Flank Steak with Cilantro Chimichurri

Chimichurri is kind of like pesto with different herbs.  I've had it in restaurants and it's made with parsley (I think), but since we like cilantro so much, we thought this one was great.  Use half the sauce for a marinade for the steak, and reserve about a tablespoon per serving to spoon on top of the meat after it's cooked.

Cilantro Chimichurri 
a large bunch of cilantro, about 1 1/2 cups packed
 3 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flake, optional
1/2 jalapeno pepper, membranes and seeds removed
kosher salt


Combine cilantro, garlic, vinegar, oregano, cumin, jalapeno, and red pepper flakes in a food processor. Pulse until fine.
Turn food processor on and stream in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the flank steak:  marinade meat for an hour or longer, up to overnight, in the chimichurri (reserve about a 1/4 of a cup for serving).  Grill steak on the highest heat for about 4-6 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the meat.   Flank steak should only be cooked to medium, but medium rare is better.  Slice the steak against the grain after letting it rest for 5 minutes.  Spoon the reserved chimichurri over the top of the steak.

Baked Meatballs

This is a lighted up version of my favorite spaghetti and meatballs recipe from Barefoot Contessa.  I used extra lean beef (no veal or pork) and baked them instead of frying.  And instead of regular spaghetti, I used the high protein farfalle (less messy for the kids to eat that way).  Also, even though her sauce is fabulous, I use jarred marinara to make dinner faster.  Just look at the labels and find one that only has a few ingredients (I like Rao's): tomatoes, olive oil, onions, basil, salt, garlic, pepper, oregano. 

 Baked Meatballs
1 pound extra lean ground beef
1/2 cup dry seasoned bread crumbs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg, beaten


Place all the ingredients in a bowl and combine very lightly with a fork. Using a small ice cream scoop, lightly form the mixture into meatballs. Bake at 400 on a greased cookie sheet for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, heat marinara on the stove.  Add the almost completely cooked meatballs and simmer on low for 10 minutes (or longer) while the pasta is cooking. Serve with extra parm and fresh basil.

Pot Roast Perfection

I have tried unsuccessfully to make Pot Roast many, many times.  I've tried slow cooker recipes, oven recipes, and stovetop recipes.  I've used onion soup mix and cream of mushroom soup recipes.  I've tried it with and without carrots/potatoes.  And I've experimented with every cut of roast at the grocery store. I think I've made every recipe out there, and they all turn out the same way: stringy, wet, flavorless, and chewy.  Not exactly perfect.  So when Pioneer Woman posted her recipe for Perfect Pot Roast earlier this week, I thought, what the heck, I'll give it a shot.  And it was perfection. Finally!

Pot Roast Perfection straight from the oven.

Pot Roast Perfection

2 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
One 3 pound chuck roast (this cut is important for flavor)
1 large onion
4 large carrots carrots
2 to 2 1/2 cups beef stock
3 fresh rosemary sprigs (or if you let all your herbs die like I did you can use 1 tablespoon dried)
3 fresh thyme sprigs (use dried and then promise yourself you'll water your herbs more often)

Generously salt and pepper the chuck roast. 

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add olive oil.  
Cut onion in quarters and cut carrots into 2-inch slices. 
When the oil in the pot is very hot, add in the onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate.
Throw the carrots into the same hot pan and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so.
If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pan. Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate.
With the burner still on high, use beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon.
When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway. Add in the onion and the carrots, as well as the rosemary and thyme.
Put the lid on, then roast in a 275F oven for 3 hours (for a 3-pound roast). For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours.

Mashed potatoes on the side, not cooked with the roast. Pot Roast Perfection!

Lasagna Soup

This Lasagna Soup was great!  Poor thing doesn't photograph well, though.  You'll see what I mean if you look at the picture in the original recipe (she clearly staged the soup for the picture, something I don't do, only because I have ZERO time for that kind of stuff) and compare it to my picture....

Lasagna Soup

For the soup:
2 tsp. olive oil
1 lb. extra lean ground beef
3 c. chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 T. tomato paste
1 28-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
6 c. chicken stock
8 oz. fusilli pasta (I couldn't find fusilli, so I used penne, and if I could have found fusilli, I'd totally make a Fusilli Jerry)
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

for the cheesy yum:
8 oz. ricotta
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of freshly ground pepper
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add beef, breaking up into bite sized pieces, and brown for about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown color.

Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente. Do not over cook or let soup simmer for a long period of time at this point, as the pasta will get mushy.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheesy yum. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.

To serve, place a dollop of the cheesy yum in each soup bowl, sprinkle some of the mozzarella on top and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.

Bleu Moon Burger

There is a restaurant in town (Hugo's) that serves my favorite hamburger of all time: the Bleu Moon burger.  I guess it's just a hamburger with blue cheese on it, but it's really spectacular.  Tonight was our attempt at a recreation. 

Bleu Moon Burger

ground chuck (don't try to be healthy if you want a tasty burger, use ground chuck)
salt
pepper
blue cheese
quality hamburger bun (that means not Wonder bread)
lettuce and tomato (if you want)

Liberally salt and pepper hamburger patties.  Grill on high until done, flipping once.  Don't press them down with the spatula or mess around with them too much.  Top with blue cheese while still hot.  Grill the bun, too, and you'll have a perfect hamburger.

Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix

Make this up to keep in the pantry and never buy those yellow packets again. 

Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix

4 tablespoons chili powder
3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon paprika
3 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Store at room temperature in an airtight container

To use the seasoning:
 Brown 1 lb. of extra lean ground beef. Add 2 tablespoons of seasoning mix and ¾ cup water and 1 tsp salt to the ground beef. Simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and coats the beef, and there is not much liquid left.

We had tacos for dinner tonight, and this is the way I like to serve them. Make your own.  And also, we ate before John got home and I could easily keep the beef hot in the warming drawer and the toppings cold in the fridge.  Toppings: Monterrey Jack, tomatoes, cilantro, sour cream, avocados (drizzled with lime juice to keep them from turning brown), limes, salsa. 

Tenderloin Steaks with Rosemary Butter

Tenderloin Steaks with Rosemary Butter

tenderloin steaks (actually, any steak would work, but Sams has great tenderloin steaks)
salt and pepper
1/2 stick softened salted butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

Heat oven to 450.  Then, heat heavy bottom skillet to high and add 2 teaspoons olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pan).  Salt (generously) and pepper steaks.  Place steaks in hot skillet and allow them to cook for 5-7 minutes, or until very brown (look at the picture above, there is about 1/2 inch of brown).  Flip the steaks, transfer entire pan to oven, and cook until they are as done as you like them.  The time depends on the thickness of the steak. 

Use the touch test:  if the steak feels like your cheek when you touch it, then it's rare.  If it feels like your chin, it's medium rare.  And if it feels like the end of your nose, it's cooked medium.  Don't cook steak any more than medium. 
Let the steaks rest for 10 minutes, then place rosemary butter on top and allow it to melt into the warm steak.   You can also pour the pan drippings on top, too, for extra flavor.

Rosemary Butter
Soften butter on the counter or in the microwave.  Stir in finely chopped rosemary.  Store in refrigerator until ready to put onto steaks.

Grilled Skirt Steak Salad

As you may have noticed by now, we don't eat a lot of red meat in our house.  But once in a while, it's just the perfect dinner.  And Beta (she's almost 6) always wants steak for if given a choice, it's one of the few foods she likes.  So she was thrilled with dinner tonight...

Have you ever tried skirt steak?  It's inexpensive, cooks quickly, and I think it has a really good flavor.  It's also really juicy if it's cooked properly.   You just have to remember not to overcook it (medium rare is how it should be eaten), to let it rest at least 10 minutes before cutting, and to slice it thinly against the grain. 

Grilled Skirt Steak Salad

1 pound skirt steak, trimmed of excess fat
olive oil
garlic powder
onion powder
salt
pepper
chili powder
brown sugar
blue cheese
tomatoes
romaine lettuce
Steakhouse Vinaigrette

Drizzle the skirt steak with olive oil, and then sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, and brown sugar.  Rub the spices in and let the steak come to room temperature while the grill preheats to high. 

When the grill is as hot as it will get, grill each side for about 2-3 minutes depending on the thickness of the steak. Remember, it continues to cook while it rests, so don't overcook it!  Take the steak off the grill, cover with foil, and let it rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the vinaigrette. 


Steakhouse Vinaigrette
1 tablespoon coarse Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/3 cup olive oil
Combine ingredients in jar with a lid and shake to combine. Season with salt and pepper and adjust ingredients to taste. 

Grilled Corn with Lemon Thyme Butter

I'm a hamburger purist when I make them at home.  Ground chuck. Salt and pepper.  Hot grill.  Cheddar cheese.  Toasted bun.  That's all. No recipe. No fancy sauces, French cheeses, or caramelized anything.  Meat, cheese, bun.  I don't even do lettuce and tomato (and NEVER pickle, EVER).  John likes all that, but he wasn't here, so we had them my way.  :)

Now, on to the corn on the cob.  I just grilled it until it was brown, about 10 minutes total (with really fresh, sweet, summer corn you don't have to cook it forever) and slathered it with Lemon Thyme Butter.  Delicious. 

Lemon Thyme Butter

1 stick salted butter
1 teaspoon salt
zest and juice of one lemon
3-5 springs fresh thyme, leaves removed

Soften butter to room temperature (or in the microwave for 30 seconds or so).  Add zest and juice of one lemon and salt.  Mix it all together and add thyme.  Serve soft and spread on grilled corn.

Greek Nachos

I saw a picture of Greek Nachos on Pinterest (are you on Pinterest yet? It's my favorite thing.), but the recipe the picture was linked to, I didn't want to use.  So I kind of made up my own, based on this article.  It took longer than I had expected, because I was making it up (and because my son kept trying to sneak jello out of the fridge before dinner and I had to keep putting him in time out), but I'll bet it would only take you 30 minutes or so.

Greek Nachos

For the sauce:
1/4 cup olive oil
4 ounces feta cheese
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (I used nonfat)
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
1 lemon, juice and zest
about 1/4 cup cubed seedless cucumber, more or less
salt and pepper

In a blender combine feta, yogurt, olive oil, mint, and zest and juice of lemon; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.  The liquid in the cucumber thins the sauce, so add the cucumber little by little until sauce is at a pourable consistency.  

For the beef:
1 medium red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound extra lean ground beef
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup fresh oregano, chopped
salt and pepper

4 pita pockets
chopped tomatoes and cucumbers
olives
extra crumbled feta for the top

Preheat oven to 400.

Cut pitas into wedges, drizzle with olive oil, and bake for about 10 minutes, or until crispy.

Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon of oil to a skillet, and cook onion and garlic until transparent.  Add ground beef, cumin, dried oregano, cinnamon, a big pinch of salt and pepper, and paprika.  Cook until brown.  If it starts to dry out, add a little water to the pan.  Before serving, toss in the fresh oregano and stir well.

To assemble nachos, put chips on a serving plate and top with beef, sauce, tomatoes, cucumbers, a little extra feta, and olives (if you like olives, I do not so I left them out.)

Nachos made with Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix

I wish I could say that I made this taco seasoning mix because the stuff in the yellow packet is so unhealthy or so I could save money.  But really, I just made it up because I'm home alone with a sick child and I had to have leftovers for dinner... But now that I've made it, I'm glad I did! The yellow packet stuff is truly full of unpronounceable ingredients and it's like a dollar and ounce. 

When you make up the taco meat, don't forget to add salt, because there isn't any in the mix.

Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix

Yield: Enough to season about 7 lb. of ground meat
Prep Time: 5 minutes

4 tablespoons chili powder
3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon paprika
3 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper


1. Whisk together all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Over medium heat, brown 1 lb. of ground beef and drain. Add 2 tablespoons of seasoning mix and ¾ cup water and 1 tsp salt to the ground beef. Simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and coats the beef, and there is not much liquid left.
3. Store remaining seasoning mix in an airtight container at room temperature.


Nachos
I really don't think I even need to say this: put chips on a cookie sheet, cover with taco meat and cheese.  Broil until bubbly, one minute. Top with salsa, sour cream, tomatoes, cilantro.  Duh, right?

Grilled Tenderloin Steaks

Happy Mother's Day! It's been a wonderful day around here. My family planted a vegetable and herb garden for me and my husband prepared breakfast, lunch, AND dinner.  And I just watched it all. :)

John's Grilled Tenderloin Steaks

Melt 1/4 cup of butter with 1 tablespoon herbs de provence.  Salt and pepper the steaks and marinate in the butter/herb mixture for an hour.  Grill on high heat for about 5-7 minutes each side for medium rare, depending on the thickness of the meat.  Then, let it rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

Open Faced Roast Beef Sandwiches/SOS

Open Faced Roast Beef Sandwiches are my favorite leftover!  Gravy is typically reserved for Thanksgiving in our house, but sometimes you just need gravy.
Both my dad and John's dad were in the armed forces in the 60s, and tell of a special meal they were served called SOS.  SOS can stand for various things....same ol' stuff, stew on a shingle (toast), or what they crudely call it, sh$t on a shingle.  It's chipped beef with a white gravy served on toast. We were laughing that we ate SOS tonight!

Gravy 101

There are so many ways to make gravy.  Once you learn the basic technique, you make any kind of sauce! Here's how I do it:

Start with a roux (pronounced roo). Melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons of flour.*  Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the roux is medium brown.   Add about 1/2 cup of leftover cooking liquid from the roast (or beef stock) and whisk until thick.  Add another cup of liquid, bring to a boil, and whisk out the lumps.  If it's lumpy, add some more liquid and keep whisking.  When it's as thick as you want it, you've got gravy.   Don't forget salt and pepper.

*Use the one to one ratio with any fat such as bacon fat, turkey drippings, breakfast sausage drippings, or olive oil.
*For the liquid, use chicken or beef stock, or milk to make white gravy for biscuits.

Roast Beef with Thyme and Sage Roasted Carrots

I made Slow Cooker Roast Beef , Thyme and Sage Roasted Carrots, and Smashed Potatoes with Chives for dinner.  I'm not a huge fan of cooked carrots, but I decided to give these a try.  The sage and thyme were perfect with the carrots! 
                                                                                              

Thyme and Sage Roasted Carrots

Cut carrots into one inch hunks and drizzle with olive oil.  Add salt and pepper and roast at 450 until brown, about 10-15 minutes.  When you pull them out, toss again with a little salt if necessary, and add about a total of one tablespoon of fresh thyme and sage. 

Have I mentioned how glad I am it's spring so I have fresh herbs?!




Smashed Potatoes with Chives
Cut Yukon Gold potatoes into small pieces and boil until tender in salted water.  Drain, return potatoes to pan, add 2 tablespoons of butter and about 1/2 cup of milk and smash.   Add fresh chives

Slow Cooker Roast Beef
Pat roast dry with paper towels and season with salt, pepper, and steak seasoning (if you want it, but just watch the salt).  Place in crock pot and add one box of beef broth and water as needed to cover.  Split one onion in half and throw in in there, too.  Don't chop it because you'll want to take it out later.  Cook on low for 7-10 hours.  When it's finished, use a sieve to strain the liquid well and shred the beef.  Spoon the liquid on the roast to serve.  

Stir Fry Beef with Peppers

I was planning to cook something completely different for dinner, but this Pioneer Woman recipe jumped out at me as I was scanning my google reader this morning.  I had to make a special trip to the store for the beef, and had to figure out what to substitute for sherry (red wine vinegar),  but it was so worth it.  I also threw in some of those haricot verts and left out the red pepper flakes.  Anyway, make this for dinner.

I'll let you read PW's recipe, because it's perfectly detailed with pictures. 

John's Smoked Brisket

John went to Sams again.  Since he came home with enough beef to feed a small third world country,  we had his Smoked Brisket on Saturday (um, and Sunday, and probably again for lunch a couple of times this week).

Spice Rub for Brisket
3 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons  pepper
2 tablespoons tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon cayanne

 

Smoke the brisket, fat side up, over hickory wood for 1.5 hours per pound. 



It's really good, but better, I think after it's been in the refrigerator overnight.  It's just like the fabulous brisket from the Benton deli, Breitweiser's (doesn't have a website). 

Here's my menu for the week:
Monday: Broccoli Cheddar Soup and Irish Soda Bread
Tuesday: Greek Turkey Meatballs with Tzataki; Hummus and Pita Bread
Wednesday: Salmon with Roasted Cauliflower
Thursday: Breakfast Burritos
Friday: Refrigerator clean-out buffet

Steakhouse Salad

The big salad is my favorite way to eat leftover steak. We didn't have much leftover, so the kids had baked potatoes last night while John and I ate this deliciousness. 

Steakhouse Salad

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon honey

Shake in a jar or wisk to combine.

Toss salad greens with dressing and add crumbled blue cheese and steak. Salt and pepper to taste.

Steak

So John went to Sams on Sunday afternoon.  Every time he goes there, he comes home with lots of red meat, huge boxes of snacks, and random pastries. 

I should mention we live about 1 minute from a new Sams club, so we go there to pick up a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread pretty frequently. I'm really not a hoarder buying 100 rolls of toilet paper every week....Anyway, he came home with 4 filet mignons.   So we had filet mignon on a Tuesday night.  Livin' large, y'all.

When we eat steak, John grills it.  He always cooks it to a perfect medium, it's delicious, and I don't really like red meat very much.  But today, it snowed a lot, so nobody wanted to go outside and start the grill.  I had to quickly figure out how to cook steak inside.  Guess what I learned?  You use the same technique I use for the Simple Salmon.  Easy.  And good.

Season filets with salt, pepper, garlic powder.  Sear in a HOT skillet with a little olive oil for about 5 minutes, until the bottom is crusty and brown.  Flip filets and put in a 450 degree oven until done.  

Here 's a neat touch test my husband shared with me on how to tell if your steak is cooked as much as you like:
if it feels like your cheek, then it's rare.  If it feels like your chin, it's medium rare.  And if it feels like the end of your nose, it's cooked medium.  Don't cook steak any more than medium. 

Let the steaks rest for 15 minutes.  Add one tablespoon of butter to the pan drippings and pour over the steaks (and potatoes, yum) to serve. 

I also made smashed potatoes, which are just russet gold potatoes boiled until done and then mashed with about 1 tablespoon of butter and skim milk (and salt and pepper).  Oh, I don't peel potatoes.  Not for anybody.  I peeled my finger once, but that's a story for another day....And we had a small salad with balsamic vinaigrette using the basic vinaigrette recipe. 

I have a lot to say about portion size, and how it relates to staying thin and also enjoying food (and life) and I'll get to that later in the week.  But you should know that this picture is of John's plate.  The kids and I all split one filet.  The new USDA guidelines just came out and I have to collect my thoughts.

Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches

Leftover roast beef, sourdough bread, monterey jack cheese, melted in oven.  Dinner is served in about 5 minutes.

I served this with hummus and red peppers.

This picture is of my plate.  I typically eat more veggies than the rest of my family and I only eat half a sandwich.  The husband ate a whole one and the kids ate theirs disassembled.

Slow Cooker Roast Beef

With Roasted Potatoes and Spinach Salad

I like to use a chuck roast.  It's beef, it's not healthy anyway, so I just go for the fat because it tastes better (I also like to call slow cookers Crock Pots because it reminds me of the 70s). Pat roast dry with paper towels and season with salt, pepper, and steak seasoning (if you want it, but just watch the salt).  Place in crock pot and add one box of beef broth and water as needed to cover.  Split one onion in half and throw in in there, too.  Don't chop it because you'll want to take it out later.  Cook on low for 7-10 hours.  When it's finished, use a sieve to strain the liquid well and shred the beef.  Sometimes I season the roast the night before and just add the liquid and start the crock pot in the morning.

To roast the potatoes, chop, toss with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast at 400 degrees until they are brown.  About 20 minutes, depending on the size and type of potatoes.  Stir once.

The spinach "salad" is just baby spinach tossed with a tiny bit of olive oil and the juice of half a lemon.  Salt and pepper.