Cowboy Salsa

Hi guys --

Here's a tasty recipe I picked up from some friends. It's great eaten all by itself with a giant soup spoon, on fajitas, taco salad, or with chips. I've used garbanzo beans and kidney beans as substitutes -- I'm pretty sure it would work with most legumes.

drain and rinse the following:
1 can black eyed peas
1 can black beans
1 can shoepeg corn

mostly drain:
1 can Ro-Tel tomotoes (or any other tomatoes w/ chilies), I use "medium" heat
(or, of course, 1-2 diced fresh tomatoes and a few T green chilies or a grated jalapeno)

add:
large handful chopped cilantro
1 1/2 t salt (more or less to taste)
1 whole avocado, in small cubes

That's it. Enjoy!

Flank Steak Marinades

Flank Steak Marinades

Mediterranean Marinade:

Smash 4 garlic cloves with the leaves of 4 rosemary sprigs,
1 tsp salt, and plenty of pepper. Mix in 5 tablepoons extra-virgin olive oil,
1/4 cup red-wine vinegar, and 1 tsp sugar

Latin Marinade:

Smash 4 garlic cloves with 2-3 tablespoons fresh oregano, 1 tsp salt,
and plenty of pepper. Mix in 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 1/4 c lime juice (from 4 limes)
and 1 tsp sugar

Marinate steak in resealable bag, refrigerated, for four to 24 hours. Flip the bag occasionally.

Preheat grill, broiler, or stove-top grill pan to high. Cook steak, flipping once, to desires doneness (preferably medium-rare); total cooking time ranges from six to 10 minutes, with an average of four minutes per side. Let meat rest for about four minutes before cutting across the grain into thin slices. Each pound of meat serves about 4 people with sides.

We haven't tried the Mediterranean marinade, but the Latin one was fabulous! Enjoy!

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Dressing:
1 lemon
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/3 c sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon poppy seeds

Salad:
¼ c sliced almonds, toasted
8 ounces (1 ½ c) strawberries, hulled and quartered
½ medium cucumber, sliced and cut in half
¼ small red onion, sliced into thin wedges (1/4 cup)
1 pacakge (6 ounces) baby spinach

1. Zest lemon to measure ½ tsp zest. Juice lemon to measure 2 tablespoons juice. Combine zest, juice, vinegar, sugar, oil and poppy seeds in a small bowl. Whisk until well blended. Cover, refrigerate until ready to use.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For salad, spread almonds in single layer on a baking sheet. Bake 10-12 min or until lightly toasted. Remove from oven; cool almonds.

3. Meanwhile, hull strawberries and cut strawberries into quarters.

4. Slice cucumbers and toss with remaining salad ingredients.

I had this at a Pampered Chef party. The dressing is awesome, so I thought I'd post it. Enjoy!