Jalapeno Steak and Mushrooms

Need a good meal for a game day...how about a family gathering? Break out the crock pot or the dutch oven for that matter, and make this wonderful dish. Jalapeno Steak and Mushrooms will serve 6 people easily as a full meal, or shred the meat to serve to a crowd with tortillas, pita, or flatbread. The flavors will knock your socks off!

So for your next party, or Sunday dinner, try this recipe and let me know how it turns out.  We loved it!

Jalapeno Steak and Mushrooms

Serves 6
2½ pounds boneless beef chuck steak, cut 1 inch thick
¼ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
2 fresh jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 Teaspoons cornstarch
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup snipped fresh cilantro
1 cup button mushrooms, cut into ½ inch thick slices
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
Fresh cilantro, thinly sliced

1. Trim fat from meat. Cut meat into six serving size pieces. Place pieces in a 3½ or 4 quart slow cooker. In a medium bowl stir together brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, jalapeno peppers, vinegar, tapioca, and garlic. Stir in cilantro. Pour mixture over meat in cooker. Top with mushrooms and onion.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 9 to 10 hours or on high heat setting for 4½ to 5 hours or until meat is tender. If desired, sprinkle with cilantro just before serving. 

adapted from:  Creative Slow Cooker Recipes: Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publication, 2011

Nutrition facts: Cal: 339, Pro: 40g, Carb: 16g, Fat, total: 12g, Chol: 108mg, Sat. fat: 4g, Fiber: 1g, Sodium: 618mg

Baked Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes, Herbs & Lemon

To continue on with the cooking class that I recently took.  I wanted to share with you the main course.
Baked Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes, Herbs & Lemon.

This is a low-fat, low-fuss way to enjoy tender chicken breasts.  Baking the chicken takes longer than sauteing or poaching, but it produces more flavorful meat.  The lemon infuses this dish with a light citrus flavor that is hard to beat.  Cherry tomatoes become even sweeter as they bake, making them a tasty accompaniment to chicken breasts that cook right alongside.  This has become a new favorite of mine!  It's simple to prepare, looks wonderful, and tastes even better.

For the dessert we had during the cooking class click here.  A luscious Mexican chocolate pudding!

Cooking classes are so fun, and you learn such great recipes...I'm glad I can share this with you!

See the easy prep for baking?

Finished product!

Baked Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes, Herbs and Lemon

adapted from Healthy in a Hurry

Ingredients

6 1⁄2 tsp. olive oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

2 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. ground sage

8 oz. cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1 1⁄2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

1⁄2 tsp. sea salt

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 lemon, cut into 8 thin slices

Preheat an oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a baking dish with 2 tsp. of the olive oil.

Place the chicken breast halves in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the chicken with the thyme and sage, rubbing it on the chicken slightly to adhere the herbs.   Arrange the tomatoes around the chicken. Drizzle the chicken and tomatoes with the vinegar and 2 1⁄2 tsp. of the olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper.

Top each chicken breast half with 2 lemon slices.  Drizzle the remaining 2 tsp. olive oil over the herbs. Bake until the chicken is opaque throughout,  30 minutes. Arrange

a chicken breast half on each of 4 plates, spooning equal amounts of the tomatoes and herbs around each. Drizzle with the pan juices and serve immediately. Serves 4.

Mexican Chocolate Pudding

One way to entertain myself and to keep my mind stimulated is to take cooking classes.

How many of you take cooking classes?  I think they are great!  The tips they give...teaching you new tricks and techniques.  Plus it is a great opportunity to taste new flavors and learn about new food products.  Who doesn't love that?

Recently I took a dinner class.  It's a private class in an intimate setting with 3 other people and the chef.  They focus on a theme and a cookbook, cooking courses from the book.  Then you are served a full 4 course dinner on special beautiful dinnerware and crystal.  Share the food and talking over the lessons with the chef is invaluable, and the personal attention you get is invaluable.  You gift to take with you is a copy of the cookbook.

The cookbook we previewed was Healthy in a Hurry by Karen Ansel, MS, RD & Charity Ferreira.  It is a great book with very simple, straightforward recipes, that are easy to prepare and healthy to eat.

Today's recipe showcases the dessert we had, Mexican Chocolate Pudding.  This pudding was so creamy, with a hint of spice, and a hint of heat.  I loved it.  It was the first thing I made after the class....of course!  I slightly adapted it to use just a little less cayenne pepper...I'm a wuss.

Some step by step pics...

 

 

Voila, the finish product!  YUM!

Mexican Chocolate Pudding
adapted from Healthy in a Hurry

serves 6

1/4 c light brown sugar
2 T cornstarch
1/2 t. cinnamon
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/8 t salt
2 c 2% low fat milk
2 egg yolks
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 t vanilla

In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and salt.  Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk and egg yolks.  Add brown sugar mixture, and mix well.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, until sugar  is dissolved and mixture begins to bubble around the edges of the pot, about 5 minutes.  Cook gently, stirring constantly for 1 minute longer, then remove from heat.  Stir in chocolate until melted and smooth, followed by vanilla.  

Spoon pudding into 6 ramekins or dessert glasses, dividing evenly, and smooth tops.  Place a piece of waxed paper directly on surface of each serving to prevent a skin from forming.  Refrigerate until well chilled, about 2 hours.  Serve cold.