Oodles and Oodles of Zoodles and Squoodles

I am super excited to finally be posting this beef stroganoff recipe.  I cannot wait for you to try it for yourself.  It is absolutely delicious!  I'm still debating on whether to not to even call it beef stroganoff, because it is such a different version than the gray vomit looking one you've probably eaten in the past with the ground beef, mushroom gravy, sour cream, and egg noodles.  It was delicious, vomit appearance and all, but this version is a little more "upscale" I guess you could say.  Instead of ground beef, this version uses stew beef, and instead of sour cream, this version calls for heavy cream.  Here's the recipe

These are the ingredients I used to make this plus half of an onion.

zucchini, mushrooms, heavy cream, worcestershire sauce, paprika, dill, tomato paste,
butter, garlic cloves, beef broth, sea salt, whole grain dijon mustard, merlot, and stew beef

 So, it starts with drying the beef and then sprinkling it with salt and pepper.  I put the beef on a plate with paper towels on the bottom and then use paper towels on the top to press onto the meat and soak up the liquid.  You have to do this to make sure the seasoning sticks to the meat, and also this helps the meat brown.

During the meat drying process, you can be melting your butter in a pan, but you have to make sure your pan is on a low setting, so your butter doesn't melt too quickly and start browning, and then burning.

You add the meat to the melted butter in the pan and brown it on all sides.  You might have to do this in batches depending on the size of the pan.

Once the meat is out, you add in the chopped onion and the mushrooms and some more butter.  You just need to cook this long enough to soften the mushrooms.  Then, you add your minced garlic.  your house should be smelling pretty good at this point.  I only added half of the onion, because that seemed like plenty to me.  Onion and garlic are flavors that can really take over if you aren't careful.

Next, I added the tomato paste, worcestershire, red wine, beef broth, mustard, dill, and paprika to the pan.  I mixed everything into the onion, garlic, and mushroom mixture.

Once the two mixtures are incorporated, you add the beef back in and bring it to a boil.

Once it boils, you cover it and put it in a 350 degree oven for 1-1.5 hours.  I cooked mine for the longest amount of time to make sure the meat was nice and tender.

Once it comes out of the oven, you cook it uncovered on the stove top for 20 minutes to help it thicken up.

Then, you add the heavy cream and let it cook for 15 more minutes while the cream mixes with the sauce.

Finally, you make your zoodles or squoodles (zucchini or squash noodles) or both either using a mandolin or vegetable spiraler.  I bought a vegetable spiraler on amazon a while back, and I bought a cheap one, so I wasn't surprised in my disappointment last night when it was mashing the squash into a watery pulp instead of slicing it.  I quickly switched over to my nice, more expensive mandolin, and it did the trick.

Once the noodles are sliced, you place them in a bowl, cover them with a plate, and microwave on high for 3 minutes. When you remove them from the microwave, you have to drain them by placing them in a colander, and I suggest, pressing on them with a fork or spoon.

Squash and zucchini are very watery vegetables, so you don't want to add them straight to the stroganoff unless you need it to be watery.  There are ways to dry them out, but I've never done that before, so I don't want to suggest doing the wrong thing.

Once your zoodles or squoodles are ready, place them in a bowl or on a plate and top them with the delicious stroganoff mixture!  They add the best pop of color to your plate along with being delicious!

I will warn you, this is highly addictive, and just as delicious the next day for lunch.  Even my little guy loves it.  Also, zoodles and squoodles are vegetables, not pasta.  Do not expect them to be like pasta.  They will have the texture and taste of a vegetable.  Once you understand and accept that, you will love them!  They are oh so delicious!

Happy Eating!

Keeping up with the Jones'

With the school year back in full swing, I've been thinking a lot about what types of food I will be sending with my little man when he gets older.  While doing this, I've reflected a lot on the lunches I took to school when I was little.  What types of lunches were "cool" to bring?

The biggest thing I remember is that you could trade things at the lunch table.  This brings up a whole new concern.  How do I send my child with healthy, homemade options and make sure he doesn't trade them?  I came up with a theory, and since my son isn't old enough to really test this out yet, you can test it out with your children and tell me how it goes.

My theory is that I can make all of those "goodies" the other kids are bringing in their lunch boxes, but the ones I make for my little guy will be homemade and made with only real ingredients.  This seems like a daunting task at first, because you're thinking about the time commitment involved or the level of cooking ability.  I suggest starting small and with things you feel comfortable with.  I will share with you the recipes and pictures of some of my creations, and feel free to ask me questions about anything you see.

I also would only send 1-2 goodies in his lunchbox along with fruit, cheese, maybe left over dinner, or lettuce wraps, or something like that.  I follow a blog called www.100daysofrealfood.com, and she takes pictures of the lunches she sends her girls and gives recipes and shows where she gets the containers she uses and things like that.  I don't follow her plan 100%, because she still uses some ingredients I don't use, but that's simply a matter of opinion and how you feel about the product.

Cheeze-its:  I haven't made these yet to try them, so feel free to make them, taste them, and let me know what you think.  I just know they're one of my weaknesses in the processed form.  Cheeze-it recipe

Oreos:  I have made these, and they were OUTSTANDING!  I truly cannot put into words how delicious they were.  You cut these out with biscuit cutters, so they can be as big or small as you like.  Oreo Recipe

Vanilla Wafers:  I also haven't tried these, but feel free to try and taste test!  vanilla wafer recipe

Fruit Roll ups:  I haven't tried these yet either, but I cannot wait to try them.  They only have 2 ingredients: fresh fruit and sugar...how can you beat only 2 ingredients!! fruit roll up recipe

Graham Crackers:  I just made these on Saturday, and they are awesome!  My son loves them, but so does everyone else in the family.  The recipe is also extremely easy.  I am including a picture of the dough cut out, and what they look like once they're cooked.  graham cracker recipe

Happy Eating!!