Beef – Page 2 – The Food Wife

Whatâ€™s For Dinner?

15th April 201919th May 2019
by thefoodwife

The week ahead is sure to contain a fair amount of chocolate but I thought Iâ€™d share some of the recipes weâ€™ll be having over the next week to give you some inspiration too.

Since I posted my recipe for Chinese Lemon Chicken a couple of weeks ago, Iâ€™d been thinking about when I can have it again. I probably mentioned it a couple of times a day to The Food Husband, So I decided it was back on the menu this week and it made an excellent accompaniment to the new series of Game of Thrones!

Weâ€™ve also been using up previous batch cooking stores from the freezer and have had an easy meal of bolognese, simply defrosted and reheated and stirred through freshly cooked pasta.

As the freezer supplies need replacing Iâ€™m planning to make a new batch of my Moroccan-inspired chickpea and preserved lemon tagine later this week. I love the zingyness and potent flavour from the preserved lemons and it makes a cheap yet hearty meatless meal.

And of course Easter Sunday: we will be having lamb. Last year we had the glorious Mechoui leg of lamb. This year we are having a roasted shoulder with the classic garlic and rosemary. But on Monday we will be turning the leftovers into lamb rissoles to have with salad.

And for the Food Baby? Iâ€™ve just restocked his cheesy vegetable fritters in the freezer; this time a combination of carrot, broccoli, sweet potato, potato and sweetcorn with cheddar and smoked paprika instead of curry spices. And Iâ€™m replenishing the successful cheese and vegetable scones, switching the courgette for grated broccoli. A couple of veg-filled winners!

Hopefully thatâ€™s given you some inspiration for your meals ahead. If you are still in need of inspiration then head over to www.thefoodwife.co.uk and if you havenâ€™t already, why not sign up to the newsletter, sending you recipe inspiration each week. Wishing you all a happy Easter, The Food Wife.

Whatâ€™s for dinner?

13th March 201913th March 2019
by thefoodwife

This week weâ€™ve been revisiting some recipes from The Food Wife so here are some ideas to help you with some meal planning for the week ahead. All are gluten-free (or easily adaptable).

At the weekend we had some friends round for dinner and I went for the low prep, no fuss chicken and potato tray bake with peppers and artichokes, served with a large green salad. It meant I could minimise my time in the kitchen and maximise my time socialising! We also had some of the marinated olives to nibble on with drinks before hand which I had set marinating the night before so they were full of flavour.

Weâ€™ve also had a firm favourite midweek, simply defrosted from the freezer and reheated; the yellow split pea daal. We had it with nutty brown basmati rice and some blanched green beans. So healthy and nutritious but utterly delicious too!

Another freezer staple was ragÃ¹; stirred through pasta it makes a really quick and satisfying meal. And also with pasta weâ€™ve had the creamy spinach and pea pasta making a 15 minute meal perfect for a week night.

Lunch times have been soup-focussed and the sweet potato and butternut squash Thai coconut soup has been spicing up lunchtimes.

New to the menu was a Thai-inspired beef and noodle salad. Fresh flavours making the most of leftovers as I used left over roast beef and green beans from a family roast on Sunday.

The Food Baby has not been forgotten. At the start of the week I had a mammoth cooking session making batches of toddler-appropriate food. My main aim has been to try and get as much fruit or vegetables into him without him realising, as he appears to be able to identify and reject anything obvious at 20 paces. A batch of baby oaty ‘carrot cake’ cookies have gone down well with half being popped in the freezer for another time. I also made a big batch of veggie curry fritters, although I split the vegetables and batter and did half with the curry powder, and the other half with a teaspoon of smoked paprika and 100g grated cheese. Each batch made seven good size fritters which have been popped in the freezer for future dinners.

Hopefully our week’s meal plan has offered you some inspiration for all the family, catering for a variety of different diets, including gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan. If you haven’t already, why not sign up to The Food Wife Newsletter at the bottom of the homepage, to ensure you get every recipe each week, direct to your email.

Thai-Inspired Beef and Noodle Salad

11th March 201911th March 2019
by thefoodwife

Serves 2-3

Having enjoyed roast beef on Sunday I decided that we would use some of the left-overs in a salad on the Monday. Cue this Thai-inspired salad, using rice noodles and any salad items you want. This time round I used shredded iceberg lettuce, tomato, left over green beans (again from the roast!) and thin rings of red onion.

The dressing is hot, sweet, salty and sour. You can adjust the hotness with how much chilli you add, and the sweetness with the sugar.

You could also add fresh herbs such as Thai-basil, mint or coriander to the salad too.

Ingredients:
100g rice vermicelli noodles, cooked according to the packet instructions and cooled
200g left over roast beef, thinly sliced (or a freshly cooked steak, cut into thin strips)
Salad items of choice (e.g. shredded lettuce, red onion, green beans, tomato, cucumber, carrot ribbons etc)

For the dressing:
1 inch root ginger, peeled and finely diced or grated
1 (+) red chilli, finely diced
1 lemongrass, bruised with the flat blade of a knife and finely chopped
2 lime leaves, finely shredded (or the zest of 2 limes)
Juice of 2 limes
3 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp caster sugar

Step 1: Make the dressing by combining all of the ingredients, adjusting the amount of chilli depending on how hot you like it. Check the sweetness and add a little more sugar if needed.

Step 2: In a large bowl, toss together the cooked and cooled noodles, the beef and the salad.

Step 3: Pour the dressing over and toss through just before serving.

Thai-Style Steak Noodle Salad

20th December 201820th December 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 2

Christmas time is synonymous with rich food. And a lot of it. Sometimes something fresh and light is needed, and that is exactly what this dish delivers. Itâ€™s fairly quick to make (the longest element is the marinating of the steak for half an hour).

I have used lime leaves in my dressing and marinade but if these arenâ€™t available, the zest of a lime will suffice.

When it comes to the salad element you can pick whatever you like. Keep a crunchy element though (I used iceberg lettuce) as this brings a different texture to the meal.

I served my steak rare, but by all means cook it longer to your preference.

Ingredients:

For the steak:
300g ribeye steak
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce (gluten-free if required)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
Zest of 1 lime or 2 lime leaves, finely sliced

For the salad dressing:
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 inch of root ginger, peeled and grated
Juice of 1 lime
Zest of 1 lime or 2 lime leaves, finely sliced

For the salad:
100g dry vermicelli rice noodles, cooked according to the packet instructions and then cooled
4 handfuls of salad (e.g. lettuce, cucumber, pepper, spring onion all sliced/shredded)

Step 1: Combine the marinade for the steak and allow the steak to sit in it for about half an hour.

Step 2: Combine all of the ingredients for the salad dressing and set to one side.

Step 3: Put a non-stick frying pan on a high heat. Once hot, sear the steak (reserve the marinade) on each side for a minute (or more if you want it medium or well done). Pour the remaining marinade into the pan and then remove the steak and all of its juices from the pan, and cover with foil, and allow to rest for a few minutes.

Step 4: Cut the beef into thin slices.

Step 5: Combine the cooled noodles and salad with the dressing.

Step 6: Arrange on a plate or bowl and drape the steak over the top, pouring over any remaining juices from the beef.

Serve immediately (I like it with prawn crackers on the side).

Baby Beef and Beetroot â€˜Chilliâ€™

11th September 201811th September 2018
by thefoodwife

Makes 5 mini-portions

Packed with veg and nicely spiced, this colourful â€˜chilliâ€™ is a versatile dinner for your little one. A word of warning though, it is a deep dark pink, courtesy of the beetroot, which may also have an effect on nappies! But it tastes great and has gone down a storm in The Food Wife HQ. The Food Baby has had it with rice and as a pizza topping; soon heâ€™ll be having it with potatoes or pasta.

This contains herbs and spices, but no chilli (can it still be called a chilli then?!) but I chose to use a hot paprika to give it a little kick. I used a roasted red pepper from a jar (but you could just use a finely diced pepper). For the beans I actually used baked beans but you could use any of your choosing.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp oil
1 small red onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
200g beef mince
4 mushrooms, finely chopped
1 (roasted) red pepper, finely chopped
1 small raw beetroot, peeled and finely chopped
1 tin chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp cooked beans
Pinch of pepper

Step 1: Put a pan on a medium
heat and add the oil and onion and cook for five or so minutes, until the onion has softened.

Step 2: Add the garlic, spices and oregano and stir, then add the beef mince and continue to stir every now and then while the mince browns.

Step 3: Add your vegetables along with the tomatoes and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Finally, stir through the beans and season with a little ground pepper.

I made five portions out of this recipe, and froze them individually. You can adjust the vegetables you use and if you wanted to make this vegetarian/vegan just leave out the beef and up the mushrooms or replace with some cooked red lentils. Perhaps add some grated carrot and courgette to bulk it out further.