More Info for Less Cholesterol - Red Meat

I got a call from my Doctor (yes, I have a rare doctor who calls me.)  He called to tell me my blood test results were back.  Good news, my iron count was up some.  Bad news, my cholesterol was up over 50 points or whatever they call them.  So I've started looking up information that will stop it from rising and hopefully bring it back down.  I'll be passing this information along to you with hopes it will help you too.

#1 - Reduce meat portions in size and increase complex carbohydrates (vegetables, fruit, grains and legumes).  (I eat red meat maybe 3-4 times a month.  I'm just not a fan and besides, cows are cute.  But when I do eat red meat I eat very small portions so I'm ok here.)
#2 - Use only lean-grade meat and trim it of all visible fat before cooking.  (I actually quit eating red meat, especially ground beef, after learning what was actually in the so called meat.  Pink slime, by-products and fillers.  If you want a good education on what is in your burger, look these up.  When I do eat red meat I buy organic only.  The price is another reason I seldom eat red meat.)
#3 - Broil, roast, bake or barbecue meats as these methods allow the fat to drip away during cooking.  (I'm good here too.  I almost never fry anything but I have learned that you can coat a piece of meat with egg wash and bread crumbs (etc.), quick fry to brown the crumbs, place the meat on a racked baking dish and finish cooking in the oven.  This allows the grease absorbed while browning as well as what is naturally in the meat to drip out but still keep your meat crispy.)
#4 - Cook meat to medium or well-done to maximize the fat loss during cooking.  (I have to admit that IF I eat a steak I want it medium rare.  All other red meat I want well done.)
#5 - Avoid frying foods in hydrogenated margarine or animal fats; instead use chicken or beef broth, wine, water, flavored vinegar, or use a non-stick pan.  (If I do the quick fry I use canola oil so I'm ok there.  For any other cooking I've actually found that most red meat is so full of 'water' or whatever that you need to cook that out before you add any type of flavoring other than salt and pepper.  I actually brown my meat, such as a roast, without oil, place it in a slow cooker and when the liquid has cooked out, (shrinking the meat to half the size it was when I put it in the pot) I strain the liquid through a white paper towel removing all grease.  Then I add flavoring and cook until done.) 
#6 - Always de-fat meat drippings and broths by refrigeration (the fat coagulates and can be skimmed and discarded) before using in gravies or sauces.  (I have used this method of removing fat but like the straining better.)
#7 - Avoid packaged, canned or frozen meat dishes as their fat content  cannot be controlled.  (When I started reading labels I found the salt content in most canned meats was terrible so I don't buy packaged, canned or frozen meat dishes.  Due to this I have no idea how the cholesterol count may be.  And processed meats in the deli is another type of food I don't buy.  Look up fillers and by-products and you'll be careful about buying them too.  From what I've found there are 2 companies that states their deli meats are 85% real meat.  The others are from 16% meat and slowly up.)
#8 - Be careful of restaurant foods, especially fast foods, as their fat content cannot be controlled.  (Most of my eating out consists of 2 meats - fish and chicken.  I can't remember the last time I ate beef at a restaurant so I'm ok there too.)


My next research on cholesterol will be for poultry and seafood so stay tuned.

Roast Beef and Cheese

Yesterday I made a roast called Buttery Sriracha Pot Roast.  It was delicious but I did have some left over so what do I do with it?  Well, I love roast beef and cheese sandwiches with sauted onions.  My friend loves this too but he is having a problem with a couple of his teeth making it hard for him to chew sliced meat, no matter how tender.  So, I solved this problem simply by putting the leftover, along with the onions and juice, into my processor.  I pulsed just enough to chop but not ground.  Then I mixed in shredded cheese and as Emerald says "BAM."  I have roast beef and cheese with onions that can be eaten even if you do have a tooth problem.  

Add as much or as little cheese as you like or don't add cheese at all until.  Saute some bell peppers, drizzle with a little steak sauce or even BBQ sauce.  No matter how you like your sandwich, the beef is ready for anything you might like to add.

Another good thing about this is that it can be frozen for later use.  This was a great idea that I'll continue to use even after my friend gets his teeth fixed.

Grilling - Part 2 - Marinades

Now for those tasty, tenderizing marinades. 

There are usually 2 reasons you use a marinade.  One is to add flavor and the other is to tenderize.  When marinating, it's important to know your beef cut and to plan ahead.  While the two different types of marinades may contain similar ingredients, the key is the length of marinating time.

If you're just looking to add flavor to a tender steak like T-Bone or Ribeye, you only need to marinate for 15 minutes to 2 hours.  Whereas cuts like Top Round or Skirt steaks really benefit from a tenderizing marinade.  The key to tenderizing these cuts of beef is time and ingredients.  You'll want to marinate your steak for 6 - 24 hours.  A tenderizing marinade must contain an acidic ingredient such as lemon juice, vinegar, wine or natural tenderizing enzymes that can be found in papaya, ginger, kiwi, pineapple and figs.  Now for the marinades.

When making, allow 1/3 to 1/2 cup of marinade for every pound of beef.  

If you want to use some of your marinade as a baste or sauce, reserve a portion of it before adding it to your beef.  Marinade that has come into contact with uncooked meat must be brought to a full rolling boil for at least one minute if you plan to use it as a baste.

Again, these recipes are for beef but there are several that I think would be great on chicken or pork.

Balsamic-Mustard Marinade

2/3 cup prepared balsamic vinaigrette

2 Tbsp. Dijon style mustard

Argentinean Steak Marinade

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/3 cup spicy steak sauce

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 tsp. dried oregano leaves

Line-Jalapeno Marinade

1/2 cup red currant jelly, warmed

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 cup chopped, seeded jalapeno peppers

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

1 tsp. salt

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. ground allspice

Ginger-Soy Marinade

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp. honey

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

2 tsp. minced fresh ginger

1 tsp. freshly grated lemon peel

Red Wine-Herb Marinade

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup water

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried thyme leaves, crushed

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

Simple Southwest Marinade

1/2 cup Italian dressing

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 Tbsp. honey

 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

Chili-Cilantro Marinade

2/3 cup prepared Italian dressing

2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

1 Tbsp. chili powder

Orange-Cumin Marinade

1/2 cup lime juice

1/2 cup orange juice

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. chili powder

Place all of the ingredients for your choice of marinade in a food-safe plastic bag along with your steaks and refrigerate.  

Grilling - Part 1 - Rubs

It's that time of the year again... Grilling Season!  I love to grill and love to try different rubs and marinades so I'm doing a two part post giving you suggestions for both.  I'll also give you a couple tips that hopefully you'll find helpful.

Rubs are seasoning blends applied to the surface of roasts, steaks and burgers.  They add flavor but don't tenderize.

Dry rubs consist of herbs, spices and other dry seasonings.

Paste-type rubs, which are perfect for roasts, contain small amounts of wet ingredients, such as oil, crushed garlic or mustard.

They can be applied just before cooking or up to two hours in advance, just remember to refrigerate until cooking time.  The rubs below are specifically for beef but I'm game to try them on chicken and pork.  Each should make enough rub for 2 - 4 steaks, depending on how heavy you want to flavor your steak.

Dry BBQ Rub
2 Tbsp. chili powder
2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper

Smoky Paprika Rub
2 Tbsp. smoked or Spanish paprika
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. ground red pepper

Espresso Rub
2 Tbsp. finely ground espresso coffee beans
1 Tbsp. garlic pepper
2 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. ancho chili powder

Ancho-Chocolate Citrus Rub
1 Tbsp. ground ancho chili powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves, crushed
1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. freshly grated orange peel
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Mustard-Peppercorn Rub
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp. Dijon-style mustard
1 Tbsp. mixed black, white, green and pink peppercorns or black peppercorns, cracked
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt

Lemon-Pepper Rub
2 1/2 tsp. lemon pepper
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
3 large cloves garlic, crushed

Simply combine the ingredients and apply evenly to all sides.  Cook beef to desired doneness.

Corned Beef - 1 pot meal

This is one of the easiest meals you'll ever make and it's so good.  It is something that needs to be done when you have some time but there is actually very little work and preparation involved.

You will need:

1 Corned Beef Brisket
potatoes
cabbage

Cook your corned beef according to the package directions which normally is done by covering it with water and boiling for about 45 minutes per pound.  When the beef is done, remove it form the pan.  Add potatoes and cabbage and cook until tender.  Replace meat to heat.  Add some corn bread muffins or rolls and dinner is done.

Comments:  This meal is so easy yet so tasty.  If you cut the potatoes into chunks you can add them along with the cabbage.  If you want your cabbage with a little more texture, add it about halfway through the cooking of the potatoes.  DO NOT ADD SALT.  Due to the salt content of the beef, you will not need to add salt to the potatoes nor the cabbage.  Also, you can add carrots and onions to this dish to add more flavor and color.  Plus, the leftover beef makes a great Ruben sandwich.  This is one meat that a little bit goes a long way due to its flavor so you can create a couple meals out of this one cooking.  I almost forgot, you can finely chop the leftover meat and potatoes and make Corned Beef Hash which is delicious for breakfast with an egg on top.

Tortellini With Beef and Portobello Mushrooms

Boy wait until you try this recipe!  It turned out wonderful.  I got the idea from a recipe called Portobello Bellybuttons and made a few changes and a couple additions.  They worked out perfect.

This recipe is the newest that has gone into the manuscript file for Think With Your Taste Buds - Beef which will be out this winter.  In the meantime, don't forget to order your copy of Think With Your Taste Buds - Desserts;  Stir, Laugh, Repeat;  and A Book and A Dish.

Ground Beef Potato Soup

Another one for the book.  I don't normally make soups during the summer but it's been raining so I thought that would be a good excuse to play around with a good soup recipe.  This one can be made in a slow cooker or on top of the stove.  Either way it's simple to make.  Watch for this one this winter when Think With Your Taste Buds - Beef comes out. 

Ground Beef Pie

BOY is this a good one!  I decided to make it in 2 layers using a regular pie shell for the base.  It's not only good but it's also one that you can easily change to fit your own taste.  But...you'll have to wait until Think With Your Taste Buds - Beef comes out this winter.  As always, don't forget to order your copy of Think With Your Taste Buds - Desserts which can be ordered through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Books A Million.

Slow Cooker Beef BBQ

This makes one of the simplest BBQ dishes you will ever find.  Once the 5 ingredients making up this BBQ is added to the slow cooker, you're finished while the cooker does all the work.  This is another one to watch for in the upcoming Think With Your Taste Buds - Beef.

TexMex Beef Enchilada

Another great recipe has been added to Think With Your Taste Buds - Beef.  It's for a TexMex Beef Enchilada requiring only 5 ingredients.  As always, watch for Think With Your Taste Buds - Beef to come out this winter.  In the meantime start your collection by ordering your copy of Think With Your Taste Buds - Desserts.

Smoked Beef Sausage & Cabbage

My recipe for this dish is so simple and can be made in no time.  But - you'll have to wait until Think With Your Taste Buds - Beef this winter to find out how mine is made.  In the meantime don't forget to get your copy of Think With Your Taste Buds - Desserts in either paperback or e-book.

Ramen Beef and Broccoli

Another new recipe has been added to Think With Your Taste Buds - Beef.  Its the perfect budget meal that tastes expensive.  Watch for it in the near future.  In the meantime check out Think With Your Taste Buds - Desserts. 

Stuffed Round Steak

We're getting there!  Lillian's recipe for Stuffed Round Steak has just been added to the manuscript file for Think With Your Taste Buds - Beef.  This dish is simple to make and elegant to serve.  While waiting on the Beef book to come out don't forget to order your copy of Think With Your Taste Buds - Desserts in either paperback or e-book.

Ground Beef Dirty Rice - Pulled

It's that time again.  Lillian and I have strated working on our next Think With Your Taste Buds cookbook which will feature beef.  That means we will be pulling recipes and moving them to our manuscript file.  Our first recipe to be pulled is the Ground Beef Dirty Rice.  This is a good one so if you didn't get a chance to copy and try this dish, watch for it in Think With Your Taste Buds - Beef which we hope to have out this fall. 

Beef Stew - Crockpot Method

This is so good served over rice or noodles.  The meat I used is a lean cut of round but you can use any lean pre-cut stew meat.  You can use any mushrooms you might like.  I like portabella but white button are good too.  You can also add carrots giving you everything but the bread in one dish.  This is great served with slaw, cornbread, crackers or rolls.  Find my full recipe by going to Martha's Recipe Cabinet