Recipe Redo: Carne Bistec

Originally posted in April of 2012, I thought this recipe could do with a little picture update!

Well, time seems have gotten away from me. Sorry about that, but I'm back. Trying to balance school and work has proven to be a difficult task. But I have finally gotten into graduate school, so I'm not nearly as worried about everything as I was.

This recipe comes courtesy of Skinnytaste, by far one of my favorite websites and my blog inspiration. It is delicious, just make sure you are on the heavier side with the spices. I served it with brown rice, but Gina suggests serving it with a sunny side egg on top. With a side salad, it is a complete and delicious meal!

Inside Out Cheeseburgers

Normally I prefer a hamburger to a cheeseburger any day. I tend to go for simple flavors and I have been known to eat bread plain and pancakes without syrup. I visited my grandmother this weekend and she made fun of me for a good 20 minutes when she walked into the kitchen and found me chowing down a plain bread roll. It was one of those rolls found at the bakery and was seriously good just the way it was. Apparently, bread is usually eaten with some sort of topping.

Anyway, I think my hamburger over cheeseburger preference has come from the type of cheese I have had on them before. I'm not a fan of American cheese at all, and this seems to be one of the standard cheese to put on top of cheeseburgers and a lot of my experience has, unfortunately, come from McDonalds. Not the best way to represent. So when I found this recipe in the Eating Well Healthy in a Hurry cookbook, I knew I had to try it. It stayed far away from the American cheese and had a twist by stuffing the cheese into the burger instead of laying it on top. I paired these with some light hamburger buns. Serve these on their own for a nice lunch or pair with corn on the cob and a side salad for a satisfying dinner.

Swiss Steak

Is there anything more comforting than coming home to a house that smells like delicious food? I don't think so, and this recipe is sure to deliver. By about two hours into the cooking time, I was ready for it to be done. Sadly, I still had about six hours to go, but the smell was sooooo good! As soon as that timer went off I was sticking my spoon in to take some out. The steak nearly melted as I was pulling it out it was that tender. Which, of course, is what swiss steak is all about. The name does not refer to the country at all, but the process of cooking it. Basically, the process involves taking a tough cut of meat and slowly cooking it to make it tender. The perfect job for a slow cooker!

I served this along with the Dijon and Herb Roasted Potatoes I posted earlier and some steamed broccoli. It was very delicious and very filling.

Beef, Cheese and Noodle Bake

Macaroni and cheese stepped up a notch. This recipe is packed with hidden vegetables to boost the nutrition and fiber. Lean ground beef packs in some protein to round out this satisfying meal. There is something about macaroni and cheese that everyone loves. It has been one of my favorite foods ever since I can remember. If you have kids, this is a great way to sneak some vegetables into them without them knowing. I would have loved this recipe as a kid, but if you had told me there were carrots in it, my opinion would have drastically changed. Therefore, I suggest you not mention it to them.

I use whole wheat pasta whenever I can. I honestly do not taste much of a difference between it and regular pasta. I know there are people who would argue with me so if you prefer regular pasta, then go ahead and use it. The nutritional information, however, is based on using whole wheat pasta. I know for Weight Watcher's, the Points+ value will probably go up by 1 or so. 

Taco Soup

This is a delicious recipe on a cold night. The temperatures in the Northeast have been very deceiving lately and if it weren't for the bare trees then I would think we were in early spring. However, it looks like those temperatures are finally giving way to the cold December days they should be. That being said, what is better than soup on a cold day? I have also been under the weather again, like I was when I made the Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice Soup. Whenever I don't feel good, soup always seems like the perfect comfort food.

All the regular taco toppings can be placed on top of the soup. I used sour cream and cheddar cheese, but pico de gallo, crushed tortilla chips, scallions, hot sauce, or whatever else you want would be fine also.

Also, this makes great leftovers. In fact, it may be even better on the second day than the first!

Greek-Style Stuffed Peppers

Beef, spinach feta and tomatoes combined into a delicious, light meal. I found these peppers to be quite filling. With a side salad, this makes a complete dinner. Next time I make them, I might add a few red pepper flakes to spice them up a bit, but they were fine just how they are. I got the inspiration for this dish from the Weight Watchers PointsPlus Cookbook. I made only a few modifications and look forward to trying out more recipes.