Steak Fajitas

Since I had oodles of steak left over from yesterday's dinner, and some avocado's I needed to use I decided Steak Fajita's were perfect. They were fast and yummy. I didn't have anything to go with them so I just had a handful of PC lime and habanero tortilla chips and they were quite tasty.

Steak Fajitas

Steak of your choice. I used two left over T-bone steaks from yesterday. This also works well with chicken.

**if you didn't season your pre-cooked steak, or if you are using raw meat, increase the amounts of spices a bit**

1/2 tsp garlic powder  or 1 garlic clove, minced (used powder this time)

Vegetable oil

1/4 tsp red chili pepper flakes or cayenne pepper, whatever you like for heat

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp dried oregano

juice from 1/2 a lime ( about 2 TBSPs?) If you dont have lime juice you could use lemon juice, or white wine.

one red pepper, sliced

one green pepper, sliced

1/2 an onion, sliced ( I used vidalia because that's what I had. Anything would work)

S&P

sour cream, avocado, plum tomato, shredded cheese, or whatever topping you like on your fajitas

Whole Wheat tortilla wraps

Thinly slice up the pre-cooked steak, (or raw if you are not using left overs) Heat up about a TBSP of oil in your frying pan over med-high heat, and toss in the steak. 

Sprinkle with S&P if you are using raw, or didn't season your grilled steaks, chili flakes OR cayenne, cumin, oregano and garlic powder. Heat that up well, while stirring fairly regularly. When its pretty much heated through, add the lime juice all at once, give it a good toss around then in less than a minute dump it out into a bowl to keep warm while you saute the veggies.

While the pan is still hot and has some remnants of the steak juice and oil in it, toss in the peppers and onions with a little S&P, and a little more of the cumin, oregano and chili pepper flakes. Toss them around in the pan until they start to brown up a little and soften a little. You want the pan to be hot and dry enough to saute them without steaming them and making them too soft.

Now you are ready to put together your fajita. First warm up your tortilla in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to make it more pliable and less likely to tear. After it's warm I usually slather some sour cream on the wrap first, then add a few pieces of steak, then the pepper/onion mix, then some avocado, seeded and sliced plum tomatoes ( I use plum tomatoes because they are usually less watery and more meaty) and sometimes I add shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack.

I always use saran or waxed paper or aluminum foil around my wraps. It keeps them from falling apart, and helps contain the juices better. It's really easy if you wrap it up, cut it in half then peel back the wrapping as you eat it.

Normally I might make this with some spanish rice but I totally didn't have the time or energy.

Enjoy!

~pam

Asian Beef Noodle Soup

*from eat shrink and be merry

4 oz uncooked soba noodles, whole wheat spagettini, or rice vermicelli
6 cups sodium reduced beef broth
3 TBSP hoisin sauce
1 TBSP each soy sauce, grated ginger root, toasted sesame oil, and feshly squeezed lime juice
12 ounces (340 g) beef tenderloin, thinly sliced
3 cups chopped fresh spinach leaves or thinly sliced bok choy
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1/4 each of chopped fresh mint leaves, and chopped fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup bean sprouts

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain well, rinse with cold water and drain again. Set aside until soup is ready to serve.
In a large soup pot, combine beef broth, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, ginger root, sesame oil, and lime juice. Bring to a boil. reduce heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes.
Add beef, spinach, green onions, mint and basil. Simmer for 5 more minutes, just until beef is cooked through. Taste soup and add salt and pepper if desired. 
To serve soup, place some cooked noodles in the bottom of a soup bowl, top with bean sprouts and ladle soup over top. Serve hot.

Makes 6 servings
Nutritional info per serving:
Cal: 220
total fat: 7 g
saturated fat: 2 g
protein:18 g
carbs: 22 g
fiber: 2.3 g
Cholesterol: 40 mg
sodium: 656 mg

Asian Beef Noodle Soup

*from eat shrink and be merry

4 oz uncooked soba noodles, whole wheat spagettini, or rice vermicelli
6 cups sodium reduced beef broth
3 TBSP hoisin sauce
1 TBSP each soy sauce, grated ginger root, toasted sesame oil, and feshly squeezed lime juice
12 ounces (340 g) beef tenderloin, thinly sliced
3 cups chopped fresh spinach leaves or thinly sliced bok choy
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1/4 each of chopped fresh mint leaves, and chopped fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup bean sprouts

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain well, rinse with cold water and drain again. Set aside until soup is ready to serve.
In a large soup pot, combine beef broth, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, ginger root, sesame oil, and lime juice. Bring to a boil. reduce heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes.
Add beef, spinach, green onions, mint and basil. Simmer for 5 more minutes, just until beef is cooked through. Taste soup and add salt and pepper if desired. 
To serve soup, place some cooked noodles in the bottom of a soup bowl, top with bean sprouts and ladle soup over top. Serve hot.

Makes 6 servings
Nutritional info per serving:
Cal: 220
total fat: 7 g
saturated fat: 2 g
protein:18 g
carbs: 22 g
fiber: 2.3 g
Cholesterol: 40 mg
sodium: 656 mg

Veal Chops with Avocado

4 veal loin chops (3/4″ thick)
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup minced onions
2 tbsp. medium sherry
1 tsp. salt
hot pepper, to taste
1 small avocado
2 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. fresh dill

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slash fat on edge of chops. in 10″ skillet, over medium heat, cook mushrooms and onions in hot butter, about 5 minutes.

Arrange chops in skillet. Add sherry, salt and hot pepper. Heat to boiling. Cover and bake 1 hour or until meat is tender.

Cut avocado in half; remove seed and skin. Slice and arrange over chops. Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes. Put chops on warmer plate.

Blend cornstarch in and 1 tbsp. cream until smooth; stir remaining cream. Gradually stir into hot liquid in skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring until thickened. Stir in chopped dill.

Sesame Beef Broccoli

2 lbs pepper steak cut into small bit size pieces
1/4 cups reduced sodium soy sauce
3 TBSP rice vinegar
2 TBSP hoisin sauce
2 TBSP dark brown sugar
1 TBSP chopped fresh ginger
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp corn starch
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
garlic a couple of cloves minced

In ziploc bag mix soy, vinegar, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, ginger, sesame oil, cornstarch and pepper flakes. Add meat and marinate in the fridge for 30 mins.


In large skillet/wok add 2 TBSP canola oil. Remove meat from marinade place in skillet, but reserve marinade. Cook till done add garlic, broccoli and marinade. Toss till fully cooked.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds
Serve over noodles or rice.

Taco casserole

This is not our usual kind of supper, but my family loves it so I make it once in a while. Is is good for a pot luck gathering.
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalepeno pepper, diced (optional)
1 jar of your favorite salsa ( I use pace or chi-chi's)
1 packet taco seasoning
cheddar cheese, shredded ( a few cups)
monterey jack cheese,shredded (a few cups)
whatever kind of pasta you want,cooked (I use scoobi-doos, or penne or elbow macaroni)
green onions
sour cream

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile....

Fry up the ground beef and when it's almost done add the garlic, onions and peppers. Continue frying until the veggies soften up a bit. Spoon out as much of the fat as you can, then dump in the salsa and taco seasoning. If it looks too dry, you can add some tomato sauce or some tomato paste or just some water. After that heats up a bit add about 3/4 of each kind of cheese. Stir it in. Salt and pepper and season to taste. I often add cumin.
Stir in the cooked pasta, and dump it all in a 9x13 lasagna pan. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over top. Bake it in a 350 oven for 20-30 minutes.
To serve sprinkle the green onions over top and serve with a dollop of sour cream.
For a variation, you can omit the noodles and serve it with a baguette or tortilla chips.

Ginger Fried Beef

Delicious and company worthy, this one goes well with a kitchen of company and wine :)
1 pound grilling steak
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup water
veg oil for frying
2/3 cup carrots, diced
2 TBSP green onion chopped
1/2 cup ginger, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP red wine
2 TBSP rice vinegar or white vinegar
1 TBSP sesame oil
1/2 cup sugar
dash crushed chili's

Slice partially frozen beef into 1/2 inch strips. Mix water and cornstarch and add to beaten eggs. Mix that with the beef. Fry coated beef strips in 1/2 inch of very hot oil. Do this is batches, so you do a single layer of beef at once. When all the beef is done, remove some of the oil, then add carrots, onions, garlic, ginger and chili's. Stir fry for one minute. Mix remaining ingredients together and pour over carrots etc. Bring to a boil, add beef and heat through.

BBQ BEEF SANDWICHES

Super easy yummy quick.... all favourite things of mine.
3 C chopped celery
1 C chopped onion
1 C ketchup
1 C bbq sauce
1 C water
2 T vinegar
2 T Worcestershire Sauce
2 T brown sugar
1 t chili powder
1 t salt
½ t pepper
½ t garlic powder
4-5 pound roast


Mix the above ingredients and cook all day in your slow cooker.
*even better cooked a couple of days prior to serving
Cool the roast/roasts, pull apart with fingers
Put pulled meat back with sauce
Heat and serve on fresh rolls

15 Minute Beef Stroganoff

Quick, easy and great tasting. 

1 pkg egg noodles
2 pounds cubed beef 
2 cans mushrooms (I prefer fresh, but canned will do)
4 small onions
2 cups beef broth
1 Tablespoon ketchup
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup white wine
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 tsp liquid mustard ( or 1/4 tsp dry)
1 cup sour cream

Cook egg noodles and set aside. Meanwhile, brown the beef, mushrooms and onions until cooked. Add beef broth, ketchup, salt, pepper and stir. Add wine, corn starch and mustard. Cook until thickened. Add 1 cup sour cream. Stir and cook 1 min until heated through. Pour over noodles and serve.

Beef Enchiladas

We have Mexican night once in a while, and if you asked my family they would likely tell you not enough. This enchilada recipe is always a favourite. And its easy.



In a crock pot, combine the following:

1 beef roast (I use a cheap cut, like the blade roast, because of the marbling and flavour)
2 glugs? of tequila around the pot
zest and juice of 1 lime
Emeril's Essence- rub the roast
salt and pepper
palmful of cumin


Cook on low for 8 hours, remove roast and separate the meat from the fat etc., strain juice.
Combine strained juice w/pulled beef.

Large flour tortillas- spread beef along bottom, sprinkle with shredded sharp cheddar, roll and place seam side down in a prepared casserole dish.
Taco sauce- pour this sauce over the enchiladas, add more shredded cheese over top.

Bake @ 350, covered, for 25 min., then 5-10 min, uncovered.
Serve with guacamole & sour cream

Veal Scallopini With Grapes and Mushrooms

This recipe came from a member on my facebook recipe group I used to have, and she thinks it came from Recipe Zaar. I agree, it is simply scrumptious!

1 1/2 lbs veal cutlets (cut 1/4-inch thick about 10 pieces) 

1 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon pepper 

1/2 cup flour 

1 teaspoon garlic powder 

1 teaspoon italian seasoning 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter 

4 tablespoons olive oil 

1 lb button mushrooms, wiped clean and quartered 

1 large onion, sliced 

2 garlic cloves, sliced 

2 cups beef stock 

1/2 cup marsala wine or sherry wine 

1 cup red seedless grapes, cut in 1/2 

1. Season veal with salt and pepper. 
2. Mix flour, garlic powder and Italian seasoning in a bowl; dust veal with the mixture; reserve the left over flour mixture. 
3. In a large hot frying pan heat 1/2 the butter and 1/2 the oil cook the veal 4 to 5 minutes until golden brown, turning once. 
4. Remove from pan and keep warm. 
5. Add remaining butter and oil to skillet and cook mushrooms for 5 minutes stirring all the time; add onions and cook for 3 more minutes; add garlic cook 1 more minute; till golden brown; add Marsala wine simmer 1 minute. 
6. Sprinkle the rest of the flour mixture over the mushrooms and onions stir in well. 
7. Add beef stock, bring to boil and simmer 2 to 3 minutes. 
8. Return meat and any accumulated juices to the pan. 
9. Reheat 1 to 2 minutes. 
10. Toss in the grapes just to coat. 
11. Serve veal topped with sauce and mushrooms and grapes. 

Can use same recipe for chicken..however use chicken broth.

Beef & Spinach Salad with cream cheese & candied pecans

Mmm a plate full of some of my favourite ingredients. 


For those occasions when you want to make an impression*taken from www.recipeshare.ca
* to be prepared ahead of time, marinating a must.

Ingredients

* 1 lb (500 g) Inside or Outside Round Marinating Steak (or Rib Eye or Strip Loin Grilling Steak)
* 1 cup (250 mL) low-fat raspberry, huckleberry or balsamic vinaigrette dressing
* 1/4 cup (50 mL) sugar
* 1/2 cup (125 mL) pecan pieces
* Steak spice, to taste
* 1 bag (283 g) washed and trimmed fresh spinach
* 4 oz (125 g) Mascarpone, Chevre, Ricotta or other cream cheese



Additional Comments
MARINATING TIME: 12 hours

Directions
1 Marinate steak with ½ cup (125 mL) salad dressing in resealable freezer bag (12 hours for Marinating Steak/10-15 minutes for Grilling Steak). Discard marinade.

2 Candy-coat pecans by heating with sugar for 2 minutes in heavy frypan over high heat, stirring constantly until sugar is melted and becomes golden and syrupy. Be careful not to burn pecans.

3 Immediately remove pan from heat and use 2 forks to scoop the candied pecans onto a plate covered with waxed paper to cool. (This whole process takes only 3-4 minutes and requires caution.)

4 Season steak with your favorite steak spice and broil, BBQ or pan-fry steak for approx 4 to 5 minutes per side, to desired doneness.

5 Cut steak in thin slices across the grain. Just before serving, toss spinach with ½ cup (125 mL) salad dressing.

6 Place on plates and top with slices of cooked steak, crumbled cream cheese and pecans.

7 Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper, if desired.

BBQ BEEF SANDWICHES

MMMMMmmmmmmm 

3 C chopped celery

1 C chopped onion

1 C ketchup

1 C bbq sauce

1 C water

2 T vinegar

2 T Worcestershire Sauce

2 T brown sugar

1 t chili powder

1 t salt

½ t pepper

½ t garlic powder

4-5          pound roast

Mix the above ingredients and cook all day in your slow cooker.

*even better cooked a couple of days prior to serving

Cool the roast/roasts, pull apart with fingers

Put pulled meat back with sauce

Heat and serve on fresh rolls