Steakin' Care of Business

In the last four weeks, my hubs and I have been in the same house for approximately 48 hours.

Boo!

And we have a similar June schedule. We've got this week together, but then, I'm gone next week. The following week he's gone. 

Then, then is glorious vacation!

Can. Not. Wait.

But it means that I haven't done a lot of cooking. When it's just me, I tend to eat a lot of stuff that he doesn't like. Pretty much any egg-based meal, or salmon, or anything with the word "balsalmic" in it.

I was actually due to do my monthly cooking last Monday, but it occurred to me that since neither of us will be home, there is no point in making an entire months worth of meals, so I just made a choice few.

1. Our favorite Melba toast chicken

(after cooking, throw it in the toaster for a few minutes to crisp up)

2. Dairy-free beef stroganoff

(made even better by using ground beef and serving over mashed potatoes)

3. Steak with mushroom balsamic sauce

(forever re-dubbed as "Steakin' Care of Business")

I know I said that the hubs doesn't usually like stuff with balsalmic vinegar, but he surprised me by loving this. I knew I would like it, but then again I'm not picky.

Seriously, I know I make a lot of steak with mushroom sauce-type meals, but this was fantastic. I could have just had the sauce over mashed potatoes.

Recipe (adapted from Eat Well, Lose Weight)

four 6-ounce sirloin steaks

1 teaspoon herbes de Provence

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons olive oil

6 ounces mushrooms (about 2.5 cups)

1/3 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic

3/4 cup beef broth

1.5 teaspoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Directions

1. Preheat boiler.
2. Trim fat from steaks and season each side with 1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence, pepper, and salt.
3. Place steaks on broiler rack and put in oven approximately 3 to 4 inches from heat. Cook to desired doneness (11-13 minutes for medium-rare or 14-16 minutes for medium). Turn once.
4. While steaks cook, in large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onions, and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes or until tender. 
5. Remove from heat and add 1/4 cup beef broth and 1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence. 
6. Return to heat and cook uncovered for about 2 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated.
7. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining beef broth and cornstarch. Add to skillet and cook until thick and bubbly. Cook for an additional 2 minutes then add balsamic vinegar.
8. Serve sauce over steaks.

Enjoy!