Monday, January 25, 2010

Sauerbraten Lasagna

Sauerbraten Lasagna

Craig quite often modifies recipes, but this time, he created a completely new one.



Ingredients.

18 oz beef gravy.

2 Tbl. vinegar.

2 Tbl. crushed ginger snaps.

1 small onion sliced.

1 small zucchini shredded.

1 lb steak, cut into 3/4 in pieces.

1 can beer.

2 bay leaves.

1 14 oz can sauerkraut.

8 0z fat free cream cheese.

8 0z. shredded Swiss cheese.

9 lasagna noodles.

Combine steak, beer and bay leaves in a Ziploc bag and marinate over night.

Mix vinegar and ginger snaps into gravy.

Mix sauerkraut and warmed cream cheese.

Drain meat, and lightly brown in a pan. set aside.

Saute onion until lightly browned.

Stir in meat, zucchini, and 1/3 gravy and set aside.

Pre cook lasagna noodles until soft. Grease a 7 x 9 casserole dish and layer 3 noodles.


add 1/2 meat mixture.


Then 1/2 sauerkraut/cream cheese.
Repeat layers and top with last 3 noodles and then with remaining gravy.
Cook at 350 for 40 minutes or until bubbly.
top with shredded cheese and heat till melted.

And I have to say it was delicious!
Craig did say, next time he'd use a little less gravy. It was a bit runny, but I liked it!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Cabbage Roll casserole

Cabbage Roll Caserole.
If you like cabbage rolls, you'll love this!

2 lbs ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans(15ounces each) tomato sauce divided
1 teaspoon dried thyme >
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups cooked rice
4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 medium head cabbage (2 pounds) shredded
1 cup (4 ounces) mozzarella cheese.

In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until
meat is no longer pink, drain.
Stir in one can of tomato sauce and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Stir in the rice and bacon, heat through. Remove from heat.
Layer a third of the cabbage in a greased 13in. x 9in. x2 in. baking dish. Top with half of the meat mixture.
Repeat layers. Top with remaining cabbage. Pour remaining tomato sauce over the top.

Cover and bake at 375 for 45 minutes.
Uncover and sprinkle with cheese.
Bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Okay, and now Craig's alterations to make it healthier.
We use extra lean ground beef, it's only 4% fat. Even leaner than Sirloin. It's expensive, (about $4 a lb) but we try to stock up on it when it's on sale.
We used minced garlic instead of fresh, it's easier.
We used one 28 oz can of tomato sauce instead of two 15 oz,cheaper. Substituted 4 oz. of tomato sauce with bloody mary mix, adds some zing to it!
We used brown rice, healthier.
We used turkey bacon instead of real bacon, healthier.
We used low fat mozzarella cheese, healthier.
So there you have it. One recipe, and two ways to make it.
And man, was it good!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Beef stir fry redone

Another variation of a beef stir fry.
1 lb beef sirloin cut into bite sized slices.
1/2 cup orange/pineapple juice.
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce.
1 teaspoon rice vinegar.
1/2 teaspoon ginger.
3 teaspoons cornstarch.
sliced onion.
shredded carrots.
pea pods.
sliced mushrooms.
sliced red pepper.
The amount of veggies depends on how many your feeding and if you want enough for leftovers.

Slice beef and put in a ziplock bag. Add beer and let 'rest' for an hour.
The beer is a natural tenderizer.
When ready, drain the beer from the beef. Quickly brown the beef in a pan with a little oil. (about 2 tablespoons) remove and set aside on a plate.
saute the carrots and onions until tender crisp. (about 10 minutes) remove and set aside.
Saute mushrooms for 1o minutes.
Put all the veggies back in the pan including the uncooked red pepper and beef. Mix the rest of the ingredients together and add to pan. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, cook about 10-15 minutes until thickened.
Serve over rice or noodles.
Enjoy!