Archives for category: beef

Grilled Skirt Steak and Arugula Salad with Guilt-Free Blue Cheese Dressing…

June 11, 2012 //
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Sorry if it seems as if I have disappeared off of the face of the earth, but that is what planning a wedding will do to you! Not only have we been planning the big event, I started seeing a personal trainer and I love it! Don’t get me wrong, she kicks my ass and has me doing things I never thought I would do like counting and tracking my calories and cutting out alcohol. Yes you heard me, limited wine intake until the big day! Its been a challenge especially when I travel, but I will say that  I feel so much better and it is so great to be moving my body again and a relief to have something outside of work and the wedding to focus on. Not to mention, my trainer is pretty freakin rad.

So now you know why I have not been posting much lately. I have been eating light meals like Greek yogurt with berries, tuna with vegetables, cottage cheese with fruit, grilled chicken with greens… you get the idea. Sounds pretty boring, right? Well it can be, but I realized (and my trainer agrees) that you have to have some healthy fun and being super strict on things just sets you up for failure.  Mike and I got a pretty flank steak from Figueroa Produce and I really wanted to make a salad to pair with it with blue cheese dressing. Obviously, blue cheese dressing is the devil, but I think I came up with a way to be able to eat this with out packing in all of the calories of the traditional dressing often made with oil, buttermilk, and mayonnaise. I made it with Greek yogurt! I know it sounds weird, but give it a try. It was really tasty and I promise you won’t be able to tell much of a difference. Greek yogurt is the bomb. We use it for everything. It is a good substitute for mayo, sour cream, etc. and it is really high in protein. This dressing would also be good as a dip for vegetables or apples… in fact, I am def packing some along with a sliced apple as a snack tomorow.

Grilled Flank Steak…

  • 2 pounds flank steak
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground pepper

Score the surface of the steak with a knife. Make the cuts about 1/4 inch deep. Combine the marinade ingredients. Place steak and marinade ingredients in a large freezer bag. Coat the steak well with the marinade. Seal the bag and place in a bowl. Chill and marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Coat the grill rack with a bit of olive oil and preheat to high heat. Take the steak out of the bag and sprinkle generously on both sides with salt and pepper. This will help form a savory crust on the steak. Place steak on the hot grill. If you are using a gas grill, cover the grill. Grill for 4-6 minutes on each side until medium rare. Don’t overcook flank steak as it can get tough. Remove from the grill and place on a cutting board. Let rest and cover with aluminum foil for 10 minutes. Slice steak on a slight diagonal and put on top of the salad.

Guilt Free Blue Cheese Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup blue cheese finely chopped or in crumbles
  • 1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt (we use Fage 0%)
  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • Cracked black pepper to taste
  • Bit of salt of seasoned salt
  • Drizzle of honey or agave

Finely chop or break apart blue cheese into small crumbles. Combine blue cheese, Greek yogurt, lemon juice , vinegar, and garlic in a bowl or jar and mix well. Add all seasonings and a drizzle of agave or honey and stir well with fork until cheese is no longer clumpy. Adjust seasonings to taste and may want to add some water to get it to your desired consistency. We left it pretty thick. I suggest letting sit for a couple of hours or even making this the day before. Use atop salads or as a dip for vegetables or crunchy apples.

Salad:

  • 3 cups baby arugula
  • 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 green apple, thinly sliced
  • 1 red or orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1 Roma tomato, chopped
  • salt and pepper

Toss all salad ingredients into a bowl and season with a bit of salt and pepper. Toss salad with 2-3 tablespoons of the blue cheese dressing. Plate the salad and top with a few slices of the grilled skirt steak. The warm steak as well as the crunch and sweetness of the apple paired with the strong blue cheese is soooo good! You won’t even miss all of those calories you are saving:)

So, if I post anything else before the big day, bare with me as they will more than likely be about me trying create a healthier option. Fingers crossed that I can keep this up… not just for the wedding, but for a healthier lifestyle. Hooray!

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Categories appetizer, beef, cheese, dinner, food and recipes, fruit, lunch, salads, side dish

Homemade Meatballs with Fresh and Spicy Tomato Sauce…

February 20, 2012 //
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We are slowly starting to warm our home! This weekend we had some friends over that haven’t seen our new pad, (and I did my first big Bristol Farms shop… man, I am in love with that grocery store) so I decided to cook. I have been wanting to try to make meatballs for some time now and when I saw the meat counter at the Bristol Farms in South Pasadena, I could not resist. I mean what is a bigger gesture to good friends than big, juicy, meaty, cheesy balls??? Hell–oooo!

This was a lot easier than I had thought! I made the whole recipe up as I sipped white wine and face-timed with my Dad. No measurements necessary! I am sure you can switch out the meats and spices to your liking. We are spicy obsessed and probably made this a bit too spicy for the average joe so start minimal when adding in the red pepper flakes.

All in all I would say it was a success. The whole table said they would “order it again!!!” We served the meatballs over pasta alongside a salad of arugula, red pear, Marcona almonds, and good Manchego, with a hunk of garlic bread. A true carb lovers dream… score!!!

Meatballs:

  • 1 lb. ground sirloin
  • 1/2 lb. ground veal
  • 1/2 lb. ground pork
  • 2 eggs, slightly beaten
  • 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
  • splash of milk
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • handful fresh oregano, chopped
  • few basil leaves, chopped
  • tsp. or so garlic powder
  • tsp. or so red pepper flakes
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil for browning meatballs

Place all ingredients in a bowl. Mix with your hands until well incorporated. Begin to form mixture into 2-inch balls. The mixture will be sticky and you may need to adjust breadcrumb amount to get the correct texture. Place meatballs on a cookie sheet.

Once all meatballs are prepared, heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot. Drop in meatballs and cook until browned being careful not to crowd the pan like this genius did and ensuring you move them around enough that they don’t stick to the bottom. I obviously did not pay attention to this:) Do this in batches until all are browned. Set them aside on a paper towel lined plate. Scrape large bits out of pan and set aside pan with oil for tomato sauce.

Fresh and Spicy Tomato Sauce…

  • 1 large sweet onion, diced
  • 5-6 garlic cloves, minced
  • handful fresh oregano, chopped
  • large pinch red pepper flakes
  • handful fresh basil, chopped
  • 6 fresh vine ripened tomatoes, seeded and chopped
  • 1 cup or so red wine
  • 2 28 oz. can crushed San Marzano tomatoes
  • salt
  • freshly cracked pepper

In the pot that meatballs were browned in, add onion, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Saute until onions are translucent. Add fresh tomatoes and cook down until soft. Add in red wine, stirring to scrape up all of the bits on the bottom of the pan. Reduce. Add in tinned tomatoes and season to taste.

Cover and simmer about 10 minutes. Once thickened, add in fresh basil and place meatballs back into sauce. Simmer together for about 15 more minutes. Serve over pasta and top with freshly grated parmesan and a bit of fresh basil. Yowza!!!!

 

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Categories appetizer, beef, cheese, dinner, eggs, food and recipes, pasta, pork

Beef and Guinness Chili…

November 6, 2011 //
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This weekend was a bust. It was so cold and rainy that it made us not really want to do anything! I did have a nice dinner with my pal Jessica at the Luggage Room in Pasadena which was perfect (I recommend that you check it out if you haven’t as its not easy to find good pizza in Los Angeles), but not much else to report. I wanted to have the stove on to keep the house warm today, so decided to put on a pot of chili. Mike is always raving about his brother’s chili that he makes with beer. I thought I would give her a try spicing up my usual recipe with Guinness and a few other surprise ingredients. It was the perfect thing for this chilly fall day… no pun intended:)

Beef and Guinness Chili:

  • 1 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 3/4 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 2 1/2 pounds ground lean sirloin
  • salt and pepper
  • garlic powder
  • couple of dashes of worcestershire sauce
  • couple of pinches of red pepper flakes
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 2 small onions, diced
  • 2 red bell peppers, seeded, cut into 1/2 inch dice
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded, cut into 1/2 inch dice
  • 2 large jalapeño chiles with seeds, chopped
  • 4 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
  • 1 28 oz. cans diced tomatoes ( i used ones with chiles especially for making chili)
  • 2 15-ounce cans kidney beans, drained
  • 1 12-ounce bottle of Guinness (or any dark stout)
  • 1/2 cup cold coffee
  • Chopped green onions
  • Coarsely grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese

Toast cumin and coriander in skillet over medium heat until darker and beginning to smoke, about 4 minutes. Cool. Sauté beef in heavy large pot over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and worcestershire sauce. Should brown in around 8 minutes. Chop peppers and onions.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, all bell peppers, and jalapeños. Sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 15 minutes.

Add mixture to pot with meat. Mix in toasted spices, chili powder, and chipotle chiles. Add crushed tomatoes, beans, coffee, and beer.

Bring chili to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper. It will make your house smell so incredible. I couldn’t keep this one from sniffing around my feet the entire time I was putting this together…

Ladle chili into bowls. Serve with green onions, cheese, and oyster crackers. Yeah, thats right. I said oyster crackers.

Quick Tip:

Dish up all of your leftovers into individual serving bowls and pop into the freezer. I bought this set of 12 at Crate and Barrel for only like $20 and it was so worth it as I use these lil guys for everything. Then you can just take a serving out of the freezer and pop in the microwave at work for a quick and homemade lunch. Because it will take all day for it to thaw out, you don’t even need to keep it in the work fridge!

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Categories beef, dinner, food and recipes, lunch, side dish, soup

Sloppy Joes-Midwest Styyyle…

October 31, 2011 //
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This weekend we went to a super cute pumpkin carving party. This is as far as I will go with Halloween these days. I am sure you all think I am a scrooge, but I have been over it for years. Too much pressure! Everyone brought a pumpkin to carve and our pal Ashley went all out and made so many delicious things like croissant wrapped brie, mulled wine, and these yummy sloppy joe sliders that she made with turkey and served on Hawaiian rolls. The sliders totally made me homesick and inspired me to ask my sister for her recipe. We used hers and doctored it up a bit with some things like peppers, brown sugar, and worcestershire.

It was pretty impressive how we all got so into the pumpkin carving. We ended up with a goth pumpkin, one with a gold toof, a Danzig pumpkin, one with a fu manchu, a puking pumpkin… rad. I tell ya… a bunch of mid 30 year olds, pumpkins, Catch Phrase, and alcohol sure does make for some good clean fun. All of that and home by 10:30! Man, we old.

For just about every family get together in the midwest, you will find a big ol’ pot of shloppy joes. Mike and I attempted to whip these babies up from scratch last night. They were actually quite delicious and even better today when I took one to the office for lunch:) Here is what we did…

Sloppy Joes- Midwest Styyyle:

  • 2 lbs. lean ground sirloin
  • 1 small chopped onion
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • boat load of worcestershire
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 1 cup ketchup (use as much as you want depending on how “sloppy you want them”)
  • 1-2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • splash of vinegar
  • salt pepper to taste

In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, drain off liquids.

Add peppers, onion, worcestershire, and garlic. Season with salt and pep and cook until vegetables are soft.

Stir in the mustard, ketchup, tomato paste, and brown sugar; mix thoroughly. Add a splash of vinegar and adjust seasonings to taste. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve on a whole wheat bun with homemade pickles.

Happy Halloween!!!!

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Categories beef, dinner, food and recipes, lunch

Wild Mushroom and Truffle Bisque…

October 8, 2011 //
1

Generally, I am not thrilled to have to travel to Philly often and this month I had to go on two separate week long occasions. I am surprised at what a nice time I had there last week and came back quite inspired. After our long flight with no lunch on Monday, my boss friend and I went to dinner at this lovely restaurant called Audrey Claire. We were starving, so of course, we ordered about half of the menu. The beauty of this place was that it was BYOB. We picked up a decent bottle of red at the wine store (because you can’t just get a bottle of wine at a liquor store in Philly, it has to be a wine store) and to feed our two hungry asses (and you know how we are) it was only around 70 bucks! Everything we had such as the seared brussel sprouts with shaved parmesan; crab, apple, and avocado terrine, wild boar sausage with asparagus and risotto, and shrimp skewers with a fresh fruit and corn salsa served with yam medallions were all delicious. The dish that I enjoyed the most was this mushroom and truffle bisque. I talked about it all week and could not wait to get home and recreate it for Mike. I do not work with mushrooms too often, so I searched the internet and came across this delicious Wild Mushroom Bisque on Oprah’s website. This recipe did not include truffles, so I  easily altered it using some truffle oil that our pal brought us back from his travels. I also used beef stock and topped it with a bit of creme fraiche like they did at the restaurant. Quick note: This would be a really hearty vegetarian dish if you wanted to used vegetable stock. At any rate, it was the bomb and I know Mike enjoyed it based on the orgasmic noises he was making while slurping it down. Can’t wait to take this for lunch on Monday!

Wild Mushroom and Truffle Bisque…

  • 1 cup dried porcini mushrooms
  • 2 pounds mixed fresh mushrooms , such as cremini, button and shiitake
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 4 shallots , thinly sliced
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves
  • 1 stalk celery , thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup Marsala or Madeira wine
  • 1 medium Yukon Gold potato , peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 cup beef broth (chicken or vegetable stock could work as well)
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or tarragon leaves , chopped
  • 1 cup milk or cream
  • 2 tablespoons good truffle oil
  • creme fraiche for garnish

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Place porcini mushrooms in a large glass bowl or measuring cup. Pour boiling water over mushrooms and set aside. Wash and trim fresh mushrooms; cut into quarters and set aside.

Heat oil and butter in a 4-quart stockpot over medium heat. Add shallots, pinch salt and pepper and rosemary. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until shallots begin to brown, about 7 minutes. Add celery and continue to cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add fresh mushrooms and generously season with salt and pepper, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes, until mushrooms lose approximately half their volume.

Using a slotted spoon, remove porcini mushrooms from water and add them to stockpot. Increase heat to medium high and add Marsala. Cook 1 minute.

Slowly pour porcini liquid into stockpot, leaving any sediment behind. Add potato and beef broth and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Turn off heat and let soup cool slightly (about 8 minutes), stirring occasionally.

Using a standard or immersion blender, puree soup until smooth. If using a standard blender, puree in small batches to prevent spillage. Transfer to a clean pot or storage container. Soup can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

When ready to serve, reheat soup and add thyme and milk; stir well. Use additional milk or beef broth if soup is too thick. Simmer 5 minutes and adjust seasoning to taste. Turn off heat, add truffle oil, stir well and serve with a dollop of creme fraiche and some good bread.

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Categories appetizer, beef, dinner, food and recipes, side dish, soup, vegetarian

Braised Short Ribs with Horseradish Cream…

September 29, 2011 //
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I have been so busy this month. Between traveling for work and working on wedding shtuff, I have not had any time to cook which has been making me sad. On the flip side, I have def racked up a ton of miles (hello, honeymoon…) and read a lot of magazines! This month every food magazine is filled with fall recipes and almost every one I have read so far has a recipe for braised short ribs. I have never made them before and all of that plane ride reading has made me crave them, so I thought I would give it a try. Don’t mean to toot my own horn, but I must say that I think this is by far the best thing I have ever made!!! The recipe I used is a Tom Colicchio recipe from Food and Wine that I, of course, altered a bit. I made a smaller batch, served over creamy Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, and made a delicious horseradish cream to top it off. Holy crap! It was soooo good. I can’t wait to serve this at my next dinner party.

Tom Colicchio’s Braised Short Ribs:

  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 6 flanken-style short ribs with bones, cut 2 inches thick (about 4 pounds); see Note
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 3 celery ribs, sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, thickly sliced
  • One 750-milliliter bottle dry red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon
  • 4 thyme sprigs
  • 3 cups chicken stock

In a large skillet, heat the oil. Season the ribs with salt and pepper. Add them to the skillet and cook over moderate heat, turning once, until browned and crusty, about 18 minutes. Transfer the ribs to a shallow baking dish in a single layer.

Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic to the skillet and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until very soft and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Add the wine and thyme sprigs and bring to a boil over high heat. Pour the hot marinade over the ribs and let cool. Cover and refrigerate overnight, turning the ribs once.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Transfer the ribs and marinade to a large, enameled cast-iron casserole. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Cover and cook in the lower third of the oven for 1 1/2 hours, until the meat is tender but not falling apart. Uncover and braise for 45 minutes longer, turning the ribs once or twice, until the sauce is reduced by about half and the meat is very tender. This is around the point where I started boiling my taters.

Transfer the meat to a clean shallow baking dish, discarding the bones as they fall off. Strain the sauce into a heatproof measuring cup and skim off as much fat as possible. Pour the sauce over the meat; there should be about 2 cups.

Preheat the broiler. Broil the meat, turning once or twice, until glazed and sizzling, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, finish your mashed potatoes and make the horseradish cream.

Horseradish Cream:

  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon horseradish
  • salt
  • pepper

Mix ingredients together in a bowl adjusting seasoning as needed and let sit for 30 minutes.

Fill plates with a large serving of mashed potatoes, top with meat, add a dollop of the horseradish cream, and serve. O.M.G. I can tell you that Miss Luna loved that I made this as she is still chewing on the rib bones!!! Someone had a bath tonight… Doesn’t she look pretty???

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Categories beef, dinner, food and recipes
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