Grilled Steaks with Cilantro Sauce

Normally my husband is in charge of steaks around our house.  But, when I saw this recipe in my most recent Taste of Home, I decided to give it a try.  WOW...it is GOOD!!!  Needless to say, we devoured this meal!!  Trust me, if you make it, your family will devour it too!

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Grilled Steaks with Cilantro Sauce

2 cups fresh parsley leaves

2 cups fresh cilantro leaves

1 cup fresh mint leaves

8 garlic cloves, chopped

1 3/4 tsp kosher salt, divided

1/2 tsp plus 3/4 tsp fresh ground pepper, divided

2 cups olive oil

2/3 cup red wine vinegar

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

4 lbs. beef flat iron steaks or top sirloin steaks (1 in. thick)  ***I didn't see flat iron steaks, so I asked at the counter (at Sprouts) and they cut them for me.  

***I halved this recipe.  Even halved, it made a ton of cilantro sauce.  I think I will 1/4 it next time.

Place herbs, garlic, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper in a food processor;  pulse until herbs are chopped.  Gradually add oil, vinegar, lemon juice and pepper flakes, processing just until blended.  Sprinkle steaks with remaining salt and pepper.  Grill, covered, over medium heat for 6-8 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness.  Cut steaks into 1/4 in slices and serve with sauce.

Seriously easy and seriously delicious!!!  We decided these would be great in tortillas or in a salad too.  Enjoy!  :)

Andes Sugar Cookies!

I don't remember where I heard about this recipe (if you can even call it that!)...but I know it was YEARS ago!  I had a tube of sugar dough in my refrigerator and remembered these fun, CRAZY EASY cookies and thought I would make them for my son.  OK, and me too!  There are two ingredients and a few minutes until a yummy treat is served!!

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Andes Sugar Cookies

1 tube of sugar cookie dough

1 package of Andes Mint Candy

Cut your dough into circles and lay on cookie sheet.  Place one Andes Candy on each circle and top with another circle.  Press the edges to seal.  Bake according to sugar cookie dough instructions.  (Pull them out a minute or so early if you like soft cookies...that is my favorite way to eat these!)

These are so good!!  Enjoy!  :)

Crunchy Black Bean Tacos

We recently had some friends over for dinner and I wanted to make something that would be easy to prepare while talking.  :)  You know how that goes, right??  Something where you don't have to concentrate too hard or look at the recipe over and over again?  I found this recipe from Endless Simmer and it was so good!!  I mixed everything up before friends arrived and just made them while they were here.  So easy, so good!

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Crunchy Black Bean Tacos

2 cups black beans, cooked (I just used canned and heated them up in the microwave)

1/2 cup red onion,minced

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

4-6 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated

2 Tbsp. olive oil

Pinch of salt and pepper

8 corn tortillas (I was able to make more than 8)

condiments of your choice...salsa, sour cream, guacamole...

In a medium bowl, add beans along with red onion, cilantro, and spices.  Add a pinch of salt and lightly mash all of the ingredients together.  

In a large non-stick skillet, add a few Tbsp of olive oil and heat over medium-high heat.  Add one corn tortilla at a time and let each get hot int he oil for a few seconds.  Then add about 1/4 cup of the bean filling to one half of the tortilla.  Top with a sprinkle (or more!) of grated cheese.  Using a spatula, carefully fold the tortilla over so it forms a shell.  Press down lightly on the tortilla so it holds its shape.  As the first tortilla cooks, move it to the side and do a second one.  Depending on the size of your pan, you should be able to get 2 or 3 tacos at once.  Cook each taco for about 3 minutes per side until they are nicely browned and crispy.  When flipping the taco to cook on the other side, use a spatula and flip the taco toward the fold so the filling doesn't fall out.

Yum...SO good!!!  They are so crispy and so filling!  Enjoy!  :)

Honey-Lime Chicken Skewers

I pinned these from Kitchen Meets Girl recently and knew I had to try them immediately.  They did not disappoint!  They were crazy easy and tasted fantastic.  I see these on the menu a lot this summer!!

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Honey-Lime Chicken Skewers

3 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

juice of one lime

2 garlic cloves, minced

1-2 tsp Sriracha (I had a hard time finding this...it was with the Asian food and the kind I bought was made by Kikkoman)

red pepper flakes, to taste

2 Tbsp cilantro

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients except the chicken and mix thoroughly.  Pour marinade over chicken breasts and turn to coat.  Cover and allow to marinate for at least one hour.

 Put chicken on skewers and grill on medium high heat for 6-8 minutes per side, until juices run clear.

Seriously delicious stuff here!  They do have a bit of a kick to them, so have some water ready!  Enjoy!  :)

Chicken Pesto Panini

Oh, how I love a good sandwich, and I REALLY loved this one!!!  The original recipe from Damn Delicious was for a Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Pesto Panini.  I've said it before and I'll say it again...I love anything with Peso.  So, I thought I'd give this sandwich a try, but I substituted the turkey for baked chicken breast and it turned out AMAZING!!  I didn't even get to add the avocado to mine (it was bad when I cut into it..boo!) and it was still amazing.  So, if you love a good sandwich and you love pesto, you will LOVE this!

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Chicken Pesto Panini

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 loaf of French bread cut into 4 equal pieces

1/2 cup pesto

4-8 ounces mozzarella, sliced

2 cups sliced baked chicken

2 roma tomatoes, sliced

1 avocado, sliced

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat.  Spread pesto over each side of French bread.  Top with mozzarella, chicken, tomatoes, avocado, and top half of bread.  Repeat for remaining sandwiches.  Add sandwich to a pan and grill until bread is golden and the cheese is melted, about 2-3 minutes per side.

This really is amazing!!  Enjoy!  :)

Fruit Flowers...a Spring Snack!

My son came to me this morning with a picture of a "recipe" out of his Humpty Dumpty kids magazine.  He really wanted to make these "flowers" and I couldn't resist his request!  So, if you need a little Spring treat for your little one, or just a healthy snack for yourself, whip these up today!  :)

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Fruit Flowers

Graham Crackers

Peanut Butter

Raisins

Apple slices (thinly sliced)

Grapes (halved)

Banana slices

Spread peanut butter on the top of a graham cracker and let your little one build their own "flower" to eat!  You could even slice a bell pepper or use a stick of celery as a stem.  :)

Enjoy!  :)

Chicken Fajita Sizzling Salad with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette

I love a great salad.  I love ordering salads at restaurants.  It is actually one of my favorite things to eat.  But...I never seem to make great salads.  They just never have the wow that I taste when I order them out.  Until now!  I got this from Iowa Girl Eats and oh my it is good!!  If you love a great salad too, then give this one a try!!  Don't let the ingredient list or steps scare you...it isn't bad!

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Chicken Fajita Sizzling Salad with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette

For the marinade:

Juice of 1/2 a lime

1-1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 garlic clove, crushed

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Combine marinade ingredients in a large bowl, then add two sliced chicken breasts and toss to coat.  Cover then let sit and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.

 For the Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 cup cilantro
2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove
salt and pepper

Combine ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Set aside.

 For salad:

2 chicken breasts, sliced

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

1 zucchini, but into sticks

1 tbsp canola or vegetable oil, divided

6 cups chopped romaine lettuce

1 tomato, cut into wedges

1/2 avocado, chopped (I used a whole avocado!)

Divide lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado between two plates.

 Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a large skillet.  Remove garlic clove from chicken then carefully add in one layer on the bottom and cook for 1 minute undisturbed.  Stir then saute until cooked through, about a minute or two.  Remove chicken to a plate and set aside.

 Heat remaining 1/2 tbsp oil in skillet and add onions and zucchini.  Cook for 1 minute undisturbed, then stir and saute until tender, about another minute.  Add chicken back into the pot and stir to combine.

 Top salad with cooked chicken mixture and drizzle with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette.  

This is so delicious!!!!  The dressing is amazing as is the marinade.  Enjoy!  :)