Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

Since I loved the other Stuffed Peppers I made the other day, I decided to give these a try too!! Loved them even more... and were easier to make (less ingredients)!!  I found this on Pinterest here

INGREDIENTS

8 oz. Thinly Sliced Roast Beef

8 Slices Provolone Cheese

2 Large Green Bell Peppers

1 Medium Sweet Onion

6 oz. Baby Bella Mushrooms

2 Tbs. Butter

2 Tbs. Olive Oil

1 Tbs. Garlic - Minced

Salt and Pepper - to taste

DIRECTIONS

Slice peppers in half lengthwise, remove ribs and seeds.

Slice onions and mushrooms.  Saute over medium heat with butter, olive oil, minced garlic and a little salt and pepper.  Saute until onions and mushroom are nice and caramelized.  About 25-30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400*

Slice roast beef into thin strips and add to the onion/mushroom mixture.  Allow to cook 5-10 minutes

Line the inside of each pepper with a slice of provolone cheese. 

Fill each pepper with meat mixture until they are nearly overflowing.

Top each pepper with another slice of provolone cheese.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese on top is golden brown. 

Makes 4 servings

Hamburger Gravy Over Biscuits

Before you look at the picture and run.... don't!   I know it doesn't look delicious, but this dinner was to die for!!! I must admit, I was skeptical.  I thought the short ingredient list meant this recipe would be bland, but it was soooooo good!!! And a very economical meal at that.   Try it... then thank me.  :)  Found on Allrecipes.com while trying to find a generic gravy recipe.  Such an unexpected find!!!  This recipe is culinary genius I tell you!!!

Ingredients:
1 pound hamburger meat
1 cup chopped yellow onion
2 cups milk
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp butter
1 1/4 tsp ground sage
salt & pepper to taste (I used about 1/4 tsp salt... 1/8 tsp pepper)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tube refrigerated biscuits of your choice



Directions:

Bake the biscuits per directions.  

Meanwhile, crumble the ground beef into a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until evenly browned. Leave the grease (yummy!!) . Add the onions, and cook for a few more minutes. 

Pour 1 cups of the milk into the pan, and stir to scrape up any bits of food that could burn on the bottom of the pan. Mix in the chicken broth, butter, sage, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently

 Slowly mix the flour into the last cup of milk until smooth. Slowly pour into the skillet, stirring constantly. Simmer for a few minutes to thicken. If the gravy is too thick, thin with a little bit of milk. If it is too thin, simmer longer, or add more flour. Taste and adjust seasonings before serving.  


Serves 4

Stuffed Peppers

I've always wanted to try these and finally did!!  I followed a couple recipes loosely, but mainly added what I wanted.   Turned out great! Even the hubs liked them and he was skeptical.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
5 various bell peppers ( I used red, yellow, and orange)
1 1/2 Cups cooked brown rice
3 Tbsp olive oil
6 garlic cloves ( I used dried minced)
1/2 white medium onion
1/2 Cup green onion
6  ounces fresh baby spinach
1/2 can black beans
2 Cups  shredded mozzarella
1/2 Cup bread crumbs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook the rice according to package directions.  Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over low heat.   Add the garlic and onion and saute until translucent.  Turn the heat up to medium, and crumble the beef, separating it as best you can.   Saute the meat until it browns, about 7 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the spinach, green onion, black beans, rice, and 1 1/2 cups mozzarella.   Stir and cook until spinach is wilted and cheese melted.

Cut away the tops of the peppers.  Discard the ribs and seeds.  Fill each pepper completely with the mixture.   Sprinkle last 1/2 cup of cheese on top and then the breadcrumbs.

Cover with foil and cook for 35-45 minutes.  Then remove the foil and broil an additional 5 minutes until the tops brown.

Side note:  I enough of the stuffing left over to wrap in a tortilla and eat for lunch the next day.  Yummy!

Easy Hamburgers

I was cooking for some friends and wanted to throw together some quick burgers and came up with these as an alternative to my Cheesy Spinach Burgers which take a bit more time (and more grocery ingredients).

Ingredients:
1 lb Hamburger meat (I used 80/20)
1 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
3 Tbsp Parsley
1/2 tsp  Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
Kraft All American Cheese slices (for cheeseburgers)

Directions:
Mix together all ingredients and form into flat patties.   Grill approximately 3 minutes on each side (depending on preference).

Makes 5-6 patties. 

Pot Roast

I love Pot Roast in the fall, winter, and summer even.   It's so easy to make and fills the house with the best smell all day while it cooks.

Ingredients:
Beef Roast (or pork if you prefer)
6-8 large red potatoes, cut into fourths
1 medium bag baby carrots
1 small yellow onion, sliced (I leave out if I'm flaring in the least)
4 cups Chicken Broth
3 garlic cloves (I used minced garlic)

Directions:
Throw all items in slow cooker and cook on med or high heat 6-8 hours.  

Slow Cooker Vegetable Beef Soup

So yum and delicious especially on a cold day.  One of my favs and great as leftovers!

Ingredients:
1 pound beef stew meat
2 C beef broth
2 large potatoes, peel and cubed (I buy frozen and just pour in 2 cups worth)
3 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 can kidney beans
1 can green beans
1 can corn
1 can peas
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp minced garlic

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on medium 6-8 hours.   Optional:  Brown meat first in desired seasonings.

Orange Beef Stir Fry

I was looking for a recipe to use some leftover beef cubes I had and found this in one of my IC Cookbooks, Confident Choices.   The hubs and I loved it.   It is in our top 5 of all home cooked meals of all time...even non-IC meals.   Yes, that good!!!

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless beef cubes
1 t olive oil
1 clove garlic
2 cups broccoli florets
1/2 cups carrots, julienned (I bought baby carrots and sliced them in half lengthwise)
1 1/2 cups Cream Soup Substitute
2 t molasses
1 t orange zest
1 t salt (I used a little under 1 t)
Dash pepper, if tolerated

Cooked White Rice

Ingredients I did not add:
1 medium onion (starting to think I can't handle these)
1/4 cup water (I like my sauces very creamy)

Directions:
 Heat oil over medium heat in skillet or wok.   Add the beef and garlic;  cook until the beef is starting to brown.  Toss in broccoli, carrots, and onion.  Cook for additional 5 minutes.

Add soup substitute, water, molasses, zest, salt, and pepper and heat to boiling.  Cover, reduce heat to low.  Cook additional 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.  Serve over rice.

Serves 4

Cheesy Spinach Burgers

Flavorful burgers for hosting an IC-Friendly a cookout!

Ingredients:
1lb Ground Beef
1 Cup Fresh Spinach Leaves (minus the stems), chopped
1/2 Cup White (or green, if it's easier for your bladder) Onion, finely sliced
1/2 Cup Dried Bread Crumbs
3 Tbsp Plain Cream Cheese
1/3 Cup Feta Cheese
1 Tbsp Dried Basil
1/4 Tsp Kosher Salt
1/8 Tsp Black Pepper
White American Cheese Slices
Hamburger Buns

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Stir until a fairly uniformed mixture appears.   Form into 4-5 patties (depending on how big of a burger you want).   Cook burgers on grill or stove top about 10-15 minutes.  Top with American Cheese and Hamburger Buns.

Beef Kabobs with Spring Veggies

Delicious and colorful, these are always sure to please.  My Dad was a big Kabob fan and making these reminded me of him, a master griller.   Recipe found here with a few vegetable substitutions.   

Ingredients:
1 lb Cubed Beef
1 Red Bell Pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Yellow Zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Vidalia Onion, cut into 1-inch pieces (if you can handle)

Marinade (I doubled this)-
4 tsp Vegetable Oil
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Water
1 clove of Garlic, minced
4 tsp organic Honey
2 tsp fresh Parsley

In a bowl combine all the marinade ingredients and stir well to combine and mingle the flavors.  Thread the Beef and Vegetables on skewers.   Soak in marinade for at least half an our (or even overnight if you are preparing dish ahead of time) in the fridge.  Remove from fridge and place over medium temperature grill.  Grill for about 10 minutes depending on how hot your grill is and how well done you prefer your steak to be; turn every 2 minutes until complete.