Steak with Chimichurri & Sweet Potato Fries

July 8, 2014

We started our second round of Whole 30 today. Well, I guess we started yesterday but last night I accidentally tripped and my face landed in two scoops of ice cream with a waffle bowl, soooooooooo I had to start over today. I'm pretty sure this round is going to be way way way way way way more challenging than the first round. I'm not as motivated this round. And, since I already completed it once I feel like I've got nothing to prove. BUT, i need to prove that I can complete it twice. Power through, Rochelle, power through. This is one of my go-to summer meals, and it's a perfect Whole 30 meal because I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything.

Chimichurri is a refreshing herb sauce that goes wonderfully with chicken, seafood, and shrimp, and steak. It is one of my go-to sauces for steak, Whole30 or not. Sooooo good.  This pineapple sauce is inspired by a local restaurant. Naturally, I wouldn't think to pair sweet potato fries with a sweet sauce, but this is an excellent flavor combination with just the right amount of spice. Both of these sauces are super bright flavors, perfect for summer. 

Grilled Steak with Chimichurri and Sweet Potato Fries with Pineapple Red-Chili Sauce 

serves 2 

Steak & Chimichurri 
2 steaks, your favorite cut 
1 cup fresh parsley 
1/2 cup olive oil 
1/3 cup red wine vinegar 
1/4 cup cilantro 
2 garlic cloves 
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 
1/2 teaspoon cumin 
1/2 teaspoon salt 

1. Season steaks with salt and pepper and grill to your liking. 
2. In a food processor, combine remaining ingredients and process until finely chopped. 
3. Serve sauce over steak. 

Sweet Potato Fries w/ Pineapple Sauce 
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into fries 
2 tablespoons coconut oil 
1 teaspoon smoked paprika 
1 teaspoon salt 
1 cup fresh pineapple 
1 red chili 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a sheet tray, toss sweet potatoes with coconut oil, paprika, and salt. Lay flat and spread out and bake for 20 minutes. Stir, and bake for an addition 10 minutes until crisp. 
2. Add pineapple and red chili to food processor and process until smooth. 

Baked Eggplant Stacks

The Boo and I have been on a mission lately to try to eat a little healthier. We've been eating at home a lot more, and aside from buying two 5-pound bags of Sour Patch Kids from Target, (on clearance for $2.79, each!) we've been doing decently.

Do you have foods that you crave, but don't really like?
I do.

I crraaaaveee mozzarella sticks and their melty, cheesy, fried goodness. I order them a lot. I don't actually like them. I never do. I'm always disappointed when I order them. I order them, knowing I will be disappointed with them. I can't help it, I crave them.
I guess I crave the idea of them.

Eggplant is the same way for me.
They are so cool, eggplants. These big, squishy-ish, purple squash-like things. They feel hollow. How could you not love them?
I guess I don't. I crave the idea of them, though.
I drive around town, going to [literally] five different grocery stores looking for them.
I buy them, and make a simple, beautiful dish.
And hate it.
Every. Single. Bite.

I'm not selling you on this meal, am I? The Boo liked it though, I promise. He loved it, in fact.

If you like eggplant, you'll like this dish.
If you like eggplant parmesan, you'll like this dish.
If you like a combination of eggplant, cheese, and tomatoes, you'll really like this dish.

Baked Eggplant Parmesan Stacks

(Printable Recipe)

adapted from here.

What You Will Need:
1 eggplant
salt
olive oil
1 onion, chopped finely
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 14.5 oz cans fire roasted diced tomatoes w/ garlic, undrained
3 tablespoons flour
2 egg whites
1 cup breadcrumbs
6 thin slices fresh mozzarella cheese
6 large, fresh basil leaves (or 2 tablespoons dried basil)
3/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon each garlic powder, dried oregano, dried parsley, & dried thyme

This Is How It's Done:

Friends, meet the newest cast member of Veggie Tales...

*Please disregard my quick, horrible Photoshop skills (or lack thereof)

Tom, the Eggplant.

I just realized that this is going to get incredibly morbid, incredibly quickly. 

The first step is to cut Tom the eggplant into 1/2 inch wide slices, then pour salt in his wounds coat the slices liberally with salt. Put them in a strainer (in the sink, or in another bowl/on a plate) and let them sit for 30-ish minutes.

The salt will draw all the moisture from the slices so they won't get soggy later when they are baked. 

While the eggplant is dehydrating, you can get started on the sauce...

...And I can show you my new pot.

Isn't she pretty? She looks really pretty on my stove.

(She looks prettier with her top on, but I forgot to get to that. I will, eventually. Pinky promise.)

That's where she lives. On my stove...whether I'm using her or not. 

The Boo got her for me as a graduation present. 

Did I mention I finished school? I did. I'm done. Finished. Finito. 

Sorry, sorry...Back to this meal...

Heat a pot on medium high heat.

Once the pot is hot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

Once the oil is hot, this only takes a few seconds, add 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. 

Stir them for about 10 seconds.

Don't let them burn.

They will burn.

Quickly.

Add the finely chopped onion.

Saute the onion until softened, 5-10 minutes.

Add the 2 cans of tomatoes.

Don't drain them.

(This is what the can looks like--so you can find it easier.)

Add in the garlic powder, and herbs here.

If you like things really flavorful, you can add more.

I did.

Like double-more.

I also added dried basil (2 tablespoons) here, because I didn't have any fresh basil leaves. 

Just don't add any salt yet. We'll add that later. If you add it too early it will become too salty because the liquid will evaporate and the flavor will be more concentrated. 

Let the tomatoes stew until the liquid has evaporated. This will take about 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325˚ F.

Next, I sliced up the fresh mozzarella.

Then, I set up my breading station.

The standard breading procedure is dry, wet, dry.

Remember that. Dry. Wet. Dry.

In this case its flour (dry), egg whites (wet), bread crumbs (dry).

A note about breadcrumbs. I buy unseasoned, that way I can season them myself to whatever I like. I like to control my flavors. 

So, if you're also using unseasoned breadcrumbs, now is the time to add seasonings.

I added salt (1 teaspoon), pepper (1/2 teaspoon), dried basil, dried thyme, dried oregano, and dried parsley (1/4 teaspoon of each). 

Then I added about 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese.

And mixed everything in really well.

By this time, the eggplant slices have been draining for about a half hour.

Rinse them off really well with water.

Then pat them dry with paper towel.

Now, we bread them, using the standard breading procedure.

How's that go again?

Dry. Wet. Dry.

Coat them in flour.

Then egg.

Then breadcrumbs.

Place them on a baking sheet lined with foil.

Bake them 10 minutes, flip them, and bake another 10 minutes.

When they are done, they wont look too much different than when you put them in. They wont really be browned, just a little less dense.

Taste your tomato mixture--add salt if needed.

Layer tomato sauce on half of the eggplant slices. 

Top with mozzarella.

The add a basil leaf. Grated parmesan. And top it with an eggplant hat.

Put it back in the oven for 5 more minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

Then serve it immediately.

*I tossed the remaining tomato sauce with some pasta and served it with the eggplant.

Looks Yum, right?

OH! And it's healthy, too. Somewhere around 300 calories.

...I'm craving eggplant again....Uh-oh.

Loin of Tender Pork (With Leeks & Apples!)

While growing up, whenever we had steak for dinner, it was always pork steak.
The idea of pork for dinner now grosses me out. It's just not appetizing. My idea of pork is a dry, chewy, flavorless piece of meat. (No offense, Mom--love you!)

Needless to say, we're not big pork eaters here in this household. (Besides bacon, of course of course!)

I decided to give pork a try again. It was on sale, I had no choice.
I bought one of those tenderloins that is sealed in a marinade.
Did you know they had those?
They do.
It looks like this:

The goal here was to create a super tender, flavorful, and moist piece of meat.
Even though it was already soaking in flavor, I wanted to add some more.

In a bowl, mix together some seasonings to make a spice rub:

(I mixed minced garlic, rosemary, sage, salt & pepper, thyme, parsley, paprika, ancho chili powder, and olive oil)

Slather the tenderloin on all sides with the spice rub.
Slather it good, baby. Flavor, flavor, FLAVOR!

Heat a large skillet on medium high heat. Once the skillet gets hot, add about a tablespoon of oil.

Saute the tenderloin, creating a nice, crunchy crust on all sides. You don't want to cook it through here, we're just sauteing until brown to make the crispy crust and to seal in all the flavor.

Once browned on all sides, put in 350˚F oven to finish cooking. Bake for 25-30ish minutes, until it has an internal temperature of 145-150˚ F in the center.


In the meantime.....

We're gonna make our apple & leek salad to go with de loin of de pork-o. This is the best part, in my opinion.
Be gone all thee meat...Bring on thee fruits & thee veggies, YUM!


For this you need 2 leeks, and 3 red apples.

It surprises me that a lot of people don't know what a leek is. I looooveeeeee leeks. LOVE LOVE LOVE them.

Friends, meet Leek.

A leek is like a super huge, yet super, super mild green onion. (Word of the day: super.)

In leekdom, you only want to use the end of leek--the white and light green parts.

Cut the leek in half lengthwise, then cut it in 1-inch chunks. Fill a big bowl with cold water and put the chopped leeks in. Separate the layers and let them sit in the water for 5 minutes.

The dirt from between the layers will fall to the bottom of the bowl--skim the leeks from the top.
Make sure you dry the leeks thoroughly

Next, thinly slice your apples.

In the same skillet you used to sear the tenderloin, add a little more oil and saute the leeks until tender.

Add zeee apples...

...and stir until softened.

Remove from heat, then add 1 tablespoon of honey, and 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar--season with salt and pepper to your taste.

Remove the pork tenderloin from the oven and let rest 10 minutes.

This resting step is crucial for juicy, delicious meat. All meat needs to rest once it's done cooking--if you cut it before it rests, all the juices flow out of it, leaving you with a dry piece of meat. Blah!

After 10 minutes, slice the pork into medallions. Serve with the leeks & apples.

This is delicious.
Seriously, delicious.

It's sweet, and salty, and juicy and flavorful.
No, really. It is.
I promise.
Try it.


Recipe:
Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Sauteed Leeks & Apples

Ingredients:
 Pork tenderloin

 oil for sautéing 

Spice Rub:
 3 cloves chopped garlic
 1 tablespoon rosemary
 1 tablespoon sage
 1 tablespoon thyme
 1 tablespoon parsley
 1 teaspoon paprika
 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
 2 teaspoon salt
 1 teaspoon pepper
 1 tablespoon olive oil

2 leeks, halved & sliced into 1-inch pieces
3 red apples (such as Gala), thinly sliced
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
salt & pepper, to taste

1. Heat oven to 350˚F. 
2. Mix spice rub ingredients in a small bowl. Mixture should be pasty, but easily spreadable. (Add more oil if needed). Rub mixture on pork tenderloin. 
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet. Brown pork tenderloin on all sides, remove to sheet tray.
4. Bake pork tenderloin 25-30 minutes, or until 145-155˚F.
5. Meanwhile, in the same skillet used for pork, add chopped leeks. Stir until tender.
6. Add sliced apples and cook until softened. Add honey and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
7. Remove tenderloin from oven. Let rest 10 minutes, then slice into 1-inch thick medallions. Serve with leeks & apples. 

Pigs in a Blanket

Back to the dinners!

Yes, we have been eating dinner around here. Yes, I have been taking pictures of [most] everything. I just haven't gotten around to posting everything--I needed to take some time off for finals.

But now, finals are DONE! Break it here. Let the good times rolll.

I am sad, and slightly embarrassed to say that Pigs in a Blanket are quite the staple around the Yerrick household. They are pretty much our go-to dinner when I don't feel like cooking, but we don't feel like going out either, or if we're in need of a speedy dinner. The whole dealio, from start to finish, takes about 20 whole minutes.

You may be wondering, "Does she realllly need to share a recipe for Pigs in a Blanket? Doesn't everyone know how to make them?" My answer, my friends, is this: Yes. I need to share because, No, not everyone knows. Actually, most everyone makes them differently.

Now, for those few of you that are completely lost, wondering, WHAT THE HAY is a Pig in a Blanket? I mourn for you. I mourn for your childhood, lackless of little delicious piggies wrapped in crunchy, flaky blankets.

I present:

Pigs in a Blanket





What you'll need:
1 package of Lil'Smokies Cocktail Weenies (I got the cheese filled ones for extra deliciousness.)
1 package of crescent roll dough
salt & pepper
chili powder
garlic powder


Yep. That's really all you need. No, I'm not kidding.

Here's what you do, although you can probably figure it out from the picture...



Get your supplies ready.



Pop the can (I can never get the dang thing to pop...Just once I'd like it to pop normal without me having to bang it on the counter several times to dent it, UGH!) and roll out the dough on a sheet tray lined with foil.



Separate all the pre-cut triangles.

Now, those are too big for my Lil'Smokies, aren't they? Plus, there are about a million Lil'Smokies in a package and only 8 dough triangles. What to do, what to do?

I'll tell you:



Cut the dough triangles into 3 or 4 long-mini triangles with a pizza cutter. Tada! Now you have 8 times 3 or 4 (that's 24 or 32) pieces of dough for your million Lil'Smokies.

Let the rolling begin!




Put the Smokie on the fat side of the triangle and roll it towards the smaller end. It makes for a nicer presentation, and we all know, it's all about presentation on these suckers.



See? Gorgeous.
Keep on rollin' til you have a little weenie farm.




I just said weenie farm. Ha. I said it again.

Weenie farm, weenie farm, weenie farm. I need some coffee.

Well, now that that's done...This, folks, is where things are about to get craaazy.



Sprinkle them all with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and chili powder. Just for a little extra bit of flavor.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375˚ for 10-12 minutes, or until done.



This is what you get. Yum. Simple. Yummmm.





I'm guessing that most normal people don't eat these for dinner. We do. Don't judge. They are great for an appetizer or an after-school snack as well. For dinner, I usually pair them with Mac and Cheese and a vegetable of sorts, for  a well rounded meal.

I've also heard that Paula Dean has her own version of these. I'll have to look into that....

Baked Ziti

No, no. I haven't forgotten about you guys--promise! It's just been a really busy week. I haven't forgotten to take pictures of my cooking, though. I just haven't had time to post what we've had for dinner the rest of the week.

I left off with Monday when we had delicious Scallops & Pasta. On Tuesday night we ended up going to our friend's house for dinner. Then, Wednesday, I broke we broke our no going out to dinner deal and went out to dinner. Boo, us. But, in my defense, when you've had a long week by Wednesday, you deserve some good comforting Mexican food. Right?



So, back to Tuesday. We went to our good friend's house and scarfed down an Italian Feast! Phil made us all a delicious baked ziti--and he shared his top secret recipe with me! So, while I don't have step by step instructions for you, I do have a scrum-diddly-umptious recipe for a rather simple and satisfying dinner!



Baked Ziti Made by Phil Brock. Recipe from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 pound dry ziti pasta
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
• 6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.
2. In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
4. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.

Yumyumyum. Delicious and simple. Serve with garlic toast and a caesar salad. Perfect weeknight dinner!

Outtake: While I was setting the timer...

I should have Pork Tenderloin with apples & leeks and cauliflower gratin for you tomorrow (or Monday)...Until then, I leave you with a brain-teaser :

At 7 a.m. a high-speed electric train moving 90 mph leaves New York heading for Chicago. At 8 a.m. a train running 110 mph leaves Chicago heading for New York. The distance between the two cities is 700 miles. The weather and the wind speed is exactly the same for both trains. Since neither train experiences any delays, when the two trains meet which one will be closer to New York?