Greek Steak Pitas with Dill Sauce

I am not the best at walking into the grocery store and just deciding then and there what I am going to make for dinner. Unless I am making pizza or pasta I usually need a recipe and more importantly a grocery list. Friday when I entered Trader Joes for groceries I barely had a game plan and there was definitely no shopping list but somehow we ended up with a great dinner.

Again, sorry for the bad picture. I get my new camera tomorrow so no more phone photos!

Greek Steak Pitas with Dill Sauce
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Steak:
1 pound flank steak
1/2 cup lemon juice- about 4 lemons
1 tsp oregano
salt and pepper
1 green pepper, sliced
1 onion, sliced
pita bread

Dill Sauce:
1/2 cup fat free plain yogurt
2 tsp dill
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper

Preheat broiler.

Place the flank steak in a large plastic bag. Pour the lemon juice on top and marinate for 10 minutes. Remove steak from bag and discard the sauce. Place steak on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Season with oregano, salt and pepper. Cook the steak for 15 minutes. Remove steak from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing.

While steak is cooking, saute the sliced green pepper and onion over medium-high heat in a skillet coated with a little olive oil. Saute for about 5 minutes or until vegetables are soft and starting to brown. 

In a small bowl combine all of the dill sauce ingredients. To assemble, cut the pita bread in half, spoon in a little dill sauce, add the sliced steak and vegetables.

** We served this with our favorite Greek salad. I highly recommend this salad recipe, it's delicious!

Crusted Veal Chops with Balsamic Reduction

The other night Brady brought over ingredients to make Crusted Veal Chops with Balsamic Reduction along with a Spicy Green Bean side dish. Brady found both recipes on the Crepes of Wrath blog and we thought they both turned out great.

I am not sure if I have ever had veal and I have definitely never cooked with it but it was incredibly easy. In Brady's words "this is a sneaky fancy dinner" because the recipe requires limited ingredients and is quick to prepare but it honestly looks like something you would be served at a restaurant. Brady loved the dish. My cut of veal was a little fatty but the meat I had tasted great and I ended up making up for the lack of meat with large amounts of the spicy green beans which were delicious!

Crusted Veal Chops with Balsamic Reduction
** The Crepes of Wrath
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Serves 2
Prep/Cook Time: 30 minutes

2 veal chops, trimmed of excess fat
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs
1 tablespoon low-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Balsamic Reduction
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot or 1/2 a red onion, diced
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with non-stick cooking spray. If you have a baking rack, place that on top of the baking sheet and spray that with non-stick spray-  this will allow chops to have a nice crust on them.

Combine the parsley, thyme, garlic, bread crumbs, salt and cayenne pepper on a large plate. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix together the mayo and mustard and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over high heat. Season the veal chops with salt and pepper on both sides, then place in the heated olive oil. Cook on each side for 2-3 minutes, until a nice brown crust forms. Remove to the rack and allow to cool for a few minutes before covering each chop with the mustard and mayonnaise combination, then coating in the breadcrumb mixture. Press the chops down into the bread to make sure that everything sticks.

Place the chops on the prepared baking sheet and cook for 15-20 minutes, until cooked through and a meat thermometer reads 140 degrees F. Cover and allow the chops to rest for 5-8 minutes.


While the chops are resting prepare the balsamic reduction. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add the shallots or onion and cook for a minute or so, until soft. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, turn the heat to high, and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-high and reduce by half, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter. To serve, spoon a bit of the reduction over the chops.

Spicy Green Beans

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound green beans, cleaned
1 or 2 habanero chile peppers, minced (or jalapeno peppers)
pinch salt and pepper
1/4 cup white wine
2 tablespoons water

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add in the diced onion. Saute for 5 minutes, or until softened, then add in the garlic and saute for another minute, until fragrant. Add in the green beans, habanero peppers, salt, pepper, white wine, and water. Stir to combine, cover, and cook over medium heat for 10-12 minutes, until the beans are tender but still slightly crunchy. **I had to add a bit more water after about 10 minutes because the green beans were still pretty crunchy.

Bison Burgers with Gorgonzola, Olive & Spinach Pasta Salad

While vacationing at a cabin in Bemidji, Minnesota over the 4th of July with Brady and his family, I had one of the best burgers.  The resorts burger patty was made with bison, wild rice, and portabello mushroom and then topped with caramelized onions and gorgonzola cheese- so good!

If you haven't tried bison, I would highly recommend it.  Bison meat (otherwise known as buffalo meat) not only tastes good, it's nutritious! Bison is high in protein, zinc, iron and lower in fat and calories than grilled chicken breasts. Bison meat may be difficult to find in some grocery stores but most butcher shops should carry it. We bought ours at Whole Foods (Brady and I contemplated frantically running around the store like they do on Top Chef but then opted for a beer in the bar area prior to shopping instead- yes our Whole Foods has a bar!)  Whole Foods usually isn't the most economical place to shop but the bison meat was surprising inexpensive at $5.99/Ib. 

Bison Burger with Wild Rice

Prep Time: 45 minutes 
Serves 4

1 pound ground bison (buffalo)
1/2 cup cooked wild rice- I would suggest a quick cook version such as Uncle Bens
1/2 cup diced portabella mushroom
2 T. barbecue sauce
1 T. paprika
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. minced garlic
3/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
4 whole wheat hamburger buns, toasted
1 yellow onion, sliced
crumbled gorgonzola cheese

Heat a small skillet with a tsp of olive oil or butter. Saute sliced onion over medium heat for about twenty minutes or until caramelized.  You may want to add a tsp of sugar to help the onions caramelize.  Meanwhile, cook the wild rice as the box instructs.  Once the rice has cooled, place meat, rice, portabello, barbecue sauce, paprika, mustard, garlic, pepper and salt in a large bowl.  Gently combine, without overmixing, until evenly incorporated.  Form into 4 equal patties, 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick.

Heat grill to medium.  Spray grill with cooking spray to avoid sticking.  Grill the burgers until desired doneness- I would recommend 5-6 minutes per side. 

While burgers are on the grill slightly toast the hamburger buns on a separate portion of the grill or in the oven.  To assemble the burgers top each patty with caramelized onions and a few crumbles of gorganzola cheese.

Gorgonzola, Olive & Spinach Pasta Salad
 ** Brady found this recipe on an unknown blog so I can't give credit where credit is due- sorry!

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Serves 4

1/2 cup fresh spinach, finely chopped
15 pimento stuffed green olives, halved- we used more because we both love olives
1-2 oz gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
3 T. olive oil
3 cups dry, whole wheat pasta, cooked and rinsed to cool
Black pepper to taste

In a medium-sized bowl combine the spinach, olives, cheese and olive oil.  Stir to break up the cheese so it is evenly distributed.  Add the drained pasta to bowl and toss to coat. Sprinkle with black pepper.