Steak Tips with Peppered Mushroom Sauce

We put on some weight with our recent trips to Spain and San Francisco.  So, we've been eating in a lot and making constant reference to Cooking Light.  What I liked about this meal is that it didn't taste like it came from Cooking Light at all... not that their recipes normally taste bad or anything, but this one really pulled the wool over my eyes.

Yield:
4 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup beef mixture and 2/3 cup noodles)

Ingredients:

• 2  cups  uncooked egg noodles
• Cooking spray
• 1 pound top sirloin steak, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
• 1 (8-ounce) package presliced baby bella mushrooms
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (optional)

Preparation:

1. Cook noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.
2. While noodles cook, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add steak; sauté 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan; cover.
3. Melt butter in pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in soy sauce. Sprinkle flour over mushroom mixture; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly. Add pepper, salt, and thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thickened. Return beef to pan; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Discard thyme sprigs. Garnish with thyme leaves, if desired.

It's Sunday Backwards Day

Because we seem to have issues contributing in a timely manner, I've declared today Sunday Backwards Day.  This time around, I'll write the blog entry about our Sunday dinner before we even start cooking it.  I've also had to declare it a backwards day today because the San Francisco 49ers beat the Seattle Seahawks this afternoon... well, that may not be entirely backwards, but it is at least a chance for me to take a weak shot at my San Francisco-based friends.

Anyway, here is what we plan to have on the table tonight:
Soy-glazed Flank Steak atop Spring Green Salad with Wonton Crisps

If all goes as planned, it will turn out something like this:

The Protein
Ingredients

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (not seasoned)
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon safflower oil
• 1 flank steak (11/4 pounds)
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Bring soy sauce, mirin, vinegar, ginger, garlic, and red-pepper flakes to a boil in a saucepan on high heat. Reduce heat; simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
2. Heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat; add oil. Season steak all over with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes on each side. Reduce heat to medium, and brush top of steak with some glaze; flip, and cook for 1 minute. Brush with remaining glaze, flip, and cook for 1 minute more. Transfer steak to a cutting board; let rest for 5 minutes. Slice steak against the grain into 1/8-inch-thick strips, and serve on top of or alongside spring green salad.

Okay, I'm not even finished with the posting and we already had our first cooking incident. Nothing major, just turned the kitchen into a skating rink with approximately 48.3 ice cubes scattered on the floor. No major injuries... no minor, either.

The Crisps
Ingredients

• 12 to 16 wonton wrappers (3-inch squares)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 374 degrees. Arrange the wonton wrappers on a rimmed baking sheet, making sure they don't touch. Brush tops with oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until golden brown, 7 to 9 minutes. Transfer wonton crisps to a wire rack, and let cool before serving.

The Leaves
Ingredients

• 1/2 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed, strings removed
• 5 ounces (6 cups) mixed salad greens
• 5 scallions, thinly sliced diagonally
• 2 small zucchini, thinly sliced into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
• 1/3 cup fresh basil, large leaves torn
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon rice vinegar (not seasoned)
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• Coarse salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Prepare an ice-water bath. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add sugar snap peas, and cook until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain, and transfer to ice-water bath. Drain again.
2. Toss peas, greens, scallions, zucchini, and basil in a large bowl. Whisk together vinegar, oil, lemon juice, ginger, honey, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad, and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Toss to coat, and serve immediately.

And here is the final product... all in all, it was a great tasting meal.  The only thing we would have preferred was for the steak itself to be a little less chewy.  But at least we got our exercise!

(Credit for this meal goes to Martha Stewart Living)