Vietnamese Flank Steak Salad

This recipe is adapted from the Williams Sonoma Salads Cookbook featuring 365 seasonal salads.

1 lb flank steak - excess fat trimmed

Marinade:
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp fish sause
1/2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
sriracha to tatste

Salad:
2 cups Romaine lettuce
1/2 large cucumber julianned
1/4 cup bean sprouts
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1 bunch of mint
1 bunch of thai basil

Dressing:
Rice Vinegar to taste
Fish Sauce to taste

2 ounces of almonds roughly chopped for garnish

1. Score the meat and marinate for 1 hr to over night
2. Grill outdoors or indoors on a grill pan.  Discard remaining marinade.
3. Assemble the vegetables, herbs and meat over the salad and garnish with nuts. 
4. Dress to taste.

If we weren't doing a low carb meal I would likely add some honey to the dressing.  It was delicious as is though. 

Delicious Whipped Cauliflower (Yes, really)

1 head of cauliflower cored and cut into large florets
1 tbs butter
4 tbs sour cream
2 oz cream cheese
2 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper to taste

1. Steam the cauliflower until fork tender.  Be sure not to over or under cook.  Boiling is not recommended due to loss of nutrients and the additional water could make the final product too runny.

2. In a tiny sauce pan add the butter and roughly chopped garlic cloves.  Cook until lightly browned and remove from heat.

3. Add half the cauliflower, along with the cream cheese, sour cream and butter garlic mixture to your food processor or blender.  Once blended add the second half of the cauliflower and blend until creamy smooth.  Add salt and pepper to taste.


And that's it!  It truly is scrumptious!  Not the same as potatoes but possibly even better.  Please give it a try!

Other options would be to include cheese, chives or even wasabi.

Nutritional information based on 6 servings.  If you choose reduced fat sour cream, cream cheese and and substitute a healthy oil with the butter you could easily lower the fat.

	Nutrition Facts User Entered Recipe   6 Servings Amount Per Serving   Calories 77.5   Total Fat 7.1 g       Saturated Fat 4.1 g       Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4 g       Monounsaturated Fat 1.8 g   Cholesterol 19.0 mg   Sodium 52.2 mg   Potassium 87.8 mg   Total Carbohydrate 2.8 g       Dietary Fiber 1.1 g       Sugars 0.9 g   Protein 1.8 g   Vitamin A 5.2 %   Vitamin B-12 1.1 %   Vitamin B-6 4.5 %   Vitamin C 31.2 %   Vitamin D 0.3 %   Vitamin E 0.9 %   Calcium 2.6 %   Copper 0.8 %   Folate 5.1 %   Iron 1.5 %   Magnesium 1.4 %   Manganese 3.7 %   Niacin 0.9 %   Pantothenic Acid     2.7 %   Phosphorus     3.2 %   Riboflavin 3.2 %   Selenium 1.1 %   Thiamin 1.6 %   Zinc 1.1 % *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

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Recipe to try - home made beef jerky

http://thehealthyfoodie.com/home-made-beef-jerky-in-with-the-yummy-out-with-the-nasty/

NOT MY RECIPE from The Healthy Foody

Hot & Spicy Home Made Beef Jerky

Yield: Yields about 650g of finished jerky

INGREDIENTS

• 2kg (5lb) grass-fed beef brisket (or other lean cut such as top round, flank or sirloin)
Marinade
• 1 cup sweet apple cider (or unsweetened apple juice)
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup unpasteurized honey
• 2 tbsp liquid smoke
• 2 tbsp freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 tbsp smoked paprika
• 3 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp Himalayan salt
• 3 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp crushed chili pepper
• 2 dried chipotle peppers, chopped
• 1/4 tsp ground clove

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Remove all traces of visible fat from your piece (or pieces) of meat. Place the meat in the freezer for about 60 to 90 minutes, which will make it easier to slice thinly. Don’t wait until the meat is frozen solid, you just want ice crystals to start to form. It should be really firm but you should still be able to pierce it with the point of a sharp knife.
2. Slice the meat in long thin strips, going with or against the grain depending on your preference. Jerky sliced against the grain tends to be easier to chew and breaks more easily into pieces whereas jerky that is sliced with the grain will be a lot chewier and somewhat leathery.
3. Place your meat in a re-sealable plastic bag, or non-reactive container with fitting lid, and set aside.
4. In a large measuring cup or mixing bowl, add all the ingredients for the marinade and mix until very well combined. Pour over the sliced meat and mix everything around until all the strips are completely covered.
5. Place your meat in the refrigerator and let it marinate overnight.
6. VERY IMPORTANT! Before you go any further, cover the bottom of your oven with aluminium foil. Things are going to get messy!
7. Remove the strips of meat from the marinade and place them directly on your oven racks. No need to pat them dry, just let the strips drip a little bit as you remove them. If you have smaller pieces that will not fit on the racks without falling right through the cracks, arrange them on a cooling rack and place that rack right over the oven rack. You can even stack it right on top of an oven rack that already has meat on it: simply rest it on a few shot glasses or egg cups or other suitable small object. Don’t worry about it burning or breaking, we’re not going to turn the heat all that high.
8. Place your racks back in the oven, the higher the better, and set your oven temperature to 170F. If you have a convection oven, by all means, use that setting. Keep the oven door slightly open by sticking a wooden spoon or crushed aluminum can in the door. This will allow some of the heat to escape so the meat has a chance to dry without cooking.
9. Let the meat dry for about 3 hours, then flip it over and give it another 3 hours or so. Total cooking time depends a lot on the size and thickness of your strips.
10. Your jerky will be done when it’s dry enough that you can rip off a piece easily but not so dry that it’ll snap if you bend it.
11. Leave the jerky out to cool for a couple of hours, up to 24, then transfer to an airtight container or sealed plastic bag where it will keep unrefrigerated for 4 to 6 months - but I dare you to keep it that long!

Product Review - Vitamix Pro 500

Vitamix, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways:

1. You make me such a wonderful morning smoothie! Your preset smoothie switch makes it easy even for my beloved to use!

2. I love you for the amazing soups you make me! Even if my ingredients go in raw, you can turn them into soup! That soup setting is amazing! Leftover roasted vegetables become a delectable soup with the addition of just a little stock.

3. Miraculously, you take ice, almonds, honey, cinnamon and soymilk and transform them into a horchata-like ice cream! Again, the preset button helps me so much!

4. Almost above all other reasons, I love you because you are so easy to clean! A little water and soap and a quick whirl and you're ready for the next task!

Seriously, this is one gadget to get excited about. I've used it almost daily since we've gotten it (and sometimes several times a day) and it makes me very excited to make really wholesome food. Every morning we've been having smoothies for breakfast (yes for and not with breakfast). It crushes ice with the greatest of ease and also incorporates tough greens very easily. We've been trying to increase our intake of superfoods and our kale and fruit smoothies have really helped us reach our goal.

The price on this can be quite daunting! Many of you know that I'm a deal finder extraordinaire and was lucky enough to find this on sale at Macy's (and I had a discount code and used Discover for cash back). This is NOT a cheap gadget but it is the highest quality and comes with a SEVEN year warranty. I also appreciate that Vitamix is an American company based in Cleveland, Ohio - being homegrown in Ohio, you know I love that!

I'm still figuring out all the capabilities of this machine but I can see many benefits. Some great uses would be to make your own butter, nut butters, sorbets, baby food, dog food and the list goes on and on. There are some accessories available as well including a dry grinding container (for making your own flour, etc.) as well as shorter/smaller containers which make it easier to store under your cabinets.

I give this two thumbs and and heartily recommend it! What's your favorite way to use your vitamix?

Prosecco Risotto

Ingredients

• 4 thin slices prosciutto
• 3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 package mushrooms sliced thinly
  
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 shallot, finely chopped (or small onion)
  
• 3/4 cup Arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
• 3/4 cup Prosecco
  
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Place the slices of prosciutto on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake until the prosciutto slices are almost completely crisp, about 6 to 8 minutes. The slices will crisp up even more as they cool. Reserve for garnish.

In a saute pan, cook mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter. Set aside to add at the end.

In another medium saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the shallot and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the Arborio rice and stir to coat in the butter. Continue toasting the rice, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes more. Add the Prosecco and simmer until the liquid has almost evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes total. Remove from the heat. Gently stir in the mushrooms, remaining butter, Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Spoon the risotto into serving dishes and garnish by breaking the crisp prosciutto into smaller pieces over the top of the risotto. Serve immediately.

Thanks to Giada for the foundation of this recipe.

Choliday Challah

• 1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 egg for eggwash
  

1. In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over barely warm water. Beat in honey, oil, 1 egg, egg yolk and salt. Add the flour one cup at a time, beating after each addition, graduating to kneading with hands as dough thickens. Knead until smooth and elastic and no longer sticky, adding flour as needed. Cover with a damp clean cloth and let rise for 1 1/2 hours or until dough has doubled in bulk.
2. Punch down the risen dough and turn out onto floured board. Knead for five minutes or so, adding flour as needed to keep from getting sticky. Braid or shape as desired. Grease baking tray and place finished loaf on tray. Cover with towel and let rise about one hour.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. Beat the remaining egg and brush a generous amount over each braid.
5. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 40 minutes. Bread should have a nice hollow sound when thumped on the bottom. Cool on a rack for at least one hour before slicing.

This is an adaptation of a recipe found at all-recipes.

RB's Favorite Almond Cake

• 1 (7-8 ounce) package marzipan
• 1/4 cup room temperature butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• powdered sugar
  

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter and flour a 9" cake pan.
3. Cream the almond paste with the butter and sugar.
4. Mix in the almond flour.
   
5. In a small bowl, beat the eggs lightly with almond extract and add to the creamed mixture.
6. Combine the flour and baking powder and stir into butter mixture.
7. Mix with a few strokes as possible.
8. Pour batter into cake pan and sprinkle with slivered almonds.
   
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
   
10. Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!
    

This recipe is lighter and more cake-like than the Amazing Marzipan Cake recipe. We are divided - half of us prefer this cake and half the other - you can't go wrong with either!

The original recipe can be found here.