Week 1

Social Distancing Week #1 is complete. I'll be honest with you, it wasn't easy and that was with two added helpers (Mom and Dad were visiting). Week 2 begins tomorrow, without any helpers. School sent some awesome homeschool material but how exactly do you "work" and guide your kiddos through the curriculum? I'll let you know after this week!

In the meantime, have y'all been cooking at home a lot? Meal planning to make the most of grocery runs has been super important for us. I have been trying to plan out 5 meals at a time (main + sides). We gave this easy Beef Stroganoff a try tonight and it was great, ranking high on the effort vs reward matrix :) We made it with a mix of venison and beef because that's what we had and opted for the 2 hour stove version rather than the slow cooker. The dijon gives it a nice tangy flavor.

Recipe: Beef Stroganoff

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Mongolian Beef

I've been taking a break from Blue Apron meal delivery and trying out a few quick Weeknight recipes I've had my eye on in preparation for my return to work in a couple weeks.

This Mongolian Beef Noodle Bowl recipe (found here) was delicious! I doubled the recipe because there's not much better than cold Chinese take-out type food for leftovers the next day. I used 2 bags of pre-prepared coleslaw mix and low sodium soy sauce to make it healthier. Next time I make I will also try cut back on the brown sugar.

Mongolian Beef Noodle Bowls 

Description:  Mongolian Beef Noodle Bowls taste just like take out, swapping rice for chewy rice noodles!

Ingredients serves 4
8oz gluten-free rice noodles
1/2 cup low-sodium gluten-free Tamari OR low-sodium soy sauce (dish will not be GF if using soy sauce)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes (or more or less)
2 Tablespoons grapeseed or vegetable oil, divided
1lb flank steak, sliced very thin against the grain
salt and pepper
5 green onions, green parts chopped into 2" pieces, white and light green parts into 1/2" pieces
3 cups coleslaw mix
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (from 1" piece of ginger)
3 garlic cloves, minced

Directions 
1. Pre-soak rice noodles according to package directions then drain and set aside. Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together tamari or soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and red chili pepper flakes then set aside.
2. Heat 1/2 Tablespoon oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over heat that's just a touch below high. Make sure oil is very hot before adding 1/3 of the beef in an even layer in the bottom of the wok. (If oil is not hot enough or you overcrowd the wok, the beef will steam vs sear.) Season lightly with salt and pepper then allow beef to form a crust on the bottom before flipping and stir frying until just barely cooked through. Remove beef to a plate then repeat with remaining beef, using 1/2 Tablespoon oil to stir fry each batch, and then set the plate aside.
3. Heat remaining 1/2 Tablespoon oil in the wok then add green onions and coleslaw mix, season lightly with salt, and then stir fry until coleslaw begins to wilt, 1-2 minutes. Add ginger and garlic then stir fry for another 30 seconds.
4. Add drained noodles and sauce to wok then stir fry until noodles are tender, 3-4 minutes. Remove wok from heat then add beef and toss until warmed through, and then serve.

Yum!

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Crockpot Korean Beef

Welp I can't seem to find pictures of this meal, which I made for dinner a couple weeks ago. So, once again you'll have to take my word that it was good. I think the fact that it only took 15 minutes to throw together made it taste even better.

I'd recommend doubling the recipe for some great leftovers; be sure to make some basmati rice to accompany.

Korean Beef

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup beef broth
• 1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha, or more, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 3 pound boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a large bowl, whisk together beef broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, ginger, Sriracha, onion powder and white pepper.
• Place chuck roast into a slow cooker. Stir in beef broth mixture until well combined.
• Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours.
• In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 1/4 cup water. Stir in mixture into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat for an additional 30 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.
• Serve immediately, garnished with green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.

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Remembering how to Cook

So it's been a really really long time since I've cooked anything. Babies will do that. But inevitably you gotta come out of hibernation sometime right? Well here are the recipes that we chose for our first "couple cooks together" meal in months. You may be able to tell that I picked these recipes... but they have been tested and approved by Ross too!

Turkey Burgers and Quinoa Caprese salad.

This caprese salad is a great twist on the basil+mozzerella+tomato classic with the addition of quinoa and peppery arugula.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups cherry tomatoes - halved or quartered depending on size
• 1 cup fresh mozzarella - either bocconcini or ciliegine - small round cheese - quartered
• 2 Tbs red onion - minced
• 2 Tbs minced herbs - I used a combination of parsley and basil
• ¾ cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups arugula
• 1 large handful of walnuts
• 4 Tbs olive oil
• 2 Tbs red wine vinegar
• 1 garlic clove - finely minced
• 8 twists of pepper from a pepper mill

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook quinoa according to package instructions.
2. While quinoa is cooking, slice cherry tomatoes and add to a bowl.
3. Slice mozzarella balls in quarters so they are roughly the same size as the sliced cherry tomatoes.
4. Add sliced mozzarella, minced red onion and minced herbs to the tomatoes and toss gently.
5. Whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, finely minced garlic and pepper. Pour half of the dressing over the tomato and mozzarella mixture and toss gently.
6. Once quinoa is done cooking, strain if necessary so there is no water left in the pan, let the quinoa cool on a baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes.
7. Give the arugula a rough chop and add to a separate bowl.
8. Once quinoa is cool, toss with the arugula and the remaining half of the dressing. Once combined, add the tomato mozzarella mixture and walnuts. Toss gently to combine and serve.

I didn't get a picture of the burgers, but here's the recipe. See link above for pictures:

Turkey Burger with Feta

Ingredients

•     1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
•     2 Cloves garlic, minced
•     1 Egg
•     1/2 Cup breadcrumbs
•     1 Cup crumbled Feta Cheese
•     1/4 Cup drained, chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil
•     1/4 Cup diced onions
•     2 Tbsp. chopped flat leaf parsley
•     2 Tsp. dried oregano
•     salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Method

1. Pre-heat barbecue grill to high for 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine burger ingredients and mix to combine, being careful not to over mix. Shape into 6 patties, each 1/2–inch (1 cm) thick.
3. Reduce heat to medium and place burgers on lightly greased grill, cover and cook for about 8 minutes.
4. Serve with tzatziki on the bottom and topped with some baby arugula
5.  Enjoy!

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