As Promised Part Deux

I promised you awesome recipes this week and I am delivering numero dos to you. This was Tuesday's meal.

Sirloin Steak with Grainy Mustard Sauce and Parmesan Steak "Fries"
Adapted from Ellie Krieger's So Easy

Sorry for the bad plating, but DH was running late for a music rehearsal.

Ingredients for Steak:
2 tbsp EVOO
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp whole wheat flour
2 cups dry white wine
1 boneless sirloin steak, about 1 1/4 lbs
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
3 tbsp whole-grain mustard

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, heat 2 tbsp of oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the wine, bring to a boil, and cook until reduced to 1 cup, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the steak. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Cook the steak, turning once, for 6-8 minutes total for medium rare, or to desired doneness. Transfer to a cutting board and cover with foil to keep warm.
Add any juices from the steak on the grill pan to the sauce and bring to a simmer. Stir in the mustard and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in any juice from the cutting board into the sauce. Thinly slice the steak and divide among 4 plates. Spoon the sauce over the steak and serve the fries (recipe to follow) alongside.

Parmesan Steak Fries
Adapted from Ellie Krieger's So Easy

(no picture available)

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
2-3 russet potatoes (about 1.5 lbs total) peeled or unpeeled
1 tbsp EVOO
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly chopped basil
Salt to taste

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450* and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Cut each of the potatoes into even "fry-sized" slices. Make sure they can lie flat on the cooking sheet. Put the potatoes in a medium-sized bowl and toss with the oil.
Place the potatoes on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the potatoes with cheese and basil and continue to bake for another 15-20 minutes, until they are crisp and golden brown; there is no need to turn them. Season with salt and serve immediately.

THESE ARE DELICIOUS. DH could NOT stop talking about them. I used shredded Parm instead of grated, which in the end, I would not recommend because it doesn't really stick to the fries, but it did make nice little cheese crisps on the baking sheet. :-) Yum.

SO... I went to the gym yesterday and asked the fitness specialist about my knee and she gave me some stability exercises to do to strengthen my knee. She also stretched me out really well. I ran a quick mile on the treadmill, but my Zune died and the TV sound plug in kept shocking me, so I gave up. :-/ Oh well. At least I did something. Tuesday, I did a Billy Blanks (don't hate) Bootcamp DVD and I am soooore. I'm glad it works at least! :-) I might have to go out to Target today and get some stability balls and stuff to help my knees!

As Promised

Garlic-Basil Shrimp
Courtesy of Ellie Krieger, So Easy

Ingredients:

2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 1/4 lbs large shrimp (20-25 per lb) peeled and deveined
3 garlic cloves
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes or more to taste
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 cups cooked orzo pasta, preferably whole wheat

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over med-high heat until hot but not smoking, then add the shrimp and cook, turning over once, until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.
Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the oil remaining in the skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the wine and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and basil and season the sauce with salt and pepper. Return the shrimp to the pan and cook just until heated through. Serve with the orzo.

Serving Size:
1 cup shrimp mixture and 3/4 cup orzo

Per Serving:
Calories: 380
Total Fat: 10g (Sat: 1.5, Mono: 5.5, Poly: 2)
Protein: 35g
Carb: 35g
Fiber: 4g
Cholesterol: 215mg
Sodium: 490mg

I made a half batch, and it was absolutely amazing. I highly recommend this to everyone. :-)

Is it possible?

To love the Food Network Chefs any more than I already do? I don't think so.

Tonight's dinner was

Herb Marinated Loin of Pork

Courtesy of Ina Garten

(Sorry, I may have to post picture later because I accidentally took the picture on my camera's internal memory and not on my card, which I can stick directly into the computer and I don't know where the cord for my camera is since I never need it!)

Grated zest of one lemon
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4-6 lemons)
1/2 cup good olive oil, plus extra for brushing the grill
2 tbsp minced garlic (6 cloves)
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 tsp Dijon mustard
Kosher salt
3 pork tenderloins (about 1 lb each)
Freshly ground black pepper

Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, mustard, and 2 tsp salt in a sturdy 1 gallon resealable plastic bag. Add the pork tenderloins and turn to coat with the marinade. Squeeze the air out and seal the bag. Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, but preferably overnight.
When you're ready to cook, build a charcoal fire or heat a gas grill. Brush the cooking grate with oil to prevent sticking. Remove the tenderloins from the marinade and discard the marinade but leave the herbs that cling to the meat. Sprinkle the tenderloins generously with salt and pepper. Grill the tenderloins, turning a few times to brown on all sides, for 15-25 minutes (depending on the heat of the coals) until the meat registers 137 degrees at the thickest part. Transfer the tenderloins to a platter and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Carve in 1/2-inch-thick diagonal slices. The thickest part of the tenderloin will be quite pink (it's just fine!) and the thinnest part will be well done. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm, or at room temperature with the juices that collect in the platter.

I made a few changes... I used dried herbs (bad selection in produce dept!) and I used a George Foreman grill because we live in a tiny apartment and have no real grill. :-(

ANYWAY... It was DELICIOUS.

For dessert (okay and an afternoon snack) I made...

Ellie Krieger's Double-Chocolate Brownies (Almost-Clean Style) From Food Network Magazine

6 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used dark chocolate morsels)
2 tbsp unsalted butter (I used Country Crock)
1 cup whole grain pastry flour (or 1/2 cup each of whole-wheat and all-purpose flours) *I used 3/4 cup WW and 1/4 AP because my grocery store fails...
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
4 large eggs (I used egg whites)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 cup canola oil (I used applesauce)
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350* and coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally; do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water.
3. Whisk flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and brown sugar until smooth, then add the yogurt, oil, and vanilla and whisk to combine. Whisk in the melted chocolate mixture until blended. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened.
4. Spread the batter in prepared pan and sprinkle with walnuts if desired. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely in the pan or on a rack before slicing. (OR if you can't wait like ME, cut with a plastic knife... A trick my MIL taught me!)

They are pretty good for not the real thing and definitely satisfy the craving! Very moist!

Dinner RAVE and more

"What's cookin'?", you might ask... Well, I'll tell you.

Ellie Krieger's Crab Cakes and Ina Garten's Confetti Corn, that's what!

Crab Cakes

Courtesy of Ellie Krieger, The Foods You Crave

Cooking Spray

1 large egg, lightly beaten (I used Egg Whites)

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Dash of hot sauce

1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning

1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1 scallion (white and green parts), finely chopped

1 lb lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage

3/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs (I toast whole wheat bread and then blended them on "Crumb" to make my own!)

1/4 tsp sale

Pinch of freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400*F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, mix together the egg, mustard, Worcestershire, lemon juice, hot sauce, and Old Bay. Stir in the bell pepper and scallion. Gently fold in crap, 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Put the remaining 1/2 cup bread crumbs in a shallow dish.

Divide the crab mixture into 8 mounds. Shape each mound into a round and coat evenly with bread crumbs. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and flatten the crap cake to form a patty about an inch high. Spray each crab with a little cooking spray.

Bake until golden on the bottom, about 10 minutes. Gently flip the crap cakes and cook until the second side is golden, 5-10 minutes longer. Serve hot.

She also included a recipe for "Smarter Tartar Sauce," but I opted to make my own sauce for the cakes... I just put equal amounts of honey mustard, dijon mustard, french mustard, and mayo in with a splash of lemon juice, parsley, and basil. It was delish.

The crab cakes did NOT want to stay together AT ALL... but they were VERY tasty anyway!

Confetti Corn

Courtesy of Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa, Back to Basics

2 tbsp good olive oil

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1 small orange bell pepper, 1/2 inch diced

2 tbsp unsalted butter (I used Smart Balance with Flax Oil)

Kernels cut from 5 ears yellow or white corn (I used 2 small packages of frozen Kroger Sweet Corn)

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp julienned fresh basil, minced fresh chives, and/or minced fresh parsley (I used less dried basil and parsley as the grocery store I stopped at had a bad selection of herbs on Monday)

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saute pan. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, until the onion is soft. Stir in the bell pepper and saute for 2 more minutes.

Add the butter to the pan and allow it to melt. Over medium heat, add the corn, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes, until the corn just loses its starchiness. Season to taste, gently stirring in the basil or other green herbs, and serve hot.

H LOVED this corn, as did I. There was a LOT of it, so we'll have it again with our pork loin and roasted potatoes and veggies tonight. :-) Yum!

Last night, two wonderful things happened.

1.) We FINALLY got cable. HELLO FOOD NETWORK, TRAVEL CHANNEL, LIFETIME, and MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL. Happiness! It's a SUPER deal with HD, a gajillion channels, AND a DVR!!!!

2.) We did Week 3, Day 1 of C25k and I ran the whole way and then some. This week is: 5 minute brisk walk warmup, 90 second jog, 90 second brisk walk, three minute jog, three minute brisk walk, 90 second jog, 90 second brisk walk, three minute jog, three minute brisk walk, 5 minute brisk walk cool down. We took a wrong turn in my map, so we did an 8 minute cool down walk, and I got a horrendous cramp in my right side AND one of my toenails stabbed its neighboring toe, which was also no fun, but I made it through. No walks on the jog, and I got confused about the times, so the second 3 minute jog was more like a 5 minute jog. :-) It was fun though. I did get scared half to death about 10 minutes in when a dog jumped out of NOWHERE and started barking at us... I totally screamed because it surprised me so much. He might have been right there, but I was focusing on my jog, so I definitely didn't see him. It was actually pretty funny. :-)

TONIGHT is marinated pork loin (it's been marinating since last night at about 5... YUM), roasted potatoes, red bell pepper (left over from crab cakes), and purple onion (left over from confetti corn), and left over confetti corn. YUM. I can't wait and neither can H!