Steaks with Citrus-Soy Sauce and Edamame Slaw

Pink Parsley is always a source of great recipes, and the author is pregnant with twins and craving stake. Hence this awesome recipe she posted! This was simple and delicious, the sauce serves as a dressing for the slaw and gets reduced for a sauce on the steak. Easy enough for a week-night, good enough for company!

Steaks with Citrus-Soy Sauce and Edamame SlawWe tend not to have sesame oil like the original recipe calls for, so I substituted olive oil. We’re also not fans of raw red onions, so we we left that out too. With prepackaged broco-slaw mix and cooked edamame, this is really a fast meal to whip up. We served it with brown rice, which was the longest part of the cooking.IMG_9296

Steak with Citrus-Soy Sauce and Edamame Slaw

MealsWeLike.com, adapted from Pink Parsley
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Main
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

For the sauce:

  • 5 Tbs Low-sodium soy sauce this gets cooked down, and was plenty salty using low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 Orange juiced
  • 1 Tbs orange zest
  • 2 Tbs rice wine vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp Ginger powder or 1 Tbs freshly grated ginger

For the Broco-slaw:

  • 10 oz package pre-cooked shelled Edamame
  • 10 oz bag broccoli slaw mix
  • 2 Tbs Olive oil

For the steaks:

  • 1-2 Tbs Olive oil
  • 1 lb New York strip steaks
  • 4 Tbs butter

Instructions
 

  • If serving with rice, start the rice.
  • In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, orange juice and zest, vinegar, and ginger.
  • In a large bowl, combine the broco-slaw and edamame.
  • Take 3 Tbs of the sauce and add to the slaw mix.
  • Add 2 Tbs olive oil to the slaw
  • Mix and refrigerate until the rest of the meal is ready.
  • Heat a pan on medium-high and add the olive oil
  • Add the steaks and cook to desired doneness (~5-7minuted per side for medium-well)
  • Remove the steaks and tent with foil while you cook the sauce.
  • Add the rest of the sauce to the pan and simmer for a minute or two, scraping up the burned bits off the bottom of the pan.
  • When the sauce is thickened, remove from heat and add the butter one tablespoon at a time, melting into the sauce.
  • Slice the steaks
  • To serve, put some slaw on the plate, top with stakes and the sauce.
  • If serving with rice, put some sauce on that too, it's good stuff!

 

Fig Bismarck

Fig bismarckI normally try to make something special for weekend breakfasts. It’s fig season, so I had a bunch of figs in the fridge to use up. I’ve made a pear bismarck before, and that went over well, so I figured that could be reconfigured to use figs. Turned out quite well. I did cook the figs for a bit to cook off the water and start browning them.

Fig Bismarck

MealsWeLike.com
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Breakfast or Brunch
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • About a dozen figs
  • 2 T butter
  • 2 T brown sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • Maple syrup optional
  • Powdered sugar optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 450˚
  • Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat
  • Slice the figs in half or quarters
  • Melt the butter and add the figs and brown sugar
  • Cook, stirring occasionally until the water has been released from the figs and they start to dry out and caramelize a bit
  • Meanwhile mix the eggs, flour and milk.
  • When the figs are ready, pour the batter on top
  • Put the pan in the oven and bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
  • Remove from the oven, slice and serve with maple syrup and/or powdered sugar if desired

 

Ravioli with Sautéed Butternut Squash and Thyme

Ravioli with butternut squashFrozen ravioli makes a nice start to a fast dinner. We had gotten tired of ravioli a while back since all we did was add some spaghetti sauce. This recipe is a relatively fast and easy dish that adds flavor, veggies and something different to the routine.

We used beef ravioli, though with cheese ravioli this could be a vegetarian dish. To make the cooking go a bit faster at meal time, you can dice the squash ahead of time and store in the fridge until your ready to go.

Ravioli with Sautéed Butternut Squash and Thyme

MealsWeLike.com, adapted from Women's Day
Course Main dish
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 medium butternut squash about 1 lb, peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
  • 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
  • 1 package ravioli
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan Cheese

Instructions
 

  • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and add the butternut squash.
  • Cook covered, stirring occasionally, until the squash is soft and starting to brown (10-15 min).
  • Meanwhile boil the water for the ravioli and prepare according to package directions.
  • When the squash is ready, add the garlic and thyme and cook uncovered for a couple of minutes.
  • Serve the ravioli, topping with the squash and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Sweet Potato Fries

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches in the dutch oven ready to serve

This recipe came from DinnerALoveStory.com, one of my favorite blogs. Her site posts a stead stream of simple, healthy, yummy meals along with humorous stories about all kinds of things. Sometimes I’m in too much of a rush to read the stories, and head straight to the recipes, but I try to get back and read the stories when I’ve got a few minutes.
This recipe was simple and delicious, and our family devours sweet potato fries, so I added them as a nice side dish.Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Sweet Potato Fries

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Sweet Potato Fries

MealsWeLike.com; adapted from DinnerALoveStory.com
A simple, fast recipe for pulled chicken sandwiches, served with sweet potato fries
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main Course
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

For the sandwiches:

  • 1 cup barbecue sauce
  • ½ cup cider vinegar
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 lbs Chicken Breasts about 4
  • Potato Rolls

For the sweet potato fries

  • ~3 sweet potatoes
  • 2-3 Tbs Olive oil
  • Salt

Instructions
 

For the sweet potatoes:

  • Preheat the oven to 450˚
  • Slice the potatoes into ¼ inch stops
  • Working in batches, place cut potatoes in a ziplock bag and add some oil
  • Close the bag, shake to coat the potatoes
  • Spread potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle with salt
  • Bake for ~30 minutes, turning occasionally, until browned

For the sandwiches

  • While the fries are cooking, get a heavy pot
  • Add the bbq sauce, cider vinegar, onion, garlic, bay leaf to pot and mix
  • Add the chicken to the pot
  • Add 1-2 cups of water to cover the chicken
  • Add the bay leaf
  • Bring the chicken to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
  • Remove the chicken from the pot and turn up the heat a bit to cook the sauce down some more while you shred the chicken (10 minutes or so)
  • Shred the chicken with two forks and return to the sauce
  • Serve on the potato rolls with the sweet potato fries

Sweet Potato Samosas

Sweet Potato SamosasI’m always on the lookout for new sweet potato recipes. Besides being tasty and popular with the kids, they have a lot more going for them than regular potatoes (e.g.: this site). So when I ran across this recipe for Sweet Potato Samosas on Culinate.com, I decided to give it a try. I added some ground beef, though you can leave that out for a veggie option. I’ve also thought peas were a required part of samosas, so I added a can. These were quite good and made a lot. In fact, with the peas and beef, I think you would need 2 batches of the dough for all of the filling. We just served some filing on the side and for left-overs. The green sauce was especially good! Sweet Potato Samosas

 

Sweet Potato Samosas

MealsWeLike.com, adapted from Culinate.com
Sweet potato, beef and pea samosas
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 4 -6

Ingredients
  

Cream-cheese pastry

  • 8 oz. Cream Cheese
  • 1/2 cup Butter softened
  • 2 cups Flour--we used White whole-wheat
  • 1/4 tsp. Ssalt

Sweet-potato filling

  • 1 lb Ground Beef or, for a veggie option, omit and add some olive oil
  • 1 Large onion chopped
  • 2 Tbs lemon or lime juice
  • 1 tsp. Fresh ginger finely minced
  • 1 clove garlic minced (about ½ teaspoon)
  • 1/4 tsp. Cardamom powder
  • 3 Large sweet potatoes
  • 1 14 oz can Peas

Green dipping sauce

  • 1 cup Low-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed mint leaves
  • 1 jalapeño chile seeded, chopped (optional)
  • 1 garlic clove

Instructions
 

Prepare the pastry:

  • Using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy.
  • Add the salt
  • Add in the flour half a cup at a time, mixing until it comes together in a ball.
  • Wrap in plastic, flatten, and refrigerate while you make the filling. (You can make this dough up to 3 days ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze it for up to a month.)

Prepare the filling:

  • Microwave or bake the sweet potatoes until soft.
  • Peal and mash the potatoes in a large bowl.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Brown the ground-beef if using, or add some oil.
  • Add the onion and sauté
  • Add the lemon or lime juice, ginger, garlic and cardamom
  • Transfer the beef and onion mixture to the bowl with the sweet potatoes.
  • Fold everything together.
  • Drain the peas and gently mix them into the mixture.
  • Set aside to cool--the dough gets too soft if the filling is too hot.

Forming the samosas:

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Roll out the dough on a floured surface.
  • Using about a 3-inch round cookie cutter or biscuit cutter, cut circles in the dough--I used a big wide-mouth jar.
  • Place spoonful of the sweet-potato filling in the center of a dough circle and fold in half, sealing the edges.
  • Place on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
  • Once the sheet is filled up, bake until the edges are lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

Make the dipping sauce:

  • While the samosas are cooking, combine the sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.

Serve the samosas warm or at room temperature.

     

    Feta Burgers with Grilled Sweet Potatoes

    Feta Burger with Grilled Sweet PotatoesIt’s great to fire up the grill in the summer and when I ran across this recipe for Grilled Sweet Potatoes, I knew I had to try them. Wow, the lime-cilantro dressing on these was awesome! Paired with a burger topped with feta cheese and some lettuce, this was a great, easy meal.

    Feta Burgers with Grilled Sweet Potatoes

    MealsWeLike.com, adapted from SimpleRecipes.com
    Burgers topped with feta cheese, served with grilled sweet potatoes and a lime-cilantro dressing

    Ingredients
      

    For the potatoes:

    • 2 lbs about 3 large Sweet Potatoes
    • 3-4 Tbsp olive oil
    • 1/4 cup Fresh cilantro finely chopped
    • 1 tsp Lime zest
    • Juice of one lime
    • 1/4 cup Olive oil
    • Pinch of salt

    For the Burgers:

    • 1 Lb of ground beef formed into patties
    • 4 oz Feta cheese sliced into 4 slices
    • Lettuce
    • Hamburger buns

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the grill to medium-high, direct heat.
    • Peel the sweet potatoes and slice into 1/4 inch thick slices.
    • Coat the slices with olive oil.
    • Form the beef into patties.
    • Grill the potatoes and burgers, 3-6 minutes each side or until the burgers are cooked as you like and the sweet potatoes are softened and have some nice grill marks.
    • While things are grilling, mix the cilantro, lime zest and juice, oil and salt in a large bowl.
    • Add the sweet potatoes to the dressing and mix.
    • Place the burgers on a bun with a slice of feta and some lettuce.
    • Enjoy!