Tag Archives: Food

Texas taught me…

Balsamic Marinated Flank Steak

I have had a love affair with Texas my whole life. It started early on with Bud and Sissy in Urban Cowboy. This was way back when HBO only played two movies all day and I would sit in my jeans tucked into my boots on the arm of the sofa enamored by Gilley’s.
I remember my dad took a business trip to Houston around this same time and all I asked for was a Gilley’s t-shirt. Sure enough he delivered and that shirt hardly ever left my body!
So I eventually got the chance to move to Texas. Here are some lessons I learned:

Girls drive trucks – real big ones and they look cool driving them!

Designer jeans aren’t just for clubbing – showing cattle is a very dressy affair. On my first trip to the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, I stopped in the restroom and saw dozens of teenage girls decked out in designer jeans, shiny belts, flat-ironing their hair and primping for their turn to show.

Goats aren’t just for petting zoos – I worked at the Brazos County Expo Complex where we hosted many livestock shows. During one of my first shows I became taken with the goats. They were so cute and I had a few favorites until I looked up at the sign where it advertised ‘meat goats’. It was then I learned all about livestock shows.

You never meet a stranger, Texans are super friendly. You can make a lifelong friend standing in line at the grocery store.

Get to know your beef. My boss was a wonderful man and he taught me a lot but the lesson above all others was to choose good beef. He was a cattle rancher in his spare time and when I sat down to enjoy a burger at lunch he would begin his cattle stories and why he only ate his beef –

Recipe:

1 1/2 lb flank steak

1/8 c olive oil

1/3 c balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp Dijon or stone ground mustard

2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp lemon juice

salt and pepper

Place meat in a large Ziploc bag. Combine remaining ingredients, whisking together well. Pour over the meat and place in the fridge for at least 8 hours.

Before cooking meat, set out the Ziploc bag and let it come to room temperature. Heat a grill pan, grill or heavy skillet to high heat. Place the steak on the heat and do not move for 4 minutes. Once 4 minutes has passed, flip the meat and cook for another 4 minutes not disturbing the meat.

Once cooked, remove from pan or grill and place on a cutting board letting the meat rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting. Cut across the grain into thin slices for best result.

Notes:

Flank steak is a lean cut of beef and requires a little more attention. Cooking at a high temperature seals in the flavor and allowing the meat to rest will hold in the juices.

If you have leftovers, you can make a great steak taco !

I used my Cuisinart indoor grill for this recipe.

Burger Up!

Spicy Cajun Burgers with Caramelized Onions and Lolleigh’s Comeback Sauce

I love a good burger! Perhaps on this bitterly cold Ohio winter day my brain is longing for a warm sunny day on Center Hill Lake in Middle Tennessee. When I was no more than 6 months old my parents had me on a boat and throughout my life this wonderful place has always been a refuge. Diving into the crisp, green water felt like all the stress and worries were just washed away and after a day of playing hard with sunburned skin nothing tasted better than a ‘lake burger’.

Let me explain, a ‘lake burger’ is probably the best thing you will ever eat in the burger category. It could be the grilled flavor, the crispy iceberg lettuce or sitting in the middle of the water and enjoying every last bite that makes it so great. There just something about pulling the boat up to a dock restaurant picking up your order and speeding off over the water to find the perfect place to enjoy that burger.

This is not quite a ‘lake burger’ but a healthy combo of flavors that I love and happen to be craving – enjoy!

Recipe:

1 lb ground sirloin

1 tsp Cajun seasoning

pepper to taste

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced

Franks Red Hot to taste

4 whole wheat buns

Crispy iceberg lettuce

White cheddar cheese slices, reduced fat

Combine all ingredients well and form into 4 equal patties. Set aside and let come to room temperature before cooking. In the mean time start the onions. While they are cooking, whip up the comeback sauce and place in the fridge. As the onions are finishing up, cook the burgers to desired temperature. Make sure to let burgers rest a few minutes before assembly.

Caramelized Onions:

1 large sweet onion, sliced

1 tsp olive oil

Salt

In a fry pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 15-20 minutes until onions are a deep brown color. You may add a little salt if desired towards the end of cooking.

Lolleigh’s Comeback Sauce:

1/3 cup 0% Fage Greek Yogurt

1 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp ketchup

1 tsp worchestershire sauce

1 tbsp Hellman’s Mayo

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp paprika

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

4 dill pickle chips, chopped or 1 tbsp dill pickle relish

Frank’s Red Hot to taste

Cayenne pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients. Add hot sauce and cayenne to taste, more for a spicier version. I used my rocket blender to combine everything but a bowl and whisk would work just fine.

To assemble burgers:

Be generous with the comeback sauce put on both sides of the bun. Place lettuce on bottom, add burger, caramelized onions and top with a slice of white cheddar – now sit back and enjoy!

Notes:

I don’t solely shop at Whole Foods but I do prefer some items – their bakery-fresh whole wheat hamburger buns are really good.

My tried and true Cajun seasoning of choice is Tony Chachere’s.

And yes that’ me. I was probably 6 or 7 years old enjoying a lake day!

Short stack

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

My Grandaddy called me short stack. He was not so tall himself but he was the friendliest person you would ever meet. He was larger than life and never met a stranger. I think he prided himself on being a good teacher of life, you know street smart skills. He taught us all to play golf, taught my mother how to burn rubber in all 4 gears when she started driving and showed me how to make pancakes.

On Sunday mornings at Nana and Grandaddy’s they would have the coffee brewing, the intercom radio playing through the house and Grandaddy would have his griddle ready to go. He would pour the batter on the griddle as I stood and watched him explain that the pancakes had to bubble perfectly before you could flip them.

So to this day I credit him on my love of making pancakes on the weekends, how to golf and how to be a good friend!

Recipe:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp sugar

1 egg

2 cups low fat buttermilk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Mix together all dry ingredients. Then add egg, buttermilk and vanilla. Stir well and then fold in blueberries.

Heat a large skillet or griddle to medium heat. Coat with canola oil spray. Pour 1/4cup of batter onto griddle for each pancake.

When bubbles appear around the egdes and middle its time to flip. Cook about a minute or two per side or until golden brown.

Makes 12 4″-5″ pankcakes.

My pancake taste tester gave his stamp of approval for this recipe!

Orange

Mini Orange Cheesecakes

Everyone should have a signature color! Julia Robert’s character Shelby in Steel Magnolias proclaimed hers to be blush and bashful. My mom says hers is taupe and peach…she sent me and my sis for a pedi in this off the beaten path nail salon while sitting there we realized why she raved about this place – the decor – taupe and peach!

And of course there’s me. I love orange. This is not because I was raised a Tennessee Vol. It’s a beautiful, bright and chic color. Take a look…

Recipe:

4 oz. neufatchel cheese or reduced fat cream cheese, softened

1 cup 0% Fage greek yogurt

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 c. sugar

1 egg white

1 tbsp. flour

1/4 tsp. orange zest

Vanilla Wafers

Muffin Cups (I like the no pan needed kind)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cream together cream cheese and yogurt until smooth. Add in the next 5 ingredients. Blending well.

Place a vanilla wafer in the bottom of each muffin cup and place them on a cookie sheet. Fill cups with about a 1/4 cup of the cream cheese mixture. This will yield about 8 mini cheesecakes.

Bake in oven for 25 minutes – the center should be set. Place cup on a wire rack and cool completely before putting in the fridge.

Notes:

I love the organic vanilla wafers at Whole Foods – they are delicious and super crunchy. You could certainly substitute a reduced fat vanilla wafer.

This recipe can be easily doubled. I like to make small batches of sweets so I don’t over indulge!

Pecans or pecans?

Pork Tenderlion Medallions with Mustard Sauce & Pecans

When I was in college I volunteered myself to cook for a dinner party my Nana was hosting. Looking back, I was pretty confident to cook an entire meal for my Nana and her friends. These were the same ladies whose recipes appeared in one of my beloved cookbooks, Gazebo Gala. The recipes were deep in southern traditions, full of butter and of course delicious.

My menu was as follows:

Pecan Crusted Chicken Breast with a Dijion Sauce, Broiled Stuffed Tomatoes, Asparagus and Chocolate Tarts.

Once I had sauteed the chicken and it was ready for the oven – we realized the oven was stuck on broil! My dinner was literally going to go down in flames. I calmly sat on the stoop to smoke a cigarette ( this was college!) and came up with a game plan. I decided to rotate the chicken, tomatoes and rolls under the broiler until I got them finished. It worked and the dinner party went off with out a hitch.

The chicken recipe called for 10 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of safflower oil. Not only that but the chicken was entirely coated in pecans! To say the least it was a very decadent dish.

I came up with this healthier version a few years later. You could use chicken but I prefer using pork tenderloin.

Recipe:

1 lb pork tenderloin, visible fat trimmed, sliced into 1 inch pieces

salt and pepper

canola oil spray

2 tbsp low sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup light sour cream

2 tsp dijion mustard

2 tbsp pecan pieces, toasted

chopped parsley for garnish

Pound pork into 1/4 inch medallions, season both sides with salt and pepper.

Coat pan with canola oil spray and over medium heat cook medallions about 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and keep warm.

Turn heat to low and add chicken broth to deglaze pan, scraping the bottom to get up all the bits of flavor. The add sour cream, mustard and salt and pepper. Stir until a smooth consistency being careful not to boil sauce.

Serve pork medallions with mustard sauce and topped with a few toasted pecans pieces and chopped parsley.

Notes:

I use light sour cream for this dish – be careful not to get too hot or the sour cream will seperate.

I usually serve the medallions with whipped sweet potaotes and sauteed spinach. Tonight I was in a hurry so I heated up a package of quinoa & whole grain brown rice.

Here we go…

Healthy Turkey Chili with Jalapeno-Cheddar

Cornbread Croutons

Being from Tennessee and after living many years in Texas – I have learned my way around a bowl of Chili! And since it is a cold Ohio winter, I can’t think of a better way to introduce my first recipe adventure.

I like chili with beans it just adds more texture than the all beef version. Using lean ground turkey breast makes this delicious lowfat version. You can use the regular ground turkey with the 93/7 fat content but I was going for a super lean bowl of chili.

And of course for those of you who like more heat – just add more cayenne until you get it where you want it. Eyes watering and nose running!

Recipe:

Cheddar-Jalapeno Cornbread Croutons

2 cups self-rising cornmeal

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 cups lowfat buttermilk

2 tbsp canola oil

2 jalapenos, seeded and diced

1/2 cup lowfat (2%) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together first 5 ingredients until well blended. Then add in jalapenos and cheese.

Pour into a loaf pan prepared with non-stick spray.

Bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour. The bread will pull away from the sides when it is done – and it never really gets brown on top.

You can make this a day ahead for the croutons.

Croutons:

Cut bread into 1 inch x 1inch pieces and toast on a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven for 5-8 minutes until toasty.

Recipe:

Healthy Turkey Chili

1 tbsp. canola oil

1/2 large sweet yellow onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 lb lean ground turkey

salt and pepper

3 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

1 – 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 – 15 oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 – 15 oz. can white beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup low sodium chicken broth

3 cups low sodium tomato juice

In a large, heavy soup pot heat oil over medium-high heat, add onions and cook for two minutes or until tender, add garlic and cook for 1 minute longer.

Add turkey, salt and pepper to taste and cook throughly.

Add spices, tomato paste and worcestershire sauce to the cooked meat and stir to make sure spices are worked in and then add the rest of the ingredients, stirring well.

Let chili simmer on low heat for 1 hour.

Top with Jalapeno-Cheddar Cornbread Croutons!