Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Grilled Steak Salad with Horseradish Dressing

So I got this off of a WeWa thread and it sounded pretty good.  D agreed so it went on the menu.

We had lots of substitutions...some cheap steak because Kroghetto didn't have flank steak. D made the dressing without the blue cheese since I don't like blue cheese. He just added it to his own salad (I put Parmesan on mine). We also used iceberg lettuce because we had a head, and neither of us could remember what it was supposed to be used for. We also used grape tomatoes because I don't like cherry tomatoes.

We would definitely have again.  We really liked the dressing, the flavor of the steak was good, and when it is 90+ degrees out, it hit the spot.

Grilled Steak Salad with Horseradish Dressing

Photo by ALB

Category: Salad
Adapted from CIA Gourmet Meals in Minutes Cookbook
Servings: 6
Posted by: ClassAct75 (Eileen)
April 20, 2008

CIA Notes: The minimum time required to prepare this flank steak allows for the assembly of a salad packed with hearty flavors that is both easy to prepare and beautiful to present.

Eileen’s Notes: This was my favorite meal from the CIA cooking class and loved it again when making it at home using filet, plum tomatoes, and reduced fat mayonnaise and sour cream. I also added extra horseradish and lemon juice as Peggy and Jilly did when preparing it for our class.

1 ½ pounds flank steak
1 tsp. salt, or to taste
½ tsp. black pepper, or to taste
¼ cup low fat sour cream
½ cup reduced fat mayonnaise
3 T prepared horseradish
2 T lemon juice
2/3 cup blue cheese, crumbled
6 cups romaine lettuce, washed and drained, cut into bite sized pieces
1 tsp. lemon zest
2/3 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced lengthwise
½ cup red onion, thinly sliced

Season the beef generously with salt and black pepper. Grill the steak to desired doneness, about 3-4 minutes per side for medium rare.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the sour cream, mayonnaise, horseradish, lemon juice, and ½ tsp. pepper using a whisk. Season the dressing with salt and more pepper if necessary.

In a large bowl, toss together the lettuce, lemon zest, tomatoes, half the blue cheese crumbles, and the dressing. Divide the salad mixture among 6 serving plates.

Cut the steak across the grain into thin slanting slices. Place the sliced steak around the salad and top with the onion slices and remaining blue cheese.

CALORIES 326; FAT 20g; PROTEIN 27g; CHOLESTEROL 77mg; CALCIUM 117mg; SODIUM 755mg; FIBER 2g; IRON 3mg; CARBOHTDRATE 9g

Monday, May 30, 2011

Buttermilk Biscuits

So D got a ton of breakfast sausage from work, so what would go better than biscuits and gravy.  I was going to make Alton Brown's Biscuits, but at the last minute I thought about my Martha Stewart's Cookbook in my stash of cookbooks.  Opened it up and sure enough I had all the ingredients (well I had half the amount of the ingredients).  The biscuits were light and flaky and buttery.  I like these better over Alton's.


Buttermilk Biscuits

Recipe cut in half an adapted from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook.

Photo by ALB

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1/2 TBSP + 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 t sugar
1 stick butter, unsalted and cold
1C buttermilk

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 375*

Place the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a a bowl and whisk.. Take the cold butter from the fridge and cut into small pieces, taking care not to let the butter get warm. Add the butter to the mixture and blend with a pastry cutter (or your hands) just until the flour starts to look coarse. You should still have large pieces of unincorporated butter.  Pour in the buttermilk. Stir gently, just until combined. Do not over mix. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a circle, about 1-inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter (2.5 inch cutter) to cut the biscuits. Place on a baking sheet and brush with extra buttermilk. Bake for 18-20 minutes, slather with more butter and enjoy. I got 9 because I used a smaller cutter.

Nutritional Info based on the 9 biscuits I got...
Calories: 203.8; Total Fat 10.7 g; Cholesterol 28.7 mg; Sodium 338.0 mg; Total Carbs 23.0 g;  Fiber 0.8 g; Protein 3.9 g

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Chicken with Sherry-Soy Sauce

So D said this was veryy easy to make.  It was really good. But we thought the sauce needed to be thicker or the chicken marinated, or the chicken made in pieces, so that the sauce was more on the chicken  (all are viable options in the future).  Overall would have again.  We had with spaghetti noodles.

Chicken with Sherry-Soy Sauce

Serve this Asian-inspired chicken recipe with bagged salad greens and quick-cooking rice noodles for an easy meal.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half, 1 tablespoon sauce, and 1 tablespoon onions)

Cooking spray
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup dry sherry
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper (used Sambal Oleek)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken with salt and black pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove from pan; keep warm.
Add sherry, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, and red pepper to pan; scrape pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Stir in oil.

CALORIES 230 (13% from fat); FAT 3.3g (sat 0.7g,mono 1g,poly 1g); IRON 1.6mg; CHOLESTEROL 99mg; CALCIUM 27mg; CARBOHYDRATE 4.7g; SODIUM 528mg; PROTEIN 39.9g; FIBER 0.3g

Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2005

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Orzo Salad with Spicy Buttermilk Dressing

So D made this.  Of course he added 12 oz of chicken (sauteed with Southwest Seasoning).  It was really good.  He thought it needed something.  Would have again.

Orzo Salad with Spicy Buttermilk Dressing

YIELD: 4 servings (serving size: 1 3/4 cups orzo mixture, 2 avocado wedges, 3/4 teaspoon cilantro, and 3/4 teaspoon parsley)
HANDS-ON:30 MINUTES
TOTAL:30 MINUTES
COURSE: Main Dishes, Salads

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked orzo
1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed and drained
12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
3 green onions, sliced
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons light sour cream
2 tablespoons canola mayonnaise (used light mayo)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 peeled avocado, cut into 8 wedges
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Added 12 oz chicken, sauteed with Southwest seasoning.

Preparation

1. Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and rinse; drain well. Place orzo, corn, and next 3 ingredients (through beans) in a large bowl; toss.
2. Combine buttermilk, 2 tablespoons cilantro, and next 8 ingredients (through garlic) in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle over orzo mixture; toss. Top with avocado; garnish with remaining cilantro and parsley.

Nutritional Information (without chicken)
Calories: 424; Fat: 15.3g (Saturated fat: 2.3g;Monounsaturated fat: 8.4g; Polyunsaturated fat: 2.7g); Protein: 12.7g; Carbohydrate: 63.8g; Fiber: 10.1g; Cholesterol: 6mg; Iron: 1.8mg; Sodium: 607mg; Calcium: 80mg

Cooking Light MAY 2011

Green Onion Pancakes with Tomato-Avocado Salsa

So I found this recipe and it was pretty easy.  However the salsa was a little off.  First, no cilantro, but oregano.  Then no lime juice.  It tasted more Greek than Mexican/South American.

Next time we think we will change those things and add cheddar in place of the provolone (which we used Italian Blend anyway.)  Still we would have again. We made 9 pancakes and each had 2.

We had with spicy honey chicken thighs.

Green Onion Pancakes with Tomato-Avocado Salsa


Serve these fluffy pancakes and their lively salsa as a first course or as a side dish. The provolone cheese brings out the flavor of the green onions.

YIELD: 12 servings (serving size: 1 pancake and 3 tablespoons salsa)
COURSE: Appetizers, Hors d'Oeuvres, Side Dishes/Vegetables

Ingredients

Salsa:

1 2/3 cups chopped seeded plum tomato
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped peeled avocado
2 tablespoons finely chopped seeded jalapeƱo pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash of sugar

Pancakes:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup chopped green onions
6 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) shredded sharp provolone
Cooking spray

Preparation

To prepare salsa, combine first 9 ingredients in a bowl. Cover and chill.

To prepare pancakes, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (flour through black pepper) in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine buttermilk and egg in a bowl; add to flour mixture. Stir just until moist. Let stand 10 minutes. Fold in green onions and provolone cheese.

Spoon about 1/4 cup batter onto a hot nonstick griddle or nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray. Turn pancakes when tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked (about 3 minutes). Serve salsa over warm pancakes.

Nutritional Information (for 12 pancakes)

Calories: 128; Fat: 3.2g (Saturated fat: 1.1g; Monounsaturated fat: 0.9g; Polyunsaturated fat: 0.3g); Protein: 4.8g; Carbohydrate: 20.5g; Fiber: 2g; Cholesterol: 23mg; Iron: 1.2mg; Sodium: 352mg; Calcium: 99mg

Cooking Light APRIL 2003

Southwest Chicken

My brother pointed this recipe out from allrecipes.
D made it and said it was really easy.  D added a little more seasoning.

We had with rice, avocado and corn tortillas. Will have again.

Southwest Chicken

Servings: 4

Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil 
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (8.75 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 pinch ground cumin
(added 1/2 tsp of Adobo Seasoning)

Directions
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Brown chicken breasts on both sides. Add tomatoes with green chile peppers, beans and corn. Reduce heat and let simmer for 25 to 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Add a dash of cumin and serve.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 310; Total Fat: 6.4g; Cholesterol: 68mg Sodium: 863mg Total Carbs: 27.9g; Dietary Fiber: 7.5g; Protein: 35g

Monday, May 23, 2011

Beef Carnitas Tacos

D and I are in the minority on this recipe.  It tasted weird.  So the stew meat was chewy, which is fine. It is cheap meat.  But the Carnitas gathered a Chinese Pot Roast Flavor. After 2 bites though, it became incredibly bland, even though D added way more seasoning than it called for (added chili powder, cayenne and Arizona Seasoning and salt).

The salsa for the tacos was good. 

We had with refried bacon beans.

Beef Carnitas

YIELD: 4 cups (serving size: 1/2 cup)
COURSE: Main Dishes

    Ingredients

    Cooking spray
    1 cup chopped onion
    3 garlic cloves, crushed
    2 pounds beef stew meat, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
    1 cup less-sodium beef broth
    1 teaspoon sugar
    3/4 teaspoon salt
    1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
    1 large unpeeled orange wedge

    Preparation

    Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion; sautƩ 4 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; sautƩ 1 minute. Add beef; sautƩ 5 minutes or until beef is browned on all sides. Stir in broth, sugar, salt, and pepper; nestle orange section into beef mixture. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Remove and discard orange. Continue simmering, uncovered, 8 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently.

    Nutritional Information 
    Amount per serving Calories: 180 Calories from fat: 40% Fat: 8g Saturated fat: 3g Monounsaturated fat: 3.4g Polyunsaturated fat: 0.3g Protein: 22.2g Carbohydrate: 3.5g Fiber: 0.4g Cholesterol: 71mg Iron: 2.5mg Sodium: 320mg Calcium: 16mg 
    Cooking Light SEPTEMBER 2006

    Beef Carnitas Tacos

    These simple tacos are an ideal showcase for tender Beef Carnitas (or Pork Carnitas). Serve with a black bean salad and frozen margaritas or ice-cold beer. You can warm the tortillas in a nonstick skillet just until lightly browned.
    Beef Carnitas Tacos 
    YIELD: 4 servings (serving size: 2 tacos and 2 lime wedges)
    COURSE: Main Dishes

      Ingredients

      2 cups chopped plum tomato (about 2 medium)
      1/3 cup chopped onion
      1/4 cup diced peeled avocado
      2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
      1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
      1/8 teaspoon salt
      1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
      8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
      2 cups Beef Carnitas
      1 lime, cut into 8 wedges

        Preparation

        Combine the first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl; toss well. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon 1/4 cup Beef Carnitas onto each tortilla; top each with about 3 tablespoons avocado mixture. Fold in half; serve with lime wedges.
        Nutritional Information
        Amount per serving: Calories: 235 Calories from fat: 30% Fat: 7.9g Saturated fat: 2.2g Monounsaturated fat: 3.2g Polyunsaturated fat: 0.9g Protein: 17.6g Carbohydrate: 26g Fiber: 3.8g Cholesterol: 48mg Iron: 2mg Sodium: 303mg Calcium: 37mg
        Cooking Light SEPTEMBER 2006

        Spicy Green and Red Pork Loin Tostadas

        This made me sad.  The salsa was gross. Not inedible gross, but gross enough not to contemplate it for leftovers, and just use jarred salsa.  Why would you cook salsa.  Of course we left out the apple, because that would have been grosser. 

        The pork was decent, but D had to cut down on the cayenne.  He kept checking to make sure it said 1 TBSP. He ended up putting in 2 tsp.  It was still spicy.

        So the left overs are not with the salsa.

        We had with Black Beans and Rice.

        Spicy Green and Red Pork Loin Tostadas

        "The pork roast can be cooked and shredded a day ahead. Simply reheat it before serving. I like to offer a variety of toppings for these tostadas, such as shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, grated cheese, salsa, and light sour cream." --CL Reader
          Spicy Green and Red Pork Loin Tostadas
        • YIELD: 8 servings (serving size: 1 tostada)
        • COURSE: Main Dishes

        Ingredients

        Pork:
        1 tablespoon ground red pepper
        1 tablespoon dried oregano
        1 teaspoon salt
        1 teaspoon black pepper
        1 (1 1/2-pound) boneless pork loin roast, trimmed
        Cooking spray
        Salsa:
        3 cups chopped yellow onion
        3 garlic cloves, minced
        1 cup chopped red bell pepper
        1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
        1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
        1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
        1 teaspoon hot sauce
        1 cup green salsa
        1/2 cup diced red apple
        1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
        Additional Ingredients:
        8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
        1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese 
         

        Preparation 

         

        Preheat oven to 350°.

        To prepare pork, combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub pork loin with pepper mixture. Place pork on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until meat thermometer registers 155°; cool and shred with 2 forks.
        To prepare salsa, heat a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. SautƩ onion and garlic for 2 minutes; add red bell pepper and next 5 ingredients (bell pepper through green salsa). Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Stir in apple and cilantro, and cook 5 minutes.
        Warm tortillas according to package directions. Place 1/2 cup pork and 1/2 cup salsa on each tortilla; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon cheese and top with desired toppings.
        Nutritional Information
        Calories: 286; Fat: 9.9g; (Saturated fat: 3.7g; Monounsaturated fat: 3g; Polyunsaturated fat: 0.9g); Protein: 23.9g; Carbohydrate: 26.6g; Fiber: 4.9g; Cholesterol: 59mg; Iron: 2.1mg; Sodium: 667mg; Calcium: 144mg