Zucchini-Beef Tacos

So what do you do when you have a fridge full of zucchini, kids that don't want to eat it as a side dish, and a desire to not bake it into desserts and zucchini bread?


You stick it in everything else you can think of, of course!

This actually turned out really good, and the kiddos just ate it right up as if it were regular beefy taco meat.  (Which actually means that my meat-eaters liked it and my non-meat eaters wouldn't touch it because they don't eat beef...)

So how did I do it?  There's no recipe here because I know you can handle this one without it.  It's really hard to screw up.

First you start to cook your ground beef (or turkey) just like you would any other day you were making tacos.  If you like to add a little onion or garlic, add it in.  Just cook it like usual.  Then, when there's just a little pink left in the meat, dump in the grated zucchini.  (Hint: If your ground beef/turkey is fatty and there's a lot of grease in the pan, drain your meat before adding in the zucchini.)

Then you mix it up and keep cooking.  What you see pictured here is a little over 1/2 lb. of ground beef and one medium zucchini, grated.

Cook until the meat is no longer pink, then add in your usual taco seasoning and water.

Cook and stir until the extra water has cooked out, then serve in tacos, taco salads, or whatever you normally use the taco meat for.   It's excellent!

Piedmont BBQ Pork Marinade

I may be half-Yankee, but when it comes to food I'm just a southern girl at heart.  And this southern girl loves her barbecue (i.e. BBQ).  Now, for those of you non-southerners, BBQ doesn't actually have anything to go with a grill, hot dogs, or burgers.  The word "BBQ" isn't a verb - it's a noun.  In other words, it isn't something you do (i.e. "I'm going to BBQ tonight"), it's something you eat ("I'm fixin' to go get some BBQ - y'all want some?")

However, I have a few problems getting my hands on some good BBQ these days.  First of all, I now live in Oklahoma.  They don't understand here that good BBQ has to involve a pit and a pig.  Second, I was raised by a Yankee mother and a somewhat absentee southern father who wasn't redneck enough to actually cook a whole pig himself.  So now I'm completely dependent on others for my BBQ.

So what do you do when you have a craving and you can't get a BBQ fix?  Well, I chose to get some boneless pork ribs and made a marinade from a BBQ sauce recipe I found online (for the original link, click here).  I adjusted the recipe by substituting some oil for water (it IS a marinade, after all) and using cayenne pepper instead of red pepper flakes to make it a little less spicy.  And if you're a little put off by the amount of vinegar in this recipe, you should know that my dear husband, The Honey, doesn't like vinegar-based BBQ, but he LOVED this marinade!


Piedmont BBQ Pork Marinade
(Don't know what a "Piedmont" is?  It's the region in South Carolina where I used to live!)

1 1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1/2 c. ketchup
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. olive oil
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
pinch of cayenne pepper

Combine ingredients in a shaker bottle or a glass with a lid.  Shake until well combined.
Yes, this is really all you need to do.

Place pork into a gallon-size ziplock bag.  I had about 1-1/2 pounds of boneless pork ribs, but you can use chops or whatever kind you prefer.  Pour marinade into the bag with pork, and let marinate for at least several hours, turning from time to time for better coverage.  The longer the better!

Grill and serve with some other yumminess, such as garlic mashed potatoes and sliced cucumbers.  (Never fear, the mashed potatoes recipe is coming up next!)

Beef Enchiladas

Many moons ago Barbara - You remember her, right?  Author of the yummy fajita soup? - also gave me her recipe for enchiladas.  We make a good bit of Mexican food around here, but somehow I never got around to making this recipe.  I'll be honest.  When I have to cook dinner in a hurry it's almost always something Mexican, like black bean and tomato quesidillas, chicken fajitas, or tacos.   When I'm in a hurry I don't always think about trying something new, and because it's my "fallback" I don't usually cook Mexican on other nights.

And so, this recipe sat collecting dust in one of my many piles on my kitchen counter.  As I was cleaning and trying to go through my junk important papers over Christmas I came across this recipe again.  I decided to try it on my family one night with chicken.  The recipe she gave me ends up with a lot of enchilada sauce and though I really liked it the Peanut Gallery came back with a "good, but too tomato-y" review.  So, I thought of some changes I could make, and determined I would try again in a few weeks.

This week was our big night.  The Honey was working late on Tuesday and I got busy in the afternoon with some things and by the time I looked at the clock I realized it was after 5:00.  The only meat I had that wasn't frozen was a big pack of ground beef in my fridge that I had just bought the week before and hadn't frozen yet, and I hadn't done my grocery shopping yet for this week.  However, I did have some leftover tortillas that I could use...   And so beef enchiladas it was!

I'm going to go ahead and post both the recipe I used this past week as well as Barbara's original recipe.  I really like how she used beans in her filling.  However, I chose not to use them this week since Horse Lover hates them and The Honey wasn't going to be home in time for dinner anyway.  Besides, I only needed to make 5 enchiladas.  I wasn't opening a whole can of beans for that.  So although you won't see any beans in my pictures, I'm going to go ahead and post the recipe as I would make it if I were making a full batch for dinner.


Beef Enchiladas

Enchilada Sauce
1/2 c. tomato sauce or pureed diced tomatoes
1/2 c. salsa
1/4 c. taco seasoning (about 1 packet)

Filling
3/4 lb. ground beef, cooked, rinsed and drained
1 can fat-free refried beans
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt/pepper to taste

You will also need...
Shredded cheese, pepper jack or Mexican blend
10 taco-size tortillas

Mix together your tomato sauce, salsa, and taco seasoning.  Set aside.
(Remember, I made a half-batch so you'll need to use a bigger bowl to mix this than pictured.)

Place cooked beef and refried beans (just pretend they are there, okay?) in a large pan.  Heat through and add onion powder, garlic powder, and salt/pepper to taste.

Okay, now it's time to assemble these babies.  Go ahead and prep your enchilada pans.  If making a full batch you'll probably need 2 rectangular casserole dishes as wide as the tortillas.  Coat with cooking spray and spoon a light covering of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan.  Then, put a portion of your meat mixture on a tortilla and top with cheese.

Place your rolled enchiladas into your prepared pans. 

Top with remaining enchilada sauce.

Now sprinkle some more cheese.  As you can see, I have both pepper jack and co-jack lovers in my house so I did a mix in my pan.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until heated through.

Make ahead tip:

Cover the pan(s) with aluminum foil and stick in the fridge.  To reheat, bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

And for those who want to try it, here's the original sauce recipe!

Barbara's variation:

Mix one small can of tomato paste with 1/4 c. taco seasoning.  Add enough water to get it the consistency of a thicker sauce.  This will make a lot of sauce, probably more than you need.  Barbara likes to serve it with dinner for those that want more sauce.

Sloppy Joe Sandwiches

I don't know what it is about men and beef, but when I say the word "steak" to The Honey, he gets a glazed, joyful look in his eyes.  And if I say the words "Sloppy Joe" he starts to salivate.

Huh??

But since I love my man, I try to accommodate him from time to time.  And since I'm not the kind of person that normally has cans of Manwich on hand, I needed a recipe for Sloppy Joe sandwiches.  After looking at a few, I found a good recipe by Laurie Hauser on allrecipes that I could work with.  I made some minor changes of course - I just can't make anything like it's written.  (Or that calls for 1/2 cup of ketchup - I had to use some vegetable juice instead!)  But either way, these turned out good enough for me to enjoy.


Sloppy Joe Sandwiches
(Yields 4 servings of filling, about 180 calories each.  If you're counting calories, don't forget to add in your bun!)

3/4 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 c. ketchup
1/2 c. vegetable juice
1-2 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. yellow mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1 clove garlic, minced

Brown meat and onion in a skillet over medium heat.  When cooked, drain and rinse with hot water.

Return meat and onion to pan.

Add remaining ingredients and simmer over medium heat until it reaches desired thickness.

The traditional way to serve this is on a bun, but if you'd like to try something new you can spoon it over a little brown rice and serve with some veggies.

Vegetable Chili

My whole life I have thought of chili being nothing but meat and beans. In fact, I was being daring and rebellious when I made meatless chili and hoped The Honey wouldn't notice there wasn't chunks of ground beef in it! All that changed this week.

I was making some black bean chili for dinner and thought to myself, "Self, what would happen if you chopped up some carrot and celery and added it to the pot?" And then I started to think about what would actually happen. For starters, the overall calories per serving would go down. Beans are a healthier way to fill out a pot of chili (since meat is so dang pricey) because they are high in fiber and lower in fat. However a 1/2 c. of cooked beans has about 110 calories. Compare that to 1/2 c. of most veggies which has about 10-15 calories. Big difference, right?

So I started chopping. The big risk I was taking was whether the Peanut Gallery would be content to eat chili with something in it other than the usual fare. I half hoped that the veggies would cook down mushy enough to be unrecognizable. No such luck, but it didn't matter. It was some of the best-tasting chili I have ever made, and a definite keeper!

Vegetable Chili
(Makes about six 1-1/2 cup servings of 230 calories each. Keep in mind that if you add cheese and/or sour cream to your chili this will add to the overall calorie count of the bowl!)

3 c. cooked black beans (this is 1/2 lb. of black beans if you cook them yourself, and if you use canned, it's about 2 cans, rinsed and drained.)
2 c. water
3/4 lb. lean ground beef or turkey, rinsed and drained
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 c. diced carrot (about 1 large)
1 c. chopped celery (about 2 stalks)
1/2 c. diced green bell pepper
1 Tbsp. dehydrated onion flakes
2 Tbsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. chili powder
Salt/pepper to taste
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, minced
Salt/pepper to taste

In a large soup pan over medium heat, combine beans, water, meat, and diced tomatoes. Start chopping the veggies while the soup is heating up.

Add the celery and carrot to the pan. Don't add the bell pepper yet because it won't need as long to cook as the crunchier veggies. Simmer or gently boil over medium heat for about 20 to minutes.

Once the carrot is just about tender enough, add the bell pepper and seasonings, and simmer another 10 to 15 minutes. Like all chili and most soups, this dish is better the longer it can sit. However, we ate ours and thoroughly enjoyed it about an hour after I started cooking it.

For the kids: Since my kids aren't big chili eaters (understandable since they don't like ground beef or black beans), I add a good bit of shredded cheese and sour cream to their small bowl of chili and serve it as a "dip" with corn chips for dinner.

Beef Stroganoff

The Honey, lover of all things meaty, recently requested some beef stroganoff for dinner. And like the dutiful, compliant, easy-going, ever-loving wife that I am, I fixed it for him. (And if you believe all that about me, then I have some ocean-front property I'd like to sell you...)

To be quite honest, neither of my girls will eat this meal. But that is mostly because they don't like ground beef. I can't really blame them - it's not my favorite for that reason, either. In fact, it would probably be much better if I made it with some sliced steak, but lean ground beef is what I had on hand, and lean ground beef is what I used.

Before I get into the recipe, I have some news. I'm going to start doing something a little extra with my recipes. Since my mother is a math teacher, I have this genetic predisposition towards math. I'm really quite the math nerd, and love doing all sorts of calculations and puzzles in my head. Very geeky, I know, but you will now begin reaping the benefits of my weirdness, because that means I can calculate the calories per serving for just about every recipe I make. As long as I pay attention while I'm making it, that is. And since we all want to make sure we're not busting our waistlines with our meals, I'll start including that information with each recipe.

Beef Stroganoff
(Makes 3 adult servings. Approximately 260 calories per serving. When served over 3/4 c. cooked egg noodles, total is 425 calories per serving.)

1/2 lb lean ground beef
1 Tbsp. dried minced onion
1 small can mushrooms, drained
1/4 c. flour
1 c. 1% milk
1/2 c. light sour cream
Salt/pepper to taste
Dash of nutmeg
Cooked egg noodles or rice


In a large frying pan, brown ground beef. Drain and rinse with hot water. Return to pan and add minced onion and mushrooms.
Continue cooking over medium heat.




Sprinkle 1/4 c. flour over the beef mixture. Mix well.





Measure out 1 c. of milk. Add about half of the milk to the flour and beef mixture, and stir until well combined. Add the remaining milk and sour cream. Add salt/pepper and dash of nutmeg. Continue to simmer over medium heat until mixture reaches desired thickness.

Black Bean & Beef Tacos

The past couple of weeks I have had to revert back to some quick and easy standby meals for dinner. Although I'm home during the day, I've had to pick up my husband from work every day, which means that I have been gone from about 5-6pm: the hour I normally have to prepare dinner. Now I get home with a hungry husband and kids and have just a few minutes to get dinner on the table before they start to mutiny.

One benefit of mixing black beans with the ground beef for the filling is that you can use half the amount of ground beef that you normally would. This cuts down on the cost of the meal and improves the nutritional value at the same time. Bonus points for this one!

Make ahead tip: Cook the ground beef filling in advance and reheat it in the microwave just before dinner. Dinner can be ready within 15 minutes of walking in the door.


Black Bean & Beef Tacos (filling)

3/4 lb. ground beef
1 can black beans
1 pkg taco seasoning (or less)
1/2 c. water

In a medium skillet, brown ground beef.

Drain ground beef. After draining, I like to rinse the extra grease off the meat. (You do this by placing colander in the sink and spraying with HOT water.)

Place ground beef back in the pan. Rinse and drain black beans.

Add black beans to the pan and mix.

Sprinkle taco seasoning over the meat and beans. Add water and mix well.

Simmer over medium-high heat until the water cooks off and mixture is nice and thick.

Use like normal taco filling in either hard or soft tacos. Top with favorite toppings, such as shredded cheese, lettuce, tomato, diced avocado, sour cream and salsa.

Garden Salsa Meatloaf

Meatloaf, shmeatloaf. It's good and all, but my kids don't really eat ground beef unless it's smothered in taco seasoning. So I thought I'd try to give it a "Mexican" twist and see how it went over with the discriminating taste-testers in my house. The end result? The girls still wouldn't eat it, but my husband gave it a 7 out of 10 and said I could make it again. I enjoyed it last night, but I sliced some on to a some toast today for a meatloaf sandwich and this stuff is even better the next day!


Garden Salsa Meatloaf

1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 c. salsa
1/2 c. uncooked oatmeal
1/4 c. roasted red peppers, finely chopped (optional)
1/2 c. shredded carrot
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. Nature's Seasons
Sprinkle of hot sauce (optional)


Preheat oven to 375. Combine all ingredients except the hot sauce in a medium bowl. Mix well with your hands until thoroughly combined.











If adding hot sauce, sprinkle desired amount on top of meat mixture and stir with a spoon. (You don't want to get this stuff in your eyes by accident, trust me!)










Press into a 9x5 bread pan, and bake at 375 for about 35 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink in the center.










Slice and serve. Makes 6 servings.

Italian Rice with Steak

This recipe was born out of desperation. We eat a lot of chicken in our house. A LOT of chicken. And every so often, I'm just sick of chicken. So when I go to the grocery store I'll scan the packages of beef and pork and find something reasonably priced to take home. The problem with most "reasonably priced" steaks is that they are not meant to be grilled to perfection. The cut just isn't good enough to be nice and tender off the grill. That's where marinating comes in. Fortunately, this recipe has one of the easiest marinades born to man: a can of Italian-style diced tomatoes. And as an added bonus, it only used 1/2 the package of steaks I bought, so my $3.50 special is going to last me through 2 meals. Maybe we'll do stroganoff next...


Italian Rice with Steak
(Makes 3 adult servings)

1/2 lb. steak, raw
1 can Italian-style diced tomatoes
1 heaping Tbsp of corn starch
1/4 c. light sour cream
1/2 cup rice, cooked (comes out to 1 1/2 c. cooked rice)


Slice steak into strips.




















Place into a bowl or plastic container and add diced tomatoes.










Mix well. Cover and place in fridge to marinate for at least 4-5 hours.











After marinating, pour entire steak and tomato mixture into a large pan.











Add corn starch and sour cream and cook over medium heat until steak is lightly pink in the middle (about 15 minutes).










Yes, I know it doesn't look pretty in the pan, but once you spoon it over the rice it looks so much butter! Each serving is 1/2 c. rice and 1/3 of the mixture. Serve with some steamed broccoli on the side and enjoy!