Need a Beef Cake?

My birthday came and went this year and due to my diet I have to cut out a lot of sugar, that meant NO BIRTHDAY CAKE.  So I came up with this!

I turned meatloaf into my birthday cake.  I cooked my meatloaf recipe in a bundt pan, iced it with the best mashed potatoes you will taste, and decorated it with green beans. It was an entire meal in every slice!  Watch the video below to see how I did it!

Super Simple Curry

When I was working for a large retail chain in East Texas, one of my employees would make me dinners from her native country, India.  I kept asking for her recipes but she would never tell, so I had to recreate them myself.  

Ingredients:

1/2 head cauliflower (chopped)

1 sm onion (chopped)

1 clove garlic (chopped)

1 cup pre cooked chicken (leave out to make vegetarian)

1 can chickpeas (drained)

1 yellow squash (chopped)

1 tablespoon curry powder 

1 teaspoon graham Marsala 

1 teaspoon turmeric 

Handful of raisins

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1 teaspoon oil

S&P to taste

I know it looks like a lot of ingredients but it is really simple.  In a large pan add the oil, cauliflower, squash, onion, chickpeas, and garlic... Gently sauté until tender.  Once tender, add everything else and simmer for about 15 minutes.  Garnish with parsley or green onions and serve over rice or egg noodles.   Too Simple! 

Homemade Whipped Cream

I must admit, buying those tubs of pre made whipped topping is just too easy, but have you seen what's in them?  It contains hydronated oil, high fructose corn syrup and etc....  A long time ago my mother taught me how to make whipped cream, but I've changed it up a bit.

My mother just whipped cream and added a little table sugar.

How I make it:

2 cups heavy whipping cream

6 tablespoons powdered sugar

Teaspoon vanilla

Keep your cream as cold as you can, whip it with a whisk until peaks start to develop.  The lightly whisk in the sugar and vanilla.  

This homemade whipped cream is so good it can be eaten as a dessert, but if you add this to pies (even store bought) it will make you look like a master chef! 

My new go-to recipe

If I wasn't watching carbs for my latest diet I would be making this tonight but I am.  This recipe is for the person that doesn't have a lot of time but still want to put something amazing on the table and doesn't involve many ingredients.

What you will need:

1 pound cooked pasta

1 can of family size tomato soup

Package of precooked meatballs

8 oz heavy cream

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

S&P to taste

Cook your pasta according to directions on package and set aside, in another sauce pot, combine your tomato soup with heavy cream and bring to a simmer, add the meatballs, parsley, and parm to the sauce.  Add your pasta and combine.  Salt and pepper to taste.

I like so sprinkle a little more parm and parsley on top. I used orzo pasta. Takes about 15 minutes to make and is really good! 

Chipotle's Guacamole

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, Chipotle posted their recipe for our favorite green stuff! 

2 ripe Hass avocados (In the restaurant, we use 48 per batch, multiple times per day)

2 teaspoons lime juice

2 tablespoons cilantro (chopped)

1/4 cup red onion (finely chopped)

1/2 jalapeño, including seeds (finely chopped)

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

HOW TO DO IT:

1. Choose the right avocado. It should feel squishy yet firm (like the palm of your hand), and be a nice dark green color on the inside.

2. Cut the avocado in half and the remove the pit (carefully!)

3. Scoop the avocados and place in a medium bowl.

4. Toss and coat with lime juice.

5. Add the salt and using a fork or potato masher, mash until a smooth consistency is achieved.

6. Fold in the remaining ingredients and mix well.

7. Taste the guacamole (over and over) and adjust seasoning if necessary.

* I like to add a pinch of cayenne pepper to spice things up a little! 

Meatloaf tips

First things first, I need to apologize, I am in the middle of moving from east tx back to my hometown in west Texas.  When everything gets settled I have a post I want to construct about a grand opening I was able to attend! 

Meatloaf tips:

I personally like a smooth texture to my meatloaf (that's how mom makes it too).  So.... In a food processor I like to add my veg (red bell pepper, carrot, onion, garlic, oatmeal) and grind it smooth.  I then like to soften the veg on the stove before adding it to the meat.  I've used turkey but I prefer 80/20 beef.

Also, throw away your meatloaf pan and switch to a 9x13 cake pan.  Form the loaf in the center of the pan so that it doesn't touch the edges, it should look like a football.  This way the grease will wick away from the meatloaf but the natural juices will stay inside.

For the topping.... I'm from the southwest so we used a ketchup, brown sugar, pepper, based sauce where others use a brown gravy.... Make what you like.

Leftovers!  My favorite! 

Take the meatloaf, smash it with a fork, and add it to some cooked penne.  It is so good! Maybe add some fresh mozzarella or parm on top! 

The ultimate man sandwich also starts with leftover meatloaf.  Toast some bread, one half gets spread with miracle whip, the other half gets a healthy dose of ketchup.  Add a thick slice of meatloaf, plop a egg fried in butter on top, add the top piece of toast and chow down with knife and fork! 

Healthier Chili

It is that time of year where everyone is trying to eat healthier, exercising more, etc....

So I wanted to come up with a recipe that was healthier but you wouldnt know it was healthier by flavor.  So I tackled one of my favorite winter-time dishes..... Chili.

What you will need:

1/2 pound lean ground beef
2 cans chickpeas
2 Roma tomatoes
1 small red onion chopped
1t chili powder
1t cumin
1/2t Cinnamon
1/2t cayenne
1 cup chicken stock
S&P to taste

First, rinse off your chickpeas.  In a blender add one of your tomatoes and about 1/3 cup of the chickpeas.  blend until smooth (you may need to add a few tablespoons of chicken stock to make it blend easier) reserve this liquid.

In a large stew pot add the ground beef and chopped onion and cook until the meat is thoroughly browned.  Add the other tomato but make sure to chop it first.  Saute for about 2 minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients including the reserved tomato/chickpea smoothie you made first.   Let stew for about 15 minutes to make sure all of the flavors are melding well. 

Serve with either fresh cornbread or crackers.  You can garnish with avocado, sr cream, etc....