Easy Beef Stroganoff

After some flu, an extended trip back home, and a busy, but great weekend I am finally back in Maryland and ready to cook! This weekend I was given a great CrockPot cookbook from my boyfriend's awesome mom. I then thought it would be a wonderful idea to attempt to read all 500 pages on Sunday night. Well before I fell asleep in the pages, I happened to stumble upon a recipe (complete with photo) of Beef Stroganoff that looked beyond yummy. [I'll admit that I was also tempted by the lack of crazy, weird ingredients- just 5 normal, average ingredients!] So yesterday I headed off to the grocery store to purchase what I needed, only to come home and realize that the stroganoff required 8-12 hours to cook (ohhhh the downfall of reading and choosing recipes at 1 am). Since I had no desire to enjoy Beef Stroganoff at 3 am, I prepped the beef and set an alarm for this morning to finish the preparations. After continuing to read the CrockPot cookbook I stumbled across no less than three Beef Stroganoff, cleverly disguised with names such as "Autumn Delight," "One-Pot Beef Supper," etc. I decided to combine the recipes together to create my own recipe, "Easy Beef Stroganoff" and I've made some adjustments based on how mine came out.

Easy Beef Stroganoff

3 pounds Beef, cut into stew sized pieces
1 cup Sour Cream
1 envelope dry Onion Soup Mix
10 oz Baby Bella Mushrooms, sliced
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup (I used two, but I feel like there was WAY too much gravy)
1/2 cup White Wine

Throw it all together in the CrockPot (except the mushrooms) so it's all evenly coated, then top with the mushrooms. Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours. Serve over noodles, whole wheat pasta, or brown rice.

**OPTIONAL** - The night before I cooked the stroganoff, I put all of the beef cubes in a gallon sized ziplock bag and evenly coated it with flour, garlic powder, onion powder, and parsley to flavor as well as tenderize the beef.

I served the stroganoff steaming hot with al dente whole wheat rotini- YUM!! The beef literally fell apart in my mouth, and the rich gravy had a great onion/mushroom flavor. The only problem I had was that the stroganoff cooked itself to the side of the CrockPot, which I didn't even think was possible. I know now that it is very possible, as evidenced by the soaking CrockPot in the sink. (This is the reason I now recommend cooking for 8 hours- NOT 12 hours - as long as the beef is cooked, of course.) This is definitely an easy meal to throw together, and perfect for a chilly fall evening. Without a doubt I'll be making Easy Beef Stroganoff again!

Dietetically Yours,
Lorilyn

I HAVE A JOB!

OK, this has nothing to do with cooking, but everything to do with dietetics... I GOT THE PERFECT JOB TODAY as a Pediatric Dietitian!! I know what you may be thinking:

"How will she continue her awesome blog posts now that she'll be so busy?!"

Well no worries. A girl still has to eat, and a girl in dietetics eats healthily! (Also, I can type quickly when need be.) So fear not- new posts will resume and continue once I return from New York later this week. Stay tuned for a great sauce recipe, which will then be used for Grilled Chicken Parm (special requested by a very special person!)

Love,
Lorilyn

Aunt Jane's Spinach Quiche

One of my favorite foods in the whole wide world would have to be spinach. Hailed as a superfood in the nutrition world, spinach is both delicious and versatile. Growing up, my mom made a great crustless spinach quiche, the BEST spinach salad, and very yummy spinach baked ziti. Fresh, cooked, baked in casserole- it was all good to me! Well a few days ago I had a craving for homemade spinach quiche (and a craving to get rid of all of the cheese and milk in my fridge) so I gave my mom a call for her classic recipe. She had just come back from visiting her best friend in Nebraska, and informed me that I just HAD to try her recipe... so I did!! Mom was right- this quiche was amazing- and my fridge is much lighter in the dairy department.

Aunt Jane's Spinach Quiche

1 medium Red Onion, chopped small
3 cloves Garlic, chopped (or minced, it's a personal choice every cook must make.)
2 whole eggs & 2 egg whites
1 1/2 cups Half&Half or milk (I used up the rest of the Half&Half in the fridge, then 1% milk to make 1 1/2 cups)
10oz box Frozen Spinach, thawed and drained
1 c. Extra Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 c. Other cheese (I use the rest of the mozzarella and asiago- YUM), shredded
1 Tbsp. REAL Bacon Bits
Nutmeg
Chili Powder
**1 Pillsbury Pie Crust** (this is optional- you can certainly make this a crustless quiche by eliminating the pie crust. I happened to have an extra one, and figured this would be a great way to use it up!)

1. Prepare pie crust as instructed on the box
2. Preheat over to 450 degrees
3. Spray frying pan with Pan and saute chopped onion and garlic on med-low heat
4. In a mixing bowl, combine EVERYTHING and stir (I allowed the spinach and the sauteed garlic & onion to come to room temperature before I added it to the mixing bowl to prevent premature cooking of the egg).
5. Add mixture to prepared pie crust, and place in the oven
6. IMMEDIATELY turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees, and cook for 40 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and let it set for a few minutes before cutting into it.



Things I Learned:
1. This quiche is GORGEOUS (well, for a baked item... the picture doesn't do it justice) The deep green of the spinach, the bright purple from the onion, and the rich orange from the cheddar make this quiche as aesthetically pleasing as it is yummy. I'll probably make it again when I need to impress someone.
2. Quiche is a great way to eliminate extra, accumulated dairy products
3. This quiche could definitely be made healthier with no crust, 1% milk, low fat cheeses, 1 egg and 4 egg whites, and more veggies instead of bacon
4. I need a pie cutter and server. Using a large spatula results in a big, messy quiche-y disaster all over the kitchen counters and an awkward looking slice of quiche.

Dietetically Yours,
Lorilyn

November Already?? - Pear Gorgonzola Salad

It seriously seems as though October just arrived, and now suddenly November is in full swing. I had a wonderful weekend with two of my best friends this past weekend. Saturday became our day of food- first an elegant tea/brunch followed by a day of cooking! If only I had a few moments to share some of the amazing recipes of what we made, including:

-Pear-Gorgonzola Salad
-Baked Goat Cheese & Cranberries on Ciabatta
-Asiago-Scallion Whole Wheat Scones
-Elyse's Homemade Macaroni & Cheese (my first real time eating Mac n Cheese!)
-Ashley's Apple Tart
-Slow Cooked Spiced Apple Cider

Unfortunately, this wasn't the healthiest meal in the world (well hello, saturated fats!), but it sure was delicious! Until I can figure out how to put up the great pictures we took, you can take my word that it looked (and tasted!) amazing.
Probably the easiest 'recipe' of the evening was my Pear-Gorgonzola Salad. It had a crunch and sweetness from the asian pears that complemented the tangy, creamy gorgonzola. If I had been thinking, I would have added some walnuts for their heart-protective monounsaturated fats (and yummy-ness).

Pear-Gorgonzola Salad

2 bags Romaine Lettuce (I enjoy romaine's crunch, but the darker the leaves, the more phytonutrients & vitamins!)
2 small Asian Pears, chopped
1/2 c. Walnuts
1/4 c. Gorgonzola, crumbled
5 oz Champagne Vinaigrette

This is why I love salads- the instructions usually are as follows: "Mix ingredients together, and enjoy." So easy, and this salad is no different. Hopefully in the next few days I'll collect the other recipes (and beg that they be removed from "secret recipe" status) so that I can share them soon!

Dietetically Yours,
Lorilyn