Farmer's Market Vegetable, Beef, and Brown Rice Salad

This recipe is one of our favorites. Saucy Sally and I make it fairly regularly. Some notes: We often forget to marinate in advance. It's not that much of a problem with this recipe. If you put the rice on to cook when you start prepping the veggies and move on from there, you should have plenty of time to get everything done (including letting the meat stand for 10 minutes) at about the same time.

Also, since we're normally having this as a week night meal and eating the additional two servings for leftovers, we've learned to only assemble half of the salad, so we don't have to heat the tomatoes and chick peas up for lunch the next day.

Rating: 4
Servings: 4
Total time: 40 minutes

Marinade
1/2 cup olive oil
4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp honey
4 tsp fresh chopped thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 lb beef top round steak (or flank steak), cut 3/4 inch thick 1 tsp olive oil
2 cups asparagus cut in 2-inch pieces
1 medium yellow squash, cut lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
3 cups hot cooked brown rice
1 cup diced, seeded tomatoes
1 cup canned garbanzo beans, rinsed, drained
1/4 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Combine marinade ingredients in small bowl. Place beef steak and 1/4 cup marinade in food-safe plastic bag; turn steak to coat. Close bag securely and marinate in refrigerator 6 hours or as long as overnight. Reserve remaining marinade in refrigerator for dressing.

2. Remove steak from marinade; discard marinade. Place steak on rack in broiler pan so surface of beef is 2-3 inches from heat. Broil 12-13 minutes for medium-rare doneness, turning once. Remove; keep warm. (Let beef stand for 10 minutes before slicing or serving to enhance flavor.)

3. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add asparagus and squash; cook and stir 7-8 minutes or until tender. Toss with rice, tomatoes, beans, basil, salt, and reserved marinade in large bowl.

4. Carve steak into thin slices. Serve over rice salad.

Lamb Chops with Pistachio Sauce and Vegetable Saute

Technically, those tomatoes and artichoke hearts should be mixed together, but Saucy Sally had an inkling that we wouldn't care for the artichokes. (She was right, of course.)

Servings: 4
Total Time: 30-40 minutes
Definitely okay for guests (if we could ever afford it!)
(Note: While the lamb chops get a 4, the vegetable saute gets a 2.)

Saucy Sally and I loved the flavor of this tender meat and the gravy it created. I was definitely a fan of the pistachio sauce. Unfortunately, the vegetables weren't up to par. The tomatoes would've been better roasted, and canned artichoke hearts taste, well, canned. Saucy Sally said she'd forget about the vegetable saute next time and serve the lamb with a baked potato and a green vegetable, which sounds good to me.

1/2 c shelled pistachios
3/4 c coarsely chopped fresh parsley
8 loin lamb chops, each 1 inch thick (about 2 lbs)*
2 pints grape tomatoes
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts in water, rinsed, drained, & quartered

1. Make sauce: In a blender, purée pistachios with ¼ cup water until smooth (add a splash more water if necessary); season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Season lamb with salt and pepper and place in skillet. Cook until medium-rare, about five minutes per side (temperature of 145˚).** Transfer to a plate, and cover loosely with foil. Reserve skillet (and any fat left in it).

3. Add tomatoes, artichokes, and ¼ cup water to skillet; season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high, stirring frequently, until tomatoes begin to soften, 6-8 minutes. Mix in remaining ½ c parsley. Serve.

* Being that we're not quite there with the dinero and lamb is expensive, we opted for one lamb chop each.
** The original recipe, from the May 2007 issue of Everday Food, didn’t offer temperatures, which led us to finding this handy site.

Roasted Pork Loin with Black Bean and Sweet Potato Salad

Colorful and tasty. We would definitely serve this meal to guests.

Servings: 4 (Plus leftovers for Roasted Pork Club)
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Good for Guests


This meal was fan-freakin'-tastic. Every single bite was an explosion of flavor. We served the two dishes detailed below with a simple tomato and basil salad* (pictured above), mainly because we happened to have some tomatoes we needed to use. Saucy Sally thinks the Black Bean and Sweet Potato Salad would be good with a small amount of yellow rice. The second time we served this meal, we opted for corn on the cob as our second side. Delicious.

2 lbs center-cut boneless pork loin
4 tbsp + 1 tsp vegetable oil, divided
2 tsp fajita rub
Coarse salt & ground pepper
5 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes
¼ tsp red-pepper flakes (optional)
2 tbsp lime juice (from one lime), plus wedges for serving
1 can (14.5 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained

1. Preheat oven to 450°, with racks set in upper and lower thirds. Place pork on a rimmed baking sheet. Rub with fajita rub. Roast on upper rack until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meet registers 145°, 35 to 40 minutes.
2. About 15 minutes after pork has begun roasting, place sweet potatoes on another rimmed baking sheet; drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil. Season with red pepper flakes (if using), salt, and pepper; toss to coat. Roast on lower rack until tender, tossing once during cooking, 25-35 minutes.
3. Remove pork loin from oven, and cover loosely with aluminum foil; let rest about 10 minutes. (Slice off 1/3 of meat and refrigerate for the Roasted Pork Club with Lemon Basil Mayonnaise.)
4. In a large bowl, whisk lime juice with remaining 2 tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper. Add sweet potatoes and beans; mix gently to combine.
5. Thinly slice pork, and serve with salad and lime wedges.

* I believe Saucy Sally mixed small sliced tomatoes and fresh basil with olive oil and white wine vinegar to create this dazzling little dish.