Thai Steak & Noodle Salad

 Happy Sunday everyone!  This week while grocery shopping we found an awesome deal on steak ($9 for five!), so I decided it was time to try out a new recipe I have had my eye on!  

I like to reserve Sunday for meals that will take a bit longer to prepare, but I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly this meal came together! It is a fairly light tasting salad but allows you indulge a bit by eating steak! 

The hardest part about cooking it would be making sure you cook the steak to your liking.  It helped me to cook the steaks individually.  Make sure that you allow it to rest after you are done cooking it!  Other than that it is quite simple.  Enjoy!

THAI STEAK & NOODLE SALAD

*serves 4

• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce - We did not have fish sauce so we used a mushroom soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 red Thai chile, sliced paper-thin
• zest of one lime
• 1/2 lb flank steak
• purchased Asian marinade - We used a teryaki marinade
• fresh or dried linguine
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cups mint leaves, torn
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, torn
• 1/2 cup basil leaves, torn
• 4 cups shredded cabbage (or arugula – your preference!)
• 1 mango, chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 small avocado, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped salted roasted peanuts, plus 2 tablespoons for garnish
• Lime wedges and basil leaves, for serving

1. Marinate the flank steak in Asian marinade for 2 hours.
2. In a bowl, combine the lime juice with the fish sauce, agave, oil, chile, & lime zest.
3. Cook the linguine until al dente, drain and toss with a little oil.
4. Grill the flank steak 4 minutes per side, let rest 4 minutes before slicing thinly against the grain.
5. In a bowl, toss scallions, mint, cilantro, basil, field greens, mango, cherry tomatoes, avocado & 1/2 cup peanuts with dressing. Toss in the noodles, then the beef. Mound the salad on plates or in a big family-style bowl in the center of the table. Sprinkle with remaining peanuts and serve with lime wedges and basil leaves.

Both the image and recipe were taken from this wonderful website!!

Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake

Every once in a a while I crave the delectable paring of lemons and blueberries.  Not only do they taste great together, but they look good on a plate too!  This time the answer to my craving came in the form of a very yummy pound cake. 

Pro's - It came out quite moist and held together well.  It frustrates me so much when a cake is crumbly and dry, so I was happy to find that this cake passed the moist test with flying colors.  For you lemon lovers out there, this is the cake for you! The taste is not over powering, but you defiantly can taste the zing of lemon on the end of each bite. While it is a thicker cake, it can be made with low-fat ingredients, making it a little easier on the thighs :)

Con's- My only beef with this delicious desert was that if left to sit for more than three days it began to dry out. To combat this I would suggest eating it with lots of hungry friends. 

Tips and tricks - 

One of the biggest steps that I think most people overlook while baking is the importance of creaming certain ingredients for the correct amount of time. For instance, the more time you take mixing your eggs into your batter (one at a time as the recipe usually asks you to do) you will add more volume and texture to your batter. 

One of my favorite tools in my kitchen is this juicer.  It may look like it requires a little muscle to make it work, but in reality is on of the easier hand juicers I have ever used.  It keeps the seeds out of your batter and gets almost every bit of juice out of a lemon you could ask for.  Mine was given to me, but I believe it can be found here at Sur La Table for $13.95. 

It also helps to microwave lemons for five to ten seconds just before you juice them.  This will optimize the amount of juice you get out of your fruit. 

Up to this point you have mixed all of your liquds together.  Toss the blueberries with flour. 

Then add your dry ingredients......

Mix in the yogurt....

Put it in a pan or two......

Bake and enjoy!

Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup low fat cream cheese, softened

3 large eggs

zest of one whole lemon

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tsp vanilla

3 cups all-purpose flour, DIVIDED

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1(8oz) carton of non-fat lemon yogurt.....can use vanilla if you don't have lemon

Lemon Icing - 

1/2 Cup sifted powdered sugar

4 tsp lemon juice (I used 2 tsp lemon and 2 tsp lime juice)

Instructions

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees centigrade) 

- In a large mixing bowl whip the butter for 2-3 minutes until creamy.  Add in the sugar and cream cheese and mix until creamy.  Next add in the eggs one at a time! Make sure to mix the batter for 1-2 minutes after each addition. Then add in the vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest. 

- In a small bowl mix the blueberries with 2 tbsp of flour.  Mix until all of the berries are covered. 

- Add the remaining flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the mix.  Then add in the yogurt and blueberries. 

 - Pour mix into two pans that have been prepped with cooking spray.  Tap the pans on the counter to get rid of any nasty air pockets in the cake and put 'em in the oven!  Bake at 350 for 1 hour.  

- DON'T FORGET - cool your cake for ten minutes in the pan.  If you try to get it out sooner you will only tear it apart.  After ten minutes loosen the sides and bottom with a fork and then remove.  Combine the powdered sugar and citrus juice to make a lovely icing and drizzle over the top of the cakes.  Give them a few more moments to rest, then enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping by!  Happy eating!