Marinated Beef Stir-Fry

1/2 cup dry red wine or beef broth
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon each salt, ground ginger and pepper
1/2 pound beef flank steak cut into strips
1 medium onion, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup julienned zucchini
1/2 cup julienned carrot
1/2 cup each julienned green pepper and red pepper

In a Ziploc bag, combine the wine, 4 tablespoons of oil, chili powder, garlic, cumin, salt, ginger and pepper. Add beef. Seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours.

In a large skillet or wok, stir fry the onion, zucchini, carrot and peppers in remaining oil for 4-5 minutes or until crisp tender. Remove and keep warm.

Drain and discard marinade. Stir-fry beef for 5-6 minutes or until no longer pink; drain. Return vegetables to the pan and stir-fry 2-3 minutes or until heated through.

Side Note: I didn't have any zucchini so I added sliced mushrooms instead. You can add any vegetables to this dish that you like and take out others that you don't. The marinade for the meat has a nice flavour to it.

Beer Braised Stew

3 bacon strips, diced
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups fresh baby carrots
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 bay leaf
1 can beer (12 ounces)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
Hot cooked noodles

In a large skillet. cook bacon over medium heat, until crisp. Remove to paper towels, drain, discarding drippings. Sprinkle beef with pepper and salt. In the same skillet, brown beef in oil in batches, drain.

Transfer to a 5 quart slow cooker. Add the carrots, bacon, onion, garlic and bay leaf ( I added mushrooms during this step). In a small bowl, combine the beer, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and thyme. Pour over beef mixture.

Cover and cook on low for 5 1/2 to 6 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender.

In a small bowl, combine flour and water until smooth. Gradually stir into slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes longer or until thickened. Discard bay leaf. Serve beef with noodles.

Side Note: I added about 1 cup of fresh sliced mushrooms to the stew.



Raspberry Cheese Blintz Bake

1/2 cup orange juice
6 eggs
2 egg whites
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash salt

Filling
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups 4% cottage cheese
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar

Topping
1 package frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup orange juice

Combine the first 11 ingredients in a blender. Cover and process until smooth. Set aside 2 cups batter, pour remaining batter into a greased 13x9 inch baking dish.

For filling, combine the egg yolks, vanilla, cottage cheese, cream cheese and sugar in a blender. Cover and process until smooth. Spoon filling over batter; cut through with a knife to swirl. Top with reserved batter. Bake, uncovered, at 350F for 40-45 minutes or until center is just set (mixture will jiggle). Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

For topping, press raspberries through a strainer; discard seeds and pulp. In a small saucepan, combine cornstarch and orange juice until smooth; stir in raspberry puree. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with blintz bake. Top with mandarin oranges if desired.

Side Note: I put the raspberries in a blender and processed until smooth. I did not discard the seeds and pulp.



Santa Fe Chicken

1 large onion, chopped
1 to 2 tablespoons, chopped, seeded jalapeno pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, saute onion and jalapeno in oil until tender. Add garlic, cook 1 minute longer. Stir in broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Stir in rice.

Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper and cumin; place over rice mixture. Cover and simmer for 10 -15 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 170 degrees.

Remove from the heat. Sprinkle with cheese; cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro if desired.

Side Note: I used Alymer's fire roasted red pepper tomatoes (diced)  instead of the diced tomatoes with green chilies.



Apple Pecan Pork Chops

8 boneless pork loin chops
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 ground mustard
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons chopped pecans
1 medium red apple, sliced

Broil pork chops 3-4 inches from the heat for 6 minutes (I fry mine in a skillet with a touch of olive oil instead). Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the sugar, cornstarch, salt and mustard. Stir in the butter, vinegar until smooth.

Turn chops over and broil for 4 miunutes. In a small skillet pour the sugar mixture in with the apple slices and pecans and heat through making sure that the apples are cooked. Pour the apple mixture over the pork chops and serve warm.

Side Note: I combined two different recipes to create this simple and tasty dish. The recipe recommends that you broil the pork chops but I prefer to cook them in a skillet with some olive oil. I only make four pork chops instead of eight and there isn't an over abundance of sauce using it over less meat. The one recipe uses the sugar mixture and the pecans and my other recipe uses apples and a different sauce. I really like this sauce with both the apples and the pecans. It is quick and easy to make and so delicious.



Crunchy Apple Breakfast Salad

6 tablespoons vanilla yogurt
6 tablespoons reduced-fat whipped topping
1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
2 medium red apples, chopped
1 large Granny Smith apple, chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, whipped topping and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Add apples and cranberries, toss to coat. Refrigerate until serving. Sprinkle with walnuts and remaining cinnamon before serving.

Yield: 5 servings



Nutritional Information: 3/4 cup equals 116 calories, 3 grams of fat, 23 grams carbohydrates and 3 grams fiber