Quick and Easy Ground Beef Stroganoff

I finally remembered to take some ground beef out of the freezer on Tuesday.  Don't worry, it isn't the "pink slime" ground beef.  It is ground beef from a grass fed cow that was owned by a friend of my father-in-law.  So you know it is much tastier than what you would typically find in a grocery store.  My first idea was to make a taco soup that my sister told me about a few weeks ago.  But it was a slow cooker soup, and it was already afternoon when I was finally deciding what to make for dinner.  I know, I know, you should always plan your weekly meals in advance, and normally I do.  In fact, I have this week's meals listed out right there on my iPhone.  But being without a car for the majority of the week put a wrinkle in my dinner menu.
I finally decided to make a stroganoff, since it was a cloudy and cold looking day.  I have a few recipes for stroganoff, but I really wanted something quick and easy.  Therefore I put together a mental list of all the ingredients that typically go into a stroganoff, looked to see what I had in the fridge and pantry, and this is what I came up with.  Now, please know that we are moving towards a "real food" diet, and this was my last can of cream of mushroom soup.  I wanted to just get it off the pantry shelf, and I don't like wasting food.  Besides, I didn't have any mushrooms on hand.

Quick and Easy Ground Beef Stroganoff
Serves 4 - 6

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 box of  whole wheat penne pasta or 1 bag of egg noodles
3 tablespoons butter
1 lb of ground beef
1/3 of a medium onion (or 1/2 if you really like onions), cut into bite size pieces
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup of sour cream
1 tablespoon of paprika, divided
1/4 teaspoon of coriander
1/4 teaspoon of turmeric
1/8 teaspoon of black pepper
1/3 cup of water

1.  Bring a pot of water to boil.  Add penne pasta or egg noodles and following cooking directions as listed on package.
2.  Meanwhile, add olive oil to pan and heat over medium high heat until hot.  Add garlic and onion. Saute until soft.  Add ground beef to garlic and onion in pan and cook  for 3 - 4 minutes.  Add coriander, turmeric, and half of the paprika.  Continue to cook ground beef, stirring occasionally, until cooked through and no longer pink.  Add cream of mushroom soup, water, and sour cream to ground beef mixture.  Stir to thoroughly mix and until smooth.  Add remainder of paprika and black pepper.  Stir to mix and heat until hot, stirring occasionally.
3.  Drain the pasta or egg noodles, and put back into pot.  Add the butter to the pasta or egg noodles and stir until butter is melted.

To serve, place individual portions of pasta or egg noodles on plate.  Spoon  ground beef stroganoff mixture over the top of pasta or egg noodles and season to taste with salt and/or pepper.  Tastes great with toasted garlic bread and a side salad.

Farmer's Market Saturday

Now that our local farmer's market is open, we have gone for the past three Saturdays.  This week we bought Swiss Chard, which I have never bought before, or even eaten, to my knowledge.  I was very excited to find a recipe and try it out.  We also bought sugar snap peas, broccoli, and orange cauliflower, which is higher in beta carotene than your typical white variety.  What a great find!

After we got home and the little ones had their naps, we headed off for a walk to the local elementary school to play on the playground.

 My family has been watching American Ninja Warrior, and that, combined with Eloise's recent gymnastics class, has created a strong desire in my husband and kids to try their own ninja warrior skills.

 
Nicole and I sat on the grass to watch the crazies others play on the equipment.

I must say I had a bit of a hankering to get out there too, but Nicole will be big enough to play too before I know it, so I can wait until then, and will treasure these sweet little baby moments for now.

We got home with just enough time to start dinner and use that fresh bought Swiss Chard.  I found a great quick and easy recipe on allrecipes.com called Pasta with Swiss Chard.  Josh ended up having to make dinner because Nicole decided she needed to eat right as dinner needed to be started.  He did a great job, as usual, and it was delicious!  However, he did leave out the capers, which I am sure would have kicked the deliciousness factor up a notch.

Pasta with Swiss Chard
Courtesy of allrecipes.com



11 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bunches Swiss chard, chopped
2 teaspoons capers
salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons lemon juice, or to taste (optional)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste

1.  Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the spaghetti, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink.

2.  Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, and cook for 1 minute to soften. Add the Swiss chard. Cook and stir until the stems of the chard are tender. You can use some of the hot pasta water to help steam the chard in the covered pan.

3.  Stir the hot spaghetti into the chard mixture along with the capers. Season to taste with salt and black pepper, and drizzle with lemon juice if desired. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to serve.