Fire Roasted Flank Steak with Cheesy Grits

I totally made this recipe up this week - but we loved it! It is so easy, I swear I might make it once a week from now on! The steak ends up being like pulled beef it becomes so tender. This would be good for tacos too...

Ingredients for Steak

1 - 1.5 to 2lb flank steak
1 jar of Kroger brand Fire-Roasted Red Enchilada Sauce

Preparation for Steak

Put steak in crockpot, pour enchilada sauce over meat, turn crockpot on high and cook for 6 hours. That's it!

Ingredients for Grits

3/4 cup of quick cooking grits
3 cups of "liquid" (water works, but I use chicken broth for more flavor)
1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked paprika

Cook grits according to package and add the cheese, garlic powder and smoked paprika during last minute of cooking time.

Serve pulled beef over cheesy grits!

Smoked Paprika Butter (topping for steaks)

My sister, Krista came across this recipe the other day when searching for "legal" foods while she is on her boring Crohn's diet. We made it to top off a flank steak and it was amazing! The smoked paprika really comes to life when mixed with the butter and garlic! Very easy to make! I even used the pre-made minced garlic to save time and mess. I personally hate getting fresh garlic smell on my fingers so I almost always use the pre-made minced garlic - especially since it is now in a squeeze bottle!

I am not sure where Krista found her original recipe, but the below recipe was adapted from Food & Wine...

Serves 2 to 3

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

3/4 teaspoon smoked hot paprika

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Method

In a small saucepan melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook over low heat, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the paprika and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice, and keep warm until your steaks are done. You can also make ahead and reheat gently when needed. When steaks are ready, spoon paprika butter over and serve immediately.

Chili-Beef Skewers

Stacie made these for the June meal exchange and this was the first meal I tried! It had awesome flavors and was very easy. I served it with more veggies - frozen Asian Green Beans - super easy meal from the freezer!

yield: makes 4 servings

ingredients:

8 wooden skewers
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp grated orange zest
1 tsp sriracha
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
1 lb lean beef sirloin, cut into 1/8-inch strips
1 each red, green and yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded and cut into 2 1/2-inch pieces (optional)
Vegetable oil cooking spray Dipping sauce
1/2 cup lowfat mayonnaise
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp fish sauce

directions:

Soak skewers for 30 minutes. Puree cilantro, garlic, soy sauce, orange zest, sriracha, fish sauce and sugar in a food processor. Transfer marinade to a resealable plastic bag; add beef. Seal bag, toss and set aside up to 30 minutes. Combine dipping sauce ingredients in a bowl. Thread 4 pieces of pepper and 2 beef strips on each skewer, alternating beef and peppers. Coat grill rack with cooking spray; heat grill to high; cook until meat is no longer pink, about 3 minutes.

SELF, MAY 2008 - Adapted by Marge Perry
From: Epicurious

Classic Meat Loaf

Ingredients:

1 slice white bread
2 Tbs fat free milk
1/2 c ketchup
2/3 lb gr beef, extra lean
1/2 lb lean gr veal
6 oz lean gr pork
1/2 c chopped onion
1/3 c ch fresh parsley
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
1 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 lrg egg whites
cooking spray

Directions:

1 Preheat oven to 350
2 Place bread in food processor, pulse 10 times or until coarse bread crumbs measure 1 1/2 cups
3 Combine breadcrumbs and milk in large bow; let stand 5 minutes. Add 2 Tbs ketchup and remaining ingredients except cooking spray
4 Shape meat mixture into 9x5 in loaf on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Spread remaining 6 tablespoons ketchup over top of meat loaf. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until thermometer registers 160. Let stand for 10 mintues

Very easy to double and freeze unbaked.

Italian Beef Sandwiches

1 4lb boneless beef sirloin or rolled rump roast
1 0.7 oz pkg Italian salad dressing mix
2 tsps dried Italian seasoning
1/2-1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
10-12 kaiser rolls or French style rolls split
Roasted red peppers, cut into strips (optional)

1. Trim fat from meat. Cut into 2-3 inch pieces. Place meat into slow cooker. In small bowl, combine 1 cup water, dressing mix, Italian seasoning, red pepper, and garlic powder. Pour mixture over meat
2. Cover; cook on low setting for 10-12 hours or on high for 5-6 hours
3. Using slotted spoon, transfer meat to a cutting board. Using 2 forks, shred the meat. Place meat on bottoms of rolls. Lightly drizzle some of the cooking juices over meat. If desired, top with roasted red pepper strips
I have not served this with red peppers but have served it with horseradish.

Baked Ziti III

I made this for the March Meal Exchange, which will be the first meal exchange I have participated in - I am looking forward to it. We have eight participants, so I just made four of these and divided it in half (if you want one for yourself). I did modify the original recipe by using fat free sour cream instead of regular sour cream and dried basil versus fresh basil. This is a recipe that my sister, Krista has made several times and enjoys! For the frozen version - defrost in refridgerator overnight before baking according to the instructions - keep covered. These got a little messy on me in the foil baking dishes - I think that I got them too full - so make sure you put these in a plastic bag or on top of some paper towels in the fridge when defrosting. SO SORRY!

YIELD 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 (16 ounce) package dry ziti pasta
1 pound lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 (28 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
6 ounces sliced provolone cheese
6 ounces sliced mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

DIRECTIONS

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
In a large skillet, brown beef over medium heat. Add onions; saute until tender. Drain off fat and add spaghetti sauce; simmer for about 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a lightly greased 2 quart baking dish, place about half of the pasta; top with a layer of provolone and mozzarella cheese slices. Spread on a layer of half the spaghetti sauce mixture and sour cream.
Cover with remaining pasta, cheese and sauce; sprinkle a layer of Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until cheese and sauce are bubbly; serve.

Recipe from Allrecipes.com Submitted by VERDIEIIIS

Pan Sauteed Filet Mignon with Caramel-Brandy Mushroom Sauce

Tim and I made this for our Valentine's Day Dinner it was awesome! Sorry no picture to share!

Cook Time: 22 min
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

* 4 (8-ounce) filet mignons
* 2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 2 teaspoons coarsely cracked black pepper
* 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms
* 1 head roasted garlic, cloves separated and peeled
* 7 tablespoons brandy
* 6 tablespoons light brown sugar
* 3/4 cup heavy cream
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Season beef with salt on all sides. Place coarse pepper in a shallow dish and dip the cut sides of the filets into the pepper, pressing lightly to coat.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steaks and sear on both sides until well browned, 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the steaks to an oven-proof baking dish and place in the oven. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes for medium-rare.

While the steaks are cooking in the oven, add 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter to the same saute pan used for the steaks. Add the mushrooms and cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown around the edges, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the skillet and reserve.

Remove the skillet from the heat and add the garlic cloves and 6 tablespoons of the brandy to the hot pan, stirring to loosen any browned particles from the bottom of the pan. Return the skillet to the heat, being careful that the brandy does not flame up. Cook until reduced by half; this will happen very quickly. Add 2 tablespoons of the remaining butter and the brown sugar, stirring to combine. When the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is bubbly, whisk in the cream, reduce the heat to medium-high and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until mixture is sauce consistency and coats the back of a spoon. Add the reserved mushrooms to the pan and season with the salt, and pepper. Remove from the heat and whisk in the remaining tablespoon of butter and the remaining tablespoon of brandy. Serve immediately over warm steaks. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2004

Shepherd's Pie

Prep: 15 min., Cook: 25 min., Bake: 15 min., Stand: 5 min.

Yield
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds ground round
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 (8-oz.) package fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
4 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 (14 1/2-oz.) can stewed tomatoes
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
*Cheese and Carrot Mashed Potatoes
Preparation

1. Brown beef in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 10 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Remove ground beef from skillet using a slotted spoon; reserve 2 Tbsp. drippings in skillet. Reduce heat to medium.

2. Sauté onion, mushrooms, and garlic in hot drippings over medium heat 10 to 11 minutes or until tender. Stir in ground beef, peas, and next 4 ingredients. Sprinkle flour over meat mixture. Increase heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, bay leaf, and vinegar, breaking up large tomato pieces with a spoon. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring often, 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove bay leaf. Transfer mixture to a lightly greased 3-qt. baking dish or pan. Spoon Cheese and Carrot Mashed Potatoes evenly over meat mixture, smoothing with back of spoon.

3. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Note: To make ahead, prepare recipe as directed through Step 2. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Freeze up to 1 month. Thaw in refrigerator 24 hours. Bake at 400° for 40 minutes or until thoroughly heated, shielding with aluminum foil after 25 minutes to prevent excessive browning.

*Note: To make this easy - I used frozen mashed potatoes (1/2 a bag) and added about a cup of shredded cheddar cheese, salt and butter to taste. The recipe for Cheese and Carrot Mashed Potatoes can be found in the post below.



Source: Alberta Watson, Chicago, Illinois, Southern Living, JULY 2008