Asian Steak Sandwiches

On August 1, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes7 Comments

Marinating flank or skirt steak can turn an inexpensive piece of meat into a delicious and tender meal. Cutting it thinly on a bias is also great for sandwiches, which is what we decided to do. Utilizing Asian influences makes this sandwich even more flavorful and robust. In addition to the marinade, we also drizzled it with an sesame-ginger dressing that enhanced the overall experience. Since the steak only needs to marinade for 30 to 40 minutes, it makes for an easy weeknight meal that is both satisfying and delicious.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb Skirt or Flank Steak
4 Garlic Cloves – minced
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Fresh Lime Juice
2 tbsp Sesame Oil
2 tbsp Chili Paste (Sambal)
1 tbsp Fresh Ginger Root – chopped
Sandwich Rolls
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
Asian Salad Mix
Sesame-Ginger Dressing – store bought or home made

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine the garlic, ginger, chili paste, soy sauce, lime juice, and sesame oil in a medium bowl and whisk thoroughly. Place the steak in a plastic bag and poor the marinade over the steak, ensuring that the steak is completely covered. Let the steak rest in the marinade for about 30 to 40 minutes. Heat a cast iron skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat with the vegetable oil. Once the pan is hot, remove the steak from the marinade and place it in the pan. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes and then flip and continue cooking the other side for another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the steak from the pan and let it rest for 10 minutes and then cut across the grain into thin strips. Place the steak onto the rolls, top with Asian lettuce mix, and drizzle with the sesame-ginger dressing.

Asian Steak Sandwich with Spicy Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Tasty Guacamole

On July 25, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Mexico, Recipes5 Comments

Guacamole is a wonderful accompaniment to southwestern and Mexican food. It is also a wonderful dip on its own and can even be used as a spread on sandwiches as well. It isn’t complicated to make and you can make it spicy or not depending upon your taste. One of the things that makes it delicious is the use of fresh ingredients. We go to Mexico almost every year and we enjoy getting guacamole every time that we do and enjoy the large portions that we get.

INGREDIENTS

2 Avocados – diced
1 Medium Tomato – finely diced
1 Jalapeno – finely diced (seeds removed if you don’t want it spicy)
1 Garlic Clove – minced
1 tbsp Red or Yellow Onion – finely diced
Juice of 1 Lime
Salt and Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Cut the avocados in half, using your knife to carve around the large seed. Twist the avocado to separate the two halves, the seed will remain in one of the halves. Using a knife, carefully chop into the seed so that the knife is slightly embedded. Twist the knife to remove the seed and carefully remove the seed from the knife blade. Use a spoon to separate the flesh of the avocado from the skin by tracing the spoon along the inside of the skin and place the flesh into a medium bowl. You can dice the avocado prior to removing it from the skin or after it is in the bowl. Add the rest of ingredients and mix thoroughly. If you prefer a creamy guacamole, you can mash the avocado dices as you stir, or leave some of the dices whole if you prefer a chunkier guacamole. Serve with chips.

Southwestern Corn Chowder

On July 18, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn New Mexico, Recipes5 Comments

When we were in Sante Fe, New Mexico, we had a very tasty grilled corn and chipotle soup. We asked the restaurant for the recipe and they were nice enough to print it out and give it to us. Since corn is in season right now, we decided to recreate this recipe, but we changed it up to suit our tastes. We really liked the way that our version turned out, it had just the right amount of spice. One of the nice things about a recipe like this is that you can control the amount of heat that you add so that it can be more or less spicy depending upon your taste. Also, the combination of the fresh corn and frozen corn makes for a mix of crunchy and soft that makes the texture of the soup very pleasurable. We served ours with a nice toasted baguette bread, but a fried tortilla like the restaurant used would also be good. We also garnished ours with a couple of slices of jalapeno that had been deseeded, but clearly it isn’t necessary. This recipe serves two, but it could easily be adjusted to serve more. We hope that you enjoy it!

INGREDIENTS

5 Ears of Fresh Corn
8 oz of Frozen Corn
1/3 can of Chipotle Peppers with Sauce – finely chopped
1/4 cup Red Onion – chopped
3 cups Heavy Cream
1/2 tsp White Pepper
1/4 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 tsp Butter
Salt to Taste – generous amount
Black Pepper to Taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Remove the corn kernels from the husks of fresh corn and sauté them in a cast-iron skillet heated over medium-high heat with the oil and butter. If you prefer, you could grill the corn whole on a grill and then remove the kernels, but we chose to cook them in the skillet. Salt and pepper the corn and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, and then add the red onion to the corn. Cook for another 5 minutes and then remove from heat. In a medium sauce pan, add the cream, corn and onions, frozen corn, white pepper, cumin, garlic, and salt. Add about a third of the chipotle peppers with sauce and start heating the soup over medium heat. You want to just bring the soup to a slight simmer and avoid bringing to a full boil. Taste the soup and continue to slowly add chipotle peppers with sauce until it is as spicy as you would like.