Ground Beef Asian Noodle Stir Fry

From here

2 7oz packages of refrigerated udon noodles, seasoning packed discarded

1 tbsp olive oil

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced

12 oz broccoli florets

1 green onion, thinly sliced

Sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tbsp brown sugar, packed

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

Sriracha, optional

Whisk sauce ingridents and set aside.

Cook udon noodles according to package directions, drain well.

Heat olive oil. Add ground beef and onion until beef has browned. Stir in bell peppers and cook until tender. Stir in noddles and sauce until combined, 2-3 minutes.

Lentil Tacos

This was surprisingly delicious. We happened to have everything on hand other than ground beef, so we tried this with low expectations and ended up loving it. And Gav even ate it!! Amazing.

1 tbsp oil
2/3 cup chopped onion
minced garlic to taste
2/3 cup dried lentils, rinsed
1 tbsp taco seasoning
1 2/3 cup chicken broth
2/3 cup salsa

Heat oil in skillet & cook onions and garlic until cooked…about 5 min. Add lentils and taco seasoning and cook for 1 minute.

Pour chicken broth into skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover the skillet and simmer until lentils are done. About 20 minutes.

Uncover the skillet and cook until mixture is thickened. It didn't take very long when I made it. Stir in salsa. Serve in taco shells. Would also be good in a tortilla.

Thai Style Beef Curry

2 tbsp oil
3 tbsp thai red curry (use less..too spicy. 2 1/4 to 1/2 is perfect)
2 1/2 c. coconut milk (I used 2 16 oz cans)
2 1/2 lbs. chuck roast, cut in 1 inch cubes (used stew meat or chicken breasts)
salt, to taste.
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

Heat oil over low heat. Add curry paste. Cook and stir 5 mins. Add coconut milk. Cook 3 mins longer. Add beef cubes. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on low heat 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Cook until the meat is tender. Don't add any salt at this point because the sauce will be reduced later and may end up too salty.

-- My Notes --

We used chicken and beef and cooked the meat first and then added.

10/2010 - I made this yesterday without cooking the chicken first. I just dumped in the coconut milk mixture and let it cook for 2 hours. It was AWESOME. I stirred it after an hour. I used about 2 1/4 to a 1/2 of curry paste. It was the perfect spiciness. I could actually handle it without needing yogurt afterward.

We also added potatoes and carrots when we put the raw chicken in. Very good! Broccoli as a side is also yummy.

Chipotle's Shredded Beef

Inspired by this recipe. This had great flavor and was pretty delicious!

1/3 c. apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp lime juice (i only had lemon, so i used it)
2 Chipotle Peppers canned in Adobo Sauce (Recipe called for 4 but I'm a spice wimp...2 was good!)
1 small to medium sweet onion
5 cloves garlic
4 tsp cumin
2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground clove
2 tbsp oil
4 lb roast (top round, bottom round, chuck, etc.)
1 c. beef broth

Combine the vinegar to the clove in a blender and puree.

Put the oil in the bottom of the crock pot and put the rost on top. Pour half of the sauce on top of the roast. Flip the roast and pour the remaining half of the sauce on the roast. Add the beef broth to the crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours.