more food!

 Since it is March Recipe Month or whatever, and since I did write out a ton of recipes for my sister the other day, I thought I’d post another yummy one for you guys. I got lots of responses to the last recipe I posted (Beef Stroganoff), but I’d definitely be interested to know if anyone has tried it and how it turned out!

A healthy recipe: 

Low-Cal Steak Fajita Quesadillas

1 lb. steak, a tender cut, thinly sliced and cut in 2-inch strips (I usually get enough steak for beef stroganoff and this in the same package and cut them up at the same time, for this to be truly low-calorie, make sure you trim all the fat off)
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped (or in big slices if you like it that way)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 med. to large bell pepper, cut into strips (or you can use 2 small ones, or whatever colors you want, you could also do a jalapeno if you want, but that’s too spicy for me)
6 large flour tortillas (use whole-wheat for a healthier choice)
1 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese (or monterrey jack if you don’t want it spicy)
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, finely chopped (without the stems!)

1. Coat a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray and brown garlic quickly over med. heat (only about 2 min.) Then add onions and peppers and saute until onions are clear and peppers are tender. Add steak to the pan and cook on med.-high heat turning frequently to sear each side. Make sure you are constantly stirring the vegetables around too. They will get charred on the ends (which is good!), but take the veggies out if any of them are getting actually burned.
2. Chop your cilantro and add it to your grated cheese.
3. Heat a clean nonstick skillet to med. and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Place 1 tortilla in pan, fill with 1/3 of the steak and veggies, top with 1/3 of the cheese and cilantro mixture, and cover with another tortilla. Brown one side, then flip (you might need more spray when you flip too, so it won’t get burned). Repeat til you have 3 full quesadillas. Cut in wedges and serve with salsa and/or sour cream.  

Annnddd a not-so-healthy one: 

Cheeseburger Soup with Rice

1 lb. hamburger meat
1 1/2 lb. Velveeta cheese, cubed (This is 3/4 of the big block. If you want, you can use 1 small block which is 1 lb. instead. Just makes it not quite as rich and not quite as bad for you.)
3 cups milk
2 cups rice, cooked
1/2 cup carrots, julienned
1/2 med. onion, diced
2 – 14 oz. cans chicken broth (or one of those large 32 oz. containers)
2 tbsp. butter
dollop of sour cream for garnish, if desired

1. Brown hamburger meat, drain, and set aside.
2. While the meat is browning, cook your rice with either extra chicken broth (not included in the ingredients list) or water and a chicken bullion cube. Toss the carrots in to cook with the rice. To cook the rice, boil 2 parts broth, then add 1 part rice and the carrots, turn the heat to low and simmer with a tightly covered lid for 20 min.
3. Once your rice has only about 5 minutes left to cook, melt butter in a large stock pot. When butter foams, add onions and saute over med. heat until clear.
4. When onions are clear, add your 2 cans of chicken broth, rice and carrots and simmer to heat through on med. to med.-high heat.
5. Once soup is warmed through, reduce heat to low, add milk, and cheese. DO NOT BOIL!!! You want to heat this slowly until the cheese melts, which might take a while, maybe 15 minutes or so. Do it on low no matter how long it takes. If you heat the soup too hot, it will scorch the milk and you’ll get a gross burnt film on the bottom of your pot that will ruin your whole soup. Trust me, I know this from experience. Just be patient. It will melt eventually.
6. Once your cheese is melted, add the beef back in and heat through. (If you want to be a big fat fatty, add some more butter, lol). Serve with a dollop (*sings*do a dollop of daisy!) of sour cream in each bowl if desired.