Spanish Beef and Pearl Barley Paella

 This has been one of my 2014 Winter favourites! And so many good crunchy greens, you could substitute what you have on hand to personalise this dish. Fabulous leftovers for lunch too.
 
INGREDIENTS

600 g beef blade (steak or roast), trimmed of fat, 2cm diced
1 tbsp smoked paprika 4 silverbeet stems, finely diced
1 red capsicum, finely diced
1 green capsicum, finely diced
½ cup pearl barley
1 head garlic, sliced in half horizontally
6 sprigs thyme
1 pinch saffron, soaked in 1 tbsp hot water
500 ml salt reduced beef stock
1 bunch silverbeet leaves, shredded

METHOD

- Drizzle oil over beef in a bowl and toss to coat.
- Place a 30cm paella pan, frying pan or cast iron casserole dish over high heat and brown beef.
- Add paprika and stir to coat the beef.
- Add diced silverbeet stems, capsicum, pearl barley, garlic, thyme, saffron and stock and bring to the boil
- Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until beef and pearl barley are tender. If liquid reduces too much add a little water to keep the beef moist.
- Add shredded silverbeet leaves in the last 2 minutes of cooking, or steam separately and serve paella on top of silverbeet.

From: http://www.beefandlamb.com.au/Recipes/All_recipes/Detail/Spanish-beef-and-pearl-barley-paella

Beef Stroganoff

 INGREDIENTS

• olive oil cooking spray
• 500g beef fillet, trimmed, cut into thin strips (I just buy beef cut for stir fry from the butchers)
• 1 brown onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 250g button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 3 teaspoons coconut flour
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 cup Greek-style yoghurt
• 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
• 600g steamed vegetables, to serve

METHOD

- Spray a frying pan with oil on high heat
- Add one third of the beef. Cook, stirring, for 30 to 60 seconds or until browned all over. Remove to a plate. Repeat with oil and remaining beef in 2 batches.
- Combine coconut flour, stock and worcestershire sauce in a small jug, place to one side
- Reduce heat to medium, spray pan with oil
- Add onion and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and mushrooms
- Cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes or until mushrooms are tender
- Stir in paprika and cook for 1 minute
- Stir stock mixture into mushroom mixture. Cook, stirring, until sauce comes to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 2 minutes
- Add yoghurt and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes
- Return beef and juices to pan, stir until warmed through.
- Stir in parsley and season with pepper
- Spoon stroganoff onto plates. Serve with steamed vegetables.

Adapted from: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/7338/beef+stroganoff

Beef Chow Mein

I have been attempting to cook 'one new dish' each week and this one is a keeper! So versatile and delicious, it would be very easy to substitute ingredients here.

INGREDIENTS

500g sliced beef (my butcher sliced up the lean part of New York steak)
1/4 cup beef stock
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of sweetener of your choice (I used 1 tbsp coconut sugar, 1 tbsp brown rice malt syrup)
2-3 tbsp of olive oil
2 large carrots, sliced
2 cups of broccoli
1 large onion
4 garlic cloves (or 4 tsp minced garlic)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 x packet of Slendier Angel Hair Pasta

• 8 ounces
• Thin Spaghetti; broken in half

• 1 teaspoon
• Sesame Oil

• 1/4 cups
• Hot Boiled Water

• 1 tablespoon
• Beef Better Than Bullion

• 3 tablespoons
• Soy Sauce

• 2 tablespoons
• Brown Sugar

•  
• Oil; for frying

• 1 pound
• Beef

• 2
• large Carrots

• 2 cups
• Broccoli

• 1
• large Onion

• 4
• Garlic Cloves

- See more at: http://momsdish.com/recipe/400/beef-lo-mein-recipe#_a5y_p=1567454

• 8 ounces
• Thin Spaghetti; broken in half

• 1 teaspoon
• Sesame Oil

• 1/4 cups
• Hot Boiled Water

• 1 tablespoon
• Beef Better Than Bullion

• 3 tablespoons
• Soy Sauce

• 2 tablespoons
• Brown Sugar

•  
• Oil; for frying

• 1 pound
• Beef

• 2
• large Carrots

• 2 cups
• Broccoli

• 1
• large Onion

• 4
• Garlic Cloves

- See more at: http://momsdish.com/recipe/400/beef-lo-mein-recipe#_a5y_p=1567454

METHOD

• In a small saucepan, boil the Slendier Angel Hair Pasta for 1min. Drain and dress with sesame oil, stand to one side.
• In a small bowl mix stock, soy and sweetener of your choice
• Heat oil in a pan, stirfry beef until just cooked. Add bowl of stock mixture, cook for 1 minute. Place to one side
• Reheat pan, cook onions until golden. Place to one side (I normally just tip them on to the beef mixture).
• Add some more oil to pan, stir fry carrot until soft, add garlic and broccoli and stirfry for approx. 3 minutes
• Add beef and onion mixture back into the pan along with Slendier Angel Hair, stir until warmed through.
• Serve immediately.

Serves 2 heartily, with 2 leftover lunches

Adapted from: http://momsdish.com/recipe/400/beef-lo-mein-recipe#_a5y_p=1567454

Old Fashioned Beef Curry

There are days when I crave rather plain childhood dishes, and one memory I have of good substantial food was the Maggi 'hotpot' curry that mum would cook for me after dance class. I made this dish earlier this year and it tasted pretty much exactly the same! Huge sigh of relief :) This recipe was originally for a slow cooker but I tend to think you don't need to simmer the !@#$ out of it. If you have extra time, all good, but don't worry too much.

INGREDIENTS

800g lean stewing steak, such as chuck, gravy beef or blade
1 tablespoon chutney (any sort)
2 onions
1 tablespoon apricot jam (if you are worried about sugar, some fruit puree would do)
2 carrots
1 1/2 cups water or stock
1/2 small parsnip
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon coconut flour (optional)
Steamed greens for serving

METHOD

- Trim all visible fat from the meat and dice
- Spray a pan with oil and brown meat, one small batch at a time
- Peel and dice the onions. Peel and slice the carrots and parsnip
- Mix the curry powder, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, chutney, jam, stock and salt, stir well to combine
- Place all in a large saucepan with a lid
- Simmer with lid on for 1/2 an hour minimum, preferably 1-2 hours, top up liquid with water or stock as required
- If necessary, mix the coconut flour with approximately 2 tablespoons cold water to a paste and use a little or all of it to thicken the dish
- Add salt and pepper to taste
- Serve with steamed greens

Adapted from: http://www.abc.net.au/local/recipes/2009/09/22/2693077.htm

'The Master' Beef Casserole

This recipe really is the master of all casseroles, I knew I had to shut up about it last night when somebody told me 'This is the third time you've told me...'

It's so easy! Give it a go while the days are cold...

INGREDIENTS
1kg beef, diced
1 large onion, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 tbsp coconut flour
3 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
2 bay leaves

METHOD
- Preheat oven to 180 celsius
- Place beef in a ziploc bag with 1 tablespoon olive oil, season with salt and pepper, mix well
- Heat a frypan over high heat, brown beef in 3 batches, place in casserole dish

- Reduce pan heat to medium, add a little oil
- Add vegetables and cook for 2 minutes, stirring
- Stir in flour and mix until vegetables are coated
- Gradually add stock, stirring well
- Add remaining ingredients, stir until mixture boils

- Pour mixture over beef into casserole dish
- Cover, place in oven
- Stir every 40 minutes, bake for 120 minutes

Recipe adapted from:
http://www.themainmeal.com.au/RecipesInspiration/Entice-magazine/Entice-magazine.htm

Grass-Fed Beef

Today I read a terrific article on why grass-fed beef is better to eat.

- Lower levels of unhealthy fats
- Higher levels of Omega 3 fatty acids

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/11/switching-to-grass-fed-beef/

Now to stop buying my meat from Woolworths and find a butcher who can help me out with this!

Why I love tacos!

I used to eat tacos all the time with my Mum and Dad, usually on weekends. They were OK, I was never crazy about tacos! But these days I'm loving Tacos again because they fit into my numbers well, and it also gives me a chance to eat some lean meat and fresh salad.

Some tips:
- Use organic Heartsmart mince
- Low fat cheddar cheese
- Watch how many you eat! I can only really eat two most days, but then I can eat some mince on its own with some salad. (The carbs are in the taco shells)
- Watch out for the burritos, enchiladas etc. The numbers on these can be huge!
- There always seems to be leftover mince for lunch the next day

One of my main nutrition goals is to step away from processed food and I must admit tacos are my weakness. Next step is working out my own seasoning so I don't have to worry about any unnecessary nasties such as 'anti-caking agents' in the kit.

You can learn more info, including nutritional info here:
http://oldelpaso.com.au/products/dinner-kits/taco-kit-295g/5.aspx

NUMBERS (per taco, complete)
Protein: 12.6g
Carbohydrate: 6.7g
Fat: 7.9g

Chilli Beef

This recipe has become a staple of our little household, enough to eat once a week and freeze the rest for the next, I have been cooking this for a few years... it's my go-to recipe to get me back on track when my nutrition has slipped!

INGREDIENTS
Olive oil spray
1 onion, chopped
1 chilli, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
500g mince (I choose Heartsmart Organic mince, I also hear Woolworths preium mince is lower in fat, according to CHOICE magazine)
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
400g red kidney beans, rinsed
1 teaspoon ground coriander
salt and pepper
Bocconcini cheese (I eat with 5 x bambini sized)
Baby spinach leaves or steamed vegetables to serve

METHOD
1. Cook onion, chilli, garlic in oil for 2 min
2. Add mince, cook for 5 min, drain off excess oil
3. Add tins of chopped tomatoes, kidney beans, ground coriander
4. Simmer as long as you like (5 minutes minimum)
5. Serve n steamed vegetables or bed of spinach leaves, garnish with bocconcini

NUMBERS (Approx per serve, without bocconcini or vegetables)
Carbs: 20.5
Protein: 44.2
Fat: 9.4

From Donna Hay Issue 26 March/April 2006

Mark's favourite!!! xxx