Extraordinary Entree: Stewed Ground Beef, previously Kheema

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef (ground turkey or ground lamb works well, too)
1 packet Sazon
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons Green Grind Seasoning
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced (I love garlic!)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon geera (optional)
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon store-bought or homemade garam masala (I'll post a homemade recipe as soon as I test one!)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne, optional
4 medium vine ripened tomatoes, chopped
1-1/2 cup water
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup frozen peas and diced carrots, thawed
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus a few extra leaves for garnish


Directions

Season ground beef with onion powder, garlic powder, Sazon, and Green Grind Seasoning.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.

Add the diced onion and minced garlic. Cook until onion is translucent but do not allow garlic to burn.

Stir in the ginger, geera, coriander, paprika, garam masala, cumin and cayenne (if using), and cook for 1 minute.

Add the beef, breaking up lumps with a spoon, and saute until the meat is no longer pink.

Add the tomatoes & water, and season with salt and pepper.

Smash the tomato into the mixture, creating a tomato sauce.

Heat through and allow sauce to reduce by 1/4.

Sprinkle in the frozen diced carrots and peas. Stir well and simmer, partially covered.

Stir in the vinegar and chopped cilantro, and let simmer for at least 10 minutes.

Serve with roti or over rice.

Adapted from Aarti Party on Foodnetwork.com.

Gearing Up for the Holidays!

Thanksgiving came a little early for me this year.  I wanted to test a new entree recipe I found online but tweaked my own delicious enhancements, Turkey Loaf Muffins.  While tweaking and reviewing my recipe I asked myself, "What can I pair with this muffin?" I didn't want the traditional mashed potato and I wanted to do something different than rice and beans (which is a staple in a Haitian-American household).  My Mother suggested sweet potato! What a genius! 

My Mother has been making a roasted sweet potato in a brown sugar glaze for years. Normally, this is a delight reserved just for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and maybe Easter if we were extra good during Lent.  OMG this glaze is DEE-LISH with both turkey and ham, so I decided to learn this dish for myself. But then I got the bright idea that I'd make mashed sweet potato from the roasted sweetened potato...MMMM...

Too bad my stamina went into the toilet quickly some time while the potatoes were boiling. The mashed sweet potato will have to wait for another day. 

Still, all of this talk of sweet potato and turkey has me officially thinking about my menus for the coming holidays.  Thanksgiving is next month, Christmas in December, and New Year's Day's Seafood Extravaganza! I'm going to be a recipe testing fool for the next few weeks. I'M BUBBLING WITH EXCITEMENT!  WHOOOO-HOOOO!!!  I don't wanna serve my guests anything that isn't absolutely PERFECT!

Enjoy these two great recipes, new additions to my cooking arsenal,  Turkey Meat Loaf Muffin and Brown Sugar Glazed Roasted Sweet Potato...DEE-LISH!

NOW, LET'S GET COOKING!

Extraordinary Entree: Turkey Loaf Muffins

Ingredients

1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, minced
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 eggs
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 pound extra lean ground turkey
2-1/2 turkey sausage links, casings removed and minced
1 cup cooked couscous
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese


Topping (optional):
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup catsup
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
Mix together. Spread over unbaked meatloaf.

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray muffin cups with olive oil flavored cooking spray.

Rough chop the onions, green bell pepper,  garlic cloves, and celery stalks.

Transfer the veggies into a food processor, and pulse several times until pureed.

Place ground turkey and turkey sausage into a bowl.

Add the pureed vegetables, couscous,  Parmesan cheese, and spices into the bowl.

Add the Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard.  Mix the contents of the bowl until thoroughly combined.

Fill each prepared muffin cup about 3/4 full.

Spread the topping over each uncooked muffin cup.

 
Bake in the preheated oven until juices run clear, about 30 minutes. Remove from the muffin tin,  transfer the muffins to a baking sheet, and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Let stand 5 minutes before serving. These turkey muffins are DEE-LISH paired with my Roasted Brown Sugar Glazed Sweet Potato. 

 After looking at my Roasted Brown Sugar Glazed Sweet Potato, LET'S GET COOKING!

Extraordinary Entree: Not-So-Traditional Shepard's Pie

* Here's another Turkey Shepard's Pie I really enjoy making and eating!

Ingredients

Garlic mashed potato (try this recipe)
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 1/2 pound ground turkey
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2  yellow onion, diced
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 green onion, chopped including greens
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh oregano, chopped
1 cup matchstick carrots
1 cup broccoli slaw
Alfredo Sauce (try this recipe)
1 bulb roasted garlic
Olive Oil flavored cooking spray
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons Italian bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Spray coat a 13 x 9 inch Pyrex pan with olive oil cooking spray, and set aside.

Prepare garlic mashed potato.

Prepare Alfredo sauce.  Whisk the roasted garlic into the Alfredo sauce.

On medium heat, in a large saute pan heat olive oil. Add garlic and onion, and cook until onions are translucent. Do not allow garlic to burn. Add celery, green onion, parsley, and oregano and continue to saute.

Add ground turkey to the saute pan and saute until turkey is almost cooked through. Add matchstick carrots and broccoli slaw and continue to cook turkey until completely cooked through. and vegetables are wilted.  Turn heat down to low and add Alfredo sauce to the saute pan. Continue to cook until sauce and turkey are heated through. Set aside.

Coat the bottom of the pyrex using half of the garlic mashed potato. Layer turkey mixture over the mashed potato base. Top the turkey with the remaining mashed potato.

Mix together the Parmesan cheese and Italian bread crumbs. Top with the crumb mixture over the top mashed potato layer. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes, or until top coat begins to turn golden.

Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving. ENJOY!

LET'S GET COOKING!