Ingredients

• 1/2 lb lean beef, cut into cubes for stew
• 2 15.5 oz cans chickpeas (also called Garbanzo beans), washed
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped finely or crushed in a food processor
• 2 medium tomato, finely chopped or crushed
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup warm water
• salt, curry powder to taste

Method

Wash the beef cubes, remove excess water and cook it covered in a saucepan on low heat. It will turn soft and you should be able to easily cut it in small bite size pieces with a fork or knife. Add onions and olive oil in another saucepan and saute slowly for 2-3 minutes at medium heat. Add tomato, tomato paste, salt and curry powder, mix and saute slowly for another 2-3 minutes. Add cooked beef, chickpeas and water, cover and let it simmer for another 30 minutes or until chickpeas turn soft.  Serve with basmati rice or a slice of whole grain bread.

©2010 Littlestomaks.com

We made this recipe with a ready-to-cook  Patak’s Jalfrezi Curry Cooking Sauce, which we  got from our local Indian grocery store. It is a mixture of green pepper, red pepper, coconut, sugar, onion powder, tomato puree and various spices. If you like the flavor of Indian curry, it is a great option for a quick meal. Good thing is that it is not too hot and you can use it with chicken or vegetables as well.

Ingredients

1. 1 lb lean beef, cut into cubes for stew
2. 1 small onion, finely chopped or crushed in a food processor
3. 1 15 oz. bottle of Patak’s Jalfrezi Curry Cooking sauce
4. 1-2 small red potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
5. A few baby carrots cut into small pieces
6. Chopped parsley or cilantro

Method

Wash the beef cubes, remove excess water and cook it covered in a small saucepan on low heat for about 45 minutes. It will turn soft and you should be able to easily cut it in small bite size pieces with a fork or knife. Add onions and olive oil in another saucepan and saute slowly for 3 – 5 minutes at medium heat. Add potatoes and carrots, mix and saute slowly for another 3-5 minutes. Add a full bottle of Patak’s Jalfrezi curry sauce and mix well. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until softened. Add cooked beef cubes and mix well. Cover and let it simmer on low heat for 10 minutes to desired consistency.

About Patak’s Jalfrezi Sauce

Ingredients: Water, green pepper, red pepper, creamed coconut, sugar, onion powder, tomato puree, spices, canola oil, dessicated coconut, dried onion, corn starch, garlic, salt, vinegar, cilantro, roasted cumin, paprika extract color, cumin seeds, turmeric, paprika

Allergy advice: contains coconut and may have traces of peanuts or other tree nuts

Check out these links for availability online:

Indiablend.com
Amazon.com

©2009 Littlestomaks.com

Let us admit it – we love our hamburgers! No barbecue party is complete without grilling burgers, the smoke filling the air as you enjoy a couple of beers with friends gathered around the grill. McDonald’s serves millions of hamburgers each day. And if you include other fast food outlets and restaurants, the total number would probably reach tens of millions every day. If we had one, you could say the hamburger has become our national food!

When we eat a hamburger, getting sick is probably the last thing on our mind. It is cheap, readily available and tastes good. Yet, 8000 people have become sick by eating contaminated beef in 16 E. coli outbreaks in the last 3 years. The number may seem small given the very large amount of ground beef produced and consumed in the United States. But what if you or your child is the one getting sick next time. What if it makes you so sick that you have to be put into a coma and when you come out of it, you cannot even walk because you are paralyzed from the waist down. Shocking, I know, but that is what happened to 22 year old Stephanie Smith according to a recent New York Times story.

What is inside that packet of ground beef or ready-to-cook beef patties that can make you so sick?And how come we cannot test for the nasty E. coli bacteria so the contaminated meat does not reach the store shelves?

Ground beef is made from a lot of different cow parts and trimmings from a lot of different cows. In her book Safe Food, Marion Nestle cites a study which says that 1 pound of ground beef can contain meat from more than 400 cattle! The New York Times article E. Coli Path Shows Flaws in Beef Inspection describes in detail how different raw materials from far flung slaughterhouses end up at a meat processor’s plant, usually without any testing. The final product is supposed to be tested for contamination, but there is no guarantee that everything will be tested before shipping out. Usually it is too late before contamination is detected. Although there is a product recall to protect customers, some do end up getting sick. And then it is not possible to trace the source of contamination because of too many different ingredients from too many different suppliers.

Clearly, the system is broken and something needs to be done. But no one has any smart ideas for a real fix. Not a surprise that most people are looking up to the Government. I hope you are not going to wait around for that to happen anytime soon!

Here are a few things you can do to safeguard your family’s health:

• Buy from a reliable store with high safety standards. Costco is taking several steps to ensure that the ingredients are tested before meat is ground.
• Ask the store manager about their safety record, sanitation and hygiene practices. Ask if they do any testing within the store.
• Do not buy ready-to-eat frozen patties. Go for the freshly ground beef packaged at the store. Check the expiration date to get an idea of how long the meat has been sitting in the store.
• Follow safe handling procedures. Cook thoroughly to ensure the inside temperature reaches 165 ºF measured by a meat thermometer. A word of caution – a recent NYT video Hamburger Confidential shows that these instructions are not sufficient to completely remove the risk of contamination.

But I think the best tip is what I tried this week after reading about it somewhere:

• Select your favorite beef cut and ask the meat department to grind it for you. I tried this at our local Publix, and they were happy to do it. This way, you will know exactly what is going inside your ground beef.
• You can also buy a meat grinder and do at yourself at home! We have not done it yet – but I read about it in Matthew Amster-Burton’s book Hungry Monkey – could be a lot of fun operating it with your toddler!

I will not say that you should stop eating red meat because it is not very healthy and it is known to increase the risk of cancer. Moderation is the key; after all there is no reason to give up enjoying a juicy burger once in a while. But when it comes to food safety, all it takes is just one incident to make your life miserable.

I would love to hear your ideas and tips for keeping ground beef safe.

©2009 Littlestomaks.com
Photo source: rick on Flickr via everystockphoto

We are vacationing in Disney World this week with our twins! Hope you all are having a great week so far. Here are 5 of our most popular toddler-friendly simple recipes from the archives. Try them out and let us know what you think. And of course, if you have a recipe of your own you would like to share with us, please do not hesitate to drop a comment.

1. Chicken with Quinoa
2. Ground Beef with Zucchini
3. Red Kidney Beans with Olive Oil
4. Protein Smoothie
5. Leeks with Olive Oil

Photo Source: gadjoboy on Flickr via everystockphoto
©2009 Littlestomaks.com

8 toddler servings, 4 adult servings

Ingredients

1. 1 lb lean ground beef
2. 1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
3. 1/4 cup cilantro or parsley, finely chopped
4. 1 clove garlic, crushed
5. 1 egg
6. 1/2 cup bread crumbs or a few slices of stale (not dried) bread
7. 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
8. salt, pepper to taste
9. 1 tsp cumin, optional
10. 1 lb bag frozen fries, any of the popular or store brands

Method

In a large bowl crumble the beef. Add bread crumbs, egg, chopped cilantro, garlic and onions. Mix well with hands for a fine, smooth texture. Add more bread crumbs if needed to get the desired consistency for rolling the mixture into small patties. Add salt, pepper and cumin and mix well. Shape hamburger mixture into small 1-2 inch round patties – you will likely get about 8-10 patties from 1 lb of beef mix.

Lightly coat a non-stick baking tray with olive oil and arrange the hamburger patties in rows. Preheat oven to 400 °F and cook for 20-25 minutes, turning the hamburger patties over half way. Once cooked, take out of the oven and set aside.

Follow instructions on the bag for baking potato fries. We typically cook at 450 °F for about 10 minutes.

Serve hamburgers and fries together. Ketchup, mustard and buns optional! We usually serve them with fresh basmati rice and plain yogurt.

©2009 Littlestomaks.com

4 adult servings, 8 toddler servings

The inspiration for this recipe came from the March 2009 issue of Family Fun magazine. We tried it over the weekend with minor changes.

Ingredients

1. 1 lb lean ground beef
2. 3 medium size zucchini, peeled cut into small pieces
3. 2 medium ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
4. 3/4 cup diced red or green bell pepper
5. 1 medium onion, finely chopped
6. 2 cloves garlic, minced
7. 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
8. 3 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
9. 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
10. 1/2 tsp curry powder
11. 2 tbsp tomato paste
12. Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Saute onions in a large frying pan over medium heat until golden brown. Stir in the garlic and saute a few more minutes. Add the meat, curry powder, salt and pepper to the mix and continue to saute until the meat loses its pink color, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini, red (or green) pepper, tomatoes, tomato paste and corn kernels. Cook covered on low heat for another 10 – 15 minutes. Stir in cilantro and remove from heat and let it sit covered for another 5 minutes. Serve over Basmati rice or angel hair pasta.

6-8 toddler servings, 4 adult servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb lean beef, cut into cubes for stew
• 5 small red potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
• 5 baby carrots
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped finely or crushed in a food processor
• 1 medium tomato, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 cups warm water
• salt, black pepper to taste

Method

Wash the beef cubes, remove excess water and cook it covered in a small saucepan on low-medium heat for about 30 minutes. It will turn soft and you should be able to easily cut it in small bite size pieces with a fork or knife. Add onions and olive oil in another saucepan and saute slowly for 3 – 5 minutes at medium heat. Add potatoes, carrots, tomato, tomato paste, salt and pepper, mix and saute slowly for another 3-5 minutes. Stir in 2 cups of warm water, cover and cook on low heat until potatoes and carrots are soft, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle chopped parsley, cover and let it simmer for another 5 minutes. Serve with Basmati rice or a slice of whole grain bread.