Steak with Musard Viniagrette & Chicken with Dill & Pita

Simple dinners for busy weeks: healthier versions of Chicken Gyros from Epicurious and Steak with Mustard Vinagrette from Real Simple.

Steak with Mustard Vinagrette

Steak (I got a 4$ sirloin steak and I got three meals out of it)
1 lb of sliced mushrooms
2 TB mustard (they say Dijon; I only had spicy & it was fine)
1 1/2 tsp white vinegar
salt & pepper
olive oil

Stir up the mustard, vinegar, and a grind or two of salt and pepper (and anything else you have on hand that would be flattering -- they say tarragon, which I didn't have). Heat the olive oil and saute the mushrooms until they're starting to get soft. Salt & pepper the steak and then add it to the pan. Be sure to mix the steak juices up with the mushrooms as you cook the meat (to desired doneness). When the steak is done, cut it up into small pieces or strips and toss it & the mushrooms with the vinaigrette. You might want to add a little viniagrette a time, so you can be sure it doesn't overpower the steak-flavor, which is awesome. I roasted some brussel sprouts on the side and their greenness balanced things out nicely.

So good! So cheap! A hearty leftovers lunch.


Chicken with Dill & Pita

2 cups plain nonfat yogurt (Fage greek yogurt is best)
5 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
dash of cayanne
2 large garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
4 pita bread rounds, warmed
cherry tomatoes
cucumber, thinly sliced

Mix the yogurt, dill, garlic, dash of cayenne, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Set about half aside; marinate the chicken in the other half (1 hr-overnight, however much time you have). Throw away the marinade when you cook the chicken.

When you're ready to eat, heat olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onions until brown, about ten minutes. Add chicken; sauté until brown and cooked through.

Put the warm pitas, chicken & onions, the half yogurt sauce that wasn't on raw chicken, and the vegetables on a serving platter so everyone can construct their own tasty chicken pitas. They fall apart so it's good to have lots of napkins at hand.

This is tasty and healthy, but does not deserved to be called Chicken Gyros. It's a disservice to compare this nice little healthy meal to the sublime greasy wonder that is, say, a Zorba's Taverna gyro at 2:45pm just before their weekend lunch special ends (when those cute boys are working, too). The first time I made it, I found the meat to be a little bland, but the chicken had only marinated an hour. After sitting in yogurt overnight, it was much tangier, and the added cayenne helped, too.

I love TV!

Exhausted this week. Lots of tv.

-Arrogant since I called the tape worm on House a few weeks ago, I was completely sure a radioactive hooker was to blame for Tuesday's "stds and tumors" GI.
-Ugly Betty needs to come back with lots of geek love, gorgeous transgender angst, and swishy strength in the face of bad parents. I love love love Henry, Alexis, and Marc. I'm also really psyched for Mrs Meade being all fabulous in jail. Would Lil Kim gueststarring be too much to ask?
-Epic! The Evolution of Homer Simpson
-My tv boyfriend Turk jams to New Edition's Poison and all is right in my life.
-I completely agree with NOW that the "battered women are sexy" photoshoot was stupid, vulgar, and competes with "let's put Xiomara in blackface" for one of the worst things they've ever done. Nonetheless, my little heart broke when I had to miss the crossdressing episode because basketball preempts.
-I am taken off-gaurd when Melrose Place has a storyline I respect. I can't wait for netflix to get me the next dvd: "Matt is the victim of an attack outside a nightclub. When an officer from the hate crimes unit comes to the halfway house, Matt's supervisor is stunned to learn that Matt is gay. He quickly devises a reason to fire him. Jake and Rhonda convince Matt to seek legal recourse" -- wow. Of course they bring me back to reality when they do supremely goofy stuff like "Billy fantasizes about Alison while under the influence of medication following a trip to the dentist." Though really, I want to get through the dvds of the sweet first season to end already and get to the sleaze.