Nourishing (sneaky) Sloppy Joes & Carpaccio of Zucchini

Nourishing (sneaky) Sloppy Joes
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My kids love this sloppy joe recipe. And I love that it’s a great way to get veggies into them in a way they love. When I serve this recipe, my kids normally each eat a full adult serving. This freezes beautifully.

2 Tbs coconut oil
1 cup (or more) cabbage, finely shredded
½ onion, diced
1 celery rib (stalk), finely diced
¼ bell pepper (capsicum), finely diced
1 carrot, grated
½ lb/250 g ground (minced) beef
2 ounces/55 g beef liver, finely chopped or grated, optional
½ cup ketchup (tomato sauce)
1 Tbs rapadura, optional
1 Tbs lemon juice
½ Tbs white vinegar
½ Tbs Worcestershire sauce
½ Tbs prepared yellow mustard
1 tsp salt
Dash pepper
4 or more sandwich rolls, split, optional

In a large skillet, heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Cook the cabbage, onion, celery and green pepper (capsicum) until it is completely soft, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beef and liver and brown until meat is no longer pink. Drain if needed. Stir in the ketchup (tomato sauce), rapadura, lemon juice, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 10-20 minutes or until cabbage is completely tender and the flavors are blended.

My notes: I threw all the veggies into the food processor to get a nice fine dice. I used 1lb of ground beef, 1tsp pineapple vinegar & 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (instead of white vinegar). I also used a dash of tamari. I am thinking next time I will use some red lentils in place of the ground beef. I bet if they are cooked down and mashed you will never know they are there and I could use less ground beef. Although....I doubled things this time. I need to triple atleast next time. Everyone ate 2 servings and Forrest wasn't even here. (We are 3 adults & 4 kids)

Here is where you can find a great article on feeding children & several other recipes.
http://nourishedmagazine.com.au/blog/articles/nourishing-recipes-for-fussy-children-and-guests

My side dish recipe is from this blog. I used the Carpaccio of Zucchini found here....
http://cooksister.typepad.com/cook_sister/2004/09/whole_salmon_on.html I used zucchini and daikon root.

I used my "sprializer" to cut the zucchini and daikon into thin little "spaghetti" strips. It marinated nicely and I have some leftover for lunch tomorrow.

Coconut Beef Stew

I made the YUMMIEST meal tonight. I got the basic recipe from a friend online. Of course I added my own flair. Here is what I came up with. My family LOVED it. They had 2nd & 3rds and asked for me to make it again soon.



Ingredients:
2 lbs Stew Beef
1 medium Onion or several shallots, diced
Coconut oil
Pamela's Baking Mix
1 red pepper, cut into bite size chunks
1 - 32 oz can Fire Roasted diced tomatoes
1/2 lbs of Cremini Mushrooms, chopped bite size
1 can coconut milk
2 sweet potatoes, cubed
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs. Thai Chili Sauce
Reisling Wine

Cut beef into large chunks. Season the baking mix and toss the beef to coat. Heat coconut oil in the cast iron dutch oven. Add onions/shallots start to caramelize. Add the beef to sear the outsides a few pieces at a time. When done add them to the crockpot. When all done de-glaze the pot with wine and dump juices/scrapings into the crockpot.

Add red pepper, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, coconut milk and chili sauce to the crockpot. Cover, lower heat, simmer for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.

Serve over cooked short grain brown rice with butter.

Braised Beef w/Rich Gravy

Ingredients:
2lbs stew beef, round steak, or sirloin tip roast (my fav), CUT into 1 inch cubes
Salt & Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 TBs olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced into thin wedges
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cups beef broth plus 1 cup, if needed for gravy
4 Tbs flour
3/4 cup ice water

Sprinkle the beef cubes with salt & pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skilled. Add the meat and sauté until well browned, remove to a bowl, and keep warm. In the same skillet, sauté the onions & mushrooms, and garlic until the onions are translucent

Add 3 cups of the broth, and bring to a simmer, stirring the mixture often and scraping up any browned bits. Return the beef to the skillet, cover tightly and simmer for 1 hour or more until beef is tender. IF the liquid starts to boil over, turn the heat down slightly.

Periodically check the stew to make sure there is ample liquid for cooking the meat and for making gravy afterward. If too much has boiled doff, add the fourth cup of broth. Once ready whisk flou/corn starch/arrowroot into the ice water until smooth. Gradually stir this thickener into the simmering beef & broth Bring to a slow boil ad cook for a few seconds, stirring, until the gravy thickens.

Serve over rice or egg noodles.

I have frozen just the meat and gravy after cooking and it comes out yummy later.

You can also stir in a container of sour cream at the end to have something more like stroganoff.

Zucchini Beef Bake

Zucchini-Beef Bake

3 medium zucchini, sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 tbs. oil
1 pound ground beef
1 can soup beans
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. basil
Celtic Salt & fresh ground pepper to taste.
2 cups shredded cheese, your choice (Monterey Jack, Raw)

Saute garlic in oil until brown. Add zucchini, mushrooms and spices until tender. Cook ground beef and onion until browned in separate pan; drain. Stir in tomato sauce and soup beans.
Layer half of zucchini mixture in a lightly greased 13x9 pan. Spoon half of ground beef mixture over vegetables.

Sprinkle with half of cheese. Repeat leayers of vegetables and ground beef. Top with cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 F for 30 minutes.

This freezes great and is even better leftover. A wonderful new baby meal