Recipe #77 - Flank Steak Salad with Jalapeno Poppers

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Recipe idea courtesy of Chuck Hughes from the cooking show Chuck's Day Off.

For the steak salad:
Rub the flank steak on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy skillet on medium-high heat and cook the steak on one side for 6 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side for 6 more minutes.

Meanwhile combine the red onion, cucumbers, tomatoes, avocados, cilantro, mint and lime juice in a bowl and mix well. (Side note: this step called for 2 tablespoons olive oil, but I left it out and it tasted just fine with just the lime juice.)

Season the salad with salt and pepper, to taste and set aside.

For the jalapeno poppers:
Heat oil in a deep fryer or a heavy-bottomed skillet to 350 degrees F. Carefully slice down the side of the peppers and remove the seeds. Set aside. In a bowl combine all the grated cheeses, season with pepper, to taste and stuff the peppers.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, egg, and beer to form a batter. Dip the stuffed peppers in the batter.

Fry in the deep fryer or in a heavy skillet for about 5 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

Slice the flank steak into thin pieces.

Pile the salad on a plate with slices of flank steak, and top with 1 popper, sliced in half.

This recipe turned out really well. The colors where bright. It had a very fresh, summer taste to it. I've never tasted mint and cilantro together, but it was a memorable surprise pairing perfectly with the lime juice. It has been raining all day, so it's was a nice, uplifting, healthy lunch that brought some sunshine back into the dull house today.

Rating: 9
Time: 1 hour (there's a lot of cutting involved)
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
For the Steak Salad
2 pounds flank steak
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 red onion, sliced
2 cucumbers, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tomatoes, diced
2 avocados, halved, pitted, peeled and diced
1 cup torn fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup torn fresh mint leaves
Juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons olive oil, optional

For the Jalapeno Poppers
6 jalapeno peppers or milder peppers (which I recommend)
1/3 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1/3 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1 cup flour
1 egg
3/4 cup beer
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Vegetable oil, for frying

Recipe #37 - Black Bean Quinoa Salad

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This is an award winning recipe I found in the Commercial Appeal created by Megan Murphy, a Tennessee-licensed registered dietitian.

She writes, "Quinoa is a seed that kind of masquerades as a grain. Its consistency is grain-like, but its is noat a grain, and there is no gluten in it. The tiny uncooked quinoa particles swell up when you cook them into small round pellets and give a satisfying chew to dishes, including this one"

Quinoa also contains all 8 essential amino acids (proteins) needed in the human diet. Which makes it very poplar with vegans.

In a small bowl, toss the drained beans with the vinegar, salt and pepper. Let stand for about 30 minutes before draining off any excess liquid.

Meanwhile, in another bowl wash the quinoa in cold water, drain into a coffee filter or fine sieve set over a bowl or pot.

Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a medium-sized pot, add quinoa. Lower heat and cover; cook for about 15 minutes until most of the water is absorbed. Set the pot of quinoa off the heat, and let it stand for about 20 minutes to finish absorbing the water.

Once quinoa has absorbed all the cooking water, transfer it to a large plate or bowl and allow to come to room temperature (using a plate spreads it out more so getting to room temperature doesn't take as long).

Once the quinoa is room temperature, put it in a good sized bowl or container. Add the drained beans, red bell pepper, red onions, jalapenos and cilantro; toss gently to combine.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the lime juice, salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Add the oil in a stream, whisking continuously. Once the oil is all incorporated, add the dressing to the quinoa/bean mixture and stir gently to combine.

Love, love, LOVE, LoVe this one. Anything with black beans (the healthiest of the the beans) is good in my book. The cilantro, freshly picked from the garden, was of course perfect with the fresh lime juice. The cayenne pepper along with the jalapenos and roasted red pepper gave it a little punch that spiced up the quinoa.

The dressing was definitely my favorite part. I put together a salad the next night and made the exact dressing for the topper. I also made this recipe again about a week later for lunch. Very healthy. Very tasty.

Rating: 9
Time: 40 mins
Serves: 6, about 1 cup each.
Per serving: 260 calories, 13 gm fat, 2 gm saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 29 gm carbohydrates, 6 gm fiber, 7 gm protein, 219 mg sodium.
Ingredients:
For the salad:
1 1/2 cups black beans, canned, drained and rinsed (1 15-oz. can)
1 1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 freshly cracked black pepper
3/4 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups water
1 large red pepper, roasted, seeded, peeled and diced (can be from a jar)
1 small-medium red onion, diced (about 2/3 cup diced)
2 tablespoons pickled jalapeno chiles, diced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

For the dressing:
4 1/2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 ground cumin
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Recipe #28 - Chinese Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing

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This was the other recipe I found in the Commercial Appeal. The words "peanut butter" and "salad" jumped out at me. It's def not something I'd ever considered putting in a salad before. So, I gave it a go.

I decided not to buy already cooked shredded chicken. For one thing, I couldn't find it organic. Secondly, every time I've bought it before it tasted so fake and processed and I'd rather of not had it in the recipe at all. So I took the extra 15 mins to prep and cook organic boneless chicken breasts.

Drizzle some olive oil in a skillet. Cook on medium heat until there is no pink in the middle. Set it to the side and let cool before shredding.

For the dressing:
In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, peanut butter, ginger, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, canola oil and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the salad:
Bring salter water to a boil in a medium pot. Add snow peas and cook until vibrant green and crisp tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain the peas and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Then place the peas in a large salad bowl.

Add the salad blend, shredded chicken, carrots, scallions, cilantro, and peanuts (I chopped the peanuts up in a food processor) and toss. Add the dressing to taste and gently toss to coat. Garnish with lime wedges. Serve immediately.

Wow. This was a killer recipe. My father and I fought over the leftovers the next day while waiting for the Tuscan Lemon Chicken to cook. The peanut dressing with the crunch of the lettuce and carrots was something I've never tasted before, yet blended together surprisingly perfect.

I'm glad I made the fresh chicken. If I would have tasted that processed crap with the rest of the ingredients, I think it would have ruined the awesomeness that this recipe was able to produce. It's def in my top 25 at the moment.

Rating: 10
Time: 45 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
For the dressing:
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh peeled ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon taosted sesame oil
1/2 cup canola oil
1 pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the salad:
1/2 cup Peanut Dressing (or to taste)
1/2 cup fresh snow peas
1 bag (5 oz.) spring mix salad blend
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 carrots, peeled and shredded on the large holes of a traditional grater
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts
2 limes, quartered for garnish

Recipe #15 - Boiled Red Potatoes & Make-Shift Salad

I wanted to serve potatoes and a salad with Recipe #16 - Roughbox Steak Marinade. I was looking through the frig and saw I had some Grilled Tomato Basil-Relish left over from Recipe #12. So, I cut up some romaine lettuce, added some crumbled feta cheese, and the left over "relish" (which I think looked and tasted more like salsa).

With the salad out of the way, I began prepping the potatoes. I rinsed them, placed them into a pan and covered them with well salted water. Bring to boil, cook till fork tender. I then drained them and returned them to the same pot they were cooked in.

Add the butter, dill and sour cream. Season with salt to taste. Mash with fork or masher thing. I have no idea what those things are called.

The original recipe didn't call for sour cream, but I felt it was missing something so I added it last minute. It was very good. It made the potatoes more moist and flavorful.

The salad was surprisingly gratifying for something that was so last minute. The balsamic vinegar in the relish mixed with the feta cheese complimented each other perfectly. Def my favorite salad that I've made so far.

For the salad:
Time: 15mins
Rating: 6
Ingredients:
Romain lettuce
Feta cheese
Relish from recipe #12

For the potatoes:
Time: 15mins
Rating: 7
Ingredients:
2 pounds red potatoes
Salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons sour cream
1 bunch fresh dill, chopped

Recipe #13 - Mediterranean Salad

Very, very simple and very, very healthy. I served this as a side for Recipe #14 - Salmon Cakes. 

Combine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, onion, radishes & parsley in a salad bowl. 

Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper & mint. Pour over salad & toss to coat. Serve immediately with warm pita halves.

The warm pita worked well for scooping. The 100% wheat was pretty tasty too!

I really liked the dressing. It had a hint of lemon and mint that went well with Lemon-Caper Yogurt Sauce that I served with the Salmon Cakes. 

Time: 20 mins.
Rating: 6
Ingredients:
1 medium head romaine lettuce, torn
3 small tomatoes, diced
1 medium cucumber, sliced
1 small green bell pepper, sliced
1 small onion, cut into rings
6 radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt & pepper
1 teaspoon fresh mint, minced
Pita bread halves