dinner

Beijing Beef

| Kissablelipsbymikaila

Ingredients:

Beef Marinade:

  • 1.5 lbs of beef chuck steak
  • 1 egg
  • salt & pepper
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch

Beijing Sauce

  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 Tbsp ketchup
  • 4 Tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 Tbsp oyster sauce
  • 2 Tbsp white vinegar
  • 1/2 Tbsp of crushed red peppers
  • 1 Tbsp sweet chili sauce

Additional Ingedients:

  • 2 egg whites
  • 2 cups corn starch
  • 1 white onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 cups cooking oil (enough to submerge the beef

Directions:

  1. First, slice beef in thin strips. Place the beef in a bowl and add salt, pepper, egg, and cornstarch. Mix beef with the marinade evenly and set it aside in the fridge while you make Beijing sauce.
  2. For the Beijing sauce, in a bowl combine water, sugar, ketchup, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar, crushed red peppers, and sweet chili sauce. Mix it together.
  3. Chop the onion into slices and mince the garlic, and set aside.
  4. Take the marinated beef out of the fridge and add 2 egg whites. Mix the egg whites with the beef and coat the beef with cornstarch (~2 cups). Ensure that every side of the beef chunk is coated evenly.
  5. Heat the oil on medium heat in the wok. Once the oil is hot, fry the beef for 4-5 minutes on medium heat and let it cool.
  6. Fry the beef again 2-3 minutes on high heat to double fry and then remove the beef from the heat.
  7. On a clean wok, add 1 Tbsp of oil.
  8. Sauté the onion and garlic until fragrant (about 1-2 minutes) before adding the Beijing sauce mixture on to the wok.
  9. Lastly, add the bell pepper and fried beef, and then stir for 1-2 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

Crock Pot Chicken Stuffing Casserole

| Kissablelipsbymikaila

Ingredients:

  • 11 chicken tenderloins
  • 1 Teaspoon chicken poultry seasoning
  • 10.75 oz can cream of chicken soup (most cream soups can be substituted)
  • 6 oz box Stove Top Stuffing
  • 2 Cups chicken broth

Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl mix stuffing and chicken broth together.
  2. Place chicken tenderloins in bottom of crockpot
  3. Sprinkle chicken poultry seasoning over tenderloins
  4. Pour soup over chicken and spread evenly
  5. Once stuffing has absorbed all of the broth pour evenly on top
  6. cover with lid and cook on low 6 hours or on high for 4 hours

Honey Garlic Shrimp

| Kissablelipsbymikaila

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce (I use reduced sodium)
  • 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
  • Optional: 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
  • 1lb medium uncooked shrimp, peeled & deveined
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • optional: chopped green onion for garnish

Directions:

  1. Whisk the honey, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger (if using) together in a medium bowl.
  2. Place shrimp in a large zipped-top bag or tupperware. Pour 1/2 of the marinade mixture on top, give it all a shake or stir, then allow shrimp to marinate in the refrigerator for 15 or for up to 8-12 hours. Cover and refrigerate the rest of the marinade for step 3. (Time-saver tip: while shrimp is marinating, I steamed steamed the broccoli and made the rice.)
  3. Heat olive oli in a skillet over medium-high heat. Place shrimp on the skillet. (Discard used marinade) Cook shrimp on one side until pink – about 45 seconds – then flip shrimp over. Pour in remaining marinade and cook it all until shrimp is cooked through, about 1 minute more.
  4. Serve shrimp with cooked marinade sauce and a garnish of green onion. The sauce is excellent on brown rice and steamed veggies on the side.

~Recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Shortcut Lasagna with Bacon and Sausage

| Kissablelipsbymikaila

Prep Time 15 min

Cook 2 hours

Ragu Ingredients:

  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup carrots (chopped)
  • 1 stalk celery (chopped)
  • 1 onion diced
  • 4 slices of bacon
  • 1/2 pound ground beef or turkey
  • 1/2 pound pork (I used ground mild sausage)
  • 1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce (I used Prego)
  • 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • salt and pepper, to taste

White Sauce (béchamel) Ingredients:

  • 5 Tablespoons butter
  • 5 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups milk
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 cup parmesan
  • 1 teaspoon salt and pepper, or to taste

Lasagne Ingedients:

  • 1 box of “ready for oven” lasagna noodles

Directions:

Ragu:

  1. Cut bacon into 1/4 inch slices. Cook in large non-stick pan. Once done remove and reserve on plate.
  2. Sauté finely finely chopped vegetables in the large pan with olive oil. Once vegetables are softened add beef and sausage, breaking up with a spatula until brown.
  3. If there’s a lot of excess fat you can use a spoon to remove it from pan. Add tomato paste and mix well in mixture. Add the red wine and reduce liquid by half (gentle boil).
  4. Add your favorite jar of tomato sauce and bacon previously reserved.
  5. Stir everything together and head through. Take off heat and set to side.

White Sauce (béchamel):

  1. Add the butter to a saucepan and cook until melted and bubbling.
  2. Add the flour to the melted butter and stir to form a paste. Let flour cook for 1 minute.
  3. Slowly whisk half of the milk into the butter and flour constantly whisking to avoid any lumps. Once it has started to thicken add the rest of the milk, nutmeg, parmesan, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
  4. Continue to heat the sauce whilst stirring until thickened enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Take off the heat and set aside.

Assemble the lasagna:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  2. To assemble the lasagna, spoon a small amount of the ragu on the very bottom of the baking dish. Top with an even layer of lasagna pasta sheets (I used 3 across over lapping slightly)
  3. Add a few spoonful’s of ragu so the pasta is completely covered followed by 2 ladles of white sauce.
  4. Repeat the layers of pasta, ragu, and white sauce until everything is used up making sure to keep enough of the white sauce for the very top layer.
  5. Cover the top layer of the lasagna with white sauce and mozzarella and bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown.
  6. Let it cool 5-10 minute before serving.

~Mikaila

*I like the complexity the bacon adds but it can be omitted.

Bolognese Sauce over Spaghetti Squash

| Kissablelipsbymikaila

Servings: 4
Cooking time: ~1 hour
Pre-heat oven: 400°F

Ingredients:

  • 1 large spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed
  • 6 Tbs olive oil, divided
  • salt & pepper
  • 1/2 cup grated Pecorrino Romano cheese
  • 1/4 lb thickly sliced pancetta or bacon, chopped
  • 1 1/2 lbs ground sirloin or turkey
  • 1 carrot, peeled &but into small dice or shredded
  • 1 medium onion, cut into small dice
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
  • 1/4  cup tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 1/2 cup beef stock
  • 1/2 cup basil
  • 1/2 cup parsley

Directions: 

  1. Place the spaghetti squash halves, cut-side up, onto a baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 Tbs of olive oil and salt & pepper. Turn the squash over so they’re cut-side down and roast until it’s tender, about 45 minutes to an hour. once cooked, use fork to loosen the squash strands up. Drizzle with 2 Tbs olive oil, pepper and sprinkle of cheese. Reserve squash in the shells.
  2. While the squash is roasting, place a large skillet over medium-heat with two turns of the pan of olive oil, about 2 Tbs. Add the pancetta to the pan and cook until crispy, about 5 minutes. Add the sirloin to the pan and cook until golden brown, 6-7 minutes. Add the carrots, onion and garlic to the pan and cook until the veggies are tender, about 5 minutes..
  3. Season everything with salt and pepper, then add the tomato paste, cooking it until golden brown and aromatic, about 1 minute. Add the red wine and beef stock, scraping the bottom for any bits that may be stuck, and cook the sauce until thickened and slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. 
  4. To serve, ladle the meat sauce on top of the squash half and garnish each with basil, parsley and Pecorino Romano cheese.

~Recipe via Rachael Ray at rachaelray.com

Veggie Burrito Bowls

| Kissablelipsbymikaila

Ingedients:

  • 1 Yellow onion
  • 2 cans Black Beans
  • 2 cans Corn
  • 1 cup Jasmine Rice
  • 2 tsp Veggie stock concentrate
  • 2 Tbsp Southwest Blend (recipe for this below)
  • 2 Roma Tomatoes
  • 2 Limes
  • Handful of Cilantro
  • 1/2 cup Sour Cream
  • 1/2 cup Monterey Jack Cheese
  • 2 tsp Hot Sauce
  • Tortilla Chips

Directions:

1. PREP: Wash and dry all produce. Halve, peel, and dice onion. Drain and rinse beans and corn, keeping them separate.

2. COOK RICE & BEANS: Melt 2 TBSP butter in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until softened, 4-5 minutes. Stir in rice, beans stock concentrate, and half the Southwest Spice (you’ll use the rest later). Add 1 1/2 cups water and pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a low simmer. Cook until rice is tender, 15-18 minutes. Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.

3. CHAR CORN: Meanwhile, dry corn throughly with paper towels, remove as much moisture as possible. Heat a large pan over high heat. Add corn and cook, stirring occasioanlly, until lightly charred, 3-5 minutes. (Tip: If corn begins to pop, cover pan.) Season with salt and pepper.

4. MAKE SALSA: While corn cooks, dice tomato. Zest and quarter lime. Finely chop cilantro leaves and stems. In a medium, bowl, combine corn, tomato, half the cilantro, reamining Southwest Spice, a pinch of lime zest, a large drizzle of olive oil, and a squeeze of lime juice to taste. Season with plenty of salt and pepper.

5. MAKE CREMA: Ina small bowl, combine sour cream and as much remaining lime zest and juice as you like. Add water 1 tsp at a time until mixture reaches a drizzling consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

6. FINISH & SERVE: Fluff rice mixture with a fork; season with salt and pepper. Divide between bowls and top with salsa, Monterey Jack, and remaining cilantro. Drizzle with crema and as much hot sauce as you like. Serve with tortilla chips for dipping and any remaining lime wedge on the side.

** For dairy free, I leave out the creme and cheese (you can use any cheese you like)

~ Recipe adapted from Hello Fresh

Southwest Blend Recipe:

  • 4 part garlic powder
  • 2 part cumin
  • 2 part chili powder

Minestrone Soup

| Kissablelipsbymikaila

Ingredients:

  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup minced white onion (about 1 small onion)
  • 1/2 cup chopped zucchini
  • 1/2 cup frozen cut Italian cut green beans
  • 1/4 cup minced celery
  • 4 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans small white beans or great northern beans, drained
  • 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup carrots (julienned or shredded)
  • 2 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 3 cups hot water
  • 4 cups fresh baby spinach
  • 1/2 cup small shell pasta

Directions:

  1. Heat three tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot
  2. saute onion, celery, garlic, green beans, and zucchini in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent.
  3. Add vegetable broth to pot, plus drained tomatoes, beans, carrots, hot water, and spices.
  4. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
  5. Add spinach leaves and pasta and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until desired consistency.
  6. Makes about eight 1 1/2 cup servings.

~Recipe from food.com & Stephanie M.

Eggplant and Mushroom Polenta Bake

| Kissablelipsbymikaila

**First picture from original source of recipe (the inside of mine didn’t come out as pretty).
Difficulty: Easy
Total time: 1hr 45 minutes
Serves: 6 to 8

Ingredients:

  • For the filling
    • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 1/2 pounds Japanese eggplant, large dice
    • 1 pound cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed and mushrooms quartered
    • 1/3 cup dry red wine
    • 1/2 medium yellow onion, small dice
    • 1 teaspoon dried oragano
    • 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • Kosher salt
    • 5 medium garlic cloves, minced
    • 1/2 cup green olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
    • 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
    • 1 cup water
    • Freshly ground black pepper
  • For the polenta and to assemble:
    • 3 cups water, plus more as needed
    • 2 cups whole milk
    • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
    • 1 1/2 cups polenta (or coarsely ground cornmeal)
    • 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 1/2 ounces)
    • 1 1/2 cups shredded fontina cheese (about 5 ounces)

Directions:

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Place a large, well-seasoned or enameled cast iron skillet in the oven while it is heating.
  2. Once the oven is heated, carefully drizzle 1 Tablespoon of the oil into the hot skillet and let it heat up for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the eggplant to the skillet and arrange it in an even layer. Roast until tender and starting to brown, stirring halfway through, about 25 minutes. Using a dry kitchen towel or potholder, carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven by its handle and place it on the stovetop. Use care when hadnling the hot skillet on the stovetop.) Using a spoon, transfer the eggplant to a medium bowl; set aside.
  3. Add 1 Tablespoon of the oil to the skillet and place over high heat until shimmering. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring rarely, until browned, about 8 minutes. Add the wine, stir to combine, and cook until the liquid has completely evaporated. Reduce the heat to medium low and, using a spoon, transfer the mushrooms to the bowl with the eggplant.
  4. Add the remaining 1 Tablespoon of the skillet and heat until shimmering Add the onion, orangano, and red pepper flakes and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened and is just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
  5. Add the olives and reserve eggplant and mushrooms, along with any accumulated juices in the bowl, and stir to combine. Add the tomatoes and water, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, begin making the polenta. (When the eggplant and mushroom mixture is ready, remove from the heat, taste, and season with salt and pepper as needed; keep warm until the polenta is ready.)

For the polenta and to assemble:

  1. Place the measured water, milk and salt in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and, whisking constantly, slowly pour in the polenta in a thin, steady stream until all of it is incorporated and there are no lumps.
  2. Cook, whisking or stirring with a spoon every few minutes, until the polenta pulls away from the sides of the pan and the grains have softened, about 20 minutes. (If the polenta starts to get too thick before it’s done, add water 1/4 cup at a time as necessary.) Stir in the Parmesan cheese and set aside. Heat the oven to broil and keep the rack in the middle.
  3. Pour the polenta over the eggplant and mushroom mixture and spread it into a smooth, even layer. Evenly sprinkle the fontina over the polenta. Place the skillet in the oven and boil until the cheese is browned and bubbling, about 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit 5 minutes before serving.

*I don’t have a cast iron skillet, so I used a oven safe pan. If your pan has a plastic handle wrap it with foil to make it oven safe.

~Recipe from Chow.com