Foodie Favs: Curry Beef with Peas and Teriyaki Sweet Potatoes

I know, I know, curry and teriyaki don't necessarily go together (well, it depends on who you ask), but I am a huge fan of bold flavors. I think that's why I like condiments so much. Sweet, sour, savory, spicy, you name it, I love it.

I have been trying to eat healthier - especially having less processed foods. 

Both of these recipes come from one of my absolute favorite recipe websites: www.budgetbytes.com. So many flavorful recipes for all budgets.

Curry Beef With Peas:

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 2 inches fresh ginger
• 1½ Tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• a pinch crushed red pepper (optional)
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 medium potato
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 tsp flour
• ½ lb. frozen peas
• to taste salt

Instructions

1. Mince the garlic, peel and grate the ginger. Use a vegetable peeler or scrape with a spoon to remove the peel of the ginger. Cook both with vegetable oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until softened.
2. Add the curry powder, turmeric, and red pepper flakes. Stir and cook for about 1-2 minutes more. Add the beef and continue to cook until fully browned.
3. While the beef is cooking, peel the potato and then cut into small cubes. Once the beef is fully cooked, add the cubed potatoes, beef broth, and flour. Allow the whole skillet to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes have softened and most of the moisture has evaporated off (about 15 minutes). If it gets too dry before the potatoes have finished cooking, simply add a little bit more water and continue cooking.
4. Once the potatoes are tender, stir in the frozen peas and heat through. Give it a taste and adjust the salt to your liking. Serve over rice or with naan bread.

The only alteration I made to this recipe was using powdered ginger as I didn't have any fresh on hand. Worked just as well!

Teriyaki Sweet Potatoes:

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs. sweet potatoes
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 oz. sesame seeds

1. Wash, peel and cube your sweet potatoes.

2. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray and put all of your sweet potato chunks in it. In a separate bowl, mix the sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic, and soy sauce together until as much as the sugar is dissolved as possible.

3. Pour the sauce over the sweet potato chunks and stir to coat all sides. Cover the dish with foil (or a cover if it has one) and place in the oven for 20 minutes.
4. After 20 minutes, stir the mixture and place back in the oven without a cover. Stir every ten minutes after this point, cooking for 30 minutes more total. I added the sesame seeds at the last stir (with ten minutes left to cook).

The only modification to this recipe I made were leaving out the sesame seeds, just because I didn't have any. I bet they would be really good, though.