Three Cheese Steakhouse Pizza

I’m going to admit that’s it’s pretty darned rare that there is leftover steak at my house.  However, if I’m smart and plan my meals the way I know I should, I cook a little extra so that I can make this pizza.  It’s so easy, so good, and looks like something you’d get at a fancy restaurant (at least the “fancy” restaurants that I go to).  The best thing about it is that you can use almost all pre-made ingredients for a quick dinner that your whole family will love. ~Tracy

Ingredients:

4 naan flatbreads

1 T. butter

1 jar of your favorite Alfredo sauce (I use Prego or Classico Light)

½ of a large onion, thinly sliced

3 cloves minced garlic

2 cups fresh baby spinach, stems removed and sliced chiffonade style

1 lb. steak, thinly sliced

½ c. shredded parmesan cheese

½ c. crumbled feta cheese

1 8 oz. package mozzarella balls

Instructions:

In a large saucepan, melt butter.  Sauté onions in the melted butter until translucent and just beginning to turn brownish/caramelized.  Add spinach and garlic to sautéed onions.  Cook just until spinach fully wilts.  Add the jar of Alfredo sauce and cook all together until bubbly.  Stir in ½ c. of parmesan cheese until incorporated into sauce.

Preheat oven to 425℉.  Place naan flatbreads on a large sheet pan or pizza pan.  Top each with Alfredo sauce mixture making sure to get equal amounts of onion and spinach on each flatbread.  Add an equal portion of steak, approximately ¼ pound to the top of each flatbread.  Finish off each pizza with an equal portion of the feta cheese and mozzarella balls (you can always substitute shredded mozzarella).

Bake at 425 until cheese melts and just begins to brown and bubble.

Orange Ginger Beef

As a teacher and busy mom, I don’t have time to cook all evening.  There are papers to grade and kids who need help with homework.  So, now that school has started back, I’m all about meals I can prepare in a short period of time.  This Orange Beef is one of my favorite week-night meals.  It can be on the table in less than 30 minutes… really more like 15, including the time it takes to slice the steak.  Plus, the Asian flavors hit the spot on a night I’m tempted to pick up Chinese take-out on the way home from work.  Fake-out take-out at its best!  ~Erin

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  • 1 lb. New York strip steaks, trimmed and cut into small strips
  • 3 thinly sliced scallions
  • 2 tsp. ginger paste
  • Zest of half a navel orange
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. pepper
  • ½ T. canola or vegetable oil
  • ½ T. sesame oil
  • 2 T. packed brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. corn starch
  • 2 T. water
  • ¼ c. fresh squeezed orange juice
  • 1 T. unfiltered apple cider vinegar
  • 2 T. low-sodium soy sauce
  • Optional: crushed red pepper flakes, additional sliced scallions; for garnish
  • Prepared rice or cauliflower rice*, for serving

In a medium bowl, mix beef strips with thinly sliced scallions, ginger paste, orange zest, and salt and pepper until evenly coated.

Heat canola and sesame oil together in a large skillet over medium high heat.

When the skillet is very hot, add the beef and cook for about 5 minutes, turning occasionally.

In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar with the corn starch.  Once combined, whisk in the water, fresh-squeezed orange juice, apple cider vinegar, and soy sauce.

Add the mixture to the skillet with the beef; simmer on medium high until thickened, 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve over rice or cauliflower rice; garnish with crushed red pepper flakes and sliced scallions, if desired.

*I find cauliflower rice to have the best flavor when sautéed in a nonstick skillet, using a few sprays of nonstick cooking spray.  Keep the lid on until it thaws, if using frozen.

WW Freestyle Info.:  This recipe makes 4 servings.  Each serving is 10 SmartPoints, not including rice.

This fake-out take-out Orange Ginger Beef is ready in minutes.  10 SmartPoints on WW Freestyle.

Skillet Cube Steak

My 11-year-old daughter recently shot her first deer. We hunt for the meat, not for the sport, but I will say there is something rewarding about harvesting your own dinner. My girl was excited and proud to get her first buck!

Venison is delicious, not to mention good for you. It’s a very lean red meat with hardly any fat. Our meat processor tenderizes ours for us so that, it’s so tender, you can cut it with a butter knife. If you don’t have the luxury of hunting your own venison and having it tenderized, you can buy beef cube steak (also known as tenderized round steak) at your local grocery store. We like either/or in this house! ~Erin

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ lbs. cube steak, carefully trimmed of all fat and cut into small (approximately 2 inch) pieces
  • ½ c. all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. black pepper
  • 3 T. olive oil, divided

In a gallon-sized baggie, place all the trimmed meat along with the flour, salt, and pepper. Keep a lot of air in the bag and seal it well. This allows space for the meat and seasonings to shake around in the bag. Flip and shake the baggie until all the meat is coated evenly. Lay the meat out in a single layer on wax paper or plastic wrap near the stove and let it rest for 3-5 minutes. This helps the flour adhere to the meat.

Preheat a medium-sized heavy nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add one Tablespoon olive oil and swirl to distribute evenly. Allow the oil to get hot for about a minute; then add about 1/3 of the meat in a single layer, being careful not to overcrowd the skillet. My skillet would fit about 1/3 of the batch of meat so I used 1 Tablespoon of oil per batch for a total of 3 Tablespoons. If you have a large skillet, you may be able to cook it all in two batches, using half of the 3 Tablespoons of oil for each of the batches.

Do not move the meat around after laying it in the pan; let it cook for 4-5 minutes undisturbed. Flip each piece and continue to cook for 3-4 more minutes or until the pieces are golden brown on both sides. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. My family would organize an uprising if I didn’t serve this with mashed potatoes and cream gravy so I suggest you do too. 🙂

WW Freestyle Info.: This recipe makes 5 servings of about 4 ounces each. Each serving is 7 points, whether you use venison or beef.