february has wings
This week I submitted my Portfolio, a conglomeration of my work as a doctoral student that counts as my qualifying exam. Then I'll officially be a doctoral candidate. My graduation timeline for next May is tight, though, so my advisor urged me to begin working on my proposal in the interim. I'm aiming to be finished with that on March 31st. There's a lot of work to be done between now and then. It's a little intimidating, but I have been pretty steady in my productivity as of late.
Last weekend Cory and I went on one of our crazy adventures. We were both craving steak for some reason, so we decided to pick out some new recipes from my Weight Watchers cookbook and give them a shot. In search of perfect meat, we headed to Meatland in Broadalbin, which we had seen advertised on billboards on our way to the cider mill last fall, and again on the way to the creepy comedy club we went to for New Years Eve.
Admittedly, we had high expectations, but even if we had just been in the area and casually decided to stop by, I can't help but think it would have been just as terrifying. Not having a complete address, we relied on Cory's GPS to get us close. But when we arrived at an intersection with a sign oriented on the diagonal reading "MEATLAND! Stay right 3 miles," we knew they were just messing with us.
::fast forward half an hour of aimless driving in circles and retracing our steps::
When we finally did find the place with the help of a very sweet little old man clad in head-to-toe plaid (which required *three* distinct right hand turns from the sign's original locale, mind you), it turned out to be a sketchy, one-room butcher shop. We approached the counter, and asked the guy if he had any filet mignon. Only selling in bulk, he refused to give us two steaks, and instead offered us some t-bones from inside the case. T-bones have never been my favorite cut, so I asked if he had anything else. The, grabbing the exact same piece of meat, he asked if a porterhouse would work. Disheartened, we took 'em and left... only to get caught in the middle of a recreational wrestling match between two employees in the twenty feet between the counter and the door.
As soon as we were outside, we ran to the car and simultaneously burst out laughing. So much for our adventure to Meatland. It still makes for a great story. :)
And a great dinner! I have placed the recipes we tried below the cut. They were all healthy, simple, and delicious!
Grilled Filet Mignon & Chipotle Butter
(Makes 4 servings - 4 points/serving)
Ingredients:
4 tsp. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 small chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely chopped (~1/2-3/4 tsp.)
1 tsp. grated lime zest
5/8 tsp. salt
4 (3 oz.) filet mignons (1/2 in. thick, trimmed of visible fat)
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
Instructions:
1. Combine the butter, chipotle, lime zest, and 1/8 tsp. of salt in a small bowl; mix well. Wrap in plastic wrap, rolling to form a small cylinder. Freeze 10 mins.
2. Set up grill for medium-hot indirect heat, and spray nonstick skillet with nonstick spray; or heat a grill pan over med-high heat. Sprinkle the filets with the remaining salt and pepper. Grill the steaks, 3-4 mins. on each side for medium-rare. Transfer to serving plates.
3. Slice the butter into 4 disks and top each filet with a disk; serve immediately.
Herbed Quinoa with Peas and Scallions
(makes 4 servings - 4 points/serving)
Ingredients:
1 c. quinoa, rinsed
1 c. orange juice
3/4 c. water
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 c. frozen peas, thawed
3 scallions, finely chopped
1/4 c. finely chopped fresh basil
3 tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp. grated orange zest
Instructions:
1. Combine the quinoa, orange juice, water, cumin, and 1/4 tsp. salt in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until all of the liquid is absorbed (15-18 mins.)
2. Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet over med-high heat, heat the oil. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 sec. Add the peas, scallions, and the remaining 1/4 tsp. salt. Saute until heated through, about 2 mins.
3. Transfer the quinoa to a bowl and stir in the pea mixture, basil, cilantro, and orange zest; mix well. Serve at once or at room temperature.
Classic Roasted Vegetables
(Makes 4 servings - 2 points/serving)
Ingredients:
2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and cut into 4 panels
1 medium zucchini, trimmed and cut on the diagonal into 1/4-inch slices
1 medium yellow squash, trimmed and cut on the diagonal into 1/4-inch slices
1 medium vidalia onion, root end left intact and cut into 8 wedges
1 lb. thick asparagus trimmed
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. dried basil
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 450F. Place one oven rack in the upper third of the oven and one in the lower third. Spray 2 baking sheets with nonstick spray; set aside.
2. Cut each bell pepper panel on a diagonal into 2 triangles. Transfer the peppers into a large bowl and add the zucchini, yellow squash, onion, asparagus, garlic, oil, vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper. Toss well to evenly coat with seasonings. Divide the vegetables between the 2 baking sheets.
3. Bake the vegetables, tossing occasionally, until tender and lightly browned, 25-30 mins. Serve immediately or at room temperature.
Last weekend Cory and I went on one of our crazy adventures. We were both craving steak for some reason, so we decided to pick out some new recipes from my Weight Watchers cookbook and give them a shot. In search of perfect meat, we headed to Meatland in Broadalbin, which we had seen advertised on billboards on our way to the cider mill last fall, and again on the way to the creepy comedy club we went to for New Years Eve.
Admittedly, we had high expectations, but even if we had just been in the area and casually decided to stop by, I can't help but think it would have been just as terrifying. Not having a complete address, we relied on Cory's GPS to get us close. But when we arrived at an intersection with a sign oriented on the diagonal reading "MEATLAND! Stay right 3 miles," we knew they were just messing with us.
::fast forward half an hour of aimless driving in circles and retracing our steps::
When we finally did find the place with the help of a very sweet little old man clad in head-to-toe plaid (which required *three* distinct right hand turns from the sign's original locale, mind you), it turned out to be a sketchy, one-room butcher shop. We approached the counter, and asked the guy if he had any filet mignon. Only selling in bulk, he refused to give us two steaks, and instead offered us some t-bones from inside the case. T-bones have never been my favorite cut, so I asked if he had anything else. The, grabbing the exact same piece of meat, he asked if a porterhouse would work. Disheartened, we took 'em and left... only to get caught in the middle of a recreational wrestling match between two employees in the twenty feet between the counter and the door.
As soon as we were outside, we ran to the car and simultaneously burst out laughing. So much for our adventure to Meatland. It still makes for a great story. :)
And a great dinner! I have placed the recipes we tried below the cut. They were all healthy, simple, and delicious!
Grilled Filet Mignon & Chipotle Butter
(Makes 4 servings - 4 points/serving)
Ingredients:
4 tsp. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 small chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely chopped (~1/2-3/4 tsp.)
1 tsp. grated lime zest
5/8 tsp. salt
4 (3 oz.) filet mignons (1/2 in. thick, trimmed of visible fat)
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
Instructions:
1. Combine the butter, chipotle, lime zest, and 1/8 tsp. of salt in a small bowl; mix well. Wrap in plastic wrap, rolling to form a small cylinder. Freeze 10 mins.
2. Set up grill for medium-hot indirect heat, and spray nonstick skillet with nonstick spray; or heat a grill pan over med-high heat. Sprinkle the filets with the remaining salt and pepper. Grill the steaks, 3-4 mins. on each side for medium-rare. Transfer to serving plates.
3. Slice the butter into 4 disks and top each filet with a disk; serve immediately.
Herbed Quinoa with Peas and Scallions
(makes 4 servings - 4 points/serving)
Ingredients:
1 c. quinoa, rinsed
1 c. orange juice
3/4 c. water
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 c. frozen peas, thawed
3 scallions, finely chopped
1/4 c. finely chopped fresh basil
3 tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp. grated orange zest
Instructions:
1. Combine the quinoa, orange juice, water, cumin, and 1/4 tsp. salt in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until all of the liquid is absorbed (15-18 mins.)
2. Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet over med-high heat, heat the oil. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 sec. Add the peas, scallions, and the remaining 1/4 tsp. salt. Saute until heated through, about 2 mins.
3. Transfer the quinoa to a bowl and stir in the pea mixture, basil, cilantro, and orange zest; mix well. Serve at once or at room temperature.
Classic Roasted Vegetables
(Makes 4 servings - 2 points/serving)
Ingredients:
2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and cut into 4 panels
1 medium zucchini, trimmed and cut on the diagonal into 1/4-inch slices
1 medium yellow squash, trimmed and cut on the diagonal into 1/4-inch slices
1 medium vidalia onion, root end left intact and cut into 8 wedges
1 lb. thick asparagus trimmed
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. dried basil
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 450F. Place one oven rack in the upper third of the oven and one in the lower third. Spray 2 baking sheets with nonstick spray; set aside.
2. Cut each bell pepper panel on a diagonal into 2 triangles. Transfer the peppers into a large bowl and add the zucchini, yellow squash, onion, asparagus, garlic, oil, vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper. Toss well to evenly coat with seasonings. Divide the vegetables between the 2 baking sheets.
3. Bake the vegetables, tossing occasionally, until tender and lightly browned, 25-30 mins. Serve immediately or at room temperature.