Bev's Recipe Collection

• 1/4 C sesame oil
• sweet onion, chopped
• 1 T minced garlic
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1/2 C brown sugar
• 3/4 C soy sauce
• 1 t ground ginger
• 1/2 t cayenne (or 1 t crushed red pepper)
• salt & pepper

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion for 5 minutes; add garlic and saute for 2 more minutes. Add ground beef, stirring and cooking until no longer pink. Drain the fat. Add the brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, and cayenne. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; stir. Simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors.

Serve with white rice and broccoli or zucchini.

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 pound ground beef
• 8 oz. salsa
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 (15 oz) can organic sweet corn, drained
• 1 (15 oz) can chili beans, not drained
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 t pepper

In a large pot, saute onion in olive oil for a few minutes. Add the garlic and saute until onion is soft. Add ground beef and cook until browned. Strain and rinse. Return the beef to the skillet and add the remaining ingredients. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Prepare the toppings.

• 2 C crushed organic tortilla chips
• 1 C firmly packed fresh spinach (or kale)
• 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained well (or about 1 C fresh chopped tomatoes)
• 2 C shredded cheddar cheese
• sour cream
• cilantro, chopped

Place the crushed tortilla chips on the bottom of a greased 9 x 13″ baking dish. Spread the spinach on top. Spoon the bean mixture over the spinach. Sprinkle on the diced tomatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Sprinkle on the cheddar cheese and cook another 5 minutes. The casserole should be warm and bubbling. Serve with sour cream and chopped fresh cilantro if desired.

Serves 8

My daughter Joy created this recipe. As always, I slightly adapted it. 🙂

• 16 oz. uncooked penne pasta
• 16 oz. cream cheese
• 1 C milk
• 20 ounces frozen chopped spinach
• 2 t dried oregano
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 3 lb. ground beef
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 T chili powder
• 1 T ground cumin
• 2 t. salt
• 24 oz. salsa
• 15 oz. can tomato sauce
• 18 oz. can tomato paste
• 2 C shredded cheddar cheese

Cube cream cheese; set it in a bowl. Set out the spinach too. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, cook onion in coconut oil over medium heat. Add meat and cook until no longer pink; drain. Return to pot and stir in spices. Stir in salsa, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Drain pasta; stir into meat mixture. Set aside.

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in milk. Stir in spinach and oregano.

Grease a large roasting pan. Layer half of the meat mixture and all of the spinach mixture. Top with the remaining meat mixture.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer.

Adapted from “Most Requested Recipes”

• 50 oz. spaghetti sauce
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 C bread crumbs
• 1 large or 2 small eggs
• 1/3 C finely chopped onion
• 1 t Italian seasoning
• 1/4 t garlic powder
• 1/4 t pepper
• 12 oz. spaghetti noodles

Mix ground beef, bread crumbs, eggs, onion, and seasoning with 1/3 cup of spaghetti sauce. Fry meatballs in coconut oil over medium heat. Drain. Add remaining sauce. Simmer on low while cooking noodles.

• coconut oil
• 1 large onion
• 1 1/2 t minced garlic
• 3 pounds ground chuck
• 1 T chili powder
• 1 1/2 t cumin
• 1 1/2 t salt
• 1 t paprika
• 1/4 t pepper
• 2 (15 oz.) cans tomato sauce
• 3 (15 oz.) cans red beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cans water or chicken broth
• 1 can Rotel

Saute onion in coconut oil over medium-high heat until half-cooked. Add garlic, cook for 3 or 4 minutes. Add meat and reduce heat to medium. Cook meat; drain and rinse. Add spices to the dry meat, then add tomato sauce, beans, water, and Rotel. Bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Yield: 3 medium pizzas

Pizza Dough:

• 2 cups warm water (I use the warmest water from the tap; about 105 degrees)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 7-8 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 Tbs yeast
• cornmeal for sprinkling

Combine water, oil, salt, 3 cups of flour, and yeast; mix until combined. Add another 2 cups of flour and knead, gradually add additional flour as needed until the dough stops sticking to the bowl. Knead an additional 5 minutes. Divide the dough into three balls. Roll each ball of dough on pizza stones sprinkled with cornmeal. Roll up the edges to form a crust. Top with desired toppings.

You can be creative with this, but here’s what I do:

Pizza Toppings:

• 1 (24 oz) can tomato sauce (I use Classico Tomato & Basil)
• 1 lb. cooked ground beef
• 16 oz shredded cheddar cheese
• dried basil and oregano, to taste
• pineapple tidbits

Spread the tomato sauce on the dough (I use about 3/4 cup per pizza).Top with ground beef, pineapple tidbits, or other desired toppings. Sprinkle with dried basil and oregano. Let rest for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake each pizza for 9 minutes, sprinkle on the cheese (I use about 2 cups per pizza), and then bake for another 9 minutes. Slice and serve.

From Blog of Joy

• 1 spaghetti squash (up to 6 packed cups)
• 10 lasagna noodles
• 3/4 pounds ground beef
• 48 oz. spaghetti sauce
• 1 C water
• 1 t. Italian seasoning
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 8 ounces shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Put 2-3 inches of water in a large stock pot. Cut squash in half or quarters to fit flesh side down in the pot. Cover and bring to a boil; boil about 15 minutes, until squash is tender. Drain squash and cool. Using a spoon, discard seeds. Scoop out the stringy “spaghetti.”
2. Brown ground beef in a large pot; drain and rinse. Add spaghetti sauce, water, and Italian seasoning.
3. Cook the noodles according to package instructions.
4. In a large stock pot or pan, saute onion and bell pepper in olive oil until tender, adding garlic half way through. Add squash and turn off heat.
5. In a small saucepan, melt the cream cheese over low heat. Add the sour cream, salt, pepper, and parsley; stir to make a smooth white sauce.
6. Stir the white sauce into the cooked squash mixture.
7. Lightly oil two 13×9″ pans and layer noodles, white squash mixture, ground beef mixture, and cheese.  Repeat.
8. Sprinkle with dried basil or oregano flakes for garnish if desired.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Adapted from: tammysrecipes.com

I like to do Steps 1, 5, & 6 the day before.

• 1 T chili powder
• 1 t paprika (smoked preferred)
• 1/2 t cumin
• 1/2 t garlic powder
• 1/2 t onion powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t black pepper
• pinch red pepper flakes or cayenne, optional

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Two tablespoons of this mix equals one package of commercial seasoning mix.

• 3 pounds ground beef, browned and drained
• 2 large sweet onions, chopped
• 2 peppers (We prefer red and yellow)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cans diced tomatoes (28 oz. each)
• 3 cans kidney beans (15 oz. each), rinsed and drained
• 2 (16 oz.) can tomato sauce
• 2 T chili powder
• 2 T ground cumin
• 1 T salt
• 1/4 t cayenne pepper
• 1 t pepper

For serving:

• shredded cheese
• sour cream
• diced avocado
• freshly chopped cilantro
• tortilla chips
• salsa

In very large stock pot, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for  1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Option: Bake at 200 degrees in a roaster all afternoon or in two slow cookers on low.

from tammysrecipes.com

• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper (any color), diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 pounds ground beef (or small pieces of stew meat)
• 3 cans (14.5 oz. each) diced tomatoes (or 5 1/2 C diced fresh tomatoes)
• 1 1/2 T chili powder
• 1 1/2 T ground cumin
• 1 T salt
• 1/2 t pepper
• dash of cayenne
• 9 C water
• 1 1/2 pounds dry lentils (about 3 3/4 C), rinsed

Optional, for serving:

• shredded cheese
• sour cream
• chopped fresh cilantro
• hot sauce
• tortilla chips

In a large stock pot, saute onion and bell pepper in coconut oil over medium-high heat until half-cooked. Add garlic. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes. Add ground beef or stew meat. Cook, drain, and return to pan.  Add tomatoes, spices, and water.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Simmer covered, on medium-low heat for at least 30 minutes.  Add lentils and stir.  Cover and simmer for an additional 60 minutes or until lentils are tender.  Continue simmering until you reach the desired thickness.  Serve hot, with optional ingredients of your choice.  Enjoy!

Easy Slow Cooker recipe:

If you use beef stew meat, you can make this chili start-to-finish in your slow cooker.  If you choose to use ground beef instead, brown it in a pan on the stove, drain the grease, and then add it and other ingredients to a 6 quart slow cooker.  (It will barely fit.)  Cook on low for about 6 hours.

From tammysrecipes.com