Steak Roulade with Squash Quinoa Risotto

So, I hear a lot of time about how people don’t have the time to eat healthy and make the meals that I post.  I know things change with kids involved and days get busy but honestly it just comes down to planning and your priorities.  I would rather spend an hour in the kitchen making a nice meal that is good for me than an hour in front of the television.  I’m probably a little strange because my days begin and end with food, that is all I can think about.  I know that isn’t the case for everyone but it can be, you can change your habits, you can do things to make healthy cooking easier.  I would love to help you if you are interested.

So in full disclosure, I need to come clean on this recipe.  I am guilty of concocting this in my head while in the middle of church last night instead of focusing wholeheartedly on the message.  I would like to think I have a healthy obsession with food, but I’ll try to get my priorities straightened out.  The good news is that I didn’t spend that time brainstorming this recipe and to have it be a dud.  The steak was delicious but the quinoa risotto was the best I’ve ever made, no lie.  It had a sweet and creamy factor to it that made it seem like there was a ton of butter and cream in it.

Steak Roulade with Balsamic Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients

2 lb flank steak
1 medium onion, cut into strips
2 cups spinach or any dark leafy green
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp butter, divided
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups sliced mushrooms, stems removed
1/2 cup balsamic
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup water
1 tsp thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Blue cheese crumbles for topping
Fresh parsley to garnish

Directions

1. On a cutting board, pound out the flank steak using a meat tenderizer.  Try to get it so it is even thickness, roughly 1/2″.
2. In a larger skillet, add sliced onions, 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil.  Cook over medium heat until onions are caramelized and slightly brown.  Add greens and cook for an additional minute or two until greens are slightly wilted.  This will be your stuffing for the roulade.
3. Lay your steak out flat on your cutting board and spread the stuffing evenly across the steak.  Leave about 2 inches on one end without any of the stuffing on it.  Roll up the steak, working towards the end without the stuffing, don’t roll so tight that all the stuff gets squished out.  Once it is rolled up, using cooking string, wrap around the outside and secure it so it doesn’t come unrolled while baking.  Season the outside with salt and pepper.
4. In a 400 degree oven, cook for 30 minutes or until the inside of the roulade reaches 135 degrees.  Remove from oven and let it sit for 10 minutes before slicing.
5. While the steak is cooking you can make your mushroom sauce.  To do this add the 2 tbsp of butter to a skillet along with the sliced mushrooms.  Cook for 8 minutes over medium high heat.  Add balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire, thyme, and water, let is simmer over medium low heat until sauce has reduced to half it’s original volume.  Basically until the steak is done.
6. Slice the Roulade into 1/2″ pieces and top with your mushroom sauce, blue cheese crumbles and a little chopped parsley.  ENJOY!!!

Acorn Squash Quinoa Risotto

Ingredients

1 medium acorn squash
1 cup dry quinoa
2 cups water
1 tbsp real maple syrup
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Divide your squash in half and scoop out the seeds.  Place cut side down in a baking dish with an inch or so of water.  Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees or until tender the whole way through.
2. Add quinoa and water to saucepan and bring to a boil.  Season water with a pinch of salt.  You could also use your favorite broth but probably isn’t needed.  Once it is boiling reduce heat to low and cook for 20-25 minutes until water is absorbed.  Quinoa isn’t quite as finicky as rice so don’t worry about checking it at the 20 minute mark.
3. If this finishes before your squash just keep the lid on and turn off the heat.  Once you squash is done cooking, scoop out the guts of the squash directly into your cooked quinoa.  Also add your parmesan cheese, parsley, maple syrup and season with salt and pepper.  Stir together thoroughly and serve!!!