"Drip Beef" and Asian Noodle Salad

Have I mentioned that I love the Pioneer Woman blog? She makes me laugh and although most of her recipes contain way too much butter and/or heavy cream for my tastes, sometimes she posts one that is right up my alley. If you haven't ever been to her website, you should definitely check in out: The Pioneer Woman. Both of the recipes we are going to talk about today are from her site (and so are the pictures because I have been a camera slacker).

1. Today she posted two recipes for "Drip Beef" (aka French Dips), which is one of my all time favorite meals...which you would know if you read this post. Don't get me wrong, I love my random recipe creation of slow cooker beef with wine, beer and bouillon (I mean really - a recipe that incorporates wine and beer?! How can you go wrong???), but I saw these two new recipes and they caught my attention. Especially the Italian one. I loooooove pepperoncini peppers!

PW's Drip Beef

Ingredients

• 1 whole Beef Chuck Roast, 2.5 To 4 Pounds
• 1 can Beef Consomme Or Beef Broth
• 3 Tablespoons (heaping) Italian Seasoning
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ¼ cups Water
• ½ jars (16 Oz) Pepperoncini Peppers, With Juice
• Buttered, Toasted Deli Rolls

Preparation Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a heavy pot or dutch oven. Stir lightly to combine seasoning with the liquid.

Cover and bake in a 275 degree oven* for 5 to 6 hours, or until meat is fork-tender and falling apart.

Remove from oven. With two forks, completely shred all meat, leaving no large chunks behind. Serve immediately, or keep warm over a simmer on the stove.

May make the day before, then store in the refrigerator. Remove the hardened fat from the top before reheating.

Serve on buttered, toasted rolls. Top with cheese and melt under the broiler if desired. Serve with juices from the pot.

OMG - YUM!!!

I must try this recipe soon.

2. Last night Tara and I made PW's Asian Noodle Salad. It is one of the lighter recipes on her site, and if you need a dose of vitamin packed veggies, this is the salad for you. It is really easy to make - but it requires a lot of chopping. And, it makes about 50,000 servings - so invite friends over if you are going to make this. We didn't do that part and now we have Asian Noodle Salad coming out our asses. But - it's delicious and decidedly different. Here is the recipe below...with very few of my alterations!

Ingredients

• SALAD INGREDIENTS:
• 1 package Linguine Noodles, Cooked, Rinsed, And Cooled I used whole wheat linguine
• ½ heads Sliced Napa Cabbage, Or More To Taste
• ½ heads Sliced Purple Cabbage, Or More To Taste
• ½ bags Baby Spinach, Or More To Taste
• 1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin We used half of each bell pepper
• 1 whole Yellow Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin
• 1 whole Orange Bell Pepper, Thinly Sliced
• 1 bag Bean Sprouts (also Called Mung Bean Sprouts)
• Chopped Cilantro, Up To 1 Bunch, To Taste
• 3 whole Scallions, Sliced
• 3 whole Cucumbers Peeled And Sliced We used two
• 1 can (about 10 Oz.) Whole Cashews, Lightly Toasted In Skillet
• _____
• FOR THE DRESSING:
• 1 whole Lime, Juiced I added extra lime juice
• 8 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 8 Tablespoons Soy Sauce I added a couple more Tablespoons when I saw how much salad we had
• 2 Tablespoons (up To 3 Tablespoons) Sesame Oil
• ⅓ cups Brown Sugar I added an extra tablespoon
• 3 Tablespoons Fresh Ginger Chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic Chopped
• 2 whole Hot Peppers Or Jalapeno's, Chopped
• Chopped Cilantro We left this out so that the dressing would keep longer, and just added extra cilantro to the salad

Preparation Instructions

Mix salad ingredients together. Whisk dressing ingredients together and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve on a platter. You can mix it up and use whatever veggies you want - or use more/less of each veggie depending on your tastes.

Note: dressing keeps for up to three days before serving, without cilantro.

Printable Recipe