Archives for posts with tag: spices

The weather has been beautiful the past two days. Yesterday was nice enough to enjoy using my grill. I was inspired to make this dish by finding these very pretty purple peppers at Whole Foods the other day. I love incorporating color into my meals. It even helps get the little ones excited about veggies. These were too pretty to pass up!

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Grilled Steak with Greek Peppers

For the meat:

  • 2 steaks. I used filet
  • 1/2 lemon juiced
  • touch of olive oil
  • sea salt, to taste
  • fresh black pepper, to taste

I trimmed the meat and sliced it lengthwise so the pieces were thinner and grilled quicker. I mixed the lemon juice and olive oil in one small bowl. The sea salt and pepper in another. I brushed each side of the meat with the lemon juice/olive oil. Then rubbed the sea salt/pepper into the meat.

I grilled on low until the steaks were about medium well. Slice up the steaks, set aside.

For the Peppers

  • 2 small purple bell peppers
  • 1 small red bell pepper
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 Tbsp of my Greek Seasoning 
  • 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 lemon juiced
  • Several handfuls of spinach/arugula mix. You could also just use spinach. I just had this leafy green mix
  • Fresh chopped Italian parsley, to taste.
  • Feta, to taste
  • Whole wheat Pitas

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the minced garlic. Heat for a minute. Add the sliced peppers, Greek seasoning, vinegar, and lemon juice. Cook until peppers are tender. Add the spinach/arugula and the sliced up steak. Allow leafy greens to wilt. Add parsley, mix well. Serve on warm whole wheat pita bread. Top with a little feta.

Here is another one of my homemade seasoning mixes! It is great on meat, veggies, or potatoes! Keep your eyes open for recipes that include it. I seriously am obsessed with these mason spice jars! They’re so tiny and cute.

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Greek Seasoning

  • 1 1/2 Tbsp Mediterranean oregano
  • 2 tsp sweet paprika
  • 2 tsp fresh black pepper
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp Mediterranean basil
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder

Combine all in an airtight container, shake to mix well. Store in a cool dry place. When cooking with this I add fresh garlic. I just really prefer fresh garlic to powdered garlic. You could add 1/4 tsp of garlic powder if you waned to use that instead of a clove of garlic while cooking.

I get excited when I come up with different spice blends that I can store for continued use. This meal came from that. I actually found the cutest little mason spice jars over the weekend. I have a mason jar OBSESSION! I bought 3. I will likely go back and get more. Now I needed spice blends to fill up those jars. This meal comes from one of those blends. The link for the recipe is below. Enjoy!

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Middle Eastern Steak and Veggies

  • 2 filets, cut into pieces
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, pressed
  • 1 Tbsp Middle Eastern Spices. I make my own blend
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 lemon zested/juiced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 orange bell pepper, diced
  • 1 zucchini, zoodled into short pieces
  • 2 Tbsp pine nuts

In a large pan, heat the garlic and olive oil. Add steak bits and begin to brown. Add the Middle Eastern seasoning and sea salt, mix well so all pieces are coated. Continue to cook. When most pink is no longer noticeable, add the red and orange peppers. Cook until peppers begin to get soft. Add the zucchini, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Let the zucchini begin to get tender. Add the pine nuts, mix well, heat through. Serve!

They are photoed alongside my Cinnamon Sweet Potato Bites. It was a nice compliment to this meal.

I really love making my own seasoning mixes. I always know what is in them. I can control the sodium levels. There are no preservatives. They are super easy to make. They are usually beautiful as well. This is no exception!

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Middle Eastern Spices 

  • 2 tsp Smoked Sweet Paprika
  • 2 tsp ground Cumin
  • 1 tsp fresh black pepper
  • 1 tsp ground Coriander
  • 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1/4 Ground Cloves
  • 1/4 tsp Turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp Cardamom

Combine all in a container of some sort and shake very well to combine. Store in air tight container and use as needed.