Tag: beef

Greek Restaurant Inspired Beef Stew

Greek Restaurant Inspired Beef Stew
 
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I fell in love with the beef stew at a local place called King Kong. After many attempts, I've come up with this recipe, and I think it's as good or better!
Author:
Serves: 8 servings
Ingredients
  • 2½ pounds cut up gold potatoes
  • 1 kg (about 2 pounds) beef chuck, cut into ½ inch pieces trimmed of the fat
  • 1 15 ounce can north beans, rinsed and drained well
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 6 ounce can tomato paste
  • approx 3 liters (quarts) water, or more, see recipe
  • 1 tablespoon Ghee (see note)
  • ½ teaspoon salt, as needed, optional
  • 4.00 cup drained, Green Beans, Fresh Cut Rinsed and Drained
  • 2 tablespoons onion powder
  • 2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
Instructions
  1. Prepare all your ingredients ahead of time. Finally dice your onions, cut your potatoes into ½ inch cubes and soak in water til using (this helps prevent oxidization), cut your beef into ½ inch pieces, rinse your beans well, drain your green beans, and mix your tomato paste with all your seasonings. This helps prevent clumps of seasoning in your stew.
  2. With your pot over medium-high, saute your onions til it softens and just starts to brown, this should take about 3-5 minutes. Then add your beef and stir it around. If you want you can brown your beef, but it isn't required. Add enough water to cover your beef by a few centimeters, or about an inch. Add salt now if desired.
  3. Cover, reduce the heat, and boil until the meat is tender. Anywhere between 30-60 minutes. Check on it every so often and add a bit more water if needed so it doesn't boil dry. After meat is tender add your potatoes and enough water to color by a few centimeters or an inch. Boil the potatoes until fork tender, about 15-20 minutes.
  4. At this point add the rest of your ingredients, making sure to dissolve all the tomato paste and seasoning. If you want to, boil your soup down more until it thickens like mine. Adjust the salt and pepper and you're done! This soup only gets better in the fridge the next day and is excellent over toast, cornbread, or plain ole rice. Delicious and a sure fire recipe!
Notes
Any type of onion or any type of potato can be used, I just prefer sweet onions and yukon gold potatoes.
If you don't have ghee you can use olive oil or use ½ tablespoon oil and ½ tablespoon butter for the same rich taste
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 2 cups Calories: 397 Fat: 7 Saturated fat: 3 Unsaturated fat: 2 Trans fat: 0 Carbohydrates: 45 Sugar: 5 Sodium: 646 Fiber: 8 Protein: 36 Cholesterol: 55
 

Main Grocery Haul July 2015 | Asian Market, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, & Costco!

Here are the totals for each place I shopped at. I spent more than what I wanted, but I now don’t need to do much shopping the rest of the month.

Asian Market:

15lb bag of Nishiki Rice – $17.50
Bell Peppers – $6.02
Green Onions – $1.00
jalapeno – $0.13
ginger – $0.32
cabbage – $1.86
pork bellies – $7.86
mochi red bean cake – $1.79
Total: $36.48

Costco:
My mother-in-law accidentally kept my receipt, but I spent $161.22 , but I also returned $106 of items, so really wasn’t much.

Whole Foods:

Kahlona Organic milk – $5.39
2.41lb organic gold potatoes – $2.36
Pork sausage – $3.77
total: $11.52

Trader Joe’s:

Joe’s O’s – $1.99
TJ’s Mini wheats – $2.99
linguine – $0.99
penne – $0.99
frozen pineapple – $1.99
Madras lentils – $1.99
organic ketchup – $1.99
3 bananas – $0.57
REFUNDS -$15.15
total: -$2.13 (they paid me)

Paleo Sweet Potato Chili

 

Paleo Sweet Potato Chili
 
Prep time
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This paleo/primal approved chili is naturally sweet and delicious. It has a good amount of carbs and is super filling! It even tastes great the next day.
Author:
Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 2 tablespoon lard
  • 1 large onion diced or 10 ounces green onions (reserve some tops)
  • 2 pounds sweet potatoes cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1 lb carrots cut into ½ inch slices
  • 1 lb finally slices celery
  • 2 14.5 ounce cans of diced tomatoes in juice (you can use tomato puree also)
  • 2 cans of water (use the tomato cans)
  • 2 cups chicken stock or beef stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon fennel powder
  • 1½ tablespoon chili powder (you can use up to 4 tablespoons if you wanted it hotter)
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce (optional but suggested!)
  • salt if needed
Instructions
  1. In a large pot heat your lard (or other cooking fat) over medium high heat. When it's fully heated add in your onions. If you're using green onion (spring onion) reserve the green tops for later. Cook for about 2 minutes, then add in your ground beef. Break it up a little and add a lid to the pan for easier cooking. If you need to you can add a few splashes of water. Let this cook for 3 or so minutes.
  2. After 3 minutes break up your meat into smaller pieces, a nice trick is to use a potato masher for this. When you're happy with the thickness, add in your potatoes, carrots, celery, canned tomatoes + the water, chicken or beef stock, and your 1 bay leaf. Stir well.
  3. Put your lid on and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and boil for 40-60 minutes or until a fork goes into the carrots and potatoes with very little resistance.
  4. After the chili is done, add in the rest of your spices, fish sauce, and salt is needed. I suggest taking a little of your liquid and mixing these in a bowl and adding into the chili mix to prevent lumps in the garlic powder, but it's not that big of a deal. Adjust the chili powder to your taste.
  5. You're done! I got 6 servings out of this, about 16 ounces per bowl. The fish sauce isn't required but it's a natural source of umami and really kicks the chili up a notch.
Notes
Fattier beef is preferred in this recipe. All I had was 96% lean so the fat calories are way down for nutrition, if you use 80% it would be better!

You CAN use a slower cooker (I haven't done it yet though), my guess is 6-8 hours on low or 4-6 hours on high.

Please note that you want the bare minimum of liquid here, this is going to be a very hearty chili!
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 16 ounces Calories: 333 Fat: 8 Saturated fat: 3 Unsaturated fat: 3 Trans fat: 0 Carbohydrates: 47 Sugar: 15 Sodium: 890 Fiber: 9 Protein: 20 Cholesterol: 44
 

Costco, Trader Joe’s, & Whole Foods Grocery Haul 1-17-2015

Today was a HUGE haul for me! My mother in law came to town to take us shopping. (She lives 45 miles away from us, so it’s a big deal) So when she comes over, we always go to Costco.

At Costco I spent a total of $207.87 , I couldn’t show you the receipt because she paid for everything and then I just gave her cash. It’s easier than having to split the groceries up, it tends to confuse the cashiers and causes it to take longer. Here is what I got:

  • cat food $19.89
  • Brussels sprouts $4.49 X 2
  • 1/3rd pork loin $6.84
  • 1/2 bag kale salad kit $2.54
  • butter $6.99
  • 1 avocado 91¢
  • tomato $1
  • romaine $2.24
  • molasses $4.89
  • tomato paste $6.69
  • black beans $6.59
  • kidney beans $6.59
  • 3 dozen eggs $3.59 X 2
  • oatmeal $7.99 X 2
  • big can of green beans $3.29
  • frozen broccoli $5.99
  • 1/2 container of bread $2
  • 2lbs ground beef $7.38
  • 1/3rd beef roast $11.91

As for none food I am VERY happy to say I was able to purchase a special pressure cooker set for $79.99 . Normally when you got to the store, or look online, you can get an 8qt pressure cooker for $99, well I was able to get a set that has a 4qt AND an 8qt pressure cooker PLUS a steamer basket and a glass lid all for only $80. I was really needing one of these so I am so happy. I used it to cook beans yesterday and love it!

Next place was Whole Foods. Unfortunately my husband was rushing and left the bag in my mother’s car so I didn’t receive it until today actually. (THANKFULLY she had to come back to Omaha today for something else) She was able to freeze/refrigerate what needed to be kept cold so the food is still good. The croissants might go bad before we eat them all, but nothing I can do about it.

  • Bob’s red mill cream of wheat $3.69
  • Bob’s red mill masa harina $3.69
  • Luna chocolate coconut bar 99¢ x 3
  • bulk bin ginger snaps $1.90 ($9.99/lb)
  • Luna smores bar 99¢
  • Luna caramel nut bar 99¢
  • bulk bin organic oregano 48¢ ($23.99/lb or $1.49/oz)
  • bulk bin organic garlic powder $1.28 ($15.99/lb or $1/oz)
  • Applegate farms uncured pepperoni (from deli) 77¢
  • 365 deli Havarti cheese 1/2 pound approx $4.54
  • 6ct package of Whole Foods Croissants $6.99
  • 365 frozen organic cauliflower $1.99 X 2
  • 16 ounce brewed coffee $2.00
  • 20 ounce brewed coffee $2.25
  • bulk olive bar $4.07 ($10.99/lb)
  • bulk bin organic chives $2.46 ($40.99/lb or $2.56/oz)
  • credit of 10¢ for bag refund

Total @ Whole foods was : $44.35

Finally we went to Trader Joe’s. (I told you it was a huge grocery haul day!) I had to refund some items, because I didn’t like them. That’s the great thing about TJ is there “if you don’t like it, bring it back” policy. No one else is better. In total I got $11.97 back from returns, so that’s already taken off the total.

  • Organic free range chicken broth $1.99 X 4
  • TJ Soy sauce $2.99 X 2
  • Baking cocoa $2.49
  • TJ Sriracha roasted garlic BBQ sauce $2.99 X 2
  • can of TJ coconut cream $1.49
  • TJ traditional marinara sauce $1.49
  • TJ organic ketchup $1.99
  • can of black refried beans 99¢
  • TJ beets in vinaigrette – $1.69
  • TJ unscented deodorant $3.49
  • organic red palm oil $5.99
  • Luna nutz over chocolate bar 99¢
  • Luna smores bar 99¢
  • cliff peanut butter bar 99¢
  • TJ corn and chile salsa $2.49
  • linguine pasta 99¢
  • bananas 19¢ X 9
  • organic carrots 99¢ X 4
  • carrots of many colors $2.49
  • Zipline beer $1.34
  • TJ madras lentils $1.99
  • TJ sliced almonds $3.99
  • TJ frozen raspberries $2.69
  • Golden potatoes $2.49 X 3
  • Red wax Gouda cheese $3.18
  • Turkey jerky $5.99
  • Natural whole roaster chicken $9.05

Total @Trader Joe’s was $81.76 (if you take off the credit it would be $93.73)

All in all, don’t think I’ll be grocery shopping til next month. My freezer is completely full. I’ll probably buy like milk here and there, but that isn’t video worthy. Yikes… did the math and I spent a total of $333.98 O_O oh my…