Mushroomy Meat Sauce atop Roasted Eggplant with Spicy Cottage Cheese Puree

Mission empty the fridge/freezer/pantry continues, and it's got my creative juices flowing.

I also may be slightly obsessed with pureeing cottage cheese.  But, hey, there are worse obsessions.  

As are the rules of the emptying the kitchen game, last night's creation was constructed only of ingredients I already had.  If I were to make this same sort of thing some other time, I would likely modify a few things: add garlic cloves, use crushed tomatoes instead of jarred sauce (and then add more of my own seasonings), make the cottage cheese puree with roasted garlic, maybe add some fresh basil...  I'm going to write down the ingredients for what I actually did, which turned out great, but you might want to keep these modification ideas in mind. 

This'll make about four servings.

What you need:

Mushroomy Meat Sauce:

1 pound lean ground beef (I used 96/4... if you can't find that, just make sure to drain out the grease after browning)

1 medium onion, chopped

8 ounces cremini or baby bella mushrooms, diced

1/2 cup red wine

1 1/2 cup pasta sauce, no sugar added if possible (I used arrabiata)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (or your own mixture of dried oregano, basil, thyme)

salt and black pepper

Spicy Cottage Cheese Puree:

1 1/2 cups low fat cottage cheese

2 tablespoons pickled hot crushed peppers*

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

*If you don't have hot pickled crushed peppers, you could sub a bit (definitely not 2 tablespoons) red pepper flakes and a splash of vinegar.  Or use chili-garlic sauce.  

Roasted eggplant:

Olive or coconut oil spray

2 medium eggplants, cut into 1/2-3/4 inch thick rounds

salt and pepper

Start by making the sauce:  Brown the ground beef in a large saucepan or pot over medium-high heat.  Drain if necessary.  Add the onions and mushrooms.  Saute for a 3-4 minutes.  Add the red wine and scrape up anything that was sticking to the bottom.  Add the pasta sauce, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.  Stir, bring to a boil, and then reduce to low heat.  Cover.  Let simmer for AT LEAST 30 minutes, and up to an hour or so.  If sauce is too watery, remove cover to let it reduce.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Make the cottage cheese puree:  Add all ingredients to a small blender or a food processor and blend until smooth, scraping down and stirring as necessary.  You may need to add a small splash of water to get things going, depending on the power of your blender.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Roast the eggplant:  Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a baking sheet with olive or coconut oil spray.  Arrange eggplant rounds on the sheet so that they are not overlapping (touching is fine).  Lightly spray the tops with oil.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.  Roast for 30 minutes, or until eggplant is lightly browned and soft.  

To serve:  Arrange a few slices of eggplant on plate, top with meat sauce, and drizzle the cottage cheese puree over the top.  Enjoy!

Sneaky Mushroom Taco Meat

This is my new favorite way to make taco meat, and it is super healthy.  By adding in finely chopped mushrooms with the ground beef, you stretch the meat further and end up eating less meat and more vegetable.  I also use a blend of spices rather than the packets of taco seasoning, which have way more ingredients than they need.

If you are vegetarian, just omit the beef and add an extra pound of mushrooms!  I've made it this way a few times and it makes a delicious meatless taco.

I scoop this on romaine leaves for me, but you can certainly use tortillas or multigrain chips to dip. Top it with some tomatillo salsa and maybe a little queso fresco, and you're set!

What you need:

1 pound 90% lean ground beef
1 small/medium onion, diced
10 ounces crimini or baby bella mushrooms, finely chopped
1 tomato, finely chopped
1 chipolte pepper, chopped
1/2 cup beef or chicken broth
2-3 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 onion powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt to taste


Start by browning the ground beef in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  When the meat is cooked through, drain if necessary (I find that some "90% lean" is more lean than others, sometimes I drain, sometimes I don't).  Add the onion, mushrooms, tomato, and chipolte pepper.  Saute for about 5 minutes, then add the broth and spices.   Reduce heat to medium and let it keep cooking for another 15 minutes.  Add extra broth if it dries out too much before it is done cooking.

Serve with romaine leaves if you want a low-carb taco, or use it to fill your favorite tortilla.  It would also make a mean dip layered with some guac, salsa, lettuce, and a little cheese.

Spaghetti Squash with Meat and Veggie Sauce

I'm not a pasta/grains person anyway, and used to just eat things that were supposed to go over pasta/rice/quinoa over lettuce or spinach or nothing instead.  Yeah, I know the lettuce is a little weird, but adds nice volume and tricks you into thinking you have a huge plateful of food (awesome trick for an Indian restaurant buffet- skip the rice!).

But then I added spaghetti squash into my lettuce/spinach/nothing rotation, and I'll tell you, it's much more "other people" friendly.  It is a little strange to serve yourself a plate of lettuce and then dump meat sauce over the top when everyone else is having pasta or whatever with their sauce.  Spaghetti squash doesn't get so many strange looks and everyone I've ever introduced it to likes it.  You could even mix it half and half with real pasta for those suspicious eaters.  

It's perfect for anyone trying to eat less carbs, going gluten-free, or just trying to avoid processed foods. Or anyone who just plain doesn't like pasta.  It doesn't really have much flavor of its own, but has a nice crisp texture.

The sauce I made this time is pretty simple and quick.  I added ground beef to it, but added plenty of vegetables so that the beef would stretch a little further and we'd eat a little less of it.  You can add whatever other vegetables you have on hand (eggplant, zucchini, peppers) and leave out the mushrooms if you want.  Add a splash of red wine if you have a bottle open. :-)

This will make 4-6 servings, depending on appetite and if you have any sort of side dish.

What you need:

1 spaghetti squash (medium-sized, I guess?)

1 pound of ground beef (mine was 96/4... if you use something much fattier, make sure to drain it!)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small/medium onion, diced

8-9 cloves garlic, minced (or less if you aren't a garlic fiend)

1-2 stalks celery, diced

1 teaspoon salt

1 large carrot, diced or thinly sliced

12 ounces mushrooms, cut into small pieces

1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes

Seasonings: (mix these up as much as you want, depending on what you have)

  

     Italian seasoning, oregano, basil, rosemary, sage, crushed red pepper, thyme...

     This time I used: Italian seasoning, fresh rosemary and fresh sage... because that's what I happened to have.  I often just go heavy handed with the dried oregano and thyme because those are often what I have on hand.

Roast the Squash:

Start by roasting your squash.  I did it in a 350 degree oven for about an hour this time.  Whole, with a couple of fork pokes.  This does mean that you have to deal with the seeds and pulpy stuff after it cooks... which is a little more of a pain.  But you don't have to saw through it at least.  

You can also cut in in half first, remove the seeds, spray the cut side with oil, and roast it for 30-40 minutes.  Or you can microwave it (google that... I never do it that way).  It's hard to overcook it, but very possible- apparently.  I did it last time I made spaghetti squash, but before that I would have said it was nearly impossible.  But I guess it is- it will turn to mush and become decidedly un-spaghetti like.  When it's done, it should be slightly soft and easy to cut into.  If you run a fork through it, the strands will appear.

Make the Sauce:

While your squash is roasting, make your sauce.  Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the ground beef and let it brown.  Add the onion, garlic, celery, carrot, and salt.  Sauce for about 5 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and saute for another 3-5 minutes.  Add both cans of tomatoes and your seasonings.  Bring to a simmer, and reduce heat to medium-low.  Let simmer for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  If you have more time, let it simmer longer, but keep the pot mostly covered.  After it has simmered, season to taste with salt and pepper.

Shred the spaghetti squash and serve with the meat and veggie sauce on top.  Sprinkle with a little Parmesan if you'd like.

Taco Casserole or Dip

This a great weeknight dinner- it's pretty quick and could also be made ahead of time and then baked when you need it.  It would also make good party food or could be used as a hearty appetizer.

What you need:

1 pound lean ground beef (or if you are like me and on an island where you can't get lean ground beef, see my tips on de-fatting below)

1 medium onion, chopped into small pieces

2 stalks of celery

1 red bell pepper

4-5 pickled serrano or jalapeno peppers

1/2 medium zucchini

1 packet taco seasoning (I used a hot and spicy kind)

2-3 teaspoons soy sauce

2-3 fresh tomatoes

1 tablespoon garlic powder (or less if you're not a garlic person)

1 cup of your favorite salsa

3/4 cup taco sauce

1 can refried beans (I used a can of low fat refried black beans this time around)

1 cup shredded cheese (a mixture of cheddar and monterey jack is good)
Tortilla chips, for dipping

Salsa, guacamole, sour cream

Brown the ground beef in a large pot over medium heat.  Once it is cooked through, add the onion, celery, bell pepper, serrano peppers, zucchini, taco seasoning, and soy sauce.  Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, garlic, salsa, and taco sauce.  Continue to cook, stirring occasionally  until all vegetables are cooked and the sauce is thick, between 5-10 minutes.   While this is cooking, spread the black beans in a 9x9 inch pan.  Pour beef and vegetable mixture over the beans.  Sprinkle with the cheese.  Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes, or until bubbly and LIGHTLY browned on top.

Serve with tortilla chips and your favorite taco additions, such as salsa, guacamole, and sour cream.  Or skip the chips and just use a fork.  It works well too.

GETTING RID OF THE GREASE:

If using fatty ground beef (the stuff we have here is 20 % fat), try this:  Line a largish bowl with a thick layer of paper towels- I use 8 or 9, folded on top of one another.  After the beef has cooked, dump it into this bowl and wrap the edges of the paper towels up around it.  Place a few more paper towels on top.  Now squeeze the fat out!  The beef is going to be pretty hot, so you could try wearing gloves or using a spatula to help you (though I generally just go for it and I haven't suffered any major burns yet).  Once the first set of paper towels is soaked through, repeat with another, and that should do it.  It's actually pretty satisfying to see how much fat you get out and kinda makes me want to keep buying fatty beef even when I someday don't have to.