Chili rubbed steak with avocado butter

Warning: this is delicious!!

I pick my meals based on what I think looks good in the store or farmer’s market. On this day, the steaks looked beautiful! The late summer weather had me wanting to grill. So…this is what I came up with.

Prep tip: Leave your meat out of the fridge (about 30 minutes) to come to room temperature. The meat won’t seize up when it hits the heat. This ensures the most accurate, even cooking.

Steaks:

  • 2 medium New York strip steaks 1 inch thick, 12 ounces each, room temperature

Chili rub:

  • 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

Avocado butter:

  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 1 clove of garlic, chopped
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 cup softened unsalted butter

Add all of the avocado butter ingredients to a food processor and pulse until smooth and blended.

1) Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.

2) Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel and season generously with the chili rub.

3) Place steaks on grill and do not touch for two minutes. (Until browned)

4) Flip the steaks and let cook undisturbed for another 2 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, flipping as necessary, until cooked to your liking. I found this to be another 2 minutes for medium rare.

5) Remove the steaks to a platter and top with avocado butter. Let rest 5 minutes before slicing.

Bon appétit! 😘

Beef fajita bowl with cilantro rice

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 small green bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 small red bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
  • 1 smaller tomato, seeded and chopped
  • Fajita seasoning (see recipe below)
  • 1 15.5 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup white rice
  • Juice of 1/2 lime
  • One handful of cilantro leaves, chopped
  • 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Fajita seasoning

  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne

Mix all above ingredients together.

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Cook rice according to package instructions. (Usually 1 cup of rice with 2 cups water)

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef. Add two Tbsp fajita seasoning. Break apart and brown until there is no pink left.

Add onion and peppers and remaining fajita seasoning. Stir together. Cooking about 5 minutes or until veggies are fork tender. Add black beans to heat through.

To the cooked rice add lime juice and cilantro.

Serve the beef fajita mixture over the rice and top with cheese and tomato.

Num num!

Peanut butter crispy bars

Ingredients

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

5 cups crisp rice cereal (like Rice

Krispies)

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 Mix the corn syrup, peanut butter, and sugar together in a large pan over medium heat.

2 Heat and stir until the mixture is smooth.

3 Remove from the heat and add the crisp rice cereal. Mix until everything is well incorporated.

4 Press into an un-greased 9×9 pan.

5 Melt butterscotch chips and chocolate chips together and spread over the crispy rice and peanut butter mixture.

6 Let set for one hour before cutting. Maybe…. 😉

Pork Banh Mi

I love Asian flavors! Sesame, cilantro, cucumber, heat….yum! This is an easy crockpot pork Banh Mi. This one made me happy dance!!

Ingredients:

4 lb. pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat

kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 onion, cut into quarters

3 jalapeños

3/4 c. sugar

3/4 c. white vinegar

1/2 c. soy sauce

1/3 c. fish sauce

3 garlic cloves, chopped

3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced

1 c. carrots, cut into matchsticks

2 c. Shredded cabbage

1/4 c. mayo

1 tbsp. sriracha

4 baguettes, cut in half lengthwise

1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 c. Cucumbers, sliced

In the bowl of a slow cooker, add the pork shoulder. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add onions, 2 chopped jalapeños, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, garlic, ginger and 1 cup of water. Cook on low for 9 hours.

Meanwhile, in a large glass jar combine 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup vinegar and 1 tbsp salt. Shake well to combine and add carrots and cabbage. In a small jar combine mayonnaise and sriracha. Refrigerate both jars while pork is braising.

After 9 hours, transfer the pork to a cutting board and remove any excess fat. Skim the fat from the braising liquid and strain into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and simmer on low until reduced approximately by half, about 10 minutes. Season with salt.

Shred the pork using 2 forks and mix in a bowl with 1 cup of the reduced cooking liquid. Spread a thin layer of sriracha mayo on the sides of each baguette. Top with shredded pork, cilantro, sliced jalapeños, cucumbers and pickled slaw.

Monkey Bread

Ingredients:

  • 2 cans of biscuits, cut into quarters
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 Tbsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 stick butter (4 Tbsp)
  • 1 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix granulated sugar and cinnamon in a ziplock bag. Add biscuit quarters and coat with sugar mixture. Place coated pieces into a greased bread pan. (I used muffin tins to switch it up in the picture.)

Heat a small saucepan over low. Melt together butter and brown sugar. Stir frequently until melted and mixed well. Drizzle evenly over biscuits.

Bake in oven for 30 minutes.

Eat your heart out!

Ginger Ponzu grilled Hamachi collars

Ingredients:

1/2 cup ginger ponzu

1/4 cup mirin

4 teaspoons soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp Sambal oelek

4 hamachi collars (about 1/2 pound each)

Vegetable oil, for brushing

For the dipping sauce: Mix together the ponzu, mirin, soy sauce and sesame oil in a small bowl. Add sambal oelek to taste. Set aside half of the sauce for brushing on the fish as it grills.

For the fish: Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium heat and brush with oil so the fish doesn’t stick. Brush the fish on both sides with dipping sauce and grill for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping and brushing with sauce every 5 minutes. When done, the fish should be crispy and nicely charred and the flesh cooked through.

Beef and spaghetti squash skillet

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place squash on a baking sheet, and bake 40 minutes, or until tender. Remove from heat, cool, and shred squash with a fork.

Heat broiler.

In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef until browned. Mix in the peppers, onion, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook and stir until vegetables are tender (4-5 minutes).

Mix the shredded squash and tomatoes into the skillet, and season with oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir until heated through. Remove skillet from heat, and top with Asiago cheese. 

Place under the preheated broiler, about 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Ta-da!

Unstuffed cabbage roll soup

Per @heidrenae request via Instagram! 😘

This is one of my fall favorites! I always cook this when I buy cabbage at the farmer’s market.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 cup raw white rice
  • 1 quart chicken stock, divided
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1/2 head green cabbage, thinly sliced
  • 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • Handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Heat a deep pot over medium high heat. Add the extra-virgin olive oil, once hot add meat and begin to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Season the meat with allspice, coriander, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Cook until beef is no longer pink.  Add bay leaf, onions, garlic and carrots. Cook veggies 2 to 3 minutes to begin to soften them, then add cabbage and wilt it down a bit. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, rice and chicken stock and cover the pot. Raise the heat to high and bring the soup to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked, Stir in parsley, adjust salt and pepper to your taste, and serve.

Brined pork chops

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups water
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup salt
  • 2 Tbsp peppercorns
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 garlic cloves, smashed

Pour salt and sugar in water and mix until dissolved. Add remaining ingredients.

Add pork chops and let sit in refrigerator for at least 8 hours. Pat dry before grilling. No additional seasoning required! They are amazing!