Goulash Hongrois

When I got married and moved to the States, my Mom gave me a series of little recipe pamphlet put together by a well known Mom and daughter team in Quebec, the Taillefer. The good thing about these recipes is that they are generally healthy (not necessarily low calories though) and include a lot of "traditional" foods from home. They aren't limited to local foods though. I guess I should say that Quebec's traditional cooking is very strongly influenced by what the different immigrants (French included) brought in.

These are, I believe, from 1996-1997. 

Last week I moved my cookbooks around (ARG!) and found this bundle of little pamphlet, which I have rarely used, and decided to dig in for some "cook ahead" idea. I found a recipe of Goulash that seemed fairly healthy and had no pasta in it. Because of that, it was perfect for freezing!

I am putting in here the original recipe, and will not the changes I've made in it. I need to note that I count the P+ value of my recipes by hand, and do not put in value for 0P+ vegetables. So if you want to be righteous about this, use the recipe builder at www.weightwatchers.com.

The picture is a little dark-ish, but the flash made it too shiny. 

Goulash Hongrois
6 servings, 7P+/serving

Ingredients
2 lbs veal, cubed (I used 1 lb 10 oz of top sirloin steak, trimmed and cubed)
1 TBSP Paprika
2TBSP flour
2 TBSP oil (I tried cutting down, but it's needed!)
1 TBSP butter (didn't use)
1 onion chopped
1 cup beef broth
2 cans (19 oz) crushed tomatoes (I used 1 can (28oz) crushed, and 1 can (14oz) roasted diced, drained)
1 TBSP tomato paste
1 TBSP oregano (or 1 tsp dried)
Salt & Pepper
(I added a bay leaf and 3 small carrots sliced)

• Mix flour and paprika and coat beef cubes, shaking off excess. Heat up oil in a dutch oven and brown beef on all sides. Set aside. Remove excess fat from pan (skipped this).
• In the same pan heat butter (cooking spray!) and cook onion stirring. I had to throw in a little broth cause the flour was burning at the bottom of the pan. Keep it close! Add beef, tomato paste, crushed tomato (and diced), and broth to the pan, cover and simmer 30 minutes. 
• Add potatoes (and carrots)*, cover and simmer 40-45 minutes. Uncover and cook 5 minutes until thickened to taste**. Add oregano and check seasonings.

* I added 1/2 of the oregano then, and salt and pepper. I added the rest of the oregano at the end and adjusted seasonings
**I cooked this to freeze, so I didn't want it too thick knowing it would thicken when I heated it up.

This turned out to be delicious! It takes forever to cook, but it's not that much prep!

Ours made 7 1 cup servings at about 5 P+ each. We did eat 1.5 serving for dinner, but it was too much! As my husband said: "This is sneakily filling!" It could be served over pasta, or grains, but stands very well on its own. I must admit it would be great with a big piece of this rustic bread too, but we DIDN'T!

Happy Cooking Everybody!

Molasse-Glazed Beef Kebabs

These skewers are delicious, a little goes a long way as they are packed with flavor! For Memorial day, it's neat to have something tasty and healthy on the grill!

These makes 8 servings of about 3 oz each (cooked). I will usually serve these with the Ginger Chicken Yakitori , a grain salad and a vegetable side. For about 12-15 PointsPlus, I have a full delicious filling meal, and I don't feel like I'm missing a thing. When everybody is scarfing down burgers, I like to have little servings of different things. Makes me feel like I'm having a lot of food and still remain right on plan.

Molasse-Glazed Beef Kebabs
8 servings (or 6), 5 P+/serving (or 7P+)

Ingredients
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
2 garlic cloves minced (or pressed)
3/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 lbs trimmed beef steak (round), in 2 inches cubes

Tool: Metal skewers (on high heat, bamboo or wood will disintegrate eventually even if you soak them forever.

In a medium saucepan, bring the orange juice to a boil on high heat and reduce to 1/3 cup, about 3 minutes. Stir in the molasses and continue to boil until mixture reduces to 1/2 cup. Take off the fire.

Whisk in the garlic, salt and pepper. Throw in the beef cubes and toss to coat well. Thread the beef cubes on 8 metal skewers and grill over high heat turning frequently until meat is well browned 8 to 10 minutes.

Adapted from an American Test Kitchen's recipe :o)

Middle Eastern Beef Kebabs

This is a recipe that we always end up going back to. It's delicious! We make it on the grill instead of the broiler, but it's the same thing.

Middle Eastern Beef Kebabs
4 servings, 6P+/Serving

Ingredients
1 onion, cubed
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
4 tsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp finely chopped fresh time (1/2 tsp dried)
1 tsp chopped fresh mint
1/2 tsp paprika
Dash cayenne
1 lb boneless beef tenderloin, in 1 inch cubes
1 bay leaf
1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
1 red bell pepper, seeded, cut into 8 squares
8 medium mushroom caps
chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish

Directions
1- Combine first 10 ingredients in a blender or food processor, pureed. Place marinade in a Ziploc bag and add the beef and the bay leaf. Turn to coat and let marinate 1 hour to overnight in the fridge, turning occasionally. Remove from the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking, drain the marinade into a little saucepan and bring to a boil. Keep boiling, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes.

2- Preheat the broiler or the grill. Thread the onion wedges, bell pepper, mushrooms, and beef onto 4 skewers, beginning and ending with the onion wedges. Set the skewers on the broiler or grill rack, keeping the rack 2-3 inches from the heat. Broil about 5 minutes on each side, basting with the marinade when turning. Discard the bay leaf.
Sprinkle the kebabs with the parsley and serve with any remaining marinade on the side.

Source: Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook, P. 192

Home-Style Meatloaf

Ok, I am the cook in the family, but the last year or so my husband jumped in and started cooking also. I'll be darned if he's not turning out to be at least as good a cook as I am.

This recipe is a little messy, but so worth it. It's delicious, makes tons of leftovers and freezes like a charm.

Home-Style Meatloaf

8 servings, 4 P+/serving

Ingredients

3/4 cup instant oatmeal

1/2 cup fat free milk
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1/4 cup diced onions

1 large egg, lightly beaten

3 TBSP chopped fresh parsley

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp coarsely ground pepper

3/4 pound ground skinless turkey breast

3/4 pound lean ground beef (7% fat or less)

1- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 5x9-inch loaf pan with foil

2- Combine the oatmeal, milk, broth, carrots, onion, egg, parsley, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Gently mix the turkey and beef in a medium bowl. Add the turkey mixture to the oatmeal mixture; mix just until blended.

3- Spoon the mixture into the pan and smooth the top. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf register 160F, about 1 hour. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Remove meatloaf from the pan and cut in half. Slice one half and serve immediately (that always cracks me up "Quick! quick! serve it NOW!"). Let the other half cool completely, cut in two and wrap the two pieces separately, keep in the fridge or freeze to use later.

Beat Eats, p. 66, Weight Watchers 2008.

Pepper and Garlic-Crusted Tenderloin Steaks with Port Sauce

I’m not that much of a red meat eater, but every once in a while I get an attack. This recipe turned out fabulous, and easy!

It’s delicious with roasted asparagus and roasted fingerling potatoes!

Pepper and Garlic-Crusted Tenderloin Steaks with Port Sauce
4 servings, 5 P+/serving

Ingredients
2 tsp black peppercorns
½ tsp salt
3 garlic cloves minced
4 (4oz) tenderloin steaks, trimmed (1 inch thick)
Cooking Spray
¼ cup Port wine
¼ cup beef broth
1 TBSP chopped fresh thyme

Place peppercorn in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Crush them using a mallet (or anything hard enough!)*. Combine peppercorn, salt, and garlic in a bowl; rub evenly over steaks.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with spray, add steaks, reduce heat and cook 4 minutes on each side or to desired doneness. Remove steaks from pan, cover and keep warm.

Add Port and broth to pan and stir to loosen browned bits. Cook until reduced to ¼ cup (about 3 minutes). Place 1 steak on each plate and drizzle with 1 TBSP of sauce. Sprinkle with ¾ tsp of thyme and serve.

* I cheat here and loosen up the gears on my pepper mill, it makes a huge ground, so it’s not quite as big as cracked pepper, but it’s much easier!

Source: Cooking Light 350 Calories recipes, hints tips, Oxmoor House, p. 30

Champion All-Beef Chili

This is a hot and tasty chili that we use to do all the time. I reorganized my cookbooks a little while ago and found the Turn Around cookbook (2004).

I made it not too long ago and it’s going back on the menu this week!

Champion All-Beef Chili
4 servings, 4 p+/serving
(2 servings is 7 p+)

Ingredients
1 pound boneless, lean top round steak, trimmed and cut in 1 inch cubes
2 onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 jalapeños peppers, seeded and minced (don’t rub your eye after handling these!) or ¼ cup canned chopped chilies *
1-3 TBSP hot chili powder *
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp ground cinnamon
3 cup reduced sodium beef broth
2 scallions, sliced (optional)

*These are “to taste” putting in the full amount makes this fairly spicy.

1- Heat large nonstick saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the beef cubes for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the onions, the garlic, and jalapeños; cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chili powder, the cumin, oregano, and cinnamon; stir until the spices coat the beef and vegetables.

2- Stir in the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the beef is fork-tender, the broth is thickened, and the flavor are blended, 1- 1 ½ hours. Sprinkle the chili with the scallions (if using).

Source: Turn Around cookbook, Weight Watchers 2004 p. 81.

You can eat this after 45 minutes of cooking, but it’s better if it can go the whole time. I find it even better as leftovers!