Beef and Sweet Potato Stir-Fry

As a general rule, choose sodium-reduced
stocks and broths, especially for Asian-style
recipes calling for soy, oyster, teriyaki and
hoisin sauces, which have a lot of sodium.

2 tbsp vegetable oil (25 mL)
1 lb beef stir-fry strips (500 g)
1 onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cubed peeled sweet potatoes (2 small)(500 mL)
1 sweet yellow or green pepper, sliced
1/2 cup beef stock (125 mL)
1/4 cup oyster sauce (50 mL)
1 tbsp cornstarch (15 mL)
1 tbsp rice or cider vinegar (15 mL)
1 tsp sesame oil (5 mL)
2 green onions, thinly sliced


In wok or large skillet, heat 1 tbsp (15 mL)of the vegetable oil over high heat; stir-frybeef, in 2 batches, until browned but still pink inside, about 2 minutes. Transfer to plate. Drain fat from pan.

Add remaining vegetable oil to pan; stir-fry sliced onion and minced garlic over medium heat until onion is softened, about 2 minutes.

Stir in sweet potato, yellow pepper and 1/2 cup (125 mL) water; cover and steam until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in small bowl, whisk together beef stock, oyster sauce, corn- starch, vinegar and sesame oil. Return beef and any juices to pan. Add oyster sauce mixture and bring to boil; boil, stirring, until thickened and glossy, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with green onions.
Makes 4 servings.

PER SERVING: about 316 cal,
29 g pro, 11 g total fat (2 g sat. fat), 26 g carb, 2 g fibre, 49 mg chol, 658 mg sodium. % RDI: 4% calcium, 22% iron, 114% vit A, 98% vit C, 16% folate.

Lone Star Steakhouse Chili

Lone Star Steakhouse Chili

When the weather gets cold it's time to fire up the stovetop.
This chain makes a tasty chili that warms the bones on a nippy
fall day. This clone recipe is easy-to-make, low-fat and
delicious. And if it's super brisk outside, you might want to add
an additional tablespoon of diced jalapeno to aggressively stoke
those internal flames.

1 pound ground beef
1 diced onion
1 tablespoon diced fresh jalapeno pepper
1 15-ounce can kidney beans with liquid
1 14.5-ounce can peeled diced tomatoes
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 bay leaf

Garnish
grated cheddar cheese
diced onion
canned whole jalapeno chili peppers
Hot enough for you?

1. Brown ground beef in a large saucepan over medium heat. Drain fat.
2. Add onion and pepper and sauté for about two minutes.
3. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 1 hour, stirring
occasionally. Serve one cup in a bowl with the optional cheese,
diced onion and whole jalapeno garnish on top.
Makes 4 servings.

Benihana Style Steak

Benihana Style Steak

1/4 cup Uncooked rice
6 oz sirloin steak - boneless
1 tbsp Peanut oil
2 large Mushrooms - sliced
Salt
Pepper

Cook rice according to package directions. Set aside.
Heat griddle to 350°F and pour on oil to coat surface.
Sear steak on both sides. Cut steak into strips. Return to
griddle along with mushroom slices.

Turn meat pieces until done to preference. Season with salt
and pepper to taste. Serve with boiled rice and magic mustard sauce.

Makes 1 serving.

Boston Market Meatloaf

Boston Market Meatloaf

In the early 90s Boston Chicken was on a roll. The home meal replacement chain's stock was soaring and the lines were filled with hungry customers waiting to sink their teeth into a serving of the chain's delicious rotisserie chicken. So successful was the chain with chicken, that the company quickly decided it was time to introduce other entrée selections, the first of which was a delicious barbecue sauce-covered ground sirloin meatloaf. But offering the other entrées presented the company with a dilemma: what to do about the name. The bigwigs decided it was time to change the name to Boston Market, to reflect a wider menu. That meant replacing signs on hundreds of units and retooling the marketing campaigns. That name change, plus rapid expansion of the chain and growth of other similar home-style meal concepts sent the company into a tailspin. By 1988, Boston Market's goose was cooked: the company filed for bankruptcy. Soon McDonald's stepped in to purchase the company, with the idea of closing many of the stores for good, and slapping Golden Arches on the rest. But that plan was scrapped when, after selling many of the under-performing Boston Markets, the chain began to fly once again. Within a year of the acquisition Boston Market was profitable,and those meals with the home-cooked taste are still being served at over 700 Boston Market restaurants across the country.

1 cup tomato sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons Kraft original barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin (10 percent fat)
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
dash garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Combine the tomato sauce, barbecue sauce, and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat the mixture until it begins to bubble, stirring often, then remove it from the heat.

3. In a large bowl, add all but 2 tablespoons of the tomato sauce to the meat. Use a large wooden spoon or your hands to work the sauce into the meat until it is very well combined.

4. Combine the remaining ingredients with the ground sirloin - flour, salt, onion powder, ground pepper, and garlic powder. Use the wooden spoon or your hands to work
the spices and flour into the meat.

5. Load the meat into a loaf pan (preferably a meatloaf pan with two sections that allows the fat to drain, but if you don't have one of those a regular loaf pan will work). Wrap foil over the pan and place it into the oven for 30 minutes.

6. After 30 minutes, take the meatloaf from the oven, remove the foil and, if you aren't using a meatloaf pan, drain the fat.

7. Using a knife, slice the meatloaf all the way through into

8 slices while it is still in the pan. This will help to cook the center of the meatloaf. Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of sauce over the top of the meatloaf, in a stream down the center. Don't spread the sauce.

8. Place the meatloaf back into the oven, uncovered, for 25 - 30 minutes or until it is done. Remove and allow it to cool for a few minutes before serving.
Serves 4.

Planet Hollywood Pot Stickers

Planet Hollywood Pot Stickers

Menu Description: "Six pot stickers filled with fresh ground turkey meat seasoned with ginger, water chestnuts, red pepper and green onions. They are fried and served in a basket with spicy hoisin."

Here's a special recipe from one of the most popular theme restaurant chains. Pot stickers are a popular Asian dumpling that can be fried, steamed, or simmered in a broth. Planet Hollywood has customized its version to make them crunchier than the traditional dish, and it's a tasty twist that I'm sure you'll love. Since hoisin sauce would be very difficult to make from scratch, you can use a commercial brand found in most stores.

1/4 pound ground turkey
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced green onion
1 teaspoon minced water chestnuts
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (no seeds)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 egg, beaten
Vegetable oil for frying
12 wonton wrappers (3 x 3-inch size)

On the side
Hoisin sauce

1. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients except the egg, wrappers and oil. Add 1 tablespoon of the beaten egg. Save the rest of the egg for later. Preheat oil in a deep fryer or a deep saucepan to 375 degrees. Use enough oil to cover the pot stickers -- 1 to 2 inches should be enough.

2. Invert a small bowl or glass with a 3-inch diameter on the center of a wonton wrapper and cut around it to make a circle. Repeat for the remaining wrappers.

3. Spoon 1/2 tablespoon of the turkey filling into the center of one wrapper. Brush a little beaten egg around half of the edge of the wrapper and fold the wrapper over the filling. Gather the wrapper as you seal it so that it is crinkled around the edge. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

4. Deep-fry the pot stickers, six at a time in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes or until they are brown. Drain on a rack or paper towels. Serve with hoisin sauce for dipping. If you want some crushed red pepper or cayenne pepper to the sauce.
Serves 3 to 4 as an appetizer.

Tidbits

If you can't find wonton wrappers, you can also use egg roll wrappers for this recipe. Egg roll wrappers are much bigger, so you will be wasting more of the dough when you trim the wrappers to 3-inch diameter circles. But in a pinch, this is a quick solution. Pot sticker wrappers can also be found in some supermarkets, but I've found the wonton wrappers and eggroll wrappers, when fried, taste more like the restaurant version.
[ Planet Hollywood Pot Stickers ]

Steak Sauce

Steak Sauce

In the late 1800s Henry John Heinz established the slogan "57 Varieties," which you can still find printed on Heinz products even though the company now boasts over 5700 varieties in 200 countries. Today Heinz is the world's largest tomato producer, but interestingly the first product for the company that was launched in 1869 had nothing to do with tomatoes; it was grated horseradish. It wasn't until 1876 that ketchup was added to the growing company's product line. Tomato is also an important ingredient in this tangy steak sauce. But you'll find some interesting ingredients in there as well, such as raisin puree, malt vinegar, apple juice concentrate, and mustard. And don't worry if your version doesn't come out as brown as the original. Heinz uses a little caramel coloring in its product to give it that distinctive tint. It's just for looks, though, so I've left that ingredient out of this clone recipe. Besides, I've found that the turmeric and yellow mustard will help get this version close to the color of the real deal.

Raisin Puree
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup water

1 1/3 cup white vinegar
1 cup tomato paste
2/3 cup malt vinegar
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon yellow prepared mustard
2 teaspoons apple juice concentrate
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon turmeric

1. Make the raisin puree by combining the raisins with the water in a food processor or blender. Blend on high speed for 1 minute or until the puree is smooth. Measure 1/4 cup of this puree into a medium saucepan.

2. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth.

3. Turn heat up to medium high and bring mixture to a thorough boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 1/2 hour or until thick. Let sauce cool and then refrigerate it in a covered container for at least 24 hours.
Makes 3 cups.