Slow Cooked Tenderized Outside Round Beef Roast

You want to find cheaper cuts of meat, but you don't want to break your jaw to eat it.  Slow cooking and this milk marinade are the way to go.

2  1/4 lb outside round beef roast
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup HP steak sauce
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup beef broth
1 lb sliced onions
1 lb sliced carrots
1 lb potato pieces
2-3 tbsps onion soup mix

Score the meat a few times across the grain. Mix milk and vinegar together, then add garlic powder and pour over beef in  a plastic bag. Remove as much air as possible so the milk covers the meat. Refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 8.

Spray bottom of slow cooker with cooking spray.
Add onions. Drain meat and place it on top of the onions. Place the potatoes and carrots around it.

Mix the steak sauce, BBQ sauce, worcestershire and beef broth together and pour it over the roast.

Sprinkle with soup mix and slow cook 7 1/2 hours on low.

Let the meat rest 5 minutes before slicing against the grain.

And the house will smell wonderful all day!

Pasta e Fagioli

That's Pasta Fazool to you and me! Unless you're Italian than it IS Pasta e Fagioli...pasta and beans!

1 cup ditali pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb Italian sausage meat
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup diced sweet pepper
1/2 cup diced onion
1 cup diced carrots
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup meat marinara sauce or tomato sauce
14 oz canned diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp each basil, oregano and thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
19 oz white kidney beans, drained

Cook the pasta, drain and toss with a little olive oil. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot. Add the sausage meat, breaking it up as it browns.  Add garlic, sweet pepper, onion and carrots and cook a few minutes to brown the onions. I used orange sweet pepper here so it looks the same as the carrots.

Toss in the broth, marinara, diced tomatoes and seasonings and cook until carrots are tender.

Add the kidney beans and cooked ditali and stir until heated through.

Even better served with parmesan cheese.

Serves 4-6

Buon Appetito !

Nutella and Berry Overnight Breakfast

Ok let's just say I might be obsessed with these breakfast jars.

2 tbsps Nutella
3 tbsps chocolate syrup
1 tbsp berry yogurt
3/4 cup oats
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tbsps flax
1 cup milk
1 serving sized berry yogurt cup
a handful of raspberries

Mix the Nutella, chocolate syrup and 1 tbsp yogurt together.

Mix the oat, nutmeg, flax and milk together.

Then start layering....oat mixture, Nutella, yogurt, berries.

Pork and Apple Meatloaf

Who says meatloaf is dry? Not this one!
The apples give it both moisture and a slightly sweet taste.

1 cup grated apple (2 medium apples)
1/2 tsp celery seed
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp sage
1 tsp thyme
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup milk
2 lbs ground pork
1 egg
2 tbsps (or more) apple jelly

You can find a link to my homemade jelly at the end of this post.

Start by grating the apples and chopping the onion. Mix together with celery seed, salt, pepper, sage and thyme. 

Mix milk and bread crumbs together so the crumbs get soggy. Another reason this loaf is not dry.

Mix the apple mixture and soggy bread crumbs with the pork along with the egg. Combine well then fill parchment lined loaf pan.

Spoon on some apple jelly and bake at 400 F for 1 hour, then broil 5 minutes to give it a little colour as pork can look a little "beige". You can add more apple jelly before broiling if you like.

Let the meatloaf rest for 5 minutes then lift it out of the pan to cut.

Serves 6-8

And here's that link to Scrap Apple Jelly
http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.ca/2016/11/scrap-apple-jelly.html

Lemon Curd and Raspberry Overnight Breakfast

I have to say, I think this overnight breakfast is the best one yet! 

These measurements are for 1 serving, but feel free to double or more as needed.

1/2 cup oats
1 tbsp of flax or chia
1/4 tsp of your favourite sweetener
2 tbsps coconut
1/3 cup (a 1 serving size)  yogurt, vanilla or berry
1/3 cup milk
a handful of raspberries

2 tbsps lemon curd, store bought or homemade

Mix everything except the lemon curd together.

If you opt for store bought that's fine, but here's a simple curd recipe you can make at home. http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.ca/2016/05/microwave-lemon-curd.html

Layer the oat mixture and curd in a jar and put it in the fridge for morning. You can make a few so you've got the week covered!

Note: You can use smaller jars. I had run out of mine as I had used them when making some jelly.
So I used these drinking jars instead.

Chickpea Meatless Meatballs

Healthy, economical and tasty!

540 ml can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup edamame beans

1 roasted sweet pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup shredded onion

2 tsp dry oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 egg

3/4 cup bread crumbs

Put the chickpeas, edamame beans and roasted pepper in the food processor.  I used frozen edamame, there's still a little frost on them. And you can use store bought roasted peppers or use the link at the end of this recipe to make your own. It's easy!

Pulse a few times to combine. You don't want a purée.

In a bowl combine the chickpea mixture with the remaining ingredients and form into 2 tablespoon-sized balls.

Place them on a lined baking sheet and bake at 350 F for 15-20 minutes.

Serve with your favourite sauce. 

Here's the link to how to make roasted sweet peppers.
http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.ca/2014/09/roasted-sweet-peppers.html

Chicken Avocado Enchiladas

Gotta say I wasn't sure about the enchilada sauce here because I didn't like the colour. But I was pleasantly surprised with how good it tasted!

2 cups cooked sliced chicken breast
1  1/4 cups shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar
2 avocados
6 - 6" tortillas

Enchilada sauce:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tbsps flour
1 cup chicken or turkey stock
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup cream cheese
1 cup salsa

Start by making the enchilada sauce. Heat olive oil and butter in a saucepan and add the minced garlic. Cook until softened but not browned then add flour and whisk in stock. Add the cumin, salt and pepper and cook 2 minutes, whisking until slightly thickened.

Next add the cream cheese and stir until completely incorporated, then add 1/4 cup of the salsa.
See what I mean about the colour.

Spread 3/4 cup of salsa on the bottom of an 8 X 12" baking dish. Spread a heaping tablespoon of enchilada sauce in the middle of each tortilla. Divide 3/4 cup of the shredded cheese into 6 and all of the chicken, and distribute evenly on each tortilla.

Roll them up and lay seam side down on salsa.  

Spoon the remaining enchilada sauce over them and top with 1/2 cup cheese.

Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes.

Impossible Lime in the Coconut Pie

These "impossible" pies are the best!  Bisquick baking mix offers so many of these recipes where you just whirl everything together in a blender and bake. No crust to make!
You can even make your own baking mix. I'll link it below.

2 cups milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup baking mix
4 eggs
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup shredded coconut
2 tbsps lime juice
1-2 tbsps lime zest

If you are lucky enough to find key limes your pie will be that much more aromatic. But regular, or Persian, limes work well too.

Have a 9" pie plate greased and ready.

Blend all the ingredients in a blender for 3 minutes, then pour into the prepared pie plate.

Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes.

Cool to cut.

Can't get easier than that!

Here's that homemade baking mix:
http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.ca/2016/03/homemade-bisquick-baking-mix.html

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Potatoes

"Hey I DO like brussels sprouts!"

You don't hear that everyday, but you will when you make this dish.

1 lb mini frozen brussels sprouts
1 lb sweet potato
10 small white potatoes
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
pepper to taste

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
fresh lemon thyme

Combine cubed sweet and white potatoes with mini brussels sprouts, garlic, olive oil, cumin, salt, paprika and pepper. Toss them around in a bag to coat then spread everything out on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake at 400 F for 35 minutes.

Remove from oven and toss with balsamic. Return to the oven for an additional 10 - 15 minutes.

Garnish with lemon thyme to serve. Because the brussels sprouts are mini they caramelize nicely!