Best Fillets Ever

If I want to cook to impress, this is absolutely my go-to dish. But it's certainly not lite eating. The two secrets that make this recipe sing are 1. searing the meat in a VERY hot cast iron skillet and 2. The salty butter you pop on top when you throw your steaks in the oven. I should mention that I have been making these bad boys on Friday nights before my long Saturday morning runs and they have provided me with so much energy! There are so many conflicting studies on whether to carb-load vs. protein-load prior to race day but a big juice steak has been working for me so when my half marathon rolls around, this is what I'll be eating the night before. But I digress, per usual. Here is the recipe for two:

• 2" thick grass fed fillets from a good butcher, 8-10 oz each. I've been getting mine at Whole Foods & Gelson's
• 2 Tbsp salted butter (I like to stick to the super organic kind as well, you taste the difference)
• EVOO
• Kosher salt
• Cracked pepper

Here is what you do:

• Remove your steaks from the fridge an hour before preparation and coat with olive oil and then cover in Kosher salt and cracked pepper (very important for the proper crusty sear)
• When ready to cook, preheat oven to 425 degrees
• Heat the cast iron on high heat for 5-7 minute, I put a dash of olive oil in the pan. You want to see the pan steaming (open your doors or set the kitchen fan on b/c you will set off the smoke alarm)
• Pop the steaks in pan and sear on 5 different sides for two minutes a side. (top, bottom and three edges)
• Place 1 Tbsp of butter on each steak and transfer to the oven. Cook for 6 mins for medium rare, 8 for medium
• Let the steaks sit for 10 minutes after removing from the oven, this is VERY important. I like to take a spoon and pour the pan drippings, aka butter, over the steaks several times to really let the buttery flavor permeate the steaks. Don't cut into the steaks before serving, this destroys the process!

I like to serve with either roasted potatoes or crusty garlic bread along side a beautiful garden salad with tons of veg. 

Greek Salad

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how to whip up a great Greek salad but I'm including this recipe on the blog because A.) I believe the Greek dressing recipe is worth it's weight in gold and B.) the salad recipe is intended as a reminder of how simple making dinner at home can be, not to mention healthy. I use the dressing as a substitute for mayo on a sandwich or simply drizzled over roasted veggies. Also, there are lots of variations on the salad ingredients, most often I like to grab a rotisserie chicken and pop some slices atop the salad to make it a complete meal.  I also like to keep a lot of the ingredients aka the pre-made dressing and the bell peppers and cucumbers pre-chopped in my fridge so that when I get home from work all I have to do is cut up an avo and an onion and toss everything into a bowl and voila. The recipe serves four.

The dressing:

• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 Tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 Tsp Dijon 
• 1/4 C apple cider vinegar (healthiest vinegar option)
• 1 Tsp Kosher salt
• Few turns of freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 C good EVOO

The dressing recipe is more than enough for a salad for four, I like to save it for later use, 3/4 of the recipe is perfect on a salad for four.

The salad:

• 1 bag of lettuce, I'm partial to romaine and butter lettuce and toss in some arugula
• 1 ripe avo, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 4 oz. crumbled feta
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 chopped tomato
• 1 diced cucumber