Spice Rub for Meat

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons white sugar
4 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoons mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pinch dried oregano
1 pinch dried thyme

Directions:
1.In a small bowl, combine the sugar, salt, paprika, mustard, pepper, oregano and thyme.
2.To use: coat meat in mixture, and then grill as desired.

Found at Allrecipes.com

Hamburger Soup

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 medium onion,finely chopped
1 - 28 oz. can tomatoes
2 cups water 500 mL
3 - 10 oz. cans consomme
1 - 10 oz. can tomato soup
4 carrots, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
3 sticks celery, finely chopped parsley
pepper to taste
1/2 cup pot barley 125 mL

Instructions:
Brown meat and onions. Drain well. Combine all ingredients in large pot. Simmer covered, at least 2 hours, or all day. Serves 10.

Steak with balsamic mushroom sauce

4 Beef steaks (your desired cut)
1/2 tsp salt, divided
1/4 tsp pepper divided
2 tsp butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups sliced mushroom caps (you can mix different kinds)
1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp water
1 tsp low-sodium soy sauce

Sprinkle steaks with 1/2 of the salt and 1/2 of the pepper.

Grill steaks to desired degree of doneness.

Heat pan over medium heat. Add butter coating the pan, cook until the foam subsides (about 15 seconds). Add garlic, saute for 30 seconds. Add mushrooms, 1/2 tsp thyme, remaining salt and pepper. Saute mushrooms for 3 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in vinegar, soy sauce and water; cook one more minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates. Top steaks.

::: recipe found in Cooking Light April 2008

Beef & Veggie Stir Fry

3/4 - 1 lb steak (I use flank or sirloin), cut into slices
1/2 purple onion, sliced
2 C fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 med red pepper, cut in strips
1 Zuchinni, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced in 4
2 tsp. beef bouillon or 2 cubes
1/3 c. water
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
2 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. sugar
4 Tbsp oil, divided

Stir together soy sauce, vinegar, cornstarch and sugar. Disolver bouillon in water and pour into soy sauce mixture. Set aside.

In large skillet or wok, heat 2 tablespoons oil over high heat; add garlic and cook a few seconds. Add meat and stir-fry 2 minutes (meat will be slightly pink in center). Remove meat and juices.

In the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add vegetables and stir-fry 2 minutes over high heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon to the edge of the skillet; add meat and juices, then bouillon mixture. Stir; cover and cook 2 minutes. Stir to serve over rice or noodles.

Beef Tenderloin with Mushroom Sherry Sauce

We had a friend join us for dinner so I made this. I served it with garlic mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and cauliflower with homemade cheese sauce and a spinach salad.

Beef Tenderloin

2-3 lb beef tenderloin roast
2 tsp each thyme, seasoning salt, Montreal steak seasoning. Rub the roast or steaks with seasoning and let stand until room temp. (about an hour)

I use the convection/roast setting on my oven and roast at 400 degrees. I cook it until the internal temp is 120 degrees, that is med rare. The most important thing to remember is to let the cooked meat rest for 10-15 minutes. It will still cook in this time and the juices will settle as well.

Sherry Mushroom Sauce

2 teaspoons butter
1 1/2 cups pre-sliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons water


Sauce:

Melt butter in pan. Add mushrooms, shallots, and garlic to pan; saute 3 minutes. Stir in broth and sherry. Combine cornstarch and 2 teaspoons water in a bowl, stirring until smooth. Add cornstarch mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Serve with cooked beef.