Easy Beef Stew

We had a still-slightly-frozen boneless beef chuck roast, and we wanted a substantial but bother-free dinner by evening.

Easy Beef Stew in a Slow Cooker

Recipe

Cut the roast into 4 pieces and push them all into a 2-quart crockpot with no other ingredients.  Meat in a crockpot normally produces so much liquid that water is not needed.

Start cooking on "high", and when it is bubbling, turn it to low.  Allow to simmer through the day.

About an hour before dinner, start some rice.

Then remove 1/3 of the cooked beef and drippings from the slow cooker to save for another use.  Cut the remainder of the beef into bite-sized chunks and returned to the pot. Turn it up to "high".

Add:

2 small cans of mushrooms with their juice
1 onion, chopped and sauteed

Then saute in a pan:

1 Tb oil
1 Tb rice flour

When it is honey-colored, stir in:

1 tsp paprika

and immediately begin to spoon liquid from the crockpot into the pan, stirring out the lumps.  When you have a thick, bubbling sauce, scrape it into the crockpot and gently stir.  Allow it to simmer on "low" for 15 minutes or more.

Optionally, a small amount of vegetables can be added, primarily for color.  Green peas, carrot shreds, or mini-peppers in red or gold would work well.  We added 1/4 cup of fried okra that we happened to have on hand.  Okra adds a unique slippery kind of thickening most familiar to us in gumbo.

Easy beef stew served over rice

Note that this stew has a reddish color that in most cuisines is produced by tomatoes.  However what we have here is not tomato but paprika, a Hungarian - Balkan technique that produces an entirely different and characteristic flavor.

Season to taste.  Served over medium-grain white rice.

To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr.   (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it.  If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).

This recipe is #79 in the Baker's Dozen Challenge Countdown.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese (Gluten Free)

Macaroni and Cheese (gluten free) with raw veggies

1. Prepare pasta.

2. Prepare sauce.

Stir pasta and sauce together and turn it out into an oven dish sprayed with non-stick spray.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes...

... but if it's in the oven with something else, there is lots of leeway in this recipe. The oven can be hotter or cooler. Your dish can be uncovered all of the time or covered part of the time (but uncover at the end so the top will brown.)

For a good look and some discussion about variations, see this set on flickr, which shows two separate batches, both made with rice penne but with differences in the sauce and in the baking.

Baked macaroni and cheese is a good way to use up dairy products.  I'll use milk, buttermilk, plain yogurt, canned milk... whatever needs using.  And the same goes for the cheese!  Whatever needs using up.  The dish will turn out different every time and always delicious.


This recipe is # 81 on Baker's Dozen Challenge Countdown.

Collard Greens

Collard Greens with cheese, rice crackers, and hot sauce!

Wash fresh collard greens at least 3 times!

Strip out the stems and wash the leaves
Push collards down into a large pot
Add oil:  1/4 cup for a soup kettle size pot
Add 1-2 tsp. salt

Cover and cook on low for 2 hours. The greens will be much reduced in volume!

Serve as a main dish, with cheese or another protein food on the side.

Collards can be, and usually are, cooked with fatty, salty meat, such as bacon or ham hocks. While that isn't necessary, collards do taste much better when they are cooked with oil.

To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr.   (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it.  If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).

This recipe is #82 in Baker's Dozen Challenge Countdown

Chicken and Egg Salad

Chicken and Egg Salad

3 cups coarsely chopped boiled chicken
3 stalks celery, diced
1 large dill pickle, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
 3 hard boiled eggs, diced
Mix all together, gently.
Salt to taste
Add mayonnaise to taste - 1/4 cup or more.
*Mayonnaise can be thinned with lemon juice for more flavor and less fat.

Chicken and egg salad is good in sandwiches, on crackers, in hollowed-out bell pepper, mounded onto tomato slices, and in a bowl all by itself.

To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr.   (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it.  If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).

This recipe is #83 in Baker's Dozen Challenge Countdown

Chicken and Olive Salad

Chicken and Olive Salad

4 cups diced chicken
3 stalks diced celery
1/3 cup diced bell pepper
1 cup Italian olive salad

Mix gently and serve on lettuce as a salad or as a sandwich in a crunchy roll.

Olive salad is a New Orleans favorite.  A similar blend, giardiniera, hotter and with less olive flavor, is eaten in Chicago. Either would be fine, as would some third thing that is available wherever you live.

To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr.   (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it.  If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).

This recipe is #84 in Baker's Dozen Challenge Countdown

Chicken Salad with Pecans

Chicken Salad with Pecans

Baked chicken, cold, cut up, about 3 cups
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped sweet onion
1/2 cup toasted pecan pieces
Salt if needed
Dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
large pinch coriander
1/2 tsp orange extract
Stir together, then toss into salad

Serve over lettuce and rice cake. Garnish with Dijonnaise.

To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr.   (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it.  If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).

This recipe is #85 in the Baker's Dozen Challenge Countdown

Chicken Apple Salad

Another good chicken salad made from boiled chicken left after making stock.

Chicken Apple Salad

2 cups cut-up boiled chicken

1 apple, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped
salt

Dress with:

1/4 c. mayonnaise
2 Tb honey
Juice 1/2 large lemon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

mix and pour over.

Serve with hard-boiled egg slices, lettuce, and tomato. Or whatever you like!

To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr.   (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it.  If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).

This recipe is #86 in the Baker's Dozen Challenge Countdown

White Bean Salad

Marinate great northern beans in lemon juice, crushed garlic, onion, and olive oil.  Salt to taste.

Salad of marinated great northern beans heaped into a bell pepper

Spoon beans into a fresh bell pepper halved lengthwise.  Garnish with tomato and egg slices. Add a simple side, such as brown rice, for a quick and nutritious lunch.

To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr.    (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it.  If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).

This dish is # 97 in the Baker's Dozen Challenge Countdown

Two-Bean Salad

A Russian-style layered salad filled with substantial
stick-to-the-ribs ingredients.

Two-bean Salad with chopped egg

We collected these ingredients:

Black beans
Sweet peas
Carrot
Celery
Tomato
Green onion
Spinach leaves
Lemon juice
Hard-boiled egg

Then we layered them:

Start with spinach leaves in a small bowl.

Add ingredients; do not stir.  We did it in this order:

Spinach
Black Beans
Diced celery
Diced tomato (salt and pepper the tomato layer)
Canned sweet peas
Mayonnaise, spread across the peas
Diced carrot
Diced green onion
Diced egg
Lemon juice
... and vegetable oil drizzled around the top.

Refrigerate for a time.

Garnish with lemon slices and the last bit of green onion

To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr.   (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it.  If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).

This recipe is #88 in the Baker's Dozen Challenge Countdown.

Dinner Salad with Potatoes

I learned to make this salad from my children's grandmother, who grew up in the Balkans. She liked to use endive for salad greens. Here I've used romaine lettuce. Dressed with oil and lemon juice it needs no other salad dressing.

Into a small bowl put:

3 cups of still-warm cooked potatoes,  peeled and sliced or diced.
1/2 cup diced onion
Juice of one lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Drizzle olive oil over all

Mix gently, then set in refrigerator to cool and to marinate
for an hour or more.

Begin with a bed of salad greens. Mound the potatoes at the center.
Add cheese (I used sharp cheddar and swiss) and tomatoes. Garnish
with bell pepper slices and red onion slices. Voila!

To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr.   (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it.  If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).

This recipe is #89 in the Baker's Dozen Challenge Countdown.

Black Bean and Chicken Chili

Black beans and chicken go well in an otherwise standard chili recipe.

Black Bean and Chicken Chili

1 quart chicken stock
1 - 6-oz can tomato paste

1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup steamed kale

1/3 cup chopped peppers
2 cups cooked black beans

1 cup diced chicken (not shown)
1 Tb cider vinegar
1 Tb Sugar
Chili powder to taste
Cumin to taste
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Put all but the cilantro leaves in a covered saucepan. Heat to simmering and cook for 5 minutes or longer, until onion is translucent.  Turn off heat, add cilantro leaves, let rest for 5 minutes and serve.

To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr.   (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it.  If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).

This recipe is #91 in the Baker's Dozen Challenge Countdown.

Easy Hummus

Hummus made from chickpeas, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic

2 cups garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
2 Tb olive oil
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 tsp salt or to taste
Juice of 1 lemon

Other ingredients can be added: tahini, sesame oil, roasted red pepper, cayenne pepper, to name a few.

Squeeze in the lemon juice and turn on the blender or food processor.
 Stop when it is smooth and fluffy like a dip.   ...OR... my household actually likes lumpy hummus. Sometimes we put the ingredients into a shallow bowl and mash it up with the back of a fork, leaving visible bits of bean.
 
Spoon hummus into the center of a plate. Sprinkle with paprika, and make a well in the center in which to pour a spoonful of olive oil.

Add crackers or pita and some salad ingredients.

To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr.   (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it.  If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).

This dish is #92 in the Baker's Dozen Challenge Countdown!

Fried Rice with Egg

Fried Rice with Egg

Ingredients:

Leftover rice.  The longer it has sat in the cooker drying out, the better.
Other leftovers
Egg
Soy Sauce or Fish Sauce

Frying pan (or wok!)
Oil to coat the bottom of the pan

Heat the pan, and then spoon in the rice.  The purpose here is to dry out the moisture and to brown the rice slightly.  Let it go until the rice is no longer giving off steam and the grains are not clumping together.

Meanwhile, chop up onions and other ingredients (whatever you have on hand: bits of meat, tofu, shrimp, vegetables... )
Stir these into the rice and cook some more, until the onions are soft and everything is hot.

Beat up an egg with a bit of fish sauce or soy sauce; drizzle it around the rice, stirring constantly.

Some like this dish with egg still wet, others want it fully cooked.  Suit yourself, and then serve.

To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr.   (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it.  If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).

This recipe is #93 in Baker's Dozen Challenge Countdown!

Red Sauce with Carne Picada

Red sauce with carne picada beef over gluten free penne

A simple pasta and meat sauce recipe using ordinary spaghetti sauce from a jar, some dried spicy spaghetti seasonings, and carne picada, small bits of sliced beef, rather than hamburger.

Modify to suit your household's preferences!  What is featured here is use of beef in a form other than hamburger. It doesn't really change the taste, but the difference in texture and appearance of this everyday food makes it interesting.

2 pounds carne picada beef
1- 24 ounce jar prepared sauce for pasta
Dry spaghetti seasoning blend, to taste

Brown meat in a pan in small batches, then put the browned meat into a 2-quart slow cooker. Skim off fat and add meat juices to the cooker.  Pour in the sauce, and cook on "low" until the meat is very tender. (Several hours.)  Stir in seasonings and turn off the heat, leaving sauce in the hot pot.

Bring a large potful of water to a boil and add gluten-free pasta.  Watch the pasta carefully because it will go very quickly from uncooked to overcooked!  Drain.  Serve sauce over pasta with some simple sides.

To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr.   (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it.  If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).

This dish is #94 in the Baker's Dozen Challenge Countdown!

Chili with Carne Picada and Red Beans

Chili with Carne Picada and Red Beans

2 pounds carne picada (thin-sliced beef)
3-4 cups red beans
1/4 cup corn meal
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1 1/2 cups water
Chili powder
Cumin
salt
1 Tb oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup bell pepper
Cilantro

Brown the meat in a pan, then pour it into a 2-quart slow cooker.  To this add beans, water, and tomato paste.  (If the pot looks too full, decrease water and/or beans.)

Wipe out the pan and return it to the heat.  When the pan is hot, sprinkle in the dry corn meal, and stir it while it browns to a light tan.  Add this to the crockpot for flavor and thickening. 

Pour about 1 Tb oil into the pan and saute the chopped onion and bell pepper.  Add these to the crockpot.  Add salt, chili powder, and cumin to taste.

Cook on low until the meat is tender, cornmeal fully cooked, and flavors well blended.  Stir in a handful of cilantro leaves and serve.

To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr.   (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it.  If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).

This dish is #95 in the Baker's Dozen Challenge Countdown.

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce (gluten-free)

Gluten-free spaghetti with meat sauce, parmesan cheese, and cold okra

 Spaghetti Sauce

This doesn't bear much discussion - it's just ordinary
every-kid-likes-it American spaghetti sauce.

1 lb hamburger, browned in a pan
1/2 chopped sweet onion added to the burger in the pan
Spoonful of jarred garlic bits
Brown some more, turn out into 2-qt. crockpot.
Add 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
Generous spoonful light brown sugar
Some kind of spaghetti seasoning
Water to fill pot (not too much)

Cook on "high" until it's boiling, then turn to low and cook a couple of hours.

Serve over pasta.

Optional additives: any vegetables chopped up fine
parsley
dry red wine
mushrooms
other meats

Gluten-free Spaghetti

16 ounces (2 boxes) gluten-free spaghetti.  There are choices; I used rice pasta.

Potful of boiling water.  Directions on the box want 4 quarts for each 8 ounces of pasta.  Who has a pot that large, and who wants to heat that much water?  Do your best with what you've got.

Put the pasta into the boiling water, stirring carefully so the strands don't get stuck together.  (Rice pasta produces a lot of starch in the water.)  Observe timing directions on the box, and watch and test frequently.  Rice pasta is easily overcooked and then it falls apart.

Drain, rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process and to wash off the excess starch.  I like to add a few drops of oil to the mass to keep it from sticking together.

Serve sauce over spaghetti and with Parmesan cheese available.

Rice pasta rinsed with cold water and draining.

To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr.   (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it.  If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).

This is #99 in the Baker's Dozen Challenge Countdown.

Grilled Marinated Chuck-eye Steak Dinner

Grilled steak on a George Foreman Grill

Prepare ahead:

1 or 2 pounds of chuck-eye steak (or more or less, it doesn't matter!) cut into chunks
Oil to coat
1 - 2 tablespoons of "Mrs. Dash" salt-free seasoning
Sprinkle of smoked paprika

Mix well, then seal into a quart-size ziplock bag and refrigerate for a day or more.  Any small container with a tight seal could be used.

A few cold steamed potatoes will be useful but not necessary. You can cook the potato from raw on the grill but it takes awhile.

To cook:

Heat the George Foreman Grill after oiling with non-stick spray.

Trim a few green onions, and cut in half so they'll fit on the grill.

When the grill is hot,  lay on the onions, then distribute chunks of meat over the onions.  Lower the lid.

Slice potato while you wait.

When juices stop dripping into the drip tray, check the meat, which is probably done.  This type of grill holds in heat and cooks very quickly!

Slide the meat and onions onto a plate.  Pick up the drip tray and drizzle the marinade and meat juices over the potato, then arrange potato slices on the grill.  Grill until done, or if pre-cooked, grill until browned.

Serve with tomato slices or some other simple salad.

This is hands-down the best dish made from chuck-eye that I have ever enjoyed!

Grilling machines tend to dry out meat, so the oily marinade is a big improvement.  If calories are important, then a better place to cut would be to replace the potato with a less starchy vegetable.

This is number 100 in the Baker's Dozen Challenge Countdown.

To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr.   (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it.  If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).