Hamburger Stroganoff

Stroganoff is one of my all time favorites. I make a Kick Ass version myself. It's not the lightest of meals, but once in a while it's a great comfort food dish.

Cooking Light has a Hamburger Stroganoff recipe that I've been "watching". It's easy and frankly quite delicious for a "light" recipe.

Here's the deal though...this serving...not the right size,

 

Turns out the serving size is 1/2 c stroganoff with 2/3 c noodles. That, my friends is probably double.

If you don't care about calories, I say eat on. If you do care about calories, Portion control baby.

Hamburger Stroganoff
Recipe from Cooking Light Dinner's Ready
322 calories per serving
Serves 6 (if you follow the portion amount)

8 oz uncooked medium egg noodles
1 tsp olive oil
1 lb ground beef, extra lean
1 c prechopped onion
1 (8oz) package presliced cremini mushrooms
1 c fat free, lower sodium beef broth
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 c low fat sour cream
1 T dry sherry
3 T chopped fresh parsley

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and rinse under cold water; drain.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef to pan; cook 4 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add onion, garlic, and mushrooms to pan, cook 4 minutes or until most of liquid evaporates, stirring frequently.

Sprinkle with flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute or until slightly thick. Stir in salt and pepper.

Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream and sherry. Serve over pasta. Sprinkle with parsley.

Chicken Caesar Pitas

So I wasn't sure this afternoon at lunch how this concoction could be considered "Caesar" then I read the ingredients list again and realized I missed a vital ingredient...anchovy paste. I even had some in the fridge! 

This chicken salad has potential. It was flavorful, but was missing something in the texture.  I kept feeling like I wanted celery or onion in the mixture.  When I make it again, I'd put in some celery and I'd remember the anchovy paste.

1 sandwich is 304 calories - not too bad for lunch.

Chicken Caesar Pita
Recipe from Weight Watchers The Ultimate Chicken Cookbook

Serves 4

1/4 c plain low fat yogurt
2 T low fat mayonnaise
2 T grated Parmesan cheese
1 small garlic clove, crushed through a press
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp anchovy paste
Salt and pepper
2 c cooked chicken, chopped
4 6" whole wheat pita breads
romaine lettuce leaves

Combine the yogurt, mayo, cheese, garlic, lemon juice, mustard, anchovy paste and pepper in a medium bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat with dressing.

Cut a pocket in each pita. Fill each pita with one fourth of the chicken mixture and 2 lettuce leaves.

Chicken Tacos

I'm a fan of tacos. Mostly my own tacos. Mom taught me a thousand years ago and that recipe has  never changed. I don't deviate from that.

But...when trying to cut down on the calories, occasionally its okay to try something else.

This chicken taco recipe I could have made blind folded, but instead actually followed the recipe. Shocker, I know.

It's easy, and delicious. My two favorite ingredients.

Chicken Tacos
Recipe From Weight Watchers The New Complete Cookbook
Serves 6

4 (5oz) boneless chicken breasts
2 tsp Mexican or taco seasoning (Oh maybe I didn't follow the recipe. I used chili powder, salt and pepper)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
12 (6in) corn tortillas, warmed
1 large tomato, diced
1 hass avocado (halved, pitted, peeled and diced (yah I skipped this one too - gross)
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 c coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 c fat free sour cream

Sprinkle chicken with Mexican seasoning, salt and pepper. Spray ridged grill pan (now you all know I just used the outdoor grill - but let's not mince words) with nonstick spray and set over medium heat.

Place chicken in pan and cook until browned and cooked through, about 6 minutes per side. When cool enough to handle, tear chicken into long, thin strips.

Top each tortilla with one-sixth of chicken, tomato, avocado, onion, cilantro and sour cream. Fold in half and devour.

Another side note from me...I had a spare lime around and topped it off with a squeeze of lime. And in case you're wondering...I know you were...I heated my tortillas over an open flame on the grill. You could, alternatively, wrap them in foil and stick them in the oven to heat. I try to avoid the microwave with corn tortillas - for some reason they get weird to me.

Savory Beef Stew

Stew is one of my favorite winter meals. It's an easy dish that only requires time for the meat to become tender.

This recipe was quick, easy and oh so delicious. I had leftovers today of this stew...and oh man ... that was almost worth just making to stew to have leftovers.

Savory Beef Stew
Recipe from Cuisine at Home
Serves 6

2 1/4 lbs boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into small chunks
1/4 c flour
3 T extra virgin olive oil
2 c diced onions
2 T minced garlic
6 c low sodium beef broth
2 c chopped carrots
2 c peeled and diced russet potatoes
1 c diced celery
1 T thyme
1 T tomato paste
2 bay leaves
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c cold water
2 T cornstarch
salt and pepper to taste

Toss beef chunks with flour. Heat 1 T oil in dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear beef in two batches until it's browned on all sides. Adding 1 T oil as needed. Remove beef to a plate, and set aside.

Add remaining 1 T oil to pot, sauté onion and garlic for 2 minutes.

Deglaze pot with 1/2 c broth, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add remaining 5 1/2 c broth, carrots, potatoes, celery, thyme, tomato paste, W sauce, beef, and bay leaves. [Jenn Note: I wouldn't add the potatoes at this time. They got too  mushy. When I make this again, I'll add the potatoes for them to cook right before I wanted to eat.] Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

Whisk together water and cornstarch; stir into stew. Boil stew 1 minute. Remove from pot from heat, remove bay leaves and serve.

Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole

Occasionally, ok a lot, I watch the Food Network. And occasionally I stumble onto a recipe that I know I've just got to make. In most cases, I know I've got to make it for the Sunday Dinner crowd. Aside from those people eating anything, I do like to use them as guinea pigs for new recipes. We haven't had to order pizza yet. And none of them have complained. (I suppose they don't dare for fear of being pitched from the list.)

This group....

 Turned into this group after having dinner.

Great recipe. Easy to make. A bit of prep, but it's worth it.

Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
Recipe from Food Network.com
Serves 6-8 (I had 8 last night and we had enough to feed 2 more people)


Beef:

8 strips bacon, chopped

1 T olive oil

2 lbs ground chuck (80 percent beef, 20 percent fat)

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp Mexican oregano

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Sauce:

1 T unsalted butter

1 R all-purpose flour

2 c whole milk, at room temperature

1 pint (2 cups) heavy cream, at room temperature

2 Ryellow mustard

Kosher salt

Casserole:

2 lbs frozen cheese ravioli, thawed

8 slices Swiss cheese

2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

8 slices American cheese

8 ounces shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend

1 head iceberg lettuce, finely shredded (like straw)

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion (like paper thin!)

2 T pickle juice

For the beef: In a large pan with straight sides on medium-high heat, add the bacon and cook, while stirring, until crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. Leave the bacon fat in the pan and add the olive oil, beef, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Brown the beef while breaking it up into bits, about 10 minutes. Remove the beef with a slotted spoon to a plate and reserve. Leave the fat in the pan for the sauce.

For the sauce: Add the butter and flour to the already-hot pan from the beef. If the butter begins to brown, lower the heat while working it into the flour. Cook, stirring, for a few minutes, then raise the heat and slowly whisk in the milk. Once it begins to thicken slightly, add the heavy cream and continue to cook until the sauce reduces a bit more and thickens as well. Add the mustard. The sauce will not be thick like gravy, but not as thin as water either. Taste and season with a pinch of salt.

For the casserole: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using a 13-by-9-inch casserole dish, layer starting at the bottom with: a few spoonfuls of sauce to cover the bottom, half of the ravioli in 1 layer, the Swiss cheese, half of the beef, half of the tomatoes, half of the remaining sauce, the remaining ravioli in 1 layer, the American cheese, the remaining beef, the remaining tomatoes, the remaining sauce and the reserved bacon. Top with all of the shredded cheese blend. Bake until the edges are bubbly and the cheese begins to brown, 30 to 35 minutes.

Toss the lettuce and onion in a large bowl with the pickle juice. Serve each portion of casserole with a mound of this garnish over the top.