A tasty and healthy way to use left-over chicken, beef, salmon, or shrimp. Add whatever vegetables you have on hand to create your own unique dish. Serve it with our favorite Nordstrom dressing – link provided below.
Versatile Rice Bowls
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb cooked chicken, beef, salmon or shrimp
- 1 1/2 cups brown rice, cooked according to directions Jasmine Brown Rice gives a great nutty flavor
- 1 avocado, cubed
- 3/4 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- Kosher and fresh ground pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds Trader Joe's carries good spiced pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup Lime Cilantro Dressing or any dressing you prefer We like the Nordstrom dressing recipe*
Instructions
- Set Oven to 400°
- Spread sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil and salt & pepper
- Bake for about 40 minutes, until potatoes are cooked.
- Divide rice among the 4 bowls. Next divide remaining ingredients. Top with dressing and pumpkin seeds.
During these days of “staying at home” the most important decision of the day often is, “What’s for dinner?” My husband, Skip, mentioned that if I came up with a sauce he would make some fresh pasta. I must admit that I am probably one of the few households that did not stock up on dry pasta. We have an ancient electric pasta maker that only Skip knows how to use. Well the challenge was on so I came up with this meat sauce. Since I had 1/2 pound each of ground sirloin and ground sausage, that was my starting point.
Quick Meat and Tomato Pasta Sauce
Servings 5
Calories 316kcal
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups red onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 pound ground sirloin
- 1/2 pound ground sausage
- 1 28 oz canned fire roasted crushed tomatoes
- 2 ½ Tbsp Italian seasonings
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper freshly ground
- 1/3 cup red wine
- 1 pound pasta
- parmesan cheese freshly grated for topping
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large fry pan over medium heat.
- Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes or until soft.
- Add garlic and sauté for an additional minute.
- Remove onion and garlic from pan.
- In the same pan, cook sausage and beef until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain the grease.
- Add the tomatoes, seasonings, wine and onion mixture to the meat in the fry pan.
- Cook on low for approximately 5-10 minute.
- Prepare pasta according to package.
- Pour sauce over pasta and top with parmesan cheese.
Notes
This recipe is very flexible. If you don't have both sausage or beef, just use 1 pound of what you have. Regular canned tomatoes also work well if that is what is in your pantry. A combination of spices such as rosemary, oregano, thyme, etc. can be used instead of Italian seasonings. This recipe freezes well.
The steak in this recipe is marinated in beer for hours, hence the “drunken” title. We came across the recipe in the latest issue of Bon Appetite magazine and gave it a try with some Simple Celebration tweaking. How about making tonight a taco night? First, open a beer (off to a good start?).
Drunk Steak Tacos
Servings 4
Calories 662kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound skirt or flank steak
- 1 12- ounce bottle of Mexican beer
- 4 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/3 cup chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 2 large plum tomatoes
- 1/2 chipotle chili in adobo, chopped
- 3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
- 8 white corn tortillas
- 1 avocado sliced
- 1 cup Fresco cheese Mexican crumbling cheese
- 8 lime wedges
Instructions
- Combine beer, 1 Tbsp lime juice , salt & pepper in a resealable gallon bag.
- Add steak and combine well. Chill for at least 3 hours.
- Heat oil in a small skillet. Add onion and garlic and sauté for 4 minutes. Let cool.
Salsa
- Heat up the grill and grill tomatoes until charred on all sides. Once cooled, remove seeds from tomatoes.
- Place tomatoes, onion mixture, 3 Tbsp lime juice and chipotle chili in a food processor. Season with salt & pepper and pulse until smooth. Place in a small bowl.
Grilling
- Remove beef from the marinade and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper and grill until medium rare - about 3 minutes a side.
- Let sit on cutting board for 10-15 minutes then thinly slice against the grain.
- Grill the tortillas about 30 seconds per side.
Assembly
- Serve beef, salsa, cheese, avocado, lime wedges and tortillas on plates and bowls and let everyone make their own tacos.
Notes
We like to serve this with wedges of watermelon and of course, more beer!
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What makes this recipe healthy? It contains no oils. The bold flavors of lime juice, soy sauce and vegetables/herbs give it great taste. Purchase more steak than you will use for one night’s dinner because the leftovers make great steak fajitas or quesadillas for lunch. Hint – when marinating with lime juice, do not marinade the steak over an hour or it will start to cook.
Lime Marinated Flank Steak
Servings 5
Ingredients
- 2 pounds flank steak
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
- 3 scallions sliced
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 3 Tbsp fresh ginger minced
- 3/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Score the steak with a knife - slice the steak vertically and horizontally 1/8" deep.
- Mix all of the rest of the ingredients and pour over flank steak. Make sure that you flip the steak to make sure it is well coated. Place steak in a glass baking dish or put it in a gallon ziplock bag.
- Let sit at room temperature for about an hour.
- Remove steak from marinade and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Spray grill with cooking spray and grill meat until medium rare.
- Let rest for 10 minutes and slice meat at an angle.
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Skirt steak is long, flat, and prized for its flavor rather than tenderness which is why it is important not to overcook this cut of meat. Use the rub recipe below and your steak dinner will be full of melt-in-your-mouth goodness!
Spiced Grilled Skirt Steak
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds skirt steak cut in four pieces to make grilling easy and excess fat removed
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 3/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of cloves
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together except skirt steak.
- Rub mixture over steak and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
- Bring meat to room temperature before grilling.
- Grill until rare to medium-rare (3 to 4 minutes a side).
- Don't overcook or meat will get tough.
- Take off grill and cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 5 minutes before cutting.
- Slice meat diagonally across the grain in thin slices.
These pies are just the perfect size for dinner and elegant enough for a party. Because you are using puff pastry you don’t even need to make your own crust. We placed the puff pastry just on the top of the dish instead of lining the dish with pastry for a much lighter dinner.
Individual Beef Pies
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 onions chopped
- 1 pound chuck steak or stew meat diced
- 1 ½ cup beef stock not broth
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 ¼ Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 ½ Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 4 Tbsp water
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 sheet puffed pastry thawed
- 1 egg slightly beaten
Instructions
Filling
- Preheat oven to 400°. Heat oil in large saucepan over high heat.
- Add onions and cook for 3 minutes or until soft.
- Add steak to pan and cook for 4 minutes or until meat is seared (browned).
- Add stock, wine, Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 50 minutes or until meat is tender.
- Combine flour and water into a paste and stir into meat mixture. Bring mixture to boil and stir for 1 minute (it will have the consistency of melted chocolate).
- Season to taste with salt and pepper, cool.
Pastry
- Rollout pastry on a lightly floured surface until it is 1/8" thick.
- Cut pastry so that it will have a slight overhang on the small pie tins (at least 8 oz. in capacity) or mini cocottes.
Assembly
- Place filling in bases and top with formed pastry circles and crimp.
- Want to get fancy? From pastry scraps, use pie cutters or cut out letters or numbers and place on top of pie.
- Brush pie tops with egg and place pies in the oven.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden.
Notes
To make these pies more interesting add sliced mushrooms when you add the flour and water. They will cook while the mixture is cooling.
Let’s face it, the words “meatloaf” and “gourmet” rarely appear in the same sentence, but The Simple Celebration has done it! We have come up with a gourmet meatloaf recipe that calls for chipotle chillis and fresh herbs bringing this comfort food entrée to a whole new level of goodness. Everyone knows the best part of making meatloaf is the leftovers for sandwiches and they will be fabulous!
Some tips on making sure your meatloaf is perfect:
- When incorporating ingredients, use your hands to combine – don’t over mix!
- Forget the loaf pan – line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and form the loaf by hand (leftovers will fit easier on the bread).
- Wrap leftovers in foil and place in a freezer bag for one of those nights when there is no time to cook!
Gourmet Meatloaf
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary chopped
- 2 tsp fresh thyme chopped
- 2 tsp chipotle chilis in adobe sauce chopped
- 1/2 cup low-fat milk
- 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs beaten
- 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 1¼ pounds ground round
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Heat olive oil in a medium skillet. Add onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
- Add herbs and chilis and stir for 1 minute.
- Put in a large bowl with the milk and breadcrumbs, stir and let sit for several minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients and combine using your hands. Don't over mix.
- Place on a rimmed baking sheet, lined with parchment paper.
- Shape into a loaf that measures about 11" by 5".
- At this point you can place meatloaf in the refrigerator and pull out 15 minutes before baking.
- Bake for about 1 hour or until instant thermometer registers 150 degrees.
- Let sit for at least 5 minutes before slicing.
Notes
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These burgers have a very gourmet taste, but come together quite simply. We recommend grilling the burgers and mushrooms, but pan-frying will do the job too!
Cheese Stuffed Veal Burgers with Grilled Portobello Mushrooms
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh mozzarella cheese cubed
- 1/3 cup green onions diced
- 1 1/2 lb ground veal can use ground round if you prefer
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
- 1/2 cup good quality mayonnaise
- 1 tsp fresh sage minced
- 2 tsp coarse ground mustard
- 4 large portobello mushrooms stems removed
- olive oil
- 4 sesame buns
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the mozzarella cheese and green onion, set aside.
- Next, using your hands, mix together the veal, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt & pepper. Form into 8 equal-size patties and flatten.
- Top four of the patties with the cheese mixture, then top each patty with another patty and crimp the edges together to keep the cheese in during grilling.
- Combine the mayo, sage and mustard, set aside.
- Place the mushrooms on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Pour a small amount of olive oil in a bowl. Using a brush, coat both sides of the mushrooms with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Grill the mushrooms for 10 - 15 minutes, until tender. Grill the burgers to medium.
- Place burgers and mushrooms on a sesame bun and serve with sauce.
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If you have left over chicken, flank steak or even pork tenderloin, get another meal out of them by making fajitas. This is an easy lunch or serve them for dinner along with yellow rice.
Fajitas
Servings 4
Ingredients
- Leftover meat sliced in thin strips
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 1 small red onion sliced
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Fajita seasoning optional
- 8 small flour or corn tortillas
- Mexican cheese grated
- avocado sliced
- salsa
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large frying pan. Sauté pepper and onion until soft, about 5 minutes. In the mean time, place cheese, avocado and salsa in bowls.
- Place meat in pan and heat until warmed through. Don't over cook meat or it will get tough.
- Heat tortillas by wrapping in a damp paper towel and microwaving for 45 seconds or blister them on a grill or gas stove.
- Place meat mixture and all other ingredients on a table and let everyone make their own!
It’s all in the marinade. This steak will melt in your mouth with an unbelievable amount of flavor. For the recipe of the pictured corn and pepper side dish, click here.
Gingered Flank Steak
Servings 8
Ingredients
- 3 lbs flank steak
Marinade
- 1/4 cup mirin an Asian sweet cooking rice wine
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp chili oil
- 1/3 cup green onion chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup fresh ginger minced
Instructions
- Whisk all marinade ingredients together.
- Score the flank steak.
- Place in a glass dish or large ziplock bag and add marinade. Marinate overnight or at least for four hours.
- Grill and cook to medium rare (130-135 degrees on instant read thermometer). Let rest for 10 minutes.
- Cut flank steak against the grain.
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