Sweet & Spicy Beef

My son was craving something Asian inspired this week. I decided to make some tangy Sweet & Spicy Beef. It was delicious! It could have been spicier but I had to work with what was available to me.

Sweet & Spicy Beef

1 lb. thin sliced top round beef, cut into strips

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder, divided

1 1/4 tsp Cajun seasoning, divided

1/4 tsp white pepper

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/3 cup vegetable oil, divided

1/2 sweet onion, sliced

2 tsp ginger root, peeled and minced

2 serrano peppers, seeded and sliced

1/3 cup carrot, julienned 

4 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp tomato puree

2 tbsp rice vinegar

3 tbsp ketchup

3 tbsp sweet chili sauce

1 tbsp sriracha

4 tbsp sugar

1 tsp cayenne pepper

5 green onions, cut lengthwise into long strips

In a small bowl, combine the beaten eggs, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning, and white pepper. In a large plastic storage bag, combine the flour, cornstarch, and remaining garlic powder and Cajun seasoning. 

Over medium-high, heat 4 tbsp of oil in a deep large skillet. Working in batches, dip the steak strips into the egg mixture, shaking off the excess. Next, add the steak to the flour mixture bag and give it a good shake. Remove the steak from the bag and shake off the excess flour. Add the steak to the hot oil. Let the coated steak strips fry in the oil for a couple of minutes on each side until crispy and golden. Remove the strips and place on paper towel lined plate to drain off excess oil. 

Repeat these steps until all the steak has been fried. Adjust the temperature as needed during the cooking process. Once all of the steak has been fried, add remaining oil to the skillet. Add the onions, ginger, peppers, and carrots to the skillet. Allow to sauté for about 5-7 minutes. 

While the vegetables are cooking, prepare the sauce. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, tomato puree, rice vinegar, ketchup, sweet chili sauce, sriracha, sugar, and cayenne pepper. Whisk the sauce until the ingredients are well incorporated. Pour the sauce mixture into the frying pan with the sautéed vegetables. Allow the sauce to simmer until it thickens slightly. 

Return the beef to the pan and toss to coat the beef with the sauce. Allow the beef to cook in the sauce for about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the green onions. Stir fry for about 1-2 minutes. Serve hot over rice.

NOTES:

For the beef strips, I usually purchase cuts for milanesa since they are already very thin.

I have a really hard time finding pepper options near me. If you can get red Thai chilis, this will amp up the spice. Personally, I would prefer that. If using Thai chili peppers, you may want to omit the cayenne...or not. Do you, boo!

ENJOY!

~ Asha Cole

Spicy Fettuccine Alfredo Marinara

Some days I can't decide if I want some creamy alfredo drenched pasta or some good old-fashioned spaghetti. This poses a dilemma but why not have both? AT THE SAME TIME!?! Seriously! Why are carbs so freaking delicious? 

Spicy Fettuccine Alfredo Marinara

1 tbsp vegetable shortening

1 lb. box fettuccine

1 tsp salt

2 lbs. ground hot Italian sausage

1 sweet onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp Cajun seasoning, divided

¼ red chili pepper flakes

2 tsp oregano, chopped

2 tsp basil, chopped

15 oz. can tomato sauce

3 oz. tomato paste

¼ cup butter

½ tbsp flour

1 ½ cups heavy cream

4 oz. parmesan cheese, shredded

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

¼ tsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp parsley, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9”x13” baking dish with shortening. Set aside. In a stock pot, bring water to a boil for the pasta. Add salt once the water is boiling and then add the pasta. 

Cook for about 10 minutes, or until al dente. Reserve ¼ cup of pasta water. Set aside and drain the pasta in a large colander. Add the pasta back to the stock pot and set aside. In a large skillet, cook the sausage and onions over medium high heat until the sausage is browned and the onions are tender. Add the garlic to the sausage and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

Add ½ tsp of Cajun seasoning, pepper flakes, oregano, and basil to the sausage. Stir and allow to cook for about 1 minute. 

Then, add the tomato sauce and paste. Stir to combine. Cover and lower heat to medium low. 

Let it simmer while you make the white sauce, stirring occasionally. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Sprinkle the flour over the melted butter. Whisk to combine until it is smooth. Slowly pour in the heavy cream, whisking constantly until the flour mixture and cream are well combined and not lumpy. 

Add in the Parmesan a little at a time. Continue stirring until melted. Add ¼ tsp Cajun seasoning. 

Next, add in the reserved pasta water and stir. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta in the stock pot. Use tongs to gently mix the sauce and pasta together. Once all the pasta is well incorporated, add the pasta to the baking dish. Spread the pasta out evenly. 

Add the sausage mixture over the top of the pasta and spread evenly. 

Top the sausage mixture with mozzarella cheese. 

Bake the uncovered for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the remaining Cajun seasoning, paprika and parsley over the top of the cheese. Allow the dish to cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

NOTES:

I prefer to use fresh herbs but you can used dried herbs you'd like. You may want to scale the measurement back a bit. The grasshoppers went to town on my herb garden so I ended up using dried basil and everything came out just fine.

If you a pressed for time (or feeling a little lazy), you can always use store bought marinara and/or alfredo sauce. This will trim some cooking time as well as eliminate some dirty dishes.

ENJOY!!

~ Asha Cole

Pigs in a Blanket

These "Piggies" make a great party food but also a fun snack that doesn't disappoint. 

Pigs in a Blanket

8 oz. refrigerated crescent rolls

14 oz. package cocktail sausages

3 tbsp butter, melted

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried parsley

1/4 tsp Cajun seasoning, divided

1/3 cup mayo

1 1/2 tbsp yellow mustard

1/8 tsp cayenne

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prepare a large baking sheet by spraying it generously with cooking spray. Set aside. 

Gently roll out the crescents from the packaging. Using your fingers pinch the seams together to form a single sheet. Slice the dough into strips. You need one strip for each sausage. 

Wrap a strip around a sausage. Pinch the end of the dough to the rest of the dough to seal it. Place the wrapped sausage onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat these steps until all of the sausages are wrapped. Set aside. 

In a small microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. Stir in the garlic powder, parsley, and a pinch of Cajun seasoning. 

Use a pastry brush to baste the tops of each wrapped sausage with the butter mixture. 

Place the baking sheet of wrapped sausages into the oven. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. 

While the pigs in a blanket are baking, prepare the dipping sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayo, mustard, cayenne, and the remaining Cajun seasoning. Set aside. 

Remove the pigs in the blanket from the oven. Serve warm with the dipping sauce.

NOTES:

We prefer to use the cheddar flavor cocktail sausages.

There are typically about 30 cocktail sausages in a 14 oz. package of Hillshire Farms Lil Smokies. Make sure you have enough strips of dough before you start rolling.

A pizza wheel works best for slicing the dough into strips.

Don't overcrowd the pan. Leave space for the dough to expand.

Sprinkle some flaky sea salt on the pigs in the blanket after the butter basting for some added pizzazz.

ENJOY!

~ Asha Cole

Street Corn Salsa

In this house, dip is an absolute staple. I'm always looking for new ideas. Recently, we've been enjoying Street Corn Salad and I thought "what if this was creamier and dippier?" So, viola! That's how Street Corn Salsa came to be in our household.

Street Corn Salsa

2 cans fire roasted corn, drained

1-2 jalapeños, chopped

1 cup red onion, chopped

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1 lime, juiced

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup hot salsa

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning

1/2 cup cotija cheese, grated

1 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded

1 cup colby jack cheese, shredded

In a large bowl, add the drained corn. 

Next, add the jalapenos, onion, cilantro, and lime juice to the corn. 

Add the sour cream, mayo, and salsa to the bowl. 

Next, add the seasonings and cotija cheese. Give everything a good stir until well combined. 

Sprinkle the shredded cheeses a little at a time over the salsa and stir. Repeat this step until all the shredded cheese has been added. 

Cover the bowl with some plastic wrap and place the bowl in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving. Serve with tortilla chips.

NOTES:

For the love of all that is holy, do NOT use any of the jarred "salsa" you find on the chip aisle. If you aren't going to use homemade, at least hit up the produce section of your local market and get "fresher" salsa. 

In a pinch, you can substitute the cotija cheese with grated parmesan.

Adding the shredded cheese a little at a time and stirring, allows the cheese to distribute without clumping. If you are using pre-shredded bagged cheese, this step is less important but keep in mind the pre shredded stuff will make the salsa less creamy due to the starch used to prevent clumping.

For a better marriage of flavors, let the salsa sit in the fridge for about 3-4 hours.

I personally like to use tortilla chips but any chips or crackers work. Fritos Scoops are pretty yummy with this dip.

ENJOY!

~ Asha Cole