Bloody Mary Marinated Tri-Tip

This is perhaps my all time favorite beef marinade. It works equally well with tri-tip as it does with flank or skirt steak. It's got a hint of heat, a dash of sweet, some great salt, and the lime and tomato work together to break down some of the toughness you can find with this cut of meat. Once cooked, the subtle flavors of the meat compliment so many things without overpowering other flavors, that I've used as a base for many different recipes. From beef fajitas to skirt steak topped with chimichurri sauce; a cous-cous steak salad to a cheese steak sandwich, it's a versatile* marinade you need to have in your repitoire. Plus, it's super easy to make, and you can use the left over ingredients to make yourself an actual Bloody Mary while you wait.

Ingredients:

2 tri-tip cuts of beef, approximately 4lbs of meat

4 cups of tomato juice

1/4 cup of grapeseed oil

1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce

2 Tablespoons creamy horseradish

1 TBlsp celery seed

1 tsp celery salt

Juice of 1 lime

2 tsp white pepper

I garlic clove, minced

2 tsp salt 

Dash of Tabasco sauce

Directions:

Place tri-tip in a large (gallon) ziplock bag. Pour in tomato juice, oil, Worchestershire, and lime. Add dry ingredients. Seal bag, omitting all air, and manipulate liquid around meat until combined. Place in fridge for 4-6 hours. 1/2 hour before grilling, remove meat, pat dry, and let sit out to rest.

Grill on a medium flame, turning every 8 or so minutes, until meat feels firm, but still has some give. (About 25 minutes). Remove from heat and lest rest for 20 minutes. Carve against the grain. 

*lest you think I was over confident about its versatility, we originally served this particular tri-tip as fajitas with grilled veggies. Today I repurposed it as a salad tossed with leftover taco toppings, rose vinegar, evoo, and topped with smoked sea salt. It's the marinade that keeps on giving.

Fresh Corn and Arugula Salad with Rose Vinagrette

We received some beautiful fresh corn on the cob with our box last Thursday, and immediately I knew I wanted to make a corn salad. I make several varieties of corn salad- and almost all of them during the summer. Corn screams summer, and this salad is a great alternative to grilling corn for the forth of July!

The key here, is to make sure all your ingredients are dry before combining. That way, they are enhanced by the Vinagrette, as opposed to soaking it in and becoming soggy. You can make the dressing ahead of time, and simply toss right before serving.

Ingredients:

4 ears of corn, husks removed

2 cups of arugula, washed and patted dry

1 16oz container of fresh mozzarella bites in water, strained, patted dry, and halved 

1 carton of cherry heirloom tomatoes

2 avocados, chopped, run through cold water, and dried

8 basil leaves, chiffonade  

Directions:

Bring a pot of water to boil. Using a sharp knife, remove corn kernels from cob. (If you do this over a kitchen towel, the kernels will stick to the towel, and not all over the floor). Place kernels in boiling water for 3 minutes. Strain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Dry.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, gently tossing to combine. 

For the Dressing

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rose vinegar

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp sugar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine in Tupperware, cover, and shake until combined. Add to salad, a little bit at a time, being careful not to overdress, just before serving.

Simple Summer Strawberry Salad

Are we loving the alliteration? No? Just me then... So, in last week's FMB loot, I received some amazing fresh Stawberries (or Strawbs as my Aussie friend Alex is want to call them), Red Romaine, and leftover spring onions. Perfect for a BBQ side salad!

Ingredients:

1 head Red Romaine Lettuce, washed and torn

1 head Butter Lettuce, washed and torn

1 carton Fresh Strawberries, sliced

1 bunch (about 6) spring onions, primarily the light green part 

1/2 cup pistachios, shelled 

For the Dressing

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Pomegranate Vinegar

1/3 cup Vegetable Oil

1-2 tsp sugar, adjusted to taste depending on sweetness of vinegar 

Pinch of sea salt

Directions:

Combine dressing ingredients in a lidded container. Shake to blend.

Place lettuce in a large bowl. Toss with just enough dressing to coat leaves. Sprinkle strawberries, onions and pistachios on top.

Grilled and Chilled Veggie Pasta Salad with Basil dressing

This was a fun one! It's super simple to replicate, and easy to change up depending on what you have in your fridge and your pantry. You can use the basil dressing as a marinade, to coat lettuce for a green salad, drizzled over fish, or eaten straight out of the bowl with a spoon (yes, I have been known to do this...shhhhhh). I used orzo, but any small bite sized pasta would work just as well. 

To start, bring a large pot of salted water to boil, and add in one package of orzo. After cooking for about 7 minutes, remove pasta, rinse with cold water (I only rinse my pasta if I am going to chill it, the cold water helps the pasta not stick together in one large pasta blob, otherwise it's a no-no). When pasta reaches room temperature, remove from cold water, drain and place in bowl. Drizzle a small amount of grapeseed oil over pasta, toss, and refrigerate.

For the dressing:

Ingredients:

10 large basil leaves

2 cloves of garlic

1 Tablespoon honey

1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard

A dash of salt and pepper

1/2 cup white balsamic dressing

1/3 cup grapeseed oil

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except for oil in a blender. Blend until combined. While blender runs on low, slowly drizzle in oil, only until mixture is combined.

Reserve at least 1/2 cup of dressing, and refrigerate. Toss pasta with just enough dressing to coat, and return to fridge. Let pasta sit in fridge for a bit to absorb flavor. 

For Veggies:

Ingredients

4 assorted varieties of summer squash, thinly sliced

6 green onions

1 bunch of pencil asparagus

1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup grapeseed oil

Directions:

In a large ziplock baggy add vegetables, oil, and vinegar. Sprinkle in a dash of salt and pepper. Close bag and shake to coat. Let vegetables rest for at least 30 minutes at room temp.

Heat indoor grill pan to medium. Grill veggies until barely tender, about 4-6 minutes a side. Veggies should have slight-brown grill marks, but not be falling apart. Cool. 

Cut asparagus into bite sized pieces, squash into strips, and slice the green onions.

To composes salad. Chiffonade 10 fresh basil leaves, and add to pasta. Add veggies to pasta. Add leftover salad dressing to pasta dish, 1/4 cup at a time, tasting I between additions, to make sure that salad is not overdressed. Refrigerate until serving time.

BBQ Pork Lettuce Wraps with a Cabbage/Radish Slaw

BBQ Pork. Lettuce Wrap. Cabbage/Radish Slaw. It's pretty much the perfect marriage. A little bit sweet, a little bit spicy with both a crunch and a melt-in-your mouth creaminess. It's what's for dinner.

BBQ Pork

Ingredients

3 1/2 - 4 lb pork shoulder roast

1 sweet onion, peeled and sliced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

8 cups, two boxes, of chicken stock

Your favorite sweet BBQ sauce

Sugar, salt, and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 450. Let pork rest outside the fridge for 30 minutes. Pat dry with paper towel. Season all over with sugar, salt and pepper. Pour BBQ sauce in hand (about 4 TBSP) and rub all over meat. Layer sliced onions on the bottom of a heavy, oven safe Dutch oven. Add minced garlic. Coat with 2 TBSP off BBQ sauce. Place pork roast on top of onions.

Roast for 15 minutes at 450, to seal in juices. Turn heat down to 325. Add 8 cups of chicken stock to pan. Liquid should almost cover roast. Roast for 3 1/2 hours. 

Remove from oven. Reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid, and all of the onions. Place roast in large bowl. Remove any ties, and shred meat with forks. Add cooking liquid, onions, and 1 cup BBQ sauce to bowl. Stir.

Cabbage/Radish Slaw

Ingredients

1 large head of green cabbage, core removed and shredded

6 radishes, sliced thinly

1/2 bunch of Italian parsley, leaves diced

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 TBSP sugar

In a small bowl wisk sugar into vinegar until dissolved. Stream in vegetable oil while whisking. Set aside.

In a large bowl toss shredded cabbage, radishes, and parsley. Pour dressing over and toss. Let sit in fridge for several hours.

Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

Butter lettuce, leaves removed and intact

BBQ pork

Cabbage/Radish Slaw

Directions

For each cup take one lettuce leaf, add heaping spoonful of pork, and top with slaw.

Winter Wild Rice Salad

I first came up with this dish when I was coming up with additional sides for Thanksgiving... But let's be honest, you can use it for any occasion.  It's a great side dish and, since it's served cold, you can use it any time of the year. The only reason I've termed it "winter" is because of its colors... The red and the green play against the wild rice nicely.

Too be fair, it's not solely wild rice, I use a rice blend... However, you could use only wild rice if you wanted, and I think it would be just as pretty.  And definitely as tasty!

Ingredients:

1 cup wild rice

1 cup long grained white rice

2 Tbs olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced

4 cups of chicken stock (you can substitute vegetable stock to make a vegetarian version)

1 package of dried cranberries, chopped

6 green onions, white and light green part only, sliced

4 celery stems sliced and chopped

1/2 bunch of Italian parsley, leaves pulled and chopped

Juice and zest of one orange

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

3 TBSP Orange Marmalade

2 TBSP Dijon Marmalade

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add garlic, and stir for one minute. Add in rice, and sauté for 3 minutes. Add in chicken stock and bring to a boil. Turn down heat to low, cover. Cook until rice has absorbed stock, between 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool.

In a separate bowl, whisk orange juice, zest, vinegar, marmalade, Dijon, and oil. 

Add half of dressing to rice, and let sit overnight. 

Before serving, add cranberries, onions, celery and parsley to rice. Taste and add salt and pepper, and additional dressing as needed to taste.

Asian Sesame Chicken Salad

This is one of those recipes, where I (gasp) use not only a canned ingredient, but also a packed flavoring for salad dressing. So NOT like me, but I've yet to find a better substitute even in fresh ingredients... there's just something about this flavor combination that makes this salad WORK. So please, forgive me, and hold your critique until you taste it.

Ingredients:

Salad:
2 Panko crusted sesame chicken breasts, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 head of Napa Cabbage, core removed and shredded thin
2 TBS sesame seeds
1 package of Oriental Flavor Top Ramen Noodles
2 TBS slivered almonds
1 cup edamame (shelled)
1 English cucumber, peeled and julienned
1 large can of mandarin oranges
6 green onions, sliced

Directions:

Salad:
Pre-heat oven to 400. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Crumble the ramen noodles (do NOT cook) into bite sized pieces on the baking sheet.  Toss noodles with sesame seeds and slivered almonds. Bake until golden brown, just about 10 minutes, but watch them carefully! They will go from golden brown to burnt in a few seconds.  Let cool.

In a large bowl mix cabbage, chicken, edamame, cucumber, onions, and oranges. When cooled, add toasted ingredients. Toss with tongs.


Dressing:
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable or grape seed oil
Oriental flavoring package from the Top Ramen
2 TBS sugar

Combine ingredients in a bowl or container that has a lid. Close and shake to combine. This will make more dressing than you need, so toss a little bit at a time with the salad until cabbage is just glistening.

Steakhouse Chop Salad

Sad, but true... I tend to judge a steakhouse not only by it's quality of meat, but also by the vegetables it offers. I'm a true carnivore, but I need some greens to go with it. This is my version of one of my favorites. It calls for iceberg lettuce and I am quite aware that as lettuce goes there is no redeeming health benefit, however... Iceberg allows the other flavors of the salad to shine, and makes a nod to the other great steakhouse salad... the wedge. The dressing is sweet, spicy, and tart, as are the ingredients... it's sure to be a favorite of yours, as it is of mine.

Ingredients:


Dressing
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs red wine vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1 small garlic clove, smashed and minced
3/4 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt


Salad
1/2 head of iceberg lettuce, chopped into approximately 1/4 inch square pieces.
1 large, firm, beef steak tomato, chopped
4 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
3 hearts of palm, rinsed with outer layer removed and only the most inner part chopped. You can find them in a jar, usually near artichoke hearts and olives.

1 shallot, minced

Directions

Dressing
In a small bowl, combine garlic, sugar, salt, mustard, and vinegar. Whisk together to fully incorporate ingredients. Once combined, while whisking, slowly add in the olive oil in a slow and steady stream. This will help to hold the dressing together.

Salad
In a large bowl, toss all the ingredients together. Pour dressing over all, and toss to full coat. Serve immediately.

Lindsay's Pea Salad

1 1/2 bags of frozen peas

8 slices of bacon (I bake mine in the oven at 400, on a broiler pan for 20 minutes) crumbled

1 large shallot, minced

(chill above ingredients overnight, and mix together)

Dressing

1/4 cup mayo

Juice of one whole lemon (I microwave it for 10 seconds, before halving, to really get a lot of juice)

1-2 Tbsp fresh Dill

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp granulated garlic

10 grinds of white pepper

Whisk together until totally combined and then spoon over peas, bacon, and shallots. 

Spring Salad

1 bag frozen sweet corn

2 Vine Ripened Tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1/2 bunch of Italian Parsley, rough chop

1 Avocado
1/2 lemon
Vegetable Oil
Pinch of Sugar
Salt/Pepper

Blanch corn in boiling water for 3 minutes. Run under cold water to stop cooking process. Drain and add to bowl.

Add tomatoes and parsley.

Pit and chop avocado. Add to corn, tomatoes and parsley. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon over the vegetables. Drizzle vegetable oil and add a pinch of sugar. Salt and pepper to taste.