Steak, Fig and Blue Cheese Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Posted on September 17, 2015 by Jennifer FIsher

Looking for an easy yet elegant salad — a gorgeous plate of early fall flavors that will have co-workers peeking over the cubicle or neighbors knowing at the door? My Steak Salad with Fig, Blue Cheese and Pomegranate Vinaigrette will have you running to the grill for some last minute steak-making before Jack Frost rears his ugly head. Honestly, in Austin, the fall is the BEST time of year for grilling!

And, time to break out the compression socks, finally!

Check out my favorite brand, Vim & Vigr — I’m an ambassador for this fun, quirky and super stylish sock company! Their Instagram profile also equally energizing!

This salad features top sirloin steak, a lean cut of beef that packs a great nutritional punch for athletes and active individuals with only about 150 calories and 6.5 grams fat for a 3 ounce serving plus 26 grams protein and lots of iron and other essential vitamins and minerals. The beauty of sirloin is it’s versatility, convenience and (duh) taste – it’s a weekday AND weekend go-to for me. Because sirloin is already a fairly tender cut, there is no need to marinade except to add flavor — my simple pomegranate marinade adds a slightly sweet, super delish dose of that! But, if you are rushed and need to skip marinating, the recipe will still be yummy.

Figs have been so great lately, you may want to make a few more fig recipes before the season is over. Check out the 5 Ways with Fresh Figs from the Simmer and Boil blog at CookingLight.com

Steak, Fig, Blue Cheese Salad w/ Pomegranate Dressing #FallFlavor #CLblogger

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What is your take on fresh figs, love ’em or hate ’em? What are you doing this weekend, anyone have a race? Please share in the comments below – XOXO, Jennifer

Steak, Fig and Blue Cheese Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Prep Time

25 mins

Cook Time

12 mins

Total Time

37 mins

Enjoy the ripe, rich fruits of fall on a delicious steak salad that is kicked up with the aged tang of blue cheese and salty Spanish Almonds.

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

For Marinade and Steak:

1 cup 100% pomegranate juice
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons molasses
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme

For Dressing

1 cup 100% pomegranate juice
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon quality aged balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 to 1.5 lbs top sirloin steak

For Salad:

6 to 8 cups baby spring mix
1/2 cup pomegranat arils
12 black mission figs, halved
1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
1/3 cup Marcona almonds

Instructions

Add pomegranate juice, oil, molasses, vinegar, pepper, salt, and thyme to non-reactive boil and whisk together until ingredients are incorporated. Pour into heavy-duty zip-top bag and add sirloin steak(s). Seal top and gently toss a few times to coat meat. Marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes to 6 hours.
Meanwhile, prepare vinaigrette by simmering the pomegranate juice in non-reactive saucepan until reduced to 1/3 cup, approximately 9 or 10 minutes. Remove from heat. While still warm, stir in the honey, salt, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil; set aside to cool.
When ready to prepare steaks, heat grill to 400 F degrees. Drain and discard marinade from steaks. Grill steaks for approximately 5 minutes per side, flipping once. Remove from grill when instant read thermometer reaches 135 F degrees when inserted at thickest part of meat. Let rest for at least 5 minutes while prepping salads. To prepare salad, divide spring mix evenly among four plates. Top with halved figs, pomegranate arils, almonds and blue cheese crumbles. Slice steak thinly across grain and top each salad with 3 to 4 ounces of beef. Drizzle with vinaigrette and serve immediately.

Beef & Blue Cheese Mushroom Buttons & Burpees

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Jennifer FIsher

With the Big Game this Sunday, there is guaranteed to be some snacking going on ‘round these parts. The kids always insist on a big bucket of popcorn and a bag of M&Ms – oh, don’t act like you don’t know how awesome it is to mix the two together. My recipe for honey caramel almond popcorn also satisfies that craving for salty-sweet goodness in a healthier way.

The grown-ups are going to want something a little more substantial to snack on, shall we say . . . . something beefy? A beef and blue cheese stuffed mushroom recipe from my peeps at Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner is the inspiration for one of our Super Bowl snacks – these little babies are delicious and bursting with umami flavor thanks to the lean ground beef and robust blue cheese. The only swap I have made is to replace the whole-wheat bread crumbs with almond meal thus transforming them into gluten-free, Paleo-friendly (for those who do some dairy) finger foods. If you’re worried about having more than one of these delicious little buttons; don’t fret — they are surprisingly low in calories and fat. Click here for the nutrition guidelines (doesn’t take into account I swapped out the bread crumbs for almond meal).

Beef & Blue Cheese Mushroom Buttons Recipe (Gluten-Free & Paleo-Friendly)

1/2 pound Ground Beef, 93% lean or better
1/4 teaspoon salt
36 to 40 small button or cremini mushrooms (about 1-1/2 to 2-inch diameter)
1 teaspoon olive oil (for brushing)
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup almond meal
3 tablespoons minced chives
1/2 teaspoon steak seasoning blend
Minced fresh chives (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Remove and reserve stems from mushrooms. Brush mushroom caps with olive oil and season with salt; set aside. Mince stems to yield 1/2 cup; discard remaining stems.
Combine Ground Beef, minced stems, blue cheese, bread crumbs, 3 tablespoons chives and steak seasoning. Spoon beef mixture evenly into mushrooms.
Place stuffed mushrooms on rack in broiler pan. Bake in 375°F oven 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with additional chives, if desired.

Clapping Push-up Burpees

Okay, now that I’ve lured you in with the food, it’s time to talk BURPEES. Even if you hate burpees, you have to love what they do for you – this exercise works every muscle group you’ve got and gives you a cardio workout to boot. Sometimes, if I’m stuck in a hotel or the weather is too bad to even get to the gym and treadmill, I’ll just knock out some burpees instead of a run. I think I get more wiped out doing the burpees! Just when I think I’m getting bored of burpees, I find a new variation to liven things up — push-up burpee, lateral box jump burpee, high tuck jump burpee, burpee to pull-up, and on and on!

Check out the 1000 Burpee Challenge through Fitfluential. You could be in the running to win a great prize from Under Armour if you show your progress on Instagram with the hashtag #FFBurpee. I’m committing to 50 a day for 20 days. Today, I made it through 50 clapping push-up burpees, it was fun — am I weird? Maybe, but my friend Valerie definitely is- this is what happens if you go on a trip with her — BURPEES ON THE AIRPLANE!

Burpees on a plane! This really happened!

A Real Breakfast! Artichoke & Spinach Blue Cheese Baked Eggs

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Jennifer FIsher

This year I plan to start off every morning (okay, most mornings) with a healthy breakfast served on a real plate. I usually stay up too late and always wake up before dawn, making me so groggy and disoriented that the best I can often do for sustenance is a grab a protein bar or slurp a smoothie. While protein bars and smoothies are actually quite nutritious options for grab-and-go fuel, I aspire to slow down enough in the morning to actually have a conversation with the kids, give some attention to the dog, tune into current events (what year is this?) and enjoy a morning meal with all my senses. Then, after being properly fed, I can hit my errands, workouts and to-do list hard!

Pretty sure some eggs were eaten before (and maybe after) this workout at Ladybird Lake!

The incredible, edible egg is always one of my top choices in real breakfast food. Even on the busiest weekday mornings, it really doesn’t take that long to whip up a quick scramble or even microwave a 1-minute ramekin omelet. With just a little planning on Sunday night, a big breakfast casserole can be baked ahead and portioned out for the rest of the week. I plan to be a better planner – I promise!

This is a gorgeous recipe for Blue Cheese & Artichoke Baked Eggs I created for the blog at Lighthouse Foods. Typically baked eggs are doused in heavy cream before sitting in the oven, but I reduced the fat in this type of egg dish by using the company’s OPA Blue Cheese Greek Yogurt Dressing which is, not surprisingly, light, tangy and healthy! Served in individual gratin dishes, this healthy egg recipe is elegant enough to serve to company. Please visit the Living Litehouse blog for more gorgeous photos, but today I’m going to treat you to the full recipe right here, right now!

Blue Cheese & Artichoke Baked Eggs Recipe

Baking spray
3 to 4 ounces washed baby spinach
½ cup Litehouse Food’s OPA Blue Cheese Dressing (so good!)
2 Tbsp diced red onion
1 Tbsp sipped fresh chives
16 grape tomatoes
1 (7.5 oz) jar of quartered marinated artichoke hearts
8 large eggs
2 oz blue cheese crumbles

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Lightly spray 4 ramekins or 2 gratin dishes with baking spray. Divide spinach evenly among dishes.

3. Drizzle even portions of blue cheese salad dressing over spinach and sprinkle with red onion.

4. Slice grape tomatoes in half and drain liquid from jar of artichoke hearts. Place tomatoes and artichokes around perimeter of dishes.

5. Gently crack egg over top of spinach mixture, taking care not to break yolk. Repeat for remaining 3 ramekins. If using 2 larger gratin dishes, use 2 eggs per container. Sprinkle tops with chives.

6. Place dishes on a rimmed baking sheet and place on center rack of oven. Back for approximately 20 minutes or until egg whites have set and yolk has achieved desired level of doneness.

7. Remove from oven and sprinkle tops with an even portion of blue cheese crumbles. Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

egg skilled with beef eggs potatoes

My “Top of the Sirloin” Steak, Sweet Potato and Breakfast Bake is a proven winner, especially with my Paleo pals who can’t seem to get enough! I love how cheerful the sunny-side up eggs look atop this dish which is sautéed, baked and served in a country cast iron skillet.

Why not ditch the drive-thru and make your own yummy sunrise sandwich at home? My Spinach, Turkey & Egg Breakfast Sandwich offers loads of nutrient dense ingredients. Cook up the egg anyway you like – scrambled, poached, fried or in the handy-dandy Hamilton Beach breakfast sandwich maker!

Oh, and I can’t forget the Steak, Egg & Avocado Breakfast Sandwich – the day will be a win-win-win thanks to these three powerhouse ingredients.

Happy Umami-days! Figgy Blue Cheese & Bacon Bites

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Jennifer FIsher

Inspired by the taste of umami, I have created an easy appetizer recipe that will have your taste buds exploding with happiness this holiday season – Figgy Blue Cheese Bacon Bites. I’ve talked about umami before, but in case you’re not familiar with the term, it certainly bears repeating. That’s because umami ingredients are a great way to bring crazy flavor to a recipe without tons of fat and calories.

Umami (oo-MA-mee) is a Japanese word that literally means “delicious essence” and is used to describe a fifth taste receptor. We all know the traditional four tastes of sweet, salty, bitter and sour are associated with specific parts of the tongue. However, there is a mouth-watering, savory, meaty and indescribable taste that happens when eating certain foods like beef, mushrooms, bacon, aged cheeses, fermented sauces and red wines – this taste is called umami. To put it sort of scientifically, umami is the taste of glutamates (the salts of an amino acid) and other small molecules called nucleotides working synergistically with other flavors to create a multidimensional taste experience.

This recipe for Figgy Blue Cheese Bacon Bites is great to have on hand for impromptu holiday guests. Using only four ingredients (including Fig Newton cookies!) you can treat guests to something simple and yet oh-so special to eat in no time! It’s a recipe I’ve put together for Litehouse Foods using their delicious center cut blue cheese. Head on over to the Living Litehouse blog to get the full instructions.

I dare to say, you’ve probably already made quite a few recipes with food pairings that boost umami and not even realized it. Just think of the yumminess that happens when pairing salty feta cheese with ripe tomatoes or shrimp with soy sauce – all of these foods are high in glutamates. Below are a few favorite umami-rich recipes I’ve made lately, check them out!

Pomegranate Balsamic Post Roast with Baby Bella Mushrooms

Buffalo Chicken and Blue Cheese Onion Bombs

Spicy Sesame Salmon on Seared Watermelon

Camping Kaboom | Buffalo Chicken & Blue Cheese Onion Bombs

Posted on August 26, 2013 by Jennifer FIsher

Forget about roasting hotdogs and warming up beans from a can on your next outdoor adventure; that is just so . . . uh, terribly untasty. I created a simple recipe that creates a complex, crazy explosion of flavor that will appeal to even the most discriminating of culinary-centric campers. Check out this recipe for Buffalo Chicken and Blue Cheese Onion Bombs at Living Litehouse, the blog of a fabulously fresh food company that has been supporting my love for creating tasty, healthy dishes for a variety of occasions – today, camping!

These “bombs” are made from lean ground chicken breast that has been stuffed with blue cheese, kicked up with hot pepper sauce and then “wrapped” inside two cross-sectioned onion halves. You could call them stuffed meatballs in onions or even inside out mini-meatloaves – but they are totally the BOMB because they are dangerously delicious and wrapped up in foil like little grenades. Toss these bad boys on the grill or nestle in an open campfire to cook up quick as a short-fused firework. For you that don’t like to leave the comforts of your kitchen, I’m not going to stop you from just baking them in the oven. From mess kit to mouth, your every sense is going to be blowing up! Just as you would Buffalo Chicken Wings, balance these spicy bombs with the tangy coolness of blue cheese dressing. Oh, and don’t forget the celery!

Check out the whole recipe and see lots of other yummy pictures at Living Litehouse.

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Tag Archives: blue cheese

Steak, Fig and Blue Cheese Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Beef & Blue Cheese Mushroom Buttons & Burpees

A Real Breakfast! Artichoke & Spinach Blue Cheese Baked Eggs

Directions

Happy Umami-days! Figgy Blue Cheese & Bacon Bites

Camping Kaboom | Buffalo Chicken & Blue Cheese Onion Bombs