Tag: easy

Classic pot roast
Recipes

Classic Pot Roast

There’s nothing better on a chilly Sunday afternoon than the scent of pot roast cooking in the oven. This one is simple and hearty and perfect for two people.

Serves 2

  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 pounds chuck roast
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 3 cups beef stock
  • 3/4 cup dry red wine
  • 1 pound fingerling potatoes
  • 2 large carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas
  • 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley, for garnish

Preheat oven to 325°F.  

Place flour, salt and pepper on a large plate or shallow platter and mix with a fork until incorporated. Pat chuck roast dry with a paper towel, then coat with flour mixture on all sides. Set aside and allow to dry slightly. 

Heat oil in a small Dutch oven or large, oven-safe saute pan (with tight-fitting lid) over medium-high heat. Sear the roast until brown on all sides (about 4-5 minutes per side). Transfer roast to a plate.  
 
In the same pan, sauté onions until transparent, then add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add the stock and red wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned pieces as you go.  

Transfer roast back to the pot. Add the potatoes, carrots and celery. There should be enough liquid in the pot to cover the meat and vegetables about half way. Add a little more stock, if needed. Bring the liquid to a simmer, then cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and place in oven for 1 ½-2 hours, until tender. Remove pot from oven and uncover. Add frozen peas to the pot and replace the lid, allowing to sit for 3-4 minutes until peas are cooked. 

Transfer roast and vegetables to a platter, garnish with parsley. Serve with rice or polenta. 

Bowl of ground beef chili with cubed sweet potato and red onion garnish
Recipes

Whole30 Smoky Sweet Potato Chili

Thanks to our friends at Whole30 for this easy, healthy, and delicious mid-week dinner. If you start it in the morning in the slow cooker, it will be ready and waiting for dinner. Be sure to look for Whole30-compatible tomato products that don’t have any added sugars.

Makes 6 servings

  • 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
  • 1 medium red onion, chopped
  • 1 poblano pepper, seeded and diced
  • 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (4 cups)
  • 1 can (10.75 ounces) Whole30-compatible tomato puree
  • 1 can (15 ounces) Whole30-compatible crushed tomatoes
  • 2 cups Whole30-compatible tomato juice
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon chile powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon smoked salt or regular salt
  • Finely chopped red onion (optional for garnish)

In a large skillet, cook the beef over medium-high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 10 minutes.

Drain off the fat.

Transfer the beef to a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker. Add the onion, poblano pepper, sweet potatoes, tomato puree, crushed tomatoes, tomato juice, vinegar, chile powder, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, allspice, cayenne, and salt to the cooker.

Stir to combine.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. If desired, top servings with chopped onions.

Spicy beef satay skewers with shallots and lime garnish atop rice in bowl
Recipes

Spicy Beef Satay

Serves 2-4

Satay, or grilled meat on a stick, is a common street food in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Start with a spicy marinade and finish with the traditional peanut sauce for a taste of Southeast Asia. You can adjust the seasonings to your liking by adding more (or reducing the amount of) the cayenne, and if you think it needs more salt, add a little more fish sauce. If you prefer, you can also use flank steak, skirt steak, or hanger steak instead of sirloin. It’s easiest to cut the meat into thin strips if it’s semi-frozen.

  • 1/4 cup chopped lemongrass
  • 2 large shallots, minced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 2 tablespoons ground coriander
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup fish sauce
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons safflower or other neutral vegetable oil
  • Pinch of cardamom
  • 1 1/2 pounds grassfed sirloin

Make the marinade by whisking together in a medium bowl the lemongrass, shallots, garlic, cayenne pepper, ginger, turmeric, coriander, cumin, soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar and oil.

Slice the steak across the grain into thin strips. Place in a shallow glass baking dish and pour the marinade over. Make sure each piece of meat is covered completely. Cover and refrigerate for several hours (up to 24).

Preheat the grill to high.  While the grill is heating, soak as many wooden skewers as pieces of meat for 20-30 minutes. Drain.

Thread each piece of beef onto a skewer. Grill to desired doneness, turning once.

Drizzle with Spicy Peanut Sauce (recipe follows) and serve over steamed rice.

Spicy Peanut Sauce

This versatile sauce is good on any kind of satay, as well as on steamed vegetables or even tossed with hot noodles. And you can make it to taste. More salt? Add fish sauce. Too sweet? Add lime juice. More spice? Add cayenne.

Makes 1 cup

  • 1 cup unsalted, dry roasted peanuts
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 1/2 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/3 cup coconut milk
  • ½ cup chopped peanuts, for garnish

Place the peanuts, water, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, cayenne pepper, and coconut milk into the jar of a blender. Puree until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more coconut milk. Serve over any kind of satay, and sprinkle with chopped peanuts.