A Two-fer! Steak and cauliflower

I must give credit where credit is due, and because I'm too lazy to copy/paste/type out recipes, links you shall receive!

First, when I switched to the primal lifestyle, I was worried "what will happen to all of the food magazines I subscribe to and all of my cookbooks?!" but the more I transition it into my daily life, I realize that, for the most part, it's very simple!  Granted, the recipe for pretzels I pulled out just because they looked so good fall NOWHERE in my new way of eating, but rules were meant to be broken, right?  ;)  Besides, if I make (and subsequently) eat homemade pretzels even once a year, eh, it's not going to kill me.  And flipping through months of unread magazines the past few days has given me some new ideas, two of which I used to cook a fantastic, and primal-approved, meal.

First up, Rachael Ray's pinwheel steaks.  I followed the recipe except instead of using jarred peppers (because I'm not going to spend money on a jar of peppers when I only need 1 pepper and I don't like roasted peppers, so I made my own (super simple, btw, just slice a pepper in half and place the cut side down on a baking sheet brushed with olive oil and place under the broiler for about 15 minutes or until the outside is charred, then place the peppers in a bowl and wrap with plastic wrap and let it steam until the skins easily peel off), and I added goat cheese.  Why, you ask?  Umm, because it's goat cheese, duh!!  The steak was fantastic, and while I don't really like arugula, the pesto came out nice except it was super thick, despite adding more EVOO, but still good.  Will definitely make this again.

Next up is roasted cauliflower with dates and pine nuts.  Yes, I'm that strange girl who doesn't have ketchup in her fridge (eww, HFCS!) but has dates and pine nuts.  Originally I was going to use the cauliflower to make cauliflower pizza again, but saw this recipe and was intrigued.  I could have cut the cauliflower a bit smaller, and maybe brushed it with some EVOO before roasting for extra flavor, but it was good, and while the pine nuts got a little bit more toasty then I would have liked, thankfully they didn't burn (those things are expensive!!) and the dates?  Gave it a wonderful flavor. 

Very happy with both of these dishes and will definitely make again!

Steak

If you know me, you know I love a good steak. But I never order them at restaurants because 1) they are always overpriced and 2) I don't like how they are cooked. I order it medium and it's either overcooked or undercooked. So instead, I make my own at home.

A couple of years ago I discovered a new cut at the grocery store called a Teres Filet (also called Shoulder Tender, Bistro Tender and Petite Tender). The Certified Angus Beef website puts it in the Chuck category and says it's one of the most tender beef cuts, it resembles a pork tenderloin in shape and size, and it's a lean yet juicy, with excellent flavor.

And they are right! On the rare occasion that I splurge on myself and get steak to cook, I usually end up with this. It's only $5.99/lb and it is delicious. It is extremely tender and the flavor is delicious. A while back one of the steak restaurants in the area decided to buy the entire supply of these and market them as their own "signature" cut, and were charging like $15 for one. Ridiculous! Again, this is why I prefer to cook at home.

I prefer to grill it (because really, a steak always tastes better on the grill) and marinate it for a couple of hours with some A-1 steak sauce and worcestershire sauce (just enough to coat the steak) and grill on medium-high heat for about 15-20 minutes (depending on thickness, mine are usually about an inch thick) for a medium cooked steak.

I tried to find the nutritional information on this cut, but it was hard enough to just find a description of it, but if you happen to see one at the meat counter, pick one up, you won't be disappointed! (And if I ate a balanced meal like the one above every day, well, one can dream...)