Crockpot beef and Broccoli

Its been awhile... but the new year (along with my addiction to www.pinterest.com) has spurred in me the need to use the heck outta my crock pot. Yesterday I made some truly fantastic creamy mexican chicken.... and today on pinterest I saw  some crock recipe pin that lead me to make this version of beef and broccoli madness. 

Things you will need:


1 red onion
approx 2 lbs of your choice of beef.  
(My husband chose for me and I don't remember what cut it was, it just had the words 'crock pot' printed on it... it took some extra trimming and some beating, but it worked fine!)
1 cup of beef broth
1 tbs of dark sesame oil
1 tbs sesame seeds
2 tbs of sriracha-less if you're a spice sissy- not that there's anything wrong with that ;)
2 inches of fresh ginger (my mom taught me to keep it in the freezer- she's a genius)
5 cloves of garlic
1 c. of teriyaki merinade (I used the glaze style from the plastic bottle- super fancy I know)
1-2 red bell peppers 
2-3 cups fresh or frozen broccoli florets. 
1 tbs cornstarch


Lets do this:


1- Coarsely chop your onion, bell peppers, ginger, garlic. If your broccoli is fresh, chop those tree looking things off the stems and cut them up into pieces you would can neatly fit neatly in your mouth, just in case the queen comes by for dinner. You don't want to be shoving huge pieces of broccoli in your mouth when you are eating with the queen. And lets face it, this stuff is good. If she hears you are making it, she might just make her way over!


2- Toss all of that stuff in the pot.  If you are picky like me, save the broccoli and the red peppers to add in the last 10-20 minutes before you eat so they're not all soft and stuff... Me hate mushy broccoli & me like crunchy peppers. 


3- Throw in your beef broth, teriyaki merinade, sesame oil, & sriracha.


4- Now trim and cube your beef into 1 inch pieces. If you run across some pieces that seem kinda tough, lay the flat side of your knife on it and bash it like you would a garlic clove with the palm of your hand. I don't have one of those fancy hammers... this is the cheap ladies way to tender meat. For goodness sakes if you try this, do be careful! Throw the meat in there too, put the top on and then go about your business for the next 3-6 hours! 




5-Take out a bit of the liquid from your meat/veggie mix up and put in a small bowl. Mix in your cornstarch. When its thoroughly incorporated return it back into the crock pot.**If you reserved your broccoli and red peppers just remember to toss them in 10-20 minutes before you are ready to eat.Throw your sesame seeds in just when you are about to dish up. (if you don't have any, it will still taste good- don't sweat it)


***always taste your food. This recipe seemed good, but when I tasted it I thought it needed an extra dash of this or that. These are a few things I added right before I served it up: A few shakes from the soy sauce bottle, few shakes of granulated garlic (not garlic salt), few shakes of powdered ginger. FYI this got a standing ovation from the hubs!


Serve with some yummy rice from your rice maker. No rice maker? Learn how to make the perfect brown rice in a pot here at saveur.


God I love the crock pot... its so easy peasy lemon squeezy! Just be careful... there are a lot of recipes out there that lack flavor. I alway end up tweaking them a little and adding stuff. I highly suggest reading the comments section before you set off to cook. Those risky suckers have stuck their necks out to be one of the 1st to make it and ended up with varying results. Their suggestions could save you a lot of heartache and/or heartburn. 


Till next time!


This recipe has been adapted from this Betty Crocker original.

Whole wheat pumpkin raisin muffin goodness!

Sooooo- its finally fall in Las Vegas. The winds are picking up and its just a bit colder than I really appreciate before the sun rises high in the sky. But having been on the cusp of sweater weather for the last month I think its safe to say that with the first week of november already on the books: sweater weather is here to stay!

A couple of weeks ago I threw a 's*tue*wsday' party for some friends of mine. It was a kind of welcome fall party that took place on a tuesday in which we ate a bunch of stew, drank mulled cider and wine, did fall related activities like make caramel apples and carve pumpkins. I should mention we did all this while ignoring that it was 85 degrees outside. Well, lets just say we were too busy eating, drinking and dipping apples in caramel and only one of 5 pumpkins got carved. This left 4 pumpkins sitting on my dining table begging not to be left to waste. Cue yesterday when (being bolstered by my recent foray into spaghetti squash) I cut two of them in half, scooped out the seeds and baked them for just over an hour.  After letting them cool I scooped the scoopings-ta hee hee- into a rubbermaid container, put it in the fridge and got excited about making pumpkin soup, pumpkin shakes, pumpkin butter, pumpkin ravioli, pumpkin gravy and PUMPKIN MUFFINS!

This recipe for pumpkin muffins is adapted from one of my favorite food blogs around smitten kitchen. I replaced the white flour for whole wheat, and replaced one of the eggs with a smashed banana. I always try to use whole wheat flour instead of white. Maybe this just makes me feel better about eating things like muffins and cornbread; I read a bunch of places that people who choose to eat whole wheat over enriched white flour products have healthier BMI's than people who don't.... though I have had to buy slightly larger pants, I just turned 30 and they are only slightly larger- I'd like to think that my whole wheat decisions are at least partly responsible for that. Even if I only choose them part of the time....anyway thats my story and i'm sticking to it.

King Arthur makes a delicious unbleached white whole wheat flour that I have never had any problems with. It doesn't give any kind of grainy texture, nor does it make things dry. Needless to say me likey & me reccomend-ey.

Things you will need to make these bomb ass muffins:


1 1/2 cups unbleached white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup pumpkin puree (use the canned stuff for a time saver)
1/3 cup vegetable oil*
1 large egg
1/2 large banana mashed**1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins

*I meant to sub applesauce for this- will do next time and amend the notes appropriately

**banana is a common egg substitute- you can make this recipe vegan by replacing all the eggs with one whole mashed banana! I learned this while reading the recipe for these delicious looking vegan banana waffles. When I finally get a new waffle maker I am TOTALLY making these :)

The very first thing you should do when you begin baking ANYTHING is to turn on the dang oven! And make sure you set that mess to the correct temperature too. I can not tell you how many times I have gone to put something in the oven and realize that I didn't preheat it. I should mention I am not a complete idiot and that my electric ovens 'start' button is right next to the 'oven off' button- boo oven designer.... BOOOOOoooooo. 
 Also, you should always prep your pans before you get to mixing so you can put your batter straight into them. In this case- put 12 muffin cups into your muffin tin and get ready for some straight up pumpkin goodness!








Step one:


Combine the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon in a bowl with a whisk... or a fork. Either will work, just make sure you mix them together fairly well try to catch any big lumps while this mix is still dry. This will prevent over mixing when you combine with the wet ingredients. 




Step two:
Mash the banana in a second bowl, add pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, egg, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Mix your wet ingredients well. At this point, because my pumpkin was  not from a can and a bit lumpy I used a wand mixer - I don't think you'll need to do this if you use canned pumpkin. Once this mixture is good and uniform 

Step three:
add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just incorporated. One of the secrets of good baking is to avoid over mixing ( I learned this from martha's baking bible) -If have found that if you make sure you mix the wet/dry ingredients well separately they should incorporate fairly easily without too many of those visible bumpy lumps.

Step four, five, and six:
Fold in your raisins, scoop batter into the muffin cups (i use an ice cream scooper with the push button action on the handle-perfect way to keep muffin size consistent and avoid overflow), put those bitches in the oven for about 25- 30 minutes. 


My oven is convection and my muffs were done much earlier. Always check on your goods as baking times can vary depending on your 
equipment. 

And there you have them. Beautiful, moist, pumpkin deliciousness. The raisins give them a bit of complex sweetness that I love. I get a bit disappointed when I get more than two bites in a row with no raisins! I think walnuts would be a great addition if your a nutty kind of gal (or guy) you should definitely add a 1/2 cup or so. I like mine with smart balance and apple butter! Let me know if you have any other fun ideas!

Enoy!

WHOLE WHEAT FIG PROSCIUTTO GORGONZOLA PIZZA!

There may be nothing in the world I love more than figs. Well, ok... I love a lot of things more than I love figs ie: my husband, all 4 of my parents, nephews- family in general, sunsets, my dog Wilson (don't tell the other two)- You get the idea. But when it comes to food, figs sing me and enchanting siren song from a mystical land of goodness. And they get me every time.

I had purchased a package of them the other day during a trip to my local fresh and easy. I didn't really know what I was going to do with them... but I knew it was their destiny to end up in my basket. Then on one of my rare trips into whole paycheck** to get some random thing I can't get at the regular grocery store (probably vanilla beans) I snagged a free sample of some pizza. Fig prosciutto pizza! Though it was mostly cold, it was still mostly amazing. I got food flashbacks- you know when you are standing around somewhere and you suddenly get vivid memories of some amazing food you have eaten. Texture, aroma, flavors... I can't be the only person this happens to?

Today I was running low on veggies and inspiration for tonights meal. I had all but given in to thoughts of boiling some bucatini and warming up some spaghetti sauce from a jar when I got my fig prosciutto food flashback. When I remembered I had figs in the fridge it was on baby! I started fitfully googling for recipes and found a few that looked good and kind of combined them into my own thing. The resulting pizza was entirely delicious and entirely devoured :)

No, seriously my husband and I shamefully at the ENTIRE THING. Yum.

What you need:

1 package ready made whole wheat pizza dough-or learn to make your own pizza dough like the pioneer woman here

6-8 whole ripe figs

1/2 of 1 large or 1 small shallot

3-4 tbs fig jelly

4-5 oz. gorgonzola

12 slices prosciutto

3-4 oz shredded parmesan cheese

1/2 package of arugula

2 tbs olive oil (separated 1tbs for the pan & 1 to brush the top of the dough)

fresh cracked pepper

2-3 oz balsamic vinegar for reduction

Lets do it!

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and set your ready made whole wheat dough on the counter to help it come to room temperature. I made my pizza square on a side-less cookie sheet but you can use any shape of pan I would think. take your 1st tbs of olive oil and spread it on the pan. Then move to prep your other ingredients.

Pour 2-3 oz of balsamic vinegar into a small pan & simmer over low heat until it reduces by at least 1/2 if not 3/4ths - then get excited & set aside for pizza drizzle!

While the oven is heating up and your balsamic is reducing, peel and slice your shallot into thin,small rings. Separate the rings and set aside. Move to your figs cutting or twisting off the stems. Slice them into quarters- I prefer smaller bits so I cut them into 8ths. When you are done set these aside as well and bust out your gorgonzola. This was my least favorite part because its really hard to crumble or slice this cheese. Its kind of sticky and gooey, but I made it work and sliced/crumbled it into around 1/2 inch cube-ish looking pieces and set those aside as well.

Your oven should be preheated or pretty close to temp at this point, so take your pizza dough out of the package and flatten it with your hands into a circle. Then stretch the dough by simply holding it by the edge and letting the weight of the dough draw it out. Move your hands along the circumference of the dough to help it stretch out evenly. Don't worry if you bust a hole it it, just pinch it back together! I thought about trying to toss it like in those pizza shops, but J & I were hungry and I had no backup dough, so I nixed that idea and kept it safe.

Lay that stretchy dough down on your pan and use your fingers to push it out until its about 1-2 inches from the edge, then brush the top side of the dough with the other tablespoon of your olive oil. Pop that biznatch in the oven for about 4-5 mins, till it starts to get a bit poofy - but not brown & remove it from the oven.

Get out your fig jam and spread a thin layer of that on your dough & now the fun begins! Its sprinkle time and you are the pizza fairy! Make some magic with all the things you set aside- sprinkle on your gorgonzola & figs. Lay on those 12 pieces of prosciutto & pop that biznatch back in the oven!

Watch it carefully and just when it BEGINS to brown (around 5 mins) take it out and pop the arugula and then parmesan cheese on top and take comfort in knowing that you are about 3 minutes to heaven!

I made the mistake of putting the arugula on there with everything else and it got a little too crispy... still delicous, but doing it as a last minute add on will be better. I made a good pizza- you will make GREAT pizza ;)

Remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes. Drizzle your balsamic reduction (FYI- also great for bacon wrapped dates. Thank you Jenni & Brian) slice & try not to eat the whole thing.

Seriously I dare you.

We enjoyed this pizza with unwined pinot noir. It was $4.99 at fresh and easy - while it was not amazing, it wasn't terrible... If you don't want to spend more than $4.99 on your wine- give it a try. I've certainly had much worse wines that cost much more.

**whole paycheck refers of course to whole foods- where you can spend a whole paycheck on 2 half full bags of organic whatnot.

and oh yeah, I know what you're thinking... 'Renata, this recipe doesn't sound very skin-ty.' Well, its not exactly what I would call diet food, but you could always cut the cheese in 1/2. And its whole wheat crust and not particularly high in fat meat, fresh veg & fruit content means that its definitely not the worst thing you could cook. Especially if you stick to one or two pieces- not that you'll be able to ;) It would be especially great for when you're having people over, make a salad and get your freaky good, not high in fat eat on!!!

FAGE! Taste the vanilla-lemony goodness....

Soooooo you may not know this about me, but I freakin' love yogurt! From Stonyfield farms banilla, to the various amazing flavors offered by Yoplait- even those stinkin zero point weight watchers ones packed with so much fiber you can almost feel the farts stirring before you finished that last spoonful. Yeah I said it... 

Yogurt is amazing- greek yogurt in particular. Its easy to grab and easier to eat. Its packed with protien which helps you feel fuller longer, and calcium which helps you put off filling that boniva prescription. And there is a vast range of types available with high to low offerings of fat, sugar.... and taste.


Now i'm not going to go all NPR on you about chemicals and hormones and whatnot- but I have decided for myself for various reasons that the more simple I keep my food the better. I like to know what I'm eating without having to consult wikipedia or google. I feel better, my body works better and so for the most part thats what I try to do.  I'm not saying I don't seriously enjoy the occasional movie nachos with that weird cup of yellow stuff that they try to pass off as cheese..... but I try.


This 'recipe' is simple easy and oh yeah, it tastes pretty darn good too!

 FYI - Greek yogurt does tend to be a bit more pricey than other kinds of yogurt due to its production process - if you have time and are on a budget you can make your own greek yogurt!
Click here and Frances will tell you how. If you are one of those kinds who loves background info click here for more info on greek yogurt.




     You'll need:

•  One 17.6 oz fage(or whatever brand you prefer)fat free   greek yogurt
•  One Lemon or shoot- use a lime, those are good too!
•  One tablespoon Agave nectar
•  One vanilla bean or you could use vanilla extract                   if you prefer

 This 'recipe' is just a loose guideline - you should do things to your taste. So taste often!




   Lets do it :

Step one-
Open up the yogurt - duh! Remove that cheesecloth looking thinger and give it a good stir.  Give your lemon a couple good rolls on the counter while pressing down on it. This helps loosen those juices so you can squeeze it without giving yourself a permanent Lady Ga Ga claw. 


Squeeze the juice of your lemon directly into the yogurt container. You can use your non-sqeezing hand as a strainer to prevent having to fish out any stray seeds if you like. You could also use an actual strainer, or maybe you have one of those seedless lemons you clever minx. When your done juicing give it a good another good stir until the juice and the yogurt come 
together.


* If you enjoy zest- zest a bit of skin of whatever fruit you chose and throw that in there too. Soooooo good, but not for everybody. 

Step two-
Measure out a tablespoon of agave syrup.Why agave? Simple: 
It has a smooth, sweet, light almost nutty honey flavor and doesn't cause the severe spikes in blood sugar that plain ole sugar does. Throw that in there and give it a good stir. Agave nectar has 16grams of sugar per tbs so you'll be getting 4 grams of sugar per 1/2cup serving of yogurt.
  
Go ahead and taste your yogurt. If you prefer it a bit more sweet and smooth you can toss in another tablespoon of agave.  
This will bring your sugar count to around 8 grams per 1/2 cup. Still way better that most lowfat yogurts on the shelf which range on average between 13-20 grams of sugars per serving. 


Another option is to add couple packets of calorie free sweetener along with your 1 tbs of agave. I prefer Truvia for better or worse. You can read about it from the company here or from an independent scource here.  This option will keep your sugar count at 4 grams whilst giving your sweet tooth reasons to do a happy dance. 


When your done stirring:


Step three-

Hold the vanilla bean in your non dominant hand. Slide the tip of a knife through just the top layer making sure not to pierce through the back of the bean. Make a slit down the length of the bean, then open it up exposing the yummy vanilla goodness inside! Using the dull edge of your knife - or a spoon if you want to play it extra safe - scrape about 1/4 inch off the inside of the vanilla bean and deposit directly into the yogurt, stir.


 If you don't have a bean on hand start with 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract. If thats not vanilla enough for ya, add more to taste.
I used to be of the school that thought vanilla beans were over priced and over rated (a school you might yourself belong to) but a recipe for vanilla sugar turned my vanilla world** all upside down.


Done stirring? 


TA DAH!!!


So there - that wasn't so hard. Now you have 4 half cup servings about 115 calories each of the fat free vanilla - lemony greek yogurt goodness that helped turn my friend Jennie into a greek yogurt believer! You can eat it plain or serve it with some sliced fruit, with a little low fat granola- heck make yourself a parfait and enjoy!!!






Renata Renee
Da Skin-ty Gourmet




**-I will now espouse my psuedo Martha-like info about vanilla beans and why they seriously kick ass:


I know it sounds dumb and they can stupidly expensive ($12 for 2 beans @ whole foods aka whole paycheck) but the good news is that one bean can go pretty far. The taste is much more smooth than vanilla extract that can often have an almost alcohol tinge to it.  The beans give you an unforgettable punch of vanilla to the tongue unencumbered by whatever else they have to put in the liquid to preserve it. For me there was just no going back.  If you are frugal like me you can order them wholesale here or here. The ugandan beans I currently use have a subtle sweet aroma and flavor, but i've smelled others that were more nutty and pungent - it all depends on the person and the palate. I implore you on and all skeptics- get thee a bean, crack that sucker open and give it a whirl... you won't be sorry!

Have you ever been on a diet?

I have. Like ten million of them actually. I've done Jenny, Weight Watchers, The Zone, Atkins, South Beach, Grapefruit, Soup, Donuts (this one was particularly delicious!) Nutrisystem. Lord the more I think about it the more disgraceful this diet parade seems..... but I guess I take comfort in two things:
1- I am positive that I am not the only one with such an extensive diet resume
2- I have learned a relatively vast amount about food and how it affects my body.
.... also though I have not hit my 'goal wieght' I have a healthy BMI and have managed to lose and keep off about 35 extra pounds over the last 10 years


I have also realized that I am not a stick to a strict diet kinda lady. Sure I can eat  brown rice and broccoli florets for a few weeks... but eventually you're gonna find me in the drive through at krispy kreme ordering a half doz due to deprivation.  For me the best way to lose weight and keep it off was  making small changes in my habits. From what I cook and what I order when i'm out to eat, the sizes of my portions - and of course my version of exercise can't be flipping on the fast forward through commercials of the real housewives (wouldn't that be nice though).


This blog is not about a diet- its about integrating healthy habits into my cooking. The recipes are tweaked versions from my favorite cookbooks or cooking blogs which I will always link to if possible. Some of the ideas are my own- I am putting together this blog because whenever I put up photos of my cooking on facebook people always want recipes and this is a good place to do that. So, I hope you enjoy!






Renata Renee
Da Skin-ty Gourmet