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Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Apricot Ginger Glaze…..

Posted by on April 25, 2011

Make this simple dish any night of the week.  Pork tenderloin usually comes 2 per package.  They weigh between 1 and 1 1/2 lbs. per tenderloin.  You’ll want to trim off any excess fat and sinew (fibrous connective tissue).  Using a sharp knife, run closely under the tissue to remove.

Coat the tenderloins with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Cook on the grill on medium-high heat for about 25 minutes.  Top with the apricot ginger sauce for an additional  5-8 minutes of cooking.  Keep a close watch as the sugar in the jam can easily burn.

Here we go….

Make the simple sauce.  1 cup apricot preserves, 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons minced ginger root,  1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 1 clove crushed garlic, and  1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes.  Mix well and divide in half.  You will use half while cooking and half when serving.  Preheat the grill.  Cook the tenderloins on medium-high for about 25 minutes.

Reduce the heat on the grill to medium-low.  Generously baste the tenderloins with the glaze.  Be sure to watch carefully as the sugars in the glaze can easily burn. Cook another 5-8 minutes.  Allow to rest lightly covered with foil for 15 minutes before slicing.

Thinly slice on a diagonal and top with extra apricot/ginger sauce.  Serve with steamed rice and stir fry sugar snap peas.  Enjoy!

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Apricot Ginger Glaze

1 1/2-2 lbs. pork tenderloin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup apricot or peach preserves
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons finely minced ginger root
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 clove crushed garlic clove
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1)  Preheat the grill.  Trim the tenderloins and coat with olive oil.   Season with salt and pepper.

2)  In a small bowl, add the preserves through the red pepper flakes, mix well.  Divide in half.  You will use half to glaze the tenderloin on the grill and half for serving.

3)  Once the tenderloins have been cooking for about 25 minutes and have good color, reduce the heat to medium low and generously baste with the sauce.  Watch carefully as the sugars in the glaze can easily burn.  Cook for another 5-8 minutes, continue to baste.  Serve with extra sauce.  Serves 4.

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Simple Apricot Glazed Easter Ham…..

Posted by on April 16, 2011

I love to plan for any food celebration!  Easter is especially exciting because of all of the spring produce readily available.  Your holiday dinner doesn’t have to be complicated!  I truly believe that the best foods are the ones with the simplest preparation.  There are many side dishes that can be prepared ahead and simply warmed before serving.

Personally, I especially love a precooked  Easter ham.   Since it’s fully cooked all you need to do is warm in the oven and add a tasty glaze.  I make a simple glaze with apricot preserves, a little dijon mustard, and  a little cider vinegar.  Be sure to warm the ham with a little water or pineapple juice in the pan and cover it tightly with foil.  Your ham will not dry out.  

Warm a precooked ham at 350′ for 15 minutes per pound.  (example:  10 lb. ham x 15 = 150 minutes.  Divide 150 by 60 minutes=2 1/2 hours.  You want an internal temperature of 160′.  Even though it’s fully cooked, rewarming foods, especially meats, need to reach a certain temperature to make it completely safe.  Use an instant read thermometer or one you can put into the ham and leave while in the oven.  With the bone in, figure about 1/2 lb./serving.  Save the bone for soup!

If you’re using a ham that isn’t pre cut, you’ll want to score it with a sharp knife about half way through cooking.  So for a 10 lb. ham score after about an hour and 15 minutes of cooking.  Simply run your knife lightly over the ham making a criss cross pattern.  You will begin to glaze at this point as well.

My Favorite Easter Ham with Apricot Glaze

1 ham-can be spiral cut or uncut
1 cup apricot preserves
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
pinch of salt and pepper
2 cups Pineapple juice

1)  Preheat oven to 350′.  Place the ham in a shallow baking dish fat side up (you can use a pan with a rack).  Add  pineapple juice or 2 cups of water to the bottom of the pan.  Cover tightly with foil and bake for about half of the cooking time.  Remember, 15 minutes per pound.  Insert your thermometer if using one that is oven safe.  Try not to touch the bone.

2)  Half way through cooking, remove from the oven and carefully remove the foil, watch out for steam, it’s terribly hot!  Score the ham if you need to.  Generously coat the ham with the glaze.  Lightly re-cover with the foil.  Add a little water to the pan if the pineapple juice has evaporated.  Back into the oven.  Baste with the glaze a couple more times before it’s done.  Remove from the oven and keep the foil on the top to keep the heat in.  Allow the ham to rest for about 30 minutes.  This will allow you to use the oven to warm any other side dishes you’ll be serving.   Baste the ham one last time before serving.  Enjoy!

More easy Easter recipes to come!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Angie

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Simplest Barbeque Ribs…..

Posted by on April 5, 2011

This recipe uses very few ingredients and a very simple cooking technique called braising.  Slow roast the simply seasoned ribs in the oven with low heat for a couple of hours and finish on the grill for 10-15 minutes.  Feeding a crowd?  Cook the ribs ahead and refrigerate (you’ll want to use within a few days).  Grill for 10-15 minutes and add BBQ sauce and serve.

Here we go….

There is a skin on the underside of the ribs, you’ll want to remove it.

Using your fingers, grip the skin and pull away from the ribs.

If it’s too difficult to grab ahold of the skin with your fingers, use paper towel.  This will help to grip the skin.

Once the skin is removed,  halve the slabs to make them more manageable when cooking.  Choose a meaty spot between two bones and slice with a sharp knife.

Preheat the oven to 275′.  Foil line a deep pan that will hold the ribs without too much crowding.

Now we’re ready to season.   I  season simply with salt and pepper.  I think salt and pepper bring out the natural flavor in the ribs and of course, you get tons of flavor from BBQ sauce.

Place in prepared pan.

Cover the pan tightly with foil.  Roast for 2 1/2 hours.

They’re done.  They don’t look very appetizing at this point but believe me, they’re tender and ready for the grill.  I find that they are more manageable when you allow them to cool a bit before grilling.  Preheat the grill to medium high.  Place ribs on the grill.  Grill until they’re heated through.   Add your favorite BBQ sauce at the very end.   I LOVE Sweet Baby Ray’s, it’s sweet, thick, and a bit spicy, so good.

Best BBQ Ribs

1-2 slabs of baby back ribs, skin removed and halved
salt and pepper
Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce, or your favorite BBQ sauce

1)  Preheat the oven to 275′.  Foil line your pan with heavy duty aluminum foil.

2)  Remove the skin from the back side of the ribs and halve the slab.  Season generously with salt and pepper or your favorite seasoning or rub.  Place into prepared pan.

3)  Cover the pan tightly with foil.  Place in 275′ oven for 2 1/2 hours.  No need to peek.

4)  Remove from oven and cool or refrigerate to grill later.  Preheat grill to medium-high.  Place ribs on the grill for about 15 minutes.  Liberally add BBQ sauce to the ribs and watch carefully as to not burn the BBQ sauce.  Serve immediately.

ENJOY!

Angie

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Natchitoches (Nack-uh-Tush) With Spicy Yogurt Dipping Sauce

Posted by on March 11, 2011

I came across this little stuffed meat appetizer pie in a Food and Wine Cookbook,  Best of 2010.  I made a couple of small changes.  I didn’t care for the crust, it was a bit tough.  I used my own pie crust recipe-worked like a charm.  I did, however, love the idea for a spicy tart dip.  The recipe suggested using buttermilk, but I always have plain yogurt on hand, so I made my version of it.

The name really piqued my curiosity so I googled.  Turns out these meat pies were popular in the late 1700’s in the small Louisiana town that shares the name.    It is said that the meat pies were easy for working men to transport to work and were easy to eat.  I LOVE food history! 

I enjoyed making these little appetizers but they were time consuming.  I think it would make an interesting dinner (make them larger) and I think kids would dig it.  (maybe cut back on some of the spice)  I’d serve a nice green salad with a vinaigrette.  The sharp vinegar cuts the richness of the meat filling. 

Brown the meat in a little olive oil.  Add minced garlic, green pepper, and onion.  Cook until vegetables are soft.  Add tomato paste, cayenne pepper, ground cloves, dried thyme, ground coriander, allspice, sugar, and water.  Add a couple of pinches of salt and a couple of dashes of Tabasco.  Allow to cool completely. (be sure to do this, the crust dough will not fare well with warm filling)  Prepare the egg wash and preheat the oven to 350′.

Roll out a pie crust disc into a 12-14″ circle.  Using a 4″ biscuit cutter, cut out as many circles as possible.  Working one at a time, brush half of the circle’s edge with the egg wash.

Add a tablespoon of the cooled meat mixture to one side of the circle.

Fold the circle over the meat and seal the edges.

Crimp the edges with a fork and poke the center of the pastry with the fork to vent steam.  Place on parchment lined cookie sheet.

Brush the tops with the egg wash.  Bake for 25 minutes.  While they’re baking, prepare the dipping sauce.  Enjoy!

Natchitoches Meat Pies with Spicy Yogurt Dip

Dough:

My pie crust recipe, doubled and chilled for 30-40 minutes

 Filling:

 1 tablespoon olive oil

½ lb. lean ground beef

1 large clove garlic, minced

½ cup onion, finely diced

1 small green pepper, seeded and finely diced

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 teaspoons sugar

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

1/8 teaspoon ground coriander

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

2 tablespoons water

2 pinches salt

Two shakes of Tobasco

1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons of milk

Yogurt Dip

 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons sour cream

½ cup non fat greek yogurt

1 teaspoon ground celery seeds (or ½ teaspoon celery salt)

Two shakes hot sauce

1)  Prepare crust and wrap discs in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for 30-40 minutes.

2)  Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add olive oil.  Add meat and cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, onion, bell pepper, and bay leaf.  Cook 7-9 minutes until veggies are soft.

3)  Stir in tomato paste through water.  Cook for 3-5 minutes.  Discard the bay leaf and allow the mixture to cool.

4)  Preheat the oven to 350’.  Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

5)  Roll out the pie crust to a 14” round.  Using a 4” biscuit cutter, cut out as many circles as you can.  Brush the edge of half of the round with the egg wash, add a tablespoon of cooled meat mixture to one side of the circle.  Fold over, press to seal.  Using a fork, crimp the edges and poke the center of the tart to vent.  Place on cookie sheet.  Brush with the egg wash.  Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

6)  In a small bowl, whisk all ingredients until well blended.  If sauce is too thick, thin out with a little milk.

 *Make a day or two ahead and warm in 350’ oven for 10 minutes.  Whisk the sauce and serve.

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Step by Step Sunday Onion Braised Pot Roast…..

Posted by on October 5, 2010

This is a family favorite.  Tender, succulent onion braised beef served with sour cream mashed potatoes and gravy.  Are you hungry yet?  Let’s begin…..for the pot roast you will need:

2 1/2-3 lbs. beef pot roast
salt & pepper
2 large onions
5 large cloves garlic
1 1/2  cups water
1 cup wine

Generously season what appears to be half a cow!  Cripes!  Anyway, this is a 3 lb. roast.  It makes for wonderful leftovers, so I recommend making more than you need.  Don’t worry about over seasoning, especially with this amount….

Next, heat a large dutch oven or pan that can go into the oven with a lid over medium high heat.  When hot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and put the seasoned meat into the pan.  Cook about 7-10 minutes per side to caramelize the beef.

While the meat is browning, thinly slice a couple of large sweet onions…..

When the meat is nicely browned, remove the meat from the pan onto a platter.  Set aside.  Add onions to the pan, stir often.  Add a couple of tablespoons of water to the pan to prevent scorching.  Cook for about 10 minutes, or until soft.   Can you imagine how my house is smelling right about now?????
Of course, we must have plenty of garlic.  Slice 5 large cloves and add to the onions….
Cook for about 2 minutes.  Oh yes, time to preheat the oven to 325’…..

Push the onions off to the side and add the meat with the juices on the plate back to the pan.  Cover the roast with the onions and garlic.  Time for my favorite braising liquid…..

Add 1 1/2 cups of water and 1 cup of wine.  Oh look, a glass for me…how convenient! 
Cover with the lid and place into the oven….oh wait, the meat takes 3 hours, we’re eating at 6:30…better wait a bit!
Cook for 3 hours.  This would be a good time to prep your potatoes.  Peel your potatoes and put them into a large pot, add salt and cover with water.  I like to turn the heat on about 1 1/2 hours before the meat is done.  That way I can mash them and have them ready to go when the meat comes out of the oven.  My house smells unbelievable! 
The meat is done….it is so tender that it’s falling apart…..the epitome of comfort!
For the gravy…..
It is best to remove as much of the fat as possible from the drippings.  Put the roast onto a serving platter.  Remove as many of the onions as you can and put on top of the roast.  Cover with foil to keep warm.  If you have one of those fat separators, use it.  If you don’t put all of the liquid into a 2 cup clear measure.  Using your turkey baster, put it into the bottom of the cup with the juices and suck out just the liquid from the bottom, leaving the fat layer on top.  Put this liquid into a medium sauce pan.  You’ll want about 1 1/2 cups of broth, if you don’t have that much, just add water to get it to 1 1/2 cups.  In a liquid measuring cup, measure 1/2 cup of water and add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.  Mix well and add to the broth mixture.  Turn on the heat to medium.  Heat until nicely thickened and give it a taste.  Season with salt and pepper if necessary.
I love this savory rich meal with a lovely cabbage salad.  Try my Red Cabbage and Avocado Salad with Peas.  The tart of the cider vinegar is fabulous with the roast.  Enjoy!
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Salisbury Steak with Homemade Beef Gravy…..

Posted by on September 9, 2010

Forget about TV dinners, this is fabulous!   The best part about it is the ingredient list.  We have a little fiber, equal parts ground turkey, ground beef, and meat substitute crumbles.  For extra flavor, fresh onions and garlic.  If your people have an aversion to “chunks,”  feel free to puree the onions and garlic in the food processor.  I made the recipe large so that you may have some to freeze. 

The best way to freeze is to put the steaks and gravy in the same dish, cover with plastic wrap, right on top of the meat and gravy reducing the amount of air that can get at the food.  Then, cover tightly with heavy duty aluminum foil.  As always, label and date.  It’s easy to write on the foil with a Sharpe pen.  When you’re ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator overnight.  When rewarming, remove the plastic wrap and save the foil.  Add 1/2 cup of water to the pan and cover tightly with foil.  Bake in 350′ oven for 30-40 minutes.  Remove foil carefully!  Serve with mashed potatoes and a simple vegetable.

Salisbury Steak with Gravy

1 cup quick oats
1 ¼ cup water
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 eggs
1 medium onion finely minced
2 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 lb. meatless meat balls crumbled or meat substitute crumbles
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons canola or olive oil

For the gravy

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon canola or olive oil
2 tablespoons flour
1 14 oz. can of beef or chicken stock, or Better Than Bouillon, (warm in microwave for 45 seconds)
2 tablespoons sherry
½ teaspoon salt, or more to taste
¼ teaspoon pepper

1) Preheat oven to 350’. Foil line a cookie sheet with sides with non stick foil, or foil with a coating of cooking spray. Set aside.
2) Place oats and water into a large mixing bowl. Allow to sit for 10 minutes. Add Worcestershire, and eggs, mix well. Add minced onion and garlic. Add the ground beef, turkey, meatless crumbles, salt, and pepper. With meticulously clean hands, mix well. Divide into approximately 10-6 ounce balls. Shape balls into oblong patties. Heat a cast iron or non stick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and brown the patties on both sides and place on prepared baking pan.
3) Bake for 30 minutes. While they are baking, prepare gravy.
4) Over medium heat, add butter and oil to the skillet you used for browning. Once butter is melted, add the flour. Stir over heat for about 1 minute. Add warmed stock and whisk well until incorporated. (warm liquid is added to prevent lumps) Stir often to prevent scorching. Bring to a low boil and continue cooking for one minute. Add sherry, salt, and pepper. Taste. Add additional seasoning, or additional stock to thin out if necessary.   Makes 10 servings.

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Simple Grilled Steak with Rub….

Posted by on August 3, 2010

Who doesn’t love grilled steak and potatoes?  It is a summer staple here in the US.  I think the leanest and most flavorful cuts are sirloin and flank steak.  Cook them from medium (warm pink center, sirloin picture above), medium rare(cool redish pink center), to rare (pretty dang red, or “moo-ing”) for the most tender result.  The more well done they become, the less tender.  Marinate the sirloin for 30 minutes to a couple of hours, it is a pretty tender cut of meat.   Marinate a flank steak anywhere from 2-24 hours.  The key with the flank steak is to slice it thinly against the grain.   Be sure to serve with those delicious juices you see on the plate.  Serve with Twice Baked Potato Casserole (below) and a crisp salad with a homemade Creamy Yogurt Ranch Dressing.  Delicious!

Simple Steak Rub

2 ½ lbs flank steak or lean sirloin steak
1 fresh lime, zested and juiced
2 teaspoons canola oil

For the rub:

1 teaspoon salt, I like kosher
1 teaspoon each:
 Dried oregano
 Black pepper
 Garlic powder
 Onion powder
 Sugar
 Paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne
Zest of the lime you will be using above

1) You will need a large container with a lid, I like to use one large enough that the steak can lay flat. Zest lime, set zest aside and spread out on a small plate to dry. (it will dry quickly on the counter) Juice the lime and rub the juice into the steak. Rub the canola oil into the steak as well, evenly coat.
2) Mix all dry rub ingredients together, add zest. Rub generously into prepared meat, coat evenly. (be careful not to “contaminate” the rub by touching the steak and going directly into the rub)  Allow to marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour or as long as you like. Save any remaining rub in an air tight container, label with contents and date. 
3) Grill over medium heat on preheated grill. For a 1” thick piece of steak, medium, grill for 5 minutes per side allow to rest tented with foil for at least 15 minutes before carving. For flank steak, slice thinly on a diagonal, against the grain. Serve with the au jus.

The sure fire way to know the doneness of a piece of meat is with an instant read thermometer.  You can pick one up at most any store with a kitchen department.  They cost from $5-10.  You simply insert into the thickest part of the meat and wait for a couple of minutes for it to completely register.  Do not leave in meat while cooking in the oven or on the grill with the cover closed!  Meat continues cooking when you remove it from the heat, so always allow it to “rest” for 15 minutes to retain juices and finish the cooking process.

*Internal temperatures for different degrees of doneness:
Rare-120′ to 130′
Medium rare- 130′ to 140′
Medium- 140′ to 150′
Medium well- 150′ to 160′
Well- 160+

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Classic Slow Cooker Pulled Pork…..

Posted by on July 19, 2010

What’s not to love about pulled pork?  Well, for one thing, the fat.  I use lean pork loin roast, most recipes call for pork shoulder.    In addition to the lean meat, you don’t have to work around all kinds of bones, grizzle, and large pieces of fat.  It makes for much quicker and healthier preparation. 

If you’re entertaining a crowd, like most of us do in the summer, make this ahead and serve it warm in a crock pot.  If you have guests arriving at different times, say for a graduation party or open house, food will remain hot for every guest.  Serve with small rolls that are easy to eat and can withstand the juicy meat and slaw.  You do not want to use hard rolls as the filling would “squish” out when you bite into them.

The pork is sweet and spicy so I love to pair it with a simple red cabbage salad with slight acidity, it’s a great flavor combination. 

The thing I love most about it is not having to cook while you have guests.  Sooooo simple!

Classic Pulled Pork Sandwiches
In the Slow Cooker

3 tablespoons canola oil
4 lbs. pork loin roast, cut in half
1 cup cider vinegar
¾ cup ketchup
½ cup dark molasses
½ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon smoked or regular paprika
1 teaspoon dry mustard or 1 tablespoon regular yellow
2 teaspoons granulated onion powder
2 teaspoons granulated garlic powder
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (more if you like)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1) Turn slow cooker on low. Season the pork roast with salt and pepper. Preheat large skillet over medium high heat and brown pork roast on all sides. Place meat in slow cooker.
2) Deglaze pan with a little water. Add all ingredients to the pan, mix well and bring to a bubble. Pour over meat and cover. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high 4-5 hours. Meat should be very tender.
3) Remove meat from cooker, set aside. Skim as much fat as possible from the top of the sauce.  (There will be very little)  Using two forks, shred pork and add back to sauce. Serve over soft mini buns. 1 1/4 lbs. of cooked pulled pork will easily feed a family of four.  Freeze leftovers for another hot busy day!

For the simple red cabbage slaw:

1 head of red cabbage
olive oil
cider vinegar
salt & pepper

Core the cabbage and very thinly slice.  Place in a large mixing bowl.  Drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over the cabbage.  Sprinkle two pinches of kosher salt and pepper over cabbage.  Gently toss to coat.  Drizzle one tablespoon over cabbage, toss.  Taste.  Add more seasoning if necessary.  Serve alongside the sandwiches.

*The reason for putting warm ingredients into the slow cooker is that time won’t be wasted in the crock pot getting up to cooking temperature.
**If you’ve made the pork ahead, warm in microwave before putting intot he crock pot.  The crock pot is more for holding warm food,not for actual re warming.
***Freezes well

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Beef & Vegetable Stir Fry….

Posted by on June 1, 2010

I add a bit of spice to this dish, but it’s optional.  Make it to your taste, add a bit more spice if you dare!  If I were making this for myself, I would add fresh thin slices of jalapeno peppers, seeds included!

Vegetable Beef Stir Fry

8 oz.  (1/2 lb.) fresh beef sirloin, cut into very thin strips
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1″ of ginger, (thumb size) peeled and minced

2 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced on a diagonal
1 small onion, cut into wedges
6 mushrooms, cut into slices or quartered
1 medium red pepper, seeded and cut into strips
1 small bunch of broccoli, washed and cut into bite size pieces
2-3 tablespoons canola oil for stir frying

Sauce:

1 cup water or chicken broth (cold or room temp)
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons hot chili sauce (optional) can also be used as a condiment when serving for those who would like the heat
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1)  Place the strips of beef, cornstarch, rice vinegar, and soy sauce in a small bowl, combine and refrigerate while you are prepping the rest of the ingredients.
2)  Prepare garlic and ginger, and place into their own small bowls, set aside.
3)  Prep carrots through broccoli.  I use a small bowl for each and place them on the counter in the order they will go into the pan.
4)  In a 2 cup liquid measuring cup, add water or broth, soy sauce and cornstarch, whisk.  Add chili hot sauce, hoisin sauce,  honey, and sesame oil.  Whisk until blended.  Set aside.
5)  We’re ready to go!

Heat your wok or pan over high heat.  Add 2 teaspoons of oil to pan.  Add ginger, cook for about one minute.  Add beef and cook about 3 minutes, stirring often.  Add garlic, cook about one minute.  Place into a large bowl, wipe out pan with paper towel.  Put the pan back on the heat.

Add 1-2 teaspoons of oil and begin the veggies.  Add the carrots and onions, cook 3-4 minutes, stirring often, the sugars in the carrots and onions will burn if you’re not careful.
Add mushrooms and red pepper.  Cook 2-3 minutes.
Add broccoli. Continue cooking for 3-4 minutes.
6)  Place all veggies into the bowl with the meat, loosely cover.
7)  Give the sauce another whisk and add all at once to the pan, stir constantly, it will thicken quickly.  Add all stir fry ingredients back to the pan and heat through.  Serve over steamed brown or white rice.  Or serve with brown fried vegetable rice.  Enjoy!

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Tequila Lime Marinated Flank Steak with Chimichurri, my version….

Posted by on May 5, 2010
This is an incredibly delicious combination of heat, sweet and savory.  The steak is juicy and is very much complimented by the spicy chimichurri sauce.  The cool cucumber simple salad is slightly sweet and the roasted yuca is a very nice understated starchy vegetable.  Enjoy with a salted rimmed margarita on the rocks with fresh lime….mmmmm good!

Marinade:

2 large cloves fresh garlic
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons tequila
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice or bottled
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 ½ lb. flank steak

Place all ingredients in a blender; blend until smooth.  Place flank steak in a large zip bag, pour marinade over steak.  Marinate in refrigerator for several hours or overnight.  Discard marinade, preheat grill, cook over medium-high heat medium to medium rare.  For one inch thickness, cook 7-9 minutes per side.  Cover loosely with foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.  Slice thinly across the grain or on a diagonal.  Serve with chimichurri.

Chimichurri

3  tablespoons fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons fresh parsley
½ medium sweet onion, coarsely chopped
½ medium sweet red pepper, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh basil
2 large cloves fresh garlic
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 jalepeno pepper, (or seranno pepper for more heat), seeds included
½ teaspoon cumin

Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator, allow to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.  Serve a generous portion over the grilled flank steak. Delish!

Cool cucumber salad

2-3 cucumbers, washed and thinly sliced
2-3 thin slices of red onion
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Slice cucumbers and  onion into a serving bowl.  Mix the vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper in a small bowl, stir often to dissolve salt and sugar.  Pour over cucumbers just before serving.

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