Beef Stroganoff

A few weeks ago we did an inventory of the freezer to get a handle on what was in there.  A small stack of tenderized round steaks led me to start thinking outside of the "chicken fried steak" box.  Because, guess what, that's not on my diet.  A quick dig through the fridge and online, and I landed on a Weight Watchers recipe for Beef Stroganoff.  Now that I have quite a few more packages of tenderized round steak in the freezer, this will be a good stand by.  Especially since Cooper was a fan and the points value isn't bad for dinner.

Beef Stroganoff adapted from Weight Watchers

• 1 cup canned beef broth, low sodium
• 2 T flour
• 1 t dijon mustard
• salt & pepper
• 2 t olive oil
• 1 small onion, sliced thin
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 T light sour cream
• 2 T fresh parsley, chopped
• 3/4 pound tenderized round steak, sliced into 1/4" strips
• 8 oz whole wheat egg noodles

Cook egg noodles according to package.  Drain and set aside.

Whisk together the beef broth, flour and mustard in a large skillet over medium-high heat until blended smooth.  Continue stirring until the mixture begins to boil and thickens, about 2 minutes.  Pour into a small bowl, set aside.

Wipe the skillet clean and heat the olive oil.  Season the steak with salt and pepper and cook over medium-high heat.  Remove from the skillet and add the onion, stirring until translucent - about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and return the meat to the skillet.  Whisk the broth mixture again and add back to the meat & onion mixture.  Cook until warmed through and remove from heat.  Stir in the sour cream, parsley & noodles.

Note: we're not fans of mushrooms, so I left those out.  If you add them, saute them with the onions.  I'm not sure if it will change the points value.

WeightWatchers PointsPlus: 4 servings, 10 pointsplus

Date Night In: Filet Oscar

I've been reading the Foodie Bride recipes for a while.  I've made a few recipes, realized some aren't for me (hello...I don't eat shrimp) and then I come across those that just scare me.  The ingredients are scary, the directions are scary.  I feel like taking it on would have me way in over my head.  But there is still a part of me that wants to try.  The Filet Oscar is one of those recipes.

I love ordering filet oscar when we go out to eat.  I'm generally a meat & potatoes gal, but I also have a strange love of crab meat.  The sauce is yummy, the crab meat just adds a little something extra, and the crunch of the asparagus rounds it all out.  I've been eyeing this recipe for ages.  But every time I think I might try it, I change my mind.  It just looks like a lot of work for something that could very easily flop considering it involves all sorts of things I've never done before.

Earlier this month, we decided to have our date night in for May.  We're also in the process of cleaning out the freezer since we decided to buy part of a cow, so steaks were the first thing that came to mind.  I've whipped up a good horseradish sauce to go with filet before, but for some reason I kept thinking about the crab meat.  Maybe because Deadliest Catch is back on?

Either way, I went for it.  The end result: totally worth it.  The lesson learned: I'll pay more attention to those posts talking about using all of the dishes in the kitchen and spending more time cleaning up than eating.  Totally true.

Filet Oscar adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride

• 2 Alaskan King Crab legs
• 1/2 lb asparagus tips, blanched
• 2 beef filet steaks
• 2-3 T white wine vinegar
• 2-3 T dry white wine
• 2 T onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 T fresh tarragon
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 stick butter, cut into 4 pieces
• splash of lemon juice

To steam the crab legs, wrap in a loose foil pouch with a small amount of water.  Place in a 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.  Use forks (or small power tools) to remove the crab meat.  Add the crab meat to the asparagus tips, set aside.

Season and grill the steaks to desired temperature.  Jason prefers medium rare, I'm more of a medium person.  Remove from the grill, cover with foil and set aside.

In a small saucepan, bring the vinegar, wine, onion and tarragon to a boil.  Reduce the liquid to about 1-2 tablespoons and press through a fine mesh sieve set over a medium bowl.  Toss the solid pieces and whisk the egg yolks into the vinegar mixture.  Set over a double boiler and heat until the yolks begin to thicken, whisking constantly.  Add in the butter, one piece at a time melting completely before adding in the next piece.  Remove from the heat and add in a splash of lemon juice, salt & pepper.  Gently stir in the crab meat & asparagus. 

Top each steak with about 1/3 to 1/2 cup sauce.  It also helps to add in a nice large glass of Zinfandel.  Brought back personally from the winery.