Hamburger Steaks With Onion Gravy

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds 85% lean ground beef (I used 80% lean ground beef)
  • 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons Lipton Onion Soup and Dip Mix
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper (I used freshly ground black pepper)
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • 1 onion, halved and sliced thin (I used a yellow onion)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups beef broth (I used Swanson 50% reduced sodium)
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives

Directions

  1. Take a large mixing bowl and add the beef, panko, soup mix and pepper to it, mixing everything together with your hands until combined. Divide the meat mixture into 4 portions, shaping each one into a 4-inch patty that’s about 1/2-inch thick (my patties were more around the 3/4-inch thickness). Using your fingertips (I just used my thumb), push down on the middle of each patty until there’s a slight indentation.
  2. Take a 12-inch nonstick skillet (I used a 12-inch cast-iron skillet) and add a tablespoon of butter to it. Set the skillet over medium-high heat and wait for the butter to melt. Add the patties in and cook for roughly 4 minutes per side or until the patties look “well browned” and register 130 degrees. Take the patties out of the skillet and place them on a large plate or platter, covering them by tenting them with aluminum foil.
  3. Turn the heat down to medium and toss the onion slices into the skillet, stirring them around frequently for 4 minutes or until they are lightly browned and are starting to soften. Stir the flour in, continuing to stir for another minute. Stir the broth in and wait for boiling to occur. Let the gravy cook for 4 minutes or until it’s thickened. Remove the skillet from the heat, mixing the last 2 tablespoons of butter in with the gravy. Take a taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve the gravy over the patties, sprinkling the chives on afterwards. Enjoy !

When I first tried the sauce, it didn’t seem that good, I was a little worried that this recipe wouldn’t be worth posting but after adding enough salt and pepper, the flavors really shined and I just wanted to drown the hamburger steaks in it, it tasted that good (I’ll double the gravy next time so there’s no worrying over how much of the gravy gets used on each portion) ! I couldn’t taste the chives at all but at least it added some color to the dish ! The hamburger steaks had a nice crust on the outside but were still tender on the inside. The only way this could’ve been better was if I’d had some mashed potatoes to serve this with !

This recipe came from Cook’s Country.

I wasn’t paid in any form to promote Lipton, Swanson, or Cook’s Country.

Take care everybody !

Vietnamese Pork Chops

Ingredients

  • 1 small shallot, finely chopped (I don’t know what counts as “small” for shallots, but I got a little over 4 tablespoons once I finely chopped my shallot)
  • 1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup fish sauce (such as nam pea or nuoc nam) (our bottle just said “fish sauce”)
  • 2 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 1″ thick-cut bone-in pork chops (about 2 1/2 lb. total) (I could only find pork chops that were about 1/2-inch thick)
  • 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  • Kosher salt
  • Lime halves (for serving)

Directions

  1. Take a dish that’s big enough to fit the pork chops in and add the shallot, brown sugar, fish sauce, vinegar, and pepper to it, stirring to combine. Take a fork and pierce your pork chops all over (so the marinade can get absorbed quicker), placing it in the fish sauce marinade. Flip the pork chops over and cover, letting them marinate at room temp. for 20 minutes, flipping them over once in a while during that time.
  2. Take the pork chops out of the marinade, scraping the marinade off the chops as much as possible (don’t throw the marinade away, it becomes the sauce later on). Pour the oil into a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Lightly season the pork chops with salt (I forgot to do this thankfully*). Once the oil’s hot, add the pork chops to the skillet, cooking them for about 4 minutes per side or until they look browned and are fully cooked. Take the pork chops out of the skillet and let them rest for 10 minutes before serving them.
  3. While the pork chops are cooking, pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Let boil for 4 minutes or until the sauce has reduced down to about 1/4 cup.
  4. Serve the pork chops with the reduced sauce and lime halves and enjoy !

*The marinade sauce gets saltier as it reduces so any lacking in seasoning on the pork is more than made up for with the sauce !

The pork chops didn’t have much flavor on their own (probably due to me not adding on any salt) but the sauce definitely made up for that lack of flavor ! The sauce was kind of salty so the lime halves have helped cut down on the saltiness as well as add flavor.

Recipe source unknown.

Take care everybody !

Beefy Korean Sandwich

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp. horseradish sauce*
  • 1 demi baguette (6-inch), split and toasted
  • 3 oz. roast beef
  • 2 tbsp. drained, chopped kimchi
  • 1/2 cup baby arugula

Directions

  1. Spread the horseradish sauce over the cut sides of the bread, adding on the remaining ingredients afterwards.

Serves 1.

*My baguette was longer than 6-inches so I had to use more than 2 tablespoons in order to completely cover the cut sides.

This was such an easy sandwich to make ! I’m honestly not sure what makes this Korean other than the chopped kimchi being in it, but I loved eating it ! The bread had a nice crunch to it which was a good contrast to the creamy horseradish sauce and the tender roast beef. I couldn’t taste the kimchi and arugula nearly as much as I did the horseradish sauce but I’m not complaining, I love eating roast beef with horseradish sauce ! I would gladly make this again, especially on a busy day.

This recipe came from Rachael Ray magazine.

I wasn’t paid in any form to promote Rachael Ray magazine.

Take care everybody !

Black Bean Citrus Slaw Tacos

Ingredients

  • 2 (15-oz. each) cans black beans, drained or about 2 cups cooked black beans (I used 2 cans of black beans)
  • 1 tbsp. coconut oil
  • 3 tbsp. lime juice, divided
  • 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp. soy sauce (I used reduced-sodium soy sauce)
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp. chili powder
  • 3 cups broccoli slaw (store-bough or make your own blend with shredded broccoli, carrots and red cabbage)
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil (I used extra-virgin olive oil)
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • Warmed tortillas for serving (I used corn tortillas)
  • Pepitas, for garnish
  • Fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish

Directions

  1. Place the beans, coconut oil, 1 tablespoon of lime juice, vinegar, soy sauce, cumin, salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika and chili powder in a medium-sized cast-iron pan or saucepan, stirring to combine. Simmer the bean mixture over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes.
  2. While the beans simmer, take a mixing bowl out and add to it the broccoli slaw with the remaining two tablespoons of lime juice, olive oil, and salt, tossing to combine.
  3. Divide the beans evenly among the tortillas, topping it with the broccoli slaw, pepitas and cilantro. Eat right away.

This was a tasty taco ! The crunch from the slaw and pepitas were a nice contrast to the soft black beans. It was just a little dry but adding on some taco sauce (I used Taco Bell sauce) took care of that problem and added flavor !

This recipe came from The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook.

We weren’t paid in any form to promote Taco Bell or The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook.

Take care everybody !