Lightened Up Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie might be the ultimate easy comfort food, and if it's made the right way, you can have that hearty, filling meal without the guilt.  Blending the potatoes with cauliflower, using lean ground beef, and increasing the vegetables in this classic casserole cut the calories, carbs, fat, and sodium, from more traditional recipes.  

1 pound lean ground beef (or ground turkey breast) 

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped 

3 medium carrots, diced 

1/2 pound white mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup no sodium added beef broth

1 tablespoon The Delicious Dietitian Southern All Purpose Spice Blend

1 cup frozen peas

1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes

1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets

2/3 cup 1 percent or skim milk

2 tablespoons heart healthy spread

In a large skillet cook the meat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate. Drain any fat remaining in the skillet.

Heat the oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and cook, covered, about 8 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high.  Add the mushrooms and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are soft and their liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes. Add the meat to the pan. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the broth, add the Southern All Purpose Spice Blend, and bring to a simmer scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the peas. Pour the mixture into an 11X9 casserole dish. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Wash potatoes and cut into 2-inch pieces. Put the potatoes in a steamer basket, and steam for 10 minutes. Add the cauliflower to the basket and cook until the potatoes and cauliflower are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 15 minutes. Mash the vegetables with a potato masher until smooth. Combine the milk, butter, and a pinch of pepper and stir into the potato mixture.

Spread the potato mixture on top of the meat and bake until heated through, about 25 minutes.

Enchilada Casserole

This easy take on enchiladas makes a fantastic weeknight meal.  You could substitute the ground beef for ground turkey breast, shredded chicken or shrimp.

1 pound ground sirloin

1 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup fat-free, lower-sodium beef broth

2 tablespoons The Delicious Dietitian Southwest Spice Blend

1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce

4 (8-inch) whole-wheat flour tortillas

1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers

Chopped green onion

Preheat oven to 400°.  Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and onion to pan; cook 6 minutes, stirring to crumble.  

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Sprinkle with flour; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add broth, Southwest Spice Blend, and tomato sauce to pan. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 1/2 cups tomato mixture to beef and onions; reserve 1/2 cup tomato mixture.

Place 1 tortilla in a 9-inch pie plate. Top with 1 cup beef mixture. Repeat layers, ending with tortilla. Spread reserved tomato mixture over tortilla. Top with cheese. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until cheese melts.  Top with green onion.  Cool slightly. Cut into 4 wedges.

Italian Sloppy Joes

This grown up version of the Sloppy Joe is a quick weeknight dinner that everyone in the family will love.  Use lean ground beef or ground turkey and a whole wheat bun for a dose of low fat protein and whole grains.  Add a green salad and you have a great meal in about 20 minutes.  Perfect for those nights when you need something on the table fast!

Italian Sloppy Joes

3/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

3/4 pound ground round (or ground turkey)

2 cups no-salt-added tomato sauce

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons The Delicious Dietitian Italian Spice Blend

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

12 whole wheat rolls, split

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add first 3 ingredients; cook until beef is browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in tomato sauce and next 8 ingredients (tomato sauce through black pepper); reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon 1/4 cup beef mixture over bottom half of each bun. Cover with top halves.

Southwest Broiled Flank Steak with Tomatoes

Flank steak makes a fantastic weeknight meal.  It's a lean protein, it cooks quickly, and when prepared correctly, it's delicious!  Many people think of flank steak as dry or flavorless, but when cooked and sliced correctly, it is tender and juicy.  This southwest version is flavorful and on the table in a snap! 

Southwest Broiled Flank Steak with Tomatoes

    

3 Tbsp The Delicious Dietitian Southwest Spice Blend

1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed

Cooking spray

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced (optional)

2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat broiler.

Sprinkle 1 ½ Tbsp Southwest Spice Blend evenly over steak. Place steak on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil 10 minutes or until desired degree of doneness, turning once. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and jalapeño to pan; cook 1 minute. Add remaining 1 ½ Tbsp Southwest Spice Blend and tomatoes to pan; cook 3 minutes or until tomatoes begin to soften. Remove from heat; stir in cilantro. Serve tomato topping with steak.

Hearty Beef Stew

This beef stew is perfect for cold winter nights!  It can be cooked on the stove top by following the recipe, or you can brown the beef and sauté the onions and garlic, than add to a crockpot to cook all day.  If you opt for the crockpot, cook on high about 4 hours, or low about 8 hours.

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided

1 pound small mushrooms (any type)

Cooking spray

2 cups chopped onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)

2 pounds lean beef stew meat, cut into bite-sized pieces 

1 cup dry red wine (may substitute no sodium added beef broth)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

2 (14-ounce) cans no sodium added beef broth

1 bay leaf (optional)

2 cups (3/4-inch) cubed peeled white potato

1 1/2 cups (1-inch) slices carrot 

2 tsp The Delicious Dietitian Southern All Purpose Spice Blend

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Fresh thyme sprigs (optional)

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, and sauté for 5 minutes or until mushrooms begin to brown. Spoon mushrooms into a large bowl. Lightly coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion; sauté 10 minutes or until tender and golden brown. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add onion mixture to mushrooms.

Place flour in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Dredge beef in flour, shaking off excess. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add half of beef mixture; cook 6 minutes, browning on all sides. Add browned beef to mushroom mixture. Repeat procedure with remaining beef mixture.

Add 1 cup wine to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add thyme, broth, and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Stir in beef mixture. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 1 hour or until beef is just tender.

Stir in potato and carrot. Simmer, uncovered, 1 hour and 15 minutes or until beef and vegetables are very tender and sauce is thick, stirring occasionally. Stir in Southern Spice Blend. Discard bay leaf. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

Meatloaf Minis

Nothing says home cooking like meatloaf.  As All-American as apple pie, there are as many meatloaf recipes as there are home cooks.  Meatloaf is easy to prepare and relatively inexpensive.  The twist to this recipe is to make the meatloaf in a muffin tin.  The minis guarantee portion control, and leftovers can be frozen in a zip top plastic bag and reheated for single serving lunches or dinners.  Serve the meatloaf minis with roasted potatoes or mashed cauliflower and your favorite steamed green veggie.  

Meatloaf Minis 

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup ketchup, divided

1 1/2 pounds ground beef, extra lean (raw)
1 cup finely crushed low sodium saltine crackers (about 20)
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
2 tablespoons The Delicious Dietitian Italian Spice Blend
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
Cooking spray


Preheat oven to 350°.
Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, chopped carrot, dried oregano, and minced garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Cool.
Combine onion mixture, 1/2 cup ketchup, and the remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a large bowl.
Spoon the meat mixture into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Top each with 2 teaspoons ketchup. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°. Let stand for 5 minutes.  Serving size 2 minis.