Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day: Guinness-Braised Steak with Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

 

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, try this comfort food recipe that actually has only 400 calories and  13.1 grams of fat. I worked on a recipe development job a year ago: “Cooking with Beer”, and I was amazed with the beer flavoring. Beer can add such a great flavor to many recipes, especially beef. This recipe is ideal for this time of year while there’s still a chill in the air. Also, the mashed potatoes are delicious with the beef or on their own with a touch of horseradish. Enjoy for a Sunday night dinner or on St. Patrick’s Day.

Also, if you missed my television spot yesterday with my daughter, Leigh, on WBRC Fox 6 News in Birmingham, take a look at the link below:

link: ttp://www.myfoxal.com/dpp/gda_publish/20090315Weekend_Cooking_Healthy_Break

 

Guinness-Braised Steak with Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

Prep: 25 minutes

Cook: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Yield: 6 servings 

Ingredients

STEAK:

1 1/2  pounds  boneless chuck steak, trimmed

1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

1/2  teaspoon  salt

2  teaspoons  olive oil

1 1/2  cups  finely chopped onion

1/2  cup  chopped carrot

1/2  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided

1  teaspoon  dark brown sugar

1  teaspoon  chopped fresh rosemary

1  (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms

1  garlic clove, minced

2  bay leaves

1  (12-ounce) bottle Guinness Stout

POTATOES:

2  pounds  peeled baking potatoes, quartered

2  tablespoons  butter

1/2  cup  fat-free milk

1/4  cup  finely chopped green onions

1/4  cup  reduced-fat sour cream

2  tablespoons  prepared horseradish

1/2  teaspoon  salt

1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

 To prepare steak:

1. Sprinkle steak with 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add steak; cook 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove steak from pan; set aside. Add 1 1/2 cups onion, chopped carrot, 2 tablespoons broth, and sugar. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook 10 minutes. Stir in rosemary, mushrooms, and garlic. Cover and cook 2 minutes. Add bay leaves, stout, remaining broth, and steak; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour and 30 minutes or until steak is tender.

To prepare potatoes:

1. Place potatoes in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil; simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender; drain. Return potatoes to pan. Add butter; beat with a mixer at medium speed just until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients. Keep warm.

2. Remove steak from pan; keep warm. Discard bay leaves. Increase heat to medium-high; cook 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Spoon stout mixture over steak. Serve with potatoes.

St. Patrick’s Day Appetizer: Fresh Herb Dip

Since Saint Patrick’s Day is one week away, here’s a quick and easy dip that is sure to be a party pleaser. This low-fat, low-calorie delight is perfect for spring. It’s filled with fresh dill and fresh basil. Guests won’t believe that this dip is low-fat, and don’t tell them it took only 10 minutes to prepare.

 

Low-Fat Fresh Herb Dip

Prep: 10 minutes

Yield: 31/2 cups

Ingredients

1 (16-ounce) container light sour cream

1 cup low-fat mayonnaise

2 cloves garlic

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Fresh vegetables, crackers

Preparation

1. Combine all ingredients in a container of a food processor; pulse until combine. Cover and chill. Serve with fresh vegetables or crackers.

Easy Low-Fat Appetizer: Sun-Dried Tomato Dip

This is one of my all-time favorite dips, and it’s low in fat and so high in flavor! I have made this numerous times for parties and showers, but I brought it up to the baseball field for my son’s 5:30 game, and everyone went nuts over it. I like to use rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes that are already chopped. These are less fat since they’re not packed in oil, and they can be found in the produce section of your local grocery store. This recipe is so quick, light, simple and delicious. What else can you ask for?

 

Sun-Dried Tomato Dip

Prep: 10 minutes

Yield: 11/2 cups

Ingredients

1 (8-ounce) package low-fat cream cheese

1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes

1 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Preparation

1. Combine all ingredients in a container of a food processor; process until combined. Serve with crackers or vegetables. 

Love This Lasagna Soup

If you love lasagna, you will love this soup. All of my favorite ingredients, spinach, sausage and tomatoes and cheese, fill this soup, and it is so quick and easy. Using the mini farfalle noodles works perfect in this recipe as they truly look like mini lasagna noodles. My family was wowed by the soup. Serve with a salad and some fresh crusty bread, and dinner is on the table in no time.

 

Lasagna Soup

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 30 minutes

Yield: 8 cups

Ingredients

1 pound mild Italian sausage

1 cup diced onion

1 cup diced carrots

1 (8-ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 cups low-salt, fat-free chicken broth

1 (141/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil and oregano

1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

1 cup mini farfalle pasta (piccolini) “Barilla” makes it

2 cups fresh spinach

2 cups freshly grated Asiago cheese

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Fresh basil, (optional)

Preparation

1. Brown sausage in a large Dutch over medium-high heat. Add onions and carrots; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and garlic; saute 3 minutes more.

2. Add chicken broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and Italian seasoning; bring to a boil. Add pasta and simmer until cooked, about 10 minutes, or according to package directions. Stir in spinach and cook until wilted. 

3. Place 1/4 cup Asiago cheese into each bowl; pour soup on top garnish with Parmesan cheese. Garnish with basil, if desired.

Dinner in Under 20 Minutes: Five-Spice Pork

Five-spice powder is a spice used often in Chinese cooking, but it’s a mixture of cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, star anise and szechuan peppercorns. It is now commonly found in all grocery stores in the spice section and yields lots of unique but delicious flavors. If you don’t eat pork, this recipe works great with thinly sliced chicken breasts. Serve with rice, Asian noodles or steamed broccoli and a salad for a complete weeknight meal.

 

Five-Spice Pork

Prep:  5 minutes

Cook: 10 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder

2 tablespoons honey

11/2 pounds thinly sliced boneless pork loin chops

Ingredients

1. Whisk together first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl; pour over pork. Marinate 30 minutes to 1 hour, if desired. Cook in a large lightly greased saute pan over medium-high heat 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.

What’s For Dinner: Healthy Spaghetti and Meatballs

If you think you can’t be healthy eating Spaghetti and Meatballs, you’re wrong. This version uses ground turkey, whole wheat spaghetti and egg whites. I like to bake the meatballs on a rack in the oven first, then put them in the sauce. I made this recipe for some kid’s cooking classes I taught 2 summers ago, and it was an instant hit. They had no idea I had slipped in turkey for the beef, and for many of them, it was the first time they tried whole wheat noodles. They really liked them! This is a super easy recipe and a family favorite at my house, so I hope you will enjoy it in your home too. Also, please comment by clicking on the button below, and tell me what type of recipes you would like to see. Alison

 

Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

11/2 pounds ground turkey 

1 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs

2 egg whites

1/4 cup minced onion

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 (3-pound) jar marinara pasta sauce 

1 (16-ounce) package whole-wheat spaghetti 

Fresh basil, optional

Preparation

1. Combine turkey, breadcrumbs, egg whites, onion, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Shape mixture into (1-inch) balls. (I used a tablespoon cookie scoop for the balls.)

2. Place a rack coated with cooking spray in a lightly greased aluminum foil-lined broiler pan. Arrange meatballs on rack. Bake at 400F for 10 minutes or until meatballs are browned.

3. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

4. Pour marinara sauce into a Dutch oven. Add meatballs. Cover and simmer over low heat 30 minutes. Serve over pasta and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese and fresh basil, if desired.

Healthy Organic Trail Mix

When I am on the go (which is all of the time), I like a quick healthy snack. This trail mix is perfect because it has the combination of a sweet and salty crunch made with some of my favorite ingredients. Today, I am taping 4 different cooking segments for a new local NBC show, “Daytime Alabama”. I can’t begin to explain what it’s like to prepare for 4 different cooking shows (I thought 1 show was difficult). Don’t get me wrong, it’s really fun. I would like to give thanks to my friend Alacia who helped me prepare for these television segments. 

 

Organic Trail Mix

Prep: 5 minutes

Yield:  6 cups

Ingredients

21/2 cups Oatmeal Squares

2 cups granola

1 cup peanut-butter filled pretzels

2 (10-ounce) package Harvest blend trail mix (I used Back to Nature)

1 (5.2-ounce) dried strawberries

1 (5.2-ounce) dried blueberries

1 (8.3-ounce) yogurt covered raisins

Preparation

1. Combine all ingredients in a airtight container and store at room temperature.