Meal Prep Monday 1/21/19

PB Beef Stir Fry

makes 8 servings

Rice : Cook 1.5 cups brown rice according to directions on package.  

Broccoli : Spread 2 lbs fresh broccoli on a baking sheet.  Coat with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic powder, and roast at 400 for 12 minutes.  

Marinade : Mix 1/2 c chicken stock, 1/4 c soy sauce, 2 tbsp minced garlic, 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp wasabi paste, and 1 tbsp ginger powder.  

Beef : Toss 3 packages of stir fry beef with the marinade, let sit while you heat olive oil in a large skillet.  When oil is hot, add beef and marinade.  Stir in a heaping 1/4 cup of peanut butter.  Stir frequently, remove beef and liquid from the skillet to a large bowl when the beef is done. 

Cabbage : Chop a small head of cabbage, and cook in the beef drippings after beer and marinade have been removed.  Once cabbage is cooked, add it to the bowl with the beef and mix well.  

I had about 1 serving of beef and cabbage left, but the rice and broccoli came out to 8 servings each. 

Cumin-Rubbed Beef

Step 1 : Mix together cumin, mustard powder, garlic powder, sea salt, sage, and bread crumbs.
             Heat water for pasta, add pasta when the water boils.  Try to time it so pasta is done around the                    same time as the beef.

Step 2 : Coat pieces of eye of round beef with the seasoning mixture, then brown them on each side.

Step 3 : Pour red wine into the pan, just enough to cover the beef. 

Step 4 : When the beef is about halfway done, add vegetables to the pan.  

             I used cabbage and carrots.  I also grated some ginger into the pan. 

Step 5 : Remove the beef from the pan when it is done.  Once the pasta is drained, add it to the pan with the              vegetables and sauce, mix well. 

Step 6 : Eat.

Peachy Perfect Pasta

Ingredients

1/2 - 1 cups chopped onion

2 carrots, chopped

1-2 cups chopped cabbage

2 peaches, chopped

fresh basil, chopped

Boil water for pasta. When it boils, add the pasta, then:

Saute the onions in some olive oil.  When they are lightly browned, add the cabbage, carrots, some more olive oil, and 1/4 c water.  Put a lid on the pan and let it steam for awhile.  

While the veggies steam, chop up the peaches into bite-sized pieces.  When the veggies are done, remove the lid, turn the heat to very low, and add the peaches. Chop up some fresh basil and add it as well.  

Drain the pasta and toss it with olive oil and just a little bit of mustard and pesto.  

Put some pasta in a bowl, dump some fruit/veggie mix on top, and stir it up.

Eat, enjoy.

Brussels Sprout Soup

I was perusing the produce section of Kroger yesterday morning and the brussels sprouts caught my eye.  I may or may not have ever gotten brave enough to try a brussels sprout before, but I know they're really good for you.  And I've heard recently that they are only nasty when you boil them, and that they are actually quite good if you bake them.  So, I said what the heck and bought a package of them.  I saved a few to bake later in the week, but most of them went into the soup I made today.  Which I just put away in the fridge even though I still haven't taste-tested it.

I didn't really measure most of the vegetables I used, but I'll make guesses for you...

Brussels Sprout Soup

1 stick of butter

4 c water

1 c veggie stock

3 c brussels sprouts, quartered

3 carrots, chopped

a bit of chopped onion

2 c chopped cabbage

garlic cloves to taste, minced

ginger root, grated

1/2 c quinoa

2 b/s chicken breasts, poached & shredded

seasonings to taste

steam the veggies and butter in a large soup pot

brown the garlic & ginger in some olive oil, then add to the soup pot

when the veggies are soft, add the water, veggie stock, and seasonings

add the quinoa, cook til done

add the chicken

Cider-Whiskey Pot Roast

2 large gold potatoes, chopped

3 medium carrots, chopped

1/2 c chopped cabbage

1/2 c mushrooms

2.5 lb pot roast

1/2 c Jameson Irish Whiskey

1 c apple cider

1 tbsp finely chopped ginger

flour

cinnamon

Spread the potatoes on the bottom of a crock pot.  Layer the carrots on top, then the cabbage, then the ginger.  Coat the roast with flour and cinnamon, then place it on top of the vegetables.  Scatter the mushrooms around the roast.  Mix the cider and whiskey and pour it over the roast.  

Cook on high for 7 hours.

When done, shred the roast to be used in various dishes throughout the week. 

I think it will make a nice pulled-beef sandwich.  

I think I will also use some of it for home-made lo mein later this week.

Here's tomorrow's lunch.

Sopa Verde

The majority of my soups have a mashed vegetable of some sort in them.  This soup has mashed broccoli.

As a disclaimer...this is not the most attractive looking soup.  Nor is it the tastiest soup.  However, if you really, really, really, like green vegetables...you just might enjoy this soup.  

This soup was one of the many things I made during my cooking frenzy last week.  I didn't write down anything that I did and the details are kind of fuzzy now, so I'll just have to do my best to recreate it here.

Ingredients

(amounts approximate)

 2 cups chopped broccoli

1/2 cabbage, chopped

1 1/2 c chopped asparagus

3 stalks celery, chopped

1/4 sweet onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup cous cous

butter

bacon grease

veggie stock

water

seasoning to taste

(I don't remember what I used...thyme & sage maybe?

Cook the onions on low heat in bacon grease, stirring as necessary.  Add the garlic when the onions are browned.  Meanwhile, steam the broccoli in a soup pot with butter.  Add some veggie stock if the broccoli starts to stick. When it is soft, put it in a food processor until smooth, then set aside.  Put the asparagus, cabbage, and celery in the soup pot with some butter/bacon grease and steam.  Add veggie stock as needed.  Add the onions and mashed broccoli.  Season to taste.  Add water and veggie stock to achieve desired consistency.  Add slightly more water than you think you want.  When the soup is thoroughly blended/cooked, add the cous cous and cook til soft.  

To be perfectly honest, I did not particularly enjoy this first taste of the soup. 

It may or may not have anything to do with the fact that I don't particularly like broccoli or asparagus.

However, I made a big pot of this green goop, so I've been eating it.  I think it did taste better after the flavors had time to blend together in the fridge for a few days.  

Pot Roast Lo Mein

Chicken lo mein happens to be one of my comfort foods.  I don't eat it very often, for various reasons.  Like, I'm too lazy to call in the take-out order and go pick it up.  Also, it has got to be ridiculously unhealthy and loaded with a year's worth of sodium.  This evening, I found myself craving lo mein, but I didn't get home until almost 6:00 and there was no way I was going back out.  At some point in the last year, I came across a recipe for lo mein, which I added to my favorites bar and then more-or-less forgot about.  Granted, at that time I had never made anything remotely Asian and had never bought ginger or soy sauce.  Now my kitchen is stocked with both.

I didn't have any chicken.  But I did have a whole bunch of leftover pot roast.  And pot roast shreds really easily so it's perfect for lo mein.  

1 1/2 c cabbage

1 carrot

2 stalks of celery

1/8 c onion

1+ tsp fresh chopped ginger

1+ tsp fresh chopped garlic

1-2 c shredded pot roast

olive oil

soy sauce

rice vinegar

angel hair pasta

Cook the pasta. Chop the veggies.  Brown the garlic, ginger, and onion in some olive oil, then add the veggies and stir fry them.  When the veggies are done, add the meat.  If the meat was cold like mine was, stir until it is warm.  Add the pasta, sprinkle with rice vinegar, and add enough soy sauce to coat the whole mixture.  

If you're addicted to avocados like I am, you can chop one up and add it to your bowl as well.  

I've cooked so much in the past week, I've had to put quite a few things in the freezer because I just can't eat that much food before it would go bad.  I hope we don't lose power any time soon...I haven't managed to post everything I've made, but the soup I made a few nights ago will make it on here eventually.  Maybe tomorrow...maybe later in the weekend.  By the time I get around to posting it I may or may not remember exactly what I put in it...

Pot Roast

Crock Pot Adventure Número Dos 

4 small potatoes

3 carrots

1/3 head of cabbage

6 mushrooms

1 granny smith apple

2.5 lb hunk o' beef

1/2 c flour

seasoning to taste

1/2 c apple cider

1/2 c veggie stock

1/8 c red wine

Chop the veggies and throw them all in the crock pot except for the mushrooms.  Mix together the flour/seasonings and coat the beef with the mixture.  ( I used salt, pepper, oregano, mustard powder, and garlic powder...I think...).  Put the beef on top of the veggies.  Add the mushrooms on top, then pour in the liquids.  

Cook on High for 4.5 hrs

Dinner is Served.

With a glass of Red Wine.

(Or a mug of hot cider, if you prefer)

A delightful meal on a cold November evening.