multi-purpose shredded beef

Today I made a big batch of shredded beef as a "base recipe" for which I'll provide various uses throughout the next week or two. This is a basic shredded beef with neutral, plain beef flavor, that will have other flavors added to it later on for each recipe. By keeping the flavor plain, I'll be able to use this is Asian recipes, Tex-Mex recipes, or with any other flavor profile.

This is super simple to make and you can do it while you're at work or even while you sleep. The shredded beef can then be frozen and quickly reheated for use in recipes any night of the week. Below I've provided cooking and freezing instructions. Shredded beef like this can be used for basic BBQ sandwiches, burritos, tacos, and more, but I'm going to post a few new ideas over the next week or two. Look for the first recipe using the shredded beef tomorrow!

Recipes Using Multi-Purpose Shredded Beef:

• BBQ Beef Stuffed Potatoes
• Hoisin Beef Tacos with Sweet & Sour Slaw
• Beef Ragout with Mashed Cauliflower
• (not) Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

One word on portions - as with most of my meat recipes, I use meat in small portions combined with vegetables and grains to stretch it out across many servings. I estimate that I'll use 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the shredded beef per serving in the future recipes. I'll be freezing the beef in 2 cup portions, so that I can thaw/reheat one recipe's worth at a time (or 4-6 servings of the beef).

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loaded sweet potatoes

I had a really hard time deciding what to load these potatoes up with because there were just so many options. So, look forward to more versions of stuffed sweet potatoes in the future!

Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite produce items because they're yummy, nutritious, don't go bad quickly, relatively inexpensive, and can be cooked about a trazillion different ways. This time I paired them with some sauteed spinach, sweet-tart cranberries, and crunchy walnuts. It's so simple, yet oh so good!

This recipe is vegetarian, but can easily be made vegan by substituting the butter with coconut oil. Sweet potatoes and coconut oil (and coconut milk) go really, really well together.

I made three because I knew that's about how much I'd eat over the next couple of days, but this recipe could easily be scaled up or down to make any number. You don't really need to measure the ingredients, just wing it.

Oh yeah, one more thing... these are pretty big, so I'd consider this the main dish. Maybe add a warm roll, a small salad, or a cup of soup and call it a day. It's practically a meal on its own!

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island rice pilaf

I really can't imagine ever just eating plain rice again. Over the past few years I've discovered so many different things you can do with rice, especially cooking it with different liquids and seasonings.

One of my all-time favorites is Savory Coconut Rice, which combines coconut milk, garlic, and jasmine rice. This recipe is kind of like that, but it veers off in a slightly different direction. Instead of using jasmine rice, this recipe uses plain rice (great for those of you who can't find jasmine) and includes some black beans, which always go great with rice. Coconut milk makes everything creamy and mellow, while savory herbs like garlic and thyme add depth. A little sweet pineapple and fresh cilantro help round everything out to create an awesome (and easy) side dish.

The mellow creaminess of this rice was perfect for balancing my Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken, but it would go great with any spicy meal.

Although I called this "pilaf," be aware that it's definitely heavier and more dense than most pilafs. When I hear the word pilaf I think of a light, fluffy rice mixture. Cooking the rice in coconut milk definitely makes it heavier and even a little sticky. So, just be aware of that before you begin. That being said, I could eat a mountain of this rice!

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nature's candy

I'm calling this one "Nature's Candy" because my first thought upon tasting it was, "OMG, WHO NEEDS CANDY WHEN THIS EXISTS?!" ... Yep, I thought it in all caps and everything.

This recipe comes to you courtesy of Rachelle, who wrote to tell me that this has become her go-to side dish and even her 3 year old loves it! I was immediately intrigued by the cinnamon/basil combo and I just happened to have some extra apples that I bought on sale. All of the stars were aligned...

All I can say is that it completely blew me away. I fully expected to have to sprinkle a little salt or sugar on after baking, but it needed absolutely nothing. When is the last time you made a recipe that didn't require even a little pinch of salt? The apples are incredibly sweet after roasting and the subtle creaminess of the sweet potato perfectly compliments them.

It's sweet enough to eat as a snack, but subtle enough to eat as a side dish to a regular meal. I think it would be awesome with any number of roasted meats, Herb Roasted Pork Loin in particular. So, I hope you'll try this one! I don't think you'll be sorry! :D

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chicken in peanut sauce

2013 is going to be GREAT, I can feel it!

This is the first recipe of the year and I already know that it's going to go on next year's "best of" list! It's SO good and SO easy. Peanut and coconut combine to make an incredibly luxurious and creamy sauce for the chicken, which is then sassed up with just a little soy sauce, brown sugar, lime, and sriracha! If you don't have sriracha, you can just add a pinch of red pepper flakes... or just leave it out for a mild version.

Of course this "luxurious" sauce is a little high on the fat content, so make sure to serve this up with a side of some yummy vegetables, like this Crunchy Asian Salad. And, if you can find it, serve it over brown jasmine rice for some added fiber.

Enjoy and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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apple nut quinoa

As much as I love my myriad of baked oatmeal recipes, I've wanted to shake things up a bit lately and try something other than oats for breakfast.

Enter quinoa. If you've never had quinoa ("keen-wah") it's a little seed that is packed with protein and fiber. It cooks up fast and is fun to eat because the little pellets have a great texture once cooked. Usually quinoa is seen in savory dishes, but it also works great in sweet recipes, like this breakfast Apple Nut Quinoa.

The juice in this recipe provides all of the sweetness that you need and really ups the flavor a notch (or ten). Use any juice blend that you'd like, but try to get one that is 100% juice and doesn't contain any added sweeteners. I thought apple cranberry would have been nice, but the apple cherry that I used was much less expensive and happened to have no added sugar, so I went with that.

Hit up the bulk bins at your local grocery store or health food store for the best price on quinoa. It's often over priced when sold in small packages (these are usually found near rice and beans).

It's almost New Years and time for resolutions, so keep this one handy for when you get that sudden motivation to be "healthy"! ;)

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tuna & white bean salad

The hardest part about cooking and testing so many recipes (for the upcoming cookbook) is that I get full after a few bites, but my taste buds still scream for more! I wanted to eat this whole bowl...

This recipe is as easy as 1,2,3... literally. Just mix it all together, adjust to your taste buds and you've got a protein packed lunch ready to go. You can eat this salad plain with a fork, top crackers with it, stuff it inside of a pita pocket, or scoop some over top of a bed of spinach. Anyway you serve it, it's super tasty!

One thing to consider with this recipe is the quality of beans and tuna. I chose the most inexpensive options for both, and it showed. The flavor was still top notch, but the beans were falling apart and the tuna was lumps of mush rather than large chunks of tuna meat. So, if you like things to be pretty, make sure to get high quality beans and tuna. :)

You can use any type of white beans you like - great northern, navy, butter beans, whatever. They'll all add an element of "creaminess" without having heavy mayo!

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how to: make chicken broth

I'm going to start this by admitting that this is the VERY first time that I've ever made my own chicken broth. I've been meaning to for years... and it's almost hypocritical of me not to, but for some reason I never got around to trying it.

So, don't read this post as a "definitive guide" to making chicken broth, but rather a "here is my experience, you should try it too!" Also, because I know there are A LOT of you who have been doing this for years, I'd love it if you'd share your tips, tricks, and experiences in the comments so that we can all learn from each other :)

So what was my experience? OMG, so easy. Seriously, dump it all in the pot and let it go. Come back later and you have a magical golden liquid full of flavor and good for you nutrients. Why wouldn't you want to do this?! Plus, I always get warm and fuzzy inside when I know that I've reduced my waste. By making broth you get to use every last bit of goodness in your chicken and vegetable scraps. I can't wait to make some vegetable broth too!

A couple good tips I've already gotten from readers:

1) Save your vegetable scraps from other recipes in the freezer until you're ready to make broth. Just make sure they're well washed first to remove sand and dirt.

2) Theresa suggested making the broth in a slow cooker instead of on the stove top for even less baby sitting. Let it go all night and you'll have an ultra-amazing broth by morning!

I can't wait to hear everyone else's tips!

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slow cooker chicken

Cooking a whole bird is probably my least favorite task in the kitchen. Something about it just makes me want to moan and groan and ... well, just find someone else to do it!

Until I found this method. It's SO EASY. I first saw this on Slow Cooker From Scratch, and have since been seeing it all over pinterest. So, of course, I had to try it out.

It's easy, you can season it any old way you like, and it's a great alternative to the store bought rotisserie chickens. The meat is ultra tender when done and with just a few minutes under the broiler, the skin is just as golden and crispy. You can serve this whole as a main dish or pick the meat off to use on sandwiches (say good bye to salty deli meat!), burritos, tacos, enchiladas, salads, or a million other things.

I have a fairly large slow cooker and to this day I still don't know it's official size - it's somewhere between 5 and 7 quarts. I chose a 5 pound chicken, which by the look of it, would fit nicely in my cooker. It just barely fit. So, my suggestion is to find a chicken that looks like it will fit, and then pick one that is smaller than that one ;) My chicken yielded about 6 cups of cooked meat.



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(not) sun dried tomato sauce

You know those little jars of sun dried tomatoes packed in delicious herb infused olive oil that cost about $5 a pop? This is just like that, except not. Ha!

This was completely a happy accident and now my life will never be the same. I started out wanting to make something similar to this magic sauce, but was going to use it as a base for my homemade pizza tonight, so I added some tomato paste to make it more, well, pizza-like. When I gave it a taste I was absolutely stunned. it tasted just like those oil packed sun dried tomatoes!

I was so happy because nearly every time I'm at the store I want to buy them, but the price always holds me back. Now I know I can make something that tastes really, really similar and for VERY little money.

So, what do you do with this "sauce"? Well....

• Use it as a pizza sauce (like I'm going to do tonight)
• Toss warm pasta in it, and then top with some parmesan cheese
• Use it as an uber flavorful sandwich spread (best with focaccia or other hearty bread)
• Use in place of garlic butter on sliced french bread for a tomatoey version of garlic toast
• Just go ahead and dip really good, crusty bread in it!

It's so good that I'm sure you can come up with a million more yummy things to do with it!

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roasted corn salad

I used to hate corn. I thought it was kind of boring... Until I made this oven roasted corn last year and learned that corn could be sweet, succulent, totally juicy, and DELICIOUS! So now, every summer when corn goes on sale 3 for a dollar, I'm allll over that.

I made this super simple roasted corn salad the other day to go along with my pulled pork and it was just fabulous. The simplicity of it allows the corn's sweetness to really shine through. You can eat this salad straight (as I have been doing), stuff it into a taco or burrito, or even top a traditional salad with it. It's good no matter how you eat it!

I splurged on cherry tomatoes for this salad because they're bite sized, visually appealing, and most importantly, they're extra sweet. Of course, they're also about half the cost of the salad. So, if you want to cut the cost, you can go for a less expensive tomato, like a roma tomato, and just cut it into chunks.

Oh, and if you live in a normal temperature place (i.e. NOT Louisiana), it might be more appropriate to roast your corn on a grill outside. I chose to use the oven because lighting something on fire and standing near it when the temperature outside is already near 100 degrees and 100% humidity is just crazy talk. I'll stay inside and use my oven, thanks. Either way, roast the corn in the husks to hold in the moisture and flavor!

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honey ginger broiled grapefruit

As soon as I cut this grapefruit open, I realized how much I LOVE grapefruit. It's been too long, dear grapefruit. Sweet, tart, fragrant grapefruit...

You probably need to be a grapefruit person to like this recipe, and a ginger person for that matter. Grapefruit can be somewhat bitter, which turns some people off and attracts others. I like the tart/bitter flavor so much that I usually don't put any sugar on them at all, but when paired with spicy ginger, a little extra sweetness didn't hurt. The result is a warm, juicy, sweet, slightly spicy, and super fragrant breakfast treat.

I have to thank Amelia for sending me this link to Broiled Grapefruit with Ginger from Girl Cooks World. I've wanted to try broiled grapefruit for quite some time, but I wanted to do something more than just plain grapefruit. Adding ginger is exactly what I was looking for. I swapped honey for the brown sugar because I love honey and ginger together and I felt it would be a little less sticky sweet. Brown sugar will definitely give you a more classic, brown, caramelized topping than honey, so keep that in mind.

One more note: cooking times for this will vary quite a bit depending on how hot your broiler is, how close you place the rack to the broiler, and the size of your grapefruit. Broiling happens fast, so just check the grapefruit every couple of minutes until it's cooked to your liking.

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apple dijon kale salad

I'm in love.

The dressing alone was enough to make me swoon. It's just a very simple and basic dijon vinaigrette, but it's so good that I kept dipping my spoon in for taste after taste. And because kale is so "sturdy," it stands up well to being pre-dressed with the vinaigrette. I just made the salad moments ago, but I'm sure it will still be tasty tomorrow, even after having the dressing on it all night. In fact, I'm sure the juice from the apples will start to mingle with the dressing and make it even better.

I love that this salad mixes so many tastes and textures in one bowl. You have the almost bitter flavor of the curly kale, the sweet and crisp apples, crunchy walnuts, and super sweet raisins. All of which is topped off with a tangy dijon vinaigrette. It just all works.

Eat this salad with a cool glass of crisp white wine, some awesome crusty bread, and maybe some cheddar cheese. That's what I call the perfect summer dinner.

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quinoa tabbouleh

That's "keen-wah tab-ooh-lay". Don't let the name scare you away from this simple salad.

I'm obsessed with tabbouleh and have been since the first time I had it. It's full of texture and tons of super fresh, vibrant flavors. I like to eat it plain or stuff it into a pita with some tzatziki. I really can't get enough of it! There are a million ways to make tabbouleh, and this is just one (my favorite way, of course).

I decided to replace the traditional bulgur wheat in this tabbouleh recipe with quinoa because lately I've wanted to experiment with quinoa. Let me just tell you, I think I'm in love with quinoa. Not only is quinoa a nutritional powerhouse, but it has the most amazing texture! It's like tasty little beads that burst when you bite them. Fun!

Bulgur is a less expensive option, or you can even use couscous. All three items cook quickly and are usually available in bulk bins so you can buy just the amount you need. Hint: bulk bin scoops are usually pretty close to one cup in volume! ;D

The amount of salad that this recipe makes will vary quite a bit depending on the size of your tomato, cucumber, and parsley bunch. Also, make sure to use curly leaf parsley as it has more volume and will give the salad body. My salad yielded about 8 cups, but you could even add a second bunch of parsley if you want to stretch it out more. It will "shrink" as it refrigerates. The salt will slowly wilt the vegetables causing it all to collapse a little, but the flavor will get better as it does!


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cumin lime chickpeas

Every winter, after weeks of eating hearty soups and stews, I start craving something really light and fresh. I just get sick of all of the super cooked down hot food. I want bright, I want it to taste like SUNSHINE. You know what I'm sayin'?

So today I threw together this quick salad with a couple of cans of chickpeas that I had hiding in the back of my pantry. It's really fast, easy, and bursting with fresh flavor!

Lime juice can sometimes have a slightly bitter bite to it, so if you're not into that or limes just aren't available in your area, this salad would be just as delicious with lemon juice. If you want to cut the price in half, cook your own chickpeas from dry. I haven't done it but I'm sure it's just as easy as cooking any other bean... especially if you cook them in the slow cooker!

Another interesting twist to this salad would be to add a touch of honey and chopped jalapeno. Unfortunately, I didn't think of that until just now as I was typing this. Someone try it for me and let me know how it is! Thanks!

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maple roasted sweet potatoes with pecans

If you've followed this blog for a while then you probably know that I'm a firm believer in roasting vegetables. They become tender, sweet, and their flavor increases in depth and complexity as the natural sugars caramelize. It's a beautiful thing.

Not to mention it's easy. Just coat the vegetables in whatever herb, spice, or other flavoring you want, spread 'em out on a baking sheet, and throw them into the oven. And that's exactly what you need on Thanksgiving Day, right? Something that you can just throw into the oven and forget about as you prepare the rest of the meal.

You can get double duty out of your oven by roasting these sweet potatoes while you cook other dishes. Just be aware that lower temperatures and having multiple items in the oven mean a longer cooking time. I roasted mine at 350 (because that's what it was set at for the turkey) and they took about 45 minutes to roast. If they're in the oven alone, I'd go for 400 degrees. Hotter temperatures will also brown and caramelize the edges better, so keep that in mind. The point is, they're flexible!

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jalapeno cran-raspberry sauce

Fresh cranberry sauce is one of my all-time favorite Thanksgiving foods. I love the tangy-sweetness and how it juxtaposes all of the other savory Thanksgiving dishes! I eat it on my turkey and on my stuffing and then the rest of the week I eat it on toast or as part of my "Thanksgiving wraps" (turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce in a tortilla - YUM!).

I made this basic cranberry sauce for my first Budget Bytes Thanksgiving and have made a different spin on it every year since. The original recipe is so easy and so delicious that it's worth trying at least once. If you want something with a little more flare, kick it up a notch with raspberries and jalapenos!

The heat in this recipe is adjustable and you'll definitely have to use your taste buds to get it right. Every jalapeno is different so some tweaking is required. I removed all of the seeds from my jalapeno, saved them, and added them back in little by little as the sauce cooked to increase the heat to the point that I liked.

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turmeric chicken

I fell in love with Indian food last year and have craved it ever since. I've experimented here and there but it's still completely uncharted territory to me. I recently discovered the show Spice Goddess on the Cooking Channel and I watch it whenever I get a few spare minutes.

Last week I saw her make this Chicken South Indian Style and was totally inspired. Sure, I didn't have *any* of the spices called for in the recipe, nor did I have time to go hunt them down, but cooking is all about improvising. My yellow jasmine rice is one of my all-time favorite recipes that I've ever made for the blog, so I decided to use a similar mix of spices for this recipe.

And of course, there is the jasmine rice. So simple, so aromatic, SO important. This dish just wouldn't be the same without the jasmine rice. It's worth hunting down if your local market doesn't have it. Ethnic markets or major supermarkets with well stocked ethnic aisles should carry jasmine rice in large, 5 lb. bags, which will be a fraction of the cost of the small "gourmet" rice brands. Check the bottom shelf, it's usually hiding there.

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curry roasted cauliflower

Cauliflower was on sale!

It's a rare occasion when the price of cauliflower is what I consider to be reasonable, so when it happens, I take advantage. Roasting cauliflower is (IMHO) one of the best ways to prepare this vegetable. I love garlic parmesan roasted cauliflower, but sometimes I need to switch it up.

This recipe is incredibly simple. The mild, roasted cauliflower is nicely balanced with the sweetness of the caramelized onions and fresh peas. I used hot curry powder and I even added some red pepper flakes just to liven things up. Rest assured, if you're not a spicy person, this will still be fantastic with a mild curry powder!

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coffee rubbed pork roast

"Huh-wha? Coffee rubbed pork?"

Yep, that's what I said. I made a killer seasoning rub out of coffee (ground to a powder), brown sugar, cayenne, and the usual suspects (salt, pepper, garlic). Slow cooked pork is pretty much good anyway you fix it, but this rub adds just a touch of that deep, smokey, aromatic flavor that coffee has... plus a 'lil sweetness from the brown sugar and a 'lil kick from the cayenne. There really is just a hint of spicy from the cayenne that I think is necessary to balance the mellow coffee so I wouldn't suggest skipping it this time.

I liked this so much that I actually made two of them this week. The first roast I bought was small and extra fatty so after I cooked it, there wasn't much left. So, I went back to the store and bought a huge boston butt (or pork shoulder) and made another. And I'm so glad I did.

Pork shoulder or Boston butt is definitely the way to go for this roast. That cut has a decent amount of meat but still enough fat to keep it tender while it cooks. You can buy and cook it with the bone in if you'd like. My roast came bone in but it was about twice the size that I wanted. So, I cut half off and used it for this recipe and then froze the rest to make BBQ pulled pork on another day. You definitely get a discount if you buy the large roast as opposed to the smaller half size, so go ahead and buy it and freeze half. But please note, pork shoulder bones are a really crazy shape and unless you're familiar, you might have a difficult time removing it.

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