Applebees is once again running their 2 for $20 combo deal (one appetizer and two entrees for $20). I think I've got them beat with this HUMUNGUS, fresh, grilled dinner for two my husband and I had a couple of weeks ago.
We went to the grocery story to find something for dinner. I didn't have anything in mind, including a budget. But we ended up spending just under $20 total and came away with a really great dinner.
It started out like this
Then ended up like this.
It was all very basic grilling. Cooked the steak with some salt and pepper. Then I topped mine with gorgonzola cheese and my husband left his plane. We wrapped asparagus in tin foil and threw in some garlic cloves and butter. Once it was done, I topped it with some fresh parmigiano cheese. We also rapped mushrooms and onions in tin foil with butter and garlic. For the starch, we sliced up some sweet potatoes and covered them in oil. I read that you can cook it like a regular potato (whole, poked, and covered in foil) but it takes at least twice as long to cook. Finally, we sliced up some pineapple and put that on that grill as dessert (not pictured because there wasn't room on the plate!).
It all was so good and filling. To add to the enjoyment, we ate it outside with some cold bottles of our favorite beers.
I recommend this menu for a quick, fresh dinner that you should try while there are some good grilling days left this "summer".
Note: The $20 total could go either way depending on the cut and quality of the steak you get. It also assumes that you already have oil, butter, and cheese at home.
I haven't been eating very well lately (a lot of pizza and tacos) so I decided I should pre-plan some meals. I subscribe to a few different food magazines so I thought it would be neat to look into those instead of foodnetwork.com, like I usually do. I picked out two recipes from Cooking Light magazine and my husband picked two from Cooking with Paula Deen.
I'm going to share both of mine, but today I'm just going to share one.
Before I started, I had no idea what fennel was. When I got it home, I realized it smelled like licorice. I REALLY don't like licorice - but it was too late now. Surprisingly, after cooking it, I really liked it. The flavor mellowed down quite a bit and it had great texture.
Steak and Fennel Sandwich
1/2 tsp ground fennel seeds - I found whole fennel seed that I ground
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
4 tsp olive oil
3 cups thinly sliced fennel bulb (about one bulb)
4 4-oz beef tenderloin steaks (1" thick) - sandwich steak
8 tsp homemade mayonnaise - Miracle Whip (or use a canola-based mayo if you want to stay healthy)
8 slices ciabatta - sour dough
1 cup arugula - organic salad blend with arugula
- Combine fennel seed, salt, cumin, and pepper in a bowl.
- Heat 2 tsb oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add 1/2 tsp spice mixture and all the fennel.
- Saute for 15 min or until fennel is tender and lightly browned. Stir frequently.
- Transfer hot mixture to bowl.
- Wipe down pan with paper towel. Careful!! It's still hot!
- Heat remaining 2 tsp oil in pan.
- Sprinkle steaks with remaining spice mixture.
- Add steaks to pan and cook to desired doneness. About 4 min per side.
- Assemble the sandwich - Toasted bread slice, mayo, beef, fennel, arugula, bread
This is a fantastic and easy-to-make sandwich! I will defiantly make it again, but with one change. I will be sure to use tenderloin steak. I bought some generic sandwich steak and it was very tough. It made the sandwich very hard to eat and not enjoyable.
