Fast-Fry Beef and Goat Cheese Salad

SO had a hankering for steak salad, so we did the cheap and easy version. Instead of fancy steak we used fast-fry. We had one of those giant plastic containers of spinach with half of it left, so we used that. Finally, we needed something to make it interesting so add the cheese.  It could have arguably used some sort of sauce, but I actually like it a bit on the "dry" side, plus there was a tiny bit of pan dribblings that moistened it up a bit.

Fast-Fry Beef and Goat Cheese Salad

Since there are "three bears" in this house (as in too lumpy, too smooth, just right), we cannot possibly have just one variety of cheese for the meal. SSO had the usual medium St. Albert's cheddar, I had pepper goat cheese, and SO and fancy blue cheese.  No pepper on the steak for SSO either - "too spicy!". Overall, everyone was really happy - not sure if it was because it was truly an awesome meal, or just that we have been eating throw together crap for 6 weeks (see details re kitchen renovation in the previous blog entry).  Well I exaggerate perhaps a bit. One of the tricks I think here was the Montreal Steak Spice (a hit-you-over-the-head variety of spice), and another was slicing the steak really thinly once fried up.

Next Time: would try a higher-end version with nice steak and some fancy drizzling sauce.

Me: 9/10
SO: 9/10
SSO: 9/10 (!!)  It was eaten in component form, but "whatever"...

Open faced ground beef with tomato sauce on spinach

We haven't been cooking much lately - pretty much due to the fact that we have no kitchen. Literally. Kitchen renovations are exciting, expensive, and disruptive. And for us, we have experienced scope creep, so it is encompassing almost the entire first level of our house now. Everything is covered in plastic, and we have no more inner walls in the kitchen area, no dishwasher or stove, very little counter space and a temporary sink. Oh yeah, and no lights, and only a couple working plugs. We did keep our fridge, which rolls around as required plugged in to an extension cord, and we use a construction work light. The microwave works, and is perched on box.  All this to say it is hard to cook anything. We've been BBQ'ing a bit, and we have a university style two burner deal. But we have to unplug the fridge temporarily to use it. But really, it is exciting to know what is coming!

Open-faced ground beef with tomato sauce on spinach

When SO threw this concoction together, it was like decadent heaven!  Objectively, it really was tasty, although that was mostly due to the tomato sauce that was made by our Italian friend (no really). The other part was the bun which is fresh from the Portuguese bakery, sold at our local butcher, along with the ground beef we used. We did this in the slow cooker, but that was just convenience for us. It was not browned, but it was soft and tender. Browning the meat is just too complicated for our current setup, plus not everyone thinks that you have to get that Maillard reaction going every time meat comes out of the fridge. There are also in between views on the topic - see Alton's opinion.  Finally, add some spinach between everything just so there is something green and healthy in the mix.

Next Time:  maybe try Alton's dual method, i.e. brown only part of the meat

Me: 9/10
SO: 9/10
SSO: n/a

Salmon and Mushroom-Spinach Salad

I had to get groceries on the way home, which is fine but it makes for a late supper. Now, what is super-speedy to cook up, healthy, and also something I haven't done for a while? Salmon! I think we had it way too often for a while since the past year or so we've barely had it a few times at home. But after eating tons of white fish and shrimp, it was time again.  To go with it, a nice healthy green salad (is there another colour of salad?).  Apart from a not too healthy Caesar, my fav salad is spinach and mushrooms with just a bit of creamy dressing of some kind. So why not cook the salmon and put it on that?

Salmon and Mushroom-Spinach Salad

After we were finished eating this (5 minutes flat I think it was), we were both pretty excited. It was so delish, and took no time at all to cook.  The mushrooms were "triple-washed" and pre-sliced, the spinach was also pre-washed, and even the salmon came in these perfect portion sizes (fresh, pre-cut at the fish counter). For the sauce, SO at the idea to simply mix together some of that seafood sauce (the kind you use to dip shrimp) with some sour cream. I put some seafood rub on the salmon, and cooked it in a tiny bit of oil on medium heat with the lid on.

Next Time: can't think of anything!

Me: 10/10
SO: 10/10
SSO: n/a