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!

Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup

My friend, Kate, gave me this recipe a few weeks ago and I put off making it until I could find some red peppers at a decent price.   That finally happened this past week and I am so glad!  This Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup is truly one of the most flavorful soups I have met in some time… no exotic spices… curries, cumin… or even herbs.  Just good wholesome ingredients that are chock full of wonderful taste in themselves.

It just might be the best Butternut Squash soup EVER!

I do hope you will give it a try.  Kate has adapted the recipe from one she from a woman she works with, and we don’t know where that one came from originally.  I wish I could take credit for it.

I do know that Kate has been experimenting with the ingredients a bit, as have I so I will share how I made it up… but don’t be afraid to add some tomatoes, or roast your veggies before adding them to the soup pot.  That is an extra step, but even more delicious I am sure!  And if you like, double the ingredients and make a huge batch.

I weighed the ingredients I used, for accuracy sake, but don’t worry about that if you are not counting calories or Weight Watchers Points Plus.  And by all means, use your own homemade broth if you like, or even a veggie broth if you are not a meat eater.

Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup
Makes 10 one-cup servings

• 1 Tbs coconut oil
• 1 large white onion (16 ounces)
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 medium butternut squash (44 ounces)
• 3 medium red peppers (14 ounces)
• 4 cups chicken broth
• Dashes of salt and red pepper flakes to taste
• Dash of black pepper

1. Coarsely chop the onion.
2. Peel, smash, and mince the garlic cloves.
3. Seed the peppers and cut into chunks.
4. Peel and seed the squash and then cut  into 1" cubes.
5. Melt the coconut oil in a large soup pot over MEDIUM heat. 
6. Add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5-10 minutes. 
7. Add squash cubes and red pepper chunks and then pour in broth. 
8. Cover and increase heat to HIGH until the broth comes to a boil. 
9. Reduce heat to LOW and gently simmer stirring occasionally, until squash and peppers are very tender, about 40 – 45  minutes. 
10. Remove from heat and let cool.
11. Blend cooled soup with hand/immersion blender until as smooth as  you like. 
12. Taste and season with salt and red pepper flakes.
13. Reheat before serving.
14. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 3.
Calories 103; Protein 3g; Carbohydrate 22g; Fat 2g; Fibre 4g.

Printable Recipe

Veggies in the pot… aren’t they beautiful?

Starting the puree… see the bits of red pepper still to be mixed in?

Serving it up!  Just look how thick it is. Mmmm.

What is your favorite homemade soup?

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving

This weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving!  Our holiday is on Monday, October 14th… and all across the country, Canadians will be sitting down to traditional turkey dinners.  Oh yes, I know, that some celebrate with other special meals, but most commonly, we think of turkey and pumpkin pie at this time of year!

Most of us will celebrate the traditional holiday on Sunday or Monday… and everyone who enjoys the beauty of our land, and the privileges that being Canadian affords, will truly have something for which to be thankful.  Here is one of my recent favorite moments….

This is my sister and brother-in-law from Calgary (why yes he is a cowboy) with The Captain and me, just about to enjoy a ride in carriage drawn by Betty, who is a 23 year old Belgian mare. It was so much fun. 

I have lots of recipes on the blog about turkey dinners, and various dressings, and some cranberry sauces, and pumpkin desserts so if you are interested, here are only a few links.

• 2012 Gluten-Free Turkey Dinner featuring a Quino Stove-top Dressing
• Tangy Orange Cranberry Sauce
• Cranberry-Apple Sauce
• No-Bake Pumpkin Fluff Pie, Crustless Pumpkin Pie
• Pumpkin Butter
• Pumpkin Spice Latte

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends and family

What are you giving Thanks for today?