Beef Fajitas

Another work week means another week of lunch!  I find that if I make lunch during the weekend I'm much more likely to eat healthy and have a good midday meal at the desk.  If I don't make lunch I'm quite likely to eat something unhealthy or enhance my lunch with something i shouldn't eat.  This week I'm doing fajitas, mmmm.  Fajitas are one of my favorite foods in the world!!!  They just make me happy.

Materials
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
2 cloves garlic chopped
~ 1 lb flat iron steak cut into strips
2 green peppers cut into strips
1/2 sweet onion cut into strips
3 roma tomatoes, quartered and de-seeded

Methods
I combined the lime, canola, oregano, cumin, and garlic in a bowl and mix well. Afterwords I chopped the peppers and onions and beef.  Toss the beef and vegetables with the marinade, cover and let sit for 4-8 hours.  Later I heated up a skillet on high and cooked the meat.  I removed as much liquid as possible and to allow the beef to sear and get well seared on the outside.  I removed the steak once cooked and added the peppers, onions, and tomatoes to the pan, removing as much liquid as possible.  once cooked I tossed the veggies and beef together and prepared to enjoy.  I usually enjoy my fajitas with a fork as is, avoiding beans, rice, and tortillas. 

Strawberry Whole Wheat Muffins

I saw a recipe for whole wheat blueberry muffins at Gina's Skinny Taste and it looked pretty tasty.  They sounded like a great option for breakfast this week instead of my usual yogurt.  I thought this might be a great way to use some of those giant Fukushima strawberries that were on sale this month, so I went for it.  They were great.  The applesauce for oil sub was great, as usual.  I used a half-half whole wheat/white flour, so they were  still pretty darn healthy, as well as yummy and totally easy.  I have a feeling I'll be making these again this summer as breakfast/snacks as the various berries go through their seasons.

Materials
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 cups 50-50 whole wheat/white flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries
1 large egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp melted butter

Methods
First, mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together.  Next add the wet and mix -- the sugar, egg, vanilla, and butter. I folded in the strawberries and filled up a dozen muffins.  Bake for 25 minutes at 325F and enjoy!!!!

Asparagus with Balsamic Tomatoes

I saw this recipe in this months cooking light, and knew it was a go. It was in their quick and easy category, i love asparagus, and I love tomatoes, what wasn't to like.  It really was a quick cook, and quite easy.  The original recipe has actual measurements associated with it, however, you know I don't believe in measuring unless absolutely necessary (how very un-engineer of me).  it was quite yummy, although sauteing the asparagus would possibly have been a little more yummy (and less healthy).  I really loved the balsamic tomatoes with goat cheese.  I could see just doing the tomatoes and goat cheese with some pasta sometime.  that would be fantabulous. 

Ingredients
Asparagus, trimmed

Extra-virgin olive oil
Halved grape tomatoes
Minced fresh garlic
Balsamic vinegar
Crumbled goat cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Methods
First, steam the asparagus for about 2-3 minutes until just barely tender and still firm.

Next, heat a little oil in a pan and saute the tomatoes and garlic for about 5 minutes.  Add a couple of tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste and cook for 2-3 minutes longer. 

Serve the tomatoes over the asparagus and top with a little goat cheese.

Lunardis

Last summer we tried Lunardi's Restaurant in Beechview with Beth and G on a Friday night.  Its a tiny little Italian place that the Dormont/Lebo crowd pass by every day on the T, so it was just asking for a try.  We enjoyed it, so when I saw it pop up on Groupon later in the fall I couldn't say no!  Last night David and I went back for a date night to use that Groupon before it disappeared.  It was a kitschy as I remembered,  reminding me of mom's kitchen, or maybe grandma's.  David had the chicken parmesan and i had an absolutely delicious chicken marsala served over spinach.  It was a good thing that we called ahead for reservations -- they only have 7 tables plus the bar, and it was hopping!  I also noticed that they seem to not only sell adult beverages, but it would appear that you can byoW and they'll just charge a corking fee :)  That makes me happy too!

Veggie Pizza

 Ingredients
1 tube frozen pizza dough
olive/canola oil/spray
~1.5 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
tomatoes
spinach
mushrooms
balsamic vinegar
italian seasonings

Method
First I preheated the oven according to the directions on the pizza dough.  I spread the dough out on a baking sheet that was prepared with a little bit of oil.  I added a light sprinkling of the shredded cheese and baked for 7 minutes.

 


Meanwhile, I chopped up two tomatoes, sliced half a package of mushrooms, and grabbed a couple of handfuls of spinach. I tossed these with a little bit of balsamic vinegar.  Take the vegetable mix and top the pizza with the veggies and sprinkle with italian seasonings.  Bake for 7-10 minutes longer until the crust is baked and the veggies are heated up.  Slice and enjoy!

Verdict
Win.  Pizza is one of my favorite foods in the world.  This was a semi healthy version of it.  It makes me happy :)