Week 44

We got our side of grass-fed beef, so there will be lots of beef recipes in this post and in the coming weeks! Hooray for the meat-eaters!


Steak with Chickpea, Pomegranate and Arugula Salad (adapted from Woman's Day Magazine, Oct 2011)
2 Tbs plu 1 tsp EVOO
1lb strip or sirloin steak (1" thick)
kosher salt and cracked pepper
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (from one small pomegranate)
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
2 scallions, sliced
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
4 cups baby arugula (or other salad green)

Heat 1 tsp oil in large skillet over med heat. Season steak w/salt and pepper. Cook in skillet to desired doneness, about 4-5 mins per side for medium rare (which is the best way to eat beef, especially grass-fed beef since it gets tough if over cooked). Let rest 5 mins before slicing.

Meanwhile, in large bowl, combine chickpeas, pomegranate seeds, mint, scallions, lemon juice, 2 Tbs EVOO and salt and pepper to taste. Fold in arugula. Serve along side sliced steak. Serves 4.

Cheesy Greens Stuffed Shells, serves 4

16 jumbo shells or manicotti
3 cups marinara sauce, divided
1 bunch broccoli spigarello (or broccoli rabe or other sturdy green), thick stems removed, leaves chopped coarsely
15 oz ricotta cheese
2 oz Parmesan, grated (about 1/2 cup)
4 oz mozzarella, grated (about 1 cup)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 egg
cracked pepper
grated nutmeg

Spread 2 cups marinara sauce on bottom of large broiler-proof baking dish.

Heat oven to 400F. Cook shells according to package directions. Remove from water with slotted spoon and run under cold water to stop cooking. In same pasta water, blanch spigarello. Drain and run under cold water to stop cooking and squeeze out excess moisture. Chop a bit more and place in large bowl. Stir in ricotta, Parmesan, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella and salt. Add egg and then crack some pepper and grate some nutmeg over the top. Mix well. Spoon the mixture evenly into shells and place on top of sauce in baking dish. Spread remaining cup of sauce over top. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and bake until heated through, about 20 mins. Increase heat to broil and broil until cheese begins to brown, about 2 or 3 mins.

Tangy Baked Steak with Mushrooms
This is really good and has a tangy flavor with homemade steak sauce. I wasn't sure how I'd like it but I really enjoyed the flavors.

8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced on diagonal
1 small lemon, washed and thinly sliced
1 small red onion or 2 shallots, sliced
2 Tbs EVOO
1/4 tsp each kosher salt and pepper
2lb sirloin steak
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small can tomato paste
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
more salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 400F. In 8x8" oven safe baking dish or roasting pan, combine mushrooms, celery, lemon, onion, oil and salt and pepper.

Season steak on both sides with more salt and pepper and rub in the minced garlic. Place steak on top of veggies in roasting pan.

In small bowl, whisk tomato paste, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. Add salt and pepper to sauce and taste for seasoning. Pour sauce over steak and place uncovered in oven. Roast about 30 mins or until desired doneness. (I did 30 mins and checked internal temp and it was 115 so I pulled it out because we like our meat pretty rare.) Let sit 5 mins before slicing and serving. I served ours with homemade baked purple potato chips.

Middle Eastern Noodles with Pumpkin
This is really delicious and different withe flavors of mint and pumpkin.
Yogurt Sauce:
Whisk the following in small bowl and refrigerate until ready to use:
1 cup plain full fat yogurt
1 large clove garlic, pressed through garlic press
1 Tbs fresh chopped mint
1/4 tsp kosher or sea salt

1 Tbs EVOO or grapeseed oil
1 onion, chopped
1 small pumpkin (about a pound), peeled, seeded and cubed
1/2 Tbs ground corriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup water
cooked wide noodles for serving
chopped walnuts and fresh mint for topping

Heat wide skillet over medium heat. Add oil and when hot add onion and pumpkin. Saute about 10 mins, stirring regularly. Stir in spices and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Add tomatoes and water. Cover and simmer over medium low heat about 20 minutes or until pumpkin is tender. Serve over hot cooked noodles and top with yogurt sauce, walnuts and mint.

Baby Bok Choy Stir Fry with Chicken
I got several sunchokes in my produce box and I had never used them before. Turns out they are similar to water chestnuts but with a sweeter flavor. They can be eaten raw or cooked (I liked them better raw).
Grapeseed oil for stir-frying
crushed red pepper flakes
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
5-6 baby bok choy bunches, separated and washed well
1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
1/2 bottle of good sweet and sour sauce (by good I mean check the ingredients!)
1 cup sliced sunchokes (scrubbed well first)
salt and pepper to taste

Sunchokes (look like ginger but taste more like carrot)

In wok or large skillet, heat oil over high heat. Add red pepper flakes (more or less according to your preference) to season oil. Add chicken and stir fry until cooked. Remove chicken and set aside. Add bok choy (with more oil if necessary) and stir fry until tender-crisp, about 5 mins. Add pineapple and stir fry another minute. Add sauce and sunchokes and heat through. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve as-is or over hot cooked brown rice.

Week 24

Sunday we got back from an awesome vacation (Emerald Isle, NC) and I've got a lot of food ideas which were inspired by the trip and summertime. Firstly is eating as local as possible, including veggies from my own garden (which looks amazing after not seeing it for a week. Nothing quite edible yet, but my lettuces are getting close. Except those darned bugs are starting to eat holes in the leaves.) And secondly is incorporating a lot more raw food into my diet. A friend who we were vacationing with eats raw and she is such an inspiration! She made some awesome treats for the kids and adults and really showed me just how easy it is to eat raw. I'm going to make it a goal to have something raw with each meal and I'd like to make my snacks 100% raw. I started yesterday by having a green smoothie for a snack and then we had a huge salad for dinner which I'll post below. If anyone reading this has any suggestions for raw foods (meals, sides, snacks, desserts, whatever), please post in the comments :)

Veggie Salad with Chicken, serves 4
Combine in large salad bowl:
1 head romaine lettuce, washed and chopped or torn into bite size pieces
1 ear corn, kernels removed and left raw
2 small tomatoes, chopped
1/2 small jicama, peeled and diced
1 avocado, sliced or chopped
chopped cilantro
a few handfuls raw sesame seeds
Grill or Saute:
2 organic or free range chicken breasts sprinkled generously w/pepper and Old Bay seasoning

Top salad with sliced or chopped chicken breast and serve with a vinaigrette dressing.

Sirloin Steak with Cauliflower "Mashed Potatoes"
I am using this recipe for the sirloin with garlic butter sauce. For the cauliflower, I have tried cooked versions of cauliflower mashed potatoes and haven't found one I like. So, I'm keeping this one raw, which I discovered is super tasty (and I don't normally like to munch on raw cauliflower!) Cut one head into large florets. Put in food processor along with one clove of garlic. Process until very fine. Add about 3 Tbs melted butter and salt and pepper to taste. Technically I guess this wouldn't be raw b/c of the melted butter. I like the flavor of butter as it reminds me of mashed potatoes. You could certainly use olive oil instead. To round out this meal, you could serve another veggie side dish or a green salad.

Grilled Eggplant Pizza, Vegetarian, adapted from Women's Day Magazine, serves 4
1 lb pizza dough
3 Tbs EVOO
1 lb eggplant, sliced 1/4" thick
2 med tomatoes (about 1 lb total), cut into wedges
kosher salt and pepper
1/2 cup fresh basil, torn
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
grated parmesan

Heat oven to 500F (along w/pizza stone if you have one), and heat a grill. Shape pizza dough into desired shape. Brush with some of the oil. Also brush eggplant slices and tomato wedges with oil and season w/salt and pepper. Grill the eggplant, covered, until grill marks appear and it's tender, about 3-4 mins per side. Grill the tomatoes until slightly charred, about 2 mins per side. Transfer to plate and keep warm. Meanwhile, bake your crust until done. Remove from oven and top w/grilled veggies, dollop w/ricotta and sprinkle with basil and grated parmesan.

Soba Noodles with Fresh Veggies and Honey Ginger Peanut Sauce, serves 4, vegetarian
8 oz soba noodles
2 cups bite-size broccoli florets
1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup chopped peanuts, divided
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
3 Tbs flax seed oil (can sub grapeseed oil or EVOO)
2 Tbs natural, no sugar added peanut butter
1 Tbs grated ginger
2 Tbs rice wine vinegar
2 Tbs honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tsp red pepper flakes, to taste

Cook noodles according to package directions. Rinse and drain well and place in large serving bowl. Add broccoli, bell pepper, green onions, half the peanuts, and cilantro. In small bowl, whisk the soy sauce, sesame oil, flax oil, peanut butter, ginger, vinegar, honey, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Add to noodles and toss to coat. Garnish with remaining peanuts and more cilantro, if desired. Serve warm or cold.