Every Month is Beef Month: Quick Beef & Salsa Skillet

Every month is beef month at our house. But it's Beef Month with capital letters in May. Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer said so!

I don't need a reason to serve beef. I have a freezer full of it. But I sometimes do need a reason to try a new recipe. Even though I enjoy cooking and baking, it seems I get stuck making the same old, same old when the clock has flown too quickly toward noon and its obligatory meal.

Don't get me wrong: Those old tried-and-true recipes are tasty. They are quick. But sometimes you just need to change it up. This Quick Beef and Salsa Skillet fits those tasty and quick criterion, too. Plus, the ingredients were ones I had on hand in my pantry.

Randy and I are proud to be part of the cattle industry in Kansas. With more than 6.3 million cattle on ranches and in feedyards in the state, Kansas ranks third in the country in beef production. Yes, there are more than twice the number of cattle as people in Kansas!

Kansas has approximately 46 million acres of farm ground. However, not all of this land can be used to grow crops. Grazing cattle utilize grasses and plants growing on more than 15.5 million acres of Kansas pasture and rangeland, which would be wasted if not for ruminants like cattle that can turn those resources into essential protein and nutrients for humans.  Kansas also ranks second in fed cattle marketed, with 4.94 million in 2017. Beef cattle and calves represented 50.8 percent of the 2016 Kansas agricultural cash receipts.  

The product they help bring to market is one that contributes substantially to the human diet. Beef provides 10 essential nutrients, including zinc, iron, protein and B vitamins.

This Quick Beef and Salsa Skillet is just another way to put some of those nutrients on your plate.  Making it all in one skillet saves clean-up time, too -- a bonus in my book!

If you enjoy Mexican flavors, I think you'll like it, too. Team it with a tossed green salad, and you've got dinner. If you try it, let me know what you and your family think!

Quick Beef & Salsa Skillet

1 pound ground beef
1 16-oz. jar thick and chunky salsa - as hot or mild as you wish
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 11-oz. can fiesta corn, undrained
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
2 tsp. chili powder (divided)
1 1/2 cups biscuit mix
1/2 cup milk
2/3 cup shredded cheese

Brown beef in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat; drain fat. Stir in salsa, beans, corn, tomato sauce and 1 teaspoon chili powder. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low.

Stir biscuit mix, remaining 1 teaspoon of chili powder and the milk together until a soft dough forms. Drop by 6 spoonfuls onto simmering beef mixture.

Cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Cover and cook 8 minutes longer. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and cook about 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

For more beef recipes, check out the Kansas Beef Council's website.

Mexican Chorizo Skillet

Served with fresh garden tomatoes and sweet corn from Baldwin Farms

If you're a regular reader, you know I'm boycotting Chipotle. (See my Five Words to Ruin a Date with a Farmer post.) Even my 3-year-old granddaughter has to choose an alternative to the "rice and beans place" if we're paying for the meal.

So, I will just beat them at their own game. My version will be less expensive, and it won't offend me or my other farmer friends.

Jill tried this Mexican Chorizo Skillet and emailed the link to me and to Brent. She told us it was from her favorite blog. I was just a little offended. But I like Iowa Girl Eats, too, so I let it slide. Well, sort of: I did email her back and say, "Your FAVORITE blog???!!!"

After we got that straight, I did give it a try. I've never used chorizo before, so I wasn't sure whether it would be too spicy for us. Somehow, our kids have more adventurous palates when it comes to the spice factor.

But the rice and beans smoothed out the spicy meat mixture. Randy rolled up the mixture in a flour tortilla. I topped a dinner-sized salad with the meat mixture. Recipe success! Take that, Chipotle!

Mexican Chorizo Skillet

(with Sweet Potatoes, Rice and Black Beans)

Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

1/2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 small sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup chopped onion
6 oz. Mexican pork chorizo
1/2 cup black beans
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup salsa verde
1/2 cup long grain white rice
Add-ons:  Chopped cilantro, guacamole, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, salsa, ranch dressing, tortilla strips or chips, etc.

Put olive oil in a large skillet and meat to medium. Add chopped sweet potatoes and onions; saute for 4 to 5 minutes or until potatoes are just beginning to turn tender. Add chorizo, then turn heat up slightly. Saute until cooked through, breaking up the chorizo as it cooks.

Add black beans, chicken broth and salsa verde to the skillet. Turn heat up to bring to a boil. Add rice; stir to combine. Place a lid on top, turn heat down, and simmer until rice is tender, 15 to 18 minutes, adding more chicken broth at the end, if needed (I didn't need to).

Serving optons:

• Sprinkle with any of the add-ins. Serve as is - with a fork or use chips as your eating utensils.
• Put mixture in a flour or corn tortilla and roll up for a soft taco. Top with desired add-ons.  
• Make a dinner-sized romaine salad with fresh tomatoes and other veggies. Top with about 1/2 cup of the meat mixture and any of the other add-ins. Drizzle with salsa and ranch dressing and enjoy! (Not pictured)

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An update on my internet saga: I finally got a phone call from a service technician Wednesday, after a full week of not having internet access at home. And he isn't coming until August 12. Let's hope he loads the truck with all possible tools/repairs/equipment needed, since he'll be coming from Wichita. And, at that point, I will have been without internet for 2 weeks. I wish I had more options! I am thankful to my parents, the church and the Hutchinson Public Library for helping connect me to the web, but it sure isn't as convenient as my house!