Pepper Steak

Week 2 of our grocers' recipes was another winner. The only other time I've had Pepper Steak is at the Chinese restaurant in town. Simmer the meat in broth for an hour + really gave the meat a lot of flavor. Always thought round steak was tough and lacking in flavor but it was very tasty in this recipe.

1.25 pound Round Steak (ours was a bit bigger...1.61 pounds)
2 Tbls butter
2 cloves garlic
1 can beef broth (15 oz)
1 c green onions
2 green peppers cut into strips (I only used 1 because my peppers were HUGE)
paprika
2 large tomatoes
1 Tbls corn starch
1/4 c water
1/2 c soy sauce

Pound steak until 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle with paprika. Let stand 15 minutes. Using large skillet, brown meat in butter. Add garlic and broth. Simmer for 1 hour.

Then, add onions and peppers. Simmer 5 minutes more or until peppers are tender.
Add corn starch, water, soy sauce and tomatoes. Heat through. Cut steak and serve over rice. (I actually took the meat out, cut in strips, then added it back to the skillet.)

Cheesy Chicken

Our local grocery store takes really good care of its loyal customers. Every few months, we get a flier in the mail with weekly coupons. For every $10 we spend, we get an item for free (5 items total). The items go together to help create a meal. This flier included a recipe for each week. With my FREE chicken, cheeses and mayo, I made this:

4 chicken breasts
1 c mayo
1 c shredded Parmesan cheese
1 c shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese (in the can)

Mix mayo and cheeses together. Pound chicken breasts down to 1/4 inch thick. Spread cheese mixture over breasts. Fold sides over and roll tightly. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Chicken Broccoli Tortellini Soup

Say that three times real fast...Anyways, I LOVE this soup. The original was from a mini "check-out aisle" book of Soups & Breads by Betty Crocker and I changed it to fit our tastes.

1 tbl olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 (14 oz) can chicken broth
1/2 c water
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 (10 oz) box frozen cut broccoli in cheese flavored sauce
1 (9 oz) package refrigerated cheese filled tortellini
2 chicken breasts, cubed and cooked
1 (15 oz) can petite diced tomatoes (NOT drained)
shredded mozzarella or Parmesan cheese for topping
croutons for topping are also delicious

Heat oil and add onion. Cook until tender.
Stir in broth, water, Italian seasoning, broccoli, tortellini and tomatoes. Heat to a boiling, stirring occasionally and breaking up broccoli.

Stir in chicken. Cook about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally until tortellini is tender.

Serve topped with cheese and croutons.

Beer Bread

It is snowy and cold out so two loaves of beer bread sounded comforting. This is really easy. So yummy warm with butter. (We brought it to a friends' house and it was a hit all around!)

(This makes ONE loaf....)
3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 c sugar
1 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
1 can beer
2 tbl melted butter

Mix flour, sugar, salt & baking powder. Add beer and butter. Mix until just moistened. It will be lumpy.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes in a greased 8 X 4 loaf pan. Cool completely. Slice and serve. (Delicious with cheese and sausage too.)

Baked Potato Soup

I'm back! Between the holidays and 10 days in Costa Rica, I hadn't posted in quite some time. But here I am with a wonderful, low fat, soup recipe.

One medium bulb of garlic (top trimmed off)
6 large baking potatoes
4.5 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp pepper (I'd use less)
mix-ins: fat free sour cream, turkey bacon, green onion or chives, low fat/fat free shredded cheddar cheese

wrap garlic in foil & pierce potatoes once with a fork
place garlic and potatoes on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes
remove garlic and let cool, bake potatoes for 15 minutes longer or until tender

Squeeze garlic bulb into soup pot, peel 3 of the hot potatoes and add to garlic, mashing until smooth

slowly at chicken broth and pepper and heat through

take remaining three potatoes and cube, leaving peeling on

add to soup and heat through

serve with bacon, sour cream, chives/green onions and cheddar cheese