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. 

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.

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 :)

Toamto and Asparagus Pasta with Flat Iron Steak

Materials

Asparagus, coarsely chopped

3/4 pint grape tomatoes

olive oil

sea salt and pepper to taste

angel hair pasta

Flat Iron steak

Montreal steak seasoning

Methods

I took the Asparagus and tomatoes and sauteed them up in the oil with salt and pepper until warmed, and still firm with a nice bit of brown starting to occur.  Meanwhile I cooked the angel hair.  I tossed the veggies with the pasta and dished it up.

For the flat iron steak I started with some seasoning on the steak and seared the steak on the stovetop in my stainless.  While the veggies were cooking i moved the steak into the oven and finished cooking it. I finished up the meal by slicing and adding to the pasta. 

Verdict
This is my version of a simple, easy,  Sarah friendly dinner (which made for amazing lunch leftovers).   I really owe Lulu for introducing me to the flat iron steak.  I do love it!!!!  This dinner/lunch made me happy.  I guess it fits the KISS principle -- it was simple and I enjoyed every flavor :)

BLT dip

We enjoyed some super bowl sadness last week with friends.  There was so much awesome food there!  I know my southern friends think I was going to be walking to 'northern we don't cook here' territory, but they are certainly giving you a run for the money here.  David brought wings and I decided to bring my A game with some BLT dip.  You know bacon makes everything yum-tastic.

Materials

1 cup sour cream

1 cup mayonnaise

1 lb bacon

3/4 pint grape tomatoes chopped

2-5 green onions

Methods

Combine the sour cream and mayonnaise and mixed well.  While the  bacon cooks,  chop the tomatoes an green onions up into small pieces.  Take the cooked bacon and crumble into the dip.  Mix and chill.  The longer you let it sit the better it tastes!!!

Verdict --

Bacon makes everything taste awesome.

Chicken Taco Soup

Materials
Shredded chicken (~1.5 chicken breasts)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained and rinsed
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 packet taco seasoning
4 cups chicken stock or water
Cheese

Methods
I had leftover chicken from the Chicken Pockets (I just poached it in the crockpot overnight -- so moist and easy to shred :) - definitely a good way to cook chicken).  I combined the chicken, beans, corn, tomatoes, taco seasoning, and stock.  I brought them to a boil and let them simmer for a while before serving.  Had I gotten the day started earlier I would have just used my BFF, the crock pot, to heat them up.

Verdict
This made the cut, especially with cheese to garnish.  For a simple soup it was good and filled my need for soup of the week.  I ate it with a cheese quesadilla, sort of a southwestern style grilled cheese and tomato soup.  I plan to eat it a la qdoba mexican gumbo over rice the rest of the week for lunch. :)

Green Beans and Tomatoes

David volunteered me for Green Bean Casserole for Christmas Dinner at his Aunts.  I had slight issue with this since I don't really do Green Bean Casserole.  Turns out he just said that I made Green Bean Casserole at Thanksgiving.  I had seen this other recipe in Ambrosia, the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary cookbook I received as a going away present so I decided to give it a try instead.  It was a success.  Big win, I enjoyed it!! The vegetable eaters all seemed to really like it... and David's father's comment was "This isn't your mother's green be casserole". :)

Green Beans and Tomatoes
adapted from Ambrosia, by the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary

Ingredients
2 lbs fresh green beans
1/4 cup butter (I would look at oil for next time I make this)
2 tbl sugar
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
several fresh basil leaves torn and chopped
1-1.5 pints grape tomatoes chopped

Methods
Trim the ends of the green beans and remove strings.  Boil in a large saucepan for about 20 minutes and drain.

melt the butter (or oil) in a skillet.  Add the minced garlic and begin to saute to infuse the garlic taste.  Stir in the sugar, salt, pepper, and basil.  Add tomatoes and cook until slightly softened.  Toss the green beans and tomato sauce.

026/027 -- Chili Lime Steak Salad

I decided to return to carnivorous cooking in a rather simplistic way. During my vegetarian phase I found a yummy sounding recipe over at Our Best Bites that called for a little bit of beef. I'm cheating and considering this two recipes -- the Chili Lime Rubbed Steak and the Creamy Lime Cilantro Dressing. I made a few modifications to the OBB recipe. My version (which is 97% their version) is below. I used a flat iron steak for this recipe. Let me wax on about how I enjoy the flat iron steak. It is fairly affordable so far as beef goes, and it is not too fatty and gross, AND it cooks up pretty quickly/easily on the grill or under the broiler. For the longest time I hadn't tried the flat iron as I'm a patron of the NY strip, however, Lulu convinced me to give the flat iron a try. I'm sold. I'm still a NY strip girl when going out to restaurants, but I'm sold the flat iron for my own cooking purposes.

I started out making the rub for the steak

Materials

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 lime, juiced

1 tbl olive oil

Steak, (I used a flatiron cut)

Methods

Mix all ingredients together. Pour mixture over steak and press into sit. Allow to sit for about 15 minutes. I cooked my steak on my George Foreman :) Cut into thin slices against the grain.

While the steak was marinating I made the salad dressing

Materials

1 cup plain fat free greek yogurt (I like fage or oiknos best)

1 packet ranch dressing mix

about 1/2 cup milk

about 1/2 cup cilantro

4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

juice of 1 lime

Methods

Combine ingredients in food processor and process until smooth! Keep cool and enjoy!

Finally, I used the dressing, slices of the steak, romaine lettuce, grape tomatoes, avocado, and black beans to make an awesomely yummy meal. The steak was really good -- and totally easy. This rub was definitely worth repeating. The salad itself was really yum-tastic. The original dressing recipe called for a green salsa and hot sauce -- which i totally forgot while at the store. The recipe was pretty good as it was, although it wasn't quite so green. definitely a good score -- fairly lightweight, filling, easy, and yummy.

022 -- Asparagus and Artichoke Quiche

After beer and crawfish this weekend I wanted something light tonight. A veggie quiche seemed like just the ticket. This asparagus and artichoke quiche is based on a recipe from the American Heart Association uses brown rice for the crust. I liked this idea! It was something different!

Materials
2 1/4 cups vegetable broth and/or water
1 tsp all-purpose seasoning
1 cup brown rice
Egg substitute equivilent to three eggs
12 spears, asparagus trimmed to about 1/4 in. pieces
1 cup chopped artichoke hearts
2 medium plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 cup half and half
1 cup shredded swiss cheese
1/4 tsp pepper
Methods
1. Cook rice according to directions, using water and broth. After cooking rice, place in a bowl in fridge for about 10 minutes to cool off. Mix cooled rice with your seasoning of chioce and egg subsitute equivilient to one egg.

2. Spray bottom and sides of deep dish pie pan with vegetable oil spray. Pat rice mixture onto bottom and sides of the pan to make crust. Bake at 400F for about 7 minutes until rice is golden brown.

3. Layer asparagus, artichokes, and on crust.

4. Mix substitute equivilent to two eggs, half and half, pepper, and 3/4 cup cheese together. Pour over the veggies. Place tomoatoes on top of quiche. Push down to partially cover with egg mixture. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over quiche. Bake at 325F for about 45 minutes until egg mixture in center is set and does not jiggle.

ENJOY!

EDITED TO ADD:

This was great! I loved it!!! I really liked the layering of the vegetables. The cruchy rice instead of pie crust was a unique twist, and i liked it. I'm going to try one with cous cous sooner or later too.

If you are in my family, you know that I detest eggs.. but i'm learning if you throw enough crap in with them i'll happily eat them! Just don't ask me to consume a fried egg.

Recipe 18: Spinach and white bean soup

I needed a quick, easy meal the other day, so i turned to my old favorite, soup :) This was a sort of quickie take on traditional pasta e fagioli.

Materials
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 box whole wheat pasta
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
28 oz can diced tomatoes
fresh baby spinach
salt, pepper, and your favorite italian herbs to taste

Methods
Cook pasta according to box. Combine stock, cooked pasta, beans, and tomatoes in large stockpot. Bring to boil and allow to simmer for a few moments until beans and tomatoes are cooked through. Stir baby spinach into soup and allow to wilt. Season as desired and serve.

Verdict
This was ok. I didn't add enough of my favorite hers and spices (i used a tuscan herb mix i had on hand), so it was a little bit bland. However, it was certainly filling between the beans and whole wheat pasta.

Recipe 14: Pizza Margherita

Growing up, Friday night was pizza night. This Friday was no different in my household. I decided to make a pizza margherita. I also learned that margherita is not italian for a tequila filled drink, but rather italian for daisy! And margherita was a queen of italy in the late 1800's. who knew? That might explain why pizza margherita is one of my favorites! I do have a daisy dog who thinks she is a princess.

Materials
~ 1 refrigerated pizza crust
~ cornmeal
~ olive oil spray
~ 1 clove garlic
~ 4-5 roma tomatoes, sliced thinly
~ 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
~ 1/4-1/2 cup basil
~ salt and pepper to taste
~ olive oil
~ balsamic vinegar

Methods
Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a little oil on the top of a baking sheet. Dust sheet with cornmeal. Spread out the pizza crust. Bake for about 8 minutes and remove from oven.



Spray the surface of the crush lightly with olive oil. Cut garlic clove in half and rub garlic on pizza crust. Arrange the tomatoes on the crust, remaining 1/2 in. clear of the edge of the crust.


Sprinkle cheese evenly across the tomatoes. Slice basil into thin pieces and spread over surface. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix equal parts balsamic vinegar and olive oil in a small bowl. sprinkle vinaigrette over pizza.. Bake for 12-15 minutes until cheese melts and beings to brown. Slice and enjoy!

Results

Two big thumbs up. I've said it before, pizza is comfort food for me and this totally hit the spot. It was a great Friday night meal. I think next time I'll add even more basil. One of these days I want to make my own dough instead of the prefab stuff. I accidentally forgot to spray my pan before I placed my pizza crust, but because of the cornmeal we had very few sticking issues :)

This will be a million times more yummy come summer when fresh tomatoes and basil are available. Add a little fresh, sliced mozzarella instead of prefab shredded and it would be absolutely amazing. note to self: make pizza margherita this summer. :)

Recipe 12: Baked Salmon with Goat Cheese

To makeup for missing last week's Fishy Friday, I made baked Salmon with goat cheese, based on a recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, 15-Minute Single Gourmet. The recipes aren't totally gourmet, but I really like the fact that Mitchell generally uses my favorite types of ingredients: fresh. Not having 3 days of leftovers is a nice plus too!

Materials
~ 1/4 tsp olive oil
~ 1 garlic clove, minced
~ 8 oz can of tomatoes
~ 1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
~ pinch crushed red pepper
~ dash ground black pepper
~ 1 salmon fillet
~ 1 tbl goat cheese

Methods
Preheat oven to 375F. Meanwhile heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until tender.


Add tomatoes, rosemary, and red and black pepper. Quarter the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes to reduce the sauce.



Meanwhile, spray a baking pan with olive oil and place salmon fillet skin side down. Pour the tomato sauce over and around chicken. Place pat of goat cheese on top of fillet. Cover and bake for 10-12 minutes until cooked through.

Verdict

I enjoyed my dinner over a bit of angel hair pasta I had sitting in the cupboard. I felt like this dish was ok. I wouldn't say it was great but I wouldn't say it was horrible. I always enjoy tomatoes and cheese, so that worked well together.

However, today was not my superstar day in the kitchen. I'm not a fan of measuring, so I imagine I didn't have enough rosemary (but it was nice to step outside and just pull some fresh rosemary off of my bush). The original recipe called for a tsp of minced shallot instead of garlic. I would either use the shallot or up the garlic quotient. I forgot to get a shallot at the store and was down to my last clove. Perhaps a little more pepper would have done it. It just needed something to make it pop. Also, the recipe called for 1/2 cup of tomato juice, however I was being blonde and used all of the juice. I think that worked in my favor though. Finally, I'm so dense that I was out of foil. I covered the dish with parchment paper, but I imagine it would cook better with foil. So not a losing meal, just nothing super spectacular.

So in summary if I made this again i would 1. use more spices, 2. use more garlic/shallot, and 3. cover it up properly when cooking.

Recipe 11: Faux-strone

I wanted soemthing hearty and soupy for supper tonight since I've been down with a sore throat, presumably due to the weather. Since I'm vegetarian for Lent (except when out and allowed to use meat based stocks due to Vicksburg being Vicksburg) and I didn't want to spend very long in front of the stove, my options were fairly limited. I threw together this faux-minestrone to satisfy my craving.

Materials
~ 1 1/3 cup whole wheat penne (uncooked)
~ 2 cups chicken stock
~ 1 can fire roasted tomatoes with garlic
~ 2 cups frozen tuscan vegetables (zucchini, cauliflower, carrots, lima beans, red peppers, italian green beans
~ 1 tsp basil
~ parmesan cheese

Methods
Cook the penne until al dente according to package. Meanwhile, combine chicken stock, roasted tomatoes (including juices), vegetables, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium sized pan. Add cooked penne. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Makes 3 servings. Top each serving with paremsan cheese.

Verdict
Yummy!! A great, fairly hearty soup that hit the spot. I heart soup. It is one of my favorite things about winter. So much of a favorite that I even make it during the summer! The fire-roasted canned tomatoes really helped to give this soup a good flavor. This is definitely a keeper in terms of a quick soup with 'in the pantry' type goods. I would consider adding some red kidney beans or increasing the pasta to 2 cups next time I make this to make it a little more hearty, but that really isn't necessary.

Recipe 10: Bacon and Pineapple Flatbread Pizza

I made this one a while ago, but haven't had time to get it uploaded. For me, pizza is comfort food, serious comfort food. No need to hook me up with grandma's fried chicken, bring me some cheese covered, tomato based goodness. When I think of Fridays during childhood I think of Gus's Pizza, preferably cheese or italian beef. One day I was introduced to bacon pizza (food of the gods perhaps?), and later in life we discovered pineapple and canadian bacon on pizza. My tastes are more mature now, but I still adore pizza. This was my take at a slightly more adult, and slightly less unhealthy version of the good stuff.

Materials
~ 1 large tortilla (I have fallen in love with some tortillas that they sell at the Fresh Market)
~ Olive oil spray
~ tomatoes (roma or grape)
~ 3 slices canadian bacon
~ 1/2 cup fresh pineapple
~ shredded mozzarella
~ shredded Parmesan
~ oregano

Methods
Preheat oven to 350. Place tortilla on a baking sheet and spray lightly with your olive oil spray. Thinly slice the tomatoes and place them in a layer on the tortilla. I prefer the grape because they are bite sized. I used enough tomatoes to fully cover the tortilla. Cover with mozzarella cheese (about 1/4 cup). Chop canadian bacon and pineapple into bite sized pieces. Place bacon and pineapple atop the cheese. Drop a little more mozzarella and some parmesan atop the pizza. Season with salt/pepper/oregano as desired. Bake until the tortilla is crispy and cheese is melted.

Verdict
Obviously not the full-on real-deal, but still pretty darn good! I enjoyed the pizza, particularly the fresh tomatoes rather than a tomato sauce and the fresh pineapple. Fresh is definitely key for the pineapple. The tortilla was a little difficult to cut, but that might be an artifact of the super fiber rich tortillas I'm currently loving on.

Note: I have a picture of this somewhere.... my computer and my camera just don't seem to be very friendly today.

Recipe 7: Vegetable Tian

Last night Sandy put on the 4th annual Turducken. It was great, as expected! She was able to sucker some folks into helping her since she lost her Turducken co-pilot when Jeff and Erin moved. For those who haven't heard of this phenomena -- Turducken is what happens when you stuff a turkey with a duck which is stuffed with a chicken. I decided to use my pretty new winter serving dish that Katie Grace gave me -- which meant using a 9x13 casserole. I decided to try a recipe I had always wanted to make from Barefoot Contessa's Barefoot in Paris -- Vegetable Tian. It just looks so pretty, I had to make it.

Materials
~ olive oil
~ 2 large yellow onions
~ 4-5 garlic cloves
~ 1 lb medium round potatoes (unpeeled)
~ 3/4 lb zucchini
~ 1 1/2 lb tomatoes
~ 1 tsp kosher salt
~ 1/2 tsp ground pepper
~ 1 tbl fresh thyme leaves plus extra springs
~ 2 oz grated gruyere cheese


Methods
1/ Preheat oven to 375F. Meanwhile, chop onions in half and slice. In medium pan, heat 2 tbl oil and cook onions over medium low until translucent ... about 12 minutes for me. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two. Spread onion mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 dish. It looks like too much at first, but as the onions loses their moisture the full two onions are definitely required.

2/ Slice the potatoes, tomatoes, and zucchinis to about 1/4 in. The closer in size they are in terms of thickness and diameter, the better the tian will look. Layer the veggies in the pan, alternating to make a pretty design - but only make one layer. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme. Lay a few extra thyme springs on top. Drizzle with about 1 tbl of olive oil and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until potatoes are tender.

3/ Uncover and remove the thyme springs. sprinkle the cheese on top and bake for another 30 minutes, until everything is browned and serve.

Verdict
Amazing. It may not have looked quite as pretty as Ina Garden's Tian, but it still looked pretty darn fancy! I enjoyed the food, and got lots of compliments from fellow Turduckeners. The ultimate compliment was not bringing home any leftovers, although that my have been due to the size of the party more than anything else. I will definitely make this again so I can have a larger potion!! From the little bit that I ate, I highly recommend -- which I recommend everything we ate last night -- all my friends can cook!!

Recipe 3: Veggie Frittata

For my next endeavor I decided to do some breakfast for dinner, or brinner as my friend Jane likes to call it! The veggie frittata here is based on a low fat frittata published by the Hungry Girl. Those of you who know me well know that this was a massive step up as I DESPISE eggs.

Ingredients:
~1 1/2 cup egg substitute
~2 tbsp fat free non-dairy creamer
~2 slices mozzarella cheese
~1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
~1 portabella mushroom cap
~1 green pepper
~2-3 green onions
~ sliced grape tomatoes
~ 1-2 tbl Parmesan cheese
~ plain Greek style yogurt


Directions:
1. Whisk egg substitute and non-dairy creamer. Chop mozzarella cheese into pieces. Mix mozzarella and cheddar cheese into egg mixture. Turn on Broiler

2. Heat up an oven safe pan to medium-high and soften the mushrooms, peppers, and onions. Cook for approx 5 minutes to soften. Add tomatoes and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the egg mixture. Shake pan to spread eggs, mix to ensure that cheese is spread and eggs get up under your veggies. Cook for 2 more minutes

3. Place pan under broiler for approx 4 minutes until egg is puffed up and fully set.

4. Let cool and slice into quarters. Serve with a fat dollup of Greek yogurt or sour cream.



Verdict:

AWESOME. For a girl who doesn't really like eggs, this was great. The original recipe called for mushrooms, turkey bacon, and apples -- which also sounds good -- but this just spoke to me. I added some pepper and herbs to the egg mixture before added it to the pan. I loved all the veggies -- I knew I could probably eat half of it because it was so yummy, and it wouldn'tbe all that bad because it was all veggies. Definitely a winner -- I plan to do this low fat frittata again with other goodies in the middle!


My friends Amber and Kristen are the ones who introduced me to putting sour cream on frittata's. It totally makes it sooo much better! I highly recommend it.