Salisbury Steak with Caramelized Onion Gravy

I didn’t grow up on a lot of boxed processed foods so I never had the Salisbury steak frozen dinners. My husband on the other hand grew up on them and loves Salisbury steak. He was excited when I found this recipe because. I on the other hand wasn’t too sure. I have heard from other people how bad Salisbury steak is but I can only assume after trying this recipe they were referring to the frozen dinners. 

This recipe is delicious the gravy alone is ridiculously good. I think I could just eat the gravy over mashed potatoes… Who needs the meat? I am in love with this recipe and can’t wait to make it again. It’s a bit time consuming and probably not something I would make during the week, but it sure makes a beautiful Sunday dinner.

Ingredients:

Onion Gravy

• 2 large red onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups low-sodium beef broth
• 1/2 cup dry red wine (optional)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
• Salt and pepper

Meat Patties

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup cooked white rice
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

1. To make gravy: Heat butter in a large sauté pan. Add onions and cook over medium-high heat, until onions start to brown, stirring occasionally. When onions are slightly softened and turning a deep honey brown, add 1/4 cup broth. 
2. Reduce heat, cover and continue cooking, adding more broth as needed to prevent caramelized bits at the bottom of the pan from burning. It should take at least 25 to 30 minutes to properly caramelize onions. 
3. Stir in flour and cook for about 2 minutes. Add wine and reduce by half. Stir in remaining beef broth and tomato paste. 
4. Stir in cider vinegar. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low and keep warm.
5. To make patties: Mix ground beef, rice, egg yolk, salt, pepper, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, parsley and thyme in a bowl. 
6. Shape into 4 oval patties about 3/4-inch thick. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat. 
7. Sear patties about 3 minutes per side, or until a brown crust forms. 
8. Pour gravy over patties and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Serve warm with mashed potatoes or noodles. Yield: 4 Servings.

 Original Recipe Source

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Pan Fried Pineapple

This is so simple, but so good. By pan frying the pineapple it really brings out the sweetness in the pineapple. I love pineapple and love experimenting with it. One of my favorite things to do is to grill it. I thought this time it might be nice to try something a little different and pan fry it to see if it would bring out the same sweetness that grilling it does. 

I was right. It worked like a charm. The sugar in the pineapple will start to caramelize when it’s heated up and the caramelizing brings out a whole new flavor in the pineapple! Delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 pineapple

Directions:

1. Cut the top and the bottom off the pineapple then remove the outer skin of the pineapple and remove the core. 
2. Once the pineapple is cleaned up cut it into chunks. 
3. Set the pineapple to the side and heat up a nonstick skillet on medium high. 
4. Once the pan is heated add the pineapple to the pan. Don’t overload the pan just put in enough to cover the bottom and work in batches. 
5. Once the pineapple has a nice brown caramelized look remove from the pan and repeat.  
6. Serve as a side dish or over ice cream.

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Seasoned Red Potatoes

One of the first thing I but in my basket at the farmers market is red potatoes. The smaller the better. Unfortunately the last time I was there I couldn’t find the tiny ones but these were great too. My Dad would always preach the tiny ones. No bigger than a quarter in diameter he would say. No idea why, but that was his thing. We would have them at least once a week. For me this is always something I love to have because it reminds me of him. 

This is a very good recipe full of delicious flavor. I really enjoyed them. Honestly I could have eaten the entire bunch myself, but I think everyone else would have been jealous!

Ingredients:

• 12 to 14 small red potatoes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Peel a strip from around each potato. 
2. Place potatoes in an ungreased 3-qt. baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the oil, butter and seasonings; drizzle over potatoes.

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Southwest BBQ Chicken

Wow is this recipe excellent! It reminds me of something I would order at Logan’s Roadhouse years ago. It’s actually still on their menu. This is very very similar if you are a fan of theirs. This recipe does take a bit of work but it’s well worth it. 

After an Easter Sunday disaster and a big change of plans I ended up making this for dinner. It was fantastic everyone loved it, and actually raved about it. If you are entertaining and you are looking to make a really good impression on your guest this recipe is the one.

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 c. barbeque sauce 
• 1/4 c. real bacon bits
• 1 c. pepper jack cheese, shredded
• 1 14 oz. can Rotel tomatoes, drained 
• sliced green onions
• pepper

Directions:

1.      Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

2.     Pound out chicken breasts to flatten. 

3.     Season with pepper. 

4.     Grill chicken until no long pink and place on baking sheet covered with foil. 

5.     Top each chicken breast with one tablespoon barbeque sauce, 1/4 c. cheese, 1/4 c. tomatoes, green onions and one tablespoon of bacon bits. 

6.     Place in oven and bake until cheese is melted (about 5 minutes).

Original Recipe Source

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Steakhouse Mushrooms

My husband loves mushrooms so I make them as often as possible because they are very low in calorie and they go a long way. I am always looking for new and different recipes to make. A lot of times I come up with my own recipe ideas and this is one of them. I buy mushrooms in cans that are 6 pounds each. Yes we eat a lot of mushrooms. He loves steak and really loves steakhouse mushrooms. 

Although I don’t have a copy of anyone’s steakhouse mushrooms I decided to make something similar and I must say they turned out very good. They are just the right amount of spicy and tangy and they are so 

Ingredients:

• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound fresh baby bella mushrooms sliced
• ½ onion diced
• 1/4 cup red wine ( I normally only have white on hand so I use that)
• 1 tablespoon Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cups beef broth

Directions:

1. In a sauce pan add diced onion and sauté until the onion starts browning then add the garlic until it becomes fragrant about one minute. 
2. Next add the broth, wine, and Worcestershire sauce then bring to a boil add mushrooms and reduce the heat. 
3. Cook until the liquids reduce down to half.

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Beef Sauteed Asparagus

I love asparagus and make as many recipe with it as possible. Right now it’s very inexpensive so I am using it as much as possible. It’s great for you and taste great too.

This recipe is delicious. It gives the asparagus an incredible flavor. As the asparagus is cooking it infuses with the beef broth which tastes great.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound asparagus
• 2 cups beef broth

Directions:

1. Wash and trim the bottoms of the asparagus stalks Cut each stalk into one inch pieces the woody bottoms should be discarded.  
2. Add two cups of beef broth to a skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and add asparagus and steam until asparagus is tender. 
3. Most of the liquid should have evaporated if not discard liquid.

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Creole Okra

I grew up with a Cajun father so eating Creole food was a way of life. We still eat a ton of Creole and Cajun food in our home. One of my favorite recipes is Creole Okra. I love okra to begin with so that helps. This is a great combination of ingredients that produce a wonderfully flavored veggies dish full of veggies and flavor and very low in calories.

One of the many great things about this recipe is you can adjust the heat level by using more of less Tony Chachere Cajun Seasoning or by changing the degree of heat in the can of Rotel you choose.

Ingredients:

• 16 ounce bag frozen (un-breaded) okra
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 large onion diced
• ½ teaspoon Tony Chachere Cajun Seasoning
• Mild Rotel Tomatoes 1 can drained
• 14 ounce can diced tomatoes (un-drained)
• Salt as desired

Directions:

1. To a medium size pot add one diced onion and sauté until the onion starts to get a nice brown color. You can add margarine to the pot to help the onion brown, or you can use a few tablespoons of water to get the same affect without the calories. 
2. Next add the garlic and allow to cook until it becomes fragrant about another minute. Now add the remaining ingredients, tomatoes, Tony’s and the okra. 
3. Cook until okra is tender add salt if necessary.

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Spicy Roasted Cauliflower

This recipe is delicious! It’s one of those recipes I couldn’t keep my hands off of. Each time I walked into the kitchen I found myself grabbing a piece even cold.

I love roasted veggies, but there is something special about roasted cauliflower. It ends with a nice nutty flavor that you don’t find in many recipes. Easy, delicious, and low in calories! WOW the best! 

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower
• Cooking spray
• Tony Chachere’s Cajun Seasoning
• Garlic Powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven at 425 degree. 
2. Cut cauliflower up in florets. Spread out on a tin foil lined baking sheet. 
3. Spray cauliflower liberally with the cooking spray then sprinkle with the Tony’s and garlic powder as you desire, then with clean hands mix up the cauliflower so that the oil and spices are spread out. 
4. Bake on 425 for 20-30 minutes. 
5. After the first 10 minutes stir up the cauliflower every 5 minutes to insure browning on all sides.

Adapted from Original Recipe Source

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Sesame Roasted Carrots

These carrots are divine. They are super sweet. The sesame oil adds a surprisingly wonderful earthy flavor to the carrots. It’s quit unexpected. I think the roasting along with the oil makes a nice paring.  It’s another great option when you are looking into adding more vegetables to your diet.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound baby carrots
• 1 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Place carrots on a foil lined baking pan drizzle the sesame oil over the carrots and with clean hands rub in the sesame oil then salt the carrots. 
2. Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes, turning carrots with spatula every 5 minutes after the first 15 minutes
3. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (Not shown above *I forgot them*)

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Loaded Cauliflower Casserole

Although the picture is horrible this recipe is delicious and super rich. It seemed to take forever to cool down. I am pretty sure we all ended up with third degree burns on our tongues. Once it cooled down it was heaven on earth. It’s very much like a potatoes casserole. 

You have all of the same ingredients just cauliflower instead of potatoes which helps to lower the calories of the casserole. I actually only made a half recipe because the whole recipe was way too much for use to eat. I could have gotten away with an entire recipe because we had none left by the end of dinner.

Ingredients:

• 1 lbs. cauliflower florets
• 4 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 4 oz. shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
• 2 oz. block cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 bunches green onions, sliced (1 1/2 cups)
• 3 sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Steam cauliflower florets until tender.
3. While cauliflower steams, cream together 6 oz. of the shredded cheddar, 6 oz. of the Monterey Jack, cream cheese, and heavy cream.  
4. Stir in sliced green onions, chopped bacon, and garlic.
5. Set aside.
6. Drain any liquid from steamed cauliflower and add to cheese mixture.
7. Stir cauliflower and cheese mixture together.
8. Taste for seasoning, and add as necessary.
9. If you want a finer texture, give a few mashes with the potato masher.
10. Pour into a 2-3 quart casserole and sprinkle on remaining cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese.
11. Cover dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes; remove foil and continue to bake until cheese is brown and bubbly.

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Sauteed Asparagus with Parmesan

This recipe is incredible no really incredible. There is just something about the pairing of asparagus with parmesan cheese that works so well together. I love this recipe for so many reasons. I love parmesan cheese and vegetables together but now make the vegetable asparagus that is a winning combination to me. 

With this being asparagus season I am taking full advantage of it and trying as many new asparagus recipes as possible.

Ingredients:

• 1 pounds asparagus, trimmed
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

1. Trim thick asparagus with a peeler, leaving them 1/2-inch thick, or snap off the ends.
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the asparagus and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the asparagus is just tender, 5 to 6 minutes, lowering the heat if needed to keep the asparagus from browning.
3. Remove the pan from heat. Sprinkle 3 Tablespoons of the cheese.
4. Transfer to a serving dish, and top with the remaining cheese. Serve immediately.

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Not So Cheesy ... Poblano Chicken and Rice

I love our recipe for Poblano Cheesy Chicken and Rice, but it has a lot of added extra calories that are really not needed. By taking the original recipe and changing it up a bit I was able to come up with a recipe that was just as good if not better for a lot less calories.

The original recipe calls for a lot of cheese that adds about 50 extra calories per serving to the recipe. Who needs that! This recipe is truly just as good. No one even noticed the missing cheese but everyone loved the added carrots. It’s not only much lower in calories, but it also goes a bit further meaning you get a bigger serving!

Ingredients:

• 1-13 ounce can of chicken drained
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 -8 ounce box Zatarain's Yellow Rice Mix,
• 1- 10.5 ounce can cream of poblano soup (or cream of anything)
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup frozen diced carrots

Directions:

1. In a large pot sauté onion until its tender, remove from pot and set aside. 
2. In the same pot cook yellow rice according to package directions. 
3. Once the rice is cooked about 20-25 minutes add onions back into the pot, add drained chicken, cream of poblano soup, corn and carrots.
4. Mix well and heat all the way through. Once everything is heated through serve immediately.

Number of Servings: 6

Nutritional Information:

• 255 calories per serving
• 41 carbs 
• 3 grams of fat 
• 14 protein
• 4 sugar

*Nutritional information found on www.myfitnesspal.com this information will vary based on the products you use.*

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Tangy Broccoli Florets

I have been trying to find recipes for steamed vegetables that will give the veggies extra flavor without me feeling the need to add butter. I love the flavor of buttered veggies but at 100 calories a tablespoon butter is not on the menu.

I found a recipe for spicy steamed broccoli by Martha Stewart that sounded good. Although I didn’t use her recipe I took the concept of her’s and made it my own. This recipe actually turned out incredible. The flavor was awesome and delicious. I am going to try other vegetables in this same style. It’s a great way to add a new flavor without the added butter calories. 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound broccoli florets
• ½ tbsp. garlic powder
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 1 1/2 cups water

Directions:

1. Peel and slice thick stems from broccoli; separate florets.
2. In a skillet, bring water beef cubes, and garlic powder to a simmer over medium-low heat. 
3. Add stems and florets; cook, covered, until bright green 10-15 minutes then test for tenderness.

Adapted from Original Recipe Source

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Weight Loss Challenge *Sign Up*

Interested in a 100 day weight loss challenge? Nope not a competition just a way to keep yourself accountable and to help encourage others and be encouraged along the way!

I can only speak for myself when I say that having others hold me accountable helps me stay focuses. We will have fun little challenges along the way and a prize at the end for a random winner who sticks it out!

We have enough people already to move forward with our weight loss challenge I hope our challenge moves forward with you!!

The online sign up is now closed but that doesn't mean it's too late to sign up. Email me if you are interested with your name, blog address, or if you will be posting weekly without a blog and your email address. It's NEVER too late!! colie@colieskitchen.com

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Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

The first time I had pesto was in the Pennsylvania Amish country. I had never even heard of pesto before. The day I tired pesto I was in love. It always amazes me I come across something I have never had in my entire live then suddenly I am in love and it changes everything for me.  

I love pesto (humm… I think I might have said that lol) but I had never had roasted red pepper pesto. When I found this recipe I decided I had to give it a try. This recipe is very good! It’s full of flavor and just a little goes a long way. Which means you will have plenty for future meals. I love that because that means a simple dinner in the future.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces roasted red bell peppers
• 5 tablespoons olive oil, extra virgin
• 1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup fresh basil
• 5 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
• 3 cloves garlic, quartered lengthwise
• 2/3 cup roasted pine nuts
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Directions

1. In a blender or food processor, purée peppers until they are smooth and well blended (If a blender or processor is not available, chop into fine bits and manually blend). Shred cheese and chop nuts into bits, blending thoroughly and add to peppers. Chop basil into tiny pieces and combine with peppers, cheese and nuts.
2. Add oil and vinegar to combined ingredients. Press garlic and combine with other ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Refrigerate and use within several days or freeze to keep longer.

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