Salisbury Steak

Just could not take a stellar picture the both times I have made this in the past couple months.  However you could head over to One Perfect Bite for the original recipe and an amazing photo of it.  Mary, the author of the blog, is an amazing woman.  She has won recipes contests.  What does that say about the lady?  Damn. Good. Food.  This is no exception.  Delicious. I did say I made it twice over the past couple months, right?


Salisbury Steak
Recipe here from One Perfect Bite

Onion Gravy
3 large onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups low-sodium beef broth
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
Salt and pepper

Meat Patties
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 cup cooked white rice
2  large egg yolk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 clove minced garlic
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon olive oil

My daughters dinner plate- second time I made it.

For the gravy: Sauté onions in a skillet large enough to hold the gravy. Cook over medium-high heat, until onions start to brown, stirring occasionally.  When onions are a deep honey brown.  Carmelizing onions is a slow process but totally worth the time you take in doing so. Stir in flour and cook for about 2 minutes- you want the flour a bit browned too. Add wine, beef broth and tomato paste. Stir in cider vinegar. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low and keep warm.

For the patties: Mix ground beef, rice, egg yolk, salt, pepper, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, parsley and thyme in a bowl. Shape into 4 oval patties about 3/4-inch thick. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat. Sear patties about 3 minutes per side, or until a brown crust forms. Pour gravy over patties and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

Sweet Potato and Garbanzo Bean Salad

This is one of those times when something doesn't stay long enough to set up a good shot to show you how freaking amazing something was.  It is at these times you should say to yourself- it must have been real good.  Oh yes, it was real good.  This is one of those salads, that like my rocket and asparagus salad will be showing up on our table over and over again.  Its just that good.

Lets talk about allspice.  Allspice may be that longer forgotten friend in your spice cabinet.  Don't sell it short if it is.  When used in small quantities, like in this dish or tomato anything (salad, sauce...) it adds something.  Something you cant quite get your finger on but its good- real good.  I add it to tomato salad all the time.  It was during a Daring Cooks Challenge when I led it for stuffed grape leaves.  See the post here.  I thought, allspice, in tomato salad?  Seriously, this is going to ruin my wonderful tomatoes.  Ah, wrong.  Sooo good.

Sweet Potato and Garbanzo Bean Salad
Printable here.

2 sweet potatoes, butternut squash, or pumpkin, diced
1 small purple onion, sweet onion, or shallot
1 can chick peas or 2 cups if you soak and boil your own
3 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 tablespoons water
3 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
pinch of sea salt
crushed black pepper
1 garlic clove minced
1/2 teaspoon allspice

If you have time roast your sweet potato, if not a quick boil is fine.  Heat until tender.

Meanwhile, chop onion.  If you are using a purple onion you can tone down its bite by placing in a small bowl and pouring some hot water over it.  Leave it in the hot water while you prepare everything else and you will find it is quite mellow when done.

In your serving bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, water, tahini, garlic, salt and pepper and allspince.  Add to it the garbanzo beans, onion, sweet potato and cilantro.

Energy Bites

Don't make these, whatever you do, don't make these.... Ah, but they are so easy, delicious, so good for you... don't make these.

I am glad this was a small recipe.  I would not make these again because they were so dang poppable in my mouth. Delicious and satisfying.


No Bake Energy Bites

1 cup rolled oats
⅓ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
½ cup chunky peanut butter
½ cup ground flax seed
½ cup chocolate chips
⅓ cup raw honey
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all together and roll into balls.

Calories are 2,388 for total recipe.  I made 20 balls so that is about 120 per ball.  The chocolate chips alone are 560.  If you put in a 1/4 cup instead that would drop it by 80 calories and also lower the sugar.

Black Bean Soup: Southwestern Style

I like to give new recipes a try even though I already have favorites.  I love my black bean soup.  I have been making it for years.  But I wanted to try one with a Southwestern flare.

I use to love to watch Daisy Martinez on PBS.  I love the Puerto Rican dishes she made but I also loved the great tips she gave as she worked on the meals.  One in particular I use all the time when making beans.  To gauge the liquid for the beans (after soaking), place broth or water in with the beans and then either stick your finger in or put in a wooden spoon.  Just touch the surface of the beans.  The liquid should come up to your first knuckle or about an inch on the wooden spoon.  This will give you the right amount of liquid.  Works every time. Thanks Daisy!

I liked the recipe but found it needed some acid to brighten things up a bit.  I added cider vinegar towards the end.  In hindsight, I think lime juice would have been better.  You could even add a little tomato paste or even salsa for a little flare.  I liked the soup, it was a nice change but honestly I like mine just a tad more.But for a South Western flare- this is the ticket.

Black Bean Soup
Printable here.

1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup carrot chopped
1 cup green pepper, chopped
1 bag black beans, soaked overnight
2 quarts + broth* (enough to cover the beans by one inch)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon liquid smoke or more if you like
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon cumin ( happen to love cumin)
1 tablespoon chili powder
pinch cayenne pepper
salt and pepper

Sauté onion, carrot and celery in oil until onion is translucent.  Add green peppers and sauté until everything is a bit golden.  Add in broth, soaked beans, spices, and liquid smoke.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat so that the soup is at a gentle simmer.  Let simmer for about an hour- beans should be very tender.  Puree. Serve with accoutriments such as cilantro, avocado, lime juice, salsa.

Seed Bread

This is an easy bread to make - no kneading involved. My husband loves it.  I was liking it until I became suspicious that I might have a gluten thing going on.  So I have given up gluten for a couple weeks to see what happens.  No harm done.  Hopefully I am wrong because that is not an easy thing to do.  I have compassion for Celiac disease.  My Aunt has it and my friends Mom has it.   It is quite serious if you ignore it.  I think people in general might not know that.  They may think it is a fad.  But you know if you have Celiac and it goes untreated then you are not absorbing some key things in your diet.  At least two that I can think of right off the bat- Vitamin D and iron.  There are others in addition to these.  Because of these potential deficiencies, secondary problems can occur.  If you would like to learn more,  go here to Celiac Disease NIH or here to a site called Canadian Celiac Association or here, to Celiac Support.


I can tell you when I did have this bread, it was simply amazing.  Its toothsome and it satisfies.

Breakfast Seed Bread
Printable here.

2 cups buttermilk
14 oz preserves of some kind, mixed berry is a great choice
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup flaxseeds
1 cup oat bran
1½ teaspoon baking soda
1½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup wheat germ
2 ½ cups whole wheat flour

Preheat the oven to 390°F. Prepare loaf pan by spraying with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix the buttermilk with the preserves sauce in a small bowl. In another bowl, mix all the dry ingredients. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Pour the batter into loaf pan. Bake the loaf for 1 hour and 30 minutes, until it has reached an inner temperature of 200°F.

Take the loaf out of the pan and let cool on a rack. Let it cool thoroughly to prevent the inside from being gooey when you cut it.

Chicken Wing Balls

I love chicken wings, but probably more specifically, Frank's Red Hot Sauce.  Don't tell me anything bad about Frank's Red Hot Sauce.  I dont want to know.  I have had Franks over popcorn, pizza, wings, chicken, whatever for many years.

I dont do the wing thing too often anymore.  In my 20's, yes, but have since slowed way down with wings.  Too many calories.  I did a post about baked wings- they are very good, but honestly, I just dont think about buying wings when I go to the store.  Besides, they used to be inexpensive, now- not so much.

This chicken ball with Frank's is like wings- less calories and more substantial.  We loved it.  Dipped in a little of my home made blue cheese and I was totally loving it- a real treat. I served it along side some rice and a big plate of celery sticks and carrot sticks.

Chicken Wing Balls
Printable here.

2 pounds ground chicken
2 egg
1 3/4 cups Progresso panko breadcrumbs or more depending on consistency
3/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground pepper
3 cups buffalo sauce
blue cheese dressing

Mix the ground chicken with the rest of the ingredients except the panko until it feels like you can ball it together. Add in the panko. If it feels sticky add more panko. If by chance you added a bit too much panko add a little water (tablespoon by tablespoon).

Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on parchment lined cooking sheet.  Bake in a 400F oven for about 5 (crock pot) to 10 minutes (Dutch oven).  Add the meatballs to a crock pot or a Dutch oven and pour in the Franks. Make sure the meat balls are covered.  If you don't have enough sauce you can use less just make sure you stir it periodically to ensure maximum yum coverage. Cook in slow cooker for about 2 hours.  In the Dutch oven for about 45 minutes to an hour on a very low heat.

Graham Crackers

 
I admit it, I am a bit of a flour hoarder.  I was on this kick last year of making bread and I bought all kinds of flours- spelt, semolina, durum, you name it.  I cant stand the clutter and I am not using this stuff.  So, now, I am making bread and crackers or whatever to use this stuff up before it gets yucky.  I have a bottle of oat bran that I do use occasionally for granola bars- I just throw it in the mix instead of wheat germ, but I don't always use it and there was just this little bit left, so, I threw it into the graham crackers.  Worked perfectly. If you dont have any- no worries- you can replace it with regular flour or whatever you like. 
 
Graham Crackers
Printable here.

1 cup whole wheat flour (I added a bit more because my dough was a wee bit wet)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup oat bran
1 cup (176 grams) dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon  baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces or 100 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pats
1/3 cup mild-flavored honey
5 tablespoons (77 grams) milk
2 tablespoons (27 grams) pure vanilla extract


Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Pulse or mix on low to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off on and off, or mix on low, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal.

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and pulse on and off a few times or mix on low until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky. Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and dust it lightly with flour, then turn the dough out onto it and pat it into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Wrap it, then chill it until firm, about 2 hours or overnight. (honestly, this time I did not refrigerate the dough at all).

On a parchment sheet, roll the dough as thins as possible. You can lay plastic wrap over top to help you roll it out as it tends to be sticky.  The thinner, the better. I have a really large pan so this works for me.  You can use two cookie sheets instead. Score the rolled dough.  This will help you break it apart when you pull it out of the oven and the holes will help the dough stay flat rather than doing a puff thing.


Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake until golden- about 15 minutes.  They will continue to harden as they cool as well.  Run the blade over the lines you previously cut as soon as you take them out of the oven.

Alternately, you can cut and separate before baking but I just wanted them faster.