A Healthy Recipe For Hearty Beef

Many people associate healthy food with those appetites which are on the lighter side. But it doesn't have to be that. Rachael Riggs, who wrote the new cookbook In Good Health, says she's a got a special recipe cooked up for those who want to eat hearty...and healthy. It's French Onion Beef, and it's the only Crock Pot recipe in the book. And it's for those who've come hungry! Rachael says she serves the beef over garlic mashed cauliflower, which she adds is a righteous stand-in for mashed potatoes. But that's only one recipe in this book, which is full of ideas for people navigating health issues like chronic illness but still want to eat good! 

You Might Have Heard The Name...

The name is Birria, and the name of the new cookbook is Birrias. So what is it? Long a staple of Mexican cuisine, Jesse Valenciana, who is the author of the book, stopped by Tonia;s Kitchen to talk about the origins of the authentic birria, and how it evolved. Jesse told Tonia it goes back to days when goats roamed the Mexico countryside, and were considered something of a nuisance. That's because they ate a lot of the crops. Birria, says Jesse, is a slow-roasted stew consisting of goat meat. As times evolved, it was made with beef. In his book, Jesse says there are number of recipes for birria, with just about any kind of protein you can think of!

2 lbs. short rib

6 dried chile guajillo

2 dried chile ancho

2 garlic cloves

1 large onion, chopped

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 clove

¼ cinnamon stick

1 Tbsp. beef bouillon

3-4 cups beef broth

2 bay leaves

2 Tbsp. oil

Salt and pepper

onions, cilantro, and lime, for garnish

Optional: Warm tortillas for making birria tacos

Equipment

Large cast iron pan

Large Dutch oven (5-quart or larger)

To make the chile base:

Heat large cast iron pan to medium/high heat.

Toast the chiles for 1-2 minutes, turning frequently to make sure they don't burn. Transfer the toasted chiles to a heatproof bowl.

Saute the onion until the it begins to brown.

Add 1 cup boiling beef broth to the heatproof bowl, allowing chiles to soak for 5 minutes or until pliable.

Remove the chiles from broth (reserve the broth for the next step), then remove all the seeds and veins from the chiles.

Add reserved broth, chiles, onion, garlic, oregano, thyme, clove, cinnamon stick, bouillon, and bay leaves to a blender. Blend until smooth and set aside.

To make the beef:

Chop chuck roast into 2" cubes. Generously season all sides of chuck roast and short ribs with salt and pepper.

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in large cast iron pan. Brown chuck roast and short ribs on all sides, but do not cook all the way through. Transfer meat to a Dutch oven.

Add your chile base and the remaining 2-3 cups of beef broth to the Dutch oven. Use enough beef broth to submerge the beef. Stir to combine.

Bring the Dutch oven to a simmer and cook over medium heat for at least three hours, but up to five. The meat should be tender enough to fall apart using a fork.

Remove bones and gristle from the cooked beef. Reserve the broth for dipping purposes, if desired. Serve the finished beef with tortillas, cilantro, onion, and lime.

MexiPoix Relish (Mexican Mirepoix)

Makes approx. 20 oz.

Ingredients

1 large white onion, finely chopped

1 cup pickled jalapeno slices, finely chopped

½ cup packed cilantro, finely chopped

Juice of 1 lime

Salt, to taste

Instructions:

In a bowl, combine onions, cilantro, pickled jalapenos, lime juice, and salt. Mix until well incorporated. Serve on tacos, sandwiches, salads, and more

An Easy Beef Wellington

  

It's not easy to make Beef Wellington, in fact it's one of the trickier mains to master, simply because you need to get the beef tenderloin to a certain temperature while it's wrapped. Not a simple task when you're trying to create a visually stunning masterpiece. But Gesine Bullock-Prado, who wrote the new cookbook My Vermont Table told Tonia's Kitchen that there's a way to warm the Wellington, while not giving up its visual appeal. Gesine told Tonia she sub heats the cut of tenderloin before searing it. That way, the job is about 9/10ths of the way done while cooking. This takes place in the oven, and allows the tenderloin to be tender, flavorful and juicy!

Snappy Beef!

    

And much like a Ginger Snap, this next dish has just a little bit of a delicious bite!  Ali Rosen, who wrote the new cookbook Bring It, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her scrumptious Ginger Beef recipe. Ali told Tonia the dish is all about the sauce, and it's a simple sauce to make!  Ali says there's ginger, scallions, soy sauce and balsamic vinegar combined with a seared steak. And that's really all there is to it.  Ali added when people taste it, it'll seem like you spent a lot more time on this than you actually did!  But it's okay for them to think that :)

30 Minutes
1 Day Ahead
Fridge to Table

Makes 4 to 8 servings

• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh ginger
• 2 cups finely chopped scallions
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Dash of salt
• 4 pounds sirloin steak
• 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

Make the sauce: Combine the ginger, scallions, soy sauce, vinegar, and olive oil. Set it aside. (I think the sauce gets better the longer it sits, but at least let it sit while you cook the steak so it has time to settle together.)

Then make the steaks: Generously salt the steaks on both sides. Place a cast-iron or nonstick pan on very high heat and add the oil (only use half if you are making the steaks in two batches to keep from crowding the pan). Let the oil get hot and cook each steak for 5 to 8 minutes, depending on the size of your steaks and the desired level of doneness. You will want to flip each steak every 30 seconds or so to ensure that it cooks evenly

Remove the steaks and let them rest for at least 5 minutes. Slice off the fat and cut the steaks lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Add the sauce on top and serve.

How to Bring It

This dish is great hot or cold. If you are serving it cold, you can keep both the sauce and the cooked meat in the fridge for a day before serving (the sauce can keep for 3 days). If you are going to refrigerate the meat for later, don’t slice it after cooking: Wait until you are about to serve it so the moisture in the meat stays intact. If you want to serve the meat hot, undercook it a bit when making it and then reheat it from room temperature in an oven at 350 degrees F for a few minutes to get it up to temperature. You can microwave the sauce to get it hot if you like.

A True Taste of Africa

    

To be specific, it's South African in origin.  We're talking about that country's national dish, Bobo-Tie. Judith Finlayson, who wrote The Chile Pepper Bible, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her recipe for Bobo-Tie.  It's a South African ground beef casserole that combines flavors of both the sweet and spicy origin.  Judith told Tonia she takes the spice of curry powder and the sweetness of apricots, raisins and apples to create a wonderfully unique casserole that we think will be at home on many a dinner table.

2 TBS vegetable oil, divided

2 lbs lean ground beef

2 medium onions, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 TBS curry powder

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

½ cup dried apricots

1/4 cup raisins

1 cup bread crumbs

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup whipping cream

In a skillet, heat 1 TBS oil over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook, stirring often, until meat is no longer pink. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to slow cooker stoneware. Drain off liquid in pan.

Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining oil to pan. Add onions and cook until soft. Add garlic, curry powder, salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Add apricots and bread crumbs, combine well and transfer mixture to slow cooker stoneware. Mix to integrate the meat mixture. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until mixture is hot and bubbling.

In a small bowl, combine eggs and cream. Mix well. Pour over meat mixture. Cover and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes until top is set.

Inside the World of Competitive Cooking

In case you were ever interested in diving into this world, take some advice from someone who's been there. Chef Britt Rescigno is a runner-up in The Food Network's Tournament of Champions. She stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about what it takes to make it in the "sport" world of cooking. She told Tonia it's a real rush and every bit as competitive as other arenas. Britt says when she enters a competition, she takes it as a new challenge. Her inspiration, well she watches the movie Ratatouille before entering a contest. She even has a tattoo depicting a scene from the movie. And when she presents a new dish, well that's another competition for her to conquer. Take her steak kebobs, for example. She says to make them great every time, cook all the vegetables first, that way they're perfect and ready for the meat! 

• 16 oz. Pre® Ground Beef
• 1 packet Asian flavored seasoning
• 2 Tbs. Thai Seasoning paste (use your favorite brand)
• 4 cloves mashed garlic
• 1 Tbs. freshly grated ginger
• 2 tsp. fish sauce
• 2 Tbs. brown sugar
• 2 Tbs. low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tsp. red curry paste
• ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
• Wooden skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes
• 1 Tbs. high-heat cooking oil

Peanut Sauce

• ½ cup unsweetened creamy peanut butter
• 2 Tbs. low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tsp. chili garlic sauce
• 1 tsp. fish sauce
• 1 Tbs. rice wine vinegar
• 2 Tbs. brown sugar
• 1 Tbs. fresh lime juice
• 1 Tbs. freshly grated ginger
• 3 cloves mashed garlic
• ⅓ – ½ cup coconut milk (for thicker or thinner sauce)

Directions:

• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 6-8 servings

1. Firstly, place ground beef in the bowl of a food processor and add remaining ingredients. Process until smooth, about 40 seconds to 1 minute. Remove to a cutting board, have a sheet pan and parchment paper ready.
2. Lightly oil your hands and form meat into 4-inch-long oval logs. Then, place each formed kofta on the sheet pan lined with parchment. Place koftas in the freezer for about 30 to 40 minutes before grilling.
3. Heat grill to medium high. Skewer each kofta lengthwise and lightly brush with oil. Grill koftas, turning every 2 minutes, until cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes total.
4. Add all peanut sauce ingredients except coconut milk to a small bowl and whisk vigorously until combined. Add coconut milk and stir. Adjust spiciness by adding more garlic chili sauce and crushed red pepper, if desired.

Biting Beef!

   

And much like a Ginger Snap, this next dish has just a little bit of a delicious bite!  Ali Rosen, who wrote the new cookbook Bring It, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her scrumptious Ginger Beef recipe. Ali told Tonia the dish is all about the sauce, and it's a simple sauce to make!  Ali says there's ginger, scallions, soy sauce and balsamic vinegar combined with a seared steak. And that's really all there is to it.  Ali added when people taste it, it'll seem like you spent a lot more time on this than you actually did!  But it's okay for them to think that :)

30 Minutes
1 Day Ahead
Fridge to Table

Makes 4 to 8 servings

• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh ginger
• 2 cups finely chopped scallions
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Dash of salt
• 4 pounds sirloin steak
• 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

Make the sauce: Combine the ginger, scallions, soy sauce, vinegar, and olive oil. Set it aside. (I think the sauce gets better the longer it sits, but at least let it sit while you cook the steak so it has time to settle together.)

Then make the steaks: Generously salt the steaks on both sides. Place a cast-iron or nonstick pan on very high heat and add the oil (only use half if you are making the steaks in two batches to keep from crowding the pan). Let the oil get hot and cook each steak for 5 to 8 minutes, depending on the size of your steaks and the desired level of doneness. You will want to flip each steak every 30 seconds or so to ensure that it cooks evenly

Remove the steaks and let them rest for at least 5 minutes. Slice off the fat and cut the steaks lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Add the sauce on top and serve.

How to Bring It

This dish is great hot or cold. If you are serving it cold, you can keep both the sauce and the cooked meat in the fridge for a day before serving (the sauce can keep for 3 days). If you are going to refrigerate the meat for later, don’t slice it after cooking: Wait until you are about to serve it so the moisture in the meat stays intact. If you want to serve the meat hot, undercook it a bit when making it and then reheat it from room temperature in an oven at 350 degrees F for a few minutes to get it up to temperature. You can microwave the sauce to get it hot if you like.

The Easy Beef Wellington

 

It's not easy to make Beef Wellington, in fact it's one of the trickier mains to master, simply because you need to get the beef tenderloin to a certain temperature while it's wrapped. Not a simple task when you're trying to create a visually stunning masterpiece. But Gesine Bullock-Prado, who wrote the new cookbook My Vermont Table told Tonia's Kitchen that there's a way to warm the Wellington, while not giving up its visual appeal. Gesine told Tonia she sub heats the cut of tenderloin before searing it. That way, the job is about 9/10ths of the way done while cooking. This takes place in the oven, and allows the tenderloin to be tender, flavorful and juicy!

Beef That Bites Back

  

And much like a Ginger Snap, this next dish has just a little bit of a delicious bite!  Ali Rosen, who wrote the new cookbook Bring It, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her scrumptious Ginger Beef recipe. Ali told Tonia the dish is all about the sauce, and it's a simple sauce to make!  Ali says there's ginger, scallions, soy sauce and balsamic vinegar combined with a seared steak. And that's really all there is to it.  Ali added when people taste it, it'll seem like you spent a lot more time on this than you actually did!  But it's okay for them to think that :)

30 Minutes
1 Day Ahead
Fridge to Table

Makes 4 to 8 servings

• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh ginger
• 2 cups finely chopped scallions
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Dash of salt
• 4 pounds sirloin steak
• 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

Make the sauce: Combine the ginger, scallions, soy sauce, vinegar, and olive oil. Set it aside. (I think the sauce gets better the longer it sits, but at least let it sit while you cook the steak so it has time to settle together.)

Then make the steaks: Generously salt the steaks on both sides. Place a cast-iron or nonstick pan on very high heat and add the oil (only use half if you are making the steaks in two batches to keep from crowding the pan). Let the oil get hot and cook each steak for 5 to 8 minutes, depending on the size of your steaks and the desired level of doneness. You will want to flip each steak every 30 seconds or so to ensure that it cooks evenly

Remove the steaks and let them rest for at least 5 minutes. Slice off the fat and cut the steaks lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Add the sauce on top and serve.

How to Bring It

This dish is great hot or cold. If you are serving it cold, you can keep both the sauce and the cooked meat in the fridge for a day before serving (the sauce can keep for 3 days). If you are going to refrigerate the meat for later, don’t slice it after cooking: Wait until you are about to serve it so the moisture in the meat stays intact. If you want to serve the meat hot, undercook it a bit when making it and then reheat it from room temperature in an oven at 350 degrees F for a few minutes to get it up to temperature. You can microwave the sauce to get it hot if you like.