Beer Enchiladas with Jalapeno Slaw

Yes, ladies & gentlemen I have yet another awesome way to use my “Magic” Meat Sauce.  I really love these Beer Enchiladas!!!  My picky pants family doesn’t care for cabbage, but I make the Jalapeno Slaw anyway because it is a perfect match to the enchiladas.  It is very tasty.

Beer Enchiladas with Jalapeno Slaw

Ingredients:

¼     head green cabbage, shredded

1      white onion, thinly sliced

2      jalapeno chilies, seeded and finely chopped

2      tablespoons white wine vinegar

Salt

3 ½  cups “Magic” Meat Sauce

½     cup beer

1      teaspoon ground cumin

½     cup vegetable oil

9      small corn tortillas

1 ½  cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the cabbage, onion, chilies and

     vinegar; season with salt and toss.  Refrigerate until soft

     about 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium

    saucepan, combine the “Magic” Meat Sauce, beer and cumin

    and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Cook, stirring

    occasionally, until the alcohol cooks off, about 7 minutes.

3. In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the tortillas

    one at a time and cook for a few seconds on both sides;

    drain on paper towels (I just use a nonstick skillet and omit

    The oil.)  On a work surface lay the tortillas flat and place

    2 heaping tablespoons of the meat mixture down the center

    of each.  Roll up and place side by side, seam side down, in a

    9-by-11-inch baking dish.  Cover with the remaining meat mixture;

    Sprinkle with the cheese.  Bake until the cheese is just melted,

    About 15 minutes.  Serve with the slaw

Source: Rachel Ray Everyday

Spicy Italian Beef

I am going to have several long and busy days the rest of this week and next week.  So I am going to put my trusty Crock-pot to work.  These sandwiches are the best!  Add some bagged salad mix and dinner is ready.

Updated with pic 6.9.14
 

Spicy Italian Beef

Makes 8 to 10 servings

 

INGREDIENTS:

·         boneless beef chuck roast (3 to 4 pounds)

·         jar (12 ounces) pepperoncini peppers

·         can (14 ½ ounces) beef broth

·         bottle (12 ounces) beer

·         onion, minced

·         tablespoons dried Italian seasoning

·         loaf French bread, or good rolls

·         10 slices provolone cheese (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

·         Trim fat from beef and discard.  Cut beef, if necessary, to fit in CROCK-POT slow cooker, leaving beef in as many large pieces as possible.

·         Drain pepperoncini; pull off stem ends and discard.  Add pepperoncini, broth, beer, onion, and Italian seasoning to CROCK-POT; do not stir.  Cover and cook on LOW 8 to 10 hours.

·         Remove beef from CROCK-POT; shred with 2 forks.  Return shredded beef to cooking liquid; mix well.  Serve on French bread cut into thick slices or rolls, topped with cheese, if desired.  Add additional sauce and pepperoncini, if desired.

HINTS:

·         Pepperoncini are thin 2- to 3-inch long pickled mild peppers, available in the supermarket’s Italian foods or pickled foods section.

Source: CROCK-POT Slow Cooker Best-Loved Recipes

“Magic” Meat Sauce

I like to cook meals that do double duty…from this one sauce (which is awesome as is), I am going to post 4 additional recipes.  It is one of my favorite time and money saving recipes.  When I make the basic sauce I make multiple batches at once, it freezes beautifully, taste even better the second day, and makes it super easy to get dinner on the table multiple other nights all from one afternoon of cooking.

The original Meat Sauce recipe, Inside-Out Pizza Rolls, Beer Enchiladas with Jalapeno Slaw, & Three Cheese Manicotti are all from Rachel Rays magazine, the Bolognaise Sauce is my personal adaptation.

“Magic” Meat Sauce

Makes: 7 cups  Prep: 15 min.  Cook : 2 ½ hours

 

 INGREDIENTS:

·         ¼   cup extra-virgin olive oil

·         ¼   cup chopped pancetta

·         1    onion, finely chopped

·         1    carrot, finely chopped

·         2    celery stalks, finely chopped

·         1    clove garlic, finely chopped

·         2    pounds lean ground beef

·         ½   cup dry red wine

·         One (28oz) can tomato puree

·         Salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

·         In a large, heavy pot, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat.  Add the pancetta and cook until the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes.  Increase the heat to medium, add the onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Increase heat to medium-high, add the beef and cook, breaking it up, until no longer pink, about 8 minutes.  Stir in the wine and cook until the piqued is cooked off, about 5 minutes.

·         Stir in the tomato puree and 1 cup water; and bring to a simmer.  Partially cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for the last 30 minutes, until thickened, about 2 hours.  Season with salt and pepper.

SEE ALSO:

·         Bolognaise Sauce

·         Inside-Out Pizza Rolls

·         Beer Enchiladas with Jalapeno Slaw

·         Three Cheese Manicotti

HINTS:

·         Use a chopper or food processor to finely chop the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic.  They need to be very fine so the incorporate into the sauce.

·         Cook multiple batches (i.e. double, triple, or quadruple the recipe), cool and either store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

·         Be careful during the last 30 minutes of cooking, the thicker the sauce gets the often you will need to stir it.

Pasta Bolognaise

What is my family’s favorite pasta dinner? Pasta Bolognaise!!! We used to go to Martini’s a local restaurant, best Bolognaise ever, but at $15 a plate I decided to try it at home.  The result is the following recipe and I would definitely put mine up against theirs any day!  And it is less than $20 for a complete meal for all four of us.

Pasta Bolognaise

 

INGREDIENTS:

·         1      (1 lb) rigatoni pasta

·         1       sweet Italian sausage link, casing removed

·         ½      teaspoon fennel seeds

·         3 ½   cups “Magic” Meat Sauce

·         4       ounces of goat cheese, divided

·         Parsley if desired

INSTRUCTIONS:

·         In a large pasta pot, add water and salt if desired, bring to a boil.  Cook pasta according to package directions.

·         Meanwhile, in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan, remove casing from sausage, and crumble into pan.  Cook sausage over medium heat stirring and using the back of a spoon to break up the sausage into very small pieces.  Cook until all water has evaporated, sausage is no longer pink, and it is starting to brown. 

·         Add “Magic” meat sauce to pan, and bring to a simmer.  Remove from heat and add 2-ounces of goat cheese, stirring well to combine.

·         Lightly toss pasta with a little of the sauce.

·         Divide pasta between 6 plates, top with sauce, garnish with remaining goat cheese and parsley if desired.

HINTS:

·         If you are not a fan of goat cheese you can substitute a ¼ cup of half and half in the third step and garnish with parmesan or Romano cheese.

 

SEE ALSO:

• Inside-Out Pizza Rolls
• Beer Enchiladas with Jalapeno Slaw
• Three Cheese Manicotti

 

 

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

If you are looking for a tasty whole wheat pizza crust….here it is!  Fed it to my family (ie the picky-pants) and they had no idea it contained whole grains. 

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

Makes one extra large or two medium

INGREDIENTS:

·         1      (1/4 oz) pkg of active dry yeast

·         1      tablespoon of sugar

·         1 ¼  cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees)

·         2 ½  cups whole-wheat flour

·         1 ½  cups unbleached all-purpose flour

·         2      teaspoons salt

·         1      tablespoon olive oil

·          Cornmeal

INSTRUCTIONS:

·         Add water to a 2 cup glass measuring cup, add yeast and sugar stirring to combine.  Let sit 5 minutes

·         Add whole-wheat flour, unbleached all-purpose flour, and salt to the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse several times to combine.

·         Stir olive oil into yeast mixture.

·         With processor running, slowly add yeast mixture, until mixture is combined and a ball forms.

·         On a lightly floured surface, turn the dough out and kneed for 5 minutes. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turn to grease top.  Cover, and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees), free from drafts, for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

·         Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.

·         On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out.

·         Sprinkle a pizza stone with cornmeal or lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

·         Place crust on stone or baking sheet, prick with a fork, add toppings.

·         Bake on lower shelf in oven till cheese is bubbly and crust is cooked through.

HINTS:

·         Substitute warm beer for the water.

·         Add a tablespoon of parmesan cheese or herbs to the flour mixture.

·         Divide dough and let everyone add their own toppings.

·         If you are trying to cut sugar out of your diet substitute a tablespoon of agave syrup.

·         If your family is just getting used to whole grains you can use White Wheat flour instead of the Whole Wheat.  You can also just use all White Wheat flour if you are trying to cut out refined carbs.  Just be aware that the crust will be denser and need a little more elbow grease to roll out.

·         Make a couple of batches at once.  Bake the crusts without toppings.  Wrap the crusts individually with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store in ziplock bags in the freezer.  Just take them out add toppings and bake.  This works best if you make individual crusts that will fit in the ziptop bags, or just double wrap larger ones.