Week 72: Steak Fajitas with Sweet Potato and Poblano

This week's recipe came from Real Simple. Such a beautiful magazine, and a just-as-beautiful website.

These fajitas confirmed what I already knew:

-I adore sweet potatoes.
-I should really try to cook with poblano peppers more often.
-I stink at cooking/eating/understanding meat.
-I love mexican food. Especially slathered in sour cream.

The flavors were really good. The only thing I might have added is feta cheese, but I am a little obsessed with the feta/sweet potato flavor combination at this point in my life. The steak was a little chewy for my liking, but I'm sure it added some much-needed iron to my diet. I wouldn't mind making these vegetarian next time.

Year of Yum Rating: 3 1/2 STARS

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large sweet potato (about 12 ounces), peeled and cut into 1⁄4-inch pieces
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 small poblano pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
kosher salt and black pepper
1 1/4 pounds skirt steak, cut into 4 pieces
1/2 cup sour cream
1 to 2 teaspoons chopped canned chipotle chilies in adobo
8 small flour tortillas, warmed

DIRECTIONS
1.Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
2.Add the sweet potato, onion, poblano, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
3.Meanwhile, heat broiler. Season the steak with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper and place on a broilerproof rimmed baking sheet.
4.Broil the steak for 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Let rest at least 5 minutes before slicing.
5.In a small bowl, combine the sour cream and chipotles. Fill the tortillas with the steak, vegetables, and chipotle sour cream.

Week 57: Chile-Rubbed Sirloin and Green Chile Nachos

It's been over a year since we've been cooking together, and Abby and I realized that this was our first recipe with steak. Not only that, but I can honestly say that I have NEVER made steak on my own before. I don't eat a WHOLE lot of meat, and steak is something that has always intimidated me. I don't know why because it turns out that it was SO easy. This discovery opens up a lot of food options that I might not have tried before!

I knew these nachos were delicious because my mom made them a few years ago and I loved them. They are good MAN-FOOD because they are so meaty. The avocado crema drizzled on top gives a good refreshing finish to the salty, meaty, gooey goodness!

Year of Yum Rating: 4 1/2 STARS

INGREDIENTS
4 to 5 ounces corn tortilla chips
8 ounces shredded Monterey jack (about 3 cups)
1/2 cup canned roasted green chilies, or 2 roasted and peeled green chiles, diced
1 recipe Chile-Rubbed Sirloin, diced, recipe follows
3 ounces shredded 4 or 6 Italian blend cheese(about 1 cup)
Avocado Crema, recipe follows

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F or preheat the broiler, with the rack positioned about 7 inches from the top of the oven or the heat source.

Assemble the nachos: Arrange the chips on a 12 by 18-inch baking sheet or ovenproof platter. Top each chip with a layer of Monterey Jack, followed in order by the chiles, sirloin, and cheese blend.

Bake the nachos for 5 to 7 minutes, or broil, until the cheese is soft and bubbly.

Before serving, squeeze streaks of Avocado Crema and Chipotle Mayonnaise, to taste, over the nachos, if using, and garnish with lettuce and onions.

Chile-Rubbed Sirloin:
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red chile
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
3/4 pound sirloin steak
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce

In a small bowl, combine the salt, chile, cumin, garlic, cinnamon, and pepper. Rub the steak all over with the mix. Set aside at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Heat a grill or the broiler until very hot. Rub the steak all over with the olive oil and soy sauce. Grill or broil the steak very close to the heat, about 4 minutes per side, until medium rare. Set aside for 10 minutes before slicing or dicing.

Avocado Crema:
1 ripe avocado, peeled and pit removed
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons lime juice (from about 1 1/2 limes)
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt

Puree all the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Funnel into a squeeze bottle. The mixture should be thin enough to streak easily. If not, add a few drips more lime juice or buttermilk. Plug the top of the nozzle with a toothpick and chill until read to use. The mixture will keep for 2 days refrigerated.

Week 48: Ground Beef Pitas

Abby got this recipe from "Real Simple" magazine. I was thrilled at this choice, because I have been craving red meat (hamburger specifically) like nobody's business. Mixed with the Mediterranean flavors, it was delish.

My only complaint is that it was a little dry. We thought maybe we should have heated the pitas up before we assembled them. Also, the meat might have been a little on the dry side, but we wanted to make sure it was cooked all the way through.

YOUR complaint, on the other hand, will be this: I have no pictures. I forgot my camera when I went to Abby's house yesterday. The new plan was to take pictures of leftovers, but I forgot to bring my camera to school today also! Something that you also might find offensive is the fact that I don't have the EXACT recipe to share with you, so I'm just going to tell you what I remember.

Whoa, I'm a mess.

For more (read: better) information, visit the original recipe on the Real Simple website.

Year of Yum Rating: 4 STARS

INGREDIENTS
1 lb. ground beef
hummus
pitas
red onion
flat leaf parsley
olive oil
salt
pepper
dried oregano

DIRECTIONS
1) Make 16-ish little, baby patties with the ground beef. Season with salt, pepper, and oregano.
2) Cook those little guys in a pan over medium/medium-high heat, a couple of minutes each side, probably.
3) Spread hummus on your pita. As much as your little heart desires.
4) Fill with red onion, parsley, and your cute little beef patties.
5) Eat it.

Brilliant, I know. I should write cookbook.