Beef its what’s for dinner (salad)

So it is the busy holiday season and you might not have enough time to make a big dinner one evening. How about using some left over grilled steak from that doggie bag the other night. While this recipe calls for Beef Tenderloin any quality left over steak sliced thin will work just adjust the amount of steak to use what you have left. This recipe is very satisfying in the sense it is about the freshness and brightness that cilantro and lime bring to the dish. Like any of our recipes you could alter this one to make it more southwest and less Asian by simply changing some of the ingredients. Swap out the fish sauce for some smoky salsa and add a little avocado or jicama in place of the carrot. Enjoy!


Asian Beef Salad servings 4


1 lb Beef Tenderloin, grilled and cooled (left over steak)
1 Cucumber, peeled & seeded, sliced
½ Red onion, shaved
1 Carrot, julienne
1 Red Pepper, julienne
¼ cup Cilantro, chopped
2 Green onions, sliced
2 cup Salad Greens

Dressing

1/4cup Lime juice, fresh
1/4cup Rice Wine Vinegar
2 T Thai Fish Sauce
2 t Stevia
2 t Red Pepper Flakes


1. Take the chilled grilled tenderloin and slice into very thin pieces and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, place the sliced cucumber, carrot, red pepper, cilantro and green onions – toss to evenly distribute the vegetables.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the ingredients for the dressing and mix well with a wire whip.

4. Add the meat to the bowl containing the vegetables, add half of the dressing and toss to mix.

5. Add the greens to the large bowl and toss to completely coat and evenly distribute the salad mixture.

6. Divide the salad between four plates and drizzle the remaining dressing over each salad.


Calories Fat Fiber WW Pts
Per serving 282 12.33 1.4 6

With much gratitude.....

Happy Holidays and many Happy Wishes for the New Year


Well we wrap up another year and give thanks and gratitude for all we have and experienced in 2009. We had a wonderful year of eating, drinking and cooking together and with many other food enthusiasts. What does 2010 hold? It holds even more great adventure, travel, food, wine and friends to share it all with as the year unfolds. We look forward to publishing our first cook book in 2010 and sharing the joy we have found in food and love. We hope to explore new places and old ones and share our discoveries with you. So thank you for watching , reading and following our adventures this year. I leave you with a great recipe to use to jump start your new year.

Love
Jim & Linda


Southwest Shrimp Salad for 4 people


1 lb White or Brown Shrimp – peeled & de-veined
¼ cup Southwest rub
1 tsp Olive Oil
1 Lime
1 Jicama, medium, julienned
½ Red onion, thin sliced
¼ cup Roasted Red Peppers, sliced (piquollo peppers preferred)
1 Avocado, sliced thin
½ cup Tomatoes, large dice
2 oz Tortilla chips, crushed
4 cups Salad Greens

Dressing
2 Limes, juiced
1 clove Garlic, crushed
1 tbsp Honey
½ cup Roasted Tomato Salsa
¼ cup Cilantro leaves
2 tbsp Cider Vinegar
To taste Salt & Pepper


Place shrimp on a plate and toss with Southwest rub to coat completely, then set aside.

In a large sauté pan over medium high heat, add the olive oil, then add the shrimp, cooking for 3 to 5 minutes until opaque.

Deglaze the pan with the juice from one lime, remove from heat and transfer shrimp to a plate to cool.

In a large mixing bowl place the jicama, red onion, red peppers, avocado and tomato. Add the cooled shrimp and toss to evenly distribute the ingredients.

In a blender place the lime juice, garlic, honey, and salsa and blend until mixed.

Add the cilantro leaves, cider vinegar and salt and pepper to the dressing mixture, blend well.

Add the greens to the salad and shrimp mixture and half of the dressing, and toss to coat.


© Doak & Krantz 2009

Spring time is salad time - big flavors

Here is one of our favorite salads - a great way to enjoy steak without feeling overly filled up. Give it a try - the recipe calls for tenderloin but any left over steak works well for this - strip, sirloin. Enjoy and happy eating!

Jim & Linda

Asian Beef Salad servings 4


1 lb Beef Tenderloin, grilled and cooled
1 Cucumber, peeled & seeded, sliced
½ Red onion, shaved
1 Carrot, julienne
1 Red Pepper, julienne
¼ cup Cilantro, chopped
2 Green onions, sliced
2 cup Salad Greens

Dressing

1/4cup Lime juice, fresh
1/4cup Rice Wine Vinegar
2 T Thai Fish Sauce
2 t Splenda
2 t Red Pepper Flakes


Take the chilled grilled tenderloin and slice into very thin pieces and set aside.

In a large bowl, place the sliced cucumber, carrot, red pepper, cilantro and green onions – toss to evenly distribute the vegetables.

In a separate bowl, combine the ingredients for the dressing and mix well with a wire whip.

Add the meat to the bowl containing the vegetables, add half of the dressing and toss to mix.

Add the greens to the large bowl and toss to completely coat and evenly distribute the salad mixture.

Divide the salad between four plates and drizzle the remaining dressing over each salad.


Per serving

Calories282.25

Fat 12.33

Fiber1.375

WW Pts6

Caesar Salad? Not!

I picked up a Chicken Caesar salad from the Kitchen Hearth's downtown location today. Unfortunately, it wasn't even in Caesar's neighborhood - have you ever had a Caesar salad with carrots, cucumbers, head lettuce and grape tomatoes? Well, that's exactly what was on my salad - with nary a Romaine leaf in sight...no garlic, either. It was simply a plain old tossed salad with some very dry chicken strips placed on top. Caesar dressing was on the side, but my goodness, folks....a Caesar needs more than its dressing to bear the name.

On the 'up' side, I also bought a multi-grain roll to accompany the salad, and it was outstanding! Unlike some mutli-grain bakery items which can be dry and unappetizing, this was moist and chewy on the inside, and crackling crusty on the outside. I'm glad I picked it up...it helped fill the void left by the salad.

Looking to eat lighter during the Holidays - try the Chopped Chicken Salad

We love to eat salads for dinner we find them to be full of flavor while lower in calories. This is one of the ways I have managed to reduce my weight this year by about 20 pounds. That and a lot of fun exercise which is harder to do now - but I am thinking Linda will teach me how to cross-country ski - maybe this weekend. Goodness knows we have enough snow on the ground. Last night we pulled together one of our favorites - Chinese Chopped Chicken Salad - lots of crunchy vegetables with convenience roasted chicken in a zippy peanut sauce dressing. Here is the recipe - give it a try - total prep time is only about 20 minutes and like all of my recipes you can easily add other ingredients to this one - like pineapple or oranges, or substitute shrimp for the chicken - lots of possibilities. Give it a spin

Chinese Chopped Chicken Salad 4 servings

½ Rotisserie roasted chicken, meat pulled and shredded
1 Cucumber, peeled, seeded and sliced
¼ cup Red pepper strips – fresh or jarred
1 Mango, diced
¼ cup Red onion, shaved
1 Carrot, shredded
½ cup Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 pkg Ramen noodles, coarsely crushed
2 cup Napa cabbage, shredded
2 cup Salad greens

Dressing
1/4 cup Thai peanut dressing (bottled)
¼ cup Rice vinegar
2 tbsp Orange juice
S&P To taste


1. Pull the meat from the chicken and shred with fingers into ½ inch wide strips; place in a large bowl.

2. Place the rest of the salad ingredients into the same bowl and toss together to evenly mix all the items.

3. Add the desired amount of dressing and toss to coat all ingredients.

4. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

5. Pile in a mound on 4 plates and top with a little remaining dressing.

Salad is best served with chilled chicken.
Dressing is good for up to 7 days in the refrigerator.


© Doak & Krantz 2007


Per serving
Calories 283.47
Fat 7.04 g
Fiber 1.6 g
WW pts 6