New York Strip Steak with Cardo y berza con garbanzos, Roasted Salsa, & Spinach Tortillas

Dinner was awwwweeeesome.  I have a pic to add later, so for now, just enjoy my drivel.

I was in a south o'the border mood already, so when this recipe came through my reader, originally called Espinacas con garbanzos (Spinach and Chickpeas); I knew it would  satisfy the craving and I could avoid  nachos or something equally blase.  Once I figured that much out, the rest pretty much fell into place.  Since my tortillas involved spinach, and I had a bunch of collard greens (berza) that were getting wilted and a fresh bunch of chard (cardo) come in my organic delivery, I decided to do some substituting, which at this point is less a decision and more a force of habit :)  From the original blog post, apparently this is a Spanish comfort food; I'd never heard of it (being about as whitey McWhite White as they come...) but I am so happy I it gave it a try!

Cardo y berza con garbanzos
6g coconut oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp of cumin
3/4 cup all natural tomato sauce
1 bunch collard greens, stems removed and chopped
1 bunch chard, any variety, stems removed and chopped
1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
juice of 1 lemon
few dashes of Tabasco, to taste
salt, pepper

In a large, deep, sauce pan with fitting lid, sautee onion and garlic in the coconut oil, until just translucent.  Add cumin and saute until fragrant. Add chard, collards, chickpeas, and  tomato sauce; cover and let greens wilt.  Add some water, and continue to saute, covered, checking frequently for doneness.  When greens are tender, saute uncovered until liquids have all but evaporated.  Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice over the top before serving.

Yields 5 cups, 140 calories per cup

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I can't believe I made my own tortillas, but I did it! This is another great recipe from VeggieWiz, and I changed very little; I also tweaked the directions slightly to reflect my personal experience with the dish.

Spinach Tortillas
1/2 cup corn flour (NOT corn meal)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
4 cup spinach, boiled and drained, reserve the liquids

Puree the boiled spinach in a blender; you will need about 3/4 cups puree.

Mix the corn flour, wheat flour, salt and baking soda together. Knead into a dough by slowly adding the spinach puree. Add the reserved liquids if needed. The dough should be soft but not sticky. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into 6 balls and pat each ball into a thin roundish tortilla using the corn flour to help with sticking. Make as thin as you can.

Heat a griddle or skillet over high heat (do not use oil). Gently place a tortilla on the hot pan, and cook for 40-50 seconds on each side; longer if your tortillas are a little thick. You should see little bubbles forming, and it should get lightly toasted. Eat them fresh; for leftover5s, wrap in aluminum foil and refrigerate,

Yields 6 tortillas, 79 calories each.
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Salsa is a pretty simple affair, but I made a pretty good batch, so figured this would be a good time to report it.

Roasted Salsa
4 jalapenos
8 plum tomatoes
2 Anaheim chilies
1 large red onion, rough chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4c. lime juice (about 4 small limes)
2 tsp. cumin
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Place jalapenos, tomatoes and chilies on a cookie sheet. Roast in the oven under a high broil turning once until blackened and blistered on all sides. Allow to cool. Remove skins taking care with the jalapeno to avoid getting spice on your hands.

In a food processor, take turns chopping onion and garlic to a fine chop; chilies jalapenos and tomatoes to a chunky consistency. Add all remaining ingredients together and toss. Season to taste.

Yields 4.5 cups / 65 calories per cup
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I'll go ahead and assume you know how to grill a steak...

Eric's Dinner: Box of White Cheddar Shells Pasta-Roni