easy summer garden dinner

 I have *so many vegetables* producing in my garden right now that it's a little overwhelming, and I need quick and easy ways to prepare them.  

I made this with ground beef, garlic, cabbage, and green beans - but it'd be equally good with zucchini (reduce cooktime), winter squash, tomatoes, or whatever else the garden grows.

INgredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 4 large cloves minced garlic (and/or chopped onion) 
• 1 small head cabbage, chopped
• 2-4 cups green beans, cleaned and trimmed and chopped 
• 4 T soy sauce or coconut amino acids or some other salty flavoring
• black pepper
• spices as desired (I just used onion powder and some salt because I want to eat it with different things and maybe freeze it, but a Cajun seasoning or other things like htat would be great)

Instructions:

- Brown ground beef, breaking into small pieces.

- Before fully browned, turn down heat and add in garlic.

- When fully browned, add in the cabbage and soy sauce and stir well.  Turn up heat to medium.  Cook a couple of minutes with lid on.  

- Add green beans, stir well, cook with lid on for 8-10 minutes (keeping green beans somewhat firm, but cooked).

 Goes well with sour cream.  Would go well with different seasonings, roasted potatoes and/or sweet potatoes, rice or another grain, etc.  

chili mac

 Something about all these red juicy tomatoes has me craving chili mac, and this is what I plan to do:

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper or poblano, chopped
• 1/2-3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 28 oz crushed tomatoes
• can red kidney beans (or another bean)
• 2 1/2 cups broth
• 8 oz uncooked elbow macaroni pasta (whole wheat)
• 2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese 
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper or pure chilli powder (adjust spiciness to taste) (Note 1)
• 2 tsp paprika powder
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 1/2 tsp onion powder (can sub garlic powder)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
•  

 Instructions

1. Heat oil in large pot over high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 1 minute. Then add pepper and cook until onion is translucent. 

2. Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go.  Add chopped tomatoes to cook down if using fresh.
 
3. Once the beef turns from red to brown, add remaining ingredients except cheese. Stir, bring to simmer, then turn the heat down to medium. 

4. Cover and cook for 12 minutes or until the macaroni is al dente. It should be saucy but not tons of liquid. 5. Turn the stove OFF but leave the pot on the stove. Stir through half the cheese – it should be a bit saucy. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Top with remaining cheese, put the lid back on and leave until the cheese melts - about 2 minutes (sauce will absorb further during this period)  

kale-ground beef-sweet potato meal

 I like simple fare, and this using up of things I have on hand was very tasty and nutritious.  All sort of substitutions would work great.

Bake 

• sweet potatoes.  (New trick I learned: cut in half and cook in toaster oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.  Perfect!)
  

Saute:

• onion (I used leftover 1/2 of a large onion)
• garlic 
  
• ground beef (3/4# or so, from a local farmer who grinds in organ meats - liver, heart)

 Once the onion is soft and ground beef barely pink, add:

• kale (I put in an equal amount of kale as ground beef, by eyeball; it was frozen)

Let it cook until kale is preferred texture.  Season with salt, pepper, etc. (I used garlic powder instead of cooking garlic in it.)

Put sweet potato on plate, serve with ground beef/kale and sides (I added sauerkraut and feta).  

It makes enough for about four meals so I'll have it for breakfast the next few days.

*I got this from a local farmer, and they added in organ meats (liver, heart). 

(ground beef) stroganoff

Growing up, ground beef and cream of mushroom soup on egg noodles is what we called stroganoff.  Imagine my surprise as a young adult when I moved to Europe and ordered stroganoff.  Well, they're both good, in different ways.

Here's the recipe I base mine on.

1 lb lean ground beef 
1 small onion diced

1 clove garlic minced

3/4 lb fresh mushrooms sliced

3 tablespoons flour

(less than) 2 cups beef broth

salt & pepper to taste

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons fresh parsley

 

• Brown ground beef, onion and garlic (trying not to break it up too much) in a pan until no pink remains. Drain fat.
• Add sliced mushrooms and cook 2-3 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 1 more minute.
• Add broth, Worcestershire sauce, salt & pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer on low 10 minutes. Cook egg noodles according to package directions.
• Remove beef mixture from the heat, stir in sour cream and parsley.
• Serve over egg noodles.

 

meatloaf

This is a pretty good meatloaf and calls for things I usually have around:

Ingredients

• 1 lb. 90% lean ground beef
• 1 cup dried bread crumbs (or 1 1/4 c. oats, or a combination)
• 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 large egg beaten
• 2 tbsp. ketchup
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce (or Bragg's aminos?)
• 1 tsp. dried parsley leaves
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

For the Topping:

• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tbsp. packed light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• In a large bowl, add the beef, bread crumbs, onion, milk, egg, 2 tablespoons ketchup, worcestershire sauce, parsley, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Use your hands to mush and mix these ingredients together until well combined.
• Add the meat mixture to a loaf pan. Pat the meat down into an even layer.
• In a small bowl, add 1/4 cup ketchup, the brown sugar, and vinegar. Stir to combine. Pour the sauce on top of the meatloaf and spread it into an even layer.
• Bake uncovered for 55 minutes.
• Let the meatloaf rest for 8-10 minutes before serving (or it may fall apart).

spaghetti sauce with meat

This was pretty good and made enough to freeze leftovers (in half pint jars seems a good amount). I did not care for it when canned - it changes the flavor significantly.   

Spaghetti Sauce with Ground Beef

Ingredients

    1 pound ground beef (or 1/2 a 1.25 package of Costco beef, so about .65 pounds)
    1 onion, chopped
    4 cloves garlic, minced
    1 small green bell pepper, diced

(other vegetables as desired; great with 2 carrots, black olives, etc.)

    1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
    1 (16 ounce) can tomato sauce
    1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

(Note:  I like crushed tomatoes and use that instead of the large can of diced tomatoes; it seems just a bit too saucy then so next time I want to try a large can of crushed and a 16 oz can of diced tomatoes, and no sauce)
    2 teaspoons dried oregano
    2 teaspoons dried basil
    1 teaspoon salt
    1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. Combine ground beef, onion, garlic, and green pepper in a large saucepan. Cook and stir until meat is brown and vegetables are tender. Drain grease.
2. Stir diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste into the pan. Season with oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Simmer spaghetti sauce for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

 

stir fry ground beef noodles

I had half a box of linguini and half a pound of ground beef to use up, and I was looking for something to eat with stir fried bok choy and boiled daikon (neither of those recipes were that great, so I'd add bok choy to this instead). From here.

Ingredients

SAUCE

• 3 Tbsp soy sauce 
• 1 Tbsp water 
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar 
• 1-2 Tbsp chili garlic sauce, sambal, or sriracha
• 1 tsp sesame oil 

STIR FRY

• 8 oz. rice noodles (or anything like linguini)
• 2 cloves garlic 
• 1 Tbsp grated ginger 
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil 
• 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
• bok choy or other greens
• 1 carrot 
• 3-4 green onions 
• Handful fresh cilantro (optional) 

Instructions

• Cook the noodles according to the package directions, being careful to leave them al dente and not over cooked. drain the noodles in a colander and set aside.
• Prepare the sauce by stirring together the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, chili garlic sauce, and sesame oil. Set the sauce aside.
• Mince the garlic and grate the ginger. Use a large-holed cheese grater to grate the carrot (or julienne using a mandoline). Slice the green onions on a diagonal, separating the fleshy white portions from the green ends.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the ground beef, garlic, and ginger. Sauté until the beef is cooked through, adding in the bok coy or other greens. Add the white portions of the sliced green onions and sauté for one more minute. Add the shredded carrots and sauté for one minute more (leaving the carrots slightly crunchy).
• Add the drained noodles and the prepared sauce to the skillet. Stir until everything is coated in sauce and any extra moisture has been absorbed by the noodles. Turn the heat off and top with the green portion of the sliced green onions and fresh cilantro leaves.

Tried this

bierrocks from More with Less cookbook & another

I have no idea how I came upon this cookbook as a young adult.  Was it a family member's that I liked and gifted to me?  My father's family are from a church very closely related to Mennonites, so that sounds plausible.

Anyway, my dietary world was shaped by More with Less, Diet and Recipes for a Small Planet, Laurel's Kitchen, and Moosewood.  I know I can find just about everything on line and I've long since gotten rid of most books, but I'm thinking of rebuying these.

I bought a big head of cabbage at the farmer's market and for some reason I started to crave these bierrocks, which are handpies with yeast dough, ground beef, and cabbage.  They freeze up well and are very satisfying.  So, it's a long weekend project.

Bierrocks 

Dough:

2 c. warm water 
2 pkg. dry yeast 
1/4 c. sugar 
1 1/2 t. salt 
1 egg 
1/4 c. oil or butter 
6-6 1/2 c. flour 

Meat mixture: 

1 1/2 lb. beef 
1/2 c. onion 

Remaining ingredients:

3 c. cabbage, finely cut 
1 1/2 t. salt 
1/2 t. pepper 
Dash Tabasco sauce 
Minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and smoke flavoring, optional 

Chill dough for several hours and prepare as for roll dough (or substitute frozen dough). 
Brown beef and onion in a skillet and add remaining ingredients. Cover skillet and continue 
cooking over low heat, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is tender. Do not add liquid. 
Cool slightly. Roll out dough into thin sheets. Cut in 5-inch squares. Place 2 T. meat 
mixture on each square, pinch edges together, and place pinched side down on greased 
cookie sheet. Let rise 15 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. 

This recipe 
is from the More-with-Less Cookbook (Doris Janzen Longacre, Herald Press, c 1976).

****

This is another version that I found when looking for a recipe for ground bison. 

I find it amusing that they refer to salt and pepper as "spices" - but that shows it's authentic.

Nebraska Bison Stuffers

A classic Nebraska recipe, usually passed down in families, with a bison spin. Though more labor intensive, then many of our recipes, well worth the payoff.

---

Ingredients:
2 lbs. Ground Bison
1 small onion, chopped
6 cups finely shredded cabbage
1 cup water
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
cheese slices, optional (I would never use cheese slices, but this is a Midwestern recipe)

Dough:
2 pkg. dry yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups warm water
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup melted margarine
6 1/2 cups flour

Directions:
Mix water, yeast, sugar and salt. Stir until dissolved. Add beaten egg and margarine. Stir in flour and refrigerate for 4 hours in a covered bowl.

Once dough is ready, brown ground bison and onion. Drain. Add cabbage, seasonings and water. Simmer for 20 minutes. Cool.

Take a small amount of dough and roll into a thin layer. Fill with filling. Bring each side of dough up over the filling and pinch sides together to create a seal. Place on a cookie sheet - seam side down. Repeat until dough and mixture are used up.

Cook for 18-20 minutes at 350* F.

This made about three baking sheets worth, with four rolls made of leftover filling.   

rosemary meatballs with dijon collards and apricots

I don't remember where I first saw this recipe but now see it's many places, including here.

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 1 lb grass fed ground beef (using local lamb today)
• 3 sprigs of rosemary, de-stemmed and minced
• 2 large cloves of garlic, pressed
• salt, pepper, granulated garlic
• 1 T oil

Greens

• 4-6 heaping cups shredded collard greens
• 1 T. dijon mustard
• 4-5 dried apricots, pitted and chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
2. Add your ground beef, chopped up rosemary and pressed garlic into a large mixing bowl. Using clean hands work the meat until the garlic and the rosemary are evenly disbursed throughout the meat. Add in some salt, pepper and granulated garlic to your liking and mix again. Form your mixed meat into meatballs. I made mine on the small side and yielded eleven or so out of my pound of ground beef.
3. Coat the bottom of a cast iron skillet with your tablespoon of oil. Make sure that the bottom surface of the pan is covered. Arrange your meatballs neatly in the pan. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until your meatballs are cooked through.
4. Remove the meatballs from the oven and transfer the skillet to the stove top. Using tongs, remove your meatballs from the pan and set them aside on a separate plate. Add your tablespoon (or more if you like) of dijon mustard to the fat drippings in your pan. Whisk together lightly.
5. Add in your shredded collard greens and allow them to cook down in the leftover beef fat and mustard mixture over medium heat. Once your greens have wilted, add in your apricots and allow the entire mixture to cook down until the apricots and lightly softened.
6. Place the meatballs back in the pan over the greens and serve! Enjoy!

ground beef cabbage stirfry

From here.  Quite tasty!  Could be served with rice.  Would be good with rice.  I don't need the carbs, so I just ate it like this and that was fine too.

Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry

 

Ingredients

STIR FRY SAUCE

• 2 Tbsp soy sauce $0.18
• 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil $0.33 [or less - depends on strength; I would use 1 tsp.]
• 1 Tbsp sriracha* $0.05
• ½ Tbsp brown sugar $0.02

STIR FRY

• ½ head green cabbage $1.78
• 2 carrots $0.22
• 3 green onions $0.17
• ½ Tbsp neutral cooking oil $0.02
• ½ lb. lean ground beef $3.90
• 2 cloves garlic $0.16
• 1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger $0.13
• Pinch of salt and pepper $0.05

GARNISHES (optional)

• 1 Tbsp sesame seeds $0.08
• 1 Tbsp sriracha $0.05

Instructions

1. Prepare the stir fry sauce first. In a small bowl stir together the soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, sriracha, and brown sugar. Set the sauce aside.
2. Shred the vegetables so they are ready to go when you need them. Cut one small cabbage in half, remove the core, and then finely shred the leaves of one half the cabbage (4-6 cups once shredded, save the other half for another recipe). Peel two carrots, then use a cheese grater to shred them (1 cup shredded). Slice three green onions. Mince two cloves of garlic. Peel a knob of ginger using either a vegetable peeler or by scraping with the side of a spoon, then grate it using a small-holed cheese grater.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot add the cooking oil, ground beef, garlic, ginger, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the beef until browned (about five minutes).
4. Add the cabbage and carrots to the skillet and continue to stir and cook until the cabbage is slightly wilted (or fully wilted, if you prefer). Stir in the prepared sauce and the green onions. Top with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and a drizzle of sriracha, then serve.

Notes

* 1 Tbsp sriracha makes a medium-spicy stir fry. If you don't like spicy, I'd start with 1 tsp. The sriracha adds flavor as well as heat, so I don't suggest skipping it all together.

 

Total Cost: $7.14

Cost Per Serving: $1.79

Serves: 4 (1.5 cups each)

 

 ***

This website seems promising.  Tasty, healthy food on a budget?  I'm in!  Also, I think this recipe would be good with other meats such as leftover chicken. 

 

meatballs with greens and fruit

She called it rosemary meatballs with dijon collard greens and apricots, but I forgot the dijon and used kale and nectarines instead.  And this lasted for a few meals and I have really enjoyed it. 
 Meatballs:

• 1 lb grass fed ground beef
• 3 sprigs of rosemary, de-stemmed and minced
• 2 large cloves of garlic, pressed
• salt, pepper, granulated garlic
• 1 tbs coconut oil (liquid state) (or avocado oil, or leftover bacon grease from breakfast)

Greens:

• 4-6 cups shredded collard greens (or lacinato kale)
• 1 tbs dijon mustard
• 4-5 apricots, pitted and chopped (or nectarines)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
2. Add your ground beef, chopped up rosemary and pressed garlic into a large mixing bowl. Using clean hands work the meat until the garlic and the rosemary are evenly disbursed throughout the meat. Add in some salt, pepper and granulated garlic to your liking and mix again. Form your mixed meat into meatballs. I made mine on the small side and yielded eleven or so out of my pound of ground beef.(I got about 15)
3. Coat the bottom of a cast iron skillet with your tablespoon of oil. Make sure that the bottom surface of the pan is covered. Arrange your meatballs neatly in the pan. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until your meatballs are cooked through.
4. Remove the meatballs from the oven and transfer the skillet to the stove top. Using tongs, remove your meatballs from the pan and set them aside on a separate plate. Add your tablespoon (or more if you like) of dijon mustard to the fat drippings in your pan. Whisk together lightly.
5. Add in your shredded collard greens and allow them to cook down in the leftover beef fat and mustard mixture over medium heat. Once your greens have wilted, add in your apricots and allow the entire mixture to cook down until the apricots and lightly softened.
6. Place the meatballs back in the pan over the greens and serve! Enjoy!