Greek Meatball Stew

WE ARE BACK!
Saw this one in this month's Food Network Magazine (Thanks Mom & Dad!) and wanted to give it a try.  It was pretty easy and definitely quick with a few modifications.

I thought it was pretty good, although some of my meatballs did fall apart.  next time i might spray them with oil and bake in the oven and then add to the stew once cooked.  This was David's first foray into butter beans.  He thought they were huge, but yummy.  He was able to pull out the meat and beans, so we consider this a family success.  Next time I'll probably try to do this with a little mint mixed into the spice mix too.  It was definitely pretty quick for a weeknight and flavorful.  I think you could easily just do one can of tomatoes instead of the two since I'm the only tomato eater here.

Ingredients
2 tsp chicken soup base
2 cups water
1-28 oz can diced tomatoes
1- can diced green chilies
1/2 red onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 tbl oregano
3 tbl chopped dill
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
12 oz to1lb ground round
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1-14 oz can butter beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium zucchini coarsely chopped
1 lemon

Instructions
1. Combine the soup base, water, tomatoes, and chilies and begin boiling

2. Combine the red onion, oregano, dill, and pie spice in the food processor and process until onions are finely ground.  Take half of the mixture and add to the stock mixture.

3. Combine the ground round, spice mixture, and 1/4 cup bread crumbs in a bowl.  Form small meatballs (approx 25) .  Add to the stock mixture and cook the meatballs, stirring as needed.

4. Add in the butter beans and zucchini and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add in lemon juice and enjoy.

026/027 -- Chili Lime Steak Salad

I decided to return to carnivorous cooking in a rather simplistic way. During my vegetarian phase I found a yummy sounding recipe over at Our Best Bites that called for a little bit of beef. I'm cheating and considering this two recipes -- the Chili Lime Rubbed Steak and the Creamy Lime Cilantro Dressing. I made a few modifications to the OBB recipe. My version (which is 97% their version) is below. I used a flat iron steak for this recipe. Let me wax on about how I enjoy the flat iron steak. It is fairly affordable so far as beef goes, and it is not too fatty and gross, AND it cooks up pretty quickly/easily on the grill or under the broiler. For the longest time I hadn't tried the flat iron as I'm a patron of the NY strip, however, Lulu convinced me to give the flat iron a try. I'm sold. I'm still a NY strip girl when going out to restaurants, but I'm sold the flat iron for my own cooking purposes.

I started out making the rub for the steak

Materials

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 lime, juiced

1 tbl olive oil

Steak, (I used a flatiron cut)

Methods

Mix all ingredients together. Pour mixture over steak and press into sit. Allow to sit for about 15 minutes. I cooked my steak on my George Foreman :) Cut into thin slices against the grain.

While the steak was marinating I made the salad dressing

Materials

1 cup plain fat free greek yogurt (I like fage or oiknos best)

1 packet ranch dressing mix

about 1/2 cup milk

about 1/2 cup cilantro

4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

juice of 1 lime

Methods

Combine ingredients in food processor and process until smooth! Keep cool and enjoy!

Finally, I used the dressing, slices of the steak, romaine lettuce, grape tomatoes, avocado, and black beans to make an awesomely yummy meal. The steak was really good -- and totally easy. This rub was definitely worth repeating. The salad itself was really yum-tastic. The original dressing recipe called for a green salsa and hot sauce -- which i totally forgot while at the store. The recipe was pretty good as it was, although it wasn't quite so green. definitely a good score -- fairly lightweight, filling, easy, and yummy.

Recipe 5: Beef Barley Soup

Materials

~0.75-1 lb bottom round steak

~ 1 medium onion

~ 4 cups beef broth

~ 4 cups water

~ 1/2 cup pearl barley

~ 1 bay leaf

~ 3/4 tsp salt

~ 1/4 tsp pepper

~ 2 medium potatoes

~ 3 medium carrots

~ 3 medium stalks celery

~ 2 tsp thyme

~ 1/2 tsp salt

Methods

1/ Remove all visible fat from meat and cut into bite sized pieces. Heat dutch oven over medium heat. Spray with vegetable oil. Cook meat until brown.

2/ Add onions and cook to soften.

3/ Add beef broth, water, bay leaf, 3/4 tsp salt, pepper, and barley. Bring to a boil and cover. Simmer for approx 1 hr until beef is tender.

4/ Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Simmer, partially covered for 20-25 minutes until vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf prior to serving.

Verdict

Great! I definitely enjoyed this soup! At the kroger they didn't have a full lb of beef, so it might be a little better with a bit more beef. The thyme really came out and gave this the kick it needed (it was pretty blah and bland when i tasted before adding the veggies). However, it was still good. And, with all of the veggies and barley and potatoes it was pretty filling. The recipe said it made 6 servings -- and they are pretty good sized to say the least!

In case you didn't notice, I have a thing for soups. They are yummy and can be filling yet healthy if done properly. They are nice and easy to reheat as leftovers when I get home late or have post-work plans :) Plus they just make me feel all warm and fuzzy and happy inside.