Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps

I'm always trying to find different ways to use ground beef. I love chili, tacos, hamburgers, and meatloaf but I need more variety. I've been hesitant in the past to use ground beef in asain dishes because, I don't know, it just seems weird to me. Turns out these lettuce wraps are not weird at all, and delicious! Seriously, such an easy meal. Minimal effort, great flavor. 

*Side note - I really am sorry my photography skills are not very good! With two kids at my feet all day I lose my patience with trying to get the perfect picture :) 

Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

2 lg carrots, peeled and grated

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 head romain or other crisp lettuce

1 lb lean ground beef

Salt and pepper

1 clove garlic, smashed and minced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 cup thinly sliced cabbage

2 green onions, chopped

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 teaspoon ground ginger

Dash or 2 of Tabasco sauce (I like a lot)

Juice of one lime 

2 cups cooked jasmine rice (optional)

Directions

In a small bowl stir together the carrots and vinegar and set aside. 

In another small bowl, stir together brown sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, ginger, Tabasco, and lime juice. Set aside. 

Heat a large pan over medium high heat. 

Salt and pepper the beef and add to the pan. When it's about half way done stir in the garlic and red pepper. Allow them to cook for a minute or two just to finish off cooking the beef.

Just as all the pink in the meat disappears, stir in the soy sauce mixture. 

Stir in the cabbage and cook just until it starts to wilt and soften, not very long.

Remove from heat and stir in the green onions. 

Serve while it's hot. 

Allow everyone to fill their own lettuce cups, beginning with beef, and topping it off with a small spoonful of carrots. I like mine with jasmine rice in it as well, or it can just be a side. 

Yum, enjoy!

Roasted Tomato Crostini with Basil Cream Cheese

This is what you call "let's see what we have in the fridge".  A baguette that was meant for another meal, left over tomatoes, feta, and some cream cheese. My 3 year old kept asking for more. He's not really a picky eater so that may not mean much. :) But in all seriousness, it's so easy and good as a simple appetizer or light dinner. It's easy to make the cheese ahead of time so, really, all you have to do is pull the tomatoes out of the oven and top the crostini. Easy. I'd say be liberal with the cheese to help act as a barrier to the tomatoes so it doesn't get the bread soggy... and because it's good. If you aren't serving a crowd, just halve the recipe and just use one baguette, or don't, I guess. 

Roasted Tomato Crostini with Basil Cream Cheese

Makes about 40 crostini (from 2 baguettes)

Ingredients

2 baguettes

3 12 oz containers cherry tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 oz cream cheese

4 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese

4 tablespoons chopped basil

Salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 

In a 9x13 glass baking dish, coat tomatoes with the olive oil. 

Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir and shake the pan to level the tomatoes out.

Roast for about an hour and a half, checking and stirring every half hour.

While the tomatoes are roasting, in a medium bowl combine cream cheese, feta, and basil with a hand mixer until it is smooth, creamy, and thoroughly combined. 

Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Slice bread into 1/2 inch thickness on an angle. 

Generously spread cheese onto slices and spoon about 3 tomatoes on each slice. 

Waffles

I've tried a few different recipes but keep coming back to these. They make a pretty regular appearance at our house. They are the best simple waffle, when you don't want the Belgian variety.  But, I may be a bit biased because it's what I grew up with. I'm not sure where my mom got the recipe. Crisp on the outside and so soft on the inside. 

I did just recently get a new waffle iron that was like 3 years in the making. The decision, that is, as to what kind to purchase, was 3 years in the making. It has a few settings I had to adjust to get the best texture. There are the options for crisp exterior with soft interior, or uniform texture, then a darkness dial. Turns out, setting it to uniform texture with the darkness dial slightly above medium did better than actually just setting it to crisp exterior, soft interior (at least with this recipe). Having options is good. Anyway you need to try these. I like to occasionally double the recipe to have a freezer full. They are just as good toasted from frozen another morning when you don't have time for fresh waffles. And a million times better than eggo waffles. 

Waffles

Makes 10, 7 inch waffles 

Ingredients

2 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 mounded tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups milk

2 egg yolks

2 egg whites

1/2 cup melted unsalted butter or oil

Directions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.

In another medium bowl stir together the milk, egg yolks, and butter.

In a small bowl with a hand mixer, beat or whisk the eggs until they form stiff peaks.

Add the milk mixture to the flour and stir until combined. It's ok if it's a bit lumpy. 

Gently fold the egg whites into the batter until it's evenly distributed with allowing a lot of egg white lumps about the size of quarters or nickles to remain. 

I pour exactly half a cup (which is the same as my ladle) onto my waffle iron. 

If not eating right away, set on a cooling rack to avoid a soggy waffle. 

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

One of my favorite things to eat is breakfast. Breakfast for breakfast, or breakfast for dinner, but not lunch, that would be weird. ;) Got it? I got this recipe from my sister-in-law who got it from Martha Stewart. Not her, personally, of course. The best part of these is the streusel. I imagine any muffin with this on top would be good. So don't skimp out on it. 

Blueberry Streusel Muffins adapted from Martha Stewart

12 muffins

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2/3 cup milk, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 1/4 cup blueberries, or any other small fruit (diced strawberries, apples, pears, etc)

Streusel 

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2/3 cup flour

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 

Pinch of salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Put paper liners in pan. 

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. 

Whisk together milk, vanilla, eggs, sugar and butter. 

Pour wet mixture into the dry and stir until just combined.

Add fruit and gently fold in. Don't over mix. 

Let it rest while you mix together the streusel. 

Stir together the flour, powdered sugar, salt, and cinnamon. 

Add butter and smash to combine with a fork until it's evenly mixed and crumbly. 

Spoon about 1/4 cup batter into muffin tin lined with paper liners. Mostly just make sure they are even. 

Spoon about 2 tablespoon of streusel on top of each muffin and gently press into the batter. 

Bake for 15-17 minutes.

Check with a toothpick just to be sure. 

Cool in pan for 5-10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. 

Baked Chicken and Spinach Pasta

Chicken and spinach are so versatile. There are 3 different meals I've made lately with the pair, and I have one more variation I'd like to try. I'm a little obsessed with the spinach and chicken I guess. Sorry family.... not sorry :)

Baked Chicken and Spinach Pasta

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

4 small chicken breasts

3 Tablespoons olive oil

16 oz slightly under cooked pasta such as penne or rigatoni 

24 oz container low fat, small curd cottage cheese

2 eggs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1 cup grated mozzarella 

1/2 onion, diced

1 cup mushrooms, chopped (optional)

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 cups chopped spinach

Juice of half a lemon 

salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Stir cottage cheese, eggs, and Parmesan together. Set aside. 

Heat oil in large pan over medium high heat. Salt and pepper the chicken and add to pan.  Brown each side. Remove from pan and cube the chicken. 

Add onions to the pan and allow them to to soften. 

Add mushrooms and chicken broth and scrape the pan. 

Add cubed chicken.

Add spinach and lemon juice and heat just until wilted. 

Remove from heat. 

In a 9x13 inch casserole pan, layer half the noodles, half the chicken and spinach, and half the cottage cheese. Repeat with the remaining ingredients and pour and juice in the pan over the noodles. Top with mozzarella.

Cover with foil and bake until the sides of the pan are bubbling, about 25 minutes. Uncover and broil on high to brown the cheese. 

Enjoy!