Flank Steak Marinade

I got this recipe off of Food Network from Alton Brown.  It is so, so good!  I will probably be using this as the marinade every time I make steak fajitas!

1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
4 scallions, washed and cut in 1/2 (I didn't have any and used an onion instead and it turned out fine.)
2 large cloves garlic
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons dark brown or Mexican brown sugar (I only had light so that's what I used.)
2 pounds flank steak cut into 3 equal pieces.

In a blender, put in oil, soy sauce, scallions, garlic, lime juice, red pepper, cumin, and sugar and puree.  In a large heavy duty, zip top bag, add steak and then pour the marinade over the meat.  Seal bag, removing as much air as possible.  Allow steak to marinate for 1 hour in refrigerator.

Remove steak from bag and discard the marinade.  Cook on a preheated grill over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes per side.

Let steak sit for at least 5 minutes before slicing.

3 ounces of steak is 6 points+.

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

 I am on the search for the perfect homemade spaghetti sauce.  This one was pretty good, but I don't know if it's perfect. I halved it and we still had more than we knew what to do with, it made a lot, so I froze some, I also left out the balsamic vinegar, because I didn't have any, and since I don't like vinegar, I didn't want to buy some just for this.

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups onion, chopped and divided
1 red pepper, coarsely chopped
1 pound extra lean ground beef or ground turkey
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 12 oz. can tomato paste
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 teaspoons dried oregano
3 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 14-oz. can Italian-style diced tomatoes
2 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 carton fresh mushrooms (optional)
1 1/2 cups beef stock or beef broth
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add 1/2 of the onions and saute until translucent and slightly browned. Add garlic and stir constantly for 1 minute. Add beef and cook until no red is showing. Drain beef slightly. Blend up the remaining onions and red pepper in a blender or food processor until mostly smooth. Add mixture to the garlic, onions and beef and stir to combine, cooking for another minute. Add tomato paste and spices and cook for 1 minute, stirring until combined. Add tomatoes, beef broth and sugar (and mushrooms, if using). Stir until combined and add the bay leaves. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Fifteen minutes before serving, stir in the balsamic vinegar.

The sauce will seem watery at first but will reduce to perfection after simmering for an hour.

1/2 cup of sauce is 3 points+.

Lasagna Casserole

This is recipe that my mom has made since I can remember.  It's quick and easy and actually tastes pretty good.  I changed some of it a little bit to make it more Weight Watchers friendly.  I am mostly putting it on here so I don't have to refer to the WW website every time I make it for the amounts I figured out for the points.

9 oz cooked extra lean ground beef (5% fat or less)
1/2 large onion, diced
12 oz uncooked penne
4 oz low-fat mozzarella cheese
20 oz Heart Healthy Mushroom Prego Spaghetti sauce
20 oz 1% cottage cheese
1 1/2 cup steamed spinach

Brown ground beef with onion and drain.  Boil penne according to package instructions and steam the spinach for 5 minutes.  (If you don't steam it before you add it to the casserole, it will be chewy and not good.)
Mix ground beef, penne, sauce, cottage cheese, spinach in a casserole dish.  Top with mozzarella cheese.

Put in 400 degree oven and heat through until cheese is melted and bubbly.  Usually this takes about 20 minutes.  But, my oven is weird, so just keep an eye on it.

Makes 9 servings.

One serving is 8 points+.

:::Emily::

Pico de Gallo

I LOVE pico de gallo.  I could almost eat it by the spoonful!  

6 Roma tomatoes

2 jalapeno peppers (sliced, seeds removed and finely diced)

1 white onion

1 bunch cilantro

1 garlic clove

salt

juice of 1 lime

Chop all of the veggies, mince the garlic and toss together with salt and lime juice.

If you want it hotter, keep some seeds from the jalapeno. When removing seeds, either wear gloves or be very careful - they are hot. I've learned that lesson scratching my nose afterward, it was not fun! Salt to taste.

I used grape tomatoes and a red onion this time, because it's what I had on hand.  You can vary this recipe with your favorite type of onion, pepper, etc, add more of what you like and less of what you don't.

 You can serve this with tortilla chips, or on tacos or fajitas. 

 One serving is 0 points+.

:::Emily:::

Roasted Potatoes

These are so yummy, we loved them!

3 to 5 medium baking potatoes

olive oil

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

salt and pepper

garlic powder (optional)

Scrub potatoes well and cut into cubes. Place on a cookie sheet and generously drizzle olive oil over potatoes. Sprinkle onion soup mix, a little garlic powder and salt and pepper. Toss and bake at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally while cooking.

 4 ounces of potatoes is 5 points+.

:::Emily:::

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

This salad is amazingly delicious!  I loved it!  It was so easy to throw together and was surprisingly filling as well.

SALAD:

4 cups chopped Romaine Lettuce

2 cups chopped grilled chicken (we used the recipe for Taco Chicken)

1 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, washed

1 avocado, cubed

1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 8 3/4 oz. can corn, rinsed and drained
tortilla strips (optional)
shredded cheese (optional)

CHIPOTLE DRESSING:

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 cup fat free sour cream
1 1/2 + tsp. adobo sauce from canned chipotle chilies
1 tsp. chili powder
4 tsp. fresh lime juice

¼ tsp. salt

  

Make sure all salad ingredients that need to be washed or rinsed have been.

Combine lettuce, chicken, beans, corn, onion, and tomatoes in a large bowl and gently mix with your hands.  

Mix dressing ingredients. I blended them together in the blender.

I made my own tortilla trips by stacking corn tortillas on top of each other and slicing into strips with a pizza cutter.  I fried them in canola oil for a few minutes until they were golden.  I then let them soak on a paper towel and sprinkled a little salt on top.

When you’re ready to serve, add avocado, tortilla strips, and dressing. Gently combine and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Each serving is 9 points+ without dressing or 10 points+ with 2 Tbsp dressing. (I didn't figure in the tortilla strips or the cheese with the points.)

:::Emily:::

Grilled Taco Chicken

This chicken is SO yummy!  I could eat it all by itself! 

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
A couple of juicy limes
A splash of red wine vinegar
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed or coarsely chopped
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Juice the limes and combine with a couple splashes of red wine vinegar. (I leave out the vinegar because, well, I can't stand the stuff.) Add garlic. Pour over chicken. This will not completely cover the chicken; just turn it occasionally as needed. Marinate for at least 4 hours, no longer than 8.

Heat an outdoor grill. Combine salt, chili powder, cumin, and black pepper in a small bowl. Remove chicken from marinade and rub the spices all over the chicken.

Grill about 10 minutes per side on low heat.

Remove from heat and allow to stand a few minutes so it doesn’t lose its juiciness. You can either eat the chicken as it is, maybe with Mexican rice and beans, or use slice it up and use it as you would taco meat.

3 ounces of chicken is 3 points+.

:::Emily:::