Green is the New Black

Spring is around the corner, but until the green onions, peas, fresh herbs and asparagus start shooting through the soil, dinner solutions can be slightly challenging if trying to stay fresh and seasonal. That is why for this month's recipe, I've turned to some shelf stable ingredients like sun dried tomatoes and pine nuts for nutrition and flavor. There are still plenty of vegetables that are available this time of year like spinach and onions which pair beautifully with the savory steak. This recipe also includes an innovative way to create your own vinaigrette, using the same skillet you've cooked the other ingredients in to yield a warm and distinctly seasoned sauce for your winter salad. Enjoy! 

  

French Onion Steak Salad with Feta and Sun-dried Tomatoes

 Ingredients:

-1 lb. lean steak (beef, venison), sliced

-2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

-3 oz. sun-dried tomatoes

-2 oz. crumbled feta cheese

-¼ cup pine nuts

-4 cups baby spinach or mixed micro super greens

-1 large onion

-1 TBSP oil

-Garnish with a handful of whole wheat croutons

Vinaigrette:

½ cup olive oil

2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

1 TBSP Dijon mustard

1 tsp. ground rosemary

1 tsp. ground black pepper

 

Directions:

In a small bowl, toss the sliced steak and Worcestershire sauce together and let marinate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cover sun-dried tomatoes with water and microwave for 3 minutes. Allow to steep for 10 minutes, drain and reserve water. Slice the reconstituted tomatoes into little ribbons.

In a large skillet, add the oil and heat to low. Slice the onion into thin slices and heat, stirring frequently for about 30 minutes or until the color of the onions is light brown. Reserve in a small bowl and turn the skillet up to medium high heat. Toss the steak into the pan to sear quickly, about 3 to 4 minutes before turning and cooking an additional two minutes.  Remove the meat from the pan.

Make the vinaigrette by adding the left over water into the skillet and turn the heat down to medium low. Using a wooden spoon, deglaze the bottom of the pan. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir constantly to emulsify. Remove from heat and assemble salad.

For each salad, ladle in two tablespoons of the warm dressing and add two cups of spinach, half of the feta, sundried tomatoes, pine nuts. Top with steak and croutons (if using) and toss to combine. Serves two. 

Seared Venison, Brown Rice and Baby Bok Choy

The holidays are here and although you might be finding yourself at a few more gatherings, in reality it's time to think New Year's resolutions. I hope this year's list includes cleaning up your nutrition and learning how to cook!  To help you, I've decided for this Week's Wake Up Your Palate to showcase the "Big Three" of healthy cooking; seared protein, brown rice and vegetables.  Don't tune out, just yet!  We are going to make them delish so you crave the healthy stuff. With a little planning, and reading this entire article all the way through before you start cooking (remember your mise en place?) , you will be able to master the art of a well-rounded dinner and perhaps even start adding in flourishes of your own.  More than a one-time recipe, this is a how to guide for cooking and the actual ingredients can vary based on what is available to you. I've ordered the meal elements based on how much time they will take you, so start at the top and go from there. The cooking tips are built right into the recipe. Enjoy!

Seared Venison, Brown Rice and Baby Bok Choy  Protein -8 oz. Venison steak, chopped into 1 inch pieces (substitute flat iron cut of beef or chicken breast) -1/3 cup olive oil -¼ cup Worcestershire  sauce -1 TBSP fresh Rosemary -1 clove garlic, minced Combine above ingredients in a glass bowl and marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes, overnight preferred.  10 minutes before you are ready to eat, heat a skillet with a small amount of cooking oil over medium high heat.  Alternate where you scatter the protein around the hot skillet to keep the temperature up in the pan and cook on one side for 4 minutes or until a nice brown sear appears. Flip each piece and cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and get ready to plate your dish. Whole Grain -1 cup brown rice -3 cups water or broth -1 bay leaf -Black pepper and salt This is the ultimate way to make rice! After years of crunchy, burnt on the bottom or overdone rice, I was about to give up until one day, I started making rice and had to stop about 20 minutes into the cooking time. I came back from the store, about 20 minutes later and resumed cooking...best rice ever! One hour before dinner is to be served, or the night before, place the above ingredients in a sauce pan over medium high heat, uncovered. Bring to a bowl, reduce heat to very low and cover. Continue to cook for 20 minutes and then turn off heat. Wait 20 minutes before returning heat to high. Once you see steam, turn the heat down to very low one last time and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to eat. Vegetable -2 Baby Bok Choy stalks, cut in half, lengthwise and rinse well (substitute any dark leafy greens if these cannot be found) -1 cup frozen peas -1 clove garlic, chopped While the meat is searing, In a non-stick skillet, over medium high heat add oil and garlic. Heat for one minute then toss the greens into the pan, continually stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the peas to the pan and cook until they are hot, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Let's plate! Layer one hot dinner plate with 1 cup brown rice, 4 ounces of protein and one half of the vegetables. Suggested garnish: a squeeze of a lime and a dash of Sriracha. Serves two.

Cook your Best Steak and Venison Steak Salad

Steak cooks quickly and requires very little prep time in the kitchen.  Perfect for nights when it's just too hot to stand over the stove-top.  However, many people are unsure of how to cook with venison or beef steak, so here are some tips!   1.  Deer are free range, so they roam and exercise more than domestic animals. This is one of the reasons venison may become dry and less tender if cooked too long since the short muscle fibers will get tough.   2.  The finer cuts like tenderloin, loin or steaks only need to cook a few minutes per side on high heat.  Typically 3 to 4 minutes per side is plenty.   3.  Also, marinating is a great method to reduce any gamey flavor and to help soften less than the tender cuts of beef steak.   4.  Prior to marinating, be sure to remove any fat from the steak.   5.  After cooking, serve immediately.   Best flavor comes hot off the grill.

For a hot night, a cold, veggie filled salad is just perfect.  Make it a full meal with a boost of lean protein like venison steak or beef flank steak. Teriyaki Venison Steak Salad Ingredients: -1/2 lbs venison steak or beef flank steak -1/2 cup Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki -5 cups of chopped mixed salad greens like arugula, baby greens & spinach -1/2 cup of halved cherry tomatoes -1 crown of broccoli, large, chopped -1/4 cup raw walnuts -1/8 cup brown sesame seeds Directions: Marinate the venison for 30 minutes in a Teriyaki marinade.  I recommend SoyVay Veri Veri Teriyaki, since even though it is store bought it's very clean and prepared with preservative free soy sauce, fresh ginger and garlic, onions, expeller pressed soy and sesame oils and bursting with sesame seeds. Heat your grill and cook meat to medium rare, tossing on broccoli in the final flip of the steak to blacken slightly.  Allow meat to cool for 1 minute and then slice thin.  Toss with baby spinach, baby greens and arugula, raw walnuts, grilled broccoli, sliced cherry tomatoes and toasted brown sesame seeds.  For your dressing, just splash a tiny bit of fresh marinade and toss well.  Enjoy!

Kelly Bowlin

Locavores, Venison and Smores

Just kidding about the smores part, but hey, maybe it got your attention.  Seriously... For dinner the other day, I created one of the best meals I've ever had rolled up in a wrap.  Many of the elements were either found in the woods, given to me by a friend or purchased at our local farmer's market.  It was a locavore meal! What's that you might ask?  Locavores are people who find out where their food comes from and commit to eating local food as much as possible.   The great thing about eating local is that it's not an all-or-nothing venture.  Any small step you take helps increase your family's health and supports small farmers in your area. Take a couple steps toward eating food that is grown closer to home with these tips: 1) Visit a local farmer's market.  Farmer's markets keep small farms in business through direct sales.  Rather than going through a middleman, the farmer takes home nearly all of the money that you hand him or her for a delectable apple or wonderful bunch of grapes.  Check out our local Alpena Farmer's Market every Wednesday and Saturday from 8am to noon. 2) Buy from local vendors.  Can't find locally grown?  How about locally produced?  Many stores and shops have locally produced jam, jellies and breads as well as locally roasted coffee and locally created confections.  While these businesses may not always use strictly local ingredients in their products, by purchasing them you are supporting the local economy.  I can think of 10 different businesses that offer local products.   3) Grow your own food.  I can't garden to save my life, but I can grow fresh herbs, recycle green onions for garnish and grow cherry tomatoes on my patio. I'm sure anyone with a window could to that much.  If you have a green thumb and space, plant a garden of food you like to eat.  There is nothing more fun than harvesting your own dinner.

The Locavore Wrap Here is the wrap I made the other night.  I love it.  I hope you do too! Ingredients: -2 servings of venison (harvested in the woods of Presque Isle) or other lean protein you have on hand -1 garlic clove, chopped -3 TBSP olive oil -1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce -2 cups of baby kale, chopped fine (purchased at the Alpena Farmer's Market) -1 tsp vinegar -salt and pepper -1/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola -2 large shallots, sliced thin (given to me by my friend Monica Joy) -1 cup oyster mushrooms (purchased at the Alpena Farmer's Market) -3 TBSP chopped chives (from my window sill) -2 TBSP prepared horseradish or brown mustard -2 whole wheat wraps Method:  In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, oil and Worcestershire sauce and add your protein.  Let it marinate in the cool fridge for 30 minutes to a few hours.  When you are ready to eat, take it out of the fridge and get your other ingredients prepped. Wash and dry the kale, chop finely.  Add to small bowl with the vinegar, salt and pepper and toss a bit.  Set aside.  In a small saute pan, start the shallots on medium low heat and stir frequently to avoid burning.  Add squirts of water to keep from sticking as needed.  When the shallots are looking caramel colored, heat the grill and toss on the venison.  Add the mushrooms to the shallot dish and cook for about five minutes. Take the venison off the grill and chop into chunks.  Heat up your wrap; and layer with the horseradish, gorgonzola, chopped venison, shallots, mushrooms, baby kale and sprinkle with chives.  Wrap it up and enjoy! Kelly Bowlin www.yogakelly.com Administration Director & BAC Foodie :)  Bay Athletic Club