Happy Tuesday! The one thing I LOVE about summer is the fresh veggies. Everything just tastes better when it's farm fresh.
We have a little garden this year and this past Sunday I made some Swiss steak with tomatoes that I canned last year and some baby bell peppers from our garden. I served it with freshly baked potatoes and some hot cornbread! It was so good.
Here's are the recipes -- quick and easy!
1 package of lean cubed sirloin
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
1 bell pepper or 2 baby bell peppers, sliced
1 Vidalia onion (medium to small) sliced
sea salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
1 jar chopped tomatoes w/juice - I used homemade canned - stewed tomatoes would be good for this recipe if you don't have home-canned - just chop before adding to recipe.
olive oil
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and preheat an iron skillet on your stove. When skillet is hot, drop a round of olive oil in the pan to lightly coat (not much - you can add more if needed, but this should be a healthy dish - not oily at all).
Season side 1 of each sirloin and place seasoned side down in pan. Don't crowd the pan - you can do this in steps. Sear the seasoned side and season the up side while the lower side is cooking. When you have a nice brown crusty sear, turn the steak - it should release easily for turning -- if it doesn't, it's not ready to turn. Sear the other side. (this should take about 5 to 7 minutes per round if you are working in steps. Remove steak from pan and repeat process until all are seared.
Put just a little more oil in the pan and drop the bell pepper, onion and finely chopped garlic in the pan. Saute lightly and then place the steak on top of this and pour pan juices back into skillet. Pour tomatoes/juice over the steaks and let it begin to simmer.
Cover and place in oven to continue to cook. Check after 15 minutes to be sure that liquid hasn't evaporated. If it does, add a little broth, water or white wine to deglaze the pan. You should have a light sauce at the end of cooking time.
Dish is ready when meat is fork tender and veggies are tender and caramelized...about 30 to 45 minutes
Serve over raw baby spinach with a side dish of rice or baked potato -- also good with mashed potatoes too! I chose baked potatoes as a low-fat choice. This is a beautiful dish!!
Quick Baked Potatoes --
Select your favorite russet or yukon gold potato -- wash and slice in half
Brush with a little olive oil salt and pepper - all over.
Place on baking sheet cut side up.
Cover with foil and place in oven when you begin to prepare meat. Potatoes will be ready by the end of the steak's cooking time. Easy Breezy!! :) When done, top with a small brush of butter and serve hot!
Cornbread --
I honestly never make cornbread from scratch. I've found a mix that I love and have adopted it into my "go-to" box as the best cornbread I've been able to make and find. Here's my secret...
1 bag Cotton Pickin' Cornbread mix
1 box Jiffy Cornbread Mix
Stir to combine these mixes thoroughly
Add 3/4 cup buttermilk and 1/3 cup water plus 1 egg (whisk all together) into the dry mix. Let stand for 10 minutes or so. (This will allow the liquids to absorb into the cornmeal and will also activate the leavening agents making a lighter, fluffier bread).
Melt 1/2 to 1 stick of butter into a large cast iron skillet on the stove or in the oven. When melted, stir just a little of this into the batter mix and then pour all into the hot skillet.
Bake in hot oven for 15-20 minutes - until golden brown on the top. I have cut back to 1/2 stick of butter and it seems fine. Go with your instinct on this - and if you can cut back do so, or not! :) The great thing about using butter for this recipe is that you don't really have to butter the bread after it's done. The flavor is just terrific and the texture of the bread is great.
If you want to add cheese, jalapenos, or anything else to this recipe - it seems to work just fine - just be careful if you add creamed corn to make Mexican cornbread - this bread is already very moist - so cut back on your liquid if you add corn.
I experimented with my most recent recipe by adding some Chia seeds. Chia seeds are great to add to your diet to get Omega 3 fatty acids as well as to help in reducing dehydration in the summer months. They added a nutty flavor and looked like poppy seeds in the cornbread -- they also add another layer of protein so they will reduce hunger and cravings and blood sugar spikes if added regularly to your diet...
Product of the week...if you have access to John's Slaw dressing - please buy some and use it as a salad dressing -- OH MY GOODNESS!! It's so good! I served it on a fresh icy lettuce wedge with some feta cheese, scallions, cherry tomatoes and a few (very few) bacon crumbles -- I think this may be one of my favorite summer salads!
And....watermelon for dessert! So so good right now....wonderful and so so healthy too -- full of lychopene -- major cancer fighter!! YUMMY!!
Verse of the Day....Proverbs 9:10 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understand."
We have a little garden this year and this past Sunday I made some Swiss steak with tomatoes that I canned last year and some baby bell peppers from our garden. I served it with freshly baked potatoes and some hot cornbread! It was so good.
Here's are the recipes -- quick and easy!
1 package of lean cubed sirloin
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
1 bell pepper or 2 baby bell peppers, sliced
1 Vidalia onion (medium to small) sliced
sea salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
1 jar chopped tomatoes w/juice - I used homemade canned - stewed tomatoes would be good for this recipe if you don't have home-canned - just chop before adding to recipe.
olive oil
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and preheat an iron skillet on your stove. When skillet is hot, drop a round of olive oil in the pan to lightly coat (not much - you can add more if needed, but this should be a healthy dish - not oily at all).
Season side 1 of each sirloin and place seasoned side down in pan. Don't crowd the pan - you can do this in steps. Sear the seasoned side and season the up side while the lower side is cooking. When you have a nice brown crusty sear, turn the steak - it should release easily for turning -- if it doesn't, it's not ready to turn. Sear the other side. (this should take about 5 to 7 minutes per round if you are working in steps. Remove steak from pan and repeat process until all are seared.
Put just a little more oil in the pan and drop the bell pepper, onion and finely chopped garlic in the pan. Saute lightly and then place the steak on top of this and pour pan juices back into skillet. Pour tomatoes/juice over the steaks and let it begin to simmer.
Cover and place in oven to continue to cook. Check after 15 minutes to be sure that liquid hasn't evaporated. If it does, add a little broth, water or white wine to deglaze the pan. You should have a light sauce at the end of cooking time.
Dish is ready when meat is fork tender and veggies are tender and caramelized...about 30 to 45 minutes
Serve over raw baby spinach with a side dish of rice or baked potato -- also good with mashed potatoes too! I chose baked potatoes as a low-fat choice. This is a beautiful dish!!
Quick Baked Potatoes --
Select your favorite russet or yukon gold potato -- wash and slice in half
Brush with a little olive oil salt and pepper - all over.
Place on baking sheet cut side up.
Cover with foil and place in oven when you begin to prepare meat. Potatoes will be ready by the end of the steak's cooking time. Easy Breezy!! :) When done, top with a small brush of butter and serve hot!
Cornbread --
I honestly never make cornbread from scratch. I've found a mix that I love and have adopted it into my "go-to" box as the best cornbread I've been able to make and find. Here's my secret...
1 bag Cotton Pickin' Cornbread mix
1 box Jiffy Cornbread Mix
Stir to combine these mixes thoroughly
Add 3/4 cup buttermilk and 1/3 cup water plus 1 egg (whisk all together) into the dry mix. Let stand for 10 minutes or so. (This will allow the liquids to absorb into the cornmeal and will also activate the leavening agents making a lighter, fluffier bread).
Melt 1/2 to 1 stick of butter into a large cast iron skillet on the stove or in the oven. When melted, stir just a little of this into the batter mix and then pour all into the hot skillet.
Bake in hot oven for 15-20 minutes - until golden brown on the top. I have cut back to 1/2 stick of butter and it seems fine. Go with your instinct on this - and if you can cut back do so, or not! :) The great thing about using butter for this recipe is that you don't really have to butter the bread after it's done. The flavor is just terrific and the texture of the bread is great.
If you want to add cheese, jalapenos, or anything else to this recipe - it seems to work just fine - just be careful if you add creamed corn to make Mexican cornbread - this bread is already very moist - so cut back on your liquid if you add corn.
I experimented with my most recent recipe by adding some Chia seeds. Chia seeds are great to add to your diet to get Omega 3 fatty acids as well as to help in reducing dehydration in the summer months. They added a nutty flavor and looked like poppy seeds in the cornbread -- they also add another layer of protein so they will reduce hunger and cravings and blood sugar spikes if added regularly to your diet...
Product of the week...if you have access to John's Slaw dressing - please buy some and use it as a salad dressing -- OH MY GOODNESS!! It's so good! I served it on a fresh icy lettuce wedge with some feta cheese, scallions, cherry tomatoes and a few (very few) bacon crumbles -- I think this may be one of my favorite summer salads!
And....watermelon for dessert! So so good right now....wonderful and so so healthy too -- full of lychopene -- major cancer fighter!! YUMMY!!
Verse of the Day....Proverbs 9:10 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understand."
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