The combination of sweet squash and corn with the spicy red curry paste makes this dish a winner. Add the freshness of cucumber and you are all set. This is easy to make but you will need red curry paste. You will find it in Asian grocery stores or in the Asian aisle of your grocery store. Here is what you are going to need for this:

Serves six

2 cups diced squash of your choice
2 TBS oil – canola, vegetable, peanut or coconut
2 scallions – chopped
4 garlic cloves
½ TBS grated fresh ginger
1 pound flank steak – finely sliced
1 red bell pepper – sliced
1 TBS red curry paste*
1 cup thawed corn kernels
½ cup thinly sliced seeded and peeled cucumber
14.5 oz. unsweetened coconut milk
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
Asian basil or basil leaves – optional

Place the squash in a wok or large skillet with some water. Cook it for about 15 minutes until almost cooked through. Remove from water and set aside. Discard the water.

Heat the wok or skillet. Add oil. Add the scallions, garlic and ginger. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the beef. Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the bell peppers and cook for 4 to 5 more minutes.

Move the meat to the sides and for a well. Add the curry paste and allow cooking for about 2 minutes. Mix well.

Return the squash to the pan. Add the corn kernels and cucumber. Mix well. Add the coconut milk and mix. Add the salt and pepper and stir to mix. Bring curry to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the basil if using. Serve with white rice and enjoy!

Beef Curry no Rice – CALORIES 389.11; FAT 29.45 grs (sat 20.00; mono 3.9; poly 0.68); PROTEIN 19.87 grs ; FIBER 1.69 grs; CARBS 12.37 grs; CHOLESTEROL 35.25 mg; IRON 2.95 mg; SODIUM 811.29 mg; CALCIUM 38.02 mg

Print the Beef Curry Recipe Here

We have many recipes for chili on this site. This one is more of the ‘original’ chili if you want. It consists mainly of meat – has very little beans – and has quite a bit of sauce. It is spicy enough to leave a bite but not too much so as to make you sweat! Serve it with shredded Cheddar cheese, corn bread and sour cream on the side if you wish. This is what you are going to need for this:

1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 large onion – chopped
¾ cup chopped bell pepper
2 TBS minced garlic
2 large green chilies – seeded and chopped
28 oz. chopped tomatoes
1 TBS tomato paste
2 TBS + 1 tsp. chili powder
3 cups chicken stock
2 – 8 oz. cans kidney beans – drained
Salt & Pepper/ Oil

• Heat a large skillet with some oil. Add the meats and brown. Drain the excess fat and set aside.
• Wipe skillet and add a little more oil. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic and chilies. Cook for about 5 minutes until vegetables are softened and translucent. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and 2 TBS chili powder. Mix well. Add 2 cups chicken stock and stir well. Cover skillet with aluminum foil and simmer for 1 hour – stirring occasionally.
• Add the beans to the meat and the remaining chicken stock and 1 tsp. chili powder. Mix well. Cover and simmer for another 30 minutes.
• Serve as is or with shredded cheese, corn bread or sour cream on the side.
• Enjoy!

Print the Super Bowl Chili Recipe Here

Other chili recipes:
Black Eyed Pea Chipotle Chili
Vegetarian Stagg Chili
Butternut Corn Black Bean Chili
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Vegetarian Black Bean Chipotle Chili
Left Over Brisket Chili
Spicy Beef Chili
Chili con Carne

Here is a nice variation from your typical chili. The butternut and corn will counter the heat and make an interesting dish. Go ahead and adjust the spices according to your resistance to spicy heat!

You will need:
1 pound ground beef
1 small or 1/2 large butternut squash, peeled and chopped
1 cup thawed corn kernels
1 large yellow onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
2 TBS. chili powder
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. chipotle pepper
1 TBS ground cumin
8 oz. chicken broth
1 -14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 – 14.5 cans black beans
Sour cream, finely chopped red onion, cilantro and corn chips for garnish

Heat a large pot and add the beef. Season generously with salt and pepper. Brown, stirring often. Drain excess fat and set aside.

Wipe the pot and add some olive oil. Add the onion and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minutes. Add the squash, bell peppers and jalapenos. Mix well and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the dry spices and mix well. Cook for another minute, until fragrant. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes with their juice and the beans with their liquid. Return the beef to the pot and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover pot and reduce heat. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add the corn and bring back to a simmer. Cook for an extra 30 minutes.

Ladle chili into deep bowls and garnish with sour cream, finely chopped red onion and cilantro. Serve with corn chips or corn bread. Enjoy!

Print the Butternut, Corn & Black Bean Recipe Here

Other chili recipes:

Black Eyed Pea Chipotle Chili
Vegetarian Stagg Chili
Super Bowl Chili
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Vegetarian Black Bean Chipotle Chili
Left Over Brisket Chili
Spicy Beef Chili
Chili con Carne

Here’s a wonderful, delicious recipe for the much loved Shepard’s pie! It is loaded with veggies and is just plain good. Here is what you are going to need for this:

8 medium Russet potatoes
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
3 celery stalks
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter, sliced
½ cup milk

1. Peel and quarter the potatoes. Place in a pot, cover with water, salt and cook until potatoes are tender.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. Heat a pan with olive oil. Add the beef. Season with salt and pepper and brown. Drain the excess grease.
4. Clean pan with a paper towel. Add more olive oil and heat. Add the onion, garlic and thyme. Cook for three minutes, stirring often. Add the carrots and celery and mix well. Add tomato paste and ½ cup stock. Mix well and cook for 6 to 7 minutes.
5. Add the beef and mix well. Add the rest of the stock and simmer for 20 minutes.
6. While the beef and veggies cook, place the potatoes in a bowl with some of the liquid it cooked in. Add the butter and the milk. Using a hand held mixer and mix, slowly for 2 to 3 minutes until potatoes are mashed and creamy.
7. Place a thin layer of mashed potatoes in a baking dish. Add the beef and vegetable mixture on top. Top with extra mashed potatoes.
8. Place in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until beef is bubbling and potatoes are dry on top.
9. Serve and enjoy!

Print the Frugal Shepard’s Pie Recipe Here!

This recipe yielded enough meatballs for 2 meals. I made this soup and will use the rest for meatball and marinara sauce subs. This soup is quite easy to make and is delicious. Although it’s name suggests it, this soup is not Italian. It is an American creation that is quite popular. Here is what you need to do for this great soup:

FOR THE MEATBALLS:
½ pound ground beef or ground chicken
½ pound Italian sausage or chicken sausage
1/3 cup bread crumbs
3 garlic cloves – minced
1 egg – lightly beaten
2 TBS heavy cream
3 TBS finely chopped parsley
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 TBS grated yellow onion
2 tsp. coarse salt
2 tsp. black pepper

Place all the ingredients in a bowl. Mix well and make meat balls – about 1 inch in size. Place meatballs on a lined baking sheet. You should get at least 48. Calculate 6 meatballs per person and bake them. Freeze the rest for future use.
Heat an oven at 350 degrees. Place the meatballs into the oven and bake for about 30 minutes – until meatballs are cooked through and browned.
FOR THE SOUP:
2 TBS olive oil
1 small yellow onion – finely chopped
2 celery stalks – chopped
1 large carrot – diced
6 cups chicken broth
½ cup dry white wine
¾ cups small pasta – any kind will do as long as it is tiny (orzo, pearls, shells, etc)
1 cup torn spinach leaves

Add the olive oil to a large pot. Heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots. Sauté for about five minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened.

Add the chicken stock and white wine. If you do not like cooking with wine go ahead and skip it. Bring the soup to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add the pasta and cook for about 6 to 7 minutes. You want the pasta to be al-dente. When the pasta is cooked, add about 24 of the cooked meatballs. Add black pepper and stir.

Add the spinach leaves. All you want is for them to wilt. Serve and enjoy with some crusty bread.

Print the Italian Wedding Soup Recipe Here

Beef stock is made from roasting beef bones – including neck, back and knuckles – and is used as a base for soups, sauces and stews. It is ideally dark brown and concentrated. Here is how I make mine. I never salt it until I add it to a specific recipe. A good stock requires hours of simmering but is well worth the time as it will make a huge difference in any recipe.

6 meaty soup bones or short beef ribs – completely thawed
1 small white onion
4 garlic cloves – smashed
4 bay leaves
1 small carrot – peeled
1 large celery stalk
10 cups water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Wash the bones thoroughly to get rid of blood and impurities.

Brush some oil on a roasting pan and place it in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove it from the oven and place the soup bones in it. Roast the bones for about 40 minutes until cooked and starting to caramelize.

Place the roasted bones in a large pot. Add 1 cup of water to the roasting pan and deglaze it – making sure to scrape all the brown bits. Pour the liquid into the pot on the bones.

Add 9 cups of water to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery and bay leaves. Simmer soup for at least 2 1/2 hours until reduced and concentrated.

Use the stock as a base for your favorite stews, chilies or soups. You can partition it and freeze it for further use.

Print the Beef Stock Recipe Here

Typically, stuffed bell peppers are made with rice. I used cooked quinoa instead to increase the nutritional value of this wonderful dish. You will need ½ cup of cooked quinoa for this recipe. If you have left over cooked quinoa use it to make a delicious salad. Quinoa is showing up more and more all over the world and is considered a super food. I am including instructions on how to cook this Andean cereal below. Pick the prettiest bell peppers you can find for this. Some people like to parboil the pepper before stuffing them. I like to cook them raw because they don’t get so mushy.

Serves four

4 washed bell peppers – tops removed and seeds removed
½ cup cooked quinoa
½ pound ground beef
1 small white onion – finely chopped
3 garlic cloves – minced
1 small chili pepper – seeded, membrane removed, minced
1 TBS chopped parsley
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ cup tomato sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. crushed dried oregano
½ tsp. crushed dried basil
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 TBS Olive oil
1 TBS shredded Parmesan cheese for garnish

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat some olive oil in a pan. Add the onion and cook until translucent – about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili pepper, parsley and cumin. Mix well and cook for a minute. Add the ground beef and cook until almost completely cooked through. Remove from heat.

Place the cooked quinoa and meat in a bowl. Add the Worcestershire sauce and 1 cup of the tomato sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
Place the bell peppers in an oven proof dish. They have to fit snugly in order not to fall over. Fill them with the quinoa and meat.

Mix the remaining tomato sauce, garlic powder, oregano and basil. Season with a little salt and pepper. Top the peppers with the tomato sauce. Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese for garnish.

Place the peppers in the oven and bake for about 50 minutes until peppers are softened and filling is heated through. Serve and enjoy!

CALORIES 292.25; FAT 16.11 grs (sat 5.14; mono 7.57; poly 0.82); PROTEIN 14.63 grs ; FIBER 5.47 grs; CARBS 24.18 grs; CHOLESTEROL 41.35 mg; IRON 3.5 mg; SODIUM 1148.99 mg; CALCIUM 86.61 mg

Print the Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe Here

In my opinion, when a tamal is moist and has the proper amount of filling you have succeeded! Making tamales in not super hard but it is labor intensive. So you do need to plan ahead. You could prepare the beef and chilies a day ahead of time if you wanted too. Here is what you are going to need for this delicious and wonderful meal:

Makes 16 to 20 tamales

1- 2.5 to 3 pound flank steak or beef round roast
2 TBS ground cumin + 1 tsp. for the chilies
1 small white onion – cut into eighths + ½ for the chilies
1 chili pepper – halved (optional)
8 garlic cloves – smashed + 4 halved ones for the chilies
2 thyme sprigs
4 California dry chilies
2 ancho dry chilies
2 pasilla dry chilies
1½ a cup of soaking liquid
16 to 20 dry corn husks
4 cups masa harina for tamales
4 cups beef broth – hopefully the left over from the beef – luke warm
1 TBS baking powder
1 cup vegetable shortening
Boiling water
Salt & Pepper
2 TBS Canola oil

Rinse and pat dry the beef you are using. Season it with 1 TBS. salt, black pepper and 2 TBS ground cumin. Heat a large braising pan with the canola oil and brown the beef evenly on both sides. Set aside.

Discard all excess rendered fat. Add a little bit of water to the pan and scrape the brown bits from the bottom. Return the beef to the pot. Add the onion, garlic, chili pepper if using and thyme sprigs. Cover with water, bring to a boil, and reduce heat and cover. Braise meat for 2 to 3 hours, until soft enough to shred. Once cooked, remove meat from pan and allow cooling. Shred the beef by hand, discarding any fat. Strain the broth and save it. You will need 4 cups for the masa harina. If you do not have enough add water to complete the 4 cups.

Heat a large skillet. Add the chili pepper and dry roast until a bit charred and blistered on both sides. Place chilies in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Weigh the chilies down with a small plate. Soak for 30 minutes. Once soaked, remove the stems and seeds and place in a blender. Add the half white onion, remaining garlic cloves, 1 tsp. ground cumin, 2 tsp. salt and 1 ½ cups soaking liquid. Blend into a paste and taste for salt. Add more if necessary. Add the chili paste to the beef and mix well.

Carefully separate the corn husks and soak then in warm water in a clean sink for about 30 minutes. Once soaked, remove from sink and carefully pat dry. Place the husks in a baking sheet and cover with a damp kitchen towel.

Place 4 cups of masa harina in a bowl. Add the baking powder and 2 tsp. salt. Mix well. Place the shortening into a small bowl and whip until creamy. Using your fingertips, add the beef broth to the masa and mix well. Once you have incorporated it all, add the shortening and finish mixing.

Place a husk in front of you with the rough side down and the shorter end towards you. Spoon in a thin layer of masa harina – wetting the spoon as necessary to work. Spoon in some beef in the middle. Fold the short end onto the masa and start rolling the husk away from you until you have a nice tight roll. Press the ends. The dough will seal the husks. Do not worry if your filling seeps a little. It will steam into the masa harina and be absolutely delicious.

Stand the rolled tamales in a steaming basket. Cover them with a damp cotton towel. Cover the pot and steam for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Make sure you check the water levels in your steamer about every 30 minutes. Carefully remove the dish rag and one of the tamales. Let it cool a bit and check for doneness. If they are not fully cooked steam for a little longer.

Serve your tamales with your salsa of choice and enjoy. These will freeze beautifully so go ahead and make a bunch. Enjoy!

Note: You will find Mexican chilies, husks and the masa harina in the Hispanic aisle of your grocery store.