This particular recipe is man-food, in fact I almost didn’t post it because I only thought it was okay. However, I watched my husband eat two portions and proceed to stir all the gravy into his quinoa. He was was outraged as he really loved the strong meat heavy umami notes in it, and so here it is. I suspect it will appeal to your men-folk as well.

To me, people who don’t find pasta comforting are like people who forget to eat – total mysteries. So even when I am trying to eat healthier I still enjoy regular big bowls of pasta.

In this particular spaghetti recipe I have upped the nutrition by substituting whole grains in the noodles, grass fed beef for regular, and Greek yogourt for cream, along with heaping amounts of kale and mushrooms. Did you know that grass fed beef has more omega-3′s, and less fat than grain fed? Just saying.

You will also need to take the time to seperate the fat from the stew. Because this isn’t a lean meat you do want to take the time to do this or your pasta will be greasy. If you are organized make the short rib recipe the day before you want to eat it, this will allow you enough time to cool your stew broth in the fridge overnight, which makes skimming the fat off very easy.

In the North of Vietnam I found a lot of dishes which were fragrant with the reedy scent of lemongrass. When we were in Halong Bay every meal was 6-7 courses of seafood, and every second course seemed to have lemongrass in it. I knew that on my return to Vancouver lemongrass would need to be a more regular staple in my pantry, here is the first – a grilled lemongrass steak recipe.

The marinade for this grilled flank steak is very much inspired by Bun Thit Noung, or Vietnamese grilled pork. However, usually with this recipe you use a strong and very sweet dark soy sauce to create a thick caramelization on the meat which I decided might over power the flavour of the steak.

This combination of the charred beef and the grilled soft eggplant has wonderful contrasting textures and flavours when wrapped into pita bread. Not a fan of pita? Try serving some of those amazing Greek potatoes alongside instead. You can prepare most of this ahead of time and just leave the meat grilling until you are ready to eat. Perfect for a party, or trying to time your dinner between periods of hockey.

The key ingredients here are the anise, ginger, cloves and cardamom. Don’t skip the step of charring the onion and ginger as they become nice and mellow that way. If you can’t find beef shank then any beef stew cut will do, I like the shank because of the marrow and gelatin you get from the bones. If you don’t serve the shank on the bone, scoop out the marrow and spread it on a bit of bread, it’s delicious. Just trust me on this one.

Tostadas are like little Mexican pizzas, messy, fun to eat, and endlessly adaptable. This beef tostada recipe is all about the marinade on the flank steak. To celebrate the season of citrus, mix together this spicy orange and chipotle sauce — would be great on chicken too.

If you actually look at the calorie count of this recipe you will be pleasantly surprised, compared to pizza this is actually quite healthy — especially if you avoid frying the tortillas. Plus, if you have leftovers you can make a killer taco salad.

My weakness for all things sweet and spicy is a subject of some mockery around my house. Admittedly, it can be extreme. Such cravings are why you can find me raiding my fridge and creating strange combinations like spoonfuls of chocolate gelato dipped into leftover Thai green curry. Don’t laugh it really happens.

This recipe is one part sweet and spicy love, one part leftover steak, and a dash of impulsively bought pineapple from costco. All together the result is an easy chipotle beef enchilada recipe with pineapple and spinach. A quick dinner recipe for a regular old weeknight.

Quick! Make that steak a little more interesting! You know how the perfect lipstick can make a beautiful woman feel amazing? Well, this quick blue cheese compound butter will make your everyday steak and potatoes dinner feel special. No roses or diamond studs needed. Though flowers are always appreciated, just saying.

The beauty of a compound butter is that they can usually be whipped up in a matter of minutes and they freeze beautifully. Try forming the butter into a log and wrapping it in saran wrap. You can freeze it and just slice off a little when needed. Throw it on the steak as it rests so that it can melt just slightly. Also excellent on warm bread and asparagus!

Do you spend too much money on take out? You certainly aren’t alone, some nights it is only too easy to call a delivery service to bring takeout right to my maw. Unfortunately, it is generally deep fried and full of MSG. The deep fried is one thing, but in our house MSG frequently means sleepless nights and grumpy people. A perfect reason to make my own healthier take out, in this case a ginger beef recipe.

This ginger beef recipe is all about timing and speed. Prep takes about 15 minutes, including making the marinade and then cooking is really fast. So fast, that if you aren’t careful you can have tough and overcooked beef. The marinating process should help avoid this, but it is also up to you to not cook your meat for too long.

The combination of oil, egg whites, soy or salt and seasonings is a marinade base frequently used for proteins in asian cuisines. It is a process called “velveting” or “silkening” which produces a distinct texture on the tongue which is, well, velvety or silky and smooth. The longer you marinate the more pronounced the affects.