Monday, September 13, 2010

Fajita steak salad for One!

After work I did this...After my spin class I had so much Energy I went speed-market shopping and then
zipped home to my Quinoa and grilled chicken dinner... Which of course, the man I
love doesn't want or have to eat. I was thinking dinner Salad, but he was thinking
fajitas. So since I didn't pick up tortillas, I decided he would have Fajita-salad!
And no salad is any kind of salad without my home-made Croutons! Honestly,
make my croutons just once, and if you don't think they're the Best you've ever
tasted, e-mail me and I'll send you a box of your Favorite crappy-croutons!
To make them, I dice up whatever bread I have on hand. Recently I picked up a
huge bag of ciabatta rolls at Costco; however, since they're not part of my 21-day
CLEAN Detox plan, most of them went into the freezer. To make croutons, I
just pull a few out and dice them up. Toss them with Olive oil, coarse salt, fresh
cracked black pepper, add a little crushed Garlic, and we've got great croutons!
Truthfully, it's harder to not Burn them than it is to make your
own croutons... For some reason I always forget they're toasting!
So while the Croutons are toasting, it's time to jazz up his dressing... Now
normally, I would prefer to serve a Fajita steak salad with a southwestern or
chilpotle-based dressing. But my husband is a die-hard Thousand Island guy. Sad,
but nonetheless true. And, his favorite Thousand Island dressing is any Thousand
Island dressing I add chopped hard boiled egg to. Trust me, it's a Ruth's Chris thing!   
He loves, loves, loves the Thousand Island served at Ruth's Chris steakhouse...
When I asked him why... So that I could replicate it at home for him, he said
that the only thing he could put his finger on was the chunky Egg pieces in it
Well, hell! I can boil an Egg and chop it up!
And, that's how he gets, (sorta) Ruth's Chris Thousand Island dressing at home!
So while the egg is is getting to know the Thousand Island dressing, I'm adding a
ribeye Steak to my hot cast iron skillet. Oh, look! Not-burned croutons - Yea, me!
While the steak Sizzles away, I'm prepping veg for his salad

Ribeye takes just a few minutes on each side... After the steak is
cooked, move it to a plate and cover it with a piece of foil to rest
Into the skillet, with all the yummy steak bits, add your Peppers and onions!
This is where Guacamole, pico and sour cream sounds like a really great idea! 
Focus, Janet... You have quinoa and grilled Chicken waiting for you!
I topped salad greens with my peppers, onions, sliced Mushrooms and a bit of
grated Monterey jack and Colby cheeses. And, I added a couple of boiled eggs too
To finish his dinner, I dressed it with his special Thousand Island, topped
the plate with the Steak, and sprinkled my homemade croutons over it!
Willpower don't fail me now! Quinoa, quinoa, quinoa...

9 comments:

  1. What a great looking salad! I am sure your husband loved it!!!

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  2. That dinner looks amazing! Thanks for sharing. And BTW, my bread loaf stones came in today. Can't wait to use them! XOXOXO - Denise

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  3. That is one big honkin' salad and I'd eat every bit of it...minus that dressing. gak! ha ha!

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  4. LOVE your willpower! So maybe the trick is to douse all your favorite foods with dressings you don't prefer and then they are more of turn off :)
    Spin class looks like fun! That was my favorite class I've ever taken at a gym. AHHH just the thought of an air conditioned gym sounds good to me, the workout I do now is outside, which I love except on the 105 degree days ;) then I wish for air conditioning. Great to hear you're doing well with your exercise routine and new eating plan!

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  5. Good~Cotton~Al~Mighty~DOG!
    OMGoodness!
    I do believe TERRY is THE LUCKIEST MAN ON EARTH!
    Good~Cotton~AL~Mighty~Dog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    OMGoodness!
    Go tell your hub now!
    Run tell him!
    And I mean NOW!
    Tell him HE IS Without at DOUBT...the luckiest MAN alive!
    Did you tell him?
    What did he say? ;o)
    And I just have to say...
    I am PUMPED and inspired that you went to a freakin SPIN~CLASS!
    WOW~ZIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    You GO~CLEAN GIRLIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    I am anxious to hear how THE CLEANSE is going!
    xoxoxoxoxox

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  6. Girl... you have WILL POWER!

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  7. That steak salad looks awesome! As for the Quinoa, I don't fully know the details of your detox, but have you tried it cold? I made a really easy Quinoa salad the first time I tried Quinoa - it was great because it's so flexible! I cooked the Quinoa like you do, with chicken stock, and once it was done and cooled I added chopped cucumbers, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, green peppers, and feta cheese (goat cheese would work well too). To dress it, you simply use some garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Yum yum yum!

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  8. That steak salad looks awesome! As for the Quinoa, I don't fully know the details of your detox, but have you tried it cold? I made a really easy Quinoa salad the first time I tried Quinoa - it was great because it's so flexible! I cooked the Quinoa like you do, with chicken stock, and once it was done and cooled I added chopped cucumbers, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, green peppers, and feta cheese (goat cheese would work well too). To dress it, you simply use some garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Yum yum yum!

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  9. Here I sit at 9:00pm trying not to raid the fridge and I read this. Makes me want to cook something. Totally yummy!

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