Quick Steak Fajitas - It's What's For Dinner

PRE-STORY:

We had one leftover NY Strip, darn economy packs, so I had to come up with something.  When all else fails, go Mexican!

DISH: Fajita

SOURCE/ADAPTED FROM: Voices in my head

ACTIVE TIME: ~15 minutes TOTAL TIME: ~30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• Juice of two limes
• Juice of one orange (go to Wegman's, get their juicing oranges!)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 packet Sauzon
• 1 garlic cloves, diced
• 1 jalepeno, diced
• 1/4 red onion
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 NY Strip (or whatever steak you have on hand, we had an extra)
• 1 can black beans
• EVOO
• 1/2 C fat-free Mexican cheese blend
• 1/4 C fat-free plain greek yogurt (I use this instead of sour cream)
• 1/2 Avocado (or the whole darn thing, whoever heard of leftover avocado)
• Whole Wheat Tortillas

Juice the limes and orange into a bowl.  Add the cumin, garlic cloves, jalepeno, red onion to the bowl.  Slice beef into bite size pieces - add to bowl.  Let sit 10-30 minutes.  Heat 1 Tbs EVOO  in a large skillet, add beef.  When it starts browning, add some of the marinade to the pan.  Heat for ~ 3 minutes.  When you flip the meat, add the bell pepper and black beans to the pot.  Add rmainder of the sauce.  Simmer for ~10 minutes.


While that is cooking, smoosh the avocado and yogurt together.  Smear on heated tortillas, top with meat/bean mixture and Mexican cheese blend.  Roll burrito style.

SERVES / NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:

Two

RATING/DIFFICULTY:

Really Good / Easy Peasy

SERVED WITH:

The joy of Mexican food - it's all in there!

FINAL NOTES:

Nice easy weekday meal - any meat will do, or veggies for that matter.  Add salsa to spice it up if desired. 

Burger Friday - Cajun Turkey Burger

PRE-STORY I'm making Gumbo and N'Orlean's Red Beans and Rice (completely different from my regular Puerto Rican Beans/Rice) so I had Cajun ingredients on-hand and decided to just make something up.  

DISH: Turkey Burger

SOURCE/ADAPTED FROM: The voices in my head that say "try this, it'll be good".

ACTIVE TIME: ~20 minutes TOTAL TIME: ~30 Minutes

•  1 pound ground turkey
•  1 link Andouille Sausage, diced
•  1/4 C Diced Onion
•  1/4 C Diced Celery
•  1/4 C Diced Bell Pepper
•  1/4 C Vegetable oil
•  3 Kaiser Rolls 
•  Dash of Salt
•  Dash of Cayenne Pepper
•  Dash of Emeril's Essence Seasoning
•  1 clove garlic, grated
•  Splash of garlic flavored olive oil
•  Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat the grill.  Saute the onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic over medium heat for ~5 minutes.  Remove from heat, set aside to cool slightly.

Mix turkey, andouille saussage, salt, cayenne, and olive oil, and Essence together.  Add onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic mixture.  Form into three 1/2-inch-thick patties in a large patty maker.  Don't forget the thumb print I talked about in the last two burger recipes.   

Grill the burgers 6 minutes a side, start with thumb indention up. 

SERVES / NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:

We had J so this made three servings.  They weren't as big as the last couple weeks. 

RATING/DIFFICULTY:

Really Good / Easy Peasy

SERVED WITH:

Zataran's Dirty Rice with diced Andouille.

FINAL NOTES:

I'm not a spicy food fan, but this could have been kicked up a notch.  I'd recommend more cayenne or we used Ragin Cajun Garlic Sauce (I'm trying to order on-line, if I can, I'll post a link).  Next time, I'd put it in the meat pre-cooking. 

Burger Friday - Turkey-Pepperoni Burger

PRE-STORY:

Friday Burger just so happened to come right after I got my Food Network magazine.  They had this recipe, so I had to modify it.

DISH: Turkey Burger

SOURCE/ADAPTED FROM: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/turkey-pepperoni-burgers-recipe/index.html

ACTIVE TIME: ~20 minutes TOTAL TIME: ~30 Minutes

•  1 1/4 pounds ground turkey – used 1 lb
•  1/4 pound sliced pepperoni, chopped (about 1 cup) – only used ½ Cup
•  1 large sprig rosemary or sage, leaves only, chopped – used rosemary
•  1 clove garlic, grated
•  Splash of garlic flavored olive oil
•  Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
•  Added 4 small diced mozzarella balls
•  1/3 cup mayonnaise – used light mayo
•  1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley and/or basil – used basil
•  1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
•  8 slices provolone cheese – only 2 slices
•  Added one red carmelized onion
•  4 onion rolls, split – used Kaiser rolls
• 4 slices beefsteak tomato – 1 tomato per person
• Lettuce leaves, for serving - skipped

Put the turkey, pepperoni, rosemary, half of the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix with your hands until combined. Form into four two 1/2-inch-thick patties by using a large patty maker. Make an indention with your thumb in the middle of the burger (this prevents the burger from ballooning into a huge lump and cooks flat – thank you Food Network for the tip!). Set burgers aside while heating the grill.

Caramelize the onions (my method that may not be the correct way to do it, but it seems to work): Heat some EVOO in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced onion and a sprinkling of salt. Brown the onion for about 5 minutes. Add a tiny bit of butter (or substitute). Lower heat to low, and let onions simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add another sprinkling of salt and a sprinkling of sugar or brown sugar (just a sprinkling!). Simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat, set aside.  Because it was a red onion, I added slightly more brown sugar.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the patties and cook, undisturbed, until browned, 5 minutes. Turn and cook until golden brown on the bottom, 3 more minutes. While onions are finishing caramelizing, grill burgers ~6 minutes a side, start with thumb indention up.  Add provolone cheese in the last minute of cooking.

Meanwhile, whisk the mayonnaise, parsley, lemon zest and juice, and the remaining garlic in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Top each patty with 2 slices cheese, cover and cook until the cheese melts, about 1 minute. Transfer the patties to a plate.

Toast the buns cut-side down in the skillet, then remove from the pan and spread both sides of the buns with the herb mayonnaise. Season the tomato slices with salt and pepper. Sandwich the lettuce, burger patties and tomatoes on the buns.

I don’t like tomatoes on my burger so I just sliced the tomatoes and sprinkled with salt, some garlic flavored olive oil, and fresh sliced basil.

SERVES / NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:

My version serves 2 – They were really big burgers.  There was plenty of mayo mix left over and I used that on our turkey/ham sandwiches for Saturday lunch.

RATING/DIFFICULTY:

Fantabulous / Easy Peasy

SERVED WITH:

Wine and sliced tomatoes

FINAL NOTES:

I thought last week’s bison burger was good, this one may have been better.  The pepperoni, olive oil, and mozzarella kept the turkey very moist and the mayo mix was fantastic!  Don’t tell Dude it was light mayo though!

Burger Friday – Bison Burger with Carmelized Onion, Gruyere, and Boursin Cheese & Avocado Spread

PRE-STORY:

Come Summer, certain traditions pop-up.  Ribs on Sunday, BLT’s once a week, and Burgers on Friday.    As I started to think about tonight's creation, I thought I'd post last week's delicacy.

DISH: Bison Burger

SOURCE/ADAPTED FROM: The voices in my head that say this will taste good together

ACTIVE TIME:  ~20 minutes                     TOTAL TIME:  ~30 Minutes

• 1 lb Ground Bison
• ¼ Cup Gruyere cheese, shredded
• EVOO
• Salt
• Oregano
• ½ round of Boursin Cheese (used Shallot & Chive)
• ½ Avocado
• 1 sweet onion, sliced
• Lettuce (used Baby Romaine)
• Tomato, sliced
• 2 Kaiser Rolls, toasted (any bun will do)

In a large bowl, mix ground bison, splash of EVOO, salt, pepper, oregano, and shredded gruyere.  Use a large patty maker, and make two perfectly round ½ inch thick burgers.  Make an indention with your thumb in the middle of the burger (this prevents the burger from ballooning into a huge lump and cooks flat – thank you Food Network for the tip!).  Set burgers aside while heating the grill.

Caramelize the onions (my method that may not be the correct way to do it, but it seems to work):  Heat some EVOO in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add sliced onion and a sprinkling of salt.  Brown the onion for about 5 minutes.  Add a tiny bit of butter (or substitute).  Lower heat to low, and let onions simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add another sprinkling of salt and a sprinkling of sugar or brown sugar (just a sprinkling!).  Simmer for another 5 minutes.  Remove from heat, set aside.

While onions are caramelizing, grill burgers ~6 minutes a side, start with thumb indention up.

While burgers are grilling, smoosh together ½ round of Boursin cheese and avocado.  Set aside (or start snacking on it, but leave enough to spread on the buns).

Toast buns on top rack of the grill during last 5 minutes of burgers grilling.

Smear Cheese/Avocado mix on both sides of the buns, top with burger, onions, lettuce, and tomato.

SERVES / NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION: 

Serves 2 - These are HUGE burgers so we didn’t do sides and we were stuffed (may also be because of the snacking).  Also, technically, there should be plenty of leftover cheese/avocado mix, but between the snacking (with pita chips) and “tasting” to make sure it tasted right, I can neither confirm or deny that we ate it all.

RATING/DIFFICULTY: 

Fantabulous / Easy Peasy

SERVED WITH: 

Wine or Beer, I can’t remember.  It was a week ago!

FINAL NOTES:    

It’s a burger, there are so many variations, and this is just one week’s creation.  I wouldn’t have changed a thing!

Gruyere and Vegetable Stuffed Chicken Breasts over Mashed Polenta

PRE-STORY:
I had leftover gruyere, zucchini, sweet onion and some fresh kale from the garden so I made this up as I went along.


DISH: Chicken


SOURCE/ADAPTED FROM: The voices in my head that say this will taste good together


ACTIVE TIME: ~30 minutes TOTAL TIME: ~45 Minutes

2 boneless/skinless Chicken Breasts, pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
1 sweet onion, sliced
1 yellow Squash, 1 Green Squash – diced into really small pieces
1 head of kale, stems removed and torn into small pieces
½ Cup Gruyere cheese, shredded
1 Tube Polenta (any flavor, I used Italian Herb)
¼ Cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth
EVOO
Butter (or butter substitute)
Salt
Sugar


Preheat oven to 350. Pound out the chicken, set aside. Shred the cheese, set aside.


Caramelize the onions (my method that may not be the correct way to do it, but it seems to work): Heat some EVOO in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced onion and a sprinkling of salt. Brown the onion for about 5 minutes. Add a tiny bit of butter (or substitute). Lower heat to low, and let onions simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add another sprinkling of salt and a sprinkling of sugar or brown sugar (just a sprinkling!). Simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat, set aside.


Add EVOO and a tiny bit of butter to same pan used for the onions. Increase heat to medium. Add zucchini and kale. Add a splash of chicken broth to deglaze the pan. Heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.


Stuff each chicken breast with cheese, a spoonful of onion, and a spoonful of the vegetable mixture (put remaining vegetables/onion in the pan they were cooked in (should still be warm) and cover to keep warm). Roll up chicken and hold together with toothpicks. Sprinkle any remaining cheese on top. Cook in oven 20 – 25 minutes, until cooked through. Broil for 4 minutes to melt the cheese before serving.


While chicken is cooking, smoosh (it’s a word, trust me) the tube of polenta in a medium sauce pan. Add a big splash (a little less than ¼ cup) of chicken broth to polenta. Add sprinkling of salt. Heat through, and continue smooshing. Reduce heat to low and cover.


To serve, put a big spoonful of polenta on a plate, top with leftover veggie/onion mix.


SERVES / NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:


Serves 2 (There may be polenta left over, unless you live in my house)


RATING/DIFFICULTY:


Easy Peasy


SERVED WITH:


Wine


FINAL NOTES:


I realized after I served this that I didn’t season the chicken. And really, the only seasoning I used throughout the dish was salt. I called the flavor "tastefully bland", in other words I knew it could be better with additional seasoning but it was really, really good without. Your call on what seasonings to add.

Chicken with Italian Beans and Greens - It's What's For Dinner!

PRE-STORY:  I'm looking for more meals with less carbs since I don't seem to exercise anymore...ever.

DISH: Chicken

SOURCE/ADAPTED FROM: Personal Recipe

PREP TIME:  ~10 minutes   COOK TIME:  20 minutes
• 2 Chicken Breasts (Italian seasoned if you are lucky enough to live next to Wegmans) - flattened to even thickness
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Small Sweet Onion - diced
• 2 clove Garlic, minced
• 1/4 Cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 3+ Cups Arugula, or Kale, or Spinach, or whatever Greens you feel like having
• 1 Can Garbanzo Beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 Can Italian Flavored Diced Tomatoes (Garlic Oregano) - or 2 fresh tomatoes diced
• 1 Tbs Fresh Oregano - minced
• 1/2 Tbs Fresh Rosemary - minced
• Coarse salt, pepper, plus any other seasoning you like

Heat EVOO in medium skillet over Medium heat.  Add Onion and saute ~3 minutes.  Add Garlic and saute ~3 minutes.  Add chicken broth and scrape up any brown bits.  Add greens, beans, tomatoes, herbs, and salt.  Heat ~ 3 minutes.  Reduce heat to low.  While this is simmering, grill Chicken ~5 minutes a side. 

Serve Chicken with beans/veggie mixture on top.

SERVES / NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION: Serves 2
Calories: I don't know but it seems relatively healthy.

RATING/DIFFICULTY:  3 Good but Needs Tweakin!!!  Easy Peasy

SERVED WITH:  It's a one-dish meal!

FINAL NOTES:  I would add more garlic next time and mash up half of the beans.  I used arugula and think I would prefer kale or spinach.  I did not drain the tomatoes and I think I will next time - it was a little too tomato-y for me.  This is such an easy and versatile recipe and takes less than a half hour! 

Shrimp Scampi with Couscous - It's What's For Dinner

PRE-STORY: I thought I'd share some of my personal middle of the week meals that I prepare. Most of the time I'm in a hurry, so I try to blend lots of flavors and healthy ingredients in 30 minutes or so.

DISH: Seafood
SOURCE/ADAPTED FROM: Personal Recipe
PREP TIME: ~10 minutes COOK TIME: 20 minutes

• 1 box Couscous - any flavor - you'll only need about 1/2 the box, save the rest for lunch
• Olive Oil
• 1/4 Red Onion, diced
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
• 1/2 bag Spinach, course stems removed
• 1/4 Cup Pine Nuts, slightly toasted
• 3/4 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 Cup Fat-Free Herbed Feta Cheese
• 10 Cherry Tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 Cucumber, diced
• Coarse salt, pepper, dried oregano, Italian Seasoning, red hot peppers, any other seasoning you like

Prepare the couscous per package directions.

Heat a large skillet with olive oil (I used a bit of garlic flavored olive oil). Add onions, season with salt, and let them carmelize for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, cook for ~3 minutes. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Remove all ingredients from skillet and set aside.

Add some olive oil to skillet. Add shrimp, season with seasoning of choice, cook until pink 1/2 way through. Flip shrimp and add vegetables back to skillet. Cook ~2 minutes. Add pinenuts, cook 1 minute. Add couscous to skillet, mix all ingredients together. Top with feta, cook ~2 minutes.

Serve in bowls, topped with tomatoes and cucumbers.

SERVES / NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
Serves 2

Calories: I don't know but it seems relatively healthy.

RATING/DIFFICULTY:
3 Good but Needs Tweakin!!!

Easy Peasy

SERVED WITH:
It's a one-dish meal!

FINAL NOTES:
Play with the spices, add sun-dried tomatoes and olives and it's truly Greek. This will also work with chicken or pork. Very versatile and have I mentioned EASY!