Fit Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

May 28, 2014April 28, 2018Leave a comment

I’ve said it before, but my hubby is not the biggest fan of traditional Spaghetti (thus this and this), but I am. We had a lengthy discussion about this and what it came down to was the sauce. He’s just not a fan of the bottled/canned sauces that are available to purchase on the grocery isle. So, I set out to make us a homemade sauce that would make all of our tummies smile. Here’s what did the trick!

The secret to most GREAT sauces is the opportunity to let them simmer for a nice amount of time. While this sauce takes only a few minutes to prepare, it does require a nice 45-minute simmer. So, plan ahead. The simmering is where all the magic happens, so don’t be messing with that step if you mess with anything.

I love the balance of textures found in the sauce. I used a combination of diced tomatoes and crushed tomatoes and I think it yielded some fabulous texture.

The spice combination is pretty perfect too! If I wasn’t feeding a 2-year-old, I may have added a bit more crushed red pepper . . . but what I have in the recipe is definitely enough to give is a slight punch without really even noticing it’s there. And, you’ll find all your traditional Italian spices in there too.

Fit Homemade Spaghetti Sauce - Mimi's Fit Foods

I must note that I used no added sugars. Sugars are typically added to most spaghetti sauces. I was hoping that this sauce would taste well without it, and I am happy to report that it’s not even missed . . . not one bit!

You can easily use lean ground beef in the recipe. I chose to use ground turkey to save a little on calories and fat, but they can be interchangeable.

This recipe makes a lot of sauce. I like it that way because then I can freeze it and use it for later (without having to do any of the work). It freezes beautifully.

I like to serve this sauce on top of whole wheat noodles of any kind. It would also be delicious served over spaghetti squash. Seriously . . . I’m so glad to have this recipe because now we can have spaghetti a little more often with smiles all-around! Homemade is always better, isn’t it!?

Fit Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Mimi’s Fit Foods
Adapted from Tastes of Lizzy T

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground turkey
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 (14.5-ounces each) cans Italian diced tomatoes, with juice
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 cup water
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Directions:
In a large saucepan, brown the ground turkey along with the chopped onion. Drain, if necessary.

Add in the rest of the ingredients and bring to a low boil, stirring often. Once the sauce is heated through and at a low boil, reduce the burner temperature to low and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Yields Approximately 13 Cups.

Easy and Simple Cheeseburger Pizza

September 20, 2013September 22, 2013Leave a comment

You need another easy-peasy (and cheesy) week-night meal, don’t you!? I think we can NEVER have enough of these recipes.

This recipe is definitely tasty, but it isn’t going to blow-your-socks off. I debated on sharing it because (A) – the pictures don’t make it look super pretty and (B) – it’s pretty simple in taste. However, I decided to share it with you because it’s super easy to throw together, the simple taste fits virtually all palettes, and the short ingredient list is all stuff that I always have on hand. These reasons are truly why this even got put on the menu one night. I was tired and hadn’t really thought about dinner until, well, it was time to eat. I scrambled for something easy and fast and this is what came out of it. My little Evie Doll ate it like it was her new favorite food and Beau and I enjoyed it just fine too. I gotta be honest and tell you that I was glad there were leftovers because that made lunch the next day a slam dunk!

I used my easy whole wheat pizza dough recipe for the crust. I love this recipe because it requires no rising time. And, when I don’t think of making dinner until the last second, this is perfect since I don’t have time to wait hours for dough to rise. Lately when I make pizza I’ve been rolling it in a rectangular shape to fit my rectangular pizza stone (or a cookie sheet). I can cut it into equal sections and it seems easier to cut up for my baby. However, you can totally make it round too.

If you feel up to it and have more energy than I did the night I made this, you can definitely make your pizza more snazzy by adding chopped tomatoes, onions, and maybe even chopped pickles when it comes out of the oven. But, if you’re like me most nights . . . making it as written will usually win you some smiles without a whole lot of effort.

Easy and Simple Cheeseburger Pizza
Mimi’s Original

For the Dough:
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 tablespoon lecithin
1 cup hot water (as hot as you can get it out of your tap)

For the Pizza:
3/4 cup Marinara/Tomato Sauce
(you can also us a canned spaghetti sauce like Prego Heart Smart)
1 cup reduced fat shredded cheese (I used 4 cheese Mexican blend)
1 pound lean ground beef, cooked and drained

For the dough:
Mix dry ingredients. Add lecithin and water. Mix in until dough combines, approximately 1 minute and check for consistency (use your dough hook on your mixer). Dough should be a little sticky. If dough is too dry, add more water. Mix for 5 minutes on a medium speed (this will knead your dough).

Using a rolling pin, roll into your desired shape and place on a lightly greased pizza stone (or cookie sheet). (Lately, I like to roll mine into a rectangle because it fits nicely on my rectangle pizza stone or on a cookie sheet. However, I sometimes roll into a circle and use my round pizza stone too.) Your crust is now ready to put all your toppings on. You do not have to wait for this dough recipe to do any rising. Awesome!

For the Pizza:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread marinara/tomato sauce all over dough, reaching to the sides. Top with 1/2 cup of cheese, crumbled ground beef, and the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.

Bake in 400-degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted and bubbly.

Cut into 12 equal pieces.

Serves 6.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = 2 Slices)
Calories: 375
Protein: 28.7g
Carbs: 45g
Fat: 10.1g (4.5g = Sat.)
Fiber: 7.3g
Sugars: 6.7g

Fit and Creamy Baked Spaghetti

June 11, 20132 Comments

Here is another way to make spaghetti. I’ve said it before, but my cute husband doesn’t really like traditional spaghetti. However, he’ll eat this. I’m sure the addition of cream cheese helps, but hey . . . I’ll take it . . . and so should you. Think pasta, cream cheese, rich marinara sauce, and more cheese. Uh huh . . . dreamy, right? I’ve seen versions of this meal floating around blogs and Pinterest with raving reviews so I just had to give it a whirl. I trimmed the recipe up a bit and we absolutely adore this meal. It’s hard to not go back for seconds! My little baby gobbles it up right along with us. It’s made in a casserole dish, so it makes a great family-style meal. Since we are a small family we always have leftovers. And, well, since it’s summer I am completely in love with leftovers because we are so busy playing these days that sometimes we don’t want to take a break to make dinner (or maybe mom is simply too tired from all the play – let’s be honest!). If you want a delicious spin on traditional spaghetti, add this to your lineup. It’s so yummy (and easy, mind you!).

Fit and Creamy Baked Spaghetti
Adapted from The Blonde Can Cook

6 ounces multi-grain angel hair pasta, dry
2 cups spaghetti sauce  (I used Prego Heart Smart)
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 teaspoon garlic salt
salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
4 ounces light cream cheese (1/3 less fat), room temperature
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Cook pasta according to directions on package, only to al dente.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground turkey, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Brown the ground turkey until cooked through. Stir in your spaghetti sauce.

Drain and place cooked pasta back into your pan. Add in the cream cheese and Italian seasoning. Stir until cream cheese is melted (this is easier if your cream cheese is at room temperature, but it will still work if it isn’t).

Lightly grease a 2-quart casserole dish (a 9×13 baking dish would work too). Spread a small amount of meat sauce in the bottom of the dish.

Put spaghetti on top of sauce and top with remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.

Bake for 30 minutes on 350 or until bubbly.  Serve and enjoy!

Serves 8.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = 1/8 the Recipe)
Calories: 311
Protein: 20g
Carbs: 14.5g
Fat: 7.2g (3.7g = Sat.)
Fiber: 1.5g
Sugars: 0.4g

Cucumber Sandwiches

May 8, 2013May 7, 2013Leave a comment

Cucumber Sandwiches! What an easy snack idea. It probably goes without saying that these are a breeze to put together. I mean, it’s hardly a recipe at all, but rather an idea. I say that because you can be a little versatile with this. You can use different varieties of cheese and sandwich meats. I also think these are good dipped in mustard, as well as sprinkled with spices (cracked black pepper, Montreal Steak Seasoning, etc.). There are a variety of options that still help to keep these babies low in calorie count, high in protein, and low in carbs. Whoohooo!

For calorie counting purposes, I’m giving you the quantities for one serving. However, you can easily punch out a bunch of these . . . . . say, for after-school snacks or any other purpose you may find a need to sneak these into your household.

Cucumber Sandwiches

8 slices of peeled cucumber, 1/4-inch thick
1 ounce part-skim mozzarella cheese, sliced into 4 slices
1 ounce deli roast beef (at least 96% lean)

Take one slice of cucumber and top with a slice of cheese and 1/4 ounce of roast beef. Top with another cucumber slice.
Repeat with remaining cucumber slices, cheese, and roast beef.

Serves 1.

Nutritional Information Per Serving
Calories: 123.7
Protein: 14.7g
Carbs: 2.5g
Fat: 5.1g (3.4g = Sat.)
Fiber: 0.4g
Sugars: 0.8g

Turkey Taco Roll-Ups

April 2, 2013April 1, 20132 Comments

This is a fun twist on a traditional taco. It’s very flavorful, but baking the taco gives it a little crunch without deep frying it. This came together in a cinch and I was WAY happy with the results. If you’re looking for a yummy, healthy, crunchy taco . . . well, I just found you one (or two).

Turkey Taco Roll-Ups
Adapted from Du Su Mama

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. ground turkey (93% lean)
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
1 teaspoon cumin
1 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup reduced fat cheese (I used Mexican blend)
10 corn tortillas (I used Mission Thins)
non-stick cooking spray (I used Canola)
kosher salt, optional

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil. Add chopped onion and cook until broken down and translucent, about 5-8 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add ground turkey, season with salt and pepper, taco seasoning, and cumin. Cook until no longer pink, crumbling the meat into small pieces. Add tomatoes and cook until warmed through. Remove from heat; allow mixture to cool slightly. Add cilantro and cheese and stir to combine.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking sheet by spraying it lightly with cooking spray (or by using a Silpat linter)

Warm tortillas before placing filling inside. (I do this in the microwave in batches. I place two damp paper towels in the microwave, put 2-3 tortillas between the towels, and heat for 30-40 seconds.) Put about 1/4 cup of filling inside a warmed tortilla, roll tortilla, and place on baking sheet with seam-side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Lightly spray each of the rolled tacos with cooking spray. If desired, sprinkle with kosher salt.

Cook for 15-18 minutes, or until rolled tacos are golden brown. If desired, serve with salsa.

Serves 5.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = 2 Rolled Tacos)
Calories: 275.6
Protein: 23.9g
Carbs: 22.5g
Fat: 10.8g (3.3g = Sat.)
Fiber: 3.3g
Sugars: 5.3g

Turkey Cheeseburger Casserole

March 19, 2013March 18, 2013Leave a comment

The other night for dinner I was at a loss at what to make. I wasn’t in the mood to make anything gourmet and I was tired and didn’t want to be in the kitchen all night. So, I went through my “recipes to try” file and came across this recipe. I had all the ingredients, looked like it would come together in a snap, and I was SUPER curious to know if it really would taste like a cheeseburger. Thus, this was the winning recipe for the night.

Sure enough; it came together in a snap and was super easy. And, even more amazing was the fact that it truly did taste like a cheeseburger. I mean, it has all the elements (burger, cheese, tomato, onion, mustard, and pickle) so I guess I shouldn’t be all that surprised. I was a bit weary of putting chopped pickles on the casserole after it had baked, but it was seriously awesome. I was definitely a fan.

This will definitely go in my file of recipes to make when I want something fast and delicious. Enjoy!

Turkey Cheeseburger Casserole
Adapted from SkinnyTaste.com

6 ounce whole wheat rotini pasta (dry)
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground turkey
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
28 ounces diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/4 cups reduced fat shredded cheese (I used Mexican blend)
1/4 cup dill pickles, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish (or a 9×13 baking dish) with cooking spray. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta according to the package directions for al dente and drain well.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the ground turkey, season with salt and pepper, and cook until browned. Stir in the tomato paste, then add the tomatoes and mustard. Let the mixture bubble gently until it is slightly thickened, about 2-5 minutes.

Toss the meat mixture with the pasta and spread it into the prepared baking dish. Top with the cheese and bake until the cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle the chopped pickles over the top and serve.

Serves 6.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = Approximately 1 1/2 Cups)
Calories: 334
Protein: 26.9g
Carbs: 33g
Fat: 12.4g (4.4g = Sat.)
Fiber: 6.2g
Sugars: 6.6g

If desired, you can go with a smaller serving size of 1 cup. That would mean the casserole would feed approximately 9 people. The nutritional information would then calculate as follows:

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = Approximately 1 Cup)
Calories: 222.8
Protein: 17.9g
Carbs: 22g
Fat: 8.3g (2.9g = Sat.)
Fiber: 4.1g
Sugars: 4.4g

Mexican Lettuce Wraps

January 29, 2013January 29, 2013Leave a comment

Do you ever have days when you just don’t feel like eating anything in particular for dinner? Well, this was one of those days and so I asked my husband what he wanted because I REALLY was at a loss and figured if he had a dinner option on his wish list, I would make it for him. Well, he was no help and was in my same boat. Thus, we were SOOOO close to just having eggs/omelets. But, then I made one last effort to peruse the refrigerator to see if anything would jump out at me. That’s when I came up with these babies.

I was too lazy to follow a recipe, so I just made up my own. I threw in some ground turkey with onions and peppers and a few Mexican spices, added some fire-roasted tomatoes for additional flavor, some kidney beans for fiber/antioxidants/vitamins (and gobs of other good purposes), and some green chilies for a little heat. With a little tomato paste added to the skillet, the mixture thickened right up and it fit beautifully in my little lettuce shells.

Lettuce is also a smart way to “wrap” up your food. It has very, very little calories (like 7-10 for 1 cup). I loved adding the carbohydrates to the mixture (rather than eating my carbs in a wrap) and, since the lettuce is so low in calories, I could eat as many “wraps” as my serving of mixture would allow. You can do the same by adding as much mixture from your serving to each individual lettuce wrap. You could walk away eating as low as 2 wraps, or as many as 6. Of course, the amount of mixture you eat is the same but sometimes it does my mind good to think I was able to eat 6 lettuce wraps from dinner. Ha, ha!

I included a list of optional toppings below. Depending on your end goal, you’ll want to be careful with the toppings as they do add a smidge of extra calories. I decided to top mine with a light sprinkling of reduced fat cheese, salsa and Fit Ranch Dip (which I made using Hidden Valley’s Spicy Ranch flavor).

Not only did this come together fast, looks pretty and fun, but they tastes yum, yum, yummy! I was so pleased with the outcome that I’m adding these to my quick, weeknight dinner meals rotation. Heaven knows we all need more of these meals in our collection!

Mexican Lettuce Wraps
Mimi’s Original

1 medium onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced (I used a red and yellow combination.)
1 pound ground turkey
1 1/2 teaspoon taco seasoning
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt (or powder)
1 (14.5 ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes
1 (4 ounce) can green chilies
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (14.5 ounce) can dark red kidney beans
Lettuce for serving (I used baby Romaine. Butter lettuce or iceberg would work well too.)

Optional Toppings:
reduced fat cheese
salsa
light sour cream
diced avocado (or guacamole)
Fit Ranch Dip

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add onions, peppers, ground turkey, taco seasoning, cumin, and garlic salt. Cook until onions and peppers break down and ground turkey is no longer pink, stirring often to break up ground turkey. Add tomatoes, green chilies, and tomato paste. Stir to combine. Simmer until mixture thickens and a lot of the juice from the tomatoes evaporates, about 10 minutes. Stir kidney beans into mixture and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.

Meanwhile prepare lettuce leaves by washing, separating leaves, and patting them dry. Fill leaves with turkey mixture and, if desired (and you can spare a few extra calories), top with optional toppings.

Serves 5.

Nutritional Information
(Per Serving = 1/5 of the Recipe, about 1 C. of Mixture, W/O Toppings)
Calories: 213
Protein: 23.2g
Carbs: 17.6g
Fat: 6.9g (2g = Sat.)
Fiber: 6.4g
Sugars: 5.4g

Fit Stuffed Peppers

October 10, 20121 Comment

I’m back, folks! Sorry I went missing for a couple of weeks. My sweet grandma passed away and I wanted to spend as much time with her before she left and then I spent a lot of time with my family as they all came into town for the funeral. Thus, that left little time for creating new recipes and blogging. That being said, it’s been an emotional and cherished past couple of week. I love my grandma and I will miss her, but I know I’ll get to see her again some day. I also love my family and enjoyed spending extra time with them. It felt like a huge unplanned family reunion.

Now I’m back to cooking and such and this is a fabulous dinner option! We grow bell peppers in our garden every year, but I think this year we turned out the best harvest yet! The peppers grew fast, got big, and the flavor has been super intense. They are delicious! We finally got our first overnight freeze/frost of the year so Beau went and picked all the peppers before bed. I figured that making stuffed peppers would be an awesome way to use some of them up.

Awesome, indeed! These are super simple. The only thing you have to remember is that the recipe calls for cooked brown rice. So, if you haven’t made that in advance then your prep time will increase by 45-60 minutes. I baked my rice earlier in the day (since baking it only requires about 1 minute worth of effort, but the rice turns out fluffy and fabulous). Then you just simply cook your ground beef, mixed with onion and garlic, in a skillet until browned. Mix in the cooked rice, tomato sauce and Worcestershire (this stuff somehow elevates the flavor of ground beef like crazy), and stuff your peppers, bake the peppers, and then eat them! Easy peasy!

The flavors of bell pepper, ground beef, and tomato just marry so well together. We found these to be very filling. I made a green salad to go with them because I was leery of how filling these would be. The green salad was tasty, but it wasn’t necessary to “fill us up” like I thought it would be.

Give these a try. Bell peppers are easy to find year-round and I found the dish to be fresh, but also comforting. Who doesn’t want a comforting dish around this time of year??

Fit Stuffed Peppers
Adapted from allrecipes.com

1 ½ cups brown rice, cooked
12 ounces lean (93%) ground beef (lean ground turkey is also good)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
4 bell peppers (any color – I used green from my garden)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons part skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add beef, onion, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir beef mixture until meat is evenly browned and onion is softened, about 5-7 minutes.

Remove and discard the tops, seeds, and membranes of the bell peppers. Arrange peppers in a baking dish (I used a round Corningware dish with tall sides and it worked perfectly) with the hollowed sides facing upward. (You may have to slice a little off the bottoms of the peppers to help them stand upright. Just don’t cut too far up the pepper that you end up with a hole in the bottom.)

Mix the browned beef, cooked rice, Worcertershire sauce, and 1 can tomato sauce (I did this right in the skillet). Add salt and pepper if needed. Spoon an equal amount of the mixture into each hollowed pepper. Mix the remaining can of tomato sauce with the Italian seasoning in a small bowl (or right in the can if you’re careful not to spill everywhere) and pour over the stuffed peppers.

Bake in the preheated oven, basting with the sauce every 15-20 minutes, until the peppers are tender, about 1 hour. Sprinkle the peppers with grated mozzarella cheese after baking.

Serves 4.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = 1 Stuffed Pepper)
Calories: 298
Protein: 23.2g
Carbs: 33.3g
Fat: 7g
Fiber: 4.4g
Sugars: 7.4g

Turkey Cheeseburger Quesadilla

September 14, 20121 Comment

Have any of you eaten or ordered the Quesadilla Burger at Applebee’s? Well, there are SO many people that love it so I thought I would attempt a little makeover on that entree. Here’s what I came up with and I have to say, I am pretty darn pleased with the results! Man, this thing is packed with Southwestern flavors that make it far from boring. You add chunky pico de gallo and cheddar cheese to it, along with the fact that the tortilla is nice and crispy, and it makes you wonder if this is really a legal and healthy thing to be eating because it is SOOOOO yummy!

I actually used Beach Salsa on my quesadilla because I had that on hand (the Beach Salsa adds a few extra calories than regular pico because of the corns/beans), but it was so deeeeeelish! However, regular ol’ pico will work super well and that’s what I actually used to count the nutritional information for the recipe.

So, now you have an excuse to have a restaurant-worthy meal right at home. This was sooooo easy and good that it will probably make my weekly dinner menu. That’s right, weekly! It’s one of my new go-to meals.

Turkey Cheeseburger Quesadilla
Mimi Original (Inspired by Applebee’s)

1 lb. ground turkey burger
2 teaspoons taco seasoning
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup pico de gallo
3/4 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
8 small whole wheat flour tortillas (Mission Life)
spray oil

Mix taco seasoning, salt, and pepper into ground turkey. Form 4 flat patties (I make them more oval/flat to fit close to the size of half a tortilla). Heat a skillet pan or indoor grill to medium-high heat; when hot, lightly spray the pan with oil and add the burgers. Cook burgers about 2 minutes on each side or to your liking (I cooked mine for 4 minutes on my Goerge Foreman Grill). Set aside.

Clean the pan and return to medium heat. Lightly coat your large skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. (See tip below for optional cooking directions.) Place a tortilla in the skillet (if your skillet is big enough you can do more than one at the same time) and place 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese on each tortilla, then 2 tablespoons pico de gallo, top with turkey burger, then an additional 2 tablespoons of pico and 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese. Fold tortilla over the filling and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Turn and brown the other side and cook until the cheese melts. Removed from skillet and set aside.

Repeat with remaining tortillas, turkey burgers, cheese, and pico.

Serves 4.

Optional Cooking Tip: I often cook these on my indoor grill (aka George Foreman). It makes it SUPER handy so that I don’t have to actually flip the tortilla over in a skillet (which sometimes can be disastrous with the filling falling out all over the place. . . not that I would know!). I can also cook at least two at a time (one for me and one for the hubby) in record time.

Nutritional Information (Per Quesadilla – with a 4-oz. Burger)
Calories: 331.4
Protein: 31.2g
Carbs: 22.4g
Fat: 14g (4.9g = Sat.)
Fiber: 3g
Sugars: 1g

Grilled Steak with Roasted Pablano Sauce

September 6, 2012Leave a comment

Once in a while we love to change things up and have a little steak at our house. This variation of steak was a huge hit! I love the flavor of pablano peppers, but I love them even more when they’re roasted. These roasted peppers, when paired with other complimentary Mexican ingredients, were awesome on top of the steak. The sauce comes together nicely and, since it has a Mexican flare, we ate the Mexican Tomato & Corn Salad with it. Pretty darn awesome meal if you ask me!

Grilled Steak with Roasted Pablano Sauce
Adapted from The Chew

1 1/2 Lb sirloin steak
5-6 medium pablanos peppers
2 tablespoon red onion (finely diced)
1-2 lemons (juice and zest)
4 tablespoon cilantro (roughly chopped)
4 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper (to taste)

1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
salt and pepper (to taste)

Place pablanos directly on stove burner (or under your broiler) to char peppers until completely black (you may have to use tongs to turn peppers to char all sides), remove and cool.

Cut peppers lengthwise and remove charred skin with the back of a knife, and remove seeds. Dice small and place half of the pepper in a blender with olive oil and half of the lemon juice and puree for 20 seconds and place in a bowl. Add remaining diced pablanos, red onion, lemon zest and remaining juice (if desired), cilantro and salt and pepper. Mix to combine and taste for seasoning. Set aside for finished plate.

Lightly coat steak with olive oil. Season each side with smoked paprika, cayenne, chili powder, salt and pepper. Sear on hot grill until there is good color on the meat, about 3-4 minutes per side. Once cooked remove from heat and let rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting.

To serve, top steak with pablano sauce and serve. Serves 8.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = 3 oz. Steak & 1/8 of Sauce)
Calories: 258
Protein: 26.8
Carbs: 5.8g
Fat: 14.6g (3.6g = Sat.)
Fiber: 0g
Sugars: 0.2g

Mimi's Fit Foods

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Category: Beef