I never thought I would be obsessed with a lettuce wrap until I tasted these Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps from the Flat Belly Diet Cookbook. When I got this cookbook a few years ago I asked Matt to pick out a couple recipes he would be interested in and of course he went right to the beef section. Lean ground beef is sautéed with finely chopped carrots, red bell pepper and scallions then coated in a sweet and savory sauce.

The sauce has only five ingredients, but I was shocked at how flavorful it was and it immediately became a go-to recipe. The sauce is able to add so much punch because there’s a few secret ingredients. Soy sauce, ginger and garlic are all standard fare for Asian lettuce wraps, but then we have hoisin and orange marmalade. I’ve discussed my love for the salty and sweet qualities of hoisin before in the Crispy Sesame Pecan Chicken Tenders with a Hoisin Dipping Sauce and the Hoisin Beef Kebobs posts. The orange marmalade adds the perfect amounts of citrus and sweet notes to the dish that gives it that gotta-have-seconds vibe.

I love the freshness the crispy lettuce wraps add. I usually use Boston or Bibb lettuce and I like to scoop the filling onto the lettuce right before I eat it otherwise I find the lettuce can get soggy. Although there is a bit of chopping, the actual cooking of the lettuce wraps on the stove takes ten to twelve minutes making it a great weeknight meal to have in your back pocket.

I’ve never tried these lettuce wraps with ground turkey instead of beef, but I’m sure they would still taste good. They just wouldn’t have the rich sumptuous quality you get from eating beef.

On a slightly unrelated note, have any of you tried the Impossible Burger? There’s a few restaurants around us that have it, but we haven’t tried it out yet. For those of you that haven’t heard of it, it’s a plant-based burger that supposedly tastes like real meat. I’m intrigued by the potential positive environmental implications, but the ingredient list gives me some pause. Hmm… anyways, have a great Wednesday and I hope you love these Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps!

Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps

 

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Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons orange marmalade
• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon hoisin
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 pound 93% lean ground beef
• 8 scallions, trimmed and sliced
• 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 red pepper, finely chopped
• 12 Boston or Bibb lettuce leaves

Directions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the marmalade, soy sauce, hoisin, ginger and garlic until combined. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef, scallions, carrots and red pepper; cook for 5-7 minutes or until the meat is mostly cooked. Add the sauce and cook for 5 minutes, until well blended. Remove from the heat and serve with the lettuce leaves.

Notes

The cookbook suggests serving with a side of watermelon. I usually just serve them alongside some additional veggies.

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Lauren Main Dishes, Meat, Recipes 6 Comments

I’m back with another favorite from the simplest healthy cookbook, Cook This, Not That! These Hoisin Beef Kebobs are tender, sweet and savory. Pieces of sirloin steak get alternated with mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and scallions before being glazed in a five ingredient sauce and grilled.

I love that the scallions get nicely charred while the cherry tomatoes burst, which brings the best flavor to the steak. These kebobs are a perfect dinner dish because the vegetables could be swapped out with so many other kinds of vegetables since the sauce is versatile and really would taste delicious with most veggies.

I usually serve these kebobs over rice, but they would also be great served with salad or alongside some more vegetables, like some grilled corn.

The most important thing to remember when you’re making this recipe is that the other vegetables can’t be taller than the cuts of steak – and that the cuts of steak need to be equal. Particularly if you are cooking on a grill pan, which is requiring direct heat, if you have one large mushroom or one large piece of beef, that other piece of steak won’t get cooked enough since it won’t be touching the grill pan. This is less important if you are using an actual grill.

If I’m making these in our grill pan, I actually usually grill the steak and vegetables individually in two batches since our grill pan isn’t long enough for the kebob sticks. Either way, Matt and I can’t get enough of the juicy bites of steak and glazed veggies!

Hoisin Beef Kebobs

 

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Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons hoisin
• 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon chili sauce (I use Trader Joe’s green dragon sauce)
• 16 ounces sirloin steak, cut into ¾-inch pieces
• 20 small mushroom caps
• 20 small cherry tomatoes
• 8 scallion whites, sliced into ½-inch long pieces
• 8 skewers (if wood, soaked in water for 5-10 minutes)

Directions

1. Combine the hoisin, soy sauce, sesame oil and chili sauce. Divide between 2 small bowls and set aside.
2. Skewer the steak, mushrooms, tomatoes and scallions, alternating between the meat and vegetables. Try to make sure the mushrooms aren’t larger than the steak pieces, and if the mushrooms are too big then cut them in half. Also make sure the vegetables aren’t pressed against the steak pieces to give the steak enough room to cook.
3. Using one bowl of the sauce, brush the skewers with sauce and grill for 3-4 minutes per side, basting the other side with sauce before flipping. If you’re using a grill pan, lightly brush the pan with vegetable oil before grilling and grill over medium-high heat. Remove from the grill and brush with the sauce from the second reserved bowl before serving.

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Lauren Main Dishes, Meat, Recipes 2 Comments

This is a decadent, belly-warming, curl-up-on-the-couch-afterwards dinner. Isn’t that the epitome of a fall and winter meal?

These Slow Cooker Short Ribs are full of rich flavor and tender meat. It literally falls off the bone and there’s no knives required for eating this dish. I feel like I don’t use my slow cooker nearly enough, but it is perfect for these short ribs.

Short ribs are unapologetically rich so I fully embraced it and added crispy pork belly as well. If you’ve never had pork belly, it’s basically bacon before it has been cured and smoked. Like bacon, it gives off grease while it cooks, which we will be using to sauté the mushrooms, onions, carrots and garlic. Yes, you read that correctly, and no, we won’t be apologizing for it because it’s so delicious. The other reason I used pork belly is because it is a very inexpensive cut of meat; opposite of short ribs, which are definitely pricey. I used the pork belly and the mushrooms to help us stretch our meal out.

If the thought of using pork belly makes you nervous you could substitute in some slab bacon or even pancetta, although I’ve never tried it with pancetta so I’m not sure how much that would change the flavor profile. Short ribs are a pricier cut of meat so I usually make it for special occasions, such as Christmas dinner, but it is also one of Matt’s favorite dishes so a couple times a winter I’ll make it to treat ourselves.

Since it’s a heavier entree I like to serve it with cauliflower mashed potatoes to help balance the meal. Find that recipe here!

Slow Cooker Short Ribs

 

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Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2½ pounds bone-in short ribs or 1½ pounds boneless short ribs (see note)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• ½ pound pork belly slices, cut into small pieces
• 5 ounces whole cremini mushrooms, quartered
• ½ onion, peeled and cut into wedges
• 4 medium carrots, ends removed, scrubbed and cut into 1” pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley or 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 2½ tablespoons cornstarch
• 2½ tablespoons water

Directions

1. Season the short ribs all over with the salt and pepper, pressing into the meat as needed.
2. In a large high-sided skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Brown the short ribs on all sides then place in the bottom of a slow cooker. Carefully wipe any excess oil from the skillet.
3. Heat the skillet to medium-high and add the pieces of pork belly. Cook until browned, stirring occasionally, being cautious about any popping grease. Add the mushrooms, onion, carrots and garlic. Cook until lightly browned then add the contents of the skillet to the slow cooker. Add the beef broth, tomato paste, parsley and bay leaf to the slow cooker. Stir then slow cook on low for 6-8 hours.
4. When the meat is tender, discard the bones and bay leaf. Then move the meat and veggies to a serving bowl leaving just the juices in the slow cooker. Keep the contents of the serving bowl warm. If there’s a lot of excess fat on the meat, place the fatty piece of beef on a cutting board and use a knife or fork to shred the meat away from the fat. Discard the fat and return the meat to the serving bowl.
5. Skim the fat off the juices in the slow cooker. Transfer the juices to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water. Add to the boiling juices and let cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve the sauce with the short ribs and vegetables.

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Lauren Main Dishes, Meat, Recipes 2 Comments

Loco Moco Tacos! The name just sounds fun and I promise you it’s super tasty as well. Traditionally, loco moco is a Hawaiian comfort food dish composed of white rice, a ground beef patty, a fried egg and gravy. This version stays pretty true to the classic except we’re swapping out the brown gravy for a quick homemade teriyaki sauce.

In the fall of 2016, Matt and I went to California for our one year anniversary. On our way from Los Angeles to Anaheim we went to the Venice and Santa Monica beaches for the day. I scoped out all the food ahead of time so we went right to Komodo in Venice, which is an Asian fusion restaurant known for their tacos and burritos. I ordered a few different tacos and one of them was their loco moco taco – and of course I got a picture.

All of the tacos were really good, but there was something about the loco moco taco that had me thinking about it even two years later. I can definitely see why it’s considered comfort food; the combination is so simple, but it feels familiar and decadent.

The teriyaki sauce is salty, sweet and sticky, which goes really well over the mini beef burgers and steamed white rice.

The best part is when the runny yolk drips down and smothers everything with richness. Actually, the best part is that the whole thing is a taco! Comfort food wrapped up in a warm tortilla – perfect for Taco Tuesday!

I still want to try the original version of loco moco with the gravy, but for now I’m definitely into this teriyaki loaded taco. Have you ever had loco moco?

Loco Moco Tacos

 

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Yield: 4 servings, 8 mini tacos

Ingredients

for the teriyaki sauce

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water
• ½ cup water
• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon ginger powder

for the tacos

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ¼ cup minced onion
• 1 pound ground beef (80% or 85% lean)
• ½ tablespoon butter
• 8 eggs
• 8 6-inch flour or corn tortillas, warmed
• 1 cup cooked white rice
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• Salt and pepper

Directions

for the teriyaki sauce

1. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water until the cornstarch dissolves. Set aside.
2. Heat the ½ cup water, soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, garlic powder and ginger powder in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until combined. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and continue to whisk and cook until the sauce has thickened. Remove from the heat.

for the tacos

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion until soft and translucent. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the sautéed onions and ground beef. Form the mixture into 8 mini same-sized patties. Press a small thumb impression into the center of each, this keeps the patties from bulging in the middle when you cook them, then season both sides of each patty with salt and pepper.
3. Heat your skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the patties for 3 minutes, flip, then cook for another 4 minutes, or longer based on desired doneness. Bobby Flay recommends an internal temperature of 145 degrees F for a perfect burger., which comes out medium, although the USDA recommends 160 degrees F for ground beef. We always follow Bobby Flay’s recommendation, but cook to whatever temperature you prefer or are comfortable with.
4. Time to make the sunny side up fried eggs. Heat the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Crack the eggs into the pan when it’s hot; I would recommend doing no more than 4 at a time. Season with salt and pepper. Let cook just until the whites are set then remove from the pan. If desired, use a round biscuit cutter or cookie cutter to make the fried eggs into little rounds for your tacos.
5. Taco assembly time! Spoon some steamed white rice, about 2 tablespoons onto your warmed tortilla. Top with a cooked mini burger patty, followed by a drizzle of teriyaki sauce and some sliced scallions. Repeat, eat, enjoy!

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Lauren Main Dishes, Meat, Recipes 4 Comments