Sunday Supper: Country-Style Steak with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Cheese Muffins

I was seriously awaiting the appearance of the Four Horsemen yesterday, ya'll. I mean, it was cold and windy as anything, and just a wretched, wretched day. The dog nearly lost her poor tiny mind. I swear I saw my mother-in-law fly by on her bike outside...

So it was time for some comfort food. Here below the Mason-Dixon line, that is something of a redundant statement -- all food is related to comfort. But I take personal pride in figuring out how to still eat warm, homey meals that remind me of home and childhood while maintaining my daintiness. THAT dichotomy really is a Southern thing -- how else could belles with 15 " waists have invented pecan pie?! Which literally involves like 990 calories a slice. (Not that it isn't worth it...)

The Country-Style Steak is my mother's recipe, though I've revamped it only slightly -- I use low-sodium gravy mix (I'm just so excitable folks, that I have high blood pressure). The garlic mashed potatoes, I believe, came from an online source, like recipezaar.com or similar. And the cheese muffins are the combined efforts of myself and a Weight Watcher's cookbook from the 1980s. For real.

First the muffins -- I made them a day before, anyway. They save really well, just so long as they're in an airtight container in the fridge.

Cheese Muffins
Preheat your oven to 375 and spray a muffin tin with Pam or similar.

You'll need:
2 C. flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 t. table salt
1 t. paprika
1 t. Mrs. Dash

Sift these together into a large bowl and create a well in the middle.

2 T. melted, unsalted butter
1 large beaten egg
1 C. soy milk, light

Combine and pour into that little well.

1 t. basil, oregano, fresh chopped parsley
5 oz. feta or blue cheese (I like using one of the flavored fetas they have now, like the sun-dried tomato with herbs), divided into twelve portions

Once you've combined the dough (it will be lumpy), stir in the basil, oregano and parsley last. Fill each muffin hole with 1 T. of the batter, then topp with the cheese. Add another layer of batter to each muffin hole and top with any remaining crumbles of cheese. Bake for 25 min. until golden. 12 servings, at only 110 calories per muffin!

Country-Style Steak
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.

You'll need:
1 -- 1.5 lbs. beef cubed steak
flour, salt and pepper
2 packages low-sodium brown gravy mix, water

Season all sides of the meat and then dredge thru flour. Brown all pieces in skillet, then drain any grease. Meanwhile, prepare gravy according to package instructions (i.e. combine the mix with water and heat). Pour the gravy into the skillet with the meat and bring to a boil. Then lower heat and simmer on low, covered, for 45 min, shifting the pieces occasionally.

Serves 4 -- 6, depending on how much steak you buy. Each serving is just 200 calories, but watch your portions -- don't use much more than 1/4 C. of the gravy if you're watching you figure.

While your steak is simmering, get your potatoes going! I bake them first in the microwave, but you can go old-school and use the oven.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

You'll need:
1.5 lbs (about 4 medium to large) baking potatoes, cooked and tender
5 --7 garlic cloves, minced (to taste)
2 T. butter
1/3 -- 1/2 C. light soy milk (depends on how milky you like your potatoes)
salt and fresh pepper, to taste
Fresh chopped parsley

Spoon all the meat from the potatoes into a medium bowl. In a small skillet, heat the garlic, milk and butter together until just bubbly and hot. Pour over potatoes and mash. Stir in salt, pepper and parsley -- plus any extra milk if you want them creamier. If you're using light soy, the calories are pretty low.

Serves 6, only 90 calories per serving! I save my 1/4 c. of the steak gravy to go over these bad boys. Mmmm. Just like when I was a kid (looong before I ever worried about my weight at all :)

Comfort Easy Listening:
Listen to any music that makes you nostalgic! This is different for eveyone -- I listen to Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins "El Paso" and other songs I recall from my childhood! Trust me -- it puts you in a better mood.

Sunday Supper: Pork Cordon Bleu Cutlets w/ a Mess of Green Beans

My father said it best when I remarked to him, "You like anything with cheese on it, doncha, Daddy?"
"No, baby. I love anything with HAM and cheese on it."
This made me astonishingly, tear-jerkingly proud that neither one of my parents is a vegetarian. Well, and, clearly, not Kosher.

As long as you're not kosher or vegestarian, like myself, keep in mind: every time I make this pork cutlet recipe, I always have to remind myself to make extra because my husband gets downright mournful if there aren't enough for leftovers. Few things in this world bother me more than a mournful husband.

You will need:
1 1/2 -- 2 lb Pork Tenderloin (depends on how many of these babies you want to make), sliced into 1/4" cutlets (You're also going to pound them even thinner)
2 T. flour
slices of low-sodium ham (again, my blood pressure AND the lower calories)in strips, and slices of reduced fat swiss cheese, also in strips.
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tsp. olive oil
1/4 C. white wine, 1/4 C. chicken broth
Parsley or sage (optional), for garnish

Pound the pork slices between sheets of parchment or wax paper, whatever is handy. You want them pretty thin, because they are going to cook fast. Season both sides of the cutlets and then dredge them thru the flour, coating well, but not just chunked on there. They can sit for a minute while you heat the tsp of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. While that's happening, boil a big pot of water for your mess of green beans.

Mess of Beans:
3 lbs green beans, trimmed and washed (I have used canned in moments of desperation and forgetfulness. Don't sweat it. None of your dinner guests are there to judge you. They are merely grateful to be fed. Remember that!)
1/4 C. low-fat butter substitute (I use Parkay!)
1 T. dijon mustard
2 T. of horseradish (Now, my mother cannot do the spicy on any level -- we weren't even sure what the pepper shaker was for as children, and any inquiries on the subject were quickly dismissed or hushed up. Seasonings were like the shooter on the grassy knoll in our house. SO. To substitue just for her, because I love her, I use 2 T. of lite sour cream with 1 tsp. of Good Seasons mixed in. Good Seasons are those nifty little packs of flavorings that you get to make your own salad dressings, usually above or near the croutons)

Boil up that water good, and then add the beans. If you like 'em with a little snap still in their step, yank them outta the heat after 3 min. and rinse under cool water to stop the cooking process. If not, give them a couple of extra minutes and then don't bother with the cool water. Just let them get soggy as all hell, if that's how you like your beans. Anyway. In the same pot you did the beans, melt the "butter." Whisking, add the mustard and horseradish/sour-cream. Get this good and creamy, and if you're feeling especially sassy, throw in a few slices of crisp cooked, chopped bacon. Or use bacon pieces, pre-packaged for just this moment! They should be right next to the Good Seasons! Then add the beans back, turn off the heat, and stir until coated, adding in a little salt and pepper. Cover and wait for the rest of dinner to come together...

So your oil (You DO remember the oil, right?) should be good and hot by now. Toss the cutlets in and let brown on the one side, about three minutes, and then turn. Top each cutlet with a strip of ham and an equal amount of cheese -- use just enough to cover the surface of the cutlet. You don't want a mess. Now add the wine and broth, bring to a boil an let the liquid reduce by half (about 3 minutes). Sprinkle with parsley and serve warm with the beans! It's so easy and so good. And only 300 calories. The beans are only 72. Awesome.

This meal is perfect as is, but you can always add a little rice or some crusty rolls. You want to leave room for the cutlets, though. They're pretty mind-blowing.

Rock Out with Your Non-Kosher Self:

"I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor (you will not only survive the sweet, sweet combination of cheese and two porks, you'll thrive!)
"Only the Lonely" by Roy Orbison (easily the most upbeat song about a depressing topic, this will remind you that you're never lonely when serving cordon bleu dishes. Suddenly the world is your dinner guest!)
"Always on My Mind" by The Pet Shop Boys (oh, this meal will be on your mind for a looong time)

Sunday Supper: Chicken Enchiladas w/ Mess of Corn and Rice

Call me old-fashioned, but I rather like the idea of there being one night of the weekend (and I'm flexible about this -- it doesn't have to be Sunday, it can be Friday or Saturday) where you really set out to make a nice, complete dinner, possibly with a theme. So, once a week check back here for a Sunday Supper type entry: a main dish and sides.

This week, in honor of Daylight Savings Time and in honor of chicken being on sale at the Teet, I made Chicken Enchiladas. The recipe is a mish-mash of a Mexican Chicken casserole I saw on Paula Dean, a recipe I downloaded three years ago on the Internet, and with a few helpful additions and subtractions inspired by a Weight Watcher's cookbook. The result is 8 tasty enchiladas in a yummy sauce, for 190 calories. Yeah. I know. I'm an amazing person.

Chicken Enchiladas

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

11 oz. salsa (to taste -- use mild to hot, whatever you like. You DO realize that salsa has no calories, right?)
1 C. Fat Free sour cream
1 small diced yellow squash (you can also use a zucchini... if you MUST)
8 medium tortillas (get whole-wheat or corn; they're the lowest in calories)
1 package of pre-cooked chicken chunks (you get it next to the tuna, in the no-drain packs)
1 C. reduced fat cheese (I like to buy the Vermont 75% Fat Free, usually in pepper jack flavor, and then shred it fresh, but you can certainly use the packages of Mexican-style that Kraft sells)
1 -- 3 T. Hot Peppers (greatest invention of all time: pre-mixed hot peppers in a jar. They're next to either the pickles or the tomatoes in your store. use as much as you like, spice-wise, or omit altogether if you don't like spicy. You can also substitute diced sun-dried tomatoes for flavor and color)
2 T. fresh minced parsley
1/2 tsp. cumin
Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper (to taste)

First, heat your tortillas so that they're easier to roll up. You do it in the microwave, 10 secs. per tortilla, with a napkin between each tortilla.

Next, spread some of that salsa on the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan, just enough to cover. Then, combine the chicken with 1/2 C. of the cheese, 1/2 C. sour cream, the squash and hot peppers in a bowl. Season with the cumin, salt and pepper to taste.

Now, spread 1/4 C. exactly of this mixture on each tortilla (it makes JUST enough). Roll up each tortilla and place, seam-side down, in the pan. Mix together the remaining salsa and sour cream and pour over the tortillas (if you got the right size, they should just exactly fit into the pan). Then, top with the remaining cheese.

Cover with foil and bake until the cheese melts (about 20 min) then I like to take the foil off and let it bake another 5 min. so that it gets all brown and bubbly on top. Trust me, it just looks better. Sprinkle with parsley and let sit for about 10 min. to settle before serving. Makes 4 servings (2 enchiladas per serving).

So awesome. You got your main course. And this is an easy dish to do anytime. But then I make a Mess of Corn, which I think I made up one night. I don't remember the source, anyway. And it looks like something I would do with leftover veggies. A Mess, for those of you NOT located below the Mason-Dixon line, is just a small serving. It usually applies to green beans. But this is my blog, and my corn, so here it is:

Mess of Corn

*while you're getting all this going, have some brown rice cooking, or some refried beans. They're easy, take about the same time as this Mess and will go great with the enchiladas! And both are low in calories and high in fiber.

1 T. of oil (canola or corn works best)
1 chopped bunch of scallions
1 minced clove of garlic (I cheat and buy the jars of garlic. I know, I know. But it's so much easier than banging on the stupid things with a knife. If you're like me and have the jar, use 1 T.)
1 T. of those delicious Hot Peppers as mentioned above (again, you can omit if spice is not your bag)
10 oz. package of thawed frozen corn, or 1 can of drained corn (I prefer the frozen, thawed)
1 med. chopped squash or zucchini (here I actually prefer the zucchini)
1 med. bell pepper, any color, chopped
Fresh chopped parsley, cumin, salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat the oil over medium high (a little higher if you have non-stick cookware). Add the scallions, garlic and peppers. Saute for a few minutes, let the garlic get fragrant but not brown. Add corn, zucchini, bell pepper and cumin. Saute for 8 minutes, letting the zucchini soften. Remove from heat and season with parsely, salt and pepper. Corn Mess, you're gonna rock my world. You're only 80 calories and you're delicious.

Sunday Supper: Spanish Style.