Latin Inspired Steak and Eggs

Green Girl Goodies, August 2012

Breakfast has always been my favorite meal of the day and on the weekends when I don’t work until the evening there is nothing I enjoy more than indulging in a delicious home cooked brunch.  I say brunch not only because I sleep in and eat my meal around 11 a.m. or noon but since it is usually a heavier meal I don’t typically eat again until dinner making it truly a combination of breakfast and lunch.  My time spent living in California and working in kitchens populated by mostly Latinos exposed me to many different ways to use the amazing flavors of Latin cuisine.  This south of the border influence comes out in this version of the classic Steak and Egg breakfast.

All the recipes below were the perfect amount for 2 hungry people or could serve 4 as a lighter meal.

FOR THE STEAK:

8 oz Steak, cut into strips*

*In this case I used a strip steak but think flank steak would be nice as well.  Really you can use any cut of steak you would like but I prefer the 2 mentioned above for this particular dish.

Latin Inspired Steak Marinade 

Yield approximately 1 c or enough for a ½ pound of beef

1/3 c Yellow Onion, rough chop

1/3 c Red Onion, rough chop

1 tb Garlic, crushed

5 rings or approximately ½ tb Jalapeno Rings

2 tb Cilantro

2 tb Lemon Juice

1 tb Cholula or your favorite hot sauce

1 tb Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp Ground Cumin

1 tsp Chili Powder

2 tsp Sea Salt

-     Place the onions, garlic and jalapenos into a food processor and pulse until minced.

-     Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

-     Pour the marinade over the steak and make sure it is evenly coated.  Let stand for at least 1 and up to 3 hours to allow the flavors to combine.

Pico De Gallo #2 

Yield approximately 1 ½ cups

1 heaping cup Roma Tomatoes, small dice

½ c Red Onion, minced

½ tb Garlic, minced

3 tsp Jalapeno, minced

3 tb + 1 tsp Cilantro, roughly chopped

1 tb Lemon Juice or juice of ½ a small lemon

½ tsp Sea Salt

-     Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

The Pico can be served immediately but is better after an hour or more once flavors have developed. Pico can store properly refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 1 week.

Tortilla Chips #2

Yield approximately 2 servings

These chips are cut a little larger than your average chip so they can withstand the weight of the steak :)

4 ea Corn Tortillas, cut into 4 pieces

½ c Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 tsp Ground Cumin

3 tsp Chile Powder

2 tsp Sea Salt

1 ½ tsp Onion Powder

1 tsp Garlic Powder

-     Preheat the oven to 375.  Combine the oil and seasonings and mix well.  Add the tortillas and coat well.

-     Lay the tortillas on a baking sheet, making sure they are spread evenly.  Save the olive oil mixture for cooking your steak and eggs.

-     Bake the chips for 7 minutes on the middle rack.

-     Rotate the pan and place it on the top rack for an additional 7 minutes or until the chips are crispy and golden brown.

-     The chips will stay fresh for up to one week properly stored in an airtight container.

BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER:

Additional Ingredients:

Eggs (quantity you desire)

Sour Cream, as desired

-     Heat a non-stick sauté pan over low medium heat for the eggs.  For the steak heat a cast iron pan over medium high heat.  A regular sauté pan will work for both if you don’t have a cast iron pan.  Once the pans are hot, add enough of the seasoned oil leftover from the chips to coat the pans.

-     Add the desired amount of egg to one pan and the steak to another.  

I cooked the eggs and steak at the same time so it would all be ready at once but if you are not comfortable with that you can always do one first, then the other.  If you want to try something different, try the eggs scrambled, poached or sunny side up! 

Up Next: 

Honey Dijon Chicken Marinade and Crispy Turkey Bacon Sauce

Grape Pico de Gallo

Green Girl Goodies, June 2012

As you may have already figured out, I am a huge fan of Latin inspired dishes.  I was at home one day eating some perfect grapes when this idea came to me.  Nice firm grapes work the best in this case. 

Yield Approximately 2/3 c

½ c Red Grapes, fine chop

2 tsp Red Onion, minced

½ tsp Jalapeno, minced

1 tsp Cilantro, minced

Juice from ½ a Lemon

Juice from ½ a Lime

Salt To Taste (I used 2 Pinches of Kosher)

-          Prepare all ingredients and mix! 

-          The pico should be good for up to 2 days but I ate all mine in one night on top of some crispy pan-fried Pepper Jack and Corn Tortilla Quesadillas. (Shown below with a side of black beans topped with Cholula and Crema)

My boyfriend ate more quesadillas and less pico (above) but I went heavy on the pico and it was delicious :)

More Serving Suggestions:

-          All alone with chips

-          With Grilled/Pan-Fried/Baked Chicken

-          As a taco or tostada topping with lettuce and feta/cotija cheese

Up next…

Guacamole #1 (Two Pepper and Tapatio)

Cleansing Diet, Day 11: Black Bean Patties topped with Spicy Charred Pepper and Corn Pico de Gallo served with Cilantro Lime Slaw

The patty is shown here garnished with the corn pico and cilantro lime slaw as well as tomato slices and grilled yellow onion rings.

Black Bean Patties^

Green Girl Goodies, January 2012

Serves 2 to 4

FOR THE BEANS:

1 ½ c Black Beans, soaked
3 tb Jalapeños, rings with seeds
1 c Yellow or White Onion, rough chop
3 tb Garlic, crushed
1 tb Lime Juice
2 tsp Cumin
2 ea Bay Leaves
1 ½ tsp Sea Salt
2 tb Cumin
Purified Water

- Soak the beans in purified water for at least 4 hours and up to 12
- Drain and rinse the beans before using.
- Place the beans into a large stock pot and cover with purified water by about an inch.
- Add seasonings, partially cover the pot and bring to a gentle boil.

- Once boiling, lower heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally and adding water as needed if the beans look dry.
- Well cooked beans make better patties so cook until beans are very soft but not losing shape completely. Remove bay leaves and discard. Cooking time will vary depending on soaking time. See Bean Scene: Fun Facts and Tips for Cooking Beans for more useful information!

FOR THE PATTIES:

¼ c Cilantro, fresh minced
½ c Red Peppers, small dice
¼ c Red Onion, small dice
1 ½ tb Lime Juice
2 tb Ground Flax Seed + 2 tb Purified Water
2 tsp Agave

- Take half of the cooked beans and puree in a food processor until almost smooth. Reserve the other half in a large mixing bowl.
- Add bean puree back to whole cooked beans and add all other ingredients. Mix well to combine ingredients.
- Patties can be formed ahead of time or just before cooking. Refrigerate mix/patties until ready to use. Patties can be held in up to 4 layers (less is better), separated by parchment paper.*
- Pan sear** the cakes in a little Extra Virgin Olive oil over medium high heat. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of your patties. Thinner patties are better because they will get hot faster on the inside without burning the outside.

*Mix/patties can be frozen immediately for up to 3 months. They can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.
**There are two main rules to follow when pan searing:
- First, make sure your pan and chosen fat (oil/butter) are hot but not smoking before you add the item to be seared.
- Second, be patient! The idea of searing is to get the nice crust on your item which means letting it cook without being disturbed. Only flip once to sear both sides. If the item has more than 2 sides, for example, a piece of sushi grade tuna, flip as you need but do your best to cook your product properly while only letting each side hit the pan once!!


Spicy Charred Pepper and Corn Pico de Gallo^

Green Girl Goodies, January 2012

Yields approximately 2 cups

1 c Tomatoes, small dice
3 tsp Jalapeno, seeds removed and minced

4 tb Poblano Pepper, charred, peeled and small diced

1 c Corn, grilled, cooled and cut from the cob

1 ½ tsp Garlic, minced
3 tb Cilantro, minced
2 tb Red Onion, minced
1 tsp Agave
1 tb Lime Juice
1 ½ tsp Sea Salt

- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix. Can be served immediately but is better after an hour or more once flavors have developed. Unlike your standard tomato pico, this pico ferments faster and should be eaten the day it is prepared.


Cilantro Lime Slaw

Green Girl Goodies, January 2012

2 c Red Cabbage, julienned
2 c White Cabbage, julienned
2 tb Cilantro, minced
To Taste, Lime Juice
To Taste, Sea Salt

- Combine all ingredients, starting with 1 tb lime and 1 tsp sea salt. Let stand in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to let the flavors combine (longer is better if you have time). Test the slaw and adjust to suite your taste. The slaw can be held properly refrigerated for up to 4 days.*

*This slaw is incredibly versatile and can be used for many things. It addition to being a delicious side hot or cold, it is great in tacos/burritos, mixed into your salad, added to stir fry…just to name a few. Get creative and play with the amount of lime juice and salt or try adding red pepper flakes or your favorite hot sauce to spice it up a bit!


^ Note the similarity in ingredients between Day 10 and 11. Preparing the same item in a larger quantity will save you some time. If you don’t feel like eating such similar meals two days in a row, don’t worry! You can cook the items on the same day and keep the extra amounts for at least 2 days properly refrigerated before using them for your next meal.


Up Next…
- Cleansing Diet, Day 12: Getting lazy…and eating leftovers :)
- Cleansing Diet, Day 12: Amazing what a few fresh vegetables can do!