Recipes...

[Magnolia618]

This is one of my favorites!

1 pound lean ground beef

1 can reduced fat cream of mushroom soup

1/2 bag or so of tator tots

low fat cheese

Brown & drain ground beef, add soup, put in a baking pan or casserole dish. Layer tator tots on top & cook at 350 or so until done. Sprinkle with cheese & put back in oven until melted.

You don't have to add the cheese if you don't want, it's good either way

Oh Deb... that just SCREAMS healthy!

[cheekymunkee]

Baby just look at all that LOW FAT stuff!!!

[SisMorphine]

Baby just look at all that LOW FAT stuff!!!

Yeah I saw that recipe, it looks yummy, but isn't very promising in regards to diminishing my ever-expanding waistline.

But one day I will SO make it.

[Big_Ant]

I cannot get this damn meat out of my mind!

I made this the other day, just an experiment, and it is one of the best tasting meats I have had.

Start 2 large pieces of beef (pot roast beef is good for this). Add a little oil to a large pot, get it hot. Sear the meat on all sides to a nice brown. Remove meat and place on a platter to the side.

Add 2 regular sized cans of diced tomatoes, 3 chipotle peppers (from a can, in adobo sauce). You can remove the seeds of the peppers if you'd like a little less heat. Break the pepper up in your hand into small pieces.

Simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add Meat back into the pot, add a little garlic salt, good amount of pepper, enough water to come up about half an inch from covering the meat. Cover and simmer for about 4.5 to 5 hours. About every 45 minutes to an hour remove the cover, turn the meat and re-cover.

In about the 3.5 to 4 hour mark you will be able to start slowly shredding the meat while it's in the pan.

You can shred it as thin as you like. For shredding it up completely just do it in portions. Shred a little, cook more, shred more, cook more, etc.

Once it's done, you'll have very little liquid, if any. If you still have too much liquid, you can cook for a little longer with the top off.

When you taste it, if you did it right, you'll taste a meat that has a slightly smokey flavor, but very very sweet. You would think that you put sugar in it, but it's not an overwhelming sweetness, and that's coming from someone who doesn't like sweets/candy.

From here you can take it anyway you'd like to serve it.

Here's how I did some tacos.

Shred some cabbage, chop some radishes, chop onion, chop cilantro.

Take a corn tortilla, put some meat, then put some cabbage, radishes, onion, cilantro, and top with some Crema (don't know what it is let me know) and some homemade green chile.

- Anthony

[call2arms]

Dude, you make me want to eat meat.

You guys who cook with lots of peppers must have some very good conditioning not to rub your eyes with your fingers (even though you wash your hands, it still burns)... I hear my boyfriend screaming in the kitchen every time he cook with hot peppers.

[Jenn]

Anyone have a good recipe for Cabbage rolls that I could substitute the meat with Turkey, and I'm really not a huge fan of rice... I love cabbage though, and I've been craving it all day. If anyone has other (simple) Cabbage recipes/ideas I'm all ears.

[girlie]

Anyone have a good recipe for Cabbage rolls that I could substitute the meat with Turkey, and I'm really not a huge fan of rice... I love cabbage though, and I've been craving it all day. If anyone has other (simple) Cabbage recipes/ideas I'm all ears.

OH OH OH

ME ME ME

no rice? what about couscous?
Do you like them to have a sweet tomato sauce?

Oh I'm all over it!!!

[Jenn]

I can tolerate brown rice only in small amounts, and mixed in really well..

?couscous? I don't know what that is? I've never made Cabbage Rolls, never even ate them, but it sounds good. Actually right now anything good and involving cabbage is on the menu tonight. I have some ground Turkey thawed out too.

[girlie]

ingredients
Stuffing
1 1/2 pounds chopmeat
3/4 cup uncooked white rice
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon finely chopped or crushed fresh garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Sauce
2 cups plain tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
1/2 orange, chopped with peel into 1/2-inch pieces; remove pits
2/3 lemon, chopped with peel into 1/2-inch pieces; remove pits
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 large lightweight young green cabbage
1 medium green cabbage. You'll need 4 cups (if you don't have enough, supplement with leftovers from the large cabbage).

preparation
1. In a large bowl, combine all the stuffing ingredients. Stir them with a fork, then mix thoroughly with your hands. Cover and refrigerate.

2. In another bowl, thoroughly mix all sauce ingredients. Cover and refrigerate.

3. Fill a very large stockpot three-quarters full with water and bring to a rapid boil. While bringing the water to a boil, use a thin, sharp knife to make deep cuts around the core of the large cabbage (cut into the cabbage in a circle about 1/4 inch out from the core). Lift out the core, making a hole about 2 inches wide and 2 1/2 inches deep. This is a bit difficult — persevere.

4. Set out a baking tray neat the stove. Stick a long cooking fork into the core hole of the large cabbage, and plunge it (carefully, so you don't splash yourself) into the pot of rapidly boiling water. The outer leaves will begin to fall off. Leave them in the boiling water for a few minutes until they're limp and flexible enough for stuffing; then take them out one at a time, and place them on the baking tray. Try not to tear the leaves. When all the leaves are on the tray, transfer it into the sink and pour the boiling water from the pot over them. Wash the leaves carefully in cold water. With a small, sharp knife, trim off the tough outer spines and discard them.

5. Find your largest leaves, and set them out on a plate. Set out all other leaves on another plate. One at a time, line each large leaf with another large leaf or two smaller leaves. (The idea is to strengthen your cabbage wrapping so that the stuffing stays securely inside during cooking. Be sure to align the spines of inner and outer leaves.) Stuff with 3/4 cup of the meat-rice mixture, roll very tightly along the spine, and close both sides by tucking them in with your fingers. The spine should be vertical in the center of tour roll.

6. Stir the 4 cups of chopped cabbage into the sauce. Pour 3/4 inch of the sauce into a large, wide-bottomed stockpot. Arrange the cabbage rolls carefully on top of the sauce, and pour the remainder of the sauce over them to cover. Cover pot and simmer for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Serve with boiled potatoes and a vegetable.

[Jenn]

Cut the core from the bottom hard white part down right?

[girlie]

you can do the whole cabbage in a big pot or you can steam what you know you are going to use by just removing the leaves and blanching them quickly in boiling water.

[Jenn]

Sounds easier than the cutting, boiling part.

I think I'll do it that way.. Mmmmm I'm exicted I'll let you know how we liked it.

[girlie]

There are so many shortcuts in recipes, ya just have to figure out how to look for them.

hope it turns out good for you.

oh and if your in the Houston area, Kenny and Ziggy's deli by the galleria has some rocking stuffed cabbage!!!

[Jenn]

I'm farther South, closer to LA. Houston gives me hives..

[cheekymunkee]

You don't even have to roll the leaves if you don't want to. I have made a similar recipe and I just layered everything. But then I made enchiladas last night & I was too lazy to roll them so I layered them

[girlie]

You don't even have to roll the leaves if you don't want to. I have made a similar recipe and I just layered everything. But then I made enchiladas last night & I was too lazy to roll them so I layered them

Now that is just plain WRONG!

[cheekymunkee]

I know. But they were GOOD!

[Jenn]

I've never done Enchiladas at home either, just order out. How do you make them?

[girlie]

I've never done Enchiladas at home either, just order out. How do you make them?

Oh my goodness....

and you said south Texas?????

[cheekymunkee]

Ground Beef Enchiladas
1 tablespoon shortening
1 pound ground beef
3 tablespoons flour
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
Water
2 tablespoon chili powder
Salt, to taste
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
12 corn tortillas
1 pound longhorn cheese, coarsely grated
1 large onion, finely chopped

Melt shortening in heavy skillet. Add the ground meat and brown. Sprinkle meat with flour; mix in skillet. Add tomato sauce and 1 cup water. Mix 1/2 cup water with the chili powder to form a smooth paste; add to the meat mixture. Add salt to taste and garlic powder. Cook over medium heat, uncovered, until it is of gravy consistency. Cover and simmer over very low heat. Add more water if the chili gravy becomes too thick.

Dip tortillas one at a time in the hot chili gravy with a wide metal spatula. The tortillas will become pliable almost immediately, which will make rolling the enchiladas easier. Soaking too long will cause the tortillas to fall apart.

Place a good sprinkling of grated cheese and minced onion and about a tablespoon of the meat mixture to one side of the center of the tortilla. Roll tortilla tightly around the filling and place loose side down in a glass casserole baking dish. For best results place the enchiladas in a row with sides touching.

When all enchiladas have been formed, pour the remaining hot chili gravy over all, and sprinkle generously with grated cheese, and top with chopped onion. Bake at 350 degrees F until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately.