Shepherd's Pie with Butternut Mash & Capers

This is the hubs' recipe for shepherd's pie, and it is epic. Born to British parents, he knows a thing or two about hearty, pub-style cooking. This is the kind of thing you'll find in a country pub, perfect for warming you up with a pint alongside. It's also great because it makes so much, so cook it up to feed a crowd, or put some in the freezer for easy meals later in the month.

The slightly sweet butternut-sweet potato mash is the perfect topping for the salty, caper-flecked ground meat (and makes this savory pie gluten-free). We sometimes crumble a little stilton or blue cheese over the top if we're feeling extra cheeky... but that might be a step too far for some.

No pictures yet for this one. Honestly, it's a hard dish to catch an an aesthetic angle, like many good comfort food, casserole-style dishes. But I promise it's worth making, especially if there's a chill still hanging around where you are! And if the temp has already hit 80, as it is here in Los Angeles, file it away for next winter: you'll thank me. In lieu of a Southern Spoon pic, here's a cheat photo of Jamie Oliver's delicious-looking vegan shepherd's pie:

Jamie Oliver's photo, not mine!
Recipe below is original to Southern Spoon, and is very much not vegan.

Shepherd's Pie with Butternut Mash & Capers
Serves 6-8

1 small butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 2-inch pieces (about 1.5 cups)
2 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2-inch pieces (about 1.5 cups)
3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced into coins (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon oil (such as olive or canola)
1 yellow or brown onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 packages ground beef (20% fat content works well)
1 cup beef stock
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup frozen peas
1-2 tablespoons capers, drained and coarsely chopped
1-2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon anchovy paste or 1 anchovy, mashed with a fork (optional!)
1 teaspoon coursely ground pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup shredded cheddar or crumbled stilton/blue cheese (optional)

Place the butternut and sweet potato pieces in a medium size pot with water covering the vegetables. Bring to a boil, then place the carrots in a steamer basket, and set the steamer basket on top of the pot with the potato and butternut pieces. Boil/steam the vegetables for 10 minutes. Remove the steamer basket and set the carrots aside (they will go into the pie's meat filling). Drain the potatoes/butternut, and mash them thoroughly with a potato masher or fork. Stir in a pinch of salt, and set aside.

Heat the oil in a dutch oven or large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until onions begin to turn translucent. Add the garlic and mushrooms, and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add the ground beef, and carefully stir and break up the beef as it browns in the skillet. Cook for about 6-7 minutes, until beef is mostly cooked through.

While the beef is cooking, whisk the cornstarch evenly into the beef stock. Add the steamed carrots and the stock to the beef, along with the peas, capers, Worcestershire sauce, anchovy paste, pepper, thyme, paprika, and a pinch of salt. Stir carefully to combine, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, then taste and adjust any seasoning-- adding a bit more Worcestershire, capers, salt and peppers, etc, as you like. Simmer for another 5-7 minutes to further reduce the stock.

(At this stage, if you are not using a dutch oven, transfer the ground beef mixture to a large, oven-proof casserole dish).

Carefully dollop and lightly spread the butternut/sweet potato mash over the top of the ground beef mixture, and sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the top. Place the shepherd's pie under the broiler set at high heat for about 3-5 minutes, until the cheese begins to bubble and slightly brown, watching to ensure it doesn't burn.

Serve immediately.

Storage Tip: Shepherd's pie will keep in the fridge, covered, for 2-3 days, or can be covered and frozen for up to 3 months.

Kofta-style meatloaf with tahini sauce

Happy New Year from Southern Spoon! Excited to share another year of cooking with you.

Comfort food with a twist is just what today's grey, rainy Los Angeles day called for. This is a great cold-weather recipe adapted from the incredible Ottolenghi's Jerusalem cookbook. Koftas, like meatballs, are tasty bites of ground lamb and beef, spiced just right and often served with pita bread, salad, and a tahini or yogurt based sauce. But, like meatballs, koftas take a while to prepare, rolling them individually, and then searing them in batches or baking them in an oven.

My sister and I made Ottolenghi's recipe as called, into small meatballs, for dinner one night when I was staying with her a couple of weeks ago. She's a very busy gal, and after we spent an enjoyable evening together making them, she mentioned that if she made them again she would just form the mixture into a meatloaf so that it could bake all at once. Genius! I experimented with this method and it worked out perfectly-- thanks for the idea, sister. The recipe makes a big meatloaf, enough to serve a small crowd.

Lamb & beef kofta meatloaf give a traditional American dinner Mediterranean flavor. 

Meatloaf is difficult to photograph and make look pretty, but I promise it's delicious. It's also gluten-free and paleo-friendly, without any breadcrumbs or fillers. Serve it alongside steamed greens (swiss chard, broccoli) and roasted veggies (butternut squash, sweet potatoes, peppers, beets), and you have a substantial meal that will feed a family and probably yield some leftovers for the next day. Enjoy!

Kofta-syle meatloaf with tahini sauce
serves 6-8

Meatloaf
14 oz (400 g) ground lamb
14 oz (400 g) ground beef
1 yellow or white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted (divided use)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (or 2 tablespoons dried parsley)
1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground sea salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional, for garnish)

Tahini sauce
1/2 cup tahini (hulled or unhulled)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup water
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
pinch of freshly ground sea salt

Preheat oven to 325F / 163C. Place all of the meatloaf ingredients (using only 4 tablespoons of the pine nuts) in a large bowl and mix thoroughly with your hands. Shape the meat mixture into a loaf, and place the loaf into a baking dish with raised edges (such as a pyrex dish), or, if you have one, a large cast iron skillet.

Bake meatloaf at 325F / 163C for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, checking for doneness by seeing if the meat is cooked through in the centre (it should be no longer pink and should register 160F / 71 C on an instant read thermometer).

Meanwhile, make the tahini sauce by whisking all of the ingredients together. Set aside.

In the last 10 minutes of cooking the meatloaf, pour 1/2 of the tahini sauce evenly over the top of the meatloaf, and return to the oven to cook. When done, remove the meatloaf from the oven, and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons pine nuts and, if desired, a tablespoon of chopped parsley. Serve straight from the cast iron skillet or dish, alongside the remaining tahini sauce.

*Storage tip: extra meatloaf and sauce will keep, covered in the fridge, for 2-3 days. 

Bell Pepper & Beef Fiesta Skillet Bake

Today concludes Fiesta week in San Antonio-- a city-wide party that culminates in a Fiesta Friday holiday and colorful parades through historic downtown and the famous riverwalk. For the first time in 10 years I am in town to celebrate: hooray! I attended the lively King William Fair, watched the night-time Flambeau Parade, and cajoled my parents into joining me at Night in Old San Antonio, a party in the historic La Villita area with hundreds of food and drink booths set up to represent all the different cultures that have formed Texas. The most beloved food booth is Maria's Tortillas, where seasoned tortilla makers slap together masa flour dough to make thousands of tortillas over charcoal burning stoves. Fresh off the coals and filled with cheese and salsa, they are the quintessential melt-in-your-mouth taste of old San Antonio. Everyone carries around their NIOSA cups filled with margaritas, beer, or raspas, eats freshly-made food, and dances to live music while trying to crack cascarones (dyed eggshells filled with confetti) over friends' heads.

bell peppers, corn, black beans, and ground beef topped with avocado and cheese
make a gluten-free, one-skillet meal

In the spirit of this festive holiday, I made a Tex-Mex inspired cast iron skillet bake filled with bell peppers, corn, black beans, and ground beef, and topped with avocados and cheese. I served the skillet straight out of the oven to the table, with bowls of plain yogurt and salsa so people could help themselves to toppings. This gluten-free meal was hearty and delicious, and could easily be adapted to whatever you have on hand/like to eat. Leave out the beans, corn, and cheese for a paleo-friendly version, skip the meat for a vegetarian version, etc. If you don't have prepared fajita seasoning on hand, there's a great homemade recipe here. And if you don't have a cast-iron skillet, this would work just as well prepared over the stove top in a large skillet, then either top with the avocado and cheese and cover for a few minutes until the cheese melts, or place the beef and pepper mixture in a pie plate or casserole dish to top with the avocado slices and cheese for the final quick pop in the oven.

Enjoy these flavors wherever you are, and think of the cultural traditions that make your hometown come together to celebrate. Viva Fiesta!

Bell Pepper & Beef Fiesta Skillet Bake
Serves 4-5

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow or white onion
1 lb ground beef
two tablespoons tomato paste

3 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 teaspoons fajita seasoning (divided use)

two bell peppers, any color, diced (or thinly sliced with a spiralizer)
1 cup fresh or frozen corn (thaw if frozen)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 avocado, thinly sliced
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

To Serve:
1/2 cup salsa

1/2 cup plain/Greek yogurt or sour cream

Preheat oven to 400F/ 205C.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet (at least 10 inches) over medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the onion, and saute 5-7 minutes, until translucent and beginning to brown. Add 1 teaspoon of fajita seasoning and the ground beef, breaking it up into small pieces, and stirring to brown it evenly, about 5-6 minutes. Once the meat has cooked through, add the tomato paste, and stir to distribute. Remove the beef mixture from the skillet into medium sized bowl, set aside.

To the hot skillet add the garlic, sauteing for 1 minute, then add the bell peppers, corn, and another teaspoon of fajita seasoning. Saute until the peppers begin to soften, 4-5 minutes. Add the black beans and stir to incorporate. Add the beef mixture back to the skillet, and stir gently to evenly distribute the beef through the vegetables. (Taste the mixture at this point, and add a bit more fajita seasoning or a pinch of salt if you'd like).

Top the skillet mixture with the sliced avocados and shredded cheese. Place in the oven and bake at 400F/ 205C for 5 minutes, until cheese is melted. Serve immediately with salsa and yogurt or sour cream.

Serving Tip: Tex-Mex dishes are often served with a simple salad of shredded lettuce topped with a dollop of guacamole and chopped tomatoes. This would be the perfect side for this hearty skillet bake.

Storage Tip: leftover skillet bake will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Rocket Salad with Steak, Roasted Eggplant & Dukkah-Crusted Pumpkin

Apologies for the lull here at Southern Spoon recently. We hosted my awesome sister in Sydney for a couple of weeks, after which I few straight to Iceland for work (fabulous fish, meat, soups, berries, etc-- see proof on my instagram feed @SouthernSpoon), then we moved house-- always an exhausting exercise, but our new kitchen makes up for it. It's big by inner-city standards, equipped with new appliances, and just around the corner from a great grocery store and Newtown, a central Sydney suburb known for its great cafes and restaurants. So goodbye to our tiny, 1970s vintage kitchen, and hello to white granite countertops and a new neighborhood of food and drinks to explore.

This simple salad is inspired by one over at Sydney-based blog Eat Drink Paleo (a beautiful blog of delicious, doable, whole food recipes-- highly recommended). Aussie salads are delicious: focused on seasonal produce without tons of dressing weighing them down, and this one is the perfect balance of textures and flavors. The slight sweetness of the dukkah-crusted pumpkin goes well with the savory steak and peppery rocket (aka arugula), and a simple olive oil and apple cider vinegar dressing is all the salad needs to bring the flavors together. Rather than eggplant, you could easily substitute bell pepper or tomatoes, cutting them into slices before roasting for 15-20 minutes.

paleo-friendly salad of rocket, steak, dukkah-crusted pumpkin, and roasted eggplant

This is delicious for lunch or dinner, and would make a great salad to transport to a barbeque or pot luck event, as the hardier rocket leaf holds up very well in a dressing, staying crisp for hours after it is made. The steak packs a protein punch, so this salad will fill you up and keep you satisfied till your next meal. It's paleo, gluten-free, and dairy-free, and allergy friendly for serving to a crowd (though careful about what nuts/seeds you use in the Dukkah if cooking for nut-sensitive eaters). Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Rocket Salad with Steak, Roasted Peppers & Dukkah-Crusted Pumpkin
Serves 3-4 as a main course, 6-8 as a side
Inspired by Eat Drink Paleo

1.5 lbs (680 g) flank beef steak or other thin-cut of beef
pinch of freshly ground salt and pepper
3 teaspoons cooking oil (such as rice bran oil), divided use
2 cups rocket (arugula), rinsed and spun dry
2 cups diced pumpkin (kent, grey, butternut), about 1-inch squares
2 tablespoons dukkah (see my easy, homemade dukkah recipe here)
1 cup diced eggplant, about 1-inch squares

Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 small clove garlic, minced
freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 215C / 420F, and line a baking sheet with baking paper.

In a large bowl, add 1 teaspoon of cooking oil and diced pumpkin, tossing to coat. Add the dukkah, and toss to coat the pumpkin evenly with the dukkah. Arrange the pumpkin and diced eggplant on the baking sheet lined with baking paper or greased well with oil, spreading out the vegetables so that the pieces aren't touching. (You may need to spread everything out over two baking trays). Place in pre-heated oven and cook at 215C / 420F for 18-25 minutes, turning over the pieces halfway through, until pumpkin is cooked through. (If the eggplant pieces are done earlier and beginning to brown, just remove them and set aside while the pumpkin continues to cook).

While the pumpkin and eggplant are cooking: season the steak on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet to medium heat. When the skillet is hot, swirl 2 teaspoons cooking oil around to coat the skillet evenly. Add the steak, and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, till seared on the outside but still pink in the middle (medium), or to your desired level of doneness. Remove steak and set aside to rest for 5-10 minutes before thinly slicing across the grain into 1/4-inch thick slices.

Make a vinaigrette by whisking together the 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, and the minced garlic.

To assemble the salad: on a large serving platter or wide bowl, spread out the rocket leaves. Scatter the dukkah-crusted pumpkin and the roasted eggplant evenly over the leaves. Arrange the steak slices along the top of the salad, and drizzle the vinaigrette over the entire salad. Top with freshly ground pepper to taste. Serve immediately, or chill for up to 6 hours, and bring to room temperature before serving.

Leftover salad will keep for two days in the fridge in a sealed container.

Southeast Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps

The hubs and I are still enjoying our eating plan that focuses on plenty of protein and vegetables, quality fats, and limited gluten and carbs. We both have more stable energy levels throughout the day, and it's been fun / challenging to create new lunch and dinner meals that don't include grains.

One of our favorite regional cuisines is southeast Asian, which influences a lot of the food options here in Australia. At the moment we're steering clear of grains, though, and it can be hard to find southeast Asian food without rice or rice noodles. Last weekend I thought I would try to recreate the delicious lettuce wraps I remembered from trips to P.F. Chang's with friends in high school. Now, P.F. Chang's is hardly as authentic as some of the food we can get in Sydney, but those chicken lettuce wraps of theirs were awesome!

southeast asian style beef lettuce wraps, flavorful & filling, paleo-friendly & gluten-free

We subbed lean ground beef for chicken, and mixed it up with mushrooms, onions, and some celery for crunch. For dipping sauces we used our favorite store-bought oyster sauce thinned out with some mirin, vinegar, and water, and we mixed up a simple spicy mustard to go with it. The chopped basil and mint, combined with the sauces drizzled on top, made for incredibly fresh and delicious beef lettuce wraps-- better than the P.F. Chang's version that I remember!  We made these a meal by serving them with steamed, thinly sliced green cabbage and radishes, tossed in a little toasted sesame oil and soy sauce with freshly ground pepper.

tasty beef lettuce wraps with steamed cabbage and radishes

We liked this meal so much we're repeating it tonight. Highly recommend trying these-- they're gluten-free, dairy-free, full of protein and vegetables, and, as we say in Oz, tasty as. 

Beef Lettuce Wraps

Serves 2 - 3 as a main dish

1 tablespoon oil (cooking olive oil)

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 onion, finely diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup finely diced mushrooms

1/4 cup finely sliced celery

500g (1 lb) ground beef (high quality, grass-fed preferred)

2 tablespoons soy sauce (divided use; make sure it's gluten-free if you're cooking g-f)

1 tablespoon mirin

1 tablespoon rice vinegar (divided use)

1/4 teaspoon chili pepper flakes

pinch of freshly ground pepper

To Serve: 

8 Romaine, butter, or iceburg lettuce leaves, washed and chilled

Oyster sauce:

oyster sauce

1/4 teaspoon mirin

1/4 teaspoon rice vinegar

1/2 to 1 teaspoon water

pinch of freshly ground pepper

Hot mustard sauce:

1 tablespoon mustard

1/4 teaspoon rice vinegar

1/8 teaspoon soy sauce

1/2 to 1 teaspoon water

Herb mix:

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint 

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oils and swirl to coat pan. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic and cook for 1 further minute. Add diced mushrooms, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, mirin, half of the rice vinegar, and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring to make sure it doesn't burn. Add ground beef, remaining tablespoon of soy sauce, remaining rice vinegar, chili flakes, and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish. 

Meanwhile, make the sauces. In a small serving dish, mix together all ingredients for the oyster sauce, adding enough water to make it a runny enough to spoon easily. In another small serving dish, mix together all ingredients for the hot mustard, adding enough water to make it runny enough to spoon easily.

To Serve: Arrange the beef mixture, lettuce leaves, serving sauces, and herb mix on a serving or dining table, and let guests help themselves to building their own lettuce wraps with accompanying garnishes.

Baked Potatoes with Carne Asada + Recipes for Guacamole and Pico de Gallo

Last weekend I stumbled across a recipe on the Homesick Texan for baked potatoes stuffed with carne asada and topped with melted cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and pico de gallo. The hubs saw it on my computer screen and we both agreed to recreate it asap. The Homesick Texan explained that this was her interpretation of a Mexi-Cali dish where carne asada and all the toppings are served over a pile of french fries. I look forward to sampling that version in California in the hopefully not too distant future. But in the meantime, carne asada over baked potatoes was a genius winter meal for our Sunday dinner.

homemade pico de gallo and guacamole top carne asada stuffed baked potatoes

This marinated meat is incredible-- tastes just like *real* carne asada in a restaurant! We used just over a kilo of skirt steak (about 2.5 lbs). This made plenty for three big dinner servings of carne asada over baked potatoes, with enough meat leftover to go into some hearty kale and roasted bell pepper quesadillas the next night (so 2.5 lbs of steak would probably serve 5 people if you're just making the stuffed baked potatoes). I found half of a baked potato generous enough for me, the hubs used a whole baked potato for his portion.

I made a pico de gallo (sans tomatoes due to allergies, used finely diced red bell peppers instead), and we served our carne asada-stuffed baked potatoes with a little shredded cheddar cheese, greek yogurt, homemade guacamole, pico de gallo, and hot sauce on top. They were delicious, filling, and totally worth throwing the meat marinade together in the morning so that the skirt steaks could soak up the flavor all day.

baked potatoes stuffed with delicious marinated skirt steak (carne asada)

Rather than sear the meat then broil it in the oven as the Homesick Texan suggests, we simply cooked the steaks on a hot griddle on the stovetop. This took a bit longer (5-6 mins per side), but cooking time will depend on the thickness of your steaks and your preference for doneness. As suggested, let the steaks rest for a good 10-15 minutes (we just set ours on a plate and covered them with a large bowl), as this really makes a difference in the tenderness of the meat.

Highly recommend this recipe for baked potatoes with carne asada, which you can find here at the Homesick Texan. Below I include simple recipes for a homemade guacamole and a tomato-free pico de gallo. Perfect toppings for this recipe and many more Tex-Mexi-Cali dishes.

Guacamole
yields about 1 cup

1 large, ripe avocado
1-2 tablespoons finely diced purple onion (to taste)
2 tablespoons finely diced bell pepper (any color, red is pretty)
2-4 teaspoons fresh lime juice (to taste)
pinch of freshly ground sea salt
pinch of freshly ground pepper
1-2 teaspoons mild hot sauce (such as Cholula), optional
1-2 teaspoons water

In a non-reactive bowl, mash the avocado meat with a fork until fairly smooth. Add remaining ingredients, adjusting onion, lime juice, salt* and pepper, and (if desired) hot sauce to taste. Stir to combine. If you prefer a smoother guacamole, add 1-2 teaspoons water and mix well.

Serve immediately, or store in the fridge for up to 24 hours (the lime juice will prevent it from turning brown).

* If you'll be serving the guacamole with salted tortilla chips, taste the guacamole with a chip before adding additional salt so as not to over-salt.

Pico de Gallo (without tomatoes)
yields about 1 1/4 cups

1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper (sub chopped tomatoes if desired
1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped purple onion
2 teaspoons finely chopped hot chili pepper (such as jalapeño or birds eye chili pepper)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (or fresh lime juice)
pinch of freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (or 2 teaspoons dried parsley)

Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl (glass rather than metal).

Serve immediately, or store in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Fajitas

I can remember ordering beef ‘fajita’, or skirt steak, at Secos y Mojados, a restaurant across the border in Mexico that my family used to frequent in the summer when visiting relatives in South Padre Island, Texas.  Although it didn’t look like the type of fajita I was used to in San Antonio’s Tex-Mex restaurants, the meat was well seasoned and easy to eat.

onions & bell peppers sizzling away as homemade tortillas cook alongside for fajitas

This is the hubs’s favorite ‘Texan’ meal, and we make it once every couple of weeks for dinner.  Cook up the seasoned beef or chicken with onions and bell peppers, then place the filling in a serving platter on the table and serve with homemade tortillas. Top with sour cream or plain yogurt, fresh shredded cheese, chopped jalapeños or serrano peppers, and chopped avocado.  Good served with corn (cooked with a little finely chopped red or green bell peppers and sprinkled with a dash of cayenne pepper) and refried beans on the side.

Fajitas

Makes 7-8 hearty servings

3 or 4 chicken breasts or thin beef steaks

2 teaspoons fajita seasoning (I use nothing but Fiesta brand Fajita Seasoning)

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

2-3 cloves garlic

1 onion

2 bell peppers, any color

To serve: 

tortillas (gluten-free and/or grain-free if cooking g-f or paleo)
sour cream, plain yogurt, or cashew cream
shredded cheese (optional)
chopped jalepeños or chili peppers
sliced avocado

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of fajita seasoning on either side of the chicken or beef, and return the meat to the fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.  Finely chop the garlic, and slice the onion and bell peppers into long strips.  Heat the vegetable oil in a wide pan or skillet on high heat.  Add the onion and bell peppers, sprinkling with 1 teaspoon of fajita seasoning, and sauté for about five minutes.

Push the vegetables to one side and add the meat to the pan, searing for about 2-3 minutes on either side.  Turn the heat down to medium-high, redistribute the vegetables, add the garlic, and continue to cook the meat for about 6-7 more minutes, until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle (beef may remain slightly pink). 

Turn off the heat and remove the meat from the pan, slicing thinly across the grain into long strips.  Mix the meat back into the peppers and onions, and transfer to a serving platter.

Serve fajita meat hot alongside tortillas and toppings so that guests can pick up a tortilla, fill it with fajita meat, peppers, and onions, and top with desired toppings. Sour cream or low fat plain yogurt, fresh shredded mild cheese, chopped jalapeños or serrano peppers, and chopped avocado are excellent toppings.

Texas Brisket

Brisket is a great cut of beef, tender and falling apart at the touch of a fork if you cook it correctly.  I tend to cook white meat most often, but sometimes I just crave a good dose of iron and protein.  This brisket is my favorite red meat dish.

This recipe is my mother’s, passed down to her by a friend of my grandmother’s.  It’s mouthwatering, and the leftovers make delicious sandwiches.  Serve with a side of mashed potatoes and green beans for a well-rounded, hearty meal.

Texas Brisket

7-8 hearty servings

5-6 lb. brisket (trimmed)

3-4 tablespoons liquid smoke

3-4 tablespoons soy sauce (make sure it’s gluten-free if you’re cooking for someone who is gluten-free)

1-2 teaspoons garlic powder

1-2 teaspoons ground black pepper

Place the brisket on a large sheet of heavy foil.  Pour the liquid smoke and soy sauce over the meat, and sprinkle with the garlic powder and pepper.  Wrap the foil fairly tightly around the meat.  Bake at 450F (230C) for 30 minutes, then turn down the oven to 300F (150C) and cook for 4-5 hours, until done and brisket flakes away with a fork.

Let the meat rest for about 15 minutes before slicing, and make sure to ladle the juices atop the meat to serve.