Showing posts with label meat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label meat. Show all posts

Monday, July 17, 2017

cooking light, cooking right ~ grilled chile-lime flank steak with grilled corn and bell pepper salad




In the last 22 days, we've only been in our own house three.  We have had a whirlwind of a time, with a terrific visit to Indiana, a couple of days in Crossville and the last week at church camp. Although I've loved every minute of our time away, I have really, really missed my kitchen.

I've been wanting to share these recipes with you for weeks.  We cooked this for the first time shortly before we headed out of town, and I fell in love with it!  Rather than firing up the stove, it can all be cooked on the grill, keeping the house cool and dirty dishes to a minimum.  We grilled some Texas toast to complete the meal, and supper was on the table in no time at all.  The best part about it? Flavors were OFF. THE. CHART.  There is no doubt this will be back on the menu!

Call me crazy, but as I type I'm watching the Hallmark Channel and loving every second of their "Christmas in July" lineup.  Currently, a sweet family is decorating Christmas cookies in the kitchen of a snow-covered bed and breakfast.

Eh-hmm... can we say, "Dream come true?"

At any rate, it makes me start thinking about some cookie recipes I've earmarked to try over the next few months.  Maybe I'll give them a trial run sooner than later.  Who cares if we're having record temps and humidity in Nashville?!?  Sweltering heat or not, I know the boys in the house wouldn't mind testing them one bit. 😋

Grilled Chile-Lime Steak with Grilled Corn and Bell Pepper Salad

makes four servings


for the steak
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro stems
  • 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
  • 3/4 tsp crushed red pepper, divided
  • 1 lb flank or skirt steam, trimmed
  • Cooking spray
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup vertically sliced red onion (we left out)
  • 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1 tbsp sliced garlic
  • 4 lime wedges

for the salad
  • Cooking spray
  • 2 large ears fresh yellow corn, husks removed
  • 1 medium red bell pepper
  • 1 medium yellow bell pepper
  • 1 medium shallot, peeled and halved lengthwise (we used a small Vidalia)
  • 3 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 3/4 oz Cojita cheese, crumbled (about 3 tbsp)
for the steak

1. Preheat grill to high (450-550 degrees).

2. Place cilantro stems, juice, 1 1/2 tbsp oil, and 1/2 tsp crushed pepper in a mini food processor; process until smooth.  Place cilantro mixture in a shallow dish; add steak, turning to coat.  Let stand 10 minutes.

3. Coat grill grate with cooking spray.  Remove steak from marinade; discard marinade.  Sprinkle steak with salt.  Add steak to grill; cook 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare or until desired degree of doneness.  Place steak on a cutting board.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Cut across the grain into thin slices.

4. Place steak on a platter; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 tsp crushed pepper, onion (if using), cilantro leaves, and garlic.  Drizzle with remaining 1 1/2 tbsp oil.  Serve steak with lime wedges.

for the salad 

1. Preheat grill to high (450-550 degrees).

2. Coat grill grate and corn, bell peppers, and shallot (or Vidalia) with cooking spray.  Add vegetables to grill.  Cook corn 14 minutes, turning after 7.  Cook bell peppers 10 minutes, turning occasionally.  Cook shallot/onion 8 minutes, turning after 4 minutes.  Remove vegetables from grill; cool 5 minutes.

3. Cut corn kernels from ears and place in a bowl.  Cut bell peppers into 3/4-inch pieces; add to corn.  Chop shallot/onion; add to corn mixture.  Add parsley, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper to corn mixture; toss.  Sprinkle with cheese.

Recipe from Cooking Light.









Friday, November 6, 2015

slow cooker star - momma's italian beef




A friend and I were talking a while back about the luxury of eating a meal with our family at home and how a home-cooked meal is more of a rarity than commonplace.  In fact, she said her son made a comment one night around the dinner table to the effect of, "Wow!  Eating healthy is so good, Mom!"  She said it struck her kind of funny as she looked at their main course of Poppy Seed Chicken spread across the table.  Soul food?  You bet.  Healthy?  Not so sure.  But in his eyes, "eating healthy" meant just eating something that came from the fridge or oven in his very own house.

Can't you relate?  I know we can, all too well.  Two full-time working parents, active church involvement, multiple children with homework and extra-curricular activities...  A from-scratch meal by dinner time?

Whatever.

EXCEPT when one has a recipe like this one.  Seriously.  If I can't make time to throw this together, which yields a fantastic hearty and delicious meal, I might add, then I need to pack it up and go home.  Home, I tell ya.

Italian Beef is one of my favorite dishes that Mom fixes, and I just don't think about it until I walk into my parents' house, and the aroma meets me at the door.  I love it, and Mom knows that, and so this last trip I made up north, she had it waiting on me.  What a gift.  I knew after eating it that night, I was going to make a conscientious effort to make it myself, so I could share it with you.

And just hold onto your hats, as I tell you about this recipe:

Four ingredients, NO prep work, and 18 hours in the crockpot -  EIGHTEEN.  Full-time working moms everywhere... this is your BFF.  No joke.

Serve this up with Lays potato chips and a green salad or cold pasta dish... I'm telling you, coming home at the end of a long day never tasted so good.

Momma's Italian Beef

1 five-pound rump roast
2 cans (10 1/4 oz) beef consomme
1 package Good Seasonings Italian salad dressing mix
1/2-1 jar (16 oz) pepperoncini peppers (depending on the spiciness you prefer)

1.  Place ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 18 hours.  Half-way through, turn meat inside pot.

If desired, serve on hoagie rolls and top with sauteed peppers, onions, and favorite white cheese.  And don't forget an extra drizzle of juice!

Other ways to enjoy...

* Take to a potluck with thin provolone cheese slices.  Place the cheese on the roll and top with hot beef to melt the cheese.

* To the roll, add a delicious slather of a little mayo and dried Italian seasoning herbs mixed together.

* Place a slice of your favorite cheese over the meat and pop under a broiler.  Watch closely for slight browning and remove.  Perfectly toasted.  Beautifully melted.



Tuesday, August 27, 2013

apple cider pork tenderloin



Five more days and we are officially out of our house.  It looks like a small tornado has been through it, but I can sort of, kind of, see a light at the end of the tunnel.  Having survived the last 72 hours, I am thankful for two things:  

1. my hard-working, never-complaining husband
2. and my crock pot.  

How would a girl ever do without either?

I have made this recipe twice in the last ten days.  Served with a side of green beans and corn pudding, it is such an appetite-pleaser, mark my words.  And there is so much you can do with the leftovers (on the off chance you even have any), it's worth doing.  Especially during the busier seasons of life.  

I'm pretty doggone sure that's the season we're in right now.

I'm so eager to get cooking and experimenting again once we're settled.  Saturday evening I began packing up my kitchen and lamenting the indefinite amount of time I'll be without some of those things that seem indispensable.  Storage is going to be tight in our temporary place, so I'm really having to be strategic about the kitchen, in particular.  Without a doubt, the Keurig, Kitchenaid stand mixer, and my Ninja is going with me.  Oh, and I can't forget a large stock pot, skillet, and - of course - the crock pot.  Well, and I have to toss in the ice cream maker that, now that I think about it, should have been #3 on my list above.  Sigh...  Decisions, decisions.  Ah, well... five more days to decide on all of that.  In the meantime, I'm enjoying me some Apple Cider Pork Tenderloin and calling it a day.  Come on and join me!



Apple Cider Pork Tenderloin
makes six servings
  • 3 pound pork tenderloin
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 2-3 cored and sliced apples
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 3 tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 1/2 cup apple juice (maybe more)
  • 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • Kosher salt and ground pepper to taste
~ Sprinkle loin lightly with salt and let sit at least 10-15 minutes.
~ Place onions and apples on bottom of crock pot. 
~ Place loin on top of onions and apples.
~ In mixing bowl, stir together sugar, soy sauce, apple juice, garlic, cranberries and black 
    pepper, to taste.  Pour over loin.
~ Cook on low 7-9 hours.  Remove from crock and wrap loosely in foil.
~ Pour juices into saucepan and simmer until slightly thickened.  Serve over meat.