Happy Monday, friends!
Remember this dinner that I showed in one of my WIAW post a couple of weeks ago?
No? Don’t worry – I won’t hold it against you. I will, however, refresh your memory…
Beef rouladen. I don’t eat red meat all that often, but I do include it in my diet every now and again. Why? Well, because it’s a great source of protein, iron, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium, selenium, and B vitamins. Compared to chicken, beef has twice the thiamine and riboflavin, three times the iron, five times the zinc, and seven times the B12. Not bad considering:
- Vitamin B-12 is needed for red blood cell formation. It is vital for the nervous and circulatory systems. Long term deficiency of vitamin B-12 can lead to brain and central nervous system damage. A lack of B12 damages the myelin sheath that surrounds and protect nerves. B12 deficiency can also lead to dementia, loss of memory, anemia, fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite and constipation.
- Zinc in the body contributes to the development of bone tissue, stimulates the growth and division of cells, tissue regeneration, reproductive function and brain development. Zinc is an active agent responsible for triggering 100 internal enzymes that are required to metabolize food and nutrients.
- Magnesium is necessary for the proper functioning of the brain, nervous and cardiovascular systems, bone strength, muscles, kidneys, hormone-secreting glands and the liver. It performs about 300 biochemical functions. Magnesium is a cofactor of many enzymes and enzymatic reactions, including energy metabolism, the synthesis of nucleic acids and protein. Magnesium deficiency can lead to chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes, kidney disease, constipation, heart disease, sleep disorders, irritability, fatigue, hypertension, convulsions in children and an increased risk of cancer.
- Iron is a vital mineral because it is involved in the transportation of oxygen to your cells. It is essential for hemoglobin formation and muscle function. In addition, iron is included in the antioxidant enzymes (catalase and peroxidase), which protect cells from the ravages of oxidation. Your thyroid gland and the central nervous system can not properly work without iron. Iron deficiency causes low immunity levels and anemia. Anemia leads to the reduction in hemoglobin, red blood cells and lymphocytes, which results in weakened immunity and a higher risk of infectious diseases.
[Source] – [Source] – [Source]
Now, I’m not suggesting you start stuffing yourself with steak and bacon on a daily basis, but neither would I suggest discounting it completely. Red meat does have its merits, and if you opt for lean cuts from well-rasied sources, enjoying it in moderation may actually be beneficial to your health. But enough talk of biology and controversy, let’s get to the real meat (har har) of this post – a recipe.
This recipe is special for a few reasons. First, it’s by Grandma, so you know it has to be good. Second, it’s the first savoury recipe that I’ve posted in I-don’t-know-how-long, so you know it has to be good 😉 Third, my mom got all giddy and excited when I asked her to share it with me, which I couldn’t help but smile at.
I hope you enjoy!
[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:3]
Pre-choppped stuffing ingredients.
Coating with mustard and tomato paste.
Layering the stuffing.
The rolling process.
Securing with toothpicks and coating in flour.
Browning the meat.
Simmering in broth.
Enjoy with grains (kasha here) and greens.
. – . – . – .
What’s your take on red meat? Do you eat it?
What’s your favourite recipe by your mom or grandma?
Beef with pickles? Okay I’m pretty sure I would love this! I eat red meat from time to time because as you said, if you buy the right cut, it’s incredibly healthy – and delicious too. I love bean burgers, but sometimes they just don’t cut it when I’m craving a real burger. Also a perfectly rare bison steak? Heavenly.
My favourite recipe of my grandma on my mom’s side is her sugar cookies – she makes them for Christmas every year and I don’t know what her secret is, but they are delicious. And from my dad’s side, my Nana has the most amazing coq au vin recipe!
I don’t eat red meat, but I would totally try this with chicken. I do eat bacon so that would totally go in there! 😉
My grandma (Nonna) used to make the BEST pizza. It’s not your traditional pizza. She didn’t use mozzarella, just fresh tomatoes and sprinkled it with Parmesan. It was lighter but SO good. Cooked just perfectly each time. It can never be replicated. 🙁
While I believe red meat in excess (like basically anything!) can be harmful, I have NO problem eating it on occasion. I love a good steak–and bacon. Yes, always, bacon! The main reason I don’t eat it frequently is due to its environmental footprint; it’s difficult to find sustainably-raised, grass-fed, etc. beef in my area (unless I buy half a cow–and I’d have no clue what to do with all that beef).
This looks fantastic…thanks for sharing!
Oh…and I have to say my favorite recipe by my grandma was her and my Papa’s fried shrimp! Not the healthiest, but for some reason, it always tasted better when they cooked it. 🙂
I do enjoy a little red meat here and then, but I’m more opposed to the harmful environmental effects of methane that come from cows .. methane is a more potent greenhouse gas than CO2 :/ looking forward to the day when lab grown meat becomes widespread! (half-serious ;P)
The environmental impact of raising cattle is absolutely insane – I couldn’t believe it when I heard it. That being said, lab grown meat kind of gives me the skeevies, so I think people should just reduce the amount of it they eat in general.
did I ever tell you that I grew up on a beef farm? True story. 🙂 I have to make this for Luvy!
my mouth is watering over here! Im a huge meat eater, I love all the protein so I love finding new recipes, thanks!
I’m the same that I don’t eat red meat very often, but it has so many great health benefits. Love the look of your recipe.
Okay, so you know I’m vegan with (dairy) benefits but rouladen … I’ll never pretend they weren’t good. I obviously don’t eat them anymore but I’ll agree those by my [or in your case: your] grandma were the best. Even if my mum prepared them following grandma’s recipe they’d come out differently.
Favourite recipe my grandma makes? That’s a tough one. Maybe her very special Christmas cookie with a shortbread crust, a layer of homemade jam, marzipan and icing plus a candied cherry on top. They take ages to prepare but she once even made some specifically for me on my birthday.
This recipe is right up my husband’s alley. Pickles? Check. Red meat? Check! Bacon? Check!!! Looks amazing!
I’m also not a huge fan of red meat, but I’m trying to incorporate it into my diet a little more these days. And this will make that SO easy–it looks amazing! Supah fancy and all 🙂 Thanks for sharing the recipe!
My favorite recipe from my mom is her steamed fish in banana leaves. Soooo delicious. I should post it one day!
You should! Maybe your mom will get all giddy and excited to share like mine did 🙂
we do eat red meat but I don’t buy it- my husband is a big game guide so every year we get moose, caribou and/or deer in our freezer! one year he had an entire trophy sized deer made into jalapeno cheddar stuffed bologna….the butcher was laughing! I am a huge fan of bison- one year he drew a hunting permit & we ended up with bison meat. Amazing!
and my grandmother is a die hard Norweigian so her Leftse is amazing. growing up she would make it at least once a week & we would have it for breakfast & lunch, smothered in butter & brown sugar (its like a potato tortilla cooked on a really hot cast iron skillet) yay for happy childhood foodie memories day 🙂
I’m glad to see red meat getting some love! I’m vegetarian so I don’t eat meat, BUT it kind of drives me crazy when people talk about red meat like it’s the devil. I think any food can be fine in moderation (for me, it’s more about cake and cookies 😉 ). If I wasn’t vegetarian, I would totally be making this. I still might pass it along to my mom as I think she would really enjoy it!
My grandma makes amazing baked mac and cheese! Whenever she visits us or we visit her, it’s always on the top of our to-do list. Oh the memories involved with that dish… 😛
I don’t eat red meat all that much. I do love it though. It’s a treat for me. A good rare steak…mmmm. I like to choose grass-fed but sometimes it’s either out of the budget or I don’t want to make the hr drive to get it. I eat it in moderation and move on… now if I could only do that with gelato!
HOLY SMOKES. That looks outrageously good! Like, I almost just licked my screen ;). Pinning!
Now you know how I felt after seeing the last two desserts you put up 😛
This is torture hahah! I need to get this in my belly asap 😉
That looks absolutely delicious!!!!! I eat red meat from time to time and usually stick with grass-fed ground beef or bison. Bison is a leaner red meat, but it’s a little pricier.
Yum times a million. Thanks so much for sharing – I was hoping you were going to!
I have never actually liked red meat, and now I mostly don’t eat it because of it’s environmental footprint. I don’t like that it is labeled as being super unhealthy though. Sometimes I think I should eat it for the iron, but my treehugger guilt always gets the best of me . However, I think that if people like it and they know where it’s coming from, it’s not so bad to et it in moderation
I eat red meat a few times a month, usually in the form of a burger 🙂 Otherwise, my breakfasts and lunches are generally sweet, based around yogurt. Sometimes I’ll buy some turkey bacon and do that instead. Dinner proteins are typically omelets or poached/fried eggs, but I have fish, chicken or turkey (in pasta sauce or chili) probably twice or three times a week
My mom’s favorite recipes…that’s so tough! I’d have to go with her flank steak with green onions, lamb, Montreal steak on the grill, BROWNIES (OMG THEY”RE THE MOST INCREDIBLE BROWNIES EVER), chocolate pudding cake (for reals), strawberry rhubarb crumble and Brussels sprouts with pancetta. My dad’s best…his Sunday crepes 🙂 mmmmm love some French Canadian goodness with lots of maple syrup (none of that nasty table syrup ick). Seriously though…Canadians have some damn good food. Montreal bagels? Sugar pie? MMMMM
Oh and my grandma? She sadly passed away around 6 years ago…but she was an exceptional cook but made everything with so much love. She made excellent savory food, especially homemade chicken noodle soup, but her real specialty was dessert! I always loved visiting my grandparents’ house (for many reasons, of course) especially because of the fabulous cakes that would always be sitting on counter. My favorite was her lime coconut cake or creme caramel, but my family ADORED her signature chocolate hazelnut (I couldn’t eat it because I’m allergic to hazelnuts) and Nanaimo bars. You could just taste the love in everything she made 🙂
I’m pretty sure it’s the love that makes grandma and mom meals taste so good. No matter how fancy of a restaurant you go to, a homecooked meal will always beat it for that very reason.
i only eat chicken, seafood, and occasional lamb..this rouladen reminds me of chicken roulade i had a long time ago but this version looks way more better, after all its grandma’s recipe 🙂
I used to ban red meat 100% from my diet but now I’m allowing it in every once in a while. Handling raw meat freaks me out (weird?) so I typically order it twice a month when I go out to eat. Every once in a while, I get a huge craving for a burger which I take as a signal from my body that I need iron/protein/vitamins that only red meat have – like today… which means I am treating myself to a big ol’ burger for dinner tonight 🙂 And now, I’ll feel that much better about it with all of the health and nutrition facts you listed above!
I’m the same way when it comes to prepping it – I think I’m afraid that I’ll cook it wrong and end up giving myself food poisoning 😆
Mmmm this looks awesome! I have eaten a lot more red meat since joe has been home haha but that usually means i have it 2 times a month. Sometimes 3 but usually every other week. I enjoy it a lot when we have it, too, since joe is an awesome cook 😛 i will be showing him this one to try out sometime next week or the week after haha..think he’ll be so surprised i mention red meat as an option he won’t think twice about making it 😉
Love all the science info behind the ingredients! ♥ And I’ll def eat red meat… although I don’t crave it as much as I did when I was younger…
But why CAN’T I stuff myself with bacon every day?! LOL! I’m kidding. I buy a couple strips at a time to cook up and add just a bit to meals. It’s so flavorful a little goes a long way!
Love the looks of this dish – especially the mustard!
I went through a phase from 16-20 or 21 where I didn’t eat red meat or pork (combination of a means of reducing calorie intake and watching too many PETA videos for a high school project). I thought I hated most beef and pork products when I was younger, but I’ve since realized that I’m just not a fan of my mom’s inclination to cook all meat to well-done 😉 I am glad that I re-introduced it though, both for the benefits that you mentioned and the fact that I adore a good steak dinner or BLT. I try to do beef once a week or so for the sake of my iron levels.
I’ve basically drooled over this recipe every time you’ve posted it, so I’m so excited that you posted the recipe! And knowing that it has pickles in it…now I’m just extra excited to make it 😉 This looks right up the boyfriend’s alley too, so it’ll make it’s way onto my meal plan the next time I see beef top round on sale!
Favourite dish by my grandma: her lemon meringue pie and mashed sweet potatoes with a crunchy pecan topping. She passed away when I was 7, but even at that age I learned to appreciate those recipes in particular.
Happy Monday love! <3
Gah! Overcooked red meat is an absolute nightmare… even just thinking about it skeeves me out. And can you believe that I never ate sweet potatoes growing up? I think I had my first one at the tender age of 24 when I started experimenting with my diet… My family is really European and I don’t think SPs are big in our culture.
Hey – I have been stocking your blog for like… a week now and I absolutely love it. I am currently recovering from an eating disorder and your progress has helped me a lot. I would love to keep in contact. Check out my blog :)C,
I think anything made by my grandma is fabulous. I love how she barely uses any recipes when shes cooking. She just knows it all in her head or estimates and they come out perfect everytime.
I no longer eat meat since I went vegetarian over a year and a half ago. I was never a huge meat eater but did enjoy a good steak on occasion. My mother and grandmother make a fabulous brisket – if you find brisket fabulous that is. I never cared much for it – I would eat it, ask for more, but never craved it or requested it on my own. Same went for meatloaf – it was good, I would have seconds but never craved it.
Hehe that’s actually kind of how I am with red meat. I’ll eat it when it’s there, but I don’t usually make it for myself (confession: I’m afraid I’ll cook it wrong and give myself food poisoning 😯 )
So, I don’t eat red meat and I haven’t for a long time. My family on the other hand, loves it, so this is definitely something I would cook for them. I think this would be a big hit in our household. Thanks for the recipe!
I wish I liked beef….but I seriously cant handle it! I guess maybe if it was melt in your mouth tender I’d be ok. I just find the whole chew chew chew thing so unappealing! Although I do love a good carne asada! But I suppose that’s because its such a thin slice of meat!
I mentioned it as comment on your WIAW a few weeks ago and I will say it again: I love beef rouladen! I never attempted to make them myself but always ate those my mom made – the only thing that looks different to yours are the mushrooms, she did not use them. But I love your recipe and it doesn’t sound that intimidating: I will try to make a batch soon. Bet that gives me some girlfriend-points 😉 and makes for great leftovers. Do you think I could freeze them?
You definitely could! And if you worry about finishing them on time, just half the recipe.
No, I don’t worry – I love easy reheatable meals to pop out of my freezer.
I’m a huge fan of red meat. I probably eat it a little more than I should, but such is life. 🙂 Nothing will ever beat a well-cooked, high-quality, medium-rare steak. I’ve never had any kind of stuffed red meat though–this looks fantastic! My favorite dad-recipe (because my dad does all of the cooking :P) is…oh geesh. I don’t know if I can pick. It’d be a toss-up between his giant cheesy fluffy-crust pizzas and his apple pancakes. 🙂
Mmm this looks fab, Amanda! I’m (fairly) new to the wonderful world of beef and I haven’t had the pleasure of trying out beef rouladen yet! As we don’t cook beef at home, I might have to invite myself over for dinner- this looks worth the journey ;)! I used to avoid red meat because of the fat content compared to chicken but it’s definitely become a part of my diet every so often! More than the health benefits, I just love the taste especially lamb and beef. Have you ever tried venison? It’s one of the leanest sources of red meat but ridiculously tasty- highly recommend it, especially in burger form!
I never have! But I hear really good things about bison meat, and we have a lot of that here in Alberta, so I might give it a shot.
ohh this sounds yummy! I’m a big fan of red meat, although I tend to keep it to a couple-times-a-month type thing. maayyybe once a week, tops. (and thats usually in the summer when burgers and the like are everywhere) my favorite mom-recipe is her apple pie (cliche, i know) but she makes her own crust and the apples are amazing and its just SO SO good.
Wow this looks amazing! I can’t wait to try this recipe out! I like red meat..not as much as chicken but I do like it; I don’t have it that often though, probably only once ever week/two weeks.
It’s about the same for me, and I find that just the perfect amount 🙂
Ok, YUM! Nothing like drooling over meat before 8am! Thanks lady 🙂 I’m not the biggest red meat fan but occasionally I crave it & give-in because my body is letting me know I need it. Love that this has pickles in it! My grandmother has an amazing lasagna recipe that she’s passed down, to die for. Happy Monday!
Thank you for this! I’ll be honest, I did cut red meat out of my diet because I considered it “bad”. My mom is ALWAYS trying to get me to eat it and I am ALWAYS resistant. But this really does look fantastic! Maybe I will surprise her and actually ask to have it one night, haha. 🙂
A favorite recipe my mom used to make is her Friendship Soup, which is more or less one big vegetable soup, but still, there is something so special about it being called Friendship Soup and in addition, when my mom makes it.
Mmmmm! I remember this from the WIAW because it looked so darn tasty. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Drooling over here – this looks so good. Court and I would LOVE this. Definitely making it when the weather gets cooler and I have more time to cook.
I used to think red meat was “bad” too. Even what I’ve learned in school is based on dated “science” that fat and meat are inflammatory and cause an increase in bad cholesterol, heart disease risk, obesity etc. But it’s not true, and current research has put that myth to bed. We now understand that over consumption of grains, sugar and processed foods are the cause of metabolic destruction. That said, conventional, grain-fed beef is not healthy – the fatty acid profile is too high in Omega 6s which cause inflammation due to animals being fed an unnatural diet. Grass fed, pastured beef is a completely different story, though.
Also, the great thing about red meat is that it’s so satiating you’re not going to go overboard and stuff your face. Can you imagine trying to do that with a plate of steaks? You’d stop after 1. Bread on the other hand… Hahaha
I sense some Food Pyramid hating 😉
Ok, please be prepared for me to arrive in Edmonton soon! You need to cook this for me. I am drooooling!
I love anything rouladen, and it looks so juicy.
I eat red meat about once a week, mostly it’s grilled beef or bison, and I love it plain with a sidesalad or as a lettuceburger, hmmmm.
My grandma made the best potatoes-casserole. I remember grabbing the casserole at the end to scratch out the last bits 🙂
Happy Monday love!
You’re -more- than welcome to come over for dinner! Bring chocolate 😉