spring fever steak

I've had enough with the winter at this point and I'm ready for some warm sun and grilling. This will be one of the first recipes we try when it's finally warm enough to break out the grill.

Mojito Steak Salad

1 (8-ounce) top sirloin, fat trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh chopped mint
2 tablespoons sugar
1 ounce white rum (optional)
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper
1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped
1 red bell pepper, minced
½ red onion, minced
1 cup corn cut off the cob
8 to 10 cherry tomatoes, halved

Dressing:
½ cup light sour cream
3 tablespoons taco sauce or salsa
Juice of ½ lime
Salt and pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of olive oil, mint, sugar, rum and juice of 1 lime. Pour over steak and marinate for 15-20 minutes.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Season both sides of the steak with salt and pepper, and sear until golden- brown or desired doneness, preferably medium-rare or medium.

Let steak rest and slightly cool.

In a large bowl, mix together lettuce, peppers, onions, corn and tomatoes. Thinly slice steak and toss with salad.

Mix all dressing ingredients together, and pour over salad. Serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy of Chef Jamika Pessoa 

(apparently - I have no idea where I originally found this

 recipe but the same one is attributed to her everywhere.) 

carrot joy

The first time we made this recipe we tried it with beets, zucchini and carrots. The beets were good, but messy and there are a thousand better ways to prepare zucchini. I expected that the carrots would be okay, but nothing special. I was wrong. Though carrots are, by far, not my favorite vegetable, this recipe made them delightful. I didn't even miss the potatoes I usually make these with. They still need sour cream though, no matter what veggie you use.

Or, as we discovered, you can stuff them with goat cheese. Lay down a thin amount of veggies, add a pat of goat cheese, cover with more veggies and cook as directed.

Vegetable Latkes

3 cups grated carrot, turnip, beets or zucchini
2 eggs, beaten
Pinch of salt and pepper
Oil for frying

Wrap a light weight dishtowel around 1 cup of grated vegetable at a time and squeeze as much water out as possible.

In a bowl, mix grated vegetable with egg, salt and pepper. Start with the two eggs per 3 cups of grated vegetables to bind the latkes. After frying a few, add more egg as binder only if necessary.

Heat 1/2 cup oil over medium to medium-high heat. Toss a pinch of grated vegetable in the pan – you’ll know the oil is hot enough if it starts sizzling immediately. Scoop 1/4 cup or less of grated vegetable into your hand and form into a very loose patty. Set the patty in the hot pan and press it down gently with a fork.

Cook at least 2-3 minutes on each side, until nicely browned.

You can keep the oven at 250 degrees and keep latkes warm inside the oven while you cook the whole batch.

If the oil becomes dark or begins to smoke, it is necessary to dump out the oil, wipe out the pan and start fresh before frying more latkes.

Recipe from Mark Sisson's Daily Apple