Friday, October 4, 2013

One-Dish Beef Stroganoff

Are you looking for something quick and easy for dinner tonight? Try this One-Dish Beef Stroganoff!



Total Recipe Time: 30 to 35 minutes
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
1 pound Ground Beef (93% lean or leaner)
1/2 pound sliced button or cremini mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 cups uncooked whole grain wide noodle-style pasta
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium beef broth
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup regular or reduced-fat dairy sour cream plus additional for topping
1 tablespoon regular or coarse-grain Dijon-style mustard
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add Ground Beef, mushrooms, garlic and thyme; cook 8 to 10 minutes, breaking Ground Beef into 3/4-inch crumbles and stirring occasionally.
Stir noodles and broth into beef mixture. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook 9 to 10 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring twice. Stir in peas; continue cooking, uncovered, 3 to 5 minutes or until peas are heated through, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat; stir in 1/4 cup sour cream and mustard. Season with salt and pepper, as desired. Garnish with additional sour cream, if desired.
Tips
Cooking times are for fresh or thoroughly thawed Ground Beef. Ground Beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160ºF. Color is not a reliable indicator of Ground Beef doneness.

Nutritional Information
Nutrition information per serving: 444 calories; 12 g fat (5 g saturated fat; 4 g monounsaturated fat); 86 mg cholesterol; 616 mg sodium; 48 g carbohydrate; 6.6 g fiber; 38 g protein; 14.4 mg niacin; 0.6 mg vitamin B6; 2.4 mcg vitamin B12; 5.7 mg iron; 25.0 mcg selenium; 7.8 mg zinc; 101.2 mg choline.

This recipe is an excellent source of fiber, protein, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, iron, selenium and zinc; and a good source of choline.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Leading Locally - Heartland Beef Alliance

Do you want to promote the beef industry in your local community, but are not sure how to start? Learn more about Illinois Beef Association affiliate groups and how they're active industry advocates.

Heartland Beef Alliance members take pride in promoting beef in their area and stay active as a volunteer-lead group engaged in cattle industry happenings. Here are five activities that make the Heartland Beef Alliance a successful group and read the article below for details:

  1. Conduct regular business and include educational sessions that will help boost member attendance.
  2. Host an annual banquet that doubles as an awards ceremony to recognize outstanding members and an auction that will raise funds for future programs.
  3. Promote beef in your community by partnering with existing events/festivals and serve beef samples or sell ribeye sandwiches.
  4. Organize activities that add value to membership and create fun networking opportunities like hosting a judging contest or reading to elementary school students.
  5. Help sponsor your county fair's beef show.
Also be sure to visit the Heartland Beef Association's website and like them on Facebook!


The Heartland Beef Alliance was revived three years ago by Michael and Sara Prescott and Wes and Martha Green, when they were looking for a cattle group to belong to but, couldn’t find one in their area. An informal meeting was held which attracted 10 cattle producers from the area  in support of developing an Illinois Beef Association (IBA) affiliate group. In the past three years, the group has grown to more 150 members and has expanded its area to not only include Logan, Mason and Tazewell counties, but also Menard and Sangamon when they merged with the Lincoln Land Producers in 2011. The group also has a full board to represent them consisting of President Michael Prescott, Vice President Wes Green, Secretary Martha Green, Treasurer Sara Prescott, and board members, Kevin Murphy, Ryan Alberts and Will Tomlinson. In addition to the Heartland Beef Alliance board, the affiliate also has three members who sit on the IBA Board of Directors which not only represents the Heartland Beef Alliance, but the beef industry as a whole. Bill Graff represents District 5 for the Policy Division, Sara Prescott represents District 5 for the Checkoff Division and Larry Martin represents District 6 for the Policy Division.

The Heartland Beef Alliance works hard each year to conduct several business meetings as well as educational sessions of interest to the group. Topics have included pharmaceuticals that fit into your operation, feed programs, cover crops, government affairs, livestock facilities, and livestock marketing opportunities. The affiliate has been very fortunate to have found individuals who are willing to come out and support the group as well as educate them on changes happening in the cattle industry.  

In addition to regular meetings, the Heartland Beef Alliance also hosts an annual banquet the first Saturday in February in Lincoln, Ill. This is the affiliate’s largest event of the year and includes a meal, recognition of Allied Sponsors, scholarship winners, and an auction full of donated items from the community as well as others involved in the cattle industry. The auction is the group’s biggest fundraiser of the year which helps to provide scholarships to high school seniors involved with cattle and provides funds local beef promotion opportunities. The Heartland Beef Alliance members provide truly outstanding support through the auction which plays a large role in the affiliate’s success.

Beef promotion is a true passion of the Heartland Beef Alliance’s members. The summer months offer several beef promotion activities. The affiliate participates in Sangamon County’s, “A Day in the Country”. The event is a platform for the group to engage the public on the cattle industry. It is completely free to the public and has several agricultural sponsors that allow families to come out for the day and experience a little bit of what country life is all about. The Heartland Beef Alliance served more than 300 taco salad cups to the public and brought a cow-calf pair for everyone to see. During this time, affiliate members answered questions about cattle development, feed costs, and beef production. The group found it to be an amazing event and the perfect opportunity to have a conversation with people about an industry we love and work so hard for every day.    

Fair season is a big undertaking for Heartland Beef Alliance members as the affiliate covers five counties. Members are in attendance to represent the affiliate, and the group sponsored a director chair to the winner of the senior showmanship competition at each county fair. The Heartland Beef Alliance also hosted on a large cookout at the Logan County Fair and provided a taco salad cup to more than 200 individuals on show day. The cookout and taco salad cup were both well received by fair goers.     

The Heartland Beef Alliance was looking for ways to remain active throughout the year and offer fun activities that would benefit cattlemen from all sectors of the cattle industry. The affiliate decided to host a youth livestock judging contest in February, and organized a calf obstacle course and identification of feed grains and livestock equipment. Affiliate volunteers also attend local classrooms to talk to kids about raising cattle. In the future, the group hopes to host a fitting clinic for junior members, an industry tour for affiliate members, and offer more classroom education.  

The Heartland Beef Alliance recognizes the importance of communication with members to stay current on affiliate happenings. Thus, the group created its own website, www.heartlandbeefalliance.com, and a Facebook page to update members and followers on events and activities.

This year the IBA awarded the Heartland Beef Alliance with the Largest Total Affiliate Membership Award at the IBA Summer Conference. The IBA supplied the affiliate with tickets to a Cardinals game this fall as a prize. 

The Heartland Beef Alliance has found success has an active affiliate by communicating with members and stressing the importance of volunteer work to promote the cattle industry. They also work closely with IBA staff to gain access to supplies that help make their events effective.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Beltway Beef Audio News with Colin Woodall - the Government Shut Down

Colin Woodall, Vice President of Government Affairs, talks about the government shut down and the effect that will have on the priorities for cattlemen and women.