Vegetable Beef Stew

Two things. 1) I got an immersion blender a while back and I am now obsessed with it and 2) after the holidays I feel the need to eat copious amounts of veggies.  So with that said, this isn't your traditional stew.  The thick broth (I really want to call it stew juice) is made just from veggies and not thickened with flour.  The only thing about this recipe is that if you don't have an immersion or regular blender, your out of luck.

Vegetable Beef Stew
What you'll need:
1 roast (fairly lean, size is up to you.  Mine was really big, but I only used half for the stew)
4 cups beef stock (take as much of this from the slow cooker juice as you can.)
1 large parsnip
5 cups carrots diced
3 cups small yellow or red potatoes quartered
2 cups celery diced
1 cup onion diced
1 medium crown broccoli
1 medium to large celery root, peeled and diced (Ugly little vegetable, I took pictures on how to deal with it)
3-4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

In the morning, place your roast, season with salt and pepper into your slow cooker.  Cover it with as much of the onions, potatoes, carrots and celery as you can fit and set to low.  You probably won't be able to fit even half, but thats ok, you'll cook those later.

After at least 6 hours, when beef is falling apart, remove vegetables from slow cooker and place in a large bowl.  Place the roast onto a plate and break up into quarters to allow to cool enough to handle.  Add 4 cups beef stock, spices and remaining uncooked vegetables into a large pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling vegetables are fork tender, remove some of the parsnips and as much of the other remaining vegetables you'd like and add to the bowl, these will be the vegetables in the stew so you'll want a good variety.  You want about 5 cups cooked vegetables set aside and about 5 cups left in the pan.  Just eye ball it though, it doesn't have to be exact.

Remove any extra beef stock so that the liquid is at an equal level with the vegetables, reserving about a cup.  Using your immersion or regular blender, pulse vegetables until smooth.  If it seems too thick, then add the reserved broth until desired consistency (think stew!).  When meat is cool enough to handle, break up into bite size strips and pieces.  Depending on the size of your roast, you probably won't need all of the meat.  I added about 4 cups, you use as much as you'd like.   Add cooked vegetables and meat and mix into stew.  You may want to reheat on medium for a few minutes, just make sure you gently keep stirring it so it doesn't burn.  Done!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I feel like that was a really weird process to explain.  I hope it all makes sense.  As for the stew...it was AMAZING!  I really loved the fact that it was just as thick and yummy as normals stews that you would use flour as a thickener, but instead it was all veggies.  I made a tikka masala in a similar way the other day and it was amazing.  I used all the normal spices and tomato paste but skipped the butter and flour.  I might just make it again soon and share that with everyone too!  Plus I have SUPER yummy recipe to share later that I did with the left over beef.  Enjoy!

Hope everyone had a great weekend.  I pretty much just sewed and cooked all weekend.  Although I did sneak out on Saturday for a little trip to Hancock Fabric, who was having a 60% off sale.  I scored some pretty floral prints for cheap!  Like $2 per yard cheap.  Yay me.  Not sure yet how I'm going to put outfit posts together yet to show you my creations, but I've got one skirt finished to share already!     Oh and I guess we did go on an awesome hike sunday.  We saw lots of deer and moose tracks, I will post a few photos from that adventure too.  I guess I have a lot of stuff, I'd better get busy!  Have a great Monday!  4 more days until another glorious weekend!

Cream of Mushroom Chicken and Vegetables

Have you ever started cooking something with no idea what you were really planning.  Well I did, and this is where I ended up.  I did step one.  I sort of had a plan with what I was going to do with the cooked veggies after they were soft, but ended up making homemade cream of mushroom soup instead.  Who doesn't remember their mom making something like this when they were kids?  I am also really into wild rice blends and quinoa right now, so we'll see where that goes.

Cream of Mushroom Chicken and Vegetables
4-6 chicken thighs
2 cups carrots diced
2 cups celery diced
3 cups mini yellow potatoes halved
1 medium onion sliced
Any other vegetable you want to add (this is all I had in stock at the time)

Remove skin and excess fat from thighs.  Place sliced onions in bottom of slow cooker.  Even lay chicken over onions.  Add remaining vegetables over chicken and cook for 3 hours on high.  Make soup recipe as follows.

Mushroom Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 cups chopped mushrooms
1 generous cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic minced
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon butter
2 cups milk (your choice on %, I used 1/4 cup whipping cream and 1 1/2 cups 2%)

Heat oil in a large skillet over high then add mushrooms.  Saute until browned (5-7 minutes).  Add onion, saute for another 3 minutes until you can see onion start to turn translucent, then add garlic and butter.  When garlic becomes fragrant, add stock, thyme, rosemary, oregano and pepper.  Cook until stock reduces almost out (about 5 minutes) and add flour and mix to coat mushrooms.  Add milk and stir with a wooden spoon to combine, being sure to scrape up all the bits from the bottom of the pan.  Return to boil then reduce and heat to medium low stirring fairly frequently until thickens (about 3-4 minutes).

Remove vegetables from slow cooker (don't worry if you don't get then all) and add to mushroom soup.  Mix to coat veggies and pour back over chicken. Allow to cook about 2 more hours on low.  Serve with wild rice.

 

 

 

And comfort food strikes again.  Enjoy!

PS. This is even better the second night!

Balsamic Glazed Meatloaf

I love meat-loaf!!!  No shame in admitting it.  None.  Meatloaf sandwiches, probably in my top 10.  I have to share tho... I remember when I was a kid and my mom would make meatloaf sandwiches for my dad, I thought that was the NASTIEST!!! thing you could ever ever... ever make for someone.  Well, I was MISS'N OUT!  Now I make meatloaf just for the sandwich.  I went out on a limb and tried something new with this one, no regrets, it was perfect!

Balsamic Glazed Meatloaf
1 pound ground pork
1 pound lean ground beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large carrot grated
2 stocks celery chopped
1/2 large onion chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1 turnip chopped
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons balsalmic vinegar
1 cup bread crumbs
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons sweet hot mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Glaze:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon worcestershire
1 teaspoon hot sauce

Add olive oil to a pan and heat over medium heat.  Add carrot, celery, onion and garlic and saute until veggies are tender.  Set aside and allow to cool.  Preheat oven to 350.  Add remaining ingredients into a large bowl.  Once veggies are cool enough to touch, add to bowl and mix with hands until well combined.  Spray loaf pan with cooking spray.  Place meat into pan and form into a large mound being sure to leave at least 1/2 inch  on the sides from the top of the pan.

Place all glaze ingredients into a small bowl and whisk until combined.  Pour half over top of meatloaf being sure to cover the top evenly, most of it will run down into your moat.  Bake for 60 minutes.  Place remaining glaze into a small sauce pan.  Just before timer goes off, reduce glaze by half over medium high heat, stirring fairly frequently.  Once timer goes off, add a little of the thickened glaze to top of meat loaf and bake for another 15 minutes.  You can use a meat thermometer of you'd like to check doneness, ours was perfect.  Use remaining glaze as a dipping sauce.

This baby was AWESOME!  There was enough left over for sandwhiches the next day (my fav) and for some random meatloaf soup I whipped out.  The glaze is soooooo packed full of tangy sweet flavor, it was heaven.  So make it now! Enjoy!

ps. sorry for the weird photos, lovely winter light!

Vegetable Dip

Last night we went to our friends from dinner and fun!  They asked me to bring veggies and dip so I grabbed a box of cream cheese and just started adding.  You really can't go wrong with anything that has a whole box of cream cheese.  So yeah, it tasted good.  Mrs Butters, Paula Dean, was making Tzatziki sauce on the TV the other day, but instead of making the half way healthy normal version, she made it fattening as hell!  So that was sort of my inspiration.  She didn't use cream cheese, but it was a start to a yummy idea.

Glorified Tzatziki Vegetable Dip
1 package cream cheese (I used 1/3 fat)
1 cup sour cream or greek yogurt (I used half and half of each)
juice and zest from 1 small lemon
1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
1 small cucumber
1 tablespoon ranch seasoning
1 clove garlic minced
1 tablespoon dill
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a medium bowl, blend together cream cheese, lemon and zest  and sour cream/yogurt with a hand mixer.  Cut cucumber in half and scrape out seeds. Place in food processor and pulse until chopped.  Pour cucumber into mesh strainer and press and squeeze in your hand until no more water comes out. Should have around 1/4 cup but a little more is ok.  Add cucumer and remaining ingredients to bowl and mix until combined.  Serve with fresh sliced veggies.

Thank you to Eric and Julie for fun times last night.  Savory Saturday is Savory Sunday this week because Kam really wanted to leave and I didn't have time to finish this post.  They had us over for a belated birthday dinner and Julie made chocolate fondue!  Needless to say, it was awesome!  Enjoy!

Orange and Balsamic Glazed Beets

So I wasn't sure what the end result was going to be with these.  I love love pickled beets, but those have a really strong pickled taste and the earthy beet flavor is pretty well hidden.  I also knew that the few times at salad bars when you think you're grabbing pickled beets and they are actually just plain, that I didn't like them, so I took a shot.  And, perfect success.  Kam loved them and I loved them.  The orange and vinegar was a tasty glaze that complemented the earthy beet.

What you'll need:
4 - 5 smallish beets
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt
pepper
zest and juice of one orange
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar

Preheat oven 400. Cut both ends off each beet.  Rub with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Wrap each beet in tin foil and bake for 45 minutes to an hour and a half depending on size.  Once fork tender, remove foil and allow to cool enough to handle.  Remove skins, they slide off easy with a little pressure, and turn your fingers a nice shade of pink! Slice into bite sized pieces.

When you remove beets from then oven, begin glaze.  In a medium pot add orange juice and zest, sugar and vinegar.  Bring to a boil.  Turn heat down to medium low and reduce to a syrup, about 6 or 7  minutes.  Add beets into the glaze and toss.  Allow beets to heat back up before serving.

One of my new knife finger slicer weapons.  (I got the set of 5 from Costco for about $20 and they are awesome!)

My new zester that someone gave us for a wedding gift.  Unfortunately, there was no card with this particular gift so we have no idea who it is from.  Whoever you are you must know about my cooking hobby, thank you and I love it!

Sweet, tart, earthy.  Best part, they make your pee turn reddish.  Next time I think I will try crystalized ginger instead of orange. Enjoy!

Vegetable Fritters

I am in love with these veggie cakes.  The spices and the lightly crisp vegetables make this such a good side dish.  I think I could just eat these for a meal and be perfectly happy.  I made these a few months ago with the intention of sharing the recipe, but I was missing one ingredient that I knew would make them A+.  So when I made them, they didn't come out quite like I wanted them too.  So yesterday I grabbed my missing ingredient....perfecto!

What you'll need:
2 cups bean sprouts
1 cup diced onion
1 cup chopped broccoli
2 cups shredded carrot (bigger shreds the better.  I have one of those giant hole shredders.  Maybe even julienne instead of a shredder.)
2 cups thin sliced cabbage
2 eggs
1/4 cup cilantro chopped
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coriander
3 cloves garlic minced
1 sleeve saltine crackers crushed
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 cup water divided
1/2 cup flour
Oil for frying

Add vegetables, spices, cilantro and soy sauce to a large bowl.  Add Crush crackers and 1/2 cup water.  Mix flour and other 1/2 cup water until no longer lumpy.  Add eggs and flour paste.  Mix until everything is well combined and vegetables are coated and kind of pasty.

Heat about 2 tablespoons oil over medium high.  Use a half cup measuring cup as a scoop and drop into oil.  Press the fritter down to form more of a patty.  Let fry until very golden browned.  If you flip too early it will fall apart.  Once browned, flip, but do gently.  Fry other side. You may have to add a little more oil at some point.

I was barbecuing flank steak at the same time so I fried the fritteres out on the bbq burner.  It was nice because it didn't make our little apartment smell.  Once they were done I kept them warm by placing them onto a piece of foil I placed over the top rack in the bbq.

You could make a sort of tzatziki sauce to go with them, we just ate them as is.  Next up, the other half of this meal...flank steak!  Enjoy!