Beef Lo Mein

Mmm...Asian food definitely fits the bill for Comfort Food Wednesdays at our house. This is a simple weeknight dish that comes in under 400 calories a serving. It is definitely tasty and filling. This makes 4 main course servings.

Ingredients:
0.75 lbs. steak, cut into thin strips
1 large carrot, sliced into thin rounds
2 heads broccoli, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 green pepper, julienned
1/2 small yellow onion, julienned
2 packages ramen noodles
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup soy sauce

Preparation:
Dissolve the cornstarch in the water, whisk well. Add the sugar, ginger, chili powder, garlic powder, pepper, and soy sauce. Whisk well to combine everything and set aside. Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once melted add broccoli, stir to coat the broccoli, then add a small bit of water to the pan, cover and let the broccoli steam for a few minutes. Then add the rest of the vegetables, add another small bit of water and cover and let steam for a few minutes. When vegetables are just shy of being done, remove from pan and set aside. Turn pan up to high and melt 1 Tbsp. butter and then quickly sear the steak strips. Once seared, remove from pan and set aside. Add sauce mixture to pan, bring to boil and then reduce heat and simmer until sauce reduces. I take out some of the sauce and set it aside for Nate. He likes more sauce than I do. While sauce is reducing, par-boil the ramen noodles without the sauce packets. You want to take them out while they still have some crunch to them. Add veggies to the sauce in the pan, mixing well to make sure everything is nicely coated. Cook for just a minute and then add steak strips. Cook for another minute and then add the par-boiled noodles. Make sure everything gets mixed well and the steak and noodles finish cooking. Then dish up and serve hot!

I shared this recipe over at High Heels and Grills.

Broccoli Wild Rice Soup

Cute Denise just emailed me this recipe. She said the soup is delicious. It sounds perfect on a cold wintry day like today. The recipe is from Taste of Home. So make this soup and try and stay warm!

Ingredients:
1 package (6 oz.) chicken and wild rice mix
5 cups water
3 cups frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
1 medium carrot, shredded
2 tsp. dried minced onion
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, cubed
1/4 cup slivered almonds, optional

Preparation:
In a large saucepan, combine the rice, contents of seasoning packet and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring once. Stir in the broccoli, carrot and onion. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in soup and cream cheese. Cook and stir until cheese is melted. Stir in almonds if desired. Yield: 8 servings (about 2 quarts).

This picture is from Taste of Home.

Ham 'n Egg Biscuit Bake

Breakfast for dinner is always comfort food in our house. I thought it was especially fitting last night since we got nearly a foot of snow yesterday! This was nice and hot and comforting. It was really nice for me because Nate cooked! I am 95% sure I broke my pinky toe yesterday, it is seriously so painful and all purple and gross looking. So being the nice husband he is, Nate stepped up and cooked (you know how I like to stick to the menu plan), love that man!! I saw this idea over at Pillsbury and we tweaked it a bit and really enjoyed it.

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
6 oz. Canadian bacon or ham
4 refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (we used Pillsbury)
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. dried chives
1/4 tsp. dehydrated onion flakes
shredded cheese, optional (we didn't use any)

Preparation:
Cut each biscuit into 8 pieces. Lightly spray the bottom of a glass 8x8" baking dish with non-stick spray. Place biscuit pieces into bottom of baking dish. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and seasonings. Slice Canadian bacon into bite sized pieces and stir into eggs (if you want cheese, add it now). Pour egg mixture over the top of the biscuits. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until biscuit pieces are golden brown and cooked through and eggs are set. Serve warm with a side of fresh fruit. Enjoy!

Asian Chicken Skewers

I am such a fan of Asian food. I could seriously have it a few times a week and not get tired of it. Nate and I always have chicken on hand and so I'm always open to new chicken recipes. I wanted something Asian with a little zip so this is what I came up with. Nate ate his chicken with a little sriracha hot sauce (like usual) and if you like kick, you could certainly add some of that to the marinade. I served our chicken skewers with some simple basmati rice and garlic soy broccoli.

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
1-2 Tbsp. Italian dressing
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. chili powder
1/8 tsp. Lawry's seasoned pepper
metal or wooden skewers

Preparation:
Mix together marinade ingredients and whisk well. Slice chicken into long thin strips. Add chicken to marinade and marinate in the fridge for 3-4 hours. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes prior to use. Thread chicken onto skewers and place on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F for 12-15 minutes. Serve immediately with your favorite Asian side dishes. Enjoy!

Roasted Vegetable Bean Dip

Of course you know we love Mexican food at our house. I am always on the lookout for fun new Mexican recipes. Nate's a huge fan of bean dip and this recipe comes just in time for your Superbowl parties. I saw the idea over at Beth's Favorite Recipes. This is definitely a step up from your everyday refried beans. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 yellow onion
2 jalapenos
1 bulb garlic
olive oil
kosher salt
2 (16 oz.) cans refried beans
2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 - 1/2 cup water (depending on how thick/thin you like your beans)

Preparation:
First you'll need to roast your vegetable. Line a baking sheet with tin foil. Peel and cut your onion into thick wedges. Slice off the top of your garlic so that you expose the cloves, but don't peel. Place the onion, garlic, and jalapenos on the baking sheet and drizzle a little olive oil over them and then sprinkle with some salt. I rolled the veggies around in the olive oil to make sure they were evenly coated. Place a slice of onion over the top of the exposed garlic so that it's covered. Broil your veggies about 4-5" from the top of your oven. You want the veggies to get a nice char to them. I rotated them halfway through. Mine took about 8-10 minutes to roast.
Once roasted, remove veggies from baking sheet and allow to cool.
Once vegetables are cool, remove skin from the jalapeno along with the seeds and ribs. Pull out 2-3 big cloves of garlic from the bulb. Add the veggies, water, seasoning, and refried beans to food processor and blend until your desired consistency. I did it in two batches so not to over-fill my food processor. Heat bean dip on the stove over medium heat and then serve hot with your favorite chips or Mexican dish.

Orange Lime Lemonade

I needed something fun and tropical while we are in the state of permafrost! When was the last time it was above freezing here? I made this drink with dinner tonight and it was nice and citrus-y and reminded me of summer. I saw the idea over at Recipe Shoebox and it was a fun treat.

Ingredients:
3 limes
3 lemons
3 oranges
3 - 4 cups water
1 - 1 1/2 cups sugar

Preparation:
Juice all the fruit. Add sugar and water and stir well to dissolve sugar. I like my lemonade nice and tart, Nate prefers a bit more sugar so just add however much you like. Enjoy!

Crunchy Onion Mashed Potato Bake

Nate decided today that he wants to have Comfort Food Wednesdays from now on. I aim to please so here we go! In honor of our inaugural CFW I made this mashed potato dish. Nate loves those French's fried onions so I figured he'd really enjoy this. I had all the other ingredients on hand so it was a super easy dish to prepare. Nate totally loved these potatoes and is so glad to have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. I saw the idea at Betty Crocker and just tweaked a couple things. I also think this would be good with green beans added instead of corn, kinda like a meatless shepherd's pie. Or if veggies aren't really your thing, leave them out all together. Enjoy!


Ingredients:
4-5ish cups leftover mashed potatoes (I simply made 2 packages of Idahoan's butter and herb instant potatoes)
2/3 cup frozen corn
French's french fried onions
shredded cheese
paprika

Preparation:
Prepare mashed potatoes if using instant, or reheat leftover potatoes. Once hot, mix in frozen corn. Spread potatoes/corn into an 8x8" glass baking dish that's been sprayed with a light layer of non-stick spray. Top with a sprinkle of paprika, then add shredded cheese, and finally the french fried onions. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees F for 10 or so minutes or until the cheese is nice and melted and everything is piping hot. Serve hot.

-I baked it at 400 F because I had chicken baking at that temperature. You can really cook these at any temp, just adjust the bake time. The potatoes are already going in warm and you just want to get the cheese melted and everything nice and hot. So if you've got meat in the oven, just go with that temp and make it easy on yourself!

Pizza Fondue

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday season and that you all rang in the new year in style! Nate and I had a great time last night with lots of fun, friends, and laughs. We are so blessed to have such amazing people in our lives. This pizza fondue is one of the things I made to eat last night. I also made Nate's favorite holiday treat, dipped cinnamon sugar pretzels. Everyone seemed to really enjoy both. I got this fondue recipe from the Crock Pot Recipe Collection Cookbook. As usual, I tweaked just a couple things to suit our tastes. Nate gave it to me for Christmas and it is chock full of recipes I can't wait to try. This is a fun alternative to pizza night.

Ingredients:
2 jars (about 25 oz. each) of marinara or meatless pasta sauce
1 green bell pepper, finely diced
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
1/2 lb. Italian sausage (mild or hot, your preference)
3 oz. sliced pepperoni, finely chopped (we love Hormel's turkey pepperoni)
3 oz. Canadian bacon, finely chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp. garlic bread seasoning
pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
dipping items, I made some cheesy breadsticks to dip but the recipe book mentioned using some French bread cubes or mozzarella cheese cubes

Preparation:
Cook and crumble the Italian sausage and add 1/2 Tbsp. garlic bread seasoning. Halfway through cooking add the diced green pepper and onion. Once cooked, drain the excess fat. Add the sauce to the crock pot and then stir in the sausage and veggies, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, 1 Tbsp. garlic bread seasoning, and red pepper flakes. They recommend using a 4 1/2 qt. crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours stirring occasionally. Serve hot with warm breadsticks or your choice of dipping item. Enjoy!