OLD FASHIONED BEEF STEW

Well it's a cool rainy blah day. We needed comfort food. Who doesn't love beef stew. This can also be made in the crockpot for an easy workday meal. You won't even miss the traditional potatoes.


2 tablespoons soy flour
2-3 pound beef roast-cut into 3/4 inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups beef stock
1 cup water
1 medium onion -chopped
1 beef bouillon cube
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dried sweet basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1 small bag of frozen green beans
1/2 cup bagged shredded carrots (optional)
1 tablespoon thicken not thin
salt and pepper to taste

1) place flour in a ziplock baggie and add the meat cubes. Shake until coated and then put in a dutch oven with the oil. Brown all the meat in batches and drain fat. Then add the meat back into the pot. Stir in the broth, water, bouillon cube, onion, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings and about 1/4 tsp black pepper and salt. Cover and bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for about 1/2 hour or until meat is nearly cooked. Stir in carrots and green beans. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer and cook (at this point add the thicken not thin),covered for about 30 min or until veggies are tender. Discard those bay leaves and enjoy. Serves 6 (can be frozen for extra meals)

FAST HAM AND PEPPER DUMP QUICHE

Ok, your probably wondering what to do with all the leftover ham after Easter. We all have it and well -we need to find different ways to use it up. I diced up part of mine and put it in the freezer for later casseroles or even to throw on a pizza (low carb crust of course) or in omelets.

But I also took 3 good, thick slices and through this together. I called it "dump" because -well frankly you could probably dump anything you have leftover in it. Lots of different veggies left over would go great in this, any kind of cheese--and mix in some chicken/turkey/sausage. This is flexible -so be very creative. Clean out the fridge and go for it.

3 slices ham cooked and cubed
1 c. shredded Swiss, Cheddar, or Mozzarella (can combine cheeses)
1 bell pepper-I like red or yellow-diced up
4 eggs
1 c. heavy cream
1/4 tsp. salt (optional)
1/8 tsp. pepper
Sprinkle meat, cheese, and pepper in a 9 inch glass pie plate-or 8x8. Beat eggs, cream and seasonings in large mixing bowl with a fork, until well blended. Pour over meat mixture. Microwave on 80% power for 9 1/2 to 11 minutes. Turn the dish halfway through cooking time. Yield: 6 servings.

FRESH STRAWBERRY FREEZER JAM

I love jam and preserves. Nothing better then making it yourself with fresh berries. I just couldn't take walking past the little beauties anymore at the grocery store. They practically leaped into my cart. So here I am....making my jam. So fast and easy. Really why wouldn't people make their own????

Measure 1 1/2 cups Splenda into bowl. Add contents of 1 pouch BALL FRUIT JELL FREEZER JAM PECTIN -stir until blended. Then I add a 1 tsp of cinnamon. (trust me, it's yummy)

Crush strawberries until they equal app. 4 cups. Stir the the pectin mixture into the crushed fruit. Stir for 2 minutes.

Ladle into freezer jam jars-leaving 1/2 inch head space. Add the lids and wallah--your done. Let stand about 30 minutes before you dive in and use it. Refrigerate up to 3 weeks or freeze up to 1 year.

This makes about 5 8-0z jars.

SWEET AND SOUR GREEN BEANS

These are very good. I wasn't very sure about how it was all going to come together...but it did. Success! I was wondering how my favorite and most honest critic would like them(Chris). He loved them. He finished them off.

1 can of green beans-any style-even the wax beans
1 1/2 tablespoon splenda
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tsp spicy brown mustard
1/4 tsp onion pwder
salt and pepper to taste.

Mix all the ingrediants together in a bowl and microwave for 1-2 minutes. Serves 2. Very easily can be doubled.

I'm curious to see what you think. So please give me feedback.
Oh yeah..sorry no pic since-well-they are all gone.

NUTTY COCONUT STONES

Ok, I was doing some experimenting and wala--these wonderful cookies were born. I'm so excited about them. They are like macaroons meets sugar cookie. Now I got your attention. Now this is for a 1/2 recipe-which makes about 25 cookies. So you can easily double and freeze them or take your time eating them. They are very addictive. So watch out.

1 stick of salted butter-softened
1/3 c brown sugar sub. (I used DIABETISWEET)
1/3 c splenda
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp coconut extract
1/2 of a small box of sugar free instant cheesecake pudding mix
1 egg
3/4 c vanilla whey protein powder ( I used Designer Whey)
1/2 c almond flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 c unsweetened coconut
1/3 c walnuts

CREAM BUTTER, SUGAR SUBS, EXTRACTS AND PUDDING MIX TOGETHER. ADD EGG AND MIX WELL. ADD FLOUR AND WHEY POWDER THEN PUT IN BAKING SODA. MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS MIXED WELL THEN ADD NUTS AND COCONUT. SHAPE INTO 1 INCH BALLS AND PLACE ON UNGREASED COOKIE SHEET. BAKE FOR 10 MIN OR UNTIL GOLDEN BROWN. LET COOL ON BAKING RACKS. ENJOY!

STEAMED RADISHES WITH LEMON DILL BUTTER

OK, I know it sounds--well different. It is. It's actually very good. The tart/hot taste of raw radishes is almost totally gone when they are cooked. Plus these almost turn out like potatoes and take on other tastes of the onion and garlic too. They are pretty good and easy. Oh....and I don't want to forget to let you know that they are pretty. So PINK!

1 lb radishes, trimmed and sliced thin
1 small onion-sliced thin
2 cloves of garlic-minced
2 Tbs of unsalted butter
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
4 tsp finely chopped fresh dill

In a steamer microwave bag-steam the radishes until just tender. In a large skillet melt the butter and then add the onions and garlic. Saute them until tender then add the radishes, lemon juice, dill and SALT AND PEPPER to taste. Saute everthing for about 3-5 more minutes.
Serves 4.

Stop thinking and just try it!

CABBAGE ROLL CASSEROLE

It's almost St Patty's day. So I played with a cabbage roll recipe to make it a casserole. This is very good and works well with ground turkey also. The pic is of the ground turkey version.

1 pound of ground beef/turkey
1 small onion-chopped
2 garlic cloves-minced
1 can(80z) tomato sauce-divided
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp sage
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
4 bacon strips-cooked and crumbled
1 small 10oz bag of red cabbage-shredded(or green)
1 cup mozz. shredded cheese

In a large skillet cook meat, onion & garlic until meat no longer pink. Drain and stir in seasonings and can of diced tomatoes and 1/2of the can of sauce. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and cover. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir in bacon. Remove. Layer 1/3 of cabbage in a 2 qt greased baking dish. Top with 1/2 of meat mixture. Repeat layers and top with remaining sauce over top. Cover and bake 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand a couple of minutes before you serve it--it's very hot. Serves 4-5

CHICKEN ALMOND BAKE

Ok, anyone who knows me knows I love to do one dish meals....ala casseroles. They cover everything for a meal.
So, since whole roaster chickens have been so cheap around here lately-I have plenty in the freezer-I thought I would work with one. This is what I made....and it's a goodie. Simple but almost like a tuna noodle casserole taste-but no fish-or a hot chicken salad.

2 cups cubed or shredded cooked chicken
2 cups sliced celery
1 cup mayo
1/2 cup "ranch" seasoned almonds-you buy in the salad section
1/2 of an onion
1 can of green beans (drained)
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1 cup shredded sharp cheese

Saute the celery and onion in some butter until soft. Mix all the other ingrediants-except cheese-and put them in a greased casserole dish 1 1/2 quart. Sprinkle the cheese on top of casserole. Bake in oven uncovered for about 20 min in a 425 degree oven. Serves 3-4

I would have taken a pic but between my husband and my employee and me--well there was none left.