The Dinner Process

A couple friends recently suggested that they'd love to just see what I'm making for dinner each night.  So I thought I'd give you a sneak peak into my dinner system.

I wish I was a better meal planner.  This post will reveal how poorly I plan these things out!  I read about people with weekly, even monthly, meal plans, and I marvel at it.  It takes the guess work out of cooking and shopping, and completely obliterates the question of "what should I make for dinner tonight?"  BUT I'm very much a cook-on-the-spot type.  I have to be in the mood for whatever I'm making!  So a meal plan sounds pretty unappealing to my bored-easy personality.  Instead, this is what I do.

I think about an ingredient or ingredients that I want or need to use in my fridge or pantry.  Nothing was in the process of going bad today, but I had just donated blood, and my iron count was pretty low.  So I decided on some red meat.  We had some ground beef in a ziploc in the freezer.  I pulled it out and put it into a bowl of warm-ish water.  My tried and (kinda) true method of thawing meats quickly.

Next up, I google!  I started off at a gallery of 23 ground beef dinners, and found an intriguing sounding tomato and beef casserole with a polenta crust.  I considered following that recipe, but a lot of the reviews suggested it was bland.  And also, I've tried to be a polenta fan, but I can't get behind the consistency of it.  Oh, and also also, I was almost out of cornmeal anyway.  So, rice it is!  I took inspiration from the idea of a cheese covered beef, tomato, and zucchini casserole, and worked from there.

I added flavors I love, and things I found in the fridge, as I went along.  There is a LOT of flavors going on in here, and it's because I taste as I go and think, I want a little of this!  Or, I see an ingredient and remember that I like it, and that it should work with the flavors going on.  Seriously, this is my process.  It's not perfect.

Anyway, after this whole process, here's the "recipe" I ended up with.  I add the quotation marks because this is a very loose recipe.  If you make this, feel free to omit or add what you want, or to raise or lower the proportions of ingredients.  Take your inspiration and work from there!

P.S.  I know this ingredient list is long.  Don't let that scare you!  The majority of it is spices that I just threw in for fun.  Play with the flavors however you want!

Summer Beef and Bean Rice Casserole

Serves 4-6

1 c. rice

1 1/2 c. water or chicken stock

1/2 tsp. seasoning

3/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided

3/4 lb. ground beef

1 carrot, diced

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 tsp minced fresh rosemary

1/2 zucchini, diced

1/2 jalapeno, diced small

1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c. black beans with some liquid

1/2 can diced tomatoes with some liquid

1/3 c. water

1 tsp. worchestershire sauce

1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp. sriracha sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine rice, water, and seasoning in a saucepan with a lid.  Set over high heat until boiling (watch carefully), then immediately turn to low to simmer for 15 minutes. (Note:  I used jasmine rice and Old Bay and Redfish seasoning mixes.  Feel free to use whatever you have on hand, and follow your own rice cooking instructions--if it needs more time, more liquid, etc.)  Once rice is cooked through and water has been absorbed, sprinkle with a dash of salt.  Add 1/4 c. cheese in rice, and mix in.  Pour rice into an 8x8 dish, and pat in lightly.

Heat a large deep skillet or wide pot over medium heat, adding a glug or two of olive oil.  Add the ground beef, letting the meat sit evenly on the bottom of the pan without being moved for about a minute to get some color.  Add the carrots, onion, and rosemary, salt and pepper it well, and saute until the beef is cooked through and the onions are getting soft, about 4-5 minutes.  Add in the zucchini, jalapeno, and garlic, and saute for another minute.  Add in the beans (you can use a full can if you like; I cooked my beans from scratch using this crock pot method) and the tomatoes, and mix all together.

Here's where you get to have fun!  Add in any spices you like.  I added the worcestershire, balsamic, sriracha, chili powder, oregano, red pepper flakes, and more salt and pepper.  You want to have a good amount of cooking liquid in your meat and veggies (maybe 1/2 c.) to keep the rice moist. You may have enough from the beans, tomatoes, balsamic, etc.  If you don't have enough liquid, add a bit of water (or chicken stock).  Allow the whole mixture to simmer, covered, for a few minutes, to get veggies soft.

Pour the beef mixture over the rice and spread out evenly over the top.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 c. cheese (use less if you like, as low as 1/4 c.) over the top of the beef and veggie mixture.  Put the dish in the oven for about 15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and the veggies are just getting browned.

Serve with some garlic toast or a fresh salad.  Add a dollop of sour cream on top, if that's something you like.