Sloppy Joes

From Eating Well



Ingredients:
12 ounces 90%-lean ground beef
1 large onion, finely diced
2 cups finely chopped cremini mushrooms, (about 4 ounces)
5 plum tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup chili sauce, such as Heinz
1/4 cup ketchup
8 whole-wheat hamburger buns, toasted if desired

Directions:
Crumble beef into a large nonstick skillet; cook over medium heat until it starts to sizzle, about 1 minute. Add onion and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the vegetables are soft and the moisture has evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes and flour; stir to combine. Stir in water, vinegar, chili sauce and ketchup and bring to a simmer, stirring often. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and the onion is very tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve warm on buns.

Comments:
A different spin on sloppy joes, and I've got to say these are MUCH better than the usual ground beef + prefab spice packet deal. I didn't even mind the mushrooms. Much. I'm still working on actually liking them. I think I went a little crazy with the chili sauce and it burned a little, but it was still good. Leftovers were great with tortilla chips too!

Inside-Out Cheeseburgers

From Eating Well



Ingredients:
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1 pound 90%-lean ground beef
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat grill to medium-high or preheat the broiler.
2. Combine Cheddar and Gruyere in a small bowl.
3. Gently mix beef, Worcestershire, paprika and pepper in a large bowl, preferably with your hands, without overworking. Shape into 8 thin, 4-inch-wide patties. Mound 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture on each of 4 patties, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Cover each with one of the remaining patties. Crimp and seal the edges closed.
4. To grill: Lightly oil the grill rack. Grill the stuffed patties over medium-high heat, about 4 minutes per side for medium-well. (Be sure not to press the burgers as they cook or they’ll split open and the cheese will ooze out.) To broil: Cover a broiler pan with foil and coat with cooking spray. Broil the stuffed patties in the upper third of the oven, about 4 minutes per side for medium-well. In either case, let the burgers stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Comments:
I know I've made some version of this before. Seems to me like it was probably Rachael Ray's recipe. I can never seem to get the burgers to seal completely and I end up with cheese all over my grill pan. Anyway, nothing spectacular here, just meat and cheese. Yummy, yummy cheese.

Turkey, Kale, and Rice Bake

From Eating Well



Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts only
1 cup thinly sliced celery
4 cups slivered kale leaves
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 cup low-fat, no-salt-added cottage cheese
1 cup instant or quick-cooking brown rice
6 ounces smoked turkey breast or smoked tofu, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste
1 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add kale and tomatoes and cook, stirring, until the kale begins to wilt, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in cottage cheese, rice, turkey (or tofu), water and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler.

3. Stir the rice mixture, increase the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, until most of the liquid has evaporated, 10 to 12 minutes. Spread cheese on top. Broil until the cheese is bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes.

Comments:
Adam picked this one after we got a Nook subscription to the magazine. Kind of surprised me, actually. This doesn't seem like his usual area of food choices. It was ok, I guess. I'm not too big a fan of the dark, leafy greens so the kale was a struggle, but overall it was fine. Not sure I'd make it again. Awful lot of prep and effort for something just so-so...

Moroccan Chicken Salad

From Eating Well



Ingredients:
2 cups cooked rice
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cups shredded carrots
1/4 cup sliced scallions
1/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives
1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:
Combine rice, chicken, carrots, scallions and olives in a large bowl. Whisk together broth, orange juice, lemon juice, mint, cilantro, oil, cinnamon, cayenne and salt and pepper to taste in another bowl. Toss dressing with rice mixture.

Comments:
I went a little heavy handed with the cayenne on this one. And again with the cinnamon. I'm just not a cinnamon fan, I guess. I might try this again skipping those two ingredients, but I don't know. The balance of rice to carrots to chicken seemed off to me and Adam didn't really care for it at all.

Adam Cooks: Steak Salad Stuffed Pockets

From EatingWell.com via Yahoo! Food



Ingredients:
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 pound top round steak, 1 1/2 inches thick, trimmed
4 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
1 medium cucumber, diced
1 large tomato, diced
8 small (4 inch) whole-wheat pitas, split open

Directions:
Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler.

Whisk lemon juice, oil, mustard, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Place steak in a shallow dish and pour half the dressing over it. Let marinate at room temperature, turning once, for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the salad by adding lettuce, cucumber and tomato to the remaining dressing in the bowl; toss to coat.

Transfer the meat to a broiling pan. Broil for 5 minutes on each side for medium-rare, or until it reaches desired doneness. Transfer to a cutting board, let rest for 3 minutes, then slice thinly against the grain. Mix the meat with the salad and fill each pita. Serve immediately.

Comments:
Bwahahaha! He set the smoke alarm off again!

Anyway, these were good. A nice, all-in-one meal. He decided to go with flatbread rather than pita pockets and I think I would have stuck with the pockets. It was kind of difficult to eat with all the stuff falling out. He points out that he didn't have that problem due to his huge hands. I'm resisting making an ape comment here. I'm so restrained... Anywho. Outside of the mess, they were a great meal.

Maple-Glazed Chicken Breasts

From Eating Well via MSN Lifestyles



Ingredients:
maple syrup
soy sauce
lemon juice
garlic
pepper
ginger
boneless, skinless chicken

Comments:
Adam found this recipe online and fowarded it to me. I put the chicken in the marinade on Saturday morning and he grilled them up with some fresh corn on the cob for dinner. The sugar in the syrup produced an extra crispy outside, but the flavor was pretty good. But wow, real maple syrup is sure expensive!