Sirloin Steak with Garlic Butter

SIRLOIN STEAK WITH GARLIC BUTTER

We grilled up some steak the other night and it was delicious.  We cut the recipe in half and only ended up using half of that on our steaks.  Ah-mazing!  This was our first attempt at grilling steak.  I'm determined to get better grill lines next time.  :o)

Sirloin Steak with Garlic Butter (Allrecipes)

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup butter

2 teaspoons garlic powder

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 pounds beef top sirloin steaks

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS: 

Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat. 

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat with garlic powder and minced garlic. Set aside. 

Sprinkle both sides of each steak with salt and pepper. 

Grill steaks 4 to 5 minutes per side, or to desired doneness. When done, transfer to warmed plates. Brush tops liberally with garlic butter, and allow to rest for 2 to 3 minutes before serving. 

Catalina Taco Salad

This is a dish my Mom has made for years and was one of my favorites growing up.  I totally forgot about it until my Mom mentioned she was making it last week.  It makes for a quick, tasty meal.  It's also one of those recipes that you can modify to your taste.  We tend to decrease the amount of Catalina dressing, as it is on the sweet side.  Enjoy!

Taco Salad (adapted from Food Network)

INGREDIENTS: 

2 ripe tomatoes, diced (we were out of tomatoes)

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 green onions,chopped

1 head iceberg lettuce, washed, drained and shredded

1 pound lean ground beef, browned, crumbled and drained

1 envelope of reduced sodium taco seasoning

1/2 cup salad dressing (recommended: Catalina)

1 (7-ounce) Doritos, crushed

DIRECTIONS:

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef and drain excess fat.  Add taco seasoning and cook as directed.  Let cool.

Combine the tomatoes, cheese, onion, lettuce, and ground beef in a large bowl. Add the salad dressing and mix well. Just before serving, add the Doritos tossing to combine with other ingredients.

Rio Grande Meat Loaf

RIO GRANDE MEAT LOAF

Matt asked for Southwest meat loaf for dinner last night.  I ended up finding this recipe on Cooking Light and it was perfect.  The meat loaf was so moist and full of flavor!  We'll definitely be making this again!

RIO GRANDE MEAT LOAF
(Cooking Light)

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 2 slices)
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 taco shells, finely crushed (about 1 1/2 ounces)
2 egg whites
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 pounds ground round
Vegetable cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375°. Combine first 12 ingredients in a large bowl, and stir well. Crumble beef over vegetable mixture, and stir just until blended.

Pack mixture into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 1 hour or until meat loaf registers 160°. Let meat loaf stand in pan 10 minutes.

Remove meat loaf from pan; cut loaf into 16 slices. Serve with commercial salsa, if desired.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 234 (29% from fat), Fat: 7.5g (sat 2.3g,mono 3.2g,poly 0.9g) , Protein: 28.9g, Carbohydrate: 11.6g, Fiber: 1.9g, Cholesterol: 66mg, Iron: 4.1mg, Sodium: 483mg, Calcium: 31mg

Cooking Light, MARCH 1996

Curried Beef and Lentil Stew

CURRIED BEEF AND LENTIL STEW

It's been a while. Things have been so hectic around the house and work has been keeping me busy. Weight Watchers is going great! I'm sooo close to goal! YAY!

Anyway, on to the recipe. This is another Cooking Light recipe. This was a great weeknight dinner. The flavor was great and it was super easy to put together.

CURRIED LAMB AND LENTIL STEW

(Adapted from Cooking Light)

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds lean boned leg of lamb (I used beef stew meat)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 cups low-salt chicken broth
3/4 cup lentils
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained
3 1/2 cups chopped collards or spinach (1/4 pound) (I omitted)
1/2 cup diced carrot
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Cilantro sprigs (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Trim fat from lamb, and cut into 1-inch cubes. Set lamb aside.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add onion, celery, and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add lamb; sauté 5 minutes or until browned. Add curry, cumin, and pepper; stir well to coat. Add broth, lentils, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add greens and carrot; simmer 10 minutes or until lamb is tender. Remove from heat; stir in chopped cilantro. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Note: The purchase weight of lamb is 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 pounds to equal 1 pound, trimmed.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 309 (26% from fat), Fat: 8.8g (sat 2.2g,mono 3.9g,poly 0.9g), Protein: 33.7g, Carbohydrate: 25g, Fiber: 5.7g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Iron: 6.9mg, Sodium: 311mg, Calcium:
115mg

**NUTRITIONAL INFO IS FOR THE ORIGINAL RECIPE AND DOES NOT INCLUDE MY CHANGES**

Rosemary-Merlot Flank Steak

ROSEMARY-MERLOT FLANK STEAK

I had seen flank steak on sale at the meat market, so I decided to give it a try. It was such a nice change from our typical chicken dishes! Good stuff!

As far as an update on my weight loss, I am on Week 15 and down 21.75. I have to say that these Cooking Light recipes really make it easy for me to stick to the program. I have yet to have a bad meal and they don't taste light at all!

ROSEMARY-MERLOT FLANK STEAK - (Cooking Light)

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup low-salt beef broth
3/4 cup Merlot or other dry red wine
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat grill or broiler.

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add steak; seal bag. Marinate in refrigerator 20 minutes, turning once. Remove steak from bag, reserving marinade.

Place steak on grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray; cook 6 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices; keep warm.

While steak cooks, combine reserved marinade, tomato paste, and mustard in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring well with a whisk. Bring to a boil, and cook until reduced to 1 cup (about 7 minutes). Serve the sauce with steak.

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 203 (39% from fat), Fat: 8.8g (sat 3.6g,mono 3.5g,poly 0.5g) Protein: 23.8g, Carbohydrate: 6.1g, Fiber: 1.1g, Cholesterol: 54mg, Iron: 2.7mg, Sodium: 445mg, Calcium: 32mg

Mexican Lasagna

MEXICAN LASAGNA

I couldn't think of anything to make today, so I turned to Matt. He first asked me to make lasagna. Then he asked if I could make a Mexican lasagna. I remembered seeing this recipe on Pioneer Woman's site and decided today would be the perfect day to whip this up.

We both LOVED this. The flavor was on point and it tasted like something you'd get at a fancy restaurant! Best part is, we'll have plenty of leftovers for a few days! I'm not complaining! I halved the recipe and baked it in my deep ceramic lasagna pan.

MEXICAN LASAGNA
(adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks)

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups unprepared rice
3-4 cups chicken broth
2-4 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, pressed
1 can black beans, undrained
taco seasoning (or chili powder, paprika and cumin)
1 ½ lb. ground sirloin
1 (16 oz.) jar salsa verde
8-12 small flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
8 oz. enchilada sauce
1 can corn, drained
sour cream and cilantro, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Cook the rice according to package directions with chicken broth in place of the water. In a large skillet, melt a half tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes, onion and garlic to the pan and sauté until onion is tender. Add in chili powder (approx. 1 ½ tablespoons), paprika and cumin (approx. ¾ tablespoon of each), to taste. Stir to combine. Add the can of beans and stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add cooked rice. Stir to mix well.

In the now empty skillet, brown the ground sirloin. Mix with chili powder (approx. 1 ½ tablespoons), paprika and cumin (approx. ¾ tablespoon of each) and salt to taste, as well as 2 oz. of water to create the taco beef.

To assemble the lasagna, pour half of the jar of salsa verde in an even layer over the bottom of a casserole dish. Layer evenly with flour tortillas to cover. Spread approximately half of the rice mixture evenly over the tortillas. Sprinkle with a layer of shredded Mexican cheese. Add another layer of flour tortillas. Pour a thin layer of enchilada sauce over the tortillas. Spread taco beef evenly over the enchilada sauce. Layer one can of corn over the beef. Top with the remaining rice mixture in an even layer. Spread the remaining salsa verde evenly over the rice, and sprinkle with a layer of shredded cheese to finish.

Bake at 375° for 25-35 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and begins to brown a bit. Allow to sit 10 minutes before serving. Top individual servings with sour cream and fresh cilantro, for garnish.

Springfield Chilli

SPRINGFIELD CHILLI / CHILI

Per Cooking Light, the Illinois version of chili is typically spelled with an extra "l," so don't think I didn't use spell check!

This was so, so good. All the flavors went perfectly together. This has to be the best chili I have ever made!! I was very impressed!

Springfield Chilli - (Cooking Light)

INGREDIENTS:
1 bacon slice, finely chopped
2 1/4 cups finely chopped onion, divided (about 2 medium)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound coarsely ground turkey breast
1/2 pound coarsely ground sirloin
1 (12-ounce) can beer (such as Budweiser)
3 tablespoons chili powder (I used an extra 1/2 T)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (I doubled)
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin (I doubled)
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained (I added an extra can of kidney beans)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese
Oyster crackers (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat 5 minutes or until browned. Stir in 2 cups onion; cover and cook until onion is tender (about 5 minutes). Uncover and stir in garlic; cook for 1 minute.

2. Increase heat to medium-high; add turkey and sirloin to pan. Cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add beer; cook until liquid is reduced to 1/3 cup (about 7 minutes). Stir in chili powder and next 5 ingredients (through tomato sauce). Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until mixture thickens. Stir in beans; cook 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Ladle 1 cup chili into each of 6 bowls. Top each serving with 4 teaspoons cheese and 2 teaspoons onion. Serve with crackers, if desired.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 278 (25% from fat), Fat: 7.7g (sat 3.4g,mono 2.2g,poly 0.6g), Protein: 33.1g, Carbohydrate: 20.3g, Fiber: 4.5g, Cholesterol: 52mg, Iron: 3.2mg, Sodium: 623mg, Calcium: 123mg

(Nutritional information is for the recipe made as printed. It does not include my changes.)

Pepper Steak

PEPPER STEAK

So, I had bought some sirloin tips on sale over the weekend and thought this would be the perfect recipe to use them in ... and it WAS! This was soooo good! Believe it or not, I've never had pepper steak, so I relied on Matt to tell me if this tasted like it was supposed to and he was very impressed.

I found this recipe on Food Network and altered it a tad. My recipe with adaptations is below. For the original recipes, be sure to follow my link over to Food Network/Rachael Ray.

INGREDIENTS:

1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 pounds tenderloin tips or sirloin, cut into chunks
Coarse salt

1 red bell peppers, seeded, 2 inch dice

1/2 white onion, sliced

1 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoon tomato paste

1/4 cup dry sherry

3/4 cups low sodium beef broth

1 teaspoon coarse black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat a large skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to really hot pan. Dry meat with paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Add meat to pan and sear on all sides, 5 minutes. Remove meat to a plate and cover meat loosely with foil to hold heat.

Reduce heat on pan to medium. Add remaining vegetable oil. Add peppers and a little onion. Saute peppers and onions 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and cook 1 minute longer. Whisk in sherry and start to pick up pan drippings. Whisk in beef broth and continue whisking. Add tomato paste, black pepper, garlic powder and crushed red pepper. Slide meat back into the pan and coat with sauce. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1-1 1/2 hours, or until meat is tender.

Serve with rice.

Soutzoukakia (Greek Meatballs with Tomato Sauce)

Thanks to Elly, again, for another great recipe! This was such an easy, flavorful dish! Matt dove in for seconds and even attempted to lick the pan clean. If only I could pronounce the name of it... ha ha

My changes below are bolded. For the original recipe, check it out on Elly's page.

Also, be sure to check out Elly's blog for more great recipes!

SOUTZOUKAKIA (Greek Meatballs with Tomato Sauce)

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, finely minced or grated (reserve 2-3 Tbsp).
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 clove garlic, pressed (I used 2 cloves)
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley or 2 tsp. dried
1 egg
1-2 Tbsp. bread crumbs
olive oil
1 large (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 can water
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. cumin (I used 1 tsp.)
1 (good) pinch sugar
salt and pepper
corn starch slurry (I used 1 1/2 tsp. flour instead)
A splash of dry white wine

DIRECTIONS:
Mix together the beef, onion, garlic, salt, oregano, parsley, egg, pepper to taste and breadcrumbs. Form the mixture into elongated oval-shaped meatballs.

Heat olive oil in a pan and pan-fry the meatballs until they are browned on all sides (you don't have to cook them through). Remove. You can probably bake the meatballs instead if you want, but simmer the sauce longer and maybe use a little beef broth in place of the water to add some depth to the sauce.

To the pan, add the 2-3 Tbsp onion (and more oil if necessary) and cook until translucent. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, water, wine, bay leaf, cumin, sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Bring the mixture to a low boil and add the meatballs. Simmer about 10-15 minutes.

Serve over mashed potatoes or rice.

Beef Stroganoff

This was a super easy dinner and was packed with flavor. I haven't had this in soooo long, so it really hit the spot.

I found this recipe on Allrecipes. My version with changes is below.

Enjoy!

BEEF STROGANOFF

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound sirloin steak
1 small cooking onion
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
8 ounces beef broth
1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard

1/2 teaspoon worchestershire sauce
1/2 (6 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
3 tablespoons sour cream
3 tablespoons white wine

2 ounces light cream cheese
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Remove any fat from the sirloin and cut into strips. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet over medium heat, coat with cooking spray and brown the beef strips quickly. Remove the beef from the pan. Add the onions and cook slowly for 3 to 5 minutes. Add beef back to pan.

Heat beef broth in a coffee mug in the microwave for 90 seconds. Stir the flour into the mug and mix. Add flour mixture and white wine to the pan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

Lower the heat and stir in mustard and worchestershire sauce. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30-45 mins. Be sure to stir often.

Five minutes before serving, stir in the mushrooms, sour cream and cream cheese. Heat briefly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over egg noodles.

(Serves 2-3)

Beef Tenderloin With Roasted Shallots

We are such chicken and pork people. We never make steak, ever. I think it's mainly because we don't have a grill. There is nothing like grilled steak..until you have this steak!

Matt LOVED it, and so did I. I totally impressed myself and this really tasted like something you'd get at a fancy restaurant!

The original recipe is from Allrecipes. My altered recipe is below!

Enjoy!!

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 pound shallots, halved lengthwise and peeled
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup Cabernet Sauvigon
1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste
4 beef tenderloin filets
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 slices bacon, diced
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In 9 inch pie pan, toss shallots with oil to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until shallots are deep brown and very tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

In a large saucepan, combine chicken broth and cab. Bring to a boil. Cook over high heat until the volume is reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Whisk in tomato paste. Set aside.

Pat beef dry; sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper. In a large roasting pan, set over medium heat on the stove top, saute bacon until golden. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels. Add beef to pan (I removed some of the bacon grease); brown on all sides over medium high heat, about 7 minutes.

Transfer pan to oven. Roast beef until meat thermometer inserted into center registers 125 degrees F (50 degrees C) for medium rare, about 25 minutes. Transfer beef to platter. Tent loosely with foil.

Bring broth mixture to a simmer. Mix 1 tablespoon melted butter and flour in small bowl to form smooth paste; whisk into broth mixture, and simmer until sauce thickens. Whisk in remaining butter. Stir in roasted shallots and reserved bacon. Season with salt and pepper.

Return beef to the sauce and simmer for 5-10 mins, then serve!

Lentil Soup with Beef

This is such a hearty soup. Matt loves it because it's loaded with protein and fiber. The flavors are so wonderful and it's the perfect soup for those cold winter nights.

This is a Giada recipe. My adaptation of the recipe is below! The recipe makes a ton. If you're only serving a couple, I'd halve the recipe (unless you want to freeze some).

Enjoy!!!

LENTIL SOUP WITH BEEF

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

3 large celery stalks, chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

1 large onion, chopped

6 garlic cloves, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

6 (14-ounce) cans beef broth

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice

2 cups (about 11 ounces) lentils, rinsed

2/3 cup elbow macaroni

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper. Add half of the beef and cook until brown, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a bowl. Repeat with the remaining beef. Add the celery, carrots, onion, garlic, rosemary, crushed red pepper and oregano to the pot. Saute until the onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Return the beef and any accumulated juices from the bowl to the pot. Add the broth and tomatoes with their juice. Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Cover and simmer until the meat is just tender, stirring occasionally, about 30-45 mins. Add the lentils. Cover and continue simmering until the lentils are tender, about 45 minutes. Add the elbow macaroni during the last 15 mins of cooking. Season the soup, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve. Top with fresh Parmesan cheese!

Lubia (green beans with meat - beef or lamb)

Katie gave me the idea to whip up some of this good stuff. Forgive me if my spelling is wrong! Google shows so many versions!

This turned out FABULOUS! I used Beef Stew Chunks, as I didn't have any Lamb handy. I also used canned green beans, which makes this recipe super easy. Matt's dad (100% Lebanese) gave me the thumbs up on my recipe. So if it's good enough for him, then it's good enough to share with all of you.

The recipe below is my twist on Matt's family recipe! Enjoy!

Lubia (Lebanese - green beans with meat - beef stew or lamb)

Erin's Recipe!

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 lb Beef Stew Chunks (or you can use Lamb Meat)

2 28oz cans of Cut Green Beans (drained)

2 29oz cans Tomato Sauce

1 14.5oz can Diced Tomatoes

1 1/2 tablespoon of butter

2 large onions

2 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 teaspoon allspice

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Melt butter in large pot. Add beef to pot and turn to cook all sides. Once the beef is cooked on all sides, add the onion and cook until the onions are soft and golden.

Add water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, allspice, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.

Once boiling, reduce heat to medium/medium low. Cover and simmer for 2-3 hours until meat is tender and the sauce has thickened/reduced. Be sure to stir the mixure every 30 mins or so.

Add the green beans during the last 20 mins of cooking.

Serve over rice pilaf (recipe above).

Pot Roast

So, I finally busted out the slow cooker. We got it for a shower gift back in March and I've been meaning to use it. There have been a few times I was going to put it to use, but it was too late in the day for a 'slow' cooked meal.

Being that I'm such a chicken girl, I decided to go the roast route. I found a recipe on Williams-Sonoma and doctored it to our liking (my changes in bold).

It ended up being sooo tasty. When I took the roast out of the slow cooker to slice, it was falling apart. Again, sorry these pictures aren't pretty. I'm working on it!!

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 yellow onion, finely chopped (I used a large onion)
4 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 lb. red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups beef stock (1 cup low sodium beef stock and 1 cup red wine)
1 cup tomato sauce
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 beef rump roast, 3 to 4 lb.
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups frozen corn

Directions:
Put the onion, carrots, potatoes, stock, tomato sauce, garlic, thyme and bay leaf in a slow cooker and stir to combine.

Season the roast with salt and pepper. Put the flour in a large bowl, add the roast and toss to coat evenly.

In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil until nearly smoking. Add the roast and brown on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Transfer to the slow cooker, cover and cook on high for 6 hours according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Transfer the roast to a carving board, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 5 minutes. Add frozen corn to the slow cooker and stir. Slice the meat and arrange on a warmed platter. Remove the bay leaf and serve the vegetables and sauce alongside. Serves 6 to 8.