Marinated Eye of Round, Glazed Brussels Sprouts,and Baked Potato

Tonight was one of those nights where I wasn't really thinking much about what I was going to do for dinner. I had nothing at all planned. However, hubby has been somewhat deprived lately, being how I have only sporadically been cooking an actual meal during the evenings. Summer is so busy and full of running! We tend to eat out, which I hate because it hits the pocket book hard as well as the gut. Or, we basically fend for ourselves, which means sandwiches with processed lunch meat and processed soups. I don't like getting into that mold every night, because overall I would like us to have some kind of control over our meals by using fresh/frozen foods rather than relying on the convenience of processed foods, which contain so much more sodium, preservatives and other junk that I am trying my best to limit for us.

So, I pulled out a few recipes and inspected them to do a quick inventory of what I had on hand. Before I did anything, tho, I scrubbed a couple of potatoes and threw them in the oven at 425 degrees so they could be cooking while I got the other stuff together.

I dug through the freezer, knowing we had a few other meats in there besides the chicken that we mostly eat. I found a package of some eye of round. The defrost was relatively quick, and I found a great marinade to use which ended up tasting very delicious. I only marinated for about 30 minutes, too, so it works in a pinch if you need to throw something together fast and don't have 8+ hours to marinade.

I decided before anything else that we would be having brussels sprouts. I knew we had a bag of frozen brussels, and determined that, altho they are not my favorite, we would use them because they are exceedingly healthy and it's not something we can really eat when the kids are around. However, I did indeed find a recipe that may actually work in enticing the kiddos to try these miniature cabbage-like vegetables. And while the recipe did turn out very well, I am not actually convinced that the kids will bite.

You may be skeptical of the ingredients for the brussels glaze. I was. It turned out great, so give it a try.

For those of you with cholesterol problems, brussels sprouts are your friend! They contain over 15% of the RDA of fiber. I also heard the other day that brussels sprouts contain more Vitamin C than an orange! Isn't that crazy? I never would have thought that. Of course, they also contain a slew of other vitamins that are important to our health as well. Just a few more things Brussels sprouts can aid in are inflammation and digestion. They help protect against cardiovascular problems as well as many cancers. They contain many antioxidants. Immunity health, eye health, bone and blood cell health - all can be aided by eating brussels sprouts on a regular basis.

So, dinner tonight was:

Marinated Eye of Round Steak
Glazed Brussels Sprouts
Baked Potato
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Marinated Eye of Round
(4 servings)

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoons Dijon-style prepared mustard
• 1/4 onion, sliced
• 1/2 clove garlic, minced

Whisk all ingredients in a glass bowl and let steak marinade for at least 30 minutes. When ready to cook, place about 1/3 of the marinade in a skillet and heat. Add meat and cook about 4-6 minutes on one side. Turn and cook on other side for about 3 minutes. Remove and place on a plate.

Glazed Brussels Sprouts
(6 servings)

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen Brussels sprouts
• 1/4 cup butter
• 8 ounces walnuts
• 3 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil and add the Brussels sprouts. Return to boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer 5 to 7 minutes, until sprouts are tender. Drain.(if you have a steamer, steaming is better to conserve the most nutrients)
   
2. In a microwave safe bowl, mix the butter, brown sugar, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. Cover, and cook on High 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted and the walnuts are warm.
   
3. Pour over the cooked Brussels sprouts, add the walnuts and toss
4. Serving after step 3 is optional. However, I like to put mine in a shallow dish and broil the brussels for about 4 minutes or so, so they have a nice roasted look and flavor to them.

Stay tuned on whether I can get my kids to eat this!!

Grilled Ginger Salmon, Sugar Snap Peas, and Citrus Carrots and Sprouts

Fish. There's a lot to be said about it.

I don't much care for seafood. However, fish is really good for you. Salmon, in particular, is high in Omega-3 fats. This is a fat that our body requires yet can not manufacture on its own, making it necessary to get this vital nutrient from other sources. Omega-3 is "good" fat.

The numerous benefits of this essential fatty acid include the reduction in the risk for fatal heart arrhythmia since omega-3 acids increases heart rate variability, a measure of heart functionality. It also helps lower triglycerides which are linked to cardiac diseases while boosting HDL cholesterol, the good cholesterol. It has also been shown to help control high blood pressure, which in our house is a concern.

It acts as an anti-coagulant, therefore reducing the risk for stroke. Omega-3 is also good for our brain. The brain is composed of more than 60% structural fat. The fatty acids found in fish like salmon help to move nutrients across the fatty membranes of our brain cells and help to eliminate the wastes. Related studies also show that cognitive related problems such as Alzheimer's, dementia and even behavioral disorders can be improved by the consumption of omega-3 fatty acids. Studies are also starting to show that omega-3 may also help reduce the risk of colon and prostate cancer.

Wow! Almost makes me want to eat it......almost. (I'll stick with supplements.)

With it being summer, you can grill the salmon outdoors too! Woo hoo, make a cook out of it and let that fish stink up the outside rather than the inside of the house. Watch out, tho. You may notice that all of the neighborhood cats may think they're invited to dinner as well.

While I hate peas, I will eat sugar snap peas. Go figure, but for some reason, the taste and smell is much more subtle and therefore more tolerable for me. Peas have a decent amount of protein in them, being legumes, so will pack a powerful nutrient punch. as for carrots and brussels sprouts.....we all know that carrots help our eyes. They are packed full of Vitamin A, among many other nutrients. And those little sprouts.....they are very effective at strengthening the body's immune system. Good stuff, vegetables.

Now if we could only get the kids to eat them!

These recipes are all gluten free, too, if that is something you follow.



Grilled Ginger Salmon

• 1 cup gluten free soy sauce (San J brand is GF)
  
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 (5 inch) piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 (3 pound) whole salmon fillet with skin
• 1 untreated cedar plank

1. Whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, minced ginger, olive oil, and garlic in a bowl, and pour into a resealable plastic zipper bag. Add the salmon fillet, coat with the marinade, squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight or up to 2 days.
2. About 1/2 hour before grilling, soak cedar plank in water.
3. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat, and lightly oil the grate.
4. Remove the salmon from the marinade, and shake off excess. Discard the remaining marinade. Place the salmon, skin side down, onto the cedar plank.
5. Grill with the grill cover closed until the salmon is opaque but still juicy, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove the salmon from the plank in one piece, leaving the skin on the plank.

Sugar Snap Peas
59 calories per serving

• 1/2 pound sugar snap peas
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped shallots
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• kosher salt to taste

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. Spread sugar snap peas in a single layer on a medium baking sheet, and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with shallots, thyme, and kosher salt.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in the preheated oven, until tender but firm.

Citrus Carrots and Brussels Sprouts

• 1 pound fresh brussels sprouts, halved
• 1 pound fresh baby carrots
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 drops hot pepper sauce (optional)
  

1. Place brussels sprouts and carrots in a large saucepan with a small amount of water; cover and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients. Drain vegetables; add butter mixture and toss to coat.

Gluten Free: Salad, Honey Baked Chicken, Squash Medley, Roasted Brussel Sprouts,

Meal time again!

I am always looking for a new way to make chicken. The thing is, while limiting our red meat and pork and focusing on leaner meats, chicken tends to be the main part of our meal. Occasionally I will cook something like fish, but not often. I do not like seafood and hate the way it smells the house up!

Besides, most of the chicken type of meals, my kids will eat! (Oh, by the way, I tested that Spinach Casserole recipe out on my kids, and my autistic son, who hates nearly all things good for him, ate it and actually liked it!!! Talk about shocked!! He was reticent, of course, but I insisted that he must take a small bite. He took a nibble, his eyebrows went up, and he gobbled up what was left on his fork. As he ate, he told his sister, "It only looks disgusting but it tastes good." If you have picky eaters, give that recipe a go!)

Anyway, back to this meal. I am often in a rush if I haven't pre-planned how to cook my chicken. So, I found this recipe that required ingredients that I had in the house. It was really good! An interesting taste, but a very good one! I will make it again.

So, enjoy the dinner if you try it! It really is good!

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Salad

• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1 5oz package of mixed salad greens
• 6 cups of torn romaine
• 1 11-oz can of mandarin oranges
• 2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced

Dressing

• 3 Tablespoons canola oil
• 2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 1 Tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 1/8 tspn salt

1. In small, heavy skillet, cook and stir sugar over medium heat until melted. Stir in almonds, cook for 1 minute until lightly browned. Spread onto foil coated with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In large salad bowl, combine mixed greens, romaine, oranges, celery, and onions.
3. Tn small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients together. Drizzle over salad. Add almonds and toss to coat. Serve immediately

Nutritional information: Serving size is 1 1/4 cups. Contains 125 calories, 8 g fat, 85 mg of sodium


Honey Baked Chicken

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/8 cup prepared mustard (French's Mustard is gluten-free)
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon curry powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place chicken pieces in a shallow baking pan, skin side up. Combine the melted butter or margarine, honey, mustard, salt and curry powder and pour the mixture over the chicken. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/4 hours (75 minutes), basting every 15 minutes with pan drippings, until the chicken is nicely browned and tender and the juices run clear.

Makes 6 servings

Nutritional Information: 325 calories, 13 grams of fat



Squash Medley

• 6 cups summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 6 cups zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 tspn. garlic powder, divided
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2/3 cup pure cornmeal (NOT a cornmeal blend)
  
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 2 T. freshly chopped parsley
• 1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes

1. Place the summer squash slices in a steamer basket and steam for 3-4 minutes or until tender.
   
2. Transfer the slices to a plate and set aside. Place the zucchini slices in the steamer basket and steam for 2-3 minutes or until tender.
3. Lightly oil a large casserole dish. Alternately layer the summer squash and zucchini in the casserole dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 t. garlic powder and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
4. In a small bowl, place the remaining garlic powder and remaining ingredients, and stir well to combine. Sprinkle the mixture over the vegetables and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned on top.

Serves 6

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

• 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and yellow leaves removed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
2. Place trimmed Brussels sprouts, olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal tightly, and shake to coat. Pour onto a baking sheet, and place on center oven rack.
3. Roast in the preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes, shaking pan every 5 to 7 minutes for even browning. Reduce heat when necessary to prevent burning. Brussels sprouts should be darkest brown, almost black, when done. Adjust seasoning with kosher salt, if necessary. Serve immediately.

Serves 6

Calories per serving: 104 calories, 7.3 grams fat

Herb-Roasted Beef and Potatoes with Browned Butter Brussels Sprouts

Some days, I have more time to prepare a nice meal that my husband and I can eat alone. This means that I can get a bit more creative without the picky kids around, and we can have a somewhat nice time to reconnect over food that we would not normally eat. It's certainly an effort sometimes, but worth it!

Ok, so I have to admit that I do not much like Brussels Sprouts. My mother loves them, but I just can not really wrap myself around their flavor.

However, for diversity I do cook some things I do not like. Take peas, for instance. You will rarely see pea recipes on this blog because I absolutely abhor peas. My husband, on the other hand, finds them heavenly. They are one of his favorite foods. So, while I do not go out of my way to fancy up these tiny offenders of my gag reflex, I will on occasion cook frozen baby peas for my husband because that's the kind of thing you do for people that you love (besides having dinner waiting for them when they get home from work). It can be a lot of work, for sure, but on days that the kids are not here, I actually have time to spend on chopping and preparing a nice meal.

This recipe calls for beef shoulder roast, but if you can not find it, you can substitute beef or pork tenderloin just as well.

To save time, you can also use packaged refrigerated potato wedges, which will cook much more quickly than fresh tubulars would take.

Dinner Tonight is

Winter Salad with Roasted Beets and Citrus Reduction Dressing Herb
Roasted Beef
Potatoes
Browned Butter Brussels Sprouts
German Chocolate Mousse
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Winter Salad with Roasted Beets and Citrus Reduction Dressing
4 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 medium beets, red and golden
• Cooking spray
• 3/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoons of sugar
• 1 tablespoons minced shallots
• 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups torn Boston lettuce
• 1 cups trimmed watercress
• 1 cups torn radicchio
• 1 ounces of crumbled goat cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Leave root and 1 inch stem on beets; scrub with brush. Place beets on foil lined jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat the beets with cooking spray. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, until tender. Cool beets slightly. Trim roots and stem; rub off skins. Cut into 1/2 inch thick wedges.

Bring juice and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan; cook ten minutes or until reduced to 2 tablespoons. Pour in a medium bowl and cool slightly. Add shallots, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Whisk. Gradually add oil and whisk.

Combine lettuce, watercress, and radicchio. Sprinkle lettuce mixture with remaining salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine. Arrange about 1 cup of lettuce mixture on 4 salad plates. Divide beets evenly among salads, and drizzle dressing on each salad. Sprinkle each salad with about 1 tablespoon of cheese.

Nutritional information: 127 calories, 9 grams of fat, and 253 mg of sodium.

Herb Roasted Beef and Potatoes
yield 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons chopped thyme, divided
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 (8 oz) beef shoulder tenderloin (also called petite tender), trimmed
• cooking spray
• 1 (20 oz) package refrigerated potato wedges (like Simply Potatoes)

Preheat broiler

Combine 1 tablespoon of thyme, rosemary, parsley, 1 tablespoon of oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and garlic; rub evenly over both sides of beef. Place beef on rack of broiler pan coated with cooking spray; place rack on pan.

Combine potatoes, remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of pepper; Toss. Arrange potato mixture on pan around beef. Broil 7 minutes. turn beef over. Broil 7 more minutes, or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from oven. Place beef on cutting board and let stand 5 minutes. Stir potatoes and sprinkle with remaining thyme. Cut beef across the grain into thin slices and serve with potatoes.

Nutritional information for 3 oz beef and 3/4 cup potatoes: 318 calories, 14 grams fat, 788 mg sodium

Browned Butter Brussels Sprouts

• 1 lb trimmed, halved brussels sprouts
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Steam brussels sprouts 5 minutes, or until crisp tender. Drain well.

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat; cook until butter browns. Add Brussels sprouts. Cook 6 minutes, or until tender, stirring frequently.

Stir in lemon juice, salt and pepper.

German Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cup 1% low fat milk
• 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 8 oz dark chocolate chips
• 4 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1/4 cup flaked sweet coconut, toasted
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Combine 1st three ingredients in a heavy saucepan; let stand 2 minutes. Cook over medium high heat until tiny bubbles form around the edge, but do not boil.

Remove from heat and add chocolate. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir until chocolate melts.

Pour chocolate mixture into a medium bowl; cover and chill 30 minutes until set. Gently fold in whipped topping. Spoon 2/3 cup of mousse into dessert bowls. Cover and chill 2 hours. Top each with 1 1/2 teaspoons of coconut and 1 1/2 teaspoons pecans.

Makes 8 servings.