Casserole

Early spring nights find me still craving hot, hearty, one dish casseroles, which will hopefully be switching to lighter fare soon - weather permitting.   Even after a long day at the office, this could easily be thrown together.  Thankfully a great friend of mine submitted this recipe to me to try out (thanks Jen!).  This dish serves as kind of a deconstructed cabbage roll.  No longer will I have to stand over the kitchen island slaving away on rolls!  Add some more veggies if you have them and mix things up.  I've been told this is even pre-teen approved.  

CABBAGE AND BEEF HOTDISH (SERVES 6-8)

• 1.5 pounds grass-fed ground beef
• salt and pepper
• 2 medium chopped onions
• 1 cup water
• 1 garlic clove - minced
• 1 (14ounce) can organic tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 2 carrots - diced
• 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice - use 15 minute brown rice
• 1 small cabbage - shredded, or chopped

GARNISH

• parsley
• freshly grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 350°.  Brown beef in large sauce pan, drain grease.  Add salt and pepper, onion, water, garlic, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and carrots.  Mix well.  Add rice.  Mix well.  Cover and simmer 20 minutes, or until rice is cooked.  Place half of shredded cabbage in 12x9 greased baking dish.  Cover with half rice mixture, but do not stir it all together.  Repeat layer.  Cover dish and bake 1 hour at 350°.

NOTES

You can either cook the rice as described above, or cook rice separately, according to package directions, and add it back to the beef.  This is an especially good idea if you only have traditional brown rice that can take about 45 minutes to make. 

Roasted vegetables made for a delicious pot pie variation.  This recipe makes 4 individual pot pies or one large.  I would suggest adding some toasted pine nuts as well. 

Over Christmas my mother-in-law shared with me her family cookbook.  Page after page was filled with interesting family recipes.  Have you wondered how to fix alligator with honey mustard sauce?  If so, have I got the cookbook for you!  I thoroughly enjoyed flipping through the pages imagining the countless family gatherings these dishes must have been shared at.  For my first family recipe I choose a pie crust.  The recipe follows below. 

ROASTED VEGETABLE POT PIE

FILLING

• 3 cups coarsely chopped red cabbage
• 2 large carrots - cut into ¾" long strips
• 36 small brussel sprouts - halved, stems trimmed
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• dash of salt and pepper
• 2 green onions - sliced
• ¼ cup feta cheese - crumbled
• 4 strips bacon - cooked, and crumbled

SAUCE

• 1 tablespoon pastured butter
• 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
• 1 cup milk
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese

CRUST

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• ½ cup pastured butter
• ¼ cup water
• dash of salt
• 1 pastured egg - slightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350°.  Add red cabbage, carrots, and brussel sprouts to a large glass baking pan.  Drizzle EVOO over the vegetables as well as a little salt and pepper.  Stir to coat vegetables.  Roast at 350° for about 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. 

In a small sauce pan melt butter over medium heat.  Stir in whole wheat flour, and then whisk in milk.  Allow to cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it begins to thicken.  Stir in garlic, and parmesan.  Remove from heat and set aside.

To prepare crust; cut butter into flour until pea size.  Add water and mix just so it holds together.  Flour board and roll out.  Line 4-16 ounce ramekins with pie crust, or one 9" pie pan in preparation of the filling.

Once the vegetables are removed from the oven, add green onions, feta, crumbled bacon, and sauce.  Stir to combine.  Spoon into prepared pie pans.  Cover with remaining crust, brush crust with an egg wash, place in oven for about 45 minutes for individual pies, or 1 hour 15 minutes, for 1 large pie, or until golden brown. 

CREAMY CHICKEN & GREEN BEAN PASTA (SERVES 4+)

YUM.  I am thrilled about being able to make my own cream sauce.  It was super easy and now I know how to adapt this for soups etc.  No more canned mushroom soup for this girl!  Of course, I sought out the least amount of ingredients when I bought them, but this is one less thing to buy!  Woo hoo!

INDIVIDUAL SHEPHERD'S PIE (SERVES 4)

This simple meal should certainly fill you up after a day of sledding, snowmobiling or a day in the cube farm.

• 1 pound ground grass-fed beef
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup button mushrooms - coarsely chopped
• ½ cup yellow onion - chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1-14 ounce can cream of mushroom soup

FOR POTATO CRUST

• 8 small yukon potatoes - cleaned, cut in half, several holes poked in skin
• 4 tablespoons whole milk yogurt
• 2 tablespoons butter - don't you dare use margarine
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

Preheat oven to 350°.  Cook potatoes on high heat in microwave for 6 minutes.  Flip and cook for 6 more.  While the potatoes are cooking brown grass-fed beef over medium heat in a large skillet.  Once cooked through, remove and set aside.  In that same pan heat 1 Tsp. olive oil, add mushrooms, and onion.  Continue to cook until onions become glossy.  Add peas, cooked beef to the mushrooms and onions.  Stir until heated through, then add mushroom soup and stir to combine.  Add equal portions of meat mixture to 4-16oz. ramekins, and set aside.  For potatoes mash cooked potatoes in medium size mixing bowl.  Once they have reached your desired consistency stir in yogurt, butter, and garlic.  If it is too thick, add a little milk, or chicken stock.  Divide mashed potatoes among the ramekins already filled with the meat mixture.  Place ramekins on a cookie sheet incase they overflow in the oven.  Place on the middle rack for about 25 minutes.  To get potatoes to be golden brown, broil them for about 2 minutes on the top rack in oven.