Beef Empanadas

Here's another recipe from our Cinco de Mayo celebration!

This was my first time every making/eating an empanada. That being said, I thought they were extremely easy to make and very tasty. They are a perfect food for parties because people can just grab one and then go mingle without having to find a seat. It eliminates the need to do that weird thing where you stand and talk to someone while your plate is about a centimeter from your mouth so you can shovel food in your face without spilling anything on your shirt. It's awkward for both the person doing it and the person watching in disgust. Empanadas save the day!

yay for convenient empanadas!

Other people at the party had eaten authentic empanadas and said that these were BETTER than originals because they were baked and not fried. This was my idea. You're welcome, everyone. No, I'm not a genius. My thought process was... "If I fry these empanadas, I won't eat them because fried food makes my stomach feel like garbage. Totally not worth an extra session at the gym. But I reallyyyyyyyyyyyyy want an empanada. I will bake them! Then I can indulge without my stomach wanting to explode!" Luckily, it worked out and everyone lived happily ever after while binge eating baked, hand-held Mexican snacks.

My favorite part of the empanada was the shell. We just used Goya brand empanada discs, which can be found in the frozen section of the grocery store. Baking the empanadas was a last minute decision and, after doing a little research, I realized that I should have brushed the empanadas with an egg wash to give them a nice golden brown color. So I have reflected that in the recipe.

Because I loved the shell so much and the premade discs were so easy to work with, my mind could not stop racing with ideas. To this recipe, I think an addition of corn and some jalapenos would be absolutely perfect! But I'm also thinking about cheesecake empanadas, fruit empanadas, calzone-ish empanadas, hero-y empanadas...  The wheels are spinning so be on the lookout for these remixes that will, hopefully, be coming soon!

this is what I will look like eating various empanada flavors every day

Beef Empanadas (20) adapted from Handle the Heat

• 20 Goya empanada discs, thawed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, peeled and minced
• 1 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely diced (I used a combination of red, green, and yellow)
• 1 taco seasoning packet
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese (or "Mexican blend" cheese) 
• 2 eggs

1.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the onions, bell peppers, paprika, red pepper flakes, white pepper, and cumin until onions are soft. Add beef, season to taste with salt, and cook until beef is browned. Drain off the fat. Place filling in a large bowl .
2. Preheat oven to 400. 
3. Spray a large baking pan with non-stick spray or line with parchment. Lay the discs on the pan. 
4. Place about 2-3 tablespoons of filling in the center of each dough circle. Sprinkle filling with cheese.
5. Fold over and press edges firmly to seal. Crimp with the back of a fork. Lightly brush the top of each empanada with the egg wash.
6.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.

the filling

the discs

ready to be baked!

just cheese :)

baked and ready to be snatched!

Light Shepherd's Pie

I know that shepherd's pie is a really traditional Irish dish but I have never eaten it.

Here's why:

Up until very recently, I've had a huge issue with my food touching. I used to use separated plates or only put one item on my plate at a time so nothing would touch. I don't know what my issue was but I could not mix my food.

Then I realized how silly this was. Some of my favorite foods are a big mixture of ingredients. Pasta dishes. Pizza. Burritos. Ice cream sundaes with every topping possible.

Now I mix my food all the time. Problem solved by allowing the logical part of my brain rationalize the situation to the illogical OCD part of my brain.

Yes, the sides of my brain interact. So what?

 Anyway, this shepard's pie is wonderful! It has the taste of comfort food but doesn't feel as heavy or rich. I love that it's jam packed with veggies in the filling and in the cauliflower puree topping, which I substituted for mashed potatoes.

Cauliflower puree is my new "go to" side. It's light and super fluffy. I never thought I'd say that because I am a huge carb lover. But delicious substitutions like spaghetti squash and cauliflower having me singing a different tune. They taste similar to the real deal and I can eat a ton without feeling sick and guilty. What's better than that?

If you're not down with cauliflower a) stop being a baby and just try it, you might love it  OR b) replace the cauliflower with potatoes.

I took this recipe from Skinnytaste, one of my favorite food blogs. Gina does a great job of lightening up recipes and still making them taste great! The changes I made were to substitute pureed cauliflower for mashed potatoes, increase the amount of vegetables, use soy sauce instead of Worcestershire sauce (I hate that stuff) and add some cheese on top.

You should make this if you're trying channel your Irish roots (or create them if they don't exist) and save calories for drinking copious amounts of Bailey's Irish Cream and Guinness :)

Shepherd’s Pie (6 servings – 291 cals) from skinnytaste
Cauliflower Puree:

• 1 medium head cauliflower, cut up into florets
• 4 cloves crushed garlic
• 1/3 cup fat free sour cream
• 2-3 tablespoons of milk (until desired consistency)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp light butter 

Filling:

• 1 lb 95% lean ground beef
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 8 oz mushrooms, diced
• 10 oz frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, corn, peas, green beans, baby lima beans)
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup fat free beef broth
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp freshly chopped thyme leaves
• salt and pepper
• 8 oz bag of shredded reduced fat cheddar

1.  Steam or boil cauliflower and garlic until soft. Drain, add sour cream, light butter, salt, pepper and purée with a hand blender (or regular blender – if using a regular blender, you may need more milk in order to get the mixture going).
2.  Preheat oven to 400°.
3.  In a large saute pan brown meat. Season with salt and pepper. When cooked, set aside on a plate. Discard any fat in the pan, add oil, onion and garlic and sauté on medium heat about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and celery and sauté another 3-4 minutes. Add flour, salt and pepper and mix well. Add frozen vegetables, beef broth, tomato paste, soy sauce, thyme, chopped meat and mix well. Simmer on low for about 5-10 minutes.
4.  Spread the meat mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish. Top with cauliflower puree. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let it cool 10-15 minutes before serving.

before the oven

baked

And that's how the Irish do savory pie :)