London Broil with Mushroom Wine Sauce
1 London broil (you can use any kind of steak you want, but this one cooks quickly and is easier to serve for a crowd)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 onions, sliced thin
2 pounds mushrooms, sliced thin (I just used baby portabella, but whatever looks good at the store will work fine)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 bottle red wine
3 tbsp grapeseed oil
Black pepper to taste
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil (for easy clean-up). Rub the steak with the olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary on both sides. Place it on the baking sheet and put it in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until it's cooked to your desired doneness (This can be done on the grill too, and it would be better, but I don't have a grill at my house and didn't feel like walking to the pool to use one). For the sauce, heat the grapeseed oil in a large pan. Add the onions and cook for 10 minutes, until they start getting soft. Add the garlic, mushrooms, and pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes. Add the wine and simmer for 10 more minutes, until the sauce reduces. For a creamier sauce, you can add 3 tbsp of (vegan or not) butter at the end. Slice the steak into thin strips and pour the sauce over it. Since I wasn't eating the steak, I made myself some eggplant steaks. I cut an eggplant into 1 inch thick rounds, brushed them with a little olive oil, and put them on my grill pan over high heat for about 3 minutes on each side. I topped these with the mushroom sauce.
I told everyone to make the prettiest plate they could for a picture and this was the winner.
My vegetarian version.
Garlic and Lemon Potatoes
2 pounds mini red potatoes
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 grated frozen lemon (I always keep a lemon or 2 in the freezer and just use my box grater to grate it)
1/4 cup vegan butter
1/2 cup unsweetened, plain almond milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Peel the skin off half the potatoes, leave them on the other half. Half or quarter them so they are all about the same size. Put them in a large pot and cover them with cold water. Bring the water to a boil, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. While they're cooking, use a tsp of the butter to sautee the garlic in a small pan over medium heat. It burns easily so watch it carefully and just cook it about 4 minutes, until it's soft. To check if the potatoes are done, poke them with a fork. If they fall off the fork easily but still keep their shape, they're done. When the potatoes are done, drain them and add the remaining ingredients. I like to keep some texture with mine, so I just mashed them up with a fork (a potato masher is on my birthday wish list).
Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
I shared this recipe once before, but it's worth repeating.
1 bundle of fresh asparagus
1 package (about 16 slices) bacon
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp balsamic glaze (I cheated and used store bought, but it's super easy to make. Just take 1 cup balsamic vinegar, and heat it over medium low heat, until it gets thick and syrupy.)
Heat your oven to 350 degrees if it's not already there. Line a cookie sheet with foil and place a cooling rack over the top of it. This way, the bacon fat will drain onto the pan and the bacon will stay crispy. To prep the asparagus, cut the woody ends off, about 1 inch from the bottom (Save these to make cream of asparagus soup, recipe to come!) Take 3 spears of the asparagus, and wrap 1 slice of bacon around your little bundle like a corkscrew. Place it on the cooling rack over the cookie sheet. Repeat this until you've used all the bacon. Sprinkle your little bundles with the sugar, cayenne pepper and black pepper, and bake until the bacon is cooked through, about 20 minutes. When it's done, arrange on a plate and drizzle the balsamic glaze over the top. For my asparagus, I just grilled it on my grill pan over high heat for 4 minutes and squeezed some fresh lemon juice over the top. Delish.
Caprese Salad with Avocado
5 ripe avocados, sliced
5 large tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup fresh basil, julienned (or chiffonade if you want to be fancy)
1 lb. fresh mozzarella, sliced into rounds
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic glaze
Simply arrange the tomato, avocado, and mozzarella into rows on a platter. Sprinkle the basil ribbons over the top, then drizzle with the oil and balsamic. That's it! Super easy and really pretty.
Isn't it pretty?!
Vegan Pound Cake
This is probably the easiest recipe I've ever made.
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 14 oz. package soft tofu
1/3 cup vegan butter
1 cup agave
1 tsp vanilla extract
Heat your oven to 350 if it's not already there. Lightly grease a cake pan. I used a 10 inch round spring form pan, but I would have liked to use a loaf pan. In a large bowl, cream the tofu, butter, agave, and vanilla together. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well. Pour the batter into the pan, and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. I topped mine with fresh sliced strawberries and coconut creme (leave 2 cans of full fat coconut milk in the fridge for a couple hours, separate the butter that forms on top and blend it with 1/4 cup powdered sugar). Bomb.com
Here's the full spread! Heyyyy Lauryn (being a creeeeeep)
So come over next Wednesday for dinner. I'll probably be making Mexican because we all know about my obsession with all things South of the Border. ;)
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