BEEF AND VEGETABLE CASSEROLE
Inspired By: Beef and Vegetable Casserole from “The Complete Lowfat Cookbook”

Ingredients:

1 lb. Lean round steak
cooking spray
1 onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp. PureSpice ® Ground cumin
1 tsp. PureSpice ® Thyme leaves
2 PureSpice ® bay leaves
13 oz can chopped tomatoes
1 lb potatoes, chopped
2 lg. Carrots, sliced
4 zucchini, sliced
8 oz. Mushrooms, halved
8 oz. Yellow squash, halved
2 Tbsp. PureSpice ® tomato sprinkles
½ cup red wine
1/3 Tbsp chopped parsley

1. Preheat oven to 350. Remove excess fat from meat. Cut meat into 2 in. cubes. Spray a deep, non-stick frying pan with oil and fry the meat in batches until brown. Remove from pan. Spray pan again, add onion and cook until lightly golden. Add the garlic, cumin and Thyme and bay leaves and stir for 1 minute.
2. Return the meat and any juices to the pan, tossing to coat with spices. Add 1 ½ cups of water and the tomato, scraping the pan. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until thickened. Mix in a large casserole dish with the vegetables, tomato paste and wine.
3. Bake, covered, for 1 hour. Stir well, then uncover and bake for 20 minutes. Season, remove bay leaves and stir in parsley.


MEDITERRANEAN FISH SOUP
Inspired By: Mediterranean Fish Soup from “The Complete Low-fat Cookbook”

Ingredients:
½ tsp. PureSpice ® Saffron
3 tsp. Oil
2 lg. Onions, thinly sliced
1 leek, white part only, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 PureSpice ® bay leaf, torn
½ tsp. PureSpice ® Marjoram
1 tsp. PureSpice ® Orange Peel Pieces
2 Tbsp dry white wine
1 red pepper, cut into chunks
1 lb. Tomatoes, chopped
½ cup crushed tomatoes
2 cups fish stock
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 tsp. Brown sugar
1 lb. Firm white fish, cut into bite size pieces.
3 Tbsp. PureSpice ® parsley.

1. Soak the Saffron in 2 Tbsp. on boiling water, set aside. Heat the oil in a large pot over low heat. Add the onion, leek, garlic, bay leaf and Marjoram. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until the onion is soft. Add the rind, wine, capsicum and tomato. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
2. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, stock, tomato paste, sugar and Saffron, with liquid. Bring to boil and simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes.
3. Add the fish to the soup, cover and cook for 8 minutes. Season and add parsley.