30 Minute New York Strip

My mom actually made this recipe for my dad's birthday on Sunday last weekend.  My husband and I went over to celebrate with them, and I loved this steak so much that I asked her for the recipe so I could share it with all of you!

Note: I call this 30 Minute New York Strip because it actually only takes 30 minutes to be involved in the prepping and cooking.  An hour of the prep time is just letting the steaks marinade in the fridge.

One of the best parts about this recipe is the steak seasoning she used, Dak's Blackened Spice!  My mom and I went to a local springtime fair at our civic center last weekend and came across a husband and wife (Drew & Karen) that make all different kinds of spice blends.  The blackened spice was just one of about 8 spices to choose from!  The great thing about their spices though is that they are ALL salt free, with no MSG and all natural!  We like to do a lot of grilling which is why we chose "Blackened."  We will use it on fish, chicken, steaks, etc.  And you can also use these spice blends in dips as well to give it a little kick!

I highly recommend Dak's Spices because that was one of the best homemade steaks I've ever had!  To read more about Drew & Karen, check out which markets and festivals they will be at, buy their spices online and get new recipes, check them out at here!  You can also like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter or read their blog!

30 Minute New York Strip

Total Time: 1 hr 30 min

Prep: 1 hr 10 min

Cook: 20 min

Yield: 4

Ingredients

4 large New York strip steaks

1 cup Lowry’s Steak and Chop Marinade

1 tablespoon Blackened Dak’s Spices

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 can of mushroom

1 medium yellow onion

Directions

1. Place all 4 steaks in a baking dish and top them with the marinade.  Make sure it coats the bottom as well as the top, and allow them to marinade in the fridge for 1 hour.

When you’re ready to cook the steaks:

1. Turn on the grill to heat up about 10 minutes before grilling the steaks.

2. Place the steaks on the grill to begin cooking.

3. About halfway through the steaks cooking, melt the olive oil in a pan.  Sauté the onions and mushrooms for about 10 minutes or until they become limp and slightly brown.

3. Take the steaks off the grill after around 20 minutes, top with the onions and mushrooms and serve immediately!

I would love to know if anyone has tried Dak Spices before!  Also, let me know if you decide to try one of these spice blends and what your review is!

Southwest Burgers & Low Fat Cornbread

 I have to be honest.  When I found this recipe online, I wasn't sure how good it was going to be.  And once I had it cooked and in front of me, it looked like it might be too dry or bland.  BOY WAS I WRONG!

Southwest Burgers & Low Fat Cornbread

Total Time: 50 min

Prep: 15 min

Cook: 35 min

Yield: 8

Ingredients

1 1b package Marie Callender’s Low Fat Southwestern Corn Bread Mix

1 pound lean ground beef*

1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped

½ cup crushed baked tortilla chips (1 ounce chips)

¼ cup orange bell pepper, finely chopped

1 egg white

2 teaspoons Spice of Life’s “Southwestern Mesquite” spice**

Fresh ground pepper, to taste

8 tomato slices from 2 large tomatoes

Tostitos Chunky Salsa, Medium

½ cup fat free sour cream

½ cup green onions, chopped

Sharp cheddar cheese, Topping

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat bottom and sides of a cast iron skillet with cooking spray.  Whisk together the cornbread ingredients and water until the lumps disappear.  Pour the batter into the cast iron skillet.  Bake for about 25 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

2. While the cornbread is baking, add the beef, onions, tortilla chips, red peppers, egg white and all the spices including fresh ground pepper to a large mixing bowl. Shape the beef mixture into 8 patties. Tip: Break up the beef before adding the other ingredients so everything combines better; otherwise, the onion and pepper won’t adhere to the beef.

3. Place all 8 burgers on a grill and continue to cook each for around 10-12 minutes.  Flip the burgers and cook the opposite side for another 10-12 minutes.  Before removing them from the grill, slightly cut open each burger to make sure there is little to no pink remaining. ***

4. Cut the cornbread into 8 slices (one for each burger patty).

5. Place one slice of cornbread on each plate. Place a burger patty on top of each cornbread slice. Top each with cheese, sour cream, salsa and scallions.  Enjoy!

*I used ground beef because that’s how I prefer my burgers.  For an even healthier option, substitute ground turkey or chicken for the beef.

**Make your own southwestern mesquite spice blend using: ½ teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon garlic powder and ½ teaspoon cumin

*** This burger can also be made using a panini grill, George Forman grill or nonstick pan.  Just coat the grill with cooking spray. It only takes 4-5 minutes total with this type of grill because both sides of the burger are cooked at once. To cook in a nonstick pan, coat the pan first with cooking spray and cook burgers on each side about 4-5 minutes.

This was such a fantastic meal, and my husband couldn't stop raving about it either!  If you like southwestern flavors, you will love this recipe!  And believe it or not, even though these look small and simplistic, I was full  after eating just 2 of these delicious burgers and cornbread.

I'm curious to know what you all think about this recipe.  What do you like?  What would you change?  Have a great day everyone!