Beef Stew with Butternut Squash

I made beef stew for dinner one night this week.  I've made beef stew many, many times over the years.  We love it.  It's a great, hearty winter meal.  I don't really ever make it the same way twice.  It just depends on what I have in my pantry and freezer, usually.  This week, I made it with some cut up beef roast, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, zucchini, celery, and onions. We are avoiding most potatoes and grains right now, as we are trying to eat primal.  I would normally put potatoes in my beef stew.  And I'd normally use some flour to make a roux to stir in at the end to thicken up the stew.  Both of these options were out.  Of course, I could sub arrowroot powder for the flour to make a roux, but I got an idea to use butternut squash as a thickener from Life as a Plate.  So I thawed some butternut squash and stirred it in towards the end.  It really worked, too!  And it was a great way to get some squash in Kevin's and Carson's diet since they're both not crazy about the texture. The couldn't even tell it was there, yet we had a good, thickened stew.  It was delicious!  We sent some leftovers for Kevin's mom to have for lunch while she was watching Carson this week and she loved it, too.  We've found that if she's eating the same thing we send for Carson, he's more likely to eat it without any resistance... even though he'll love something and chow down two helpings of it at dinner at home, he'll tell her he doesn't want it since he knows he's got his grandma wrapped around his little finger.  ;o) 

Beef Stew with Butternut Squash

stew meat (I cut off about 1/3 of a beef roast and chopped it up for the stew)
veggies of your choice ( this time I used carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, zucchini, celery, and onions)
beef broth, homemade is best
salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 bay leaf
other spices of your choice
1 cooked, mashed butternut squash

Put the meat, veggies, broth, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and spices into your crockpot.  Cook on low all day.  About a half hour or so before serving, stir in the cooked and mashed butternut squash.  I just used some from my freezer.  Enjoy!


This post is linked to:
Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop
Simple Lives Thursday at GNOWFGLINS
Fresh Bites Friday at Real Food Whole Health
Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade
Gluten Free Recipe Parade at Heavenly Homemakers

Cheesy White Chicken Chili

A few weeks ago, I tried a recipe for cheesy white chicken chili from my friend Melissa's blog.  Melissa writes that this chili has won several chili cook-off competitions and always goes over well.  I can see why because it is delicious!  We all loved it!  I'm sure I'll make it again and just count it as part of the 20% non-primal food allowance on the days that I do 80/20.  :)   I did add some of the optional sour cream and homemade cream cheese, but only about half of the recommended amounts below.  I also only added about a quarter of the shredded cheese.  This would be great without all the cheeses, as well!

Cheesy White Chicken Chili

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans green chilies
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoons oregano
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
30 oz. chicken broth, homemade is best
3 cups chicken breast meat, cooked & chopped or shredded
4 cans white beans, drained, home-canned or soaked are best
1/2 - 1 cup sour cream, optional (I used less than 1/2 cup)
4 - 6 oz. cream cheese, optional, homemade is best (I used about 2 oz.)
2 cups frozen corn
2 cups frozen peas
12-16 oz. grated Mexican blend cheese (or you can use any combination of Monterrey Jack, pepper jack, or cheddar, stay away from mozzarella b/c it is stringy when melted... I only used a handful)

In 4 or 5 qt. pan, heat oil over medium-high heat and soften onion and garlic. Add green chilies, cumin, oregano, and cayenne pepper. Cook a few minutes, then add broth, chicken, and 3 cans of the drained beans. Mash the fourth can of beans (use a potato masher, fork or pastry blender and mix in a little bit of the broth from the soup to make it a little easier) and add it to the pot.

Turn heat to low, wait until it is hardly simmering and add cheese slowly until completely melted. If you add the cheese while the soup is bubbling ferociously then the cheese will clump and stick to the chicken.

You can add the sour cream, cream cheese, and/or corn if you would like, but the soup is great without them, depends on your taste.


This post is linked to:
Grain Free Tuesday at Hella Delicious

Crockpot Quinoa and Chicken

I made this a week or two ago. This recipe comes from The Nourishing Gourmet. This is very quick and easy to just throw in the crockpot and its very healthy. And its so yummy, too! It is very versatile, as well. You can throw in whatever kind of veggies you like. I added some garlic and some cannellini beans to ours and was wishing I had some fresh mushrooms to throw in, too. Some spinach thrown in at the end would be really good, too!

Crockpot Chicken and Quinoa

1 cup quinoa (soaked overnight in water, than drained and rinsed in a strainer. If you don’t soak your grains still rinse to remove a bitter substance from the grain)
2 cups of chicken broth
1/2-3/4 cup of white wine (I skipped the wine and just added a little more broth)
2 cups of water
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon of salt
4-6 carrots, peeled and cubed
3 celery, sliced
1 onion, minced
2 chicken breasts or thighs
3 Tablespoons of butter (opt, for added richness and flavor)

Throw all the ingredients in your crockpot, cook on high, 4 hours or on low, 8. Shred the chicken when done, and stir into the stew and you are done!

Creamy White Chicken Chili

I wanted to make a white chicken chili this week, instead of the normal red chili I usually throw together. I linked to My Kitchen Cafe through my friend Melissa's blog last week - holy wow, there are some delicious recipes on this blog! When I saw this recipe for creamy white chicken chili, I knew I wanted to try it... and make it a little healthier. I added some extra veggies (green bell peppers and fresh mushrooms), used half the sour cream called for, and used fat-free half-and-half instead of heavy cream... and it was still delicious and super creamy! I didn't make it on the stovetop, though, just threw everything except the sour cream and milk into the crockpot before work. This was delicious!! So, so, so good!

I'll update later when I (finally) upload my pictures off my camera.

Creamy White Chili

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I used some leftover rotisserie chicken I had frozen)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon oil (didn't use this)
2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies (if you like less kick, add just one can... I just used 1 for Carson's sake)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I left this out for Carson... Kevin and I wanted more heat, so we squirted some sriracha in our bowls..)
1 cup sour cream (I didn't add this much... probably only about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup whipping cream (I used fat-free half-and-half instead)

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately. This is especially good served with tortilla chips.

Makes about 6 servings.

Japanese Beef Stew

I made another recipe from my Biggest Loser Family Cookbook on Tuesday... for japanese beef stew. This was so good! It had a great flavor and it was a great meal to eat on a cold night! And it was healthier than other recipes for beef stew that I've seen. I just threw everything in the crockpot to cook all day on low since I was home with Carson and didn't know how he'd be feeling later on in the day, so didn't know if I'd have time to spend watching it on the stovetop. It was delicious in the crockpot, but I do want to try it on the stovetop some time, too. I wasn't thinking and threw in the peas in the morning, instead of waiting until the last half hour or so... so they kind of disintegrated and turned all fibrous and tough. Other than that, it was an awesome dinner, though! We all loved it!

I'll update with a picture later.

Japanese Beef Stew

1 Tablespoon whole grain oat flour
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of ground black pepper
1 1-lb trimmed top round steak or london broil, cut into 1" cubes
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
6 whole scallions, ends trimmed and chopped, about 1 cup
1 Tablespoon freshly minced garlic
1 Tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 3/4 cups low-sodium, fat-free beef broth
2 Tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 6-oz can whole peeled straw mushrooms, drained (I used an 8oz package of fresh mushrooms and just chopped them up)
4 small carrots, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
1/2 pound sugar snap peas
salt, to taste

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, garlic powder, and pepper. Add the steak and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

Place a large nonstick soup pot over medium-high heat. When hot, add the oil, then the beef and cook to brown on all sides, about 1 minute per side. Reduce the heat to medium and add the scallions, garlic, and ginger. Cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, until the garlic is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, soy sauce, mushrooms, and carrots. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 45 minutes.

Add the sweet potatoes, cover and cook unti the beef is tender, 45 minutes or longer. Add the snap peas and cook 5 minutes longer, or until peas are tender. Season with salt and additional pepper. Serve immediately, or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 291 calories, 33 g protein, 35 g carbs, 6 g fat, 50 mg cholesterol, 7 g fiber, 658 mg sodium

Green Bean Stew

Tonight I made an arabic green bean stew. I've been looking for a good, authentic recipe for awhile now, and this is definitely a great one! Its from Jaime's Aunt Pati and it is DELISH!! Definitely a keeper recipe and something we'll have again and again. Its very easy to throw together, but it does take some cook time... but its effortless cook time. I used fresh yellow beans from our garden since that is what I'd picked this morning. It'd look nice with a mix of green and yellow beans, which is probably how I'll make it next time (using the frozen beans from the garden next time). If you don't like or have lamb, this would be very good with beef, or even with potatoes to make it vegetarian. Also, a note... you can find the mixed spices at your local arabic grocery store... almost all of the decent sized cities have them nowadays. If I can find it in Flint... anyone can find it! :)

Arabic Green Bean Stew

2 lbs green beans
1 to 1.5 lbs lamb meat, cubed
1 onion chopped
3 tbs butter or olive oil
1 to 2 cloves garlic minced (to taste)
2 C water (approx)
1 small can tomato paste
1.5 to 2 tsp allspice or mixed spices
1.5 tsp salt (to taste)
.5 tsp pepper (to taste)

In a 6 quart (or larger) stock pot, brown lamb meat, onions and garlic in oil or butter. When meat is evenly browned on all sides and onions are becoming transparent add allspice or mixed spices to the pot. Stir until evenly distributed. If using fresh green beans, add now and sauté for 10 mins. In a separate bowl, combine tomato paste and water stirring with a whisk to combine thoroughly. Add tomato mixture to meat along with salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat for approx 55 mins. If using canned or frozen beans, add approx 20 to 25 mins after simmering starts. Serve with rice.

Irish Lamb Stew

With a little one now, Kevin and I aren't able to celebrate St. Patrick's Day the way we usually do - by going out and drinking green beer. In college, we used to start at the crack of dawn (literally at 6am) by eating green eggs and ham and drinking green beer at one of the East Lansing bars. Now that doesn't even sound appetizing. So this year, I decided to make an irish-themed dinner to celebrate the day. Kevin has absolutely no irish heritage (he's pretty much 100% dutch), but Carson and I have some irish in us, albeit just a smidgen. I found some recipes on AllRecipes that sounded pretty good. Since I don't like corned beef, I was limited in my choices, so I decided to try out an irish lamb stew. It was sooooo good! I only made a portion of the recipe, but now wish I'd have made more. All three of us loved it! I modified it a lot because I wanted to make it in the crockpot so it would be ready when we got home from work. I'll post the original recipe and then my changes.

Irish Lamb Stew

1 1/2 pounds thickly sliced bacon, diced (I left this out since I can't eat bacon)
6 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (I didn't use this since I just threw the lamb in raw)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup water (left this out)
4 cups beef stock
2 teaspoons white sugar (left this out)
4 cups diced carrots
2 large onions, cut into bite-size pieces
3 potatoes
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1 cup white wine (left this out)

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside. (I skipped this step since I can't eat bacon)

Put lamb, salt, pepper, and flour in large mixing bowl. Toss to coat meat evenly. Brown meat in frying pan with bacon fat. (I skipped this step and just threw the lamb into the crockpot raw)

Place meat into stock pot (leave 1/4 cup of fat in frying pan). Add the garlic and yellow onion and saute till onion begins to become golden. Deglaze frying pan with 1/2 cup water and add the garlic-onion mixture to the stock pot with bacon pieces, beef stock, and sugar. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

Add carrots, onions, potatoes, thyme, bay leaves, and wine to pot. Reduce heat, and simmer covered for 20 minutes until vegetables are tender.

(I just threw everything into the crockpot raw and cooked on low for 10 hours, when it was programmed to switch to keep warm. It was on this setting for about an hour.)

Gumbo

Tonight we had gumbo for dinner. I found the recipe on AllRecipes. This was so, so good! Kevin and I both loved it! Definitely something I'll make again. It'll be a great way to use up some okra from my garden this summer. Fresh okra would be much tastier than the frozen stuff, anyway. I was able to use up the other half of the ring sausage from the cowboy stew last week and a bag of frozen okra that has been in the freezer for quite a while. I also used up some frozen celery and bell peppers. I cut the recipe back quite a bit - only made about a third of the recipe. Made enough for our dinner (2 helpings for Kevin) and a lunch.

Sunday Gumbo

1 pound Italian sausage links, sliced (I just used half of a ring sausage)
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used EVOO)
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped (I used green)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth (I used water with Organic Better than Boullion)
2/3 cup uncooked brown rice
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (I left this out b/c I didn't have any)
2 cups frozen sliced okra

In a Dutch oven, brown sausage and chicken in oil. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm. In the drippings, saute red pepper, onion and celery until tender. Stir in the seasonings; cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, rice and sausage mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until rice is tender. (I used long-grain brown rice and it took a good 45-50 minutes)

Stir in tomatoes, shrimp and okra; cook for 10 minutes or until shrimp turn pink, stirring occasionally.

Cowboy Stew

Tonight we tried a recipe from my SIL, Mary, for Cowboy Stew. Kevin loved it. I thought it was ok. I'm not a fan of baked beans and I thought I could overcome that with this stew, but I couldn't. It was the predominant smell and therefore taste for me. But this was totally up Kevin's alley. I guess its good to have some meals that he loves and I like, since it seems like its often the other way around. :) This used up some more pantry and freezer items. I still have some potatoes left, though. I guess I'll have to figure something out to use them up completely early next week.

I'll update with a picture later on.

Cowboy Stew

2-4 chicken breasts, cut up (I used 2 medium-sized ones)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pkg. turkey sausage (I only used half of a ring)
3 potatoes, cubed (I only used 1 large russet)
2 carrots, sliced (I used a frozen combo of peas and carrots, about half a bag)
1 can baked beans (I used the small can)
(I also added two stalks of celery to use them up from the fridge)

Layer all ingredients in crockpot. Stir. Cook on low 8 hours or high 4 hours.

Fast, Creamy Chicken Stew with Parsleyed Dumplings

For dinner last night, we had a fast, creamy chicken stew with parsleyed dumplings. I got the recipe from my New Whole Grains Cookbook. I had planned to do this on Friday, but we ended up going out to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings for Kevin's birthday on Friday night instead, so I made it last night. This was so easy and GOOD! I loved it! Kevin loved the stew part, but wasn't crazy about the dumplings. He'd never had any soups with dumplings before, and decided he doesn't like them. I thought they were awesome! Definitely something I'll make again - just probably with less or no dumplings for Kevin. The EVOO, onion, carrot, stock, spices, flour, egg, and yogurt were organic.

Fast Creamy Chicken Stew with Parsleyed Dumplings

For the soup:
3 teaspoons EVOO
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjarom
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup frozen peas or edamame
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

For the dumplings:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup minced fresh parsley (I just used dried)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
6 Tablespoons yogurt or buttermilk, plus more if needed

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil and saute the onion, celery, and carrot over medium heat until softened. Scrape them to the side and add the chicken. Sear the chicken chunks, undisturbed, over medium-high heat for a minute, then stir. When the chicken is browned all over, add the stock, thyme, marjoram, and cream. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer until desired thickness. Add the peas, salt, and pepper. Keep simmering over low heat.

For the dumplings, mix all ingredients and quickly mix. It should be a soft dough, not a stiff dough. Add more yogurt if stiff. Drop the dough by heaping tablespoons full into the simmering stew. Turn the heat up to medium-high, cover and cook for 5-7 minutes. Uncover, cut one of the dumplings in half. If it is still doughy, replace the cover and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until done.

Serve immediately.

Southwestern Quinoa Stew

I've had a total change of meal plans this week. We ended up having a lot of leftovers to use up, so we ate those on Tuesday. Then last night we ate baked chicken and potatoes at my parents' house. Tonight I tried another new meatless recipe that I came across in one of my new cookbooks - Whole Grains for Busy People: Fast, Flavor-Packed Meals and More for Everyone - for a southwestern quinoa stew. It was pretty good. Kevin liked it, which kind of surprised me, honestly, but that's a good thing! I found myself wishing it had more veggies, so next time I'd add more veggies. I'd also tone down the spice a bit - my mouth was burning a little by the time I finished my bowl. It had a really good flavor, though. It was the first time either one of us had tried quinoa. We both liked it alright, so I'll be trying out more recipes with this whole grain in the future. The quinoa, black beans, corn, chicken broth, shallot, garlic, and winter squash were all organic.

Southwestern Quinoa Stew with Squash, Black Beans, and Corn

1 Tablespoon olive oil (I just used a little spray)
2 teaspoons minced dried onion (I used a fresh shallot)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic (I used fresh garlic)
1 quart low-sodium chicken or veggie stock
1 cup quinoa (don't forget to rinse it)
1 teaspoon chipotle in adobo, mashed or chopped
1 package (10 ounces) frozen winter squash
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn (I added a whole bag b/c we like corn)
1/3 cup diced fire-roasted red bell pepper (I left this out)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I left this out)
salt

In a heavy 3-quart Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion, oregano, and garlic, and cook for 10 seconds.

Add the broth and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the quinoa and boil uncovered over medium-high heat for 10 minutes.

Stir in chipotle in adobo, and add the block of squash. Turn the heat to high, cover, and continue cooking until you can break up the squash and stir it into the stew, 3-4 minutes.

Stir in the beans. Reduce the heat to medium. Continue cooking until there is no solid white dot of starch at the center of the quinoa, 1-3 minutes longer. Stir in the corn, roasted red pepper, cilantro, and salt to taste. Cook uncovered, just until the corn is defrosted, another minute or so.

Ladle into soup bowls.

Serves 4-6