Enjoy this holiday season with a special sweet and savory treat. Honey, soy sauce and spices flavor quick cooking flank steak. Mushrooms cooked with shallots and topped with fresh chives make a perfect side dish with the steak. Open a bag of washed ready-to-eat salad to complete the meal.

HELPFUL HINTS:

Onions can be used instead of shallots.

4 garlic cloves can be used instead of minced garlic

Skirt steak or other quick cooking steak can be used instead of flank steak.

COUNTDOWN:

Preheat oven to 160 degrees.

Prepare the ingredients.

Start steak.

While steak is in the oven, make the mushroom toast.

SHOPPING LIST:

To buy: 3/4 pound flank steak, 1 small bottle honey, 1 small bottle low sodium soy sauce, 1 container minced garlic, 1 bottle ground coriander, 1 bottle cayenne pepper and 1 container corn starch, 1/4 pound mushrooms, 2 shallots, 1 bunch chives, 1 loaf thick whole wheat bread.

Staples: canola oil, butter, salt and black peppercorns.

Honey Soy Flank Steak

Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons mince garlic

1 teaspoon ground coriander

Pinch cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon water

3/4 pound flank steak

2 teaspoons canola oil

Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Mix honey, soy sauce, garlic, coriander and cayenne pepper in a small bowl. Mix cornstarch and water together in another small bowl. Remove visible fat from the steak. Using a skillet that is oven proof, heat canola oil in the skillet over medium high heat. Add the steak and cook 2 minutes. Turn steak over and cook 2 minutes to sear both sides. Pour the sauce over the steak and place the skillet in the oven for 10 minutes to continue cooking. A meat thermometer should read 125 degrees for rare, 130-135 for medium rare. Remove from the oven and place steak on a cutting board. Add the cornstarch mixture to the skillet and mix into the sauce. Place skillet over medium heat. Cook sauce 20 seconds or until thick. To serve: cut the steak against the grain on the diagonal into thin slices. Divide the slices between two dinner plates and spoon the sauce on top.

Yield 2 servings.

Per serving: 346 calories (40 percent from fat), 15.3 g fat (4.8 g saturated, 7.1 g monounsaturated), 120 mg cholesterol, 38.7 g protein, 12.9 g carbohydrates, 0.4 g fiber, 610 mg sodium.

Mushroom Toasts

Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 pound mushrooms cut into1-inch pieces, about 1 3/4-cups

1/2 cup sliced shallots

1/4 cup sliced chives

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 slices thick whole wheat bread

Heat butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and add the mushrooms. Saute 1 minute. Cover with a lid and cook 3 minutes. Uncover and cook 2 to 3 minutes until the liquid given off by the mushrooms has evaporated. Add the shallots and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in half of the chives. Toast bread and place one on each dinner plate with the streak. Spoon the mushrooms on top. And sprinkle the remaining chives on top.

Yield 2 servings.

Per serving: 149 calories (43 percent from fat), 7.1 g fat (3.9 g saturated, 1.9 g monounsaturated), 16 mg cholesterol, 4.7 g protein, 17.6 g carbohydrates, 2.7 g fiber, 129 mg sodium.

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