Cube Steak with Mushroom-Sherry Sauce

Oh look! a blog-post! Bet you thought they went away :0) I've actually just been repeating a lot of tried and true recipes this spring, and between busy days at work and Bobby's spreadsheets most of the time I just wasn't up to more computer time! Generation Y probably would disown me for that though. If only there was an iPhone app for residencies! But for those interested in more than just recipes, Bobby has officially decided on General Surgery (which I may have posted previously, but just in case!) and is in the process of applying for two away-rotations this Fall. An away rotation, or "visiting student clerkship" is where a 4th yr med student can spend 4 weeks at another hospital to get exposure to different environments. This is also considered a 4 week interview a lot of times. And the great news is that we're FINALLY completing and submitting the applications! So after much (MUCH) researching and spreadsheets and CV edits and personal statement drafts, it's almost complete! If all goes according to plan, Bobby will be gone for 8 weeks this Fall. I will be extremely lonely so consider that an open invitation for anyone who's out there. Kinda funny when your ideal scenario involves an absentee spouse for 8 weeks :o)

But back to beef. This I pulled out of a Healthy Eating magazine the girls at work gave me! It's super quick and has about 275 calories for just the cube steak and sauce. Cube steak is often a "step-child" cut, but for a quick night it was great. You can see from the picture that we added some mashed potatoes (instant because I was lazy) and a basic green salad.

Cube Steak with Mushroom-Sherry Sauce

2-4 4oz cube steaks
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 green onion, diced
1 Tbs flour
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
2 Tbs reduced-fat sour cream
a few Tbs of olive oil
salt and pepper

Sprinkle steaks with pinches of salt and pepper. Heat about a Tbs of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add steaks to cook, turning once until browned and cooked through (3-4 minutes on each side). Transfer steaks to a warm plate and cover. Add another Tbs or two to the skillet, and toss in the mushrooms and green onion with sprinkled pepper. Stir until mushrooms brown (3-5 minutes). Sprinkle mushrooms with flour and stir to coat for about 1 minute. Add thyme, sherry, and broth--then bring to a boil. Boil until sauce thickens a little bit (it'll coat the back of a wooden spoon when ready) and usually about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Add steaks back to the skillet and toss to coat.

The sauce was very good over the mashed potatoes as well! Bobby was a huge fan and so was I. We'll definitely be repeating this one again on busy weeknights. I actually didn't cook the steaks long enough at first because the original recipe calls for 2 minutes on either side. I don't believe in "medium" cube steak...so we microwaved them for 3 more minutes til they cooked through! Also, if you're curious--our preferred instant mashed potatoes are Idahoan brand. If you skip back through old blogs I've got a quick recipe for real mashed potatoes for two...but sometimes I just don't have the arm muscle! Also recommend Kraft's Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Italian Vinaigrette for light salads.