Asian Steak and Spinach Salad & Sweet Potato Hash

Q: If I could be one meal what would I be?
A: D'uh. Meat and potatoes.

Tonight's menu was a healthy take on my all time favorite food genre, meat & taters. This steak and spinach salad recipe I pulled from the archives and remembered why it had been a staple in my recipe arsenal awhile back. As for the sweet potato hash I was really excited to try this one out. And let me tell ya, I was not disappointed. The hash was super simple, super tasty and with a minor modification on the bacon (subbing in turkey bacon) it was a healthy and pretty (color galore!) side. So here's the scoop on the recipes, you'll see my notes on any need to know info. and/or alterations.  

Asian Steak & Spinach Salad 
Recipe adapted from myrecipes.com 

Ingredients:

• 8 oz baby spinach (I was only cooking for two people and this is quite a bit of spinach. I cut down to maybe about 5 oz and made sure to reserve some of the dressing so I didn't drown the dish)
• 1/4 c EVOO
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice (don't skimp and use the concentrate - fresh really adds the citrus-y kick this dressing needs to cut through the soy and sugar)
• 1 tsp light or dark brown sugar (Next time I'd shoot for 1 1/2 tsp of brown sugar. The sweetness gets a tad lost when you deglaze the skillet and I'd care for a bit more sweet to play with the savory)
• 1 tbsp lo-sodium soy sauce
• 1 sweet red onion, sliced (This is about 2 cups but I cut it down to 1 cup since Jake was gawking at the amount of red onion I was slicing for this meal)
• 1/2 lb steak (porterhouse, rib-eye, sirloin, ternderloin are what the recipe calls for but I'd go for skirt or flank next time)
• 2 tbsp chopped, unsalted peanuts

How-to:

• Wash & dry spinach, place in big bowl, set aside
• Whisk together 2 tbsp olive oil, the garlic, lime juice, sugar and soy sauce in small bowl, set aside
• Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in skillet. When oil is hot but not smoking, saute onion. Transfer onion to bowl w/spinach. Give it a toss. The hot onion and the transfer of the oil helps to coat the spinach and wilt it just a tad. 
• Add remaining 1 tbsp olive oil to skillet. Sear steak over med-high heat (about 3 mins per side for med rare depending upon thickness of cut). Remove skillet from heat, transfer steak to cutting board - LET IT REST. (Why people refuse to let their meat rest is beyond me, but it's crucial. Be patient, it's worth it).
• Return skillet to heat, add soy-lime mixture to pan, deglaze by stirring constantly.
• Cut meat, add to spinach, dress salad with soy-lime mixture, sprinkle with chopped nuts.

Sweet Poato Hash
This recipe adapted from Sunny Anderson of the Food Network's Cooking For Real

Ingredients:

• 3 strips bacon, chopped (I subbed in turkey bacon to protect my ticker and believe me, the flavor was amazing, no need for the extra fat and cals of real bacon)
• 3 tbsp EVOO
• 2 medium sweet potatoes; about 8 oz each, peeled and 1/4 inch diced
• 1/2 c chopped red onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp pickled jalapenos, sliced (I substituted a hungarian hot pepper, they are in season and absolutely delicious. Look for one with a curved stem if you want heat, a straight stem if you want more mild)
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin (undoubtedly the most important ingredient in this recipe - don't forego whatever you do)
• Salt & fresh black pepper

How-to:

• In a large saute pan (think 13 inch), add the bacon and olive oil. When the oil heats and the bacon begins to sizzle, add the sweet potatoes and spread out as much as possible to allow the potatoes to rest in 1 layer.
• Leave the potatoes to cook until a quick toss reveals browning on the side in contact w/pan (about 5 mins). Continue to toss and let stand until the potatoes are mostly golden the bacon crisp (about 3-5 minutes longer).
• Add the onions, peppers, cumin and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
• Allow everything to sit in the heat of the pan for a minute or two and combine deliciously.