Grilled Steak with Caprese Salad

 

Another Monday and another amazing meat-centered salad inspired by How Sweet It Is!  What can I say?  That girl makes me think of flavourful summer meals so that is where I have been going lately when I need some inspiration!

This is another quick meal that you can whip up and have on the table in no time.  We had this with some roasted veggies and garlic peppercorn bread to round out our meal (and clean out my fridge!).  

Grilled Steak and Portobello Mushroom Salad

While Spring has decided to take it's sweet time arriving, we couldn't wait to get the BBQ warmed up and start making some of our favourite fair-weather foods.  One thing we love to throw on the BBQ on a warm day are some juicy steaks!

I found this recipe on Marshalls Abroad and knew it would be a super quick and easy supper to throw together.  Lilly isn't a huge fan of naps and when she finally does sleep she is a cat-napper.  So any meal that I can get ready in 45 minutes or less (let's be honest, usually less) is pure gold in my books!

Baby Prep - Meals and Desserts!

**In preparation for the arrival of our little one, I have prepped some posts in advance.  As soon as our lives have some semblance of order (hah!) I will get back to my regular posting and be able to respond to any questions/comments you may have :)

In order to prep for the arrival of our little one I cooked and baked up a storm during the last month or so.  I am hoping that it will make things easier when I can just grab a bag from the freezer, throw the contents in the crockpot, and let it cook away until supper time.

I also baked up some treats so that it will be a bit easier to entertain the visitors as everyone comes to meet the new additions!

I didn't take a ton of pictures, but I have had a few people ask me what I have prepared and where I have found the recipes, so here is a list :) If you have any questions, just let me know!

Beef Tenderloin with Mint and Greens

We are still discovering the beauty (and deliciousness!) that South Asia has to offer.  Right now it is a safe bet that we are devouring all of the curry that Thailand has! If you have any questions or comments, I will be sure to get back to you when we return :)

Here is another ridiculously tasty, but ridiculously easy dinner for those busy weeknights!

Beef and Greens

Sometimes when you think you have nothing that can make a simple meal in your fridge, a quick search on the interwebs can quickly prove you wrong!  The other night we had absolutely no idea what to whip up for supper, but we knew that we wanted some sort of comfort food due to the fact that the dreaded snow had finally arrived.

Once again allrecipes.com came to the rescue! One of my husband's favourite dishes is Beef and Greens, so with some tweaking to this recipe based on what we had available, we were able to make a tasty supper and have some awesome lunches the next day.

This makes enough for 4 - 6 servings. We served this with some brown fried rice and it was a perfect meal on a chilly night.

Since my husband is still talking about this, it is a definite keeper! I know we'll be making this again, very soon!

Beef and Greens

• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 can beef broth (10.5 oz)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb steak, cut into strips
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 generous cup chopped broccoli
• 1 generous cup bean sprouts
• 1 generous cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 generous cup sugar snap peas, sliced

1. In a small bowl add the flour, beef broth, sugar, and soy sauce and mix well
2. In a large wok or skillet, heat up the olive oil over medium heat
3. Add the beef strips and cook for 2 - 4 minutes, or until browned
4. Add the vegetables, garlic, and ginger and mix well
5. Pour in the sauce, and mix to coat all of the beef and veggies
6. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10 - 15 minutes to let the sauce thicken while stirring occasionally
7. Serve alone or over rice
8. Enjoy!

Donair Pizza

One of our favourite things to make at home lately are Donairs! I am still in awe of how easy they are to make and how healthy they can be too.  I was in the mood for something a little more warm and toasty the other day, so I decided to make a donair pizza, my way!

I warmed up some slices of the meat in a hot pan, and then spooned some tzaziki onto a whole wheat pita and topped it with some provolone and fresh tomatoes. This was then covered the warmed donair meat and some shredded mozzarella.


Into the oven it went until the cheese was toasty and bubbly, yum! Right before serving I topped it with some fresh red leaf lettuce, and proceeded to chow down.

I wonder what other donair-related concoctions there are to be made? Donair skewers, kind of like caprese skewers? Mini donairs as an appetizer...hmmmm.  sorry, distracted.


Enjoy!

Donairs at Home

That's right my friends, you can make delicious donairs at home! These are awesome, we couldn't believe how much they tasted like the originals.

I doubled the meat part of the recipe and it made about 8 portions.  The sweet sauce makes a large batch, enough for twice as many donairs as this recipe makes.  If you have a use for the remaining evaporated milk, I would recommend halving the sweet sauce recipe.

These are so incredibly easy to make, I couldn't believe it! The only thing to keep in mind is that they are best if they sit in the refrigerator overnight or for a day before crisping up the meat in a dry pan.


We topped ours with sweet sauce, sauteed onions, lettuce, tomatoes, and montery jack cheese. So good!

The original recipe states that these freeze really well, so feel free to double it up so that you have donairs ready for when those cravings hit.


I found the original recipe on allrecipes.com. I have listed the amount I made (double the original).  Trust me, you will want to make at least this much!

Donairs

• 2 lbs extra lean ground beef
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground oregano
• 2 tsp flour
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• Sweet Sauce
• 1 can (12 fluid oz) evaporated milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 4 tsp white vinegar
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup shredded lettuce
• 1 white onion, sliced (you can saute the onion too)
• sliced Monterey Jack cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
2. In a small bowl mix together the salt, oregano, flour, pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper
3. Place the ground beef in a large bowl, and mix in the spices with your hands
4. In order to compress the meat to get the donair meat texture, you have two options
1. Place the meat in a stainless steel bowl on a solid surface. Throw the meat mixture into the bowl about 20 times, kneading between each throw
2. Or, place the meat mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the paddle attachment on medium low for 2 - 4 minutes
5. Shape the meat into two loaf shapes, and place on the parchment paper
6. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes
7. Remove from the oven, let cool, and then place in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight
8. To make the sweet sauce, whisk together the evaporated milk, sugar, and garlic powder
9. When mixed, whisk in the white vinegar 1 tsp at a time 
10. Continue whisking until the sweet sauce is thick, then place in the refrigerator until ready to serve
11. When ready to serve, slice the meat into thin slices, and then crisp it up in a frying pan over medium heat
12. Serve on pita bread with cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, onions (raw or sauteed), and sweet sauce
13. Enjoy!

Lemon Grass Beef Salad

Now that we are in the double digits (yay!) it is time to enjoy some bright summery food! 

We have been firing up the BBQ as much as we can, and last week we made this delicious Lemon Grass Beef Salad. I love the flavour of Lemon Grass, it is so bright and tasty.

This recipe is from Company's Coming Good Friends, Great Grilling. We have made two recipes so far from this cookbook, and both have been awesome! I can't wait to try more this week.

The leftovers were also great, I was definitely looking forward to lunch the next day.  This makes about 4 large servings.


Lemon Grass Beef Salad

• 2 lemon grass stalks (bulb only), chopped finely
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 lime, zested
• 1 tsp chili paste (I used Sambal Oelek)
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 4 cups cooked rice noodles (I used vermicelli)
• 2 cups sugar snap peas, sliced diagonally
• 1 orange pepper, cut into thin slices
• 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
• 1 lb beef strip loin steak
• salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon grass, brown sugar, lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, lime zest, chili paste, and pepper
2. In a large bowl, mix together the cooked rice noodles, sliced sugar snap peas, orange pepper, and fresh mint
3. Take 1/2 cup of the lemon grass mixture and toss with the noodle mixture
4. Season the steak with salt and pepper, and cook on the BBQ until the it reaches the desired doneness
5. Remove steak from the BBQ, cover with foil, and let it sit for about 10 minutes
6. Slice the steak into thin slices (across the grain) and then mix the beef slices with the remaining lemon grass mixture
7. Serve the steak slices on top of individual portions of the noodle mixture
8. Enjoy!

PW/MM Sandwich

I had tried this recipe from thepioneerwoman.com about a month ago, and we loved it! 


When I saw it in my iPhoto and realized that I hadn't posted this insanely delicious sandwich, I new I had to get it on here right away.

This is so easy to make! I just used a steak that we had in the fridge and some bell peppers that were on their last days.  All I had to do was half the original recipe, and we had a delicious supper ready in no time!

I made this based on what I had in the house but kept really close to the recipe: regular steak instead of cube steak, and I used smaller whole wheat buns. I definitely recommend following the recipe as closely as possible, it is perfect!


Definitely make this next time you need a quick and tasty supper :) You can find the recipe both on her own site, and on tastykitchen.com!

John's Chili

While I love to cook and bake on a regular basis, there is nothing as good as when someone else makes supper!  We were craving some warm comfort food one day and so John decided he was going to make a pot of chili in our crock pot.

He looked around on allrecipes.com, and found Boilermaker Tailgate Chili.  The recipe had over 2000 positive reviews, but it was huge!  So he decided to halve it and got to work using the recipe as a guideline. I really do love when he makes supper.

He cooked the chili for about 5 hours on low in the crock pot, and it was amazing! Sometimes I seem to forget how well he can cook because I am always in the kitchen :) I think I need to let him take over more often.

This recipe has some good spice, so if you don't want it to have so much heat you can half the chili and chipotle chili powders.


I was so sad to eat the last bowl of leftovers on Thursday. This is easily our new favourite chili recipe.

John's Chili

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 lb ground Italian sausage
• 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can beans in chipotle sauce
• 1 large can (about 28 oz) diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 small can (5.5 fl oz) can tomato paste
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 serrano pepper, seeded and diced
• 1/4 pack of bacon, cooked and chopped
• 3 tsp beef bouillon powder
• 1/4 cup beer
• 1 tbsp chili powder (you can halve this if you don't enjoy spicy food)
• 1 tbsp chipotle chili powder (you can halve this if you don't enjoy spicy food)
• 1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• sour cream and shredded cheese for toppings (optional)

1. Cook the ground beef and ground Italian sausage in a frying pan until cooked through.
2. Drain off grease and place the cooked meat in the crock pot
3. Add the rinsed kidney beans, chili beans with chipotle sauce, diced tomatoes (with juice), and tomato past and stir well
4. Add the diced onion, celery, bell peppers, serrano pepper, bacon, beef bouillon powder, and beer, stir well
5. Add the seasonings (chili powder, chipotle chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, oregano, cumin, hot sauce, basil, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, and sugar. Once again stir well
6. At this point the chili will appear quite thick, but as it cooks more liquid will be added from the vegetables.
7. Turn the crock pot on low, and cook for at least 3 hours.  
8. After 3 hours, stir well and adjust seasonings if necessary. Allow to simmer on low until ready to serve.
9. Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese, and some buns to clean the bowl
10. Enjoy!

Lasagna!

One of our favourite 'go-to' meals is lasagna.  It is so easy to put together, and is the perfect comfort food on a cold night.  Served with a side salad and some garlic bread, it is a fantastic meal!

I have a basic idea that I follow when I make lasagna, but usually the vegetables and cheese varies depending on what I find in my fridge that day.

This time when I made it, the meat layer consisted of ground beef, onions, mushrooms, and garlic. Delicious!

The cheese layer was made up of cottage cheese, frozen spinach, garlic powder, and some dried spices. If you have it, fresh spinach is even better!

After it is layered all up we topped it with marble cheese, and baked it all together. Yum!


Lasagna

• 650 g (about 1 1/2 lbs) lean ground beef
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 6 white mushrooms, sliced
• 1 - 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 398 mL can tomato sauce (I like to use the kind that have spices in them)
• 198 mL can tomato paste
• 750 g cottage cheese
• 1/2 - 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tbsp dried basil
• 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
• 300 g package of frozen spinach
• 1 egg
• 1 box 'no-boil' lasagna noodles
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups shredded marble cheese

1. In a large frying pan, add the olive oil, diced onions, and diced garlic.  Saute the onion and garlic for a couple minutes, and then add the ground beef, breaking up the ground beef as it cooks
2. When the beef is cooked, Add the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes
3. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, and some salt and pepper. Let the meat sauce simmer for about 15 minutes
4. As the meat sauce simmers, defrost the frozen spinach
5. Mix together the cottage cheese, spices, spinach, and egg in a mixing bowl
6. When ready to assemble, cover the bottom of a 9" x 13" with the lasagna noodles
7. Spread half of the meat sauce onto the noodles
8. Cover the meat sauce with half of the cottage cheese/spinach mix
9. Add another layer of noodles, and repeat with the remaining meat sauce and cottage cheese/spinach
10. Sprinkle on the shredded cheese, and then cover everything up with tin foil
11. Bake at 375 F for 35 - 45 minutes, and then remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 - 10 minutes (or until the edges of the cheese begin to brown)
12. Enjoy!

Barbacoa Beef

In addition to the Chipotle Corn Salsa that I made when we got home, I also made this delicious Barbacoa Beef (also from skinnytaste.com) to go with it.  This beef was amazing! So much flavour, and just the right amount of spice!

I added two chipotle chili peppers and my beef was quite spicy.  If you aren't a huge fan of spice, I definitely recommend trying 1/2 a chipotle pepper, and then adding more to taste if need be.


This was a delicious meal! It was also super easy since the beef cooked wonderfully in the slow cooker.

The next night we layered the corn salsa, barbacoa beef, nachos, and sour cream up and enjoyed tasty taco salads.

Barbacoa Beef

• 1 1/2 lbs beef (eye of round or bottom round roast)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/4 medium onion
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 to 2 chipotles in adobo sauce
• 1/2 tbsp cumin
• 1/2 tbsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• salt and papper
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup water

1. Cut up the beef into cubes, and season with salt and pepper
2. Heat up the oil in a frying pan on medium heat and add the beef.  When the beef is brown on all sides (but not cooked through) place them in the slow cooker
3. While the beef is browning, place the garlic, onion, lime juice, chipotle pepper(s), cumin, oregano, and ground cloves in a blender. 
4. Blend all spices until a chunky paste is produced
5. Add the spice paste, water, and bay leaves to the slow cooker
6. Cook on high for 4 - 6 hours (or on low for about 8 hours), or until the beef can be shredded with a fork
7. When beef is cooked through, remove from head and place in a bowl.  
8. Shred the beef with two forks, and place in a frying pan
9. Add some of the juices from the crock pot (enough to cover the bottom of the pan), and simmer for about 10 minutes (or until most liquid has evaporated). If needed, you can add more spices to taste at this point
10. Enjoy in a wrap, alone, as part of a taco salad, etc!

Homemade Big Macs

If there is one thing that I have a weak spot for, it is Big Macs. Not only are they too delicious for my own good, but they are the tastiest thing you can eat at 2 AM after a night out!


I found this recipe for Mini-Mac Sliders on tastykitchen.com, and printed it off immediately. If there was a way to get Big Macs in my own kitchen, I had to try it out!

First I started off with mixing together my burgers.  They include really simple ingredients and I was able to make them quite quickly.  One thing that I would do differently next time would be to make my burger patties much thinner. I was trying to make only 6 burgers to cut down on the number of leftovers, and they were a little thick for a Big Mac :)

Next up? The delicious secret sauce! It is mostly just a mixture of mayo, creamy french dressing, and sweet green relish. So good!

I then topped off my bun with the simple remaining ingredients, iceberg lettuce and pickles. (Yes, I know the lettuce should be shredded, but I was just in too much of a hurry to eat my burger!)


So good!

I only had marble cheese at home, but cheddar or colby jack cheese would be even better on this!


I served up my Big Macs with spicy sweet potato fries, what a great supper!


This recipe makes 6 to 8 regular burgers, or about a dozen sliders (mini burgers). Enjoy!


Homemade Big Macs

• Burgers
• 1 to 1.5 lbs ground beef, extra lean
• 2 green onions, both white and green parts diced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 egg
• Secret Sauce
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 2 tbsp creamy french dressing
• 3 tbsp sweet green relish
• 1 1/2 tbsp white onion, finely diced
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• dash of salt
• buns (6 - 8 if making regular burgers, 12 dinner rolls if making sliders)
• cheese slices
• pickles (sliced)
• iceberg lettuce (shredded)

1. Place the ground beef, diced green onions, salt, pepper, olive oil, and egg in a medium mixing bowl
2. Mix well with your hands, and then press the meat mixture into patties.  
3. You can either cook the burgers on the BBQ, in the oven, or in a pan on the stove top, whichever method you prefer best!
4. Mix together the mayonnaise, french dressing, green relish, diced onion, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small mixing bowl.  Taste test, then taste test again. 
5. Spread some of the 'secret sauce' on both the top and bottom of each bun
6. Place the lettuce on the top half of the bun, and the sliced pickles on the bottom half
7. When the burgers are ready, place the cooked patty on top of the pickles, then add the cheese
8. Close it all up, and fall in love!

I will post my recipe for the spicy sweet potato fries later this week :)