French Onion Beef Stroganoff

This was so so so good!! It took longer than I expected cause they always say it should only take 20 minutes to caramelize onions but for me it takes like 45-60 minutes!! First I sliced up 3 medium/large onions. It looks like a lot but will cook down a bunch. I put them in my large Dutch oven with 1/4 a cup of butter ( I didn't say this was healthy ;) then I added 1 garlic clove minced, 1 bay leaf, 1 sprig of thyme, and a pinch of salt and pepper. I cooked this on medium heat for 45 minutes or until they begin to caramelize.

Then I added one package of mushrooms which I sliced thin.

Mixed that around and let the mushrooms begin to soften and brown and the onions fully caramelize. Take out the bay leaf and thyme stem then remove the onions and mushrooms to a large bowl.

Next I took a 1.5 lb round steak and cut it into cubes, salt, pepper and floured them. (Do this while the onions are cooking) (next time I might use a more tender steak since it doesn't braise very long) Then I added half a tbls of evoo to the dutch oven and browned half the beef at a time.

Then the next half, add more oil if needed.

It looks dark on the bottom but that's where all the flavor is at! It gives it a rich broth when you scrape up the dark bits. Pour in 1/4 a cup of red wine to deglaze the pan.

Scrape back and forth while it bubbles.

Then I added 1 1/2 cup of beef stock or broth. Still scraping up the bottom and brought it to a simmer.

Add in 1/2 a tbls of worchesterchire sauce.

Then add back in the meat and onion mixture. Cover with lid and simmer on medium for as long as it takes to boil the noodles. About 8 minutes.

Take it off the heat and add 2/3 a cup of sour cream stiring really well to get it to mix.

Then add the 3 cups of cooked and drained egg noodles, or 1 package.

Mix that together and put in the presenting dish or just keep it in the Dutch oven.

Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups of grated gruyere cheese (the best cheese ever!!) 

Then broil it in the oven till melted and browned. I sprinkled a little paprika for color and tossed a few pinches of chopped fresh parsley. Sooooo yummy!!

One Pot Taco Pasta

Super easy and yummy! Only one pot so not much clean up :) Took me less than 20 minutes to put together and you cook it for 15-20 minutes longer. 

First I browned 1 lb of ground beef, 1 onion chopped, and 3 cloves of garlic till the meat is cooked. I added a tsp of salt and a couple cracks of pepper plus 2 tsp of taco seasoning.Then I added 1 cup of corn.

1/2 a cup of drained black beans.

1/2 a can of chopped green chilies.

Mixed that then added 1 can of chopped tomatoes not drained.

1 cup of mild enchilada sauce

1 cup of salsa.

2 cups of water 

Then 2 cups of pasta. I used that garden veggie pasta.

Brought to a boil, covered and lowered the heat to low and let cook for 15-20 minutes till the noodles are cooked. Then I topped with shredded cheddar and broiled it in the oven for a couple minutes. Added chopped avocado, parsley, and a dollup of sour cream. Delicious! 

Banana Oat Greek Yogurt Muffins

These delicious healthy muffins are made with whole wheat oats, ripe bananas, and Greek yogurt! All things Zara can eat :)Yum!!

First in a blender or food processor I added 2 cups of whole wheat oats. I used old fashioned quick oats but you can use either kind.

Then 1 cup of Greek Yogurt.

Cracked in 2 eggs.

2 ripe bananas.

11/2 tsp of baking powder and 1 tsp of baking soda.

1/3 cup of brown sugar.

I pulsed till blended then poured in greased paper liners in a muffin tin 3/4 of the way up. There is no oil in the batter so they will stick if you don't spray them!

 I topped half with chocolate chips for James and half with sliced strawberries for Zara. Set oven to 400° and bake for 15 minutes or until they are set.

Caramel Upside Down Banana Bread

Oh man this was a good one! It's a little more cakey than I normally like my banana bread so next time I'll use a different banana bread recipe but this turned out great!!Preheat the oven to 350° First I put 1/3 a cup of brown sugar in the bottom of a 9x5 loaf pan.

I cut up 3 tablespoons of butter and spread them evenly over the brown sugar and put it in the oven for 10 minutes until it melted.

In a large bowl I put in 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour, 3/4 a cup of sugar, 1 tsp of baking soda.

1 tsp of baking powder.

1/2 a tsp of salt.

1/8th a tsp of ground cinnamon. Then mixed that together.

I took the brown sugar pan out and stirred it around with a fork.

Then I took 2 not very ripe bananas and sliced them into 1/2 inch slices and lined them up on top of the brown sugar/butter mixture.

In a smaller bowl I mashed up 2 very ripe bananas, next time I would probably put a 3rd to give the cake a more bread texture. And cracked in 2 eggs.

Whisked that with a fork and added 1/3 a cup of buttermilk.

1/3 a cup of coconut oil but you can use vegetable oil.

Then 1tsp of vanilla and mixed all of that together.

Poured into the dry mixture and stirred with a fork till completely mixed but don't over mix.

Then I poured it over the banana slices. Make sure it's a non stick loaf pan or spray first.

I put it in the oven for 30 minutes but check at 20 with a toothpick.

When it was done I waited 20 minutes for it to cool then flipped it over. The recipe I found had a glaze to pour over the top but I felt like it was rich enough. The glaze would be brown sugar, butter, and heavy cream cooked down till it made a caramel then pour over when ready to serve! It was delicious! You can also use any of your favorite banana bread recipes and pour it over the brown sugar/ sliced banana mixture to make it upside down banana bread!

Yum!