So What is Goop?

I have been asked this question several times since I posted about making Goop last weekend during my batch cooking marathon!   What is Goop?

I first hear the term GOOP when I met The Captain many years ago… at that time he made a one-skillet dish, based on ground beef, onions, and other veggies… and called it Goop.  Sometimes we used it as the filling in in a baking powder biscuit pie crust with cheddar cheese lattices, and sometimes he enjoyed it with macaroni noodles.  The vegetables varied, depending on what we had on hand, and we used a bit of tomato sauce to hold it all together.

We basically gave it up when we moved aboard our sailboat in 2002 and I completely forgot about it.  Till about a week ago.  We have been eating extra lean ground beef more often this past year and I am always trying to come up with new ways to serve it.  I was going to make up a Meat Sauce to serve with pasta and spaghetti squash, and I remembered Goop.

The main difference between Goop and a Meat Sauce, is that Goop is not seasoned or spicy, and it has only a bit of tomato sauce… much thicker than Meat Sauce.

Here is how it went the last time I made it… and you can see The Captain enjoyed a serving of barley alongside.  You can keep your meal gluten-free or Paleo quite easily.

Goop
Makes 4 servings

• 1 Tbs coconut oil
• 1 pound extra lean ground beef
• 1/2 medium onion, thinly slices (about 7.5 ounces)
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and minced
• 4 medium carrots, cut into small pieces
• 1 medium red pepper cut into small chunks
• 8 green beans, cut into 1/2-inch lengths
• 3/4 cup tomato sauce

1. Melt coconut oil in large skillet over MEDIUM heat.
2. Add ground beef, onions and garlic.  Cook, stirring occasionally until the meat is fully browned and the onions are soft and translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. 
3. Add the carrots, peppers and beans. Cook another 5 or 6 minutes till somewhat soft.
4. Add the tomato sauce and stir to combine. 
5. Cover and allow to simmer for half an hour. You may need to reduce heat to LOW.
6. Divide into 4 and serve.  Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 8.
Calories 310; Protein 25g; Carbohydrate 17g; Fat 15g; Fibre 5g.

Please note that in Canada our extra lean ground beef may be up to 15% fat. In the U.S. it may be a low as 4% so this will affect the N.I.  And you could certainly get more, but smaller, servings from  these ingredients.

Steaming away on the stove.. almost ready to add the tomato sauce and then cover.

And ready to serve. You can see how thick it is.

I like mine with some kind of squash… or even a cauliflower tortilla to scoop it up.

Printable Recipe

What d’ya think?  Could you be a Goop fan, too?

Asian Beef Slaw

In Canada our extra lean ground beef is not nearly as lean as what you can buy in the U.S…. I believe our leanest is 15% fat, as opposed to the 4% fat that I know I bought the few winters that we lived in WA state. 

But we do really like our Canadian beef products and so tend to buy in bulk when it is on sale… then I have to come up with new and interesting ways to serve it!

I made this Asian Beef Slaw recently.  It is prettty tasty and makes up very quickly and easily because I used a premixed bag of coleslaw… and when it was time for leftovers, I added some pineapple just to change it up a bit.  If you are chopping your own cabbage and carrots, you will need about 12 cups in total.

 

Asian Beef Slaw
Makes 4 servings

• 1 pound extra lean ground beef
• 1 cup chopped white or yellow onion
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and minced
• 1 bag coleslaw mix
• 1/4 cup tamari soy sauce or coconut aminos
• 1/4 cup white or rice vinegar
• 1/2 Tbs sesame oil

1. Place ground beef in a large skillet on MEDIUM-HIGH setting.
2. Stir occasionally till meat starts to brown and then add chopped onions and minced garlic to the pan.  Cook, stirring occasionally, till beef is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
3. Add coleslaw mix, soy sauce and vinegar to the pan and cook only a few minutes, till cabbage is limp.
4. Remove from heat and stir in sesame oil.
5. Divide and serve.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 8.
Calories 317; Protein 29g; Carbohydrate 18g; Fat 14g; Fibre 6g.

Printable Recipe

Do you have any favorite ground beef ideas or recipes you would like to share? You are welcome to leave a link in your comment.

Thank You!

Spicy Meatballs

We found a really good buy on extra lean ground beef a little while back and I picked up 6 pounds,  brought it home, divided it into 1-pound packages and then put it into the freezer… I have been trying to decide what to do with it ever since.

I did make a meatloaf that we thoroughly enjoyed with 1 pound of it. And I used 2 pounds to make a huge pot of spicy chili so we  have lots of that in the freezer for easy meals on days when I am busy or uninspired to cook!

I decided to make some meatballs, so I took one of the packages out of the freezer and thawed it in the refrigerator overnight.  The next morning I put together a few simple ingredients and made up the meatballs, baked them in the oven and then let them cool a bit before putting then into a storage container to refrigerate.

We had some of them later for lunch… I decided that 3 each would be a good lunch portion and I heated them for 1 minute in the microwave oven…  they are very good... very meaty, and the texture is actually a bit drier than I thought it might be.

In the past when I made meatballs, I used oats or breadcrumbs and egg in the mixture. I knew I didn’t want grains in these so I left out the egg as well and hoped that they would hold their shape.  And they do, quite nicely!

I have been eating them on fried cauliflower 'rice' and on pizza, and The Captain has enjoyed some on noodles and in soup... I am going to be making another batch very soon.

 

Spicy Meatballs
Makes 16 meatballs

• 1 pound extra lean ground beef
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and minced
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper 

1. Preheat your oven to 350° F.
2. For easy clean up, cover a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat it with a non-stick spray.
3. Mix all the ingredients together well in a medium bowl.  Get in there with your freshly-washed hands and make 16 golf ball-sized meatballs and place them on the baking sheet.
4. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, till cooked through.
5. Allow to cool slightly and then remove from baking sheet.

Per meatball.
Weight Watchers P+ = 1.
Calories 52; Protein 6g; Carbohydrate 0g; Fat 3g; Fibre 0g.

 

Ready to pop into the oven.

 

 

And after baking and cooling a bit.

 

 

I had mine on a bed of cauliflower ‘rice’.

 

 

Just right for a lovely and filling lunch!

 

Printable Recipe

 

A couple of people suggested that I try lettuce wraps with some of this ground beef, too.  Do you have a recipe or a method you would share?

My Paleo Meatloaf.. Scored a Hit

We lucked into a very good buy on some extra lean ground beef recently, so I picked up a couple of packages... brought it home and then wondered what I was going to do with it.  Do you ever do that?

Well, The Captain asked for meatloaf as he hadn't had any for some time... so I quickly agreed and then had to really think about how I was going to make one that would meet the requirements of my Whole30 Paleo Challenge... in other words, I could not use any bread or cracker crumbs, or oats in the mixture.

I used a couple of tablespoons of  Homemade Balsamic Ketchup in this dish. If you are not concerned about the Whole30 aspect, use your favorite commercial ketchup, or if you do want sugar-free, then use a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste and a dash of balsamic vinegar.

I came up with a loaf that is juicy and tasty and got a thumbs up from the hungry man, so I decided it was worth sharing!   The leftovers are in the freezer and we will be enjoying it again soon.



 



My Paleo Meatloaf
Makes 4 servings

• 1 pound extra lean ground beef
• 3/4 cup onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and minced
• 2 large stalks celery, diced
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbs sugar free ketchup
• dashes of salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Mix all ingredients together well and place in a loaf pan that has been lightly coated with a non-stick spray.
3. Bake for one hour and then remove to cooling rack.
4. Cut into 4 pieces to serve.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 6.
Calories 249; Protein 26g; Carbohydrate 7g; Fat 13g; Fibre 1g.

Printable Recipe

 



Do you like meatloaf?

Any ideas as to what I could do with some more of the ground beef?

Beanless Paleo Beef Chili

I love chili. I love the spicy tomato sauce, and I love all of the different vegetables.... and I love the smell of it simmering away on the stove! Iespecially love to have it it stored in my freezer for quick lunches or dinners on busy days, or days when just don't feel like cooking at all. It is comfort food at its best.

I have made many different kinds of chili over the years... with ground beef, or small chunks of a cut of beef called 'chuck steak' or even ground turkey. I have made vegetarian versions with soy crumbles and lots of different varieties of beans. I have made it with so many different kinds of vegetables... and every time it is a bit different, but always delicious!

But this was the first time I was faced with the task of making chili WITHOUT any beans in it.

I am following a legume-free food challenge right now. It is called Whole30 and, in a nutshell, it is the Paleo Food Plan in its purest and most basic form.

So I made up a really thick, spicy chili, with lots of vegetables and some extra lean ground beef... and the first night we had it I had mine spooned over a baked sweet potato... you know those lovely dark orange Beauregard Sweet Potatoes that we mistakenly love to call yams? The Captain enjoyed his over a baked Russet Potato and declared it 'perfect'... which means that it wasn't too hot and spicy, so if you like yours very peppery, you may want to add more spice to the mixture!

For lunch the next day, I had a serving over baked spaghetti squash, and of course it was even better because the spices had had a chance to work longer... chilis and stews and soups always seem to be better the day AFTER you make them, don't you think?

Oh, and if you want beans, just add a can or two of your favorite!



Beanless Paleo Beef Chili
Makes 11 servings of approximately 1 cup each.

• 1 lb. extra lean ground beef
• 1 large onion (10 oz.)
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and minced
• 4 medium carrots, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 1 large green pepper, cut into chunks
• 1 large yellow pepper, cut into chunks
• 2 cans diced tomatoes (28 oz. each)
• 1 can tomato paste (5.5 oz.)
• 1-1/2 Tbs chili pepper powder
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt

1. Place the ground beef into a large saucepan or stock pot, over MEDIUM heat, and cook it, stirring occasionally to break up any clumps, until it is browned, about 10 or 15 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and the oinions and cook till translucent, about 10 minutes more.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients, cover, and simmer about 45 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and serve. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
5. Leftovers can be stored in fridge a few days, or frozen.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 4.
Calories 157; Protein 11g, Carbohydrate 18g; Fat 4g, Fibre 4g.

 

Printable Recipe