However…
In the past, to make the burgers extra yummy and flavorful, I’d pull out a packet of that staple of the Deep South cook – good old Lipton Onion Soup Mix. One packet, a quarter cup of water, and 2 pounds of ground beef, and you’ve got yourself a tasty burger.
“Five Classic Recipes…Right on the Box” !
And then, inside the box: Onions, salt, corn starch, sugar, corn syrup solids, caramel color, hydrolyzed soy protein, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, yeast extract, monosodium glutamate, natural flavors, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate.
Lots of winners there, including partially hydrogenated oil and MSG.
My mission was to concoct a “real food” equivalent to the soup mix. I studied recipes and found that most of the “make your own mix” recipes included beef bouillon granules – try finding healthy “granules” of anything. I did find one recipe that was merely a mixture of spices, all of which I already owned except for one, so I bought some celery seed and went that route. I used this version: Homemade Onion Soup Mix. It looked really nice in the bowl – seeing exactly what I was going to be putting into our food made me feel good about what I’m doing.
Starting at 12 o’clock and working counterclockwise:
- parsley
- onion powder
- celery seed
- pepper
- garlic powder
- all surrounding the onion flakes
I quickly defrosted the beef (not in the microwave, but by putting the unopened package in a ziplock and running cold water over it and letting it sit in a bowl in the sink…change the water every 30 minutes and soon the meat will defrost evenly) and put it in a bowl. I added my homemade spice mixture, one tablespoon of bread crumbs, and to add a little moisture, I put in about 1/3 c. beef stock. I found this organic one on sale for $2.99 at Publix and will use the rest to cook some quinoa this week. (Emeril’s brand. I know. I had to resist yelling “Bam!” every time I poured in stock.)
Oh, and I used a Sharpie to give myself a deadline for using the stock. I need all the help I can get remembering things.
I mixed everything gently with a fork, just till it all came together, then cooked the burgers on my griddle pan. I’ve been shying away from using my George Foreman grill lately – with all of the liquids/fats draining away, the meat sometimes ended up really dry.
The occasional pan-fried burger made from high quality beef isn’t going to hurt us, I figure. I cooked them carefully, tilted the pan toward the end of cooking to let excess liquids drain, and those burgers turned out tender, juicy, and really flavorful. We didn’t miss the Lipton soup mix, that’s for sure. I’m sure these burgers would turn out great on the grill, if you enjoy cooking out.
Another dish that got a bit of a makeover recently – lasagna. I’ve always done a pretty traditional meat/cheese/sauce/pasta combination. I wanted to experiment with a meatless version. I searched and looked at a lot of veggie lasagna recipes, and finally settled on this one: Vegetarian Lasagna. If you click, you’ll see it has a “surprise” ingredient. If you’re not a tofu fan (now stop…I’m not becoming a total hippie granola bar) then….keep reading. The only time I’ve ever eaten tofu was in sweet and sour soup – thin little strips, no big deal. The thought of a big block of the stuff in my lasagna, though? I was less than enthused. But I persevered. I love roasted red peppers, so that ingredient won me over, and of course, those add a lot of flavor to this dish – and the tofu is crumbled and kneaded into the ricotta cheese mixture. It gives it some thickness and some richness, and you’d never even know it was there. I made up the whole amount but split it into two pans, one of which I popped into the freezer for a busy weeknight meal. The lasagna was dense but not dry, and full of flavor. Both Kerry and David enjoyed it and didn’t miss the meat at all. Definitely worth a try if you like Italian food.
So, over the last couple of weeks, I have successfully added more vegetables to our meals, while simultaneously reducing the amount of red meat we’ve been eating. We’re eating more fish as well. I have found that, for the most part, meat doesn’t even sound that good to me. Today we celebrated my dad’s 82nd birthday at Cracker Barrel, and I scoured the menu for whatever sounded good. With my new way of eating, I planned to have a real “special occasion” meal if I wanted to – fried chicken or chicken ‘n dumplings or whatever I wanted…but I didn’t want any of those things. I finally settled on a vegetable plate and took my time with the fresh corn, the okra, and the pinto beans. The others at the table were eating dessert and I was still finishing my food. I was so full I couldn’t even touch my cornbread or hashbrown casserole. I find myself craving cool, light foods these days, more often than not. Lunch has become a lighter meal – maybe a few good crackers, some creamy havarti or brie, and some fruit. I recently bought some artichoke hearts, for pete’s sake. What’s more, I even ATE AND ENJOYED THEM instead of leaving them in the pantry for years. Who am I?!??!!!
Finally, while losing weight was not and is not my primary objective here, I couldn’t help noticing the difference in my face when I look in the mirror, and the loose-fitting clothing that used to be tight. So, I stepped on the scale a few days ago. From my highest point since pregnancy, I have lost twelve and a half pounds so far.
Not bad. And I am eating the most delicious foods I’ve had in my life! This is absolutely a joy and an adventure, and I’m so grateful to have such wonderful foods to choose from… So, stay tuned, and enjoy your food!
Next time, I’ll be posting about my inaugural trip to our new Earth Fare store, as well as a really simple but delicious and elegant dessert I made recently. A true Southern classic!
3 comments:
Yum! Grass fed cows are naturally less greasy when cooked because it's the corn and grain that creates the fat. I agree with the George Forman, it can kill food sometimes!
I use worchesterire sauce in my burgers for a little flavor and juice. Or a bit of soy sauce, but not too much because it's salty.
And yes, appetite and tastes will change when eating real food. My husband is recovering from surgery and i am sick with a cold, so I made some boxed chicken noodle soup last night. This is soup I used to love, especially when sick, but having it last nights - chemical and all - tasted so gross. I'm used to real, wholesome soup, not yellow water with lame ass noodles!
I do the same thing with the Sharpie on similar packages. Nice!
Don't feel guilty if you're eating beef more often than you're used to. You're buying the grass fed stuff now, and because those cows are eating what they're supposed to, the fat content is better for you than from the factory cows.
I don't feel guilty, necessarily...there's just something about the ground meat that doesn't appeal to me right now. But those burgers were very good.
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