Korean GROUND BEEF AND RICE BOWLS

Recipe Critic

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
• 1 c cooked lentils
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups hot cooked white or brown rice
• sliced green onions and sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions

1. In a large skillet cook the ground beef and garlic breaking it into crumbles over medium heat until no longer pink.
2. In a small bowl whisk brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, red pepper flakes and pepper. Pour over the ground beef and let simmer for another minute or two.
3. Serve over hot rice and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.

Mediterranean Rice and Chicken

Rice

1 chopped onion
1/2t garlic powder or garlic clove
1t oregano
1t basil
salt and pepper or seasoned salt or chicken boullion
1t turmeric
1/2t paprika
chopped almonds or cashews or sunflower seeds
1/2c lentils or black beans
2 c leftover cooked rice


Saute onion till soft, add all seasonings and saute and stir. Add chopped almonds till get toasted. Add the lentils and rice. I like to cook the rice on high, so the rice gets a little crusty on the bottom of the pan. To allow the rice to get crusty you need to allow the rice to cook for about 5 minutes before you stir it. Then stir the rice  and repeat that pattern 3 more times.

Its  delicious

I served with a salad, chicken, and a roll.


Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts of equal size
2 tbsp minced garlic or garlic paste
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp dried oregano, divided
 olive oil
1 large lemon, juice of
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 cup small-diced tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced green olives (didnt have)
Handful of fresh parsley, stems removed, chopped
Crumbled feta cheese, optional

(I didnt have white wine)

Pat the chicken breasts dry. On each side of the chicken breasts make three slits through.
Spread the garlic on both sides; insert some garlic into the slits you made. Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt, pepper and 1/2 of the dried oregano.
In a large cast iron skillet, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil on medium-high. Brown the chicken on both sides. Add the white wine and let reduce by 1/2 then add the lemon juice and chicken broth. Sprinkle the remaining oregano on top. Reduce the heat to medium. Cover with a lid or tightly with foil. Cook for 10-15 mins turning the chicken over once (chicken’s internal temperature should reach 165 degrees F.)
Uncover and top with the chopped onions, tomatoes and olives. Cover again and cook for only 3 minutes. Finally add the parsley and feta cheese. Serve with a light pasta, rice or couscous. Enjoy

We loved it!!

LENTILS WITH SPINACH OVER RICE

Doctor Yum

INGREDIENTS

2 cups brown rice, cooked according to packaging (I actually prefer it on a sweet potato, not rice)

1 tablespoon coconut oil (substitute olive oil)

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic

½ tomato, diced (large)

1 teaspoon curry powder

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

¼ teaspoon chili powder (less for baby food option) (I didn't add)

1 cup lentils (red), rinsed with cold water (I only had brown)

2 cups baby spinach, coarsely chopped (finer chop for baby food) (I didn't add)

⅔ cup culinary coconut milk (not coconut milk beverage) (I didn't add, but I did add water)

½ teaspoon salt

dash black pepper

chicken 1/4-1/2t boullion

sweet potato

METHOD

I sauteed onions, then added lentils, tomatoes, turmeric, curry, 1/2c water, boullion, salt and pepper cooked for 10 mintutes.  I ate the lentil mixture on top of a sweet potato, it was so delicious!!!

Cook rice while preparing lentils. Heat oil in a medium saucepan. Cook onions until soft, about 3-4 minutes, add garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes. Add tomato and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add curry powder, turmeric and chili powder and mix. Add lentils and enough water to cover lentils by ½ inch. Cook for 5-8 minutes until lentils are soft. Add spinach and coconut milk and simmer another 1-2 minutes until spinach is wilted. Season with salt and pepper and add more to taste. Serve over brown rice.

BABYFOOD OPTION:

When I was a child, I spent many summers in my parents' native country of Sri Lanka, an island nation in the Indian Ocean. I have watched my cousins and family friends feeding babies and noticed that people generally do not buy baby food in Sri Lanka. Instead, babies are offered an array foods like nutritious meat and vegetable curries, spiced mildly, with rice (which is usually started at about one year of life). One common early finger food is rice mixed with lentils or other meats and vegetables and shaped into small sticky balls. These little rice balls can be easily fed to babies by hand or given to babies to feed themselves. (see picture and recipe below for “Rice Balls with Lentils”). Take about a cup of cooked brown rice. Add a teaspoon of the lentil spinach mixture and mix with your hand. Add more lentils by the teaspoon and keep mashing until you can form the mixture into ¾ inch balls. This can make a great school lunch for slightly older kids, too!

Braised Coconut Spinach & Chickpeas with Lemon

The Kitchn
Jen coon made this for my family after baby luke arrived. it was very tasty and I want to make it again.

• 2 teaspoons oil or ghee
• 1 small yellow onion
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 4 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 t ginger powder or 1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
• Finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
• 1 dried hot red pepper, or pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed or lentils
• 1 pound baby spinach
• 1 (13 to 14-ounce) can coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more as needed
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed

• For serving:
• Whole roasted sweet potatoes
• Fresh cilantro leaves
• Toasted unsweetened coconut

Heat the oil or ghee in a large, deep Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until the onion is beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, fresh ginger, lemon zest, and red pepper, if using. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the chickpeas and cook over high heat for a few minutes, or until the chickpeas are beginning to turn golden and are coated with the onion and garlic mixture.

Toss in the spinach, one handful at a time. This will take about 5 minutes; stir in a handful or two and wait for it to wilt down and make room in the pot before adding the next handful. When all the spinach has been added, add the coconut milk, lemon juice, ground ginger, and salt. Bring to a simmer, then turn down the heat and cook until the chickpeas are warmed through, about 10 minutes. Taste and season with more salt and lemon juice if needed. Serve hot over roasted sweet potatoes, with cilantro leaves and toasted unsweetened coconut to garnish.

Recipe Notes

Serving: This is thick enough to eat on its own with a fork, but it's also saucy enough to serve over pasta, rice, quinoa, or another grain.

Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freeze in individual portions for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw overnight in the fridge and then reheat gently over low heat on the stove.

Sloppy Joes

BettyCrocker

1 lb. lean ground beef 

1c lentils

1

 cup chopped onions

1 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper 

1(12-oz.) bottle chili sauce or (2 t chili powder)

1 t mustard

1 (6-oz.) can tomato paste

2 to 3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 

added 1 T BBQ sauce 

1/4 teaspoon pepper 

16 sandwich buns, split

• In large skillet, cook ground beef, onions, celery and bell pepper over medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes or until beef is thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Drain.
• 2 In 3 1/2 to 4-quart slow cooker, combine ground beef mixture and all remaining ingredients except buns; mix well.
• 3 Cover; cook on low setting for 4 to 6 hours.
• 4 Stir; spoon beef mixture into buns.
• I made extra then froze it in a ziplock bag for a future dinner