Stuffed Flank Steak

I have gone back and forth, back and forth, back and forth on whether I should post this one yet.  There are a few changes I'd like to make to the recipe (nothing major, just minor adjustments) so I feel like I should do those before sharing.  But it tasted really good, so why not share?  But I want to make sure it's perfect first!  But... but... but....

And then it hit me.

My Picky Eater, my resident I-rarely-enjoy-anything-with-beef child, asked for seconds of this.  And my toddler requested thirds.

So no matter what adjustments I make to this recipe, it would be wrong to NOT share this with you now, as it is, because clearly the flavor of this dish is nothing short of miraculous!

Stuffed Flank Steak
Recipe slightly adapted from Family Circle
Prep time: 20 minutes   Cook time: 45 minutes   Rest time: 15 minutes

1 flank steak (1 1/2 to 2 pounds)
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 cup-ish chopped roasted tomatoes
2 tbsp bread crumbs
1 egg yolk
About 3/4 tsp garlic salt, divided
About 3/4 tsp ground black pepper, divided
1 tbsp olive oil

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Lay steak on work surface. Holding sharp knife parallel to work surface and starting at a long side, slice flank steak in half to opposite long side, without cutting all the way through; open up the steak like a book. Flatten to an even thickness (you do want to try and get the meat fairly thin to make for easier rolling later).

Regular ol' flank steak

Slice this open carefully!

Sliced open but waiting to be pounded

Flattened out

3. Squeeze liquid from spinach; discard liquid. In medium-size bowl, combine spinach, cheese, peppers, bread crumbs, egg yolk, 1/4 teaspoon each of the garlic salt and the pepper.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm..... filling......

4. Season steak with an additional 1/4 teaspoon each of the garlic salt and pepper. Press filling onto steak, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides.  [NOTE: You'll want the filling layer to be thin so you may not use all of what's in the bowl; that's OK!  This is one of those adjustments I want to make.  A thick layer of filling will make for more difficult rolling]

I love all the pretty colors and flavors of this filling!

5. Roll up steak to enclose filling, beginning on a short side; the grain of the meat will be running from left to right. Tuck any loose filling back into ends.

Anyone else think this is begging for an outer layer of bacon?

6. Tie steak with cotton twine at 2-inch intervals to secure OR, if you don't have cotton twine, use a few toothpicks at the seam to secure the edge. Rub outside with oil, then sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon each garlic salt and pepper.

I used my broiler pan for the whole cooking process.

7. Roast at 425 degrees F. for 35 minutes, then increase heat to broil and broil for 10 minutes, turning once. Let meat rest 15 minutes. Remove twine or toothpicks, slice, and serve.

ALWAYS tent meat with foil and let rest BEFORE cutting into!!

Ok, now before you sprint to your kitchen to make this, in the interest of full-disclosure, I need to make something clear.  My kids didn't care for the filling.  I'm still counting though that they liked this dish!  I think part of it was that there was just too much of the filling.  And I may adjust the amount of spinach in it too, or change up the cheese a little.  At first Kieran enjoyed the whole thing, but then took a bit of just the filling and wouldn't touch it again.  Gavin also had a bite of just the filling, and though he didn't cry or gag, he didn't love it either.  That's ok though, this is how we learn!  At least the boys enjoyed the beef and the filling flavor wasn't completely offensive.  That gives me enough to go on for my next attempt!

Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes & Feta

This is a favorite dish of my parents.  And now that I've finally made it I can see why!

And if it tastes this good now, in the middle of winter, can you imagine how incredible it would be in the summertime with garden fresh tomatoes and herbs?!  Omg I can't wait!

Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes & Feta
Recipe from Ellie Krieger
Prep time: 10 minutes (longer if you need to shell the shrimp)   Cook time: 20 minutes

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (14.5-ounce) cans of diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2-3/4 tsp dried herb of choice (I used basil this time)
1 1/4 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 ounces)

1.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Pantry staples in my house so this one's easy!

I buy frozen shrimp and thaw in cold water; it only takes a few minutes.

2.  Heat the oil in an oven proof skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 5 minutes, until the tomato juices thicken.

Let those juices concentrate and thicken up.

3.  Remove from the heat. Stir in the herbs and shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the feta over the top. Bake until the shrimp are cooked through and cheese melts, about 12 minutes.

Just before baking...

...just after baking. Melty, cheesy goodness!

So Rob commented, in between mouthfuls, that this would be awesome over some hot pasta.  And he's right... but I REALLY loved this with some warm, crusty bread to help soak up all those delicious juices!

Tomato Basil Quinoa Salad

I'm bored. 

Yup, as much as I cook every single day... As much as I experiment with new dishes, I. Am. BORED. 

I'm bored with our side dishes.  I'm just not that kind of person (yet) who can experiment with a new main dish while also putting together a multi-step side dish that also requires me to examine a recipe.  So I'm left with the usual Side Dish Suspects: nuking some potatoes, rice, boiling pasta, maybe mashing potatoes because that doesn't require much thought, more plain rice, my bread maker...

*yawn*

Not only am I bored with the process of making my brainless sides, I'm bored with my ingredient options.  What other kinds of starches can I play with that my family won't clearly balk at eating?

Duh Jeanna.  Grains!  And what better one to start with than quinoa?  Oh, and FYI, it's pronounced "KEEN-wa".  Not "kwi-NO-ah" as my husband likes to tease me by saying. ;)

Tomato Basil Quinoa Salad
Recipe slightly adapted from Diva Dish
Prep time: 15 minutes   Cook time (if you need to make the quinoa for this): 25 minutes

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Zest of one small lemon

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups prepared quinoa [This is about 1/2 cup unprepared if you don't have leftover lying around and need to make some just for this salad]

3 1/2 cups diced tomatoes

2 cups spinach, chopped

1 cups packed basil, chopped

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, EVOO, garlic powder, lemon zest, salt, and pepper, and set aside. 

I love balsamic dressing.  L.O.V.E.

2. In a large bowl add quinoa, tomatoes, chopped greens, and dressing. Mix until combined, and add more salt and pepper to taste.

Quinoa Before.

Quinoa After (1 cup uncooked = about 4 cups cooked)

3. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

My boys inhale tomatoes.

Basil and spinach... I think I need a bigger bowl.

I think I have a new favorite salad.  This salad is bright, lemony, and refreshing!  I love the texture of the quinoa; it's kind of like rice but has a firmer texture with a slight crunch as you chew it.  It's awesome!!  Now, if you don't like quinoa, can't find it, or can't afford it (it's a little pricey), feel free to use rice or pasta in this salad.  It'll be just as yummy!

Oh and can you imagine how good this would be at the height of tomato and basil season???  *drooling!!*

[Ok so I looked it up, and before anyone flames me let me just say that though I called quinoa a grain, it is technically a seed.  See?  I learned something new!  And I'm sharing my new-found knowledge with all of you.  Everybody wins!]

Five Layer Mexican Dip

One of my favorite things in the Food Universe is to either develop or discover a recipe for something that is NOTORIOUSLY bad for you and make something good, without sacrificing flavor.

Actually, I prefer this version to it's more fattening, seven-layer counterpart.

5-Layer Mexican Dip
Recipe from Ellie Krieger
Prep time: 20 minutes   Cook time: 8 minutes

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon minced chipotle pepper in adobo
4 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups frozen corn kernels
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
2 ripe avocados
4 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallion
1 tablespoon finely diced jalapeno pepper
3/4 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar

1.  Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until they soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more.

One step for TWO layers!

2.  Put half of the onion mixture into a food processor with the black beans, chipotle pepper, 2 tablespoons of the lime juice, cumin, water and salt. Puree until smooth. Set aside.

Prepare to be pulsed.

3.  Add the corn to the skillet with the remaining onion mixture and cook for about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro leaves.

I heart cilantro.

4.  In a small bowl mash the avocado with the remaining lime juice. In a medium bowl toss together the tomatoes, scallion and jalapeno, if using. Season tomato mixture with salt and pepper, to taste.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

It was REALLY HARD to keep from snacking.

5.  Spread the black bean dip into the bottom of an 8 by 8 glass baking or serving dish. Top with the corn mixture, spreading it out to form a single layer over the beans, repeat with the avocado, then the tomatoes. Top with cheese.

Now, is this version as easy as putting together a 7-Layer Dip?  No.  I'll admit it!  It's much easier to open up some cans and plastic containers and layer them all together for a fantastic party spread.  But if you'd like to feel a twinge less guilty eating a yummy Mexican dip, sometimes the tradeoff is doing just a little bit of work, like cooking up the bean and corn layers in this recipe.  I'll say though that these layers are WORTH the few extra minutes to put together!!  The beans are smokey and spicy from the chipotle pepper.  I love how the corn kernals burst in my mouth.  And the avocado and tomato layers are so cool and refreshing; and the cheese just brings it all together.

SUPER YUMMY!!!

p.s. At the party I went on Saturday, after two hours there was only about a cup of this left.  And I'm fairly certain that the rest was consumed not long after I took my boys home for bed. ;)

Tomato Baked Chicken

So I totally vanished on you and I really didn't mean to!  Honest!!  Rob and I had plans to get away for a long weekend in New Orleans (OMG FUUUUUUUUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), and my prep time last week totally got insane. Just crazy town at my house.  And unfortunately, as a result, getting up this post about this dish I made last week went straight to the bottom of my list.

But I have it here for you now!!

(p.s. In case you're wondering, yes, my tastebuds are still in a Food Coma from the weekend.)

Tomato Baked Chicken
Recipe slightly adapted from Kraft
Prep time: 10 minutes   Cook time: 30 minutes

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1 1/2 (ish) cups chopped tomatoes, OR 1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 425ºF.  Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2.  Scatter onion slices onto bottom of the baking dish; top with chicken. 

I used a smaller baking dish because I was working with less than 1 lb of chicken.

Can you tell I forgot, AGAIN, to thaw my chicken ahead of time?

3.  Combine tomatoes, dressing and garlic powder; pour over chicken. Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake 30 min. or until chicken is done. 

I could probably eat the tomatoes just as they are. With a spoon. Not kidding.

CHEESE.

I'm in a funny place with my garden right now.  I have a LOT of tomatoes, but they taking their sweet time ripening up for me.  There are TONS of green ones on the vine right now... and everyday I pick a few blushy pink ones, but not enough to really do anything with.  So slowly but surely I get some ripe ones and need to do something with them.  Like make this dish.  Which I think you should make it too.  Because it's awesome.  Even Gavin, my resident Picky Eater proclaimed this as good!

 

Taco Pizza

I am always on the lookout for new ways to make my absolute favorite kind of pizza.

And this one is SO EASY, I can't believe I didn't figure this one out on my own:

Taco Pizza
Recipe adapted from Real Mom Kitchen
Prep time: 10 minutes   Cook time: 15-17 minutes

1/2 recipe pizza dough
1/2 can refried beans (I like the kind with jalapenos)
Leftover taco meat
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
1 small can sliced black olives
Crushed tortilla chips, optional
Taco sauce, optional

1.  Preheat a pizza stone in the oven to 425 degrees.


2.  Dust your rolling surface with a bit of flour, and roll or pat out your pizza dough to your desired size and thickness.  I like my pizza crust fairly thin so my pies tend to be a bit larger.

Blank canvas

3.  Stir up the refried beans to loosen them a bit, or heat them in the microwave briefly.  Spread a thin layer of beans over the raw pizza crust. Top the beans with as much or as little leftover taco meat as you like.

Yes, those are black beans mixed in the taco meat.

4.  Sprinkle cheeses on top of the taco meat and follow with tomatoes, black olives, and green onion.

5.  Bake on the preheated pizza stone for 15-17 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.  Slice into wedges and serve each wedge topped with crushed tortilla chips and a drizzle of taco sauce, if using.

LOTS of toppings

I absolutely loved this recipe because I could customize it to what's easiest for me.  I make pizza dough every Friday in my breadmaker, so using a hunk of that is healthier/easier/cheaper than buying the recommended tube of crescent rolls.  Also, as much as I love taco pizza, I'm not going to go out of my way to cook up a topping just for a pizza.  So using up leftovers became the way to go for me!

I may actually start making twice as much taco meat now for Taco Nights, just so I can have enough for my favorite pizza on Movie Nights!

Marinara Sauce

As we approach Garden Season, I have this maniacal intention of planting four different kinds of tomatoes in our tiny yard.  Plus green beans.  Plus herbs.  Oh and you can't forget about the raspberries.  Anyway, if all goes well, we should be DROWNING in tomatoes within a few months.  I'm sure when that time comes I'll question my sanity.  Until I reach that point though, I'm having fun and keeping my eye out for different tomato recipes.

Does it get any more tomato-y than marinara sauce?  Here's one that I can use one of my favorite ways to cook tomatoes, and I think this will be my new go-to sauce.

Marinara Sauce
Recipe adapted from my mom

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
3 cups tomatoes, seeded, peeled, and chopped, OR 1 (32oz) can Italian plum tomatoes
2 tbsp fresh basil OR 1 tsp-ish dried basil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp sugar
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
6 oz red wine
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1.  Preheat a large pot over medium-high heat; add oil.  Saute the onion and garlic until softened.

2.  Add the tomatoes and crush with a wooden spoon.  Add basil, salt, pepper, sugar, tomato paste, and red wine.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes, covered.

The best part about sauces is not needing to measure exactly.

3.  Taste the sauce to adjust the seasonings if necessary.  Also, if you have someone in your family who doesn't care for visible tomato, onion, and/or garlic chunks in their sauce, you can puree it using a blender, food processor, or immersion blender at this time.

My finicky 4 year-old would not like the chunks.  Hello immersion blender!

4.  Add Parmesan cheese and mix thoroughly.  Simmer another 10 minutes.

Love that the cheese is mixed in.

I L.O.V.E.D the flavor of this sauce!!  And even though I blended this to get rid of the chunks (no way Gavin would have eaten it otherwise), it would be fantastic left as is with it's golden garlic disks and lovely onion strands.  In some ways, it tasted like a marinara I might get at the store, but with 1,000% more flavor!

Rest assured I'll be making this again, in spades, to can and enjoy all winter long!!  Not only is this yummy on simple pasta, this would be totally awesome in casseroles, as a pizza sauce or dip, or any way you like to use marinara sauce.