Beef and Black Bean Quesadillas are on regular rotation in my house. They’re not only quick and easy but tasty, family-approved and customizable. I like to use cheddar cheese and load mine up with fresh cilantro. But Monterey jack, spicy Mexican blend, or mozzarella cheese are also great options. Go ahead and be adventurous with the toppings too. Sour cream and salsa are always family favourites but also try diced avocado, taco sauce, pickled jalapeños, green onion…and the list goes on. But that’s what makes it fun and perfect for the whole family.
There’s a huge variety of tortillas available too. I like the flour and corn blend while my husband prefers plain flour. These are the basic options, you may want to try a multigrain, garden vegetable or sun-dried tomato tortilla. Again, there are lots of options to please everyone.
The black beans extend the ground beef, making these budget-friendly too. You can easily cut back on the ground beef further and sub in a few more black beans. I like just enough to give a little texture, fibre and added nutrition. I use drained and rinsed canned black beans out of convenience but you can certainly cook your own dried beans, which will reduce the cost further. Beef and Black Bean Quesadillas are a great weeknight meal for the whole family no matter how you stack them up. You’ll want them on regular rotation, enjoy!
Heat oil in a medium skillet, add beef and cook until just starting to brown, breaking up larger pieces as it cooks. Drain or dab out any excess fat.
Add green pepper, onion and garlic. Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes until vegetables start to soften and beef is fully browned and cooked through.
Stir in water, taco season, and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium until liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes.
Stir in black beans and corn and heat until warm. Adjust salt to taste.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and drizzle in 1/2 tsp of oil. Add one tortilla and sprinkle the entire tortilla with 1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese (about 2 ounces). Spread approximately 1 cup of beef mixture evenly over half of the cheese-covered tortilla.
Allow to cook until the bottom of the tortilla is golden and the cheese is melted. Fold the tortilla in half and press gently to hold it together. Remove to a cutting board and cut into 3 wedges. Repeat with remaining tortillas and serve immediately with your favourite garnishes like sour cream and salsa.
Notes
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Beef Taco Crostada is tasty and fun with flaky pastry, taco seasoned beef and endless topping options. It’s like a taco pie without the pie plate. For convenience, you could use purchased pie dough but I’m partial to finding the time to make my own, especially this one, because of the added maize (corn flour). Since corn flour is gluten-free the pastry is very tender because there is less gluten than if you used all regular flour.  Corn flour also has a nice fine texture which aids in a lighter, flakier crust as well. Â
The ground beef is cooked with onions and green pepper and then seasoned with a taco seasoning blend for flavour and spiciness. Black beans add texture, fibre and Mexican flair. Cheddar cheese brings everything together. The fun comes adding a variety of toppings to suit your taste. I happen to like shredded lettuce, green onions, avocado, cilantro and sour cream. Other options may include salsa, jalapenos, guacamole, tomato, red onion and black olives. Go crazy with the toppings and enjoy it, it’s a fun family meal.
Combine flours and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter chunks until pea-size or smaller. Drizzle with 4-5 tbsp of cold water and the vinegar tossing with a fork until dough becomes scraggly. Add another tbsp of cold water if necessary. Turn mixture out onto a clean work surface and knead until dough comes together. Form into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
Return to medium heat and add spices and water, stirring to combine. Allow mixture to come to a simmer and cook uncovered until most of the moisture has evaporated, about 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in beans and half of the cheese.
Preheat oven to 375°F and line a large baking tray with parchment.
Roll dough into a 14" circle that will be about 1/8" thick. Fold dough in half and move to your prepared baking tray.
Spread beef mixture in the centre of the dough leaving a 1 1/2"-2" boarder of dough. Fold the dough boarder up and over the beef mixture, crimping the dough slightly as you go.
Whisk egg with a tbsp of water and brush onto exposed pastry edge. Bake for about 35 minutes until pastry is golden.
Remove from oven and top centre with remaining cheese. Cut into wedges and serve with desired toppings.
Recipe Notes
-The pastry can be made up to a day in advance and kept chilled until ready to use.
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This a casserole that I’ve made time and time again. I love it because it makes enough for six people or provides plenty of leftovers, which is important for me as a shift worker. It’s also a comforting, family-style meal that is fantastic served over mashed potatoes. Stroganoff Meatballs is a great fall/winter recipe that you’ll want to make over and over.
For this recipe, you’ll notice that I insist you use a beef soup base such as Knorr OXO Beef in a Mug and not regular beef bouillon powder. This is not a sponsored post, but I’ve tried both beef bouillon cubes and regular beef bouillon powder. They just don’t have the same beef flavour that the soup base does, and it makes all the difference. I do hate to be so particular on an ingredient, but for this recipe I must insist that you use beef soup base such as Knorr OXO Beef in a Mug. It’s worth the little bit of fuss, enjoy!
Author: Compelled to Cook, adapted from Companys Coming Casseroles cookbook 1985.
In a large bowl combine all ingredients and mix until incorporated. Roll into 1-ounce meatballs (about 2 tbsp each) and arrange on a large baking tray lined with parchment. Will yield about 38 meatballs.
Bake for 15 minutes and remove from oven. Reduce heat to 350°F.
Add 2 cups water and OXO soup base and heat to a simmer, stirring to dissolve. Whisk together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water. Add to pot, whisking constantly until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat and whisk in mushroom soup until smoothed out. Stir in sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, paprika and pepper.
Add meatballs to the sauce and stir gently to coat with sauce. Cover and bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove from oven and serve immediately over noodles, rice or potatoes.
Recipe Notes
-It is a must to use beef soup base (preferably Knorr OXO Beef in a Mug)Â I have tried to use regular beef bouillon cubes and powder, however, they do not have the same level of beef flavour and are not recommended for this recipe.
-Meatballs can be made and cooked up to a day ahead. Keep covered and chilled until ready to use. Cook casserole for 40-45 minutes if using cold meatballs.
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Beef Roulade is a simple yet impressive entree of beef flank steak rolled with prosciutto, basil and provolone and grilled to perfection.
Simple flavours come together in this wonderful dish and it’s easier than you think. It can easily be prepped in advance making it great for entertaining or a weekend family meal.
What’s important for this recipe is to flatten the flank steak as evenly as possible for ease of rolling and uniform cooking. You also need to season the meat well with salt and pepper. Rolling the flattened meat as tight as possible to hold in the layered elements within is also important. Some cheese does seep out when cooking, so a tight roll will help keep everything in place and minimize the loss of melty cheese.
Be sure to have your grill or pan hot before adding the rolls. They only take 4-5 minutes per side, so you want the surface hot enough to brown the meat before it cooks. As with any meat, it’s important to allow the meat to rest for several minutes prior to serving, this will allow the moisture to settle back into the muscle rather than run all over your plate.
By all means, you can grill the assembled and tied roll as one whole piece and slice to serve, but I prefer the individual grilled portions because you get more charred/seared meat per bite which to me means more flavour. And I’m always game for more flavour, enjoy!
Butterfly flank steak by laying flat and slicing in half lengthwise with the grain, stopping 1-2" before cutting all the way through.
Open up flank steak like a book and place between two pieces of parchment. Pound flat with a mallet to an approximate 12"x8" rectangle. Try to flatten the seam to the same thickness.
Season the flattened flank steak with salt and pepper and brush generously with Dijon mustard.
Cover with prosciutto slices in an even layer. Arrange basil leaves in a single layer on top of the prosciutto. Top with an even layer of provolone cheese.
With the prepped steak facing you lengthwise, roll up tightly. Secure with a few toothpicks to hold it while you tie it.
Using butcher string, snugly tie the rolled steak at 1" intervals. Remove toothpicks and cut roll evenly between each piece of string, giving you about 8 one-inch rolls tied in the centre with string.
Preheat grill to medium-high.
Rub or brush prepared rolls on both sides with oil.
Cook for 4-5 minutes per side for medium by grilling directly on the grill, using a mesh grill mat on the grill or by pan-frying. Allow to rest 2-3 minutes and serve.
Recipe Notes
-I have found that using grated provolone makes the roll easier to roll.
-Using a mesh grill mat is convenient but not necessary.
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Steak with Balsamic Butter Sauce is an elevated meal for two and takes only a few quality ingredients and less than 30 minutes to prepare.
Beef tenderloin steaks can be a bit pricy, even for us here in beef country. But what I really like about beef tenderloin is that it’s a relatively lean cut of beef, it’s super tender and flavourful. It deserves a good sear to hold in the moisture and a generous drizzle of balsamic butter sauce.
Butter sauce comes in many forms, like Beurre Blanc-French butter sauce, Piccata sauce and the sauce on my Tarragon Chicken Cutlets
A butter sauce is quite simple and uber quick to pull off with a little know-how. In any butter sauce, it’s very important to use cold butter cut into small chunks. Cold butter melts more slowly, allowing the fat particles to breakdown and be dispersed throughout other liquids like wine, lemon juice, stock or in this case, balsamic vinegar. Adding butter gradually is equally as important. It allows all the fat particles to become completely emulsified but at a slower rate. This process creates a thicker and more stable sauce. Scientifically it’s a little more involved, but this gives you the idea behind it. Enjoy!
Pat steaks dry with a paper towel and season generously with salt and pepper on both sides.
Add oil to a medium stainless steel skillet and heat on high. When the oil is hot add steaks and cook 4 to 4 1/2 minutes per side for medium-rare, flipping only once and getting a good sear on both sides.
Remove steaks to a plate and cover with foil.
Add balsamic vinegar, beef broth and rosemary to the same pan whisking to pick up any beefy bits left behind by the steak. Continue to cook over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes until sauce is reduced by at least half and can coat the back of a spoon. Remove rosemary sprig.
Turn heat to low and whisk in butter one chunk at a time, allowing the butter to be incorporated before adding more. Once all the butter is incorporated remove from heat and adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over steak or on the side as a dipping sauce. Makes about 1/3 cup of sauce.
Recipe Notes
Cooking time for steaks will be dependant on size. The steaks I used were approximately 8 ounces each and 1 1/2 " thick.
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