Get It Ground!

Many of my clients depend on me to create healthy meals that will help them lose or maintain weight. To do this, I choose very lean cuts of meat. For my weight loss clients, I try to use 95%-96% lean ground beef in recipes calling for ground beef. My local grocer usually stocks 80%, 90%, and sometimes 93% lean. The leaner the ground beef, the higher the price. In this week's sale ads, ground beef prices ran from $3/pound for 80% to $5.79/lb for 93%. In fact, you can sometimes find a brand name of very lean (96%) ground beef in the meat case for nearly $7 per pound.

In these same sale ads, ultra lean boneless roasts (top & bottom round, shoulder) at approximately 95% lean, were on sale for $1.88/pound. Why not grind these? I asked the meat manager if he would please grind these lean roasts for me and he happily obliged. I ended up paying $22.50 for 12 pounds of 95% lean ground beef, rather than $69.50 for 12 pounds of 93% lean ground beef that was in the case - more than 3 times more expensive!
This also works for other types of proteins (chicken, turkey, pork). Unfortunately, most meat counters will not grind anything but beef, due to the possibility of cross-contamination. For these cases, I have purchased a meat grinding attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer.

With this freshly ground beef, I have Salisbury Steak w/Rich Brown Gravy and Muscle-Packing Meatloaf on the menu for this week. Both recipes are from my latest favorite cookbook, The Most Decadent Diet Ever! by Devin Alexander.


Salisbury Steak With Rich Brown Gravy
4 servings

Ingredients:
1/3 cup egg substitute
1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons onion soup mix
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound 96% lean ground beef
3 tablespoons, unbleached all-purpose flour, divided
1 cup fat free, lower sodium beef broth
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
olive oil spray
1 onion, sliced and separated into rings (about 3-1/2 cups)

Combine the egg substitute and oats in a medium mixing bowl. Let stand for 3 minutes to soften the oats. Add the onion soup mix, minced onion, garlic powder, pepper, and beef. Mix until well combined, and then shape into 4 oval patties about 1 inch thick, 3 inches wide, and 4-1/2 inches long.

Put 2 tablespoons of the flour in a medium shallow bowl. Dip the patties in the flour to coat them on all sides. Shake off any excess.

Put the remaining flour in a medium mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in enough broth to form a paste. Then slowly whisk in the remaining broth, then the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce until well combined. Set aside.

Preheat a large nonstick skillet to medium-high heat. When the skilet is hot, lightly mist it with olive oil spray. Put the patties in the skillet, side by side. Brown on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side.

Pour the broth mixture into the skillet. Add the onion rings to the skillet and use a wooden spoon to stir them gently into the broth mixture, being careful not to break the patties. Bring the liquid to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes, flipping the patties once, halfway through.

Transfer the patties to a platter. Spoon the onions and gravy over the patties. Serve immediately.

Each serving (1 pattie with 1/4 of the gravy and onions) has: 205 calories, 26 g protein, 13 g carbohydrates, 5 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 60 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 573 mg sodium



Muscle-Packing Meatloaf
4 servings

Ingredients:

olive oil spray
2/3 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup fat free milk
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1-1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup minced carrots
1/3 cup minced whole green onion
1/4 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley
1-2 tablespoons seeded, minced red jalapeno pepper, to taste
1-2 tablespoons seeded minced green jalapeno pepper, to taste
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound 96 percent lean ground beef
1/3 cup ketchup

Preheat the oven 350 degrees. Spray a standard (8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2 inch) non-stick loaf pan with spray.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the milk and the oats. Let them sit for 3 minutes or until the oats are softened. Add the egg whites followed by the Worcestershire, carrots, green onion, parsley, red and green jalapenos, garlic and salt. Mix them well.

Add the beef and mix them until well combined. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and spread it so that the top is flat. Spread the ketchup evenly over the top. Bake the meatloaf for 30 minutes or until it is no longer pink inside. Remove it from the oven and let it sit 10 minutes. Slice it into 8 slices and serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Each 2-slice serving has: 239 calories, 27 g protein, 20 g carbohydrates, 6 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 61 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 694 mg sodium