Recipe of the Week: Brisket

Brisket is something to enjoy for several meals or to feed a crowd. I always buy a cut that just fits in my crock pot and cook it for the whole day. Start in the morning to cook: 

• Line the crockpot with a slow cooker liner
• Place the brisket in the slow cooker.
• Sprinkle with cracked pepper and onion flakes.
• Cook on high for an hour or two and then on low for the rest of the day.
• Serve with salad/vegetables. My favorites are baked sweet potatoes and Caesar salad. 

For any leftover meat - cut off fat and discard. Cut meat into bite size piece. Strain juice over meat. Store in refrigerator. 

There are many ways to enjoy the left overs. For all of them, remove any white fat that has accumulated on top of the juice and discard. My two favorite meals with leftover brisket are: 

• Reheat and eat as straight from the crockpot.
• Make barbeque. Put meat and juice in a sauce pan. Add bottled barbeque sauce and enough water to cook down in about 30 minutes (this gives the barbeque sauce spices enough time to penetrate the meat). Eat on a bun, over noodles/quinoa, or alone. Note: Bottled barbeque sauce sometimes has a lot of sugar. I tend to choose the ones that have the lowest carbohydrate amount (i.e. less sugar). 

If you cannot eat all the brisket within about a week after you cook it, freeze and save it for later. 

Recipe of the Week: Soft Tacos

1 pound hamburger meat

1 can tomatoes and green chilies (Ro-tel or similar)

1 packet low salt taco seasoning mix

1 can refried beans

Tortillas (my favorite are the Carb Balance ones)

Your favorite condiments: shredded cheese, lettuce, salsa, sour cream, guacamole

In a large pan, brown meat thoroughly. If there is a lot of fat, drain most of it from the pan. Add tomatoes and green chilies, a can of water, and taco seasoning mix. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is gone. Add refried beans. Stir to mix. Continue cooking until the beans are thoroughly incorporated and are hot. Spoon meat mixture into tortillas. Add condiments of your choice. Fold over to form a soft taco. Enjoy!

If you need to suddenly feed more people - the recipe can be stretched to feed a few more. Cut up an onion and add it while you are browning the meat. Add a cup of pre-cooked rice and additional salsa when you add the tomatoes and green chilies and seasoning packet.

Note: to enjoy the flavor of taco meat but dramatically reduce the meal’s calories --- use the meat mixture as a dip for celery stalks or green pepper wedges. Limit condiments to lettuce and/or salsa.

Recipe of the Week: Salsa Meatloaf

You don’t need to measure exactly or pull out spices to make this delicious entree. Allow a quarter pound of meat for each serving. This re-heats well as a leftover too.

1 pound hamburger meat

1/3 cup oatmeal (preferably not the quick cook kind)

¾ cup salsa (Chi-Chi’s medium strength is my favorite)

1 egg

Begin heating oven to 350°F. Spray baking dish/pan with cooking spray. Process the oatmeal in a small food processor if you want the oatmeal less visible in the meatloaf. Place oatmeal, egg, and salsa in a large bowl. Use a fork to thoroughly blend. Add meat and mix thoroughly. Put in an over-proof pan and flatten/smooth with a fork so that it is equal thickness and flat on top. Cook for approximately one hour

(Note: cooking a sweet potato in the oven at the same time works well for the meal’s vegetable).