NY Strip Steak with Parmesan Encrusted Pesto Glaze

I believe I've already conveyed my overwhelming affection for red meat. But (and on a completely different note) have I mentioned how much I loathe wasting food and leftovers? I don't know where it comes from, but I always feel so guilty throwing food away. So, the pesto I made in my previous post? LOTS of leftovers. Here is something I threw together with a mission of not wasting food and using up the leftover pesto. Very easy and satisfying. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 NY Strip Steaks

Montreal steak seasoning

4 TBSPs of leftover spinach pesto (or you can use store-bought)

2 TBSPs of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation Instructions

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Next preheat a cast iron skillet on high heat for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle a small amount of Montreal steak seasoning on each side of the steaks.

Once the skillet has been heated, brown both sides of the steaks for 2 minutes. After you've flipped each steak to the opposite side, top each steak with 2 TBSPs of the pesto and then top that with 1 TBSP of cheese. Place skillet in oven to finish to desired temperature - we did it for 4 minutes for medium/medium-rare, turning oven to the broiler on high for the last minute. Serve immediately.

Spinach Pesto Pasta with Roasted Mini Heirloom Tomatoes

Oh dear, June 30th was my last post...is anyone still out there? Goodness, I hope so! Please forgive me for my vacation from the blog. What a crazy few weeks it has been. Between all of the excitement and celebrations from the engagement, to the start of wedding planning, some traveling and this unbearable Chicago heat...I hate to admit it, but the last thing I've wanted to do was spend time cooking in the kitchen. But with the wedding budget set, it's time to save some money and get back to cooking! This meal was solely inspired by the basil forest that is now overtaking our front balcony. Using spinach and walnuts in pesto is an easy way to get an extra serving of the healthy stuff! Give this a try and stay cool!

Pesto Ingredients

2 cups baby spinach leaves

3/4 cup fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup toasted walnuts

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

4 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 TBSP fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp lemon zest

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation Instructions

Blend the spinach, basil, walnuts, cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice, lemon zest, and 2 TBSPs olive oil in a food processor until nearly smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary. Drizzle the remaining olive oil into the mixture while processing until smooth.

Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes

2 pounds mini heirloom tomatoes 

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation Instructions

Heat the oven to 400.

Place the tomatoes on a sheet pan and drizzle over the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until the tomatoes collapse, about 20 minutes.


*Meal Preparation Instructions
Prepare your GF pasta of choice following the instructions on the box. Add pesto into pasta, to taste. Divide pasta onto plates and add roasted tomatoes on top. Save the rest of the pesto to make this fabulous pizza or these delicious lamb burgers!