Semi-Sweet » Beef

Slow Cooker Choco Chili

Sarah — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 11:00:43 +0000

This is stupid easy, makes a ton, and is flexible – so you can tweak this according to your tastes . . . want to crank up the heat? Add cayenne pepper. Want to lighten it up a bit? Use ground turkey, or a combo of ground beef & turkey. Have veg you want to use up? Chop it up and throw it in. Love beans? They’d be great in here too. Whatever you do, make this soon – it’s tasty & quick & feeds a crowd.

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Slow Cooker Choco Chili

Author: Sarah @ Semi-Sweet, inspired by The Clothes Make the Girl

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

coconut oil spray
1 14.5-oz. container of Trader Joe’s Mirepoix mix (onion, carrot & celery)
4 cloves garlic, minced (about 4 teaspoons)
2 lbs. ground beef (preferably grass fed)
1 t. dried oregano leaves
2 T. chili powder
2 T. ground cumin
1½ T. unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder
1 t. ground allspice
1 t. Kosher salt
1 jar (6-7 oz.) tomato paste
1 box (26 oz.) chopped tomatoes
3 c. low-sodium chicken or beef broth
optional – 1 (10 oz.) bag of cleaned, chopped kale (I like the Trader Joe’s Tuscan kale)

Instructions

Spray a large skillet with coconut oil spray and set it to heat over medium heat. Add the mirepoix mix and the ground beef. Gently break up the ground beef and cook the mixture until the beef is no longer pink and the vegetables are softened.
Put the mixture into a colander and run warm water over it to remove the fat from the beef. Add this mixture to the slow cooker.
Add all the other ingredients except for the kale into the slow cooker and stir. Set to cook on low for 5-6 hours. If you are using kale (or other hearty greens, anything will do, really), add those about 45 minutes before you’re going to serve the chili.
Serve with toppings, if desired: diced avocado, grated cheese, sour cream/Greek yogurt, Tabasco sauce, etc. etc.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 225 Fat: 6 Carbohydrates: 16 Sodium: 300 Fiber: 3 Protein: 27

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Curried Crustless Quiche (Paleo, Gluten-Free and Dairy Free)

Sarah — Fri, 03 Jan 2014 11:00:02 +0000

Oh my darlings, this is a goodie. Make this, then let it cool for a few, then cut it into 8 slices. Throw it into the fridge and eat off it for days. If you’re nice, you’ll share with your family. If you’re a mean-meanie like me, you’ll know they won’t eat it because it contains a dreaded ingredient: mushrooms. So you can keep it all. for. yourself.

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Curried Crustless Quiche

Author: Inspired by Nom Nom Paleo

Serves: 8

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped
coconut oil spray (Trader Joe’s has it!)
6 oz. portobello mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 bag organic broccoli slaw (again, Trader Joe’s!)
1 lb. of grass fed ground beef (get the leanest you can)
2 heaping T. of curry powder (more to taste. I LOVE curry, I probably put 4T in mine!)
6 large eggs
6 oz. egg whites
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375. Spray a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate with coconut oil spray and set it aside.
Spray a 10-inch skillet (you KNOW I luv cast iron, right?) with coconut oil spray and heat it over medium heat. Add the onions and the ground beef and cook them together – breaking up the ground beef and sautéing the onions at the same time. Cook until the onions are translucent and the ground beef is no longer pink. Optional step: At this point you can skip to the next step, or you can dump your onion/beef mixture in a colander and rinse it with warm water to remove any extra fat. Wipe your skillet out and return the drained beef and onion mixture to the pan.
Over medium heat, add the mushrooms to the skillet and cook them down, stirring frequently. Then add the slaw and sauté until the slaw is softened. Add the curry powder, salt & pepper and taste to adjust your seasonings.
Whisk together the eggs and the egg whites. Place the beef mixture into the pie plate, then carefully pour the egg mixture over the top – it’ll fill the pie plate to the brim. If you like, place the pie plate on a foil-lined baking sheet before you put it in the oven, to catch any overflow.
Place in the oven and bake for 25-35 minutes, or until the top is slightly golden in color and the center of the quiche is firm.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 slice Calories: 174 Fat: 7 Saturated fat: 3 Carbohydrates: 7 Sugar: 3 Sodium: 131 Fiber: 2 Protein: 20 Cholesterol: 193

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Moroccan Kofta and Carrot Slaw

Sarah — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 11:00:33 +0000

Have you ever had kofta? They’re essentially Middle Eastern meatballs, prepared with ground meat (usually beef and/or lamb) and sometimes with the addition of bulgur. I used to love a kofta plate from the Sultan’s Kitchen when I worked downtown. These are a loose interpretation – not authentic, but very very tasty. I made this last week and both D. and I loved it. Don’t be afraid of the ingredient list – these, the rice and the accompanying carrot slaw will all come together in 45 minutes tops.

Moroccan Kofta and Carrot Slaw (adapted from Cooking Light)

For the kofta:

2 T. tomato paste

½ t. salt

½ t. ground coriander

½ t. fennel seeds, crushed (use either a mortar and pestle, or else put ‘em in a heavy Ziploc bag and bang on them with a skillet)

¼ t. ground cumin

¼ t. ground cinnamon

1/8 t. ground ginger

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 large egg

Cooking spray

For the sauce:

1 c. fat-free Greek yogurt

2 t. tahini

1 t. lemon zest (please splurge and buy an organic lemon for this!)

Juice of one lemon

1/8 t. salt

1 clove of garlic, minced

To accompany:

1 c. white basmati rice, cooked according to package directions

For the slaw:

2 T. lemon juice

1 T. extra-virgin olive oil

½ t. ground cumin

¼ t. salt

1/8 t. cayenne pepper (or to taste)

1/8 t. freshly ground black pepper

4 c. shredded carrots (you can buy pre-shredded and make this super-fast)

½ c. green onions, light and dark-green parts only, very thinly sliced

½ c. dried currants

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. To prepare the kofta, combine all the ingredients except the cooking spray in a large bowl. Shape into 4 equally-sized patties. Heat a large skillet (cast iron will give you a nice crispy char here) over medium-high heat and spray the pan with cooking spray. Add the kofta to the pan and cook until the center is only slightly pink, about 5 minutes each side.

To prepare the sauce, combine the ingredients in a medium bowl.

To prepare the slaw, combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.

To serve: Spoon a mound of rice onto each of 4 plates, top with kofta, drizzle sauce over the lot and serve the slaw on the side.

Serves 4.

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