Friday Night Dinner

Tonight I made two more recipes I had ear marked in Cooking Light.  Blake liked them both, they were right up his alley.  I thought they were both okay.  I'm pretty picky about mashed potatoes, and really only like them with noodles, so I'm biased.  The meat with sauce was good, but very rich.  So if you like rich sauces, meats and potatoes, this recipe is for you! Not to mention it is actually pretty low-cal and low-fat for such a filling dish.

Beef with Rosemary Mushroom Sauce

1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
1 cup dry red wine
1 pound boneless top sirloin steak (about 3/4 inch thick)
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (10 1/2-ounce) can beef consommé
1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce

Combine the presliced mushrooms, wine, and steak in a large zip-top plastic bag, and seal. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, turning occasionally.

Remove the steak from bag, reserving marinade. Place a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add steak; cook for 6 minutes or until desired degree of doneness, turning after 3 minutes. Remove from pan.

Combine the onions, 2 tablespoons parsley, rosemary, and remaining ingredients. Add onion mixture and reserved marinade to pan. Bring to a boil; cook until reduced to 2 cups (about 15 minutes), stirring frequently.

Cut the beef diagonally across grain into thin slices. Place beef on a serving platter. Spoon the mushroom sauce over beef. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons parsley.

Rosemary-Roasted Mashed Potatoes

8 cups baking potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 pounds)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
 Cooking spray
3/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (8-ounce) container low-fat sour cream

Preheat oven to 425°.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a shallow roasting pan coated with cooking spray; toss well to coat. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes or until tender.

Combine water and remaining ingredients in a large bowl; add potato mixture. Mash with a potato masher to desired consistency. Serve immediately.

One last week...

I received some wonderful news last week, I was offered a new job by a company with an outstanding reputation as a great place to work.  I'm thrilled to be starting my new adventure on Monday, so I'm trying to make the most of my last few days of my 5 month vacation. 
Since it is the start of the new year, and everyone is on a health kick, I picked a few recipes from Cooking Light to try out.  This one was great, and a very quick dinner to put together because it called for pre-cooked chicken.  I think the next time I make it I'll add some mushrooms, asparagus, or maybe a can of diced tomatoes.  Don't get me wrong, it is delicious just the way the recipe goes, but it would be easy to add extra veggies and make it even more filling and nutritious.

The only major change I made was using 10 oz. of fresh spinach instead of the frozen spinach the recipe called for.  I've never been a huge fan of frozen spinach, but if you like it, by all means.  Otherwise, just add the fresh spinach and let it cook down. 

Spicy Chicken Pasta

1 (9-ounce) package angel hair pasta

Cooking spray

1 cup vertically sliced onion

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 1/2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 cup half-and-half

1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 (6-ounce) package chicken breast cuts (pre-cooked)

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry

1 tablespoon grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid.

While pasta cooks, heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 2 minutes. Add basil, garlic, and crushed red pepper; sauté 1 minute. Combine half-and-half, sour cream, and flour, stirring with a whisk. Add reserved pasta cooking liquid and half-and-half mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Stir in salt, black pepper, chicken, and spinach; bring to a boil. Stir in pasta, and cook 1 for minute or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with cheese.