Philly Cheesesteak Peppers

Not much to say about this recipe. Found it on pinterest, looked quick and easy so I decided to give it a try. I LOVE philly cheesesteaks, but have been trying to be a bit more conscious about what I’m eating these days. This looked like a good compromise as it totally eliminates carbs.

Philly Cheesesteak Peppers (Serves 2, serving size 2 pepper halves) Adapted from Peace Love and Low Carb

Ingredients:

2 large green bell peppers
1/2 pound deli sliced roast beef
1 medium onion, sliced into rings
2 cups sliced mushrooms
4 thin slices provalone cheese
salt
pepper
olive oil

Directions:

1. Cut each pepper in half. Remove seeds and white skin (It’s a good idea to blanch the peppers in boiling water for a 2-3 minutes prior to cooking)
2. Pre-heat oven t0 400 degrees
3. Slice meat into thin strips
4. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add about 1 Tbs. olive oil
5. Add onions to skillet. Lower heat to medium and saute (stirring frequently) for about 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute until onions are translucent and mushrooms have shrank up a bit
6. Add meat to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes
7. Place peppers, cut sides up on a baking sheet lined with foil. Press one slice of cheese into the bottom of the pepper. Fill each pepper with enoufh of the meat mixture to completely fill the pepper. Top with the other slice of cheese
8. Bake peppers for 20 minutes. Make sure to keep an eye on them as the cheese tends to brown
9. Remove and cool for 5 minutes before eating

*Notes for next time: I would add some sweet and hot peppers into the meat mixture. Also, I would blanch the peppers first, they didn’t get cooked all the way through in 2o minutes.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

It’s been freezing in Seattle the past few weeks (mostly days below 39) and something about the cold weather had me craving pot roast. I’d never actually made on in a slow cooker before, but decided that the ingredients can’t be much different than your standard pot roast as I usually put it in the oven for 3 or so hours in a dutch oven. I don’t make mine with a gravy, but it’s easy enough to make with the fatty pieces left in the liquid. (If you don’t have enough fat, just add some butter). Simply Recipes has a great recipe for gravy so check it out if you want some on your pot roast! And as a bonus, this makes great leftovers, especially if you enjoy a pot roast sandwich.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Ingredients:
3 lbs. chuck roast, brisket, top round, bottom round or rump roast (I usually opt for chuck)*
1/2 lb. boiling potatoes (such as yukon gold, or small red potatoes) quartered
3 carrots – cut into 1 inch long pieces
1 medium onion – sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup water
1 package dried onion soup mix
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
*if you can’t find it in 3lb. increments, just use two smaller roasts

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat
2. Generously salt and pepper the roast and add to pan, making sure to brown each side evenly
3. Add the roast to the crock pot, sprinkle with dried onion soup
4. Pour the water over the roast, set on low for 8-10 hours.
5. About half way through the cooking process, add the vegetables to the crock pot – stirring to make sure they are covered with the liquid. (If there is not enough liquid, add a bit more water or beef broth if you have it)
6. Remove the vegetables and beef from the crock pot, shred beef and serve with veggies

BBQ Brisket Sandwiches

I went to Texas in August and had some of the best brisket I’ve ever had in my life. I know that I will never be able to find that here in Seattle, nor will I ever be able to exactly re-create it but I got a mad craving for it last week while reading a blog post written by The Homesick Texan. The recipe looked pretty simple and it was a perfect meal for a cool, rainy and lazy football Sunday. I made a few changes to the bbq sauce recipe she has on her post but they way she instructs you do to the brisket is dead on and is a good way to cook the meat if you don’t have a smoker. This makes great leftovers (I’m still eating them this week) and is a belly warming meal anyone would appreciate on a cold night.

Brisket Sandwiches (adapted from Homesick Texan)

Ingredients:

For the brisket-
Two 1 1/2 lb briskets, flat cut with fat on (you can also use a 3lb brisket but I couldn’t find one that big)
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne (I like the heat)
One large white onion cut into quarters
4 fat garlic cloves cut in half
1/2 cup water

For the Sauce
1 1/4 cup canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (use only 1 Tablespoon if you are using a vinegary hot sauce)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon molasses
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon hot sauce (I used siracha)
Salt to taste

Directions:
1. For the brisket, preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Sprinkle the salt, black pepper and cayenne on both sides of the brisket. In a roasting pan, place quartered onions at the four corners (if you are using one brisket) and lay the brisket, fat side up, on top of the onions, so it’s slightly elevated. If you are using two briskets, simply divide the onion into 8 parts. (See photo below) Place the garlic on top of the brisket, and add 1/2 cup of water to the pan. Cover the pan tightly with foil and cook in the oven for five hours or until fork tender.

2. For the sauce, mix together in a saucepan the tomato sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, garlic, molasses, black pepper, cumin, cayenne and hot sauce. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes covered. Add salt to taste.
3. When the brisket is fork tender, remove from the oven and let sit 15-30 minutes. Take the brisket out of the roasting pan (along with the garlic and onions) and shred the brisket into a large bowl. Add some of the pan juices to the brisket then mix with bbq sauce. Reserve some sauce to top the sandwiches with.

4. Serve brisket on a bun with slices of onion, picked jalapenos and extra sauce.

Turning tacos into breakfast

I could probably eat tacos every single day of my life, so obviously I needed to find a way to incorporate them into breakfast. There is always the breakfast burrito, but I wanted something a little more breakfastie than a burrito, plus the egg always seems to overwhelm the flavor of the other components. I remembered a hash I had made with some leftover corned beef from St. Patties day and decided to give it a go with the taco meat. Now keep in mind this taco meat I’m talking about isn’t your typical ground beef with taco seasoning. I get my taco meat from a carniceria above the International District. It’s flank steak that they marinade in their own blend of spices and seasonings. (I’ll post a link to their yelp profile below). It makes great leftovers, and a great breakfast! The pictures are a tad random and off, I was playing with a new camera app I got on my phone… not as cool as I thought it’d be… it’ll be better next time!

Carne Asada Hash (serves 4)

Ingredients:
2 TBS. olive oil
1 lb. left over (cooked) carne asada, cut into strips
5 large red/yellow potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1/2 a medium white onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup salsa, reserve 1/4 cup for garnish ***See note below on salsa
1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro
1 avocado for garnish
salt
pepper
4 eggs (optional for fried egg)

Directions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Boil potatoes until fork tender, drain and cool.
2. In a large non-stick skillet, heat the olive oil to medium/medium high heat
3. Add the onions and the peppers, saute for 2 minutes
4. Add the left over taco  meat and the salsa. Saute until just heated through, about 2 minutes.
5.  Add the potatoes to the skillet. Sprinkle mixture with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
6. Press down on the potatoes with a large spatula. This will create a good crust on the bottom.
7. Let the mixture cook in the skillet for 5 minutes. Resist the urge to peek, you won’t regret it.
8. Flip the mixture over and cook an additional 5 minutes
9. Divide mixture into 4 even portions and plate. Garnish with cilantro, avocado and a fried egg (optional)

Not only is it pretty, it’s simple and delicious!

The carniceria I frequent is called Carniceria Azteca. Don’t forget to ask for the meat marinated!

***Note on salsa – any jarred salsa will do, but I prefer to make my own.  I use Rick Bayless’ roasted tomatillo and chipotle roasted tomatillo salsa recipes. I usually add a bit more garlic to both, omit the onion in both and add extra cilantro to the roasted tomatillo salsa.