Friday, April 10, 2015

lil carb London Broil Marinade


Nothing better than throwing a piece of steak on the grill- or is there?!  I made my marinated London broil last night for dinner and it was amazing!  Jason was skeptical of the cooking process because I  cooked it in the oven!  *Gasp*  But once he had his first bite he was sold.  And happy that he didn't have to grill in the rain.  It was a win- win for us. By cooking the London broil in the oven and pouring some of the marinade on top the meat stays incredible juicy - something that you lose when you grill it. Plus it's a recipe you can have any time of the year even if it's not officially grillin' season. This recipe is best if you can allow the London broil to marinate over night however I didn't get mine into the marinade until 7am and we ate it at 7pm and it was still two thumbs up. Once again, simple ingredients and easy cooking. Low carb cooking at it's best!


Messy marinade!
I assembled it in a large bowl so I could whisk all of the ingredients together really well.
Then transferred it to a 1 gallon storage bag.
I used a 1.30 Lb London Broil that was 1 inch thick

Next this baby hit the fridge... this is not a science project its actually the marinade and meat in a  storage bag lol

Remove meat from fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking to get the meat back down to room temperature- this helps it cook more evenly.
Time to flip the meat! Since I was putting the meat in the oven I covered it in about half of the marinade including the chopped onion and garlic!


Serve this along side my Cauliflower Mac n Cheese!  Great combination of flavors!



London Broil Marinade:
1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
1/4 Cup Onion, minced
4 Garlic Cloves, roughly chopped
Zest of 1 Lemon
Juice of Half of the Lemon
1 Tbsp Spicy Mustard
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 Tsp Dried Oregano
1/2 Tsp Dried Basil
1 Tsp Paprika
Salt & Pepper
&
1-1.5Lb London Broil Steak, about 1 inch thick

Whisk all of the ingredients together in a large bowl.  Add London broil to a 1 gallon storage or freezer bag and pour in the marinade. Refrigerate and allow to marinate for 12-24 hours. 
Remove the marinated meat from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking to allow it to come back up to room temperature to ensure it cooks evenly.
--At this point you can cook it to your liking - either on the grill or in the oven--
This is how I cooked it last night to get a perfectly cooked medium steak:
Turn oven broil on to 500 degrees. Place meat on a tin foil lined baking sheet. Spoon about half of the marinade back over the meat including the onion and garlic.  I tucked the garlic under the meat so that it did not burn.  Then I broiled it for 6 minutes on the first side, flipped it and broiled another 6 minutes, flipped one last time and cooked for another 3 minutes. Then I let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. 
Serve this along side my Cauliflower Mac n Cheese or any of my sides!


Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Simple lil Side - Part 3

Here at the Hart household we love asparagus. Mushrooms... not so much. Well Jason doesn't like mushrooms- I love them! But I keep trying simple sides and adding mushrooms trying to sway his opinion of them because I can't get enough. This one worked!  This side is not only simple but it's low carb and fast to prepare. I buy pre sliced mushrooms and fresh asparagus and literally in 10 minutes you have a side dish. What more could you want!?

Simple low carb ingredients!
Asparagus & Mushroom Saute: -Serves 3
1/4 Cup Chopped Onion
2 Tbsp Garlic, chopped
1 Bunch of Asparagus, ends snapped off and cut into bite size pieces
8 oz Sliced Mushrooms
4 Tbsp Butter, divided
1/4 Cup Chicken Broth
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Add 3 tbsp butter to a saute pan heated to medium high heat. Add in onion and garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes. Then add in the mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes. Add in the asparagus and some salt and pepper then pour in chicken stock.  Bring to a bubble and cook for about 4-5 minutes depending how crunchy you like your asparagus. Right before serving swirl in 1 more Tbsp of butter and serve warm.

I love the bright green from cooking asparagus to perfection!



Serve this simple side with my Garlic Lemon Chicken!




lil carb Garlic Lemon Chicken


I must confess, I have made this chicken 3 times in the past 2 weeks and today will be number 4. I just love the freshness of this meal and how the lemon juice tenderizes the chicken as it mariantes.  You could grill this chicken or sauté it in some olive oil on the stove top. I've done both and the chicken is perfect either way. Tonight I decided to sautéd because it was raining!
This is one of those simple recipes that sometimes gets forgotten about but it is so tasty!  Plus it is also low carb! Sometimes a few fresh ingredients is all you need.  As soon as I get home from work I whisk together the marinade, add the chicken and refrigerate.

Perfectly whisked marinade ready for chicken!


Ready to marinate in the fridge for a few hours!


Garlic Lemon Marinade:
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1/8 Cup Lukewarm Water
1 Lemon- zested then juiced
1 1/2 Tbsp Garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Pepper

1 Lb Chicken Breast- Serves 2-

Whisk all of the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl.
Add in the chicken breasts - I like to cut my chicken breasts in half so they are thinner and cook quicker.
Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and put in the fridge.
Allow to marinate for 1-3 hours.

Heat about 2 tbsp of olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium to medium high heat.  Add in the garlic chunks from the marinade and allow to cook along with the chicken- I think it gives great flavor. Sauté the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side until they are golden brown.


This chicken is gorgeous ha



Serve long side any of my simple sides!