Steak with Tomato Relish, Asparagus Toss, and Potato Wedges

SEPTEMBER 3RD,2009

Please note that I had to use my old camera, so the pictures were very blurry. For the next few recipes, I will try to post as many pics as I can, but the quality might not be so great.

Steak with Sweet Tomato Relish

4 stars (out of 5 - a great addition to the meat!)

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped ripe tomato
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
3 tbsp sugar
1 lean boneless beef sirloin steak
Salt and pepper

1. First I combined the first 4 ingredients in a saucepan and added some pepper. I brought it to a boil and reduced the heat so that it could simmer for about 8 minutes.

2. As this was cooking, I cooked the steak and the meatless beef. Once it was done, I placed the meat on a plate and covered with the relish. Easy!

SB's steak:


My "beef":


Asparagus & Onion Salad

2.5 stars (out of 5 - overpowering vinegar flavour)

Ingredients:

1 bunch of fresh asparagus
1/2- 3/4 cup of sliced green onion (depending on preference)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar*
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp water
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried basis
Salt and pepper

{Note. I found that vinegar taste overpowered everything, so in the future I would add much less at first and then take it from there. If it needs more kick, add some more, if not leave as it is}.

1. I actually made this first and refrigerated it so that I didn't have to worry about it at all later on. I like dishes like that! First I trimmed the asparagus and cut them in thirds. I then very briefly boiled it until it was tender-crisp (I think it was about 4 minutes).

2. After they were cooked, I rinsed them under cold water to both cool them and stop them from cooking further.

3. I then added all the ingredients and the asparagus to a bowl and stirred. I let it chill in the fridge for a few hours.

Garlic potato wedges

4 stars (out of 5 - pretty tasty, but a bit of work and time)

Ingredients:

2 medium potatoes (russet)
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp paprika

1. I first washed to potatoes and then cut each into 8 wedges.

2. I then combined all of the other ingredients into a zip-lock bag and added 1/2 the potato wedges and shook it until they were coated. I repeated this with the second half.

3. I then laid them out on a cookie sheet and sprinkled with any additional ingredients I wanted to amplify (in this case, garlic and salt!).

4. I baked them at 375F for 25 minutes (although it turned out to be longer with my oven). I turned them once and then took them out when they were slightly crispy. Delicious!

The final product... SB's steak:



And my "beef" version:

Overall, this was a fairly simple meal to prepare, as you can stagger the times for everything. I am not so great at multi-talking in the kitchen, so this was perfect for me. The only criticism I had for this meal was the asparagus, as the vinegar taste was overpowering. That could just be my taste though! I'll definitely make the potatoes and steak again!

Taco Salad (w/ Veggie Ground Round)

TUESDAY, AUGUST 18TH, 2009

2.5 stars (out of 5 - impressive looking, but difficulty eating it makes it very disappointing)

Ingredients:

2 (8") flour tortillas
1/3 pound of ground round (I used 1 pack Yves Veggie Ground Round)
1/3-1/2 cup water
4 tbsp chopped green onion
2 tsp chili powder*
1/4 tsp ground cumin*
2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
4 tbsp sour cream
1/2 cup salsa (optional)

{*Note. I used a taco seasoning mix that we had in the cupboard because SB doesn't really like the chili taste so much. I'm sure the chili powder/cumin is also good, though!}

Veggie prep:

1. First, I placed the tortillas in our oven and baked for 10 minutes at 350F (depending on how crispy you want them... I think medium crispy is good!).

2. While they were cooking, I placed a saucepan over medium-high heat and added some olive oil. I then added the veggie ground round, water (bit by bit) and taco seasoning, and let simmer for 10 minutes. {If you are using real meat, cook until browned, drain and pat dry with paper towel, and return to the skilled adding water, green onions, chili powder, and cumin. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes}

3. For each salad I... cut a tortilla into 8 equal size pieces and placed them on a plate...

4. ... then added half of the shredded iceberg lettuce...

5. ... topped it with 1/2 of the meat sauce...

6. ... and added half of the tomatoes, green onions, and cheddar cheese.

7. Finally, I decided to add a little bit of sour cream, because I will take every opportunity to eat it with my meals!

Overall, I thought that these were just okay. I thought they looked VERY impressive, but in the end they were difficult to eat and to mix the different flavours. You would end up with one bite of lettuce, one bite of meat, one of tortilla.... I think you're better off making super-nice soft tacos with ground round.

Dijon Chicken Thighs with Artichoke Sauce

TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 2009

2.5 stars (out of 5 - not so much recommended)

It's slow-cooker time again! I like to do slow-cooker recipes on Tuesdays, as I prefer to work from home those days. This recipe looked very unique, so I thought I would give it a go. I'm a bit afraid that the dijon will be overpowering....

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dijon mustard*
2 tbsp fresh garlic, chopped
3/4 tsp dried marjoram*
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs*
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 (12 ounce - ~370g)jar marinated artichoke heart quarters, w/ liquid*

{Note changes: For the dijon mustard, it is highly recommended that you use the mustard in the picture below. I bought a cheap jar of French's Dijon and when I tasted it I basically burned my mouth so I switched to the Maille brand. Much better. I also used marjoram; however, the recipe actually calls for 1/2 tsp tarragon (I mistakenly thought that I had some in my kitchen... oopsies). Finally, I only bought a small jar of marinated artichoke hearts, so make sure you don't make the same mistake. I ended up slicing some whole canned artichoke hearts in half and adding them. To do the veggie version, just substitute the chicken with chick'n}

1. First I combined the mustard, garlic, and marjoram in a medium-large bowl.

2. I then added the chicken thighs and stirred to coat them. I didn't cut the fat off of them this time, so we'll see if SB notices. I just can't do it.

3. After the chicken thighs were coated, I placed them at the bottom of my 4.5 qt slow-cooker.


4. I then topped with the onion, mushrooms, and artichokes (with the liquid from the jar).

5. I covered the pot, and placed it on high for 45 minutes, and then on low for about 6 hours (recipe says anywhere between 6 and 8 hours).

6. After cooking and smelling it all day, I was very disappointed to see that the sauce had, yet again, separated.

7. I served the chicken over a bed of basmati rice.

SB's:


Mine:


Here is what the sauce looked like after it was done:

I have to admit, I am quite discouraged with this cookbook. I bought it because it is the official "CrockPot" cookbook and came with great instructions, seemingly delicious recipes, and nice pics; however, this is the second time that their sauce has not turned out at all like what is supposed to. Furthermore, none of their recipes thus far have been anywhere close to fantastic. I am really questioning whether they actually tried these recipes out themselves. The picture they display is all creamy and perfect. Nothing close to the dish I produced.

The combination of artichokes and dijon seemed like a winning one; however, in the future I will look for a recipe that uses these ingredients in a casserole. SB seemed to like it enough, but I couldn't eat mine. It had that "slow-cooker" taste to it (see Easter - Vegetarian Edition). I'm not sure when I will be using it again :( It's too discouraging to put in so much effort to produce something so subpar. (SB is disagreeing right now... but I'm disappointed anyways!).