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Cozy Saturday Supper: Lightened-up Goulash

10/24/2010

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There's nothing better than spending a Saturday doing absolutely nothing.  And by nothing, I mean doing ZERO things.  That means no errands, no chores, no putting on of clothes other than pajamas.  Yup, totally irresponsible....but totally awesome. 

Maybe you're saying to yourself, "Oh Katie, that's silly - I couldn't possibly neglect my plans/errands/life to do nothing for an entire 24 hours."  Oh but you can.  Just sleep in and make a choice to do nothing.  Oh wait, you will need one thing to if you plan to do nothing....sustenance.

Autumn weather and pajamas make me think about warm and cozy suppers.  I'm talking about the kind of comfort food that warms your entire body.  If you're going to be lazy, your food should be lazy too, and a slow cooker is the perfect solution.  You can lay on the couch while your food cooks itself, making your entire home smell fantastic.

When I was a kid, my dad always made goulash during the winter.  Traditional goulash is a hungarian stew, that pulls most of it's flavor from paprika, red peppers, lots of onions and caraway seeds - and my family always had it over egg noodles.  When I decided to make goulash a few lazy Saturday's ago - I was faced with a problem: 1. I had no idea if it was healthy 2.  I had no idea how to make it.

Since most recipes that I try from Eating Well turn out great - I decided to try their lightened-up version of goulash.  It's very non-traditional, but tasted really fantastic.  This recipe really helps you stay lazy, you don't even have to sear the beef before you let it braise!  The spice rub ensured that the meat was really flavorful and by the time it was done cooking it was literally falling apart.  I tasted the broth within the last hour of cooking and adjusted the seasoning a bit, just based on my own tastes (increased the salt a touch and added a bit of cracked black pepper).

I decided to serve my goulash on its own without any added carbs - but I think it would be great over egg noodles or with potato.  We had ours with a simple salad with vinaigrette and a bottle of red wine (hey, it's the perfect way to end a lazy Saturday).

What's your favorite comfort food from your childhood?  Leave a comment or shoot me an email because I'd love to try the recipe.

PS...wondering what happened to my promise of a month of chili recipes?  Coming soon, it's taken me awhile to gather the best of the best, but you will not be disappointed.


Hungarian Beef Goulash from EatingWell.com

Ingredients
  • 2 pounds beef stew meat, (such as chuck), trimmed and cubed
  • 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
  • 1 1/2-2 tablespoons sweet or hot paprika, (or a mixture of the two), preferably Hungarian (see Ingredient Note)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 1 large or 2 medium onions, chopped
  • 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium beef broth
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Preparation
  1. Place beef in a 4-quart or larger slow cooker. Crush caraway seeds with the bottom of a saucepan. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in paprika, salt and pepper. Sprinkle the beef with the spice mixture and toss to coat well. Top with onion and bell pepper.
  2. Combine tomatoes, broth, Worcestershire sauce and garlic in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer. Pour over the beef and vegetables. Place bay leaves on top. Cover and cook until the beef is very tender, 4 to 4 1/2 hours on high or 7 to 7 1/2 hours on low.
  3. Discard the bay leaves; skim or blot any visible fat from the surface of the stew. Add the cornstarch mixture to the stew and cook on high, stirring 2 or 3 times, until slightly thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve sprinkled with parsley.


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pre-cooking, ready to get the slow cooking party started
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Make These Enchiladas! (oh yeah, and there's a salad recipe too)

6/19/2010

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Fresh avocado salad
For me, the weekends are the best time to really dig in and cook.  I have more time, I feel relaxed and I can sip a glass of wine and just enjoy the entire process.  Sunday night dinners are a big deal for my boyfriend and I, and I tend to favor slow-cooked meals to comfort that oh-god-its-Sunday-I-cant-believe-how-fast-the-weekend-went feeling (I know I can't be the only one that sometimes gets the dreads on Sunday night).

So if Sunday is for slow-cooking, then Saturday night is for a meal that's involved but doesn't need to cook all day (I tend to spend Saturdays doing errands and running around all over the place).  Well, it just so happens to be Saturday, and I just so happen to have the perfect recipe for you to make tonight.:  Chicken Enchiladas w/ Salsa Verde and Tomato Avocado Salad.

These Chicken Enchiladas are fantastic (and lightened up - no cheese, no heavy sauces).  The recipe calls for store-bought salsa verde but if you make your own, by all means use it (and send me your recipe!).  I normally don't care for the store-bought stuff but blending in onion, garlic and fresh cilantro really improved the consistency.  The recipe also calls for 2 cups of cooked, shredded chicken.  I poached two medium sized boneless skinless chicken breasts and then shredded them with forks.  What I loved most about this recipe is that it reminded me of eating at a Mexican restaurant, but without the bill and while watching a movie on my couch (does it get any better than that?).

Finally I accompanied this dinner with my very own deconstructed guacamole salad.  This salad is so simple and perfect for the summer time.  I add a little balsamic vinegar right at the end to brighten the whole thing up - and it's absolutely delicious and fresh tasting.  You can literally whip this salad together all summer (or anytime you come across ripe avocados at the grocery store).

So happy Saturday my healthy-ish friends - enjoy your day and evening:

Katie's Deconstructed Guacamole Salad (serves 2):

Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado diced
1 medium sized tomato diced
1/2 of a red onion thinly sliced
! tablespoon olive oil
Fresh cilantro to taste (hate cilantro? use parsley)
Dash of balsamic vinegar
Fresh lime juice from 1/2 a lime
1 clove garlic chopped
1 oz. queso fresco
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Combine tomatoes, onion, avocado and garlic in a bowl.  Add the olive oil, lime juice and balsamic vinegar and give it a stir.  Add cilantro, salt and pepper.  Give it a gentle toss (every time you stir be gentle so that the avocados don't get mashed).  Taste and adjust seasoning.  Sprinkle with queso fresco. Serve.

Chicken Enchiladas w/ Salsa Verde
(from Cooking Light) - Serves 4
note: this recipe is health-ish only if you stick with the serving size, which is 2 enchiladas

Ingredients
  • 1  cup  chopped onion
  • 1/4  cup  chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2  garlic cloves, minced
  • 1  (7-ounce) bottle salsa verde (such as Herdez brand)
  • 2  cups  shredded cooked chicken breast
  • 1/3  cup  (3 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
  • 1  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
  • 8  (6-inch) corn tortillas
  • Cooking spray
  • 1/4  cup  (1 ounce) crumbled queso fresco
  • 1/2  teaspoon  chili powder
  • 4  lime wedges
  • Cilantro sprigs (optional)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425°.

Combine first 4 ingredients in a blender; process until smooth. Combine chicken and cream cheese in a large bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup salsa mixture. Reserve remaining salsa mixture.

Bring broth to a simmer in a medium skillet. Working with one tortilla at a time, add tortilla to pan; cook 20 seconds or until moist, turning once. Remove tortilla; drain on paper towels. Spoon about 1/4 cup chicken mixture down center of tortilla; roll up. Place tortilla, seam-side down, in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, broth, and chicken mixture.

Pour remaining salsa mixture over enchiladas; sprinkle evenly with queso fresco and chili powder. Bake at 425° for 18 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve with lime wedges. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.



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    Katie Creaser

    I'm a healthy foodie...well, who am I kidding?  I'm a partially healthy foodie.


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