Saturday, April 24, 2010

Steak and Pear Salad



Jake and I really like this salad. It is part of the rotation of dinners in our house and it is a great lighter dinner but still has a lot of substance. We had a salad similar to this at a restaurant that had no meat in it and we have since tweaked it a bit and made it a dinner salad. This recipe can be multiplied easily to accommodate more servings. I use Girard's raspberry vinaigrette on this salad and it is really well balanced with the other ingredients.

Steak and Pear Salad

  • 1 rib eye or New York strip steak
  • 2 Tbs soy Sauce
  • 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 1 Tbs olive oil
  • 1/2 lb spring salad mix
  • 1 ripe pear, cored and sliced
  • 1/2 c pecan pieces
  • 1/2 c blue cheese crumbles
  • 3 Tbs Raspberry vinaigrette
In a shallow dish marinate the steak in the soy sauce and black pepper for 30 minutes at room temperature. The meat should be close to room temp when you cook it.
Once your steak is marinated, preheat a grill pan or skillet to medium high heat. Remove the steak from the marinade to dry a bit and drizzle with the olive oil. Put in the pan and cook to your desired doneness. While the steak is cooking toast your pecan pieces in a dry skillet over medium low heat. Make sure you keep them moving in the pan so that you don't burn them, the fat in them makes them burn very quickly! You will know when they are toasted because the smell of them changes. Once they smell toasted remove to cool on a saucer. It takes around 5 minutes to toast them but can take less depending on your pan and stove. While the steak is cooking prepare the other ingredients. In a salad bowl place the greens, blue cheese, cooled pecans and slice pear. Right before you are going to serve, toss with 2 Tbs of the raspberry vinaigrette. Divide between two dinner plates or can be 4 side salads.
Once the steak has finished cooking let it rest for about 10 minutes and then slice in thin strips and drizzle with 1 Tbs of the dressing. Toss to cover and then divide between the servings of salad. You can sprinkle with additional blue cheese if you like and cracked pepper.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Baked Tortilla Chips


So I am kind of in love with these tortilla chips. I am generally not into chips that much or I try not to be I guess I should say. These chips make me feel a lot better about eating them! I have been playing around with a baked tortilla chip for a while because we often want them to go with meals and the ones we have are opened and a bit stale and that is terribly disappointing. Hope you enjoy them as much as I have.
Baked Tortilla Chips
  • 6-8 medium sized flour tortillas
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Canola oil cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375. Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges. Scatter out on a Silpat lined baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle fairly liberally with salt and pepper. Toss around to coat and then spray with a little more spray.

Bake in the oven for about 8-10 minutes until they have started to brown. Turn over and bake for another 5 minutes or until evenly browned. I will generally try and do 2 batches if they are overlapping too much. Remove from oven and eat warm or at room temperature. I love this with Guacamole!



Saturday, April 3, 2010

Spring Quiche



This is a yummy option for breakfast or a brunch and of course you could use a number of options for the filling. I chose a combination that has a nice savory flavor and is very seasonal for this time of year.


Spring Quiche

  • 1 blind baked single pie crust

  • 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

  • 1/4 lb brussel sprouts, sliced

  • 1/4 bunch asparagus, cut up into 2 inch pieces

  • 6-8 crimini mushrooms, sliced

  • 3 eggs

  • 1 1/2 c milk

  • 1/2 c sharp white cheddar cheese

  • salt and pepper to taste

  • 1-2 Tbs butter, cut up

  • Preheat oven to 400. Place veggies on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes until tender and slightly browned. Cool and set aside. In a medium bowl beat together the eggs and milk until blended. Stir in the salt, pepper and cheese then fold in the bacon and veggies. Pour into prepared pie crust and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes until set and just jiggles in the middle.
    Let cool completely before slicing.