Slow-Cooked Beef Barbacoa {Dutch / French Oven method}

I recently pinned a recipe that caught my eye: Chipotle Barbacoa Tacos. I was hosting a Mexican-themed dinner party this weekend-- a perfect time to make a big batch! Now, I know most would not try out a new recipe the day they're hosting a dinner party... I guess I'm reckless like that. {Living on the edge, this one.}

I did a little poking around on the Internet after seeing that recipe and realized that slight derivations of this same recipe are repeated over and over... basically everyone must have gone to Chipotle's site, checked the ingredient page, and returned to their home kitchens. The glitch is that most of the recipes recommended using a slow-cooker... which I don't have. What I do have is a large Le Creuset French oven and a leisurely Saturday. 

So, with that in mind, here's my easy recipe for a day when you can stick around, enjoy some family time, and let your home fill with amazing aromas...

A lot of the recipes I came across involved extra steps like grilling peppers, pressing things through sieves, browning the meat, etc. that I deemed unnecessary.

I went easy on myself when it came to ingredients. Yes, I had a bunch of limes... but those could be reserved for the cervezas. One of those plastic lime things {that my kids always want to buy and use as a 'cool squirter'} contains exactly the right amount-- 1/2 cup-- of juice, already squeezed for me. Besides, that would have been a lot of lime squeezing... I wanted to keep my Saturday simple.

I used a bit of creative licence when making this dish... I was kind of like a kid in a candy shop when it came to my spice drawer.

And while I was, originally, going to go the dried chipotle route, these canned ones in adobo were the ones I could find.

Having a high powered blender or food processor made this recipe a cinch. While the actual cooking takes the bulk of a day, the prep takes mere minutes, and then the beef just slowly cooks.

Really, the hardest part of this recipe was the waiting. The aromas were able to escape even the tight fitting lid.

I peeked at the 4 hour mark....

And at the 6 hour mark my patience ran out.

I pulled the hunk of meat out, shredded it with two forks...

and then popped it back in the sauce while I went for a long walk. It slowly simmered for 1 more hour in the sauce.  I came home to an amazing smelling house and perfect shredded beef.

Slow-Cooked Beef Barbacoa
(Makes about 25+ servings. Freezes perfectly. You can easily halve this recipe too if you don't have a large pot. I used a 7 1/4 quart Le Creuset French Oven.)

7-8 lb boneless beef round bottom roast*
slow cooking sauce:
1 1/2 onions, rough chopped
10 +/- cloves garlic
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 cup cider vinegar
three 6 oz can tomato paste
two 16 oz jars chipotle salsa
one 7.5 oz can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 Tablespoon cumin
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon oregano
1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 Tablespoon salt
2 cups beef broth

In a food processor or blender, combine onions, garlic, lime juice, cider vinegar, tomato paste, salsa, chipotle peppers, spices (cumin, cinnamon, oregano, smoked paprika, cloves) and salt. Pulse to a thick, smooth consistency. Add this to a large pot with a tight fitting lid, then add the beef broth, stir to combine, and place the beef roast into the pot. Turn burner onto medium-high, until the liquid comes to a nice, quick simmer, then lower heat and cover. Keep at a low simmer for 6-7 hours, until beef can easily be shredded with a fork. Carefully remove beef from the sauce, and shred using 2 forks. Then, return shredded beef to the sauce and simmer for another 1-2 hours until very tender. The barbacoa beef will freeze well for up to 3 months in an air-tight container. 

This made a very large batch, which was great, since it takes long enough that it's kind of a once-a-season sort of recipe. On Saturday, I served the beef barbacoa alongside a batch of my butternut squash-black bean enchiladas, citrusy black beans and Spanish rice at a casual fiesta-themed dinner party. On Sunday, we enjoyed leftovers at our family dinner. And I popped three family dinners' worth into the freezer for busy nights or action-packed ski weekends ahead.

*This is the cut that my butcher recommended, based on what he had in stock. You could also use brisket, shoulder or rump roast, top round.

Fiesta Frittata

This past weekend, I was invited to Chicago by the "Beef. It's What's For Dinner" folks. Yep, you read that right. This little blog, which started out as a way of sharing recipes with friends, has just kept growing in popularity as it helps busy parents feed their families well {even on the busiest of days}... enough so, that it caught the eye of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. Now, I'd like to think that my invitation came because they too agree that I missed my calling as a cowgirl, but I think it was more based on my simple, healthful, family-friendly recipes. Hey, a girl can dream...  

So, they flew me out to Chicago for a weekend of tasting, learning, and networking with some of their Colorado contingent and 18 other rockstar bloggers. Pinch me, right? One of the weekend's activities was a culinary challenge. They split us into small groups and we had to come up with healthful takes on classically less-than-healthy recipes, like nachos, jalapeno poppers, things like that. My group was given the challenge of coming up with a breakfast casserole-type dish, that incorporated lean ground beef. Not one to usually add beef to my breakfasts, I will admit to being momentarily stumped. 

The breakfast casserole also had to incorporate:

• at least 2 servings of fruits or vegetables
• 1 serving of whole grains
• use as few pans as possible
• and have only 6 additional ingredients*, beyond the lean ground beef, our choice of cooking oil, spices, salt & pepper.

* You'll note that in the recipe below we went a little crazy (a.k.a broke the rules) and added an extra veggie to our recipe. We're kind of reckless like that.

My teammates and I perused the ingredients we could choose from...

and then we got to work!

We decided to make a protein packed Southwestern-inspired frittata. So, we sautéed the lean ground beef in a bit of grape seed oil, along with onions, colorful bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and a sprinkling of cumin, smoked paprika, ancho chili powder and a little high quality sea salt. We added one can of black beans. And because we had fresh corn at our disposal, my teammate, Amy, decided to grill it. (But if corn weren't in season, you could always use frozen corn as a substitute.)

Then we thinly sliced some whole wheat tortillas, and added those to the pan. 

That's one of the weekend's presenters, Dayle Hayes, from School Meals that Rock, oohing and ahhing over the smells in our side of the kitchen. 

After quickly sauteing all of the ingredients and whisking in our eggs, we popped the skillet into a 350 oven, and our team just relaxed while the frittata baked. {Gotta love those recipes that are so darn easy!}

And, voila! Here's my whole team (left to right: yours truly, Amy from Momma Hen's Coop, Biz from My Bizzy Kitchen, and Heather from Then Heather Said) with our Fiesta Frittata. Gorgeous, right?

Then, we tried our hands on styling the dish,

and it got the royal photographic treatment by Food Photographer, Jennifer Marx.

I know what you're thinking.... now you want the recipe, right?

Fiesta Frittata

Serves 12

This recipe may be halved, but it's a wonderful make-ahead dish that can be served at breakfast, lunch or dinner, so I recommend making a big batch like this on a weekend and enjoying the rest during the busy school/work week ahead!

• 1 Tablespoon olive or grapeseed oil
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• southwestern seasonings of choice, to taste (we used: cumin, smoked paprika, ancho chile powder and some high quality sea salt)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 bell peppers, chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup corn (fresh or frozen)
• 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 whole wheat tortillas, thinly sliced
• 18 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet or fry pan, saute the onions and ground beef, over medium heat, with your choice of seasonings. Drain excess fat from the pan, if necessary. Add chopped veggies (bell peppers, tomatoes, and corn), the rinsed and drained black beans, and the tortilla strips to the pan. Continue sauteing for a few minutes, until veggies are just tender. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs. Add whisked eggs to the pan, and stir to combine. Transfer skillet to oven and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes, until center of frittata is set. Serve frittata slices warm or room temp. 

Optional garnishes: fresh avocado, salsa, Greek yogurt, and/or baked tortilla chips. 

I hope that your family enjoys this new recipe! I am excited to make a batch for my family next weekend! 

my Whole Foods Market video: super easy pineapple-marinated salmon

Here's the link to the video I recently shot for Whole Foods Markets in CT, NY and NJ, to give shoppers an idea of how to use one of the many items featured in their April 17-23, 2013 "Madness Sale". I'm not sure how long the video will stay up on Whole Foods' Facebook pages past the sale, so I've popped it onto YouTube as well so all of you busy parents have access to it long after the sale ended! You can click here to be taken to the video, since I fiddled with the sizing but I give up on trying to make it fit perfectly here on the blog! This is such an easy recipe, that everyone in my whole family enjoys. I hope you like it as much as we do!

My Go-To Simple Salmon Marinade

(serves 4-6)

1/3 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
3 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
zest and juice of lemon (or lime) 
four 6-oz pieces of salmon

Whisk all marinade ingredients. Pour over salmon and marinate 1-24 hours. To roast, preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Place salmon, skin side down, on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Roast for about 12 minutes, or until the thickest part of the salmon is 'springy' to the touch. 

the super easy salmon recipe I filmed for Whole Foods

I'm so excited! I recently shot a 2-minute video for Whole Foods, where I share my go-to marinade and method for making salmon for my family. It's now live on all of Whole Foods' NY/NJ/CT store Facebook pages, giving you a simple method for preparing Atlantic salmon (which happens to be one of this week's "Madness Sale" items). You can watch the video here. I'll be signing autographs tomorrow at The Family Dinner Conference. Just kidding. Oh boy, I am punchy tonight. I mean, if you want an autograph just let me know... but I'm thinking you're really at the conference for additional inspiration on "Feeding Your Family Well on the Busiest of Days"!! Anyway, as if watching me make salmon in our brand-spanking-new kitchen isn't excitement enough, there's a chance to win a basket full of "Madness Sale" items, simply for viewing the video! So go on, turn up the volume, and enjoy 2-minutes of cinematic magic courtesy of my 10-year-old cameraman, co-producer and taste tester.

Yep, I was compensated, with a Whole Foods gift card, for filming this masterpiece... but the recipe and real-life "rainbow plates" are my very own!

aiming for a month of dinners outside

I think this is a family record: as of August 1, we have yet to have enjoyed a meal indoors. So fun eating breakfast outside in the light chill of mountain air, the sun beating on our backs at lunch somewhere out on a trail, and the mellow fresh air and tales of the day at dinner.

Children's dinner above: lamb, grass-fed beef & pistachio meatballs + Greek yogurt dip + roasted sweet potato + cucumber salad + organic strawberries

turkey pot pies (from leftover Thanksgiving turkey & gravy)

Last night, when clearing out a spot in my freezer for the results of my cookie baking marathon, I realized I had never used the last of the turkey breast and gravy from Thanksgiving. Remember how I accidentally over ordered those two giant bone-in breasts? Well, I'd shredded the turkey and popped it into an air-tight bag, tucking it away in the freezer back when we were tired of eating turkey... a few chops of carrot and celery combined with the leftover gravy (which I'd also frozen) and the turkey topped off with some (store-bought) puff pastry and dinner was made in minutes.

Turkey Pot Pies (from leftover turkey)

(freezes perfectly, so make extras if you can!)

shredded or chopped turkey

gravy

whole milk (optional)

carrots, chopped

celery, chopped

lemon zest (optional)

puff pastry

Combine turkey, gravy, carrots and celery in a mixing bowl. If your mixture seems really thick, consider cutting it with a bit of whole milk. Pour turkey mixture into an oven-proof baking dish. Top with puff pastry, cutting a vent for steam to escape. Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes or until puff pastry is golden brown. You can also cook from frozen. If doing so, cook time will be more like 1 hour.