Tuna Cakes with Kale Pesto "Pasta"

Weird people are all around us. If you take public transit, you know what I mean. It's not uncommon for homeless people to ask you for money or creepy guys to ask you out on dates, but has anyone ever chosen to give you a misinformed nutrition lesson?

After a long day of running around the city to test older adults for my dissertation, I was holding a takeout bag from Epic Burger (an organic, supposedly higher quality ingredient burger joint). I sat down on the bus minding my own business when this lady next to me pointed to my takeout bag and asked if I had chicken. I told her no, that it was a burger. She says "ok" and then says she hasn't eaten chicken in years. Um, ok. Then she tells me that meat isn't good for you, that I should cook, and not eat takeout. I told her that I do enjoy cooking my own food, but on days like today when I'm up at 6:30am and not home until after 8pm, I don't feel like cooking. She told me to use tupperware. I said that I have a cabinet full of tupperware but this particular week has been exceptionally stressful (significantly above average) and with these 6am-8pm days, I'm just so exhausted so takeout it is.

She said that I was limiting my options and then proceeded to lecture me on why I should make grilled cheese or peanut butter & jelly sandwiches - a whole vat of them - keep them in the fridge all week and then freeze extras. I wanted to lecture her on why meat isn't all that bad and why a diet of grilled cheese or pb&j is actually rather awful for the human body. But I bit my tongue and ran off the bus as soon as my stop came... unfortunately it was her stop too. I said good night and then walked home and enjoyed my burger in peace (minus the bread). As a side note, Epic Burger makes pretty good burgers. Not restaurant-quality of course, but much better than McDonalds, Burger King, or any other fast food joint.

Today's WOD was a team workout where you & a partner did 200m sprints, double-unders, & rowing, with medicine ball sit-ups intermixed throughout. My partner Natalie & I totally rocked the workout and we beat most of the boys! Muahahahaha

When I got home tonight, I was tired but wanted to cook something easy so I made a new version of old favorites: tuna cakes with kale pesto zucchini "pasta" (or zucchini "noodles" as others call them). My paleo salmon cakes are a classic, and these tuna cakes are a nice twist with a different flavor. My basil pesto zucchini "pasta" is also classic fare (paleo-ified of course), so using nutrient-rich kale was equally delicious.

Tuna Cakes

INGREDIENTS
5oz can of tuna, drained
1 egg white
1/2 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp dried paprika
Pinch of ground ginger
Pinch of cayenne
Salt & pepper to taste
1 green onion, chopped; optional
2 tbsp coconut oil

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat a large frying pan on medium-high heat.
2. Combine all ingredients (except coconut oil) in a medium bowl. 
3. Melt coconut oil in frying pan. When pan and oil are hot, drop tuna mixture into pan, about 1/4 c each.  Use spatula to flatten and shape into cakes.
4. After one side is cooked (edges will turn white, about 3 min; DO NOT touch beforehand or they will fall apart), flip each cake over. Cook for another 3 minutes, adding extra coconut oil if needed.
5. Dig in!!



Kale Pesto Zucchini "Pasta"

INGREDIENTS
2 medium zucchini
2 c fresh kale leaves (remove the "rib")
3 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 c olive oil
1/4 c pine nuts (I use macadamias for the omega-3s)
Salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. Bring a pot of water to boil. While water is boiling, use a mandoline to slice the zucchini into thin strips. Then, use a knife to slice the zucchini strips into noodles. Add zucchini to boiling water and cook until soft, about 2 minutes.
2. In a blender or food processor, pulverize the remaining ingredients. Sample the pesto and adjust ingredients to your preference as needed.
3. Transfer zucchini into a large bowl and toss with pesto until thoroughly combined. 
4. You CAN have your pasta and eat it too!

Sliders & Sugar Detox Donuts!

The winter blues have definitely gotten me down. Cold, snowy, & slushy out... my socks keep getting wet! Cold, wet socks are not pleasant grrrrr

In other news, I made an easy, simple meal with plenty of flavor: turkey portobello sliders! I wanted "dessert" which defeats the purpose of a sugar detox, so I came up with a paleo, sugar detox version. It's no Dunkin Donuts, but you can use your imagination to take you there :)

 

Turkey Portobello Sliders

Turkey portobello slider with lettuce & avocado.

INGREDIENTS
1 lb lean ground turkey
5-6 small portobello mushroom caps, stem & gills removed
1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp onion powder
2 tsp basil
2 tsp rosemary
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp paprika
2 tbsp coconut oil
Toppings (optional): avocado, bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickle, raw/grilled onions, cheese (if allowed), etc

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Place mushroom caps on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until cooked through. Use a paper towel to blot the excess moisture.
3. While portobellos are baking, heat a skillet to medium-high heat.
4. Use hands to combine turkey with seasonings. Divide into 5-6 small patties. Pinch the center so the burgers cook evenly.
5. Melt coconut oil in skillet. Drop turkey patties into skillet and fry until bottom side is cooked (the edges will start to turn white), about 3 minutes. Flip and repeat. Add more coconut oil as necessary.    
6. Assemble your burger: portobello, toppings, turkey slider, & more toppings!
7. Gobble up!!!

NOTE: These sliders taste delicious with carrot "fries". Simply slice baby carrots in half, toss with olive oil & salt, then roast at 425 for 20 minutes.

Sugar Detox Paleo Donuts

Donuts clockwise from top left: cinnamon, sunbutter, cinnamon, sunbutter, & "chocolate frosting"

 
INGREDIENTS
1/4 c coconut flour
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
4 egg whites
3 tbsp coconut milk
Optional: 2 tbsp maple syrup, agave, or honey (NOT allowed on sugar detox, obviously)

"Frosting" ideas: unsweetened sunbutter, cinnamon, or shredded coconut. If you're not on the sugar detox, honey would be a DELICIOUS frosting!

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine dry ingredients: coconut flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Add wet ingredients: egg whites, coconut milk, & sweetener if using. Mix until thoroughly combined.
3. Grease a donut or mini-donut pan (I used mini) with coconut oil or butter. Pour batter into pan, about 3/4 full.
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.
5. Serve with frosting of choice. For the detox, sunbutter was the best in my opinion. Cinnamon was second place. I didn't have coconut at the time... but if you try it, let me know how it turns out.
6. Eat with your eyes closed and imagine that you are biting into a Dunkin Donut... :)

NOTE: I tried unsweetened cocoa powder mixed with melted coconut oil to make "chocolate frosting" and it tasted horrendous. I don't it recommend it :P

Paleo Pen Pals - February

Time for February's round of Paleo Pen Pals, where you swap ingredients with another paleoite and create a dish from the ingredients. My pen pal was Rachel, a fellow Chicagoan and awesome blogger at Pain Free Kitchen. Shipping this round was the easiest one yet since we did a hand-off in the city. You can see what I got her and the recipe she came up with here. Rachel just finished her Whole30 and has been very encouraging since I've been struggling this go-round. She got me 3 ingredients: unsweetened coconut flakes, ground fenugreek (an Indian spice), and CSA leeks. I never had any of them before, so this was going to be a whole new adventure! Heck, I didn't even know what a leek looked like or how to go about cutting one :P

I honestly had no idea how to combine all 3 ingredients into one meal. Coconut-flaked Indian-style leeks? Would that even taste good? Didn't want to risk botching this up, so I did a cop-out and made 3 separate things to highlight each ingredient: coconut shrimp (appetizer) with Indian chicken tikka masala and roasted leeks & asparagus. Each one turned out delicious!! The leeks were so yummy!! I'm always looking for new ways to incorporate more veggies into my diet so I'll definitely be buying leeks on my own now, even if I still don't know how to cut one... but that's another story.

Coconut Shrimp

INGREDIENTS
1 lb shrimp, cleaned
1/3c unsweetened coconut flakes (or finely ground)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg white
2 tbsp coconut oil

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat skillet over medium-high flame. Pulse coconut flakes in food processor until finely ground.
2. On a sheet of wax paper, combine coconut and spices.
3. Crack egg white into a small bowl. Melt coconut oil in heated skillet.
4. Dip shrimp into egg white, then dredge through coconut mixture until coated.
5. Place shrimp into pan and cook on both sides until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Add more coconut oil as necessary to get the job done.
6. Serve with cocktail sauce or eat those bad boys by themselves! I may or may not have eaten the whole batch in one sitting...

Chicken Tikka Masala

INGREDIENTS
1.5 lb boneless/skinless chicken (breast and/or thighs), cubed
1 tbsp olive oil
2/3 c coconut milk
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp ground fenugreek
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp cayenne
Cilantro leaves, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 tbsp coconut oil
3 oz tomato paste
1/3 c coconut milk
1 can crushed tomatoes, undrained
1 tsp each: fenugreek, garam masala, turmeric, chili powder, cinnamon, ginger, & cayenne

DIRECTIONS
1. Place chicken into a zip-top plastic baggie. Add all following ingredients up to and including cilantro. Mix well to combine. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, but the longer the better (up to 48 hours).
2. When you're ready to make the dish, heat a wok or deep pot over medium flame.
3. Melt coconut oil and add the onions. Saute until translucent.
4. Add all the remaining ingredients and stir until combined. Add chicken, including marinade, to the pot. Cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.
5. Serve over cauliflower rice, with secretly veggie waffles (a surprisingly good naan replacement to mop up the sauce), and/or enjoy all by itself.        

Roasted Leeks/Asparagus

INGREDIENTS
2 leeks, julienned 
1 lb asparagus
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tsp garlic salt (or 1.5 tsp garlic powder & 1.5 tsp salt)
2 tsp herbs de provence

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Arrange leeks and asparagus on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Pour olive oil over veggies and use hands to toss until the veggies are coated with oil. Sprinkle garlic salt and herbs de provence.
3. Roast for 20 minutes or until browned and crispy.

Paleo Hashbrowns

Registration for the 2013 Chicago Marathon opened today at noon. It was slated to sell out in record time, so the entire world logged in and the server crashed. Over 2 frustrating hours & 40 minutes later, I secured my slot in that epic race. The race organizers emailed later that night apologizing and they are working to fix the glitch. They are postponing all registrations for at least 2 more days, at which time they will tell people when registration will be reopening. Ridiculous.

No sugar, no carbs, no gluten... 3 weeks later, I feel like I'm going crazy! I am craving everything, which is made worse all the more by the bitter cold (we eat more in wintertime), no sleep (our appetites are stimulated and metabolism slowed), and recent abnormally high stress (we crave carbs/sugar).  I've been coping by eating more fat. This probably isn't the best cure and the idea of eating fat is something that used to repulse me but since going paleo I've learned to enjoy eating fat. In some ways, I wonder if my nutrition would be better if I had a more "balanced" diet of protein, fat, and just a little bit of carby carbs (rice, pasta, etc) instead of none at all. Then I think back to how I feel when I eat carby carbs and the answer is NO!  Maybe I'm being too hard/strict on myself with this Whole60/sugar detox thing (plus self-imposed no fruits whatsoever). Perhaps one day I'll get to the point where I am a carefree, strict paleo and wouldn't have it any other way.

Brunch is one of my favorite types of meals, so it's no surprise that one of my favorite "fatty" foods to eat is hashbrowns. Of course fried potatoes are an obvious no-no, but that doesn't mean that one can't reinvent them! I never tried rutabaga before, but turns out that they shred easily and can turn into tasty hashbrowns that are just as good as the white potato classic. I actually just had some for dinner... love me some breakfast for dinner :)

Eggs, bacon & rutabaga hashbrowns

Paleo Hashbrowns 

INGREDIENTS
1 small rutabega, peeled
2 tbsp olive oil
s&p

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Using a food processor (or grating by hand), shred the rutabaga.
3. Place rutabaga on a greased cookie sheet (or lined with non-stick foil). Drizzle olive oil on rutabaga and use hands to mix together.
4. Spread the shreds evenly on the sheet. Sprinkle with s&p.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until the bottoms get crisp. Turn the oven to broil and broil your rutabaga for about 1-2 minutes or until the tops get crisp.

Chicken Fra Diavolo

Ever make a dish for the first time and you're like "da*n, I'm good!" ??  Oh, you do that every time you cook, eh? Way to show me up.

It's been a grueling week here with the dissertation plus week 3 of the Whole60/sugar detox... when things gets hard to stay on track. I just keep reminding myself of why I'm doing it and what my goals are, but I'm not gonna lie- grilled cheese & ice cream sound really amazing right about now!!! Resuming CrossFit after a few days off due to back pain (which is back to normal now - no pun intended) helped to motivate me to eat better. There's nothing like 50 box jumps, 50 wall balls to the high/men's target, and 50 burpees with sandbag cleans for time to get your nutrition in check. Hot yoga also helped to negate cravings... pizza, wings & cupcakes just don't sound appealing after sweating like a dog for 90 minutes straight. But, 2 hours and a shower later, that's a different story.  

Anyway, I had a spaghetti squash to use and some random ingredients lying around so I decided to throw em all in a pot and see what came of it. I was smacking my lips after tasting this baby! Paleo chicken fra diavolo, I will be making you often!

Chicken Fra Diavolo 

INGREDIENTS
1 medium-small spaghetti squash
1 lb chicken breast or tenders, diced
1 can of fire-roasted tomatoes with green chilies (I used Trader Joe's brand), drained
Poultry seasoning (or salt, pepper, & paprika)
Basil
Italian seasoning
Parsley
Oregano
4 strips of bacon, diced (optional... adds a nice extra flavor that compliments the rest of the dish)

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 425. Cut spaghetti squash in half length-wise, remove roots & seeds. Place cut-side down on cookie sheet and bake until soft, about 30-35 minutes.
2. While spaghetti squash is baking, dice up your chicken and sprinkle with poultry seasoning. Heat a pan with oil and add chicken until cooked through, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Cook and dice bacon at this point if you are going to use it.
3. When spaghetti squash is done, use a fork to "shred" the squash into noodles. Heat a pan on medium-low heat and add noodles. Add drained tomatoes/chilies and stir to combine. Add chicken, bacon, basil, oregano, italian seasoning & parsley. Toss everything together to combine into one delicious meal.
4. Eat up!!! Mmmm!

NOTE: you could add a diced onion or garlic to the mix, but I hadn't gone grocery shopping yet and didn't have any on hand. I was very satisfied with how this meal turned out :)

Paleo Soul Food

Ever feel like you reached your breaking point? That you just can't take any more of life's beatings? I reached mine on Thursday after 6 long, cold weeks of running around the city from dawn til dusk on public transit to meet with research participants (including weekends), barely sleeping, and the straw that broke the camel's back was an injury during my last CrossFit workout. Not sure what happened- we were doing overhead squats and box jumps, which was fine. Then I got to the locker room and my lower right back had a shooting pain. I could walk just fine, but standing from sitting and bending over was painful. Then I was walking to the lab and my left knee started aching badly. WTF. I was exhausted (physically/mentally) and realized that in my haste to catch the morning bus, I left my paleo/whole30/sugar detox lunch in the fridge. Plus my jeans & socks were soaked (in a wet, cold kind of way) from all the snow/rain and slushy sidewalks. Just felt like giving up and giving in... but sucked it up, popped some pain killers, stopped by the cafeteria for an unsatisfying lunch, and got back to work as best I could. When you feel like you reached the end of your rope, you find the strength to dig just a little bit deeper...

Today I got 8 hours of sleep and felt better. Still stressed, still anxious, back still hurts, but it's feeling better. So, things are starting to look up... but some comfort food like paleo chicken tenders and paleo mac n cheese were definitely in order!! Plus, Week 2 of the Whole60/sugar detox is about up and this is when continuing gets hard. The chicken tenders came out amazing, I may or may not have eaten the whole batch in one sitting... and while the mac n cheese didn't taste nearly as good as the Kraft artificial everything, anti-paleo, blue box mac n cheese, it got the comfort food job done.

Paleo Chicken Tenders

 
INGREDIENTS
1 lb chicken tenders
1/4 c coconut flour
1/4 c almond flour
3 tsp garlic powder
3 tsp onion powder
1 tsp basil
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 tsp paprika
1 egg white
Coconut oil

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat frying pan to medium-high heat. On a sheet of wax paper, mix all the dry ingredients together. Crack the egg white in a small bowl.
2. Melt coconut oil in pan, enough to cover the bottom. Oil is hot when a flick of water is dropped into the pan and it sizzles.
3. Dredge chicken in egg white then through dry ingredients. Place in oiled pan and fry until the bottom side is cooked (the edge will turn white), about 4 minutes. Flip and repeat on the other side. Add more coconut oil as necessary throughout the cooking process.
4. Dig in!! Tasted great by itself, but can also be paired with paleo ketchup or sugar detox BBQ sauce.

Paleo Mac n Cheese

INGREDIENTS
1 small spaghetti squash
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp arrowroot
1/2-3/4 can coconut milk
1 tbsp sunbutter
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tsp ground mustard
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp white wine


DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Using a sharp knife, cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the roots/seeds. Place face-down on a cookie sheet and bake until soft, about 30-35 minutes.
2. While spaghetti squash is baking, melt coconut oil in a small pot. Add arrowroot and stir to combine into a paste.
3. Add coconut milk and bring to a low boil, then to a simmer.
4. Add the remaining ingredients, stir to combine everything, and let it cool slightly.
5. When spaghetti squash is done, use a fork to "shred" the squash into "noodles". Pour the 'cheese' mixture over the squash and use a fork to combine all that goodness.

   

Superbowl Noshes (with recipes!)

Game Day Sunday... and since the Giants (or Bears) were not playing, I really could have cared less. I don't have a TV and my wifi was down, so I couldn't even watch it if I wanted. However, Superbowl apathy doesn't mean that one can't cook like it's the Superbowl, whole60/sugar detox or not. Gotta love those comfort foods and appetizer-type goodies 0:)

After church, I pre-gamed with a brunch of veggie egg white omelet, (secretly) veggie waffles, and bacon. Then the main course (dinner) was sugar-free BBQ ribs with roasted veggies. The grand finale was sugar detox carrot ice cream, which actually didn't taste all that bad, contrary to what its name implies :P

Trying to sneak more veggies into your diet? Hide them in your waffles! You (and significant other, kids, non-paleoites, etc) won't even know they're there. For BBQ sauces, there is SO much sugar in them, especially if you get it bottled at the grocery store (Trader Joe's isn't all that better though it doesn't have high-fructose corn syrup). Even paleo versions have you put in honey, dates, or other sweet things. Since I'm on a sugar detox, all sugar was out so I decided to make my own! The texture wasn't the same as your traditional "runny" BBQ sauce, but the taste was so good that you couldn't even tell there was no sugar in it. BAM! As for dessert, the trick is sunbutter (or other nut butter though I'm on a nut detox too so sunbutter it is). You may not be licking your lips, but it was surprisingly good, refreshing, and gave you that 'dessert feeling' without actually having a truly sweet treat. No sugar cravings ensued afterward.

Secretly Veggie Waffles

Secretly Veggie Waffles served with butter, bacon, and veggie omelet (not pictured)

INGREDIENTS
1/4 c coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 egg & 4 egg whites
1/2 c shredded veggies (I used 1/4 medium zucchini & 1/4 medium yellow squash shredded in food processor)

DIRECTIONS
1. Pre-heat waffle iron. Combine dry ingredients. Add eggs and whisk thoroughly to combine. Stir in shredded veggies.
2. Once waffle iron is ready, pour in batter and cook for about 4-5 minutes or until golden (or otherwise directed by the manufacturer).
3. Serve with clarified butter, blueberry topping, maple syrup, jam, or whatever else people put on there. 

 

Sugar Detox BBQ Ribs 

Sugar-free BBQ ribs with roasted zucchini/yellow squash (leftover from veggie waffles above), & carrots

Adapted from this overly complicated recipe

INGREDIENTS
1 rack of baby back ribs
Liquid smoke
1 onion, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
6 oz tomato paste
1/3 c apple cider vinegar
1/2 c water
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp coconut aminos or wheat-free tamari
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
Pinch cloves
Pinch allspice
Pinch cayenne


DIRECTIONS
1. Make the BBQ sauce first. Heat large pot on medium, then add onions and brown, approximately 5 minutes.
2. Add garlic and saute until aromatic, about 1-2 minutes.
3. Add all remaining ingredients (i.e. everything except ribs & liquid smoke). Simmer for 30 minutes. Then let cool.
4. Pour liquid smoke over both sides of ribs and use your hands to evenly coat. Coat ribs with BBQ sauce, then let sit for 1-2 hours. 
5. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook ribs for 25 minutes, then flip and cook for 25 more minutes. Ribs are done when the meat starts separating from the bone.
6. Dig in!!!

Sugar Detox Carrot Cake Ice Cream

INGREDIENTS
1/2 c frozen carrots
1/3 c coconut milk
2 tbsp sunbutter (or nut butter)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1  tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves

DIRECTIONS
1. Put everything in a blender and whip until combined. If too chunky, add more coconut oil. If too liquid, add more carrots.
2. Enjoy! Never thought veggies could taste so good in a dessert, eh? :)

Happy February!

Hard to believe we're one month in to 2013. Where the heck did January go??

WHAT a week this has been! Never thought I'd make it to the end. Third straight week of long days 6am-8pm running all over the city in the bitter cold testing people for my dissertation, getting 6 hours of sleep each night (I need all 8 to feel normal), and squeezing in a WOD each day. I felt productive though and the kind words from research subjects kept me going, but I was pretty worn out when I got home.

Today is Day 5 of the Whole60 with sugar detox. Towards the end of this week, I felt somewhat lower blood sugar which was probably some combination of sleep deprivation, dietary changes, and mentally & physically tiring days. I still had the energy to work and workout, but I wasn't bouncing off the walls like normal lol  Also, one thing about the sugar detox program that makes no sense to me... even at the strictest level, everyone is allowed 1 green apple or 1 green banana per day.  How is that a sugar detox??  Will that really slay the sugar dragon, curb cravings, and not cause any insulin spike or weight gain? Whatever the case, there will be no fruit for me... I'm a stickler for this kind of stuff hehehe

Soooo.... what to do to celebrate the end of a long, tiring week?? STEAK!! I haven't had a good steak in awhile and it was on sale at the grocery store (for the superbowl) so I figured why not. Plus, after eating tupperware leftovers all week, I wanted a fresh, hot, homemade meal. Cooking a steak indoors can still taste delicious even if it's not on a summertime grill. The secret is to sear it on the stove, then put it in the oven.

Easy Peasy Indoor Steak

INGREDIENTS
NY Strip Steak (or other cut of red meat) of any size, visible fat removed
GrillMasters Reduced Sodium Steak Seasoning (coarse salt, black & red pepper, paprika) 

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Preheat nonstick skillet on high. Sprinkle both sides of steak with seasoning. 
2. Place steak into heated skillet. Sear for 2 minutes on each side.
3. Put skillet into heated oven and cook for 4 minutes (medium-rare; adjust cooking time to personal preference).
4. Serve with whatever sides you want. I used a veggie mix of broccoli, peppers, green beans, carrots, mushroom & water chestnuts - sauteed in olive oil and seasoned with italian seasoning, parsley, garlic powder, & seasoned salt.