2 Meals in One...Meal 2: Roast beef Sliders with a Zippy Lentil Soup

Now that you have dined on this superb roast...Are you ready for sliders?

Zippy Beef Sliders
Break up the remaining beef and warm up. you can warm in a micro or on low on the stove. I prefer to steam it so it retains its moisture. No matter how you do it, warm up your meat. Then, spoon onto your buns (you can toast if you prefer).  Top with a thick slice of Swiss cheese. Please all in a cake pan, cover in foil and warm in a 300 degree oven until cheese is melted.

**Don't have left over roast, use cooked chipped beef or chop up Roast beef lunch meat.
I served with Lentil soup

Zippy Red Lentil Soup

1/2 t cumin

1/2 t hot paprika
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 bay leaves
2 quarts low-sodium vegetable broth
2 14½ ounce can petite-diced tomatoes
1 pound (2½ cups) dried red lentils (I bought bulk organic red lentils)
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 medium cloves of garlic, chopped
Kosher Salt


1. Add all ingredients to your stock pot and bring to a boil. Stir frequently so the lentils do not stick. Remove any foam that forms while cooking. reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Lentils should be tender but not dissolving! :) Serve with a dolup of sour cream or my favorite a dollop of plain greek yogurt!

2 Meals in One...Meal 1: Zippy Beef Roast

Wegmans had Organic, Grass-fed beef onslae today, so, I picked up 3 lb chuck roasts for about $14.00 a peice. I found a recipe online that I thought I would spin to create 2 nights worth of meals. The orginal recipe uses basically 3 seaoning envelops from the store to create the flavor, but those things are chuck full of all kinds of sodium and chemicals. So, simplified it a bit and it turned out deiciously! Here is my 2-4-1 special!

Crockpot Zippy Beef Roast
2-3lb chuck roast
1 cup Brown gravy with onion
Italian seasoning: 1t garlic powder, 1t oregano, 1 1/2t parsley, 1/2 t basil. 1/4t thyme, 1/4t celery
Salt and Pepper
12 oz jar of Hot Organic Salsa


1. Brown the roast in a skillet (I used cast iron). Remove the roast and place in the crockpot. Saute 1/2 onion until carmelized (Shh! Don't tell my hubbie!), then I removed and pureed (so the big guy wouldn't fuss). In the pan I then, whisked together 1cup beef broth with 2T corn starch. Stired the onion puree back in and let it simmer until it was adequately thick. While thickening, I added my Italian seasoning (instead of the junky dry envelop). Finally I poured it over my beef in the crockpot follwed by the jar of salsa.
2. Cook on low for 6 hours. It should fall apart. I served with potato (and other veggie rounds). Save leftover beef for Meal 2: Zippy Sliders

***This can all be made ahead and frozen also.

Potato (and other Veggie) Rounds: Cut baking potatoes into 1/4" slices. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake in single layer cookie sheet for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees. After 10-15 minutes, add a second pan of sliced zucchini and yellow squash. Again, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake and additional 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and bake until melted. *you can also add bacon peices her also if you so choose.

Chiplote Beef Short Ribs

Whole foods had short ribs on sale last week and they just happen to be my hubbies favorite. Needless to say we stocked up! We bought approx. 2 lbs for just over $12.00! They are beautiful...big and meaty! They tasted spectaular in the slow cooker with a yummy chipolte marinade and homemade Quinoa!

Chipolte Lime Short Ribs

Marinade:
3 limes, juice and zest
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T chipotle chili pepper
1 T salt
2 cloves garlic

2lbs. Short Ribs

I put all the marinade ingredients in the food processor and chop, chop, chopped it! Then, I put the short ribs in the slowcooker, dumped in the yummy smelling marinade and cooked on high for 4 hours. (I normally would cook on low, but it was already 3pm and I forgot to start dinner...oops! Good thing we were going to take the kids out and play before dinner!)

The Organic Way... Oh! Chili Please

I'm Back! After a long hiatus, I am back and ready to start posting again. Life has finally settled down and I can't wait to start sharing all my culinary creations. Many things at home have changed and so has our culinary focus. We are now solely eating organic and avoid all processed foods. I read every label before it enters my home. I have a laundry list of chemicals (aptly named) we completely avoid, but to keep it simple basically if I can't read it, I don't buy it. Now, to preface this...I have not won the lottery and I shop primarily at Whole Foods. For a family of 5 (3 adults and 2 kiddos) I spend roughly $120-150 a week on groceries. I will try to share the pricing as often as possible so you can see how sensible organic can be. So, here is my first new recipe...

Oh! Chili Please!
1 can Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed ($0.89)
1 can White Northern Beans, drained and rinsed ($0.89)
1 can Lime and Chile Refried Beans ($1.19)
1 can Petite Diced Tomatoes ($0.49)
1 box Beef broth ($1.99)
1/2 lb ground Turkey ($3.49)
 1/2 lb ground Beef ($2.70)
1T Chili powder
1t Hungarian Paprika
1t Cumin
1t Garlic powder
1 1/2t salt

***Reminder All ingredients are ORGANIC and all spices are from a local Amish market

In a large pot, brown the meat. Drain and pour in remaining ingredients. Simmer for 15-20 minutes and serve.

Servings: This recipe provided 7 hearty (adult) servings for a total of $11.64, that is ONLY $1.66 a serving for an ALL ORGANIC recipe. Not bad if you ask me!

Soy Ginger Back Ribs

Today, we found a particularly good deal on beef back ribs. There were packs of 4-5 big back ribs marked for approximately $2 a pack. I picked up the last 4 packs and knew exactly what was for dinner...

Soy Ginger Back Ribs
1/4c soy sauce
1/2c orange juice (or apple)
1T olive oil
1 1/2t ginger (I forgot to get fresh ginger at the store!)
1/4t chili powder
1/4t red pepper flakes

Put the ribs in a casserole dish. Whisk everything together and pour over the ribs. Bake for 2-2.5 hours at 300 degrees. Baste ever hour for added flavor.
***This would be super easy in a slow cooker too. Mine was in the process of making apple butter so stove it was! Just cook low for 3-4 hours.

Served over a Basmati Pilaf. I made a rice in the rice cooker and added very finely diced zucchini and yellow squash. It was a delicious meal!

Goulash Style Stuffed Peppers

I traditionally do not partake in stuffed peppers. I find they to be just down right boring. If I want a meat filling, I would prefer meatloaf. At least with meatloaf I can ensure it does not turn out to be a dry, overcooked meatball! So, that got me to thinking....why do stuffed peppers have to be made with ground meat? Why not goulash??? Hmm...

Goulash Style Stuffed Peppers

1 lbs beef (I used beef cubes which I cut into even smaller chunks)
3 red bell pepper
3 shallots (So, I can hide the onion from my hubbie)
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
2 cups beef broth
2 T tomato paste
1 T oregano
1/2 tsp chili
olive oil
4 T red wine
salt & pepper
(def. could add veggies here very easily without the family knowing!!! Maybe next time!!!)

1. Saute garlic and shallots until tender in olive oil. Then, add your small cubes of beef. Saute for another 5-6 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, 1cup of broth, wine and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and allow to simmer until tender.

2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the peppers by slicing in half and removing seeds. Place in a pan with 3T of broth and bake for 10 minutes. Stir remaining broth into the meat and spoon into peppers. Cover with foil and bake an additional 15-20 minutes.

I LOVED this version! Plus, it was a great excuse to enjoy a nice bottle of red wine with dinner! I served with a ricotta brown rice. I figured since stuffed peppers traditionally have cheese and rice, this would make for a nice (deconstructed) side. I just prepared the brown rice as usually and then added 2-3 T of ricotta. Delish (easy) dinner!

These could easily be frozen before the final bake for an easy re-heat meal!

Cooking from the Couch: Croatian Style Goulash

If you are not used to eating sauerkraut, this recipe may scare you a bit. Yet, if you put it in the food processor it will chop it down nicely and add a great texture to this goulash. It is also not sour (pickled tasted) because you you drain and wash the sauerkraut. So, try it out...it really is yummy!

Croatian Style Goulash:

1.5 lbs Beef (I used pot roast)
2 T Olive Oil
1 large onion, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 T paprika (hot or mild)
1 (15oz) can diced (or crushed) tomatoes
1 t sugar
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 (15oz) can sauerkraut
3/4 c sour cream

1 pkg egg noodles

1. Trim fat from meat and cut into 3/4" cubes.
2. In a med. pot, saute onions in olive oil until translucent. Then, stir in garlic and saute for 1 minute (or until fragrant). Remove pan from heat, add paprika and swish around to combine. Return to heat and add meat and brown until it releases most of its juices. Stir in tomatoes, sugar, and salt/pepper. Simmer on low for 20 minutes.
3. Remove sauerkraut from jar. Rinse in water and squeeze to remove the excess of the water. Put in a food processor or chop until it is in smaller pieces. Add to beef and simmer for 40 minutes or until tender. (Add additional water as needed)
4. Stir in sour cream and allow to thicken. While thickening, boil water and cook pasta as directed.
5. Serve over egg noodles (or polenta, rice, mashed potatoes)

Cooking from the Couch: Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes are something I ate a lot as a child. I really LOVE my sloppy joes. Yet, it is something I had to introduce them to my hubbie. I always ate the typical canned variety, but it has onions, so that was quickly nixed. Hence, I came up with my own Sloppy Joe recipe to accommodate my hubbies hatred for onions.

The nice thing about this recipe is my hubbie can make it completely on his own with no instruction necessary. I had him make a double batch so we could freeze a few meals for post baby. Try it out and let me know what you think!

2 ½ lb ground beef
2 T tomato paste
3/4 c smoky BBQ sauce

2/3 c ketchup
¼ c Worcestershire sauce
¼ c soy sauce
pepper (I like a lot of pepper)
1T paprika
Brown the ground beef, then drain off the excess oil. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix well. Then, bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes. Serve on buns.

Southwest style burger and Campfire Potatoes

Southwest style burgers are a real hit in this household which is a surprise with my super picky hubbie.


Southwest Style Burgers
1 can of chipolte peppers in adobo sauce
1lb ground beef
1t garlic powder
Salt and Pepper
Fixings: Colby Jack cheese, tomato, avocado buns, ketchup

I cut up 1 pepper and added just a bit of the sauce (maybe 1-1.5T) into a bowl with the meat. Then, seasoned with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Then, my hubbie grilled up the burgers. I sliced up the tomato and avacado.

Campfire Potatoes
Red potatoes, diced small (I used 5 med potatoes)

A1 sauce
Hot sauce
Lawry's Seasoning Salt
Red pepper flakes
Salt and Pepper
Worcestershire sauce

In a non-stick skillet heat the potatoes over high heat for a few minutes. (cut them small so they cook quickly) Cook until tender, but not soft. Add enough A1 sauce so all the potatoes have a thin coating over them. Next add some red pepper flakes, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and Lawry's. (Use as much or as little of each) Continuously turn the potatoes until they are cooked through. The sauce will form a crunchy outer layer. About 5 minutes before finishing add a little more A1 and hot sauce, tossing to coat.

Meatloaf, Meatloaf, everywhere!!!

Who doesn't love a meatloaf every once in awhile..plus leftover meatloaf sammies are da bomb! My hubbie was raised on meatloaf with the cooked egg in the center, which I love, but he hates eggs. Meatloaf is not his favorite, but he will tolerate it ever so often. Plus, he HATES to touch/mix the meat. So, I had him dump everything in a big bowl and I mixed from the couch.

Here is how to throw it all together:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup ketchup
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef ( I use a mix of pork and beef)
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
Salt and black pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3/4 cup finely crushed saltine cracker crumbs

Press the brown sugar in the bottom of the loaf pan and spread the ketchup over the sugar. In a big bowl, mix remaining ingredients and shape into a loaf. Place on top of the ketchup. Bake at 350 degrees for 1- 1.5 hour or until juices are clear. Flip over and serve.

Easy Veggie Beef and Barley Soup

This was a really hearty soup. The great thing about this soup is you can use any cut of beef. I would recommend browning the beef first to keep the meat juicy and then cook until tender. I had enough left to freeze for another day! Great meal for a cool night!

Book Review: Art of the Slow Cooker by Andrew Schloss

I order this book last week from the library and was really excited to get started. I honestly hate buying cookbooks unless I have had a chance to preview it because my family has very traditional eatting habits and I often find that the recipes in the books are great but not practical. So, I thought this would be great! I mean slow cookers are a great time saver and mine does not get enough use. I will go a month of using it weekly and then I get bored with it.

My criteria for a good cookbook is simple...I am looking for simple straightforward ingredients and easy to fix meals. I do not mind buying a few specialty items, but I shouldn't have to for every recipe! The point is to be economical! Plus, in my household green things in food (ie herbs) are a big faux pas! So, I either cook them whole and remove them or I strip the recipe down! So, enough blabbing...

Overall, the cookbook was ok...maybe a B. The book itself is beautifully made with nice pictures, heavy pages and great directions...but remember criteria number one...simple ingredients and simple directions...Not here! The recipes could be simplified, but this is not your gramma's frugal cookbook! The other thing I did not like is the recipes require a lot of prep prior to being placed in the slow cooker. So, these are not speedy recipes although they are tasty!

I set out to make 4 recipes this week: Chicken Teriyaki, Beef Carbonnade, Pork and Beans and Chicken dinner.


Chicken Teriyaki
1 T veggie oil
4lbs. skinless chicken thighs
2 cloves garlic, minced
1T finely grated ginger
1/4c water
1/3 c soy sauce (I used low sodium)
1/4c sherry or Apple juice (I used the apple)
1 T rice wine vinegar (if you don't have use apple cider vinegar)
2T molasses
3T honey
2 t cornstarch
2 scallion, trimmed and sliced thin

1. Brown the chicken thighs in veggie oil over high heat. Cook about 3 minutes per side then place in the slow cooker.
2. Add the garlic and Ginger to the pan and cook over mediu heat about 30 seconds. Add water to deglaze (meaning let the water loosen all those brown stuck on bits). Add soy sauce, apple juice, vinegar, molasses and honey. Stir to blend. Pour over chicken and cook on high for 2-3 hours.
3. Preheat your oven to broil. Remove chicken from the slow cooker and place in the broiler for 2 minutes per side. While the chicken broils, remove the sauce and place in a sauce pan with a mix of 2t cornstarch and 1.5 T water. Allow to thicken about 1 minute.  Then, drizzle over chicken.

***This was super yummy! Not the easiest recipe with the final steps of broiling and thickening the sauce. Too many dirt dishes if you ask me! Instead, I put the cornstarch mix and sauce in a glass measuring cup and microwaved  in 30 second intervals until you achieve the desired thickness. I did broil the chicken, but you can skip this step...it is not essential. I served over brown rice, but would also be really yummy with rice noodles. We used the left over sauce on chicken wings the next day...they were delish!


Beef Carbonnade
1/4 c flour
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
3 lb beef cubes, cut into 1/4" cubes
3 T olive oil
5 large onions, halved and sliced thin
2 sliced salt pork or bacon, finely diced (I used bacon)
1 T herbs or 1/2 t each thyme, oregano, sage, rosemary, and basil (I used whole rosemary, basil and oregano...it's what I had and I removed the evidence from the pot before serving)
2 t brown sugar
1 bottle ale or lager beer (I used Newcastle)
2 bay leaves
Boiled noodles or potatoes (optional)

1. Combine flour, salt and pepper. Dredge beef. Heat oil in a large skillet (I used a cast iron) over meduim-high heat and brown in batches, 3-4 minutes per side.
2. Reduce heat to meduim-low, add onions and cook until tender (about 10 minutes). Transfer to slow cooker and place beef on top of onions.
3. Add bacon to skillet and cook through, but not crisp. Add herbs and reserved seasoned flour. Cook until flour browns (Watch your flour closely so it does not burn, you can skip this step if you want) Pour the sauce over the beef. Bury the bay leaf. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 8-10 hours (but who has that time).

**I served over egg noodles with a spinach salad. It was a nice, easy recipe...we did it onion free because my hubbies hates them. It was only half as good, but that one I can't get past him! It was basically an onion sauce..so I would use vidalia onions.


 Barbeque Pork and Beans
1 c dried beans- white beans, pinto, kidney, or a mixture (I used white beans)
2 lbs boneless pork shoulder, cut into cubes
3 T Southwest Spice rub- 1 T salt, 2T paprika, 1/4 c brown sugar, 2 t chili powder, 1/2t cumin, 1/2t pepper
2 slices bacon, chopped finely
1 medium onion (I grated half an onion)
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2" chunks
1 t cuin
1 T flour
3c chicken broth
1/2 c BBQ sauce- 1/3c ketchup, 3T brown mustard, 3T cider vinegar, 3T brown sugar, 1T tabasco, 1/2t pepper
1 (15oz) can diced tomotoes (I used petite diced)

1. Put the beans in a bowl, cover with water and leave overnight. OR, put in a saucepan cover with about 3" water and boil for 3 minutes, then soak for 1 hour (this method is what I did one because I had beans leftover from making bean bags and because it helps limit the noise later int he evening). If I didn't already have the beans I would have skipped whis altogether and just used canned beans.
2. While the beans are cooking rub the pork cubes with 2t of the Southwest rub, wrap well and refridge.
3. In a large skillet, brown the bacon; remove. Turn the heat up to medium-high and brwon the pork cubes. Transfer to the slow cooker, add the beans and bacon. Toss to combine.
4. Add the onion and carrots to the skillet and saute until tender and lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Stir in the cumin, any remaining rub, and the flour. Stir. Add the chicken broth and simmer until slightly thickened. Stir in the BBQ and tomotoes and pour into the slow cooker. Cook 8-10 hours on low (or 3-4 hours if using can beans).
***This was a very easy recipe and great with corn on the cob. We will defiitely make this again...we are big pork and bean eaters here...not alway together, esp. not like this! :)


Chicken Dinner
1/3c flour
1/4c All Purpose Spice Rub- 1T brown sugar, 1T salt, 1t paprika, 1t dry mustard, 1t dried sage, 1t dried thyme, 1/2t dried rosemary, 1/2t garlic powder, 1/2t pepper (I used a bit of Italian seasoning, brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder and pepper)
1 roasting chicken- about 7 lbs (I bought the already cut up one..a bit more expensive, but much easier to work with unless you are skilled with cutting up a chicken)
1 1/2lbs. red potatoes (or any potatoes)
2T veggie oil
1 onion, chunked
24 baby carrots
1/2c white wine
2c chicken broth
2T mashed potatoes

1. Mix the flour and spice rub in a mixing bowl. Cut up the chicken and remove the skin. Dredge in flour mix.
2. Boil the potatoes until cooked and then  place in the bottom of the clow cooker.
3. Heat half the oil over medium high heat. Brown the chicken on both sides, about 4 minutes. Set aside. Add the remaining oil  to the skillet along with carrots and onion. Saute until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the left over flour along with wine and bring to a boil. Add the chicken broth and simmer until thick; pour into the cooker. Put the veggies on the bottom, then arrange the chicken in the pot with dark meat on the bottom. Cover and cook 3-4 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low.
4. Remove the chicken to a serving platter and surround with veggies. Turn the cooker on high and stir in the mashed potatoe flakes. Allow to thicken about 3 minutes. Spoon over the chicken.

***This was easy and yummy spin on roasted chicken. I still prefer a traditional baked/roasted whole chicken, but I did have plenty of leftovers which were awesome in soup (or chicken tacos, empanadas, chicken salad...) Since I am not much for processed foods, I skipped the potato flakes and used cornstarch instead. I served with a nice garden salad.