Shitake & Sirloin Stroganoff

Shitake & Sirloin Stroganoff
Recipe adapted from Cooking Light
Makes 4 Servings

6 oz. wide egg noodles
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pound sirloin, diced
3/4 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp black pepper, divided
1 cup thinly sliced leek
1 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp minced garlic
1 5-oz. package presliced shitake mushrooms
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp paprika
1 cup beef stock
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
2 tbsp fresh parsley, diced

Cook noodles according to package instructions (approx. 9 minutes). Drain. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Swirl to coat. Add beef; sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook 4 minutes or until all sides are browned. Remove from pan. Reduce heat to medium-high. Add leek, thyme, garlic and mushrooms. Saute 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle flour and paprika on top and stir constantly for 30 seconds. Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes or until sauce is thickened, stirring frequently. Stir in remaining 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and sour cream. Stir in beef. Serve over noodles and sprinkle parsley on top.

Nutritional Information: 489 calories, 44 carbs, 15 fat grams and 42 protein grams.

Review: Excellent, hearty recipe! The mushrooms added a lot to this recipe - definitely don't do the white ones. If you want to, sub 'hot paprika' for the paprika - the recipe called for it but I didn't have it - an extra kick would be fine but it was great as was. This was my first time cooking with a leek and it added a lot of flavor, too. I am very happy with this recipe and will definitely make it again. I also liked that it only took 20 minutes from start to finish - always a plus for us!

Mongolian Beef

Mongolian Beef
Adapted from Taste & Tell
Makes 4 Servings

Marinade:
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp hoisin sauce
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp sesame oil
3 splenda packets
1/4 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
Other:
20 oz. sirloin, diced
2 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp minced garlic, jarred
2 tbsp fresh ginger, finely diced
3 green onions, cut into 2-inch lengths
4 servings Jasmine rice, cooked per package instructions

Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl. Stir in beef. Marinate for 15 minutes. Heat 1 tsp of olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Stir fry beef until the outside is brown, but the inside is still pink. Remove from pan and set aside. In the same skillet, add remaining oil. Add garlic and ginger; stir constantly for 30 seconds. Add beef back in and cook until cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add green onion and stir to combine. Serve immediately with rice.

Nutritional information: 400 calories, 44 carbs, 8 fat grams and 35 protein grams.

Review: AWESOME. Me and Austin agreed though, it didn't EXACTLY taste like Mongolian Beef, however, it was a great Asian beef dish that was easy to cook, reheated well, and will be made again. I could also see making this beef and serving it over lettuce with a homemade ginger dressing - the beef had a great flavor and was, again, so easy to make!

Loaded Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

Loaded Scalloped Potatoes
Recipe adapted from Skinnytaste.com
Makes 4 Servings

22 oz. peeled, raw sweet potato, sliced
3 tsp olive oil
2 tsp paprika
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp cumin
Sea salt to taste
4 slices turkey bacon
1 tsp minced garlic, jarred
6 oz. raw sirloin, diced into tiny pieces
2 oz. Cabot 75% reduced fat cheddar cheese
4 tbsp green onion
1 tbsp diced pickled jalapeno, jarred
2 tsp jalapeno juice (from jar)
4 tbsp reduced fat ranch, divided

Preheat oven to 400. Line two baking sheets with foil for easy clean-up. Lightly coat with cooking spray. Add all potatoes, olive oil, and spices (down to sea salt) to a gallon size bag. Toss to coat. Place potatoes in a single layer on baking sheets. Bake uncovered for 12 minutes; flip each potato over, then bake for another 12 minutes or until tender crisp. While potatoes bake, heat a large pan over medium heat. Spray with nonstick spray and add bacon. Cook about 2 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate and add garlic to pan. Stir for 30 seconds, then add steak and cook for 3 – 5 minutes until no longer pink. Add to plate with bacon. Dice now-cooled-off bacon into bite-size pieces. Remove potatoes from oven; place them into two piles in one large ovensafe dish. Top each of the two piles with 1 oz. cheddar cheese, ½ tbsp. jalapenos, 2 tbsp green onions, 2 strips diced bacon and 3 oz. steak. Spoon jalapeno juice carefully over the top of each pile and return to oven for 2 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Serve each serving with 1 tbsp ranch.

Nutritional Information: 339 calories, 39 carbs, 12 fat grams and 18 protein grams.

Review: Tasted great! Loved the idea and it had a lot of flavor from the potatoes, jalapenos and spices. I will say that because I used the food processor to slice, it made it to where you almost had to eat it with a fork (even though the original intention was "fries" that would be eaten with your hands). Oh well - we made it work and loved the loaded scalloped potatoes (even if the original name was texas cheese fries. hehe).

Beef & Noodle Toss

Beef  & Noodle Toss
Makes 4 Servings
Recipe adapted from Better Homes & Gardens

8 oz. lasagna noodles
12 oz. boneless beef sirloin, cut into bite size pieces
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups grape tomatoes
8 oz. mushrooms
2 tsp minced garlic
1 14-oz. can beef broth

Break noodles in half. Cook according to package instructions. Drain (do not rinse). Meanwhile, season beef with ½ tsp each salt and pepper. Toss with flour. Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add meat, any remaining flour, add tomatoes to the skillet. Cook 3-4 minutes until beef is browned, stirring often. Add mushrooms and garlic. Cook 5 minutes more. Add broth; cook 3-4 minutes more or until beef is done and liquid is slightly thickened. Add cooked noodles to skillet; stir gently to coat. Heat through. Spoon into pasta bowls to serve.

Nutritional Information: 430 calories, 46 carbs, 12 fat grams and 37 protein grams.

Review: We liked this one a lot, but I will make a change next time. Basically, the sauce  is thin, so the big lasagna noodles made it a bit difficult to eat. SO, I will either leave the lasagna noodles but thicken up the sauce with cornstarch/water OR go to a smaller pasta shape. Other than this future change, I will leave it EXACTLY as is. The steak was great, the fresh tomatoes were yummy and the sauce blended well. Great, easy recipe with common ingredients so easy to throw together at the last minute!