Spaghetti Squash

In the New Year, everyone resolves to eat better and make better lifestyle decisions. And I'm one of them. In fact, this blog started as a result of a very successful New Year's Resolution a few years back. One thing that I have been wanting to try to make for a while is spaghetti squash. I've had it at various Vegan dinner parties in recent weeks, but I had yet to attempt it myself. Earlier in January I had made my homemade marinara sauce with meatballs. You can see that recipe here. Since it makes enough for a small, hungry army, I often freeze a large amount of it so I can enjoy it throughout the winter. So I decided to break it out for my first foray into spaghetti squash. I strongly believe that with a good topping, anyone can enjoy spaghetti squash as a healthy alternative to regular pasta.

Spaghetti Squash (serves 2-3 people, depending on size of squash)

Ingredients:

• Spaghetti Squash
• Olive oil
• Oregano, dried
• Sea Salt
• Pepper
• Your Favorite Sauce

Directions:

Probably the most difficult part about working with spaghetti squash (or any squash for that matter) is cutting it in half. Those suckers are hard to work with! It took a very large, sharp knife for me to cut these in half...and arm strength I just don't have. So...I elected to cook them for 10 minutes or so first in order to soften them up, and then cut them in half for the rest of the time. But hopefully you're stronger than me!

If you are able to cut these suckers in half, do that first. Then scoop out the pulp and seeds from the middle. You can elect to toast the seeds as a snack, or just toss these. They will not be needed for the dish. Once this is completed, sprinkle the insides with olive oil, oregano, sea salt and pepper. Then place them rind side up and bake in a 375 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, until they have softened on the inside. Then just take a fork and shred out the spaghetti squash. Toss with your sauce and serve!

Southwest Beef and Bacon Roll

In part deux of my bacon-fest earlier this month, I present to you one of the more glorious ideas out there. Meat wrapped in meat. To say this meat roll was hearty would be an understatement. Needless to say, this part of the class evoked a lot of dirty jokes and inappropriate comments. My friend took a great photo of all our dishes...this roll is on the bottom right. With some brussel sprouts.

So in addition to a photo of this meat roll in all its glory, I present to you a glorified shot of me taking way too much pleasure in handling this meat. But don't worry...I wore protection!

Southwest Beef and Bacon Roll (serves 3-4 people)

Ingredients:

• 1/3 pound bacon
• 1 8 oz. skirt steak
• 3/4 tsp. cumin, divided
• 3/4 tsp. ground coriander, divided
• 3/4 tsp. epazote (Mexican oregano), divided
• 3/4 tsp. ground chipotle powder, divided
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 oz. medium bodied lager (Mexican beer is great!)
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1 15 oz. can of black beans
• Fresh cilantro, to garnish
• Salt and pepper, to taste.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F and lay the strips of bacon out on sheet pans lined with parchment. Bake bacon until mostly cooked – but definitely not crispy – about 25-30 minutes. Reserve bacon as well as rendered bacon fat. Keep oven on.

Lay out the bacon strips shingling them slightly running up the length of your cutting board.

Lay out the skirt steak with the grain of the muscles running sideways on top of the bacon strips, with the fatter end closer to you. Season the steak with salt and pepper, as well as ¼ tsp each of the cumin, coriander, epazote and chipotle.

Roll up the bacon and streak, and tie off like a roast with kitchen twine. (This I found very difficult, but it doesn't need to be perfect. Just enough to keep everything in its place.Place the roll in an oven safe roasting pan.
Heat a large sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium heat, add some reserved bacon fat and then add onions and sauté until very soft – about 5-8 minutes. Add the garlic, and remaining cumin, coriander, epazote and chipotle. Cook for about 1 minute. Add the beer, and bring to a boil. Let boil for about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and beans, and bring to a boil again.

Pour the bean mixture over the top of the beef and bacon roll. Cover the pan the roll is in (either with a lid or with foil) and roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes, until the beef registers about 140° F.

Remove roll from the beans, remove kitchen twine, slice roll in about 1” slices, and serve over the top of the beans garnished with fresh cilantro.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately with extra parmesan and freshly ground black pepper at table.

2013 CFC Chili Cookoff

This week, I was one of the organizers for our division's second chili cookoff. The tradition started last year and we decided to resurrect the idea again this year, but on a smaller scale. This didn't mean we skimped on chili, just made it more about our division's efforts related to CFC.

For those unfamiliar with the acronym, CFC stands for the Combined Federal Campaign. The CFC provides federal employees an opportunity to donate pre-tax dollars, right from their paychecks, to charities of their choosing. Through the CFC campaign season, which typically runs from October- December, events are held to raise awareness of the initiative, and also raise a little money for the general fund. This was one of those events.

I'm happy to report that I came in third place in both the official judging, as well as the people's choice. There were some great offerings this year, from a lamb chili to a Filipino-style chili with black rice. I made my traditional Cincinnati-style chili, but with beef as opposed to my typical chicken, and without the addition of pasta. But this pasta was definitely sugar and spice and everything nice.

But even more importantly, we raised more than $300 for the CFC.

Here are some of my previous chili posts in case you are so inspired to make a chili for this chilly weather.

Cincinnati-style Chicken Chili

Savory Chicken Chili with Corn and White Beans

Turkey Chili

Grilled Asian Flank Steak and Mango Salad

Summer weather is just around the corner, which means I'll be attempting much lighter meals to counteract the unbearable heat and humidity which DC falls prey to come June. I'm starting the lighter eating a bit early this time around, with this flavorful steak salad. I loved the marinade on the meat. There's just something about asian flavors and beef that I always enjoy.

Grilled Asian Flank Steak and Mango Salad (serves 4)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

5 tsp sugar, divided

1 TB grated peeled fresh ginger

1 TB minced fresh garlic

1 TB fish sauce

1 TB lower-sodium soy sauce

1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed

Cooking spray

3 TB lime juice

2 TB water

1 TB reduced-fat peanut butter

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

5 cups spinach 

1/2 cup mint leaves

1/2 cup cilantro leaves

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

1 mango, peeled and diced

Directions:

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

Combine chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon sugar, and next 4 ingredients (through soy sauce) in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add beef; let stand 15 minutes. Remove beef from marinade; reserve marinade.

Place beef on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Drizzle with reserved marinade. Grill 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from grill; cover with foil. Let stand 5 minutes; cut across grain into thin slices.

Combine lime juice, 2 tablespoons water, peanut butter, remaining 2 teaspoons sugar, and pepper in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Add spinach and next 4 ingredients; toss to coat.

Divide salad evenly among 4 plates; top evenly with mango. Serve with beef.

Fiery Beef and Rice Noodle Salad

Every so often I try something that is similar to something I've made before, but perhaps a bit simpler. And sometimes it works out, but more often than not, I find that the more complex recipes end up more flavorful. This was the case for this recipe. It's similar to one of my favorite recipes from last year, the Vietnamese Pork Noodle Salad, which I recently made for my family over the holiday. So if I'm going to recommend making one of these recipes, make that one. But hey, maybe you can improve upon this one?

Fiery Beef and Rice Noodle Salad (serves 4)

Ingredients:

soy sauce

2 oz uncooked rice stick noodles

12 oz flank steak, trimmed

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Cooking spray

2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce

1/3 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion

1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced

1/2 habanero pepper, minced

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 TB sugar

1 TB fish sauce

12 basil leaves, torn

Instructions:

Cut steak into 1/8-inch-thick slices.Sprinkle with salt and pepper and then place in a ziploc bag. Coat with soy sauce. Marinate for an hour or more.

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain. Coarsely chop noodles.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Coat with cooking spray. Add beef; sauté 4 minutes.

Combine steak, noodles, lettuce, onion, cucumber, and habanero. Combine juice, sugar, and fish sauce; pour over noodle mixture, tossing gently. Sprinkle with basil.

Beef Bourguignon

Quick disclaimer before I go on. I can be complete nitpicky when it comes to spelling, but no matter how many times I write "beef bourguignon" it always ends up differently. Because I don't know French. Hell, I don't even know if this is French, but I'm guessing since it's the infamous Julia Child dish, it probably is. Disclaimer over.

Over the holidays, I wanted to cook something nice and warm for a large number of people. I typically cook for just myself, which means a lot of leftovers. Which is fine, except for when you try something completely out of your comfort zone...and what if it turns out poorly? Then you're stuck with a bunch of leftovers that you don't want to throw away out of principle, but don't exactly want to give it away. So I took the opportunity of a captive family audience, who will not judge me too harshly, to try and make beef bourguignon. In the interest of time, I opted not to do the original Julia child version, which I believe requires a few more hours and steps. I instead did the Anne Burrell version, which was pretty simple. And it turned out really well. So if you have a few hours on your hands, and want to serve a warm meal for a crowd, this is your recipe!

Beef Bourguignon (serves 8-10)

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch chunks

Marinade:

• 1 large onion, quartered
• 2 carrots, peeled and halved
• 2 ribs celery, halved
• 5 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 bottle red wine
• 3 fresh bay leaves

Stew:

• Olive oil, enough to coat pan
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup flour 
• 8 ounces slab bacon, cut into lardons (small pieces)
• 1 large onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 2 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 2 ribs celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup tomato paste 
• 2 cups red wine (reserved marinade)
• 3 to 4 cups beef stock, plus more as needed
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 bundle fresh thyme
• 1 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 1 pound red bliss potatoes, quartered
• 1/2 bunch fresh chives, finely chopped, for garnish

Directions:

 

For the marinade, combine the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, and wine in a large bowl or container. Add the beef, cover, and let sit in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day, remove the beef from the marinade. Strain the veggies and bay leaves from the wine and discard, but reserving the wine.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat a large, wide pan or Dutch oven with olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. Season the beef generously with salt and toss with flour. Add the flour-coated beef to the hot pan, but be sure not to crowd the pan, so you will need to work in batches.  Do not flour the beef until you're ready to brown it.

Brown the meat well on all sides and remove from the pan to a sheet tray.

Add the bacon and cook until it gets brown and crispy. Toss in the onions, carrots, celery, and season with salt. Cook the mixture for 8 to10 minutes or until the mixture starts to soften and become very aromatic. Add in the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add 2 cups reserved wine and the beef. Stir to combine and cook until the wine has reduced by 1/2. Add the beef stock to just cover the surface of the beef. Toss in the bay leaves and thyme bundle. Season with salt, if needed. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover the pot and put in the preheated oven.

Cook the beef 2 hours, checking occasionally to add more stock, if needed. During the last 40 minutes of cooking time, add the mushrooms, potatoes, and more stock, if needed.

Remove the pan from the oven, and skim off any excess grease from the surface of the stew. Serve with crusty bread to sop up all the sauce and garnish with chopped fresh chives.

Korean Beef Tacos

In DC, food trucks have been taking over some of the metro stops near the Mall, which is a welcome change of scenery from the federal cafeterias and what they pass off as good food. Every so often I can escape my desk long enough to walk over to one of these trucks. In the interest of time, I typically go for whatever has the shortest line. A few weeks ago, this was the Korean taco truck. The tacos I had there (beef and chicken) were very flavorful and I was a big fan of the slaw they topped each taco with. So when I found this recipe, I decided I would attempt my own.

The marinade for the meat turned out very well and I found that I had all of the ingredients already in my fridge and/or cabinet. My only change to this would be to get the pre-packaged cole slaw and add the slaw mixture to that directly, as opposed to buying the napa cabbage. Not only would it have been easier and cheaper, I think it would have been a bit better.

Korean Beef Tacos (serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 5 TB lower-sodium soy sauce
• 1 1/2 TB chile paste (such as sambal oelek)
• 1 TB fresh lime juice
• 1 TB dark sesame oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 12 ounces flank steak, sliced against the grain into thin strips
• 1/8 tsp salt
• Cooking spray
• 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 3 TB sliced green onions

Pickled Cabbage

• 3 cups chopped napa cabbage (or coleslaw mix)
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 2 TB lower-sodium soy sauce
• 1 TB sugar
• 2 tsp chile paste

Instructions:

For pickled cabbage, place cabbage in a medium bowl with garlic. Bring vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and chile paste to a boil. Pour hot vinegar mixture over cabbage; toss. Let stand at least 30 minutes.

For tacos, combine sugar, soy sauce, chile paste, lime juice, oil and garlic in a shallow dish. Add steak to dish; cover. Marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour, turning after 30 minutes.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

Remove steak from marinade, and discard marinade. Thread steak onto 8 (8-inch) skewers; sprinkle with salt. Place skewers on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 2 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Grill tortillas 30 seconds on each side or until lightly charred; keep warm. Place 2 tortillas on each of 4 plates, and divide steak evenly among tortillas. Top tacos with cabbage and sprinkle with onions.