Barley and Beef Soup

BARLEY AND BEEF SOUP

I made this soup on Sunday. It was so, so good and made great leftovers.

BARLEY AND BEEF SOUP
(Cooking Light)

INGREDIENTS:
Cooking spray
2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large)
1 pound chuck steak, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups chopped peeled carrot (about 4)
1 cup chopped celery (about 4 stalks)
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup uncooked pearl barley
5 cups fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
2 cups water
1/2 cup no-salt-added tomato puree
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves

DIRECTIONS:
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chopped onion and beef to pan; cook 10 minutes or until onion is tender and beef is browned, stirring occasionally. Add chopped carrot and chopped celery to pan; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic; cook 30 seconds. Stir in barley and remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 40 minutes or until the barley is done and vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaves.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 275, Fat: 5g (sat 1.6g,mono 2.3g,poly 0.5g), Protein: 21.8g, Carbohydrate: 36g, Fiber: 8g, Cholesterol: 43mg, Iron: 3.1mg, Sodium: 649mg, Calcium: 57mg

Curried Beef and Lentil Stew

CURRIED BEEF AND LENTIL STEW

It's been a while. Things have been so hectic around the house and work has been keeping me busy. Weight Watchers is going great! I'm sooo close to goal! YAY!

Anyway, on to the recipe. This is another Cooking Light recipe. This was a great weeknight dinner. The flavor was great and it was super easy to put together.

CURRIED LAMB AND LENTIL STEW

(Adapted from Cooking Light)

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds lean boned leg of lamb (I used beef stew meat)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 cups low-salt chicken broth
3/4 cup lentils
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained
3 1/2 cups chopped collards or spinach (1/4 pound) (I omitted)
1/2 cup diced carrot
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Cilantro sprigs (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Trim fat from lamb, and cut into 1-inch cubes. Set lamb aside.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add onion, celery, and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add lamb; sauté 5 minutes or until browned. Add curry, cumin, and pepper; stir well to coat. Add broth, lentils, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add greens and carrot; simmer 10 minutes or until lamb is tender. Remove from heat; stir in chopped cilantro. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Note: The purchase weight of lamb is 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 pounds to equal 1 pound, trimmed.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 309 (26% from fat), Fat: 8.8g (sat 2.2g,mono 3.9g,poly 0.9g), Protein: 33.7g, Carbohydrate: 25g, Fiber: 5.7g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Iron: 6.9mg, Sodium: 311mg, Calcium:
115mg

**NUTRITIONAL INFO IS FOR THE ORIGINAL RECIPE AND DOES NOT INCLUDE MY CHANGES**

Turkey Muffins

Here's the story with meatloaf. I don't like it! Well, I can eat it, but I would never request that someone make meatloaf. It's just not appealing to me. Matt, on the other hand, LOVES meatloaf. Whenever I ask what he'd like me to make, he usually asks for meatloaf.

Anyway, I came across this turkey muffin-meatloaf recipe today and decided to give it a whirl. I mean, it's basically mini-meatloaves, but so much better! Credit for this recipe goes to Luluk1102. I only made a few changes, based on what I had on hand.

Boy, were these meaty muffins sooooooo good! I ate 3 of them! Another plus is that they are relatively healthy. When I figured out the points, based on 12 muffins, they were about 2 Weight Watcher points each. Not too shabby! I will most definitely make these again. Another creative way to use turkey and throw a pretend mini-meatloaf into the mix!

My altered recipe is below!

MINI TURKEY MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound ground turkey

1 egg, beaten
1 cup tomato sauce

1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional for topping
1/2 red pepper, chopped

1 small onion, chopped
1/2 packet of Good Seasons Italian dressing mix
1 (heaping) teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400. Generously spray muffin pan with cooking spray.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix using hands until well blended. Using a large spoon, generously fill each muffin slot and sprinkle each muffin with additional Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes or until a light crust has formed on each muffin.

(Makes 12 muffins)