A flavourful steak for your Valentine
Try this pan-roasted steak with mushroom pesto sauce for a Valentine’s Day meal at home or for any time. It won’t break your calorie bank.
Thick-sliced portobello mushrooms make the base for this sauce. Pesto sauce made with fresh basil, parsley, olive oil and Parmesan cheese originated in Genoa, Italy. Adding mushrooms to a prepared pesto sauce gives it an earthy flavour.
The Hot Pepper Potatoes are microwaved and then browned in the same skillet used to cook the steak. Microwaving the potatoes saves time and there’s no pot to wash.
Open a bag of washed, ready-to-eat lettuce to complete this meal. Helpful hints: Use the same skillet to cook the mushrooms, then the steak, and to finish the potatoes.
Any type of quick-cooking steak can be substituted for tenderloin: flank, skirt, or strip. Countdown: Microwave potatoes. Sauté mushrooms. Make mushroom pesto sauce. Cook the steak. Finish the potatoes.
Mushroom Pesto Steak MAKES 2 SERVINGS
Olive oil spray ¼ pound sliced portobello mushrooms (about 1 2/3 cups) 3 tablespoons water 2 tbsp reduced-fat pesto sauce ¾ pound grass-fed beef tenderloin Salt and freshly ground black pepper Several sprigs watercress (optional)
Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with olive oil spray. Add mushrooms and sauté one minute, turn and sauté another minute. Transfer to a food processor and add the water and pesto sauce. Blend until smooth. Set aside.
Add the steak to the same skillet. Sear over high heat for two minutes, turn and sear two more minutes. Turn heat down to medium and cook four to five minutes for medium rare. A meat thermometer should read 145 degrees. Or, cook another two minutes for medium (160 degrees).
Sprinkle the steak with salt and pepper to taste. Slice steak, divide between two dinner plates and spoon sauce on top. Reserve skillet for the potatoes. Place watercress on the plate for a garnish.
Per serving: 323 calories (48 per cent from fat), 17.1 grams fat (5.6 g saturated, 7.2 g monounsaturated), 87 milligrams cholesterol, 39.3 g protein, 4.5 g carbohydrates, 1.1 g fibre, 238 mg sodium.
Hot Pepper Potatoes MAKES 2 SERVINGS
1 pound red potatoes 2 teaspoons olive oil Several drops hot pepper sauce Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Wash potatoes, do not peel and cut into 1-inch pieces. Place in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for five minutes. Test with a fork. If not soft, continue to microwave two more minutes.
When steak is removed from the skillet, add the olive oil and hot pepper sauce to the skillet. Raise the heat to high. Add the potatoes and toss until crisp and golden, about two minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with the steak.
Per serving: 199 calories (22 per cent from fat), 4.8 grams fat (0.7 g saturated, 2.2 g monounsaturated), no cholesterol, 4.3 g protein, 36.1 g carbohydrates, 3.9 g fibre, 49 mg sodium