Peppery Beef with Cabbage over Noodles

Short and sweet today!  Grumpy wasn't too happy with the peppers in the recipe - he's not a big fan of them. However, this to me was yummy!  I love peppers!  He said if I had left the peppers out it would have been better to him and I guess I was heavier on the Black Bean with Garlic Chili sauce than normal as he told me it was spicy.  I thought it was perfect.   This was my take on beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day.  I guess next year I will go traditional for Grumpy!

 I'm submitting this post to Presto Pasta Night's which is being hosted by Juli over at Pictures of all my Princesses.  There is still time to join in - just send your submission to Juli by end of the day on Thursday.  Rules and Guidelines are on the Presto Pasta Night's page.

Peppery Beef with Cabbage over Noodles
Inspired by Black Pepper Beef and Cabbage at allrecipes.com

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 small head cabbage, shredded
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips

1/2 green bell pepper, cut into strips 

1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
2 tablespoons Maggi sauce (or soy)

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (unflavored)

1 teaspoon Black Bean Chili Garlic Sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water

your favorite pasta shape, cooked according to package - I used linguine since that was what I had on hand and cooked about 1/2 of the package (4 oz. dry)

In a small bowl mix Maggi sauce, rice wine vinegar, black bean sauce and brown sugar together, set aside.  In a separate small bowl combine cornstarch and water.  Set aside.

In a large skillet, brown ground beef and garlic until beef is no longer pink.  Season with black pepper.  

Add cabbage and cook &stir until cabbage begins to wilt.  Add bell peppers.  Cook and stir for about 3-5 minutes until vegetables are crisp tender.  Add sauce mixture and bring to a boil.  Stir in cornstarch mixture.  Sauce will begin to thicken.  Remove from heat and serve over pasta.

Carrot Cupcakes - Diabetic Friendly

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Did you realize you could make absolutely delicious, diabetic friendly desserts that do not have sugar substitute in them? I didn't, not until I started to read Diabetic Living Magazine.  The key to keeping your sugar count at the desired level is in the carbohydrate consumption.  Sugar is carbohydrate so it makes sense that you need to watch the amount of sugar you eat, but you also need to pay attention to all the other foods we consume that contain carbohydrates!  I am still learning and by no means am I an expert in this lifestyle.  I'm learning as I go, and doing what I can to feed Grumpy well and make him happy with the food I do make that is also good for him! While you don't have to use the sugar substitute in this recipe, to make it even more diabetic friendly, you can use Splenda Brown Sugar substitute equivalent to the amount in this recipe and lower the carbs from 30 to 24.  I went with regular brown sugar for two reasons.  It is less expensive than the substitute and it was what I had on hand.  I'm hoping that someday soon I can have Grumpy sitting pretty right where he belongs to the best of my ability.  The rest of it is up to him.

Easter is coming, and while I have no idea if we will be alone or with family, I decided I was going to try some different carrot dessert recipes that I found in the most recent issue of Diabetic Living.   I can definitely say, that it won't be the last time I make them!  When these were baking our home filled with such a lovely smell of home baked spiciness that is carrot cake.  The frosting, surprisingly consists of two ingredients:  1/3 less fat cream cheese and Agave Nectar (which the magazine does state you can use honey instead of agave)!  The recipe states you will get 15 cupcakes and that is exactly what I got.  I stored these in the refrigerator and I seriously think that two days later they are better than the day they were made.  So, whether you need to watch your carbohydrates or not, these are definitely a cupcake worth making and keeping around!

Carrot Cupcakes
slightly adapted from Diabetic Living Spring 2012

printable recipe

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup cinnamon flavored applesauce (unsweetened)
1/3 cup canola oil
6 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese
3 tablespoons agave nectar

Preheat oven to 350 degress.  Line a cupcake pan with paper liners or coat cups with cooking spray (use the spray without the flour).

In a large bowl combine flour through cloves and set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs, applesauce and oil together until combined.  Stir in shredded carrots.  Pour wet ingredients over dry and stir to combine.  Scoop batter into muffin cups using ice cream scoop (I use my large pampered chef cookie scoop and it portions it out perfectly!).  Bake 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.  Cool in pan 5 minutes then transfer to cookie rack to continue cooling.

When cookies are cool, make frosting by blending the softened cream cheese and agave nectar until smooth. Spread on cupcake and garnish with desired toppings.

This cupcake has 207 calories, 8 grams of fat, 30 grams of carbs, 2 grams of fiber, and 17 grams of sugar.

Weekend Hash Browns

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Weekends are for Hash Browns, aren't they?  Weekends are about the only time I have time to make "special" dishes.  Most of the time we eat pancakes with pure Northern New York made Maple Syrup (made by one of the best syrup making families, my cousin's!).  My dad just informed me that I have 2 gallons of syrup coming to me in the near future.  I can't wait to get my syrup and I love syrup making season!

While I didn't use maple syrup in this recipe, I did make another treat that we don't normally have on a regular basis at home.  The closest I get to a hash brown, although I hate to admit it, is McDonalds.  Then I don't know if it will be greasy, soggy, or cold.  I don't buy those too often mind you.

I decided that this Saturday morning I would make our own hash browns in honor of it being St. Patrick's Day.  I've never made them like this before and I'm pretty darn pleased with how they turned out.  They have an onion and garlic flavor and eaten directly out of the hot frying pan, they are crisp and delicious!  Like any fried food item these are best eaten freshly made.  They were quite easy to make and I will definitely keep this on a weekend breakfast rotation! This recipe was adapted from one I found on allrecipes.com for Amish Hash Browns.

Weekend Hash Browns

printable recipe

3 medium russet potatoes
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tbsp diced onion
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
small amount of vegetable oil for frying

Peel and shred potatoes.  Lie shredded potatoes on a triple layered paper towel and roll the towel up tight.  Squeeze the paper towel to release water that is in your potato shreds.  Place the potato shreds in a medium sized mixing bowl.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk egg and oil.  Add to potato mixture.

Sift together flour, cornmeal, salt, and garlic powder.  Stir into potato egg mixture.

In a large non stick skillet, coated with a small amount of oil, drop by tablespoonfuls into pan over medium-high heat.  Flatten patty some and cook until crisp and browned on bottom.  Flip patty and cook until well browned.  Pictured served with a sprinkling of parsley, scrambled eggs, and some cherry tomatoes!