Deli is your friend for a quick meal
Busy time? Tasty deli lean roast beef, washed, ready-to-eat salad, reduced-fat dressing and canned premium small white beans make preparing this dinner a breeze.
Make this quick dinner with the help of the deli department. Roast beef, shiitake mushrooms and fresh thyme make a modern version of hash. It takes only 20 minutes to make. The hash keeps well. Make double if you have time.
Helpful hints:
• Ask deli to cut roast beef in thick slices. It will be easier to make cubes this way.
• Any type of canned beans can be used in the salad.
• I prefer using fresh herbs, but dried will work well in the recipe. Make sure the bottle is less than six months old.
Countdown:
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees to warm bread. • Make hash. • While hash cooks, make salad.
Shopping List:
To buy: ½ pound red potatoes,
¼ pound shiitake mushrooms,
1 bag washed, ready-to-eat mixed salad,
1 red onion, 1 small bunch fresh thyme or jar of dried thyme,
1 small package pine nuts, ¾ pound lean deli roast beef, 1 can sweet pimentos,
1 container no-salt-added chicken broth and 1 small can navy beans.
Staples: olive oil, flour, reducedfat oil and vinegar dressing, salt and black peppercorns.
ROAST BEEF HASH Yield: 2 servings INGREDIENTS:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1⁄2 pound red potatoes, washed, unpeeled and cut into
1⁄2-inch cubes
1 cup sliced red onion
1⁄4 pound shiitake mushrooms, diced (about 2 cups)
2 tablespoons pine nuts
3⁄4 pound lean roast beef, cut into
1-inch cubes
1 cup canned sweet pimento, drained and sliced 1tablespoon fresh thyme or
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons flour 1cup fat free, no-salt-added chicken broth Salt and freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS:
Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over high heat. Add potatoes. Saute 5minutes, tossing potatoes to turn them. Add onion and mushrooms and saute 10 minutes. Toss after 5minutes. Add pine nuts, roast beef, pimentos and thyme and toss for 2minutes. Push ingredients to the sides of the skillet leaving a hole in the center. Add the flour and then broth and stir until sauce thickens. Toss with the ingredients. The sauce will lightly bind the hash together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove thyme sprigs and serve. Per serving: 535calories (30% from fat), 17.8g fat (4.3g saturated, 7 g monounsaturated), 134 mg cholesterol, 56.8 g protein, 38.3 g carbohydrates, 6.3 g fiber, 190 mg sodium.
WHITE BEAN AND GREEN SALAD
Yield: 2 servings. INGREDIENTS: 1⁄2 bag washed, ready-to-eat mixed salad 1⁄2 cup canned, reducedsodium navy beans, rinsed and drained 2tablespoons reduced-fat oil and vinegar salad dressing Salt and freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS:
Toss salad and beans with dressing and add salt and pepper to taste. Per serving: 101calories (14% from fat), 1.5g fat (0.2g saturated, 0.4 g monounsaturated), 1 mg cholesterol, 6.2 g protein, 17.2 g carbohydrates, 5.4 g fiber, 17 mg sodium.
— Recipes by Linda Gassenheimer