie crusts, since I was out of them), I decided to have the sandwich for dinner instead.

In the end, that was probably the most practical decision because these sandwiches were not neat in the slightest. I mean, I probably could have put less goodies on them, but the filled up aspect of it definitely made this a hearty meal. I don't think it would have been as good if there weren't a few onions and pieces of steal laying on my plate at the end. It was definitely a sandwich that creates an experience, that's for sure.

The slaw I made to go along with it on the other hand was sub par. I did eat it, but let's pretend like it's not even in the picture. Just focus on the dutch crunch roll stuffed with cream cheese, steak, and onions.

Tonight's sandwich is being submitted to Kahakai Kitchen's Souper Sunday, which features not only soups but also sammies and salads.

Red Onion Steak Sandwich

Ingredients
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
salt and pepper, to taste
2 oz light cream cheese
2 6-inch dutch crunch rolls
1/2 lb steak, thinly sliced (I used a carne asada cut I get from the local Mexican carniceria)

Directions
1. In a large skillet over medium high heat, heat 3/4 tsp olive oil. Add the onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

2. In the same skillet heat 3/4 tsp olive oil over medium heat. Cook the steak until no longer pink.

3. During this time, toast the rolls in the oven. Once toasted and the rest of the ingredients are done, spread 1 oz of cream cheese on the bottom of each roll. Top with onions and then with the steak. Cover with the other half of the roll.

* serves 2

CALORIES: 492 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 95 milligrams
FAT: 19 grams
SODIUM: 911 milligrams

Beef and Broccoli

This dish is very meaningful for me. I know it might sound silly, but I think food and memories can oftentimes be very closely related.

This was the first meal that I cooked Matt. I remember my thought process when I was trying to decide what I should cook for him. I didn't want it to be something too weird, because I didn't know if he was picky or not. All I knew was that he ate meat, but I didn't know what else he would eat. But at the same time, I didn't want it to be too easy. Anyone can throw a pot of water to boil and make some pasta and pour some sauce on top. I know this dish wasn't incredibly hard at all, but if you take it to someone who has no idea their way around the kitchen, the flavors make it deceiving.

This has been one of my regular meals for the past year. And whenever Matt requests I make something, it's usually this.

Beef and Broccoli

Ingredients
9 oz thin cut beef, I use carne asada I get from the Mexican market
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp dry sherry
1/2 tbsp cornstarch
6 oz broccoli florets
2 tbsp peanut oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1-inch piece ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1/8 tsp chili flakes
1 tbsp oyster sauce

Directions
1. Bring 2 quarts of water to boil.

2. Slice the steak in half lengthwise and then cut crosswise into thin slices. In a medium bowl stir 1/2 tbsp of soy sauce with the sherry, and cornstarch. Add the steak, toss to coat, and let sit for 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile blanch the broccoli in boiling water until it softens to a tender crunch (about 2 or 3 minutes). Drain and then rinse under cool water.

4. Set a large skillet over high heat for 1 minute. Pour in 2 tbsp of oil and when it starts to simmer, add beef. Cook beef until it loses most of its raw color, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large plate. Add the 1 tbsp oil and add the garlic, ginger, and chile flakes. Stir fry for 30 seconds. Add the broccoli and 3 tbsp water and cook, stirring to incorporate any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, until broccoli warms through, about 1 minute. Stir in the beef, oyster sauce, and remaining 1 tbsp of soy sauce; cook stirring for 1 minute.

5. Serve immediately.

* serves 2

CALORIES: 399 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 109 milligrams
FAT: 22 grams
SODIUM: 657 milligrams