Strip Loin Steak and Potatoes

Strip Loin Steak and Potatoes

With green beans and an iceberg wedge covered in blue cheese dressing. The steak was done in a cast iron pan with lots of pepper, bit of salt, bit of butter. Wonderful!

ingredients:

striploin steaks
salt
pepper
butter

handful fingerling potatoes, or small potatoes
handful of green beans
iceberg lettuce
blue cheese
mayo
vinegar

canola oil

salt
pepper
butter

directions:

Steak:

1. Take your steaks at room temperature, and generously sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. This seasoning is gonna help to form a crust on the steak. Fry the steak in a hot cast iron pan to get a good sear. After you flip the steak you can put some butter on top of the steak. This will help it from sticking to the pan, and help it cook, and give it more flavour.

2. Use a meat thermometer, or touch the steak. When you start to feel less give when you press down into the steak it means it's a little cooked through. I would recommend medium rare myself. If you want it well done (which some crazy people do), if you push down and find little give its cooked through.

Potatoes:

1. Roast potatoes in the oven with salt, pepper, and a little oil for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F.

Beans:

1. Steam some green beans and blanch them in ice water to stop the cooking process. This will keep them from getting overcooked and keep their bright green colour. Then toss them in some melted butter.

Lettuce:

1. Cut a wedge of iceberg lettuce. About 1/4 of a head of lettuce. Mix mayonnaise, vinegar, crumbled blue cheese, salt, and pepper together for a dressing. Drizzle on top of the wedge.

Cranberry, Walnut, Green Bean Quinoa Salad, With Veggie Burger

Cranberry, Walnut, Green Bean Quinoa Salad

This is a great quinoa salad to eat as a side, or bring to a pot luck. (as long as there are no nut allergies that is...). It is packed full of flavour and is also really healthy for you. I saw something like this first made at the Vegetarian Food Fair in Toronto, but it had oranges and it didn't have this dressing.

ingredients:

1 cup quinoa
dried cranberries
chopped walnuts
fresh green beans
balsamic vinegar
olive oil

pepper
salt
garlic powder

directions:

1. Cook quinoa in slightly salted water in a pot. 1 part quinoa, 2 parts water. Bring to a boil, and let it simmer until quinoa absorbs all of the water.

2. Set the cooked quinoa aside, and let it cool a bit. After it has cooled, fluff it with a fork.

3. Slice fresh green beans into more bite sized pieces, and steam them so they are cooked through. Blanch them in ice water immediately after to stop the cooking process. This will keep them crisp, and not soggy for your salad, as well as bright green.

4. Mix your dried cranberries, cooled green beans, and chopped walnuts into the quinoa.

5. To make the dressing for the salad, combine balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder into a vinaigrette. The ratio of oil to vinegar should be 3 to 1. 3 parts oil, 1 part vinegar. Mix through, then pour on salad and mix til it is fully coated.

Salmon Pie with Grilled Fennel

Salmon Pie with Grilled Fennel

My mom made this for me when I was at home recently, and I decided to make it myself.

ingredients:

canned salmon
eggs
green onion
salt
pepper
cream
pie crust