Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients
500g Steak (cut into strips)
1 Tablespoon Margarine
3 Shallots (chopped)
250g Mushrooms (sliced)
250ml Beef Stock
1 Tablespoon Tomato Purée
1 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 Teaspoon Mustard Powder
150g Low Fat Natural Yoghurt
A Splash of Oil
Salt and Pepper

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Frying Pan
1 Large Mixing Bowl
1 Fork

The Good Bit

1. Heat a dash of oil in a frying pan and cook the strips of steak until they are evenly browned all over, remove and set aside. Now melt the butter in the frying pan and add the shallots and cook until they start to soften (2 minutes or so) then add the mushrooms and cook until all the juice from the mushrooms has gone (a good 8 minutes)
2. In the mixing bowl, mix together what's left apart from the yoghurt, pour into the frying pan and add in the steak strips, bring to a simmer and leave for 12 minutes, turn down the heat to a very low setting then add in the yoghurt, stirring all the time (you may want to leave this step for a couple of minutes until the pan is cooler so you don't risk curdling the yoghurt) once the meal is warm throughout season and serve.
   

Serves 4

Burgers With a MediterranianTwist

Ingredients
500g Minced Beef (or Turkey for a healthier option)
8 Sun dried Tomatoes (most stores sell these near the tomato purée, which you can use instead)
2 Tablespoons Pine Nuts
2 Tablespoons Each Chopped Basil and Parsley
1 Small Red Onion
Salt and Pepper
Splash of Olive Oil

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Bowl
1 Griddle/Frying Pan (or BBQ if the weather is good)

The Good Bit

1. Heat the oil in the frying pan (Don't use any in the griddle)
2. Chop the onion and tomatoes up as fine as you can along with the basil and parsley and crush the pine nuts (you can char these first if you like for extra flavour in a hot pan with no oil)
3. Mix all your ingredients together in the bowl with plenty of salt and pepper (if using tomato purée instead of sun dried, and a tablespoon full) mix well then with wet hands gather the mixture together and separate out into even balls and pat down to a burger shape (between 4 and 8 burgers, depending on how thick you like them!)
4. Fry in your pan turning once, once the under side is looking well done (brown for both mince and turkey) If BBQ 5-6 minutes each side (again dependant on thickness)
5. Serve however you like, buns, salad, chips (try not to reach for the red or brown sauce till you have tasted the burger)
   

Serves 4

Lasagne

Ingredients
100g Minced Beef
1 Large Onion (finely diced)
1 Pepper (finely diced)
100g Button Mushrooms (quartered)
Tomato Purée
8 Lasagne Sheets
1 Jar Red Sauce
1 Jar White Sauce
100g Grated Cheddar (or parmesan)
A Splash of Olive Oil
Chips, Salad Leaves or Garlic Bread to Serve

Equipment
1 Deep Square Oven Proof Dish
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Frying Pan/Wok
1 Spatula
1 Big Spoon
1 Dessert Spoon

The Good Bit

1. Preheat your oven to 210c, heat the oil in the pan and fry the onion and pepper until the onion is soft and beginning to go golden, add the meat and cook until brown, add the red sauce and muchrooms along with a good squeeze of tomato purée and simmer for a couple of minutes.
2. In your oven proof dish, lay 2 slices of lasagne next to each other (remembering which way they point) then spoon over 1/3rd of your meat mixture with the big spoon, and 1/4 of the white sauce with the dessert spoon.
   
3. Add your next 2 sheets of lasagne in the same direction (make sure all sheets go in the same direction, Makes it easier to cut into 1/4rs later) and follow the same measurements of mince and white sauce, then repeat a third time. You should still have 2 sheets left which you need to place on top, the last 1/4 of white sauce then sprinkle over the grated cheese and place in the oven for 30-40mins (you can even sprinkle paprika on here at this stage to add a bit of kick to this meal.
   
4. Cut into 1/4rs serve with whatever takes your fancy, garlic bread (insert peter kay garlic bread joke here) or chips, hell even salad leaves and tomatoes for the healthy option.

Serves 4 or 2 if you serve on its own.