Steak and tomatoes – BBQ season is here!

It might be warm enough to barbeque all year long in Vancouver but when it rains 7 out of the 7 days of the week for the majority of the winter months, it’s hard to want to stand in the rain waiting for dinner to cook itself. Now that the sun’s out, it almost feels as though the BBQ is begging to be used! This steak recipe is very simple and healthy enough that when my mom asked “but what about the salad?” I was able to say “there is tomato salad on the steak” and get away with not having to chop up any addition vegetables… My kind of meal!

P.S. Get ready for an abundance of crazy delicious grilling recipes!

This recipe serves two gluttons or a family of four :

2 Strip Loin Steaks

1 ½ cup of Fresh Chopped Tomatoes (roma or on the vine are the most flavourful)

1 Tsp Herbes de Provence – or basil for a completely different yet delicious meal

1 Tbsp Olive oil, plus enough to drizzle on the steaks

1 Tbsp Red Wine vinegar

Salt and Pepper

1. Pre-heat the BBQ

2. Drizzle some olive oil on the steaks, sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides, set aside

3. Chop the tomatoes.

4. In a small bowl mix the olive oil, vinegar, herbs, a pinch of salt and pepper

5. Stir the vinaigrette into the tomatoes and let sit while the steaks are on the grill.

6. Depending on how done you like your steaks, 4 to 7 minutes a side should do if these are as thick as the ones I used… Personally, I like them lightly seared (it seems I’m the only one out there on that boat)

7. Once the steaks are done, slice them thinly and place in a serving dish. Layer the thin steak strips with the tomatoes and serve immediately! We had it with a golden potato salad – recipe to come soon!

Bon Appétit!

Bacon-wrapped Meatloaf

I have a confession to make: before tasting this meal, I’d never in my life had meatloaf. I’ve always been curious about the taste and texture, and didn’t really know what I was getting myself into by making it. To be safe, and make sure I loved it, I followed the meatloaf recipe in The Fanny Farmer Cookbook, and added bacon all around it as an extra precaution. It turns out meatloaf is actually really delicious and I really look forward to eating it again! Making this recipe was also the first time I ever used Worcestershire sauce in my cooking. I think I was just afraid of it because of its crazy spelling! The flavours were excellent.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. of lean ground beef

2 cups of breadcrumbs

1 onion, chopped

2 eggs

¼ cup of Mayonnaise

2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce

1 ½ tsp of Dijon Mustard

1 ½ tsp of Salt

½ tsp of Pepper

¾ cup of Milk

A pack of bacon (you may not need to use the entire pack, and you can also layer slices on top instead of all the way around for a “healthier” alternative!)

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Pre-heat the oven to 350-degrees. Line a loaf pan with strips of bacon, making sure each strip started on alternate sides of the loaf pan edges (so they can be wrapped all the way around). Once the bacon is placed, pat the meat mixture into the loaf pan evenly, and tightly wrap the bacon around the top, tucking it into the opposing edge. Bake for 45 minutes in the 350-degree oven, and then raise the temperature to 400-degrees for 10 minutes to brown the bacon a bit more. Let it cool a few minutes before slicing; serve with mashed potatoes and gravy.

(Side-note: Place the loaf pan on a cookie sheet to avoid having to clean your oven... Bacon makes a mess)

Bon Appétit!

Beef Stroganoff

This meal was so delicious and it was perfect for a weeknight. It only took 20 or so minutes from beginning to end. Any recipe that calls for noodles of some sort is always a favourite in our household, despite the fact that we may eat too much pasta! Nothing compares to how delicious it is, specially compared to rice (no offense to rice).

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Olive oil

1 ½ Lbs of beef (I used previously frozen top sirloins) cut into smaller strips

2 Tbsp Garlic Butter

1 Yellow Onion, sliced

3 Cups of whole mushrooms (can be sliced as well but I prefer biting into them)

2 Tbsp of Tomato Paste

¼ Cup of All Purpose flour

2 Cups of Beef Broth

½ Cup of Sour cream (the best ingredient)

1 Tbsp of Dijon Mustard

A splash of Lemon Juice

Lots of Salt and Pepper to taste

A package of egg noodles (cooked)

(I added 1 cup of leftover broccoli to the pot but it’s definitely not a necessity)

Directions:

In a large pan, heat the olive oil and fry the steak strips until they are golden on the edges. Remove from heat and set aside.

In the same pan, melt the garlic butter and fry the onions until they are golden. Add the mushroom and stir over medium heat until they shrink a bit in size.

Stir the tomato paste and the flour into the mushroom. Stir until it’s all evenly incorporated, then add the broth.

Bring the whole thing to a boil, reduce to medium heat and add the steak back in. Keep on heat for 5 minutes (which is when I started cooking the pasta)

Remove the mixture from the heat, and let sit while the pasta is cooking. Once the pasta is drained, add the sour cream, lemon and mustard to the sauce and stir until it’s well combined. Serve with some grated parmesan.

Bon Appétit!

Meaty Monday

I’m all about keeping it simple when I’m too tired or lacking creativity so I ended up making spaghetti and meatballs for dinner tonight. I’ve never actually made meatballs before as I’m not much of a “ground beef” kind of girl but I’m trying to be open minded and I’m not going to lie…. These meatballs are really good! They almost rival the Swedish Meatballs at IKEA, as far as meatballs go!



Spaghetti & Meatballs
(Serves 6-8)

For the meatballs:
1½ lbs. Lean ground Beef
1½ cups Panko, or regular bread crumbs
¼ cup of Grated Parmesan
½ tsp. Garlic powder
1 tbsp. Fresh chopped parsley
½ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Pepper
1 egg, beaten

For the tomato sauce: (I definitely got lazy/didn’t have the ingredients necessary to make a sauce from scratch)
1 large can of tomato sauce (I used a “garlicky tomato” sauce)
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp. garlic cloves, minced

1. Put all the meatball ingredients in a bowl and mix them well until well blended, using your hands works best. Make about 20 1” meatballs with your hands, place them on plate or cookie sheet and set aside.

2. In a saucepan, sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil until translucent. Empty the entire can of tomato sauce. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Let sauce simmer for 10-15 minutes and add the uncooked meatballs individually, until they are all coated evenly. Cover, simmer or medium heat for 35 minutes.

3. Cook spaghetti while meatballs are cooking in the sauce. Serve pasta in bowls, and place meatballs on top. Garnish with a bit of fresh parsley and some grated cheese.



Bon Appétit!