Barbecued Flank Steak w/ Chutney-Bourbon Glaze

Oh my that's a title! I love it when things sound super-fancy but really take no work at all. This was absolutely delicious, and we were heartbroken when we couldn't finish it all! The only downside was I tried a new recipe for stuffed tomatoes (shown) with ricotta, lemon zest, and garlic...which sound fantastic, but were incredibly disappointing. No thanks to Rachel Ray on that one. But the flank steak comes out of my Cooking Light Cookbook, and was great for a warm evening during the week. Could also be good for a nice Father's Day meal! Flank steak is also difficult to photograph...so it may not look as appetizing as I swear it is.



Barbecued Flank Steak with Chutney-Bourbon Glaze

1 lb flank steak
1/3 cup peach or mango chutney
1/3 cup pineapple juice
3 Tbs bourbon (or apple juice if you feel boring)
1 1/2 Tbs rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp Tabasco 2 cloves of garlic, minced

Prepare your grill (we don't have an outdoor grill, but this worked just fine on the Forman). Add all ingredients into a large ziploc bag to marinate. Keep in the refridgerator for at least 15 minutes (I think we marinated for about an hour). Remove and place steak on grill, reserving marinade. Pour remaining marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally, and remove from heat to thicken. Grill steak about 8 minutes per side or until it's cooked to your liking. Cut flank steak strips on a diagonal and serve drizzled with the glaze.

It was a great combination of flavors--I'd recommend some fresh sweet corn on the side :-) I also just learned how to boil sweet corn: remove husks and wash. Place corn cobs in large pot of water with 1/4 c sugar and bring to a boil. Boil approx 8-10 minutes and remove. Summer food is the best! :)

Summer picks

Make no mistake about it--Summer is my favorite season! The only downside is that sometimes, it's just too hot to eat. So while I cook a little less, I do have a few simple things I seem to be growing quite attached to as we hit the mid 90s...

1. Greek Yogurt

I eat a lot of yogurt, usually Yoplait Light. I got really curious about Greek yogurt a few weeks ago because I kept hearing about all the great health benefits. So I looked it up and sure enough it has nearly double the protein as regular yogurt, while staying relatively close in fat in calories. You can easily get fat free, and only about 10 additional calories--but the trade off for double the protein is completely worth it. If you like thicker yogurt, and I do, definitely give it a try. But keep in mind, not all Greek yogurt is created equal when it comes to taste! Believe me, I've tried all kinds. There are not as many flavors as you find with other yogurts....no Blueberry Pie or any of those other flavors that annoying woman on the Yoplait commercials goes on and on about. But so far both Yoplait and Dannon make plain, vanilla honey, strawberry and blueberry flavors. At Whole Foods I saw another brand with caramel. If you want to try out Greek yogurt, please please please get the Dannon! I was so disappointed going through the Yoplait, but I wasn't ready to give up. The Dannon flavors are by far the best. In the mornings I like to empty the container into a cereal bowl and add fresh berries and that new low-fat Special K Granola. I love parfaits...but just remember the ones you make yourself will always be better! Also worth noting that when I would eat the 100 calorie Yoplait, I'd be starving by lunch. With Greek yogurt, I stay full all morning. So that's huge for me. Also avoid the plain. It's a great substitute for sour cream...but it's a great substitute for a reason...

2. Veggie Sandwiches

Obviously I'm no vegetarian. I often tease Bobby that he wouldn't have even dated me if I had been...which he doesn't find funny one bit! But I've liked veggie sandwiches since high school. They remind me of Kate :) They're great because they're obviously pretty low in fat and calories, and you can always make something different. So I've been giving myself a few extra minutes in the morning to plan for additional slicing time. With extra-fiber whole grain bread (about 60-70 calories per slice), I'll add 2 Tbs of reduced fat chive and onion cream cheese to one side. Then top with sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, bell pepper (switch up the color for new flavors), and sprouts. For extra flavor, I've discovered that adding whole fresh basil leaves is great. If you're not a cream cheese person, you can add Dijon mustard and/or another slice of cheese like Havarti or provolone.

3. Gigantic bowls of fruit salad

This is not a new thing in my kitchen! Every Sunday during the summer time, Bobby and I raid the produce section and bring home anything and everything that's fresh. I wash the berries, he chops the melons, pineapples, and kiwis, and we throw everything into a HUGE bowl. The biggest one we have clean at the time usually. It usually lasts 3-5 days depending on the quantity, and we eat it as snacks, desserts, or side dishes all week long. No need to add poppy-seed dressing (gag me!) because a good mix will have tons of flavor and that's just a filler. The only thing to note about gigantic fruit salads is that you don't want to add bananas (they turn brown) or cherries (pits!). We keep those around all summer too, but eat them separately. But otherwise: watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple, kiwi, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries are our favorites!

4. Smoothie King

With as much fruit and yogurt I keep around, you'd think I'd be all about making fresh smoothies. And I do recommend it if you can. But I'm lazy and don't like cleaning my blender that often! So I hit up Smoothie King whenever possible :)

5. Banana Coladas

Bobby and I discovered the magic of banana coladas on our honeymoon in Antigua. We now make them whenever we can find coconut milk, and bring them to the pool in freezer cups. I'm not really sure if that's allowed, but the lifeguard hasn't turned us away yet. To make a banana colada add ice, dark rum, coconut milk, fresh ripe bananas (read: brown), and powdered sugar. You may want more/less sugar depending on your preferences.

Other non-food related things I'm into right now: Yoga, spray tanning, and sundresses. I'm also starting a new blog that I wish I would have started three years ago about our whole med school...med world, really...experience. The link is over on the right column. I haven't started it yet, but I will this weekend. Just something to share our experiences, help me process things, and try to show others what our life is like as we wrap med school and enter residency in the year to come. Because if one more person thinks I'm exaggerating when I say 80hrs a week, I might hit them. 80 hours if we're LUCKY! See...I need an outlet HA!

Blog Invasion!

So Anne left town and I'm left to fend for myself. Not being the planner in the household, I decided to open up the fridge and see what I could throw together. It was a long week for both of us, resulting in many failed dinner plans. My solution? Take everything out of the veggie drawer and chop it to bits. Grab the chicken tenderloins and chop those up too. Throw them all in the wok with Tabasco and crushed red pepper. Mix it all and you have: Kitchen Sink Stir Fry

--Bobby