Sunday, November 13, 2011

Country-Fried Steak with Mushroom Gravy


Wow, what a week! We just started Phase II of Jamie Eason's LiveFit Program, which involves a lot of lifting, a lot of cardio, and a few less calories. Needless to say, Aubrey and I are SORE. Luckily, it's also been a lot of fun. I got to do lifts I've never done before (barbell step ups, holy cow!), and I had more energy this week then I've had in a long time.

If you're familiar with Jamie Eason, you know that she's very big on Clean Eating. It's exactly what it sounds like. We eat clean, lean and as unprocessed as possible. Lots of lean meats, veggies and whole grains. We keep sugars to a bare minimum and temporarily have said goodbye to cheese, fatty meats, and junk food in general. It was a shock to my system at first, my stomach didn't know what to do without being consistently lined with fat and sugar, but I'm learning to love it. The benefits far outweigh the candy and Cheetos that I miss on occasion. I sleep better, my skin and hair seem healthier, and I haven't been sick in a long time. I'm still a firm believer in moderation and I don't think having a cookie or slice of pizza is the end of the world, but I definitely want to keep eating as clean as possible long after I'm done with this program.

Since our day to day eating is fairly basic, my husband and I decided that Sunday we would make an extra effort for a really nice dinner. This is what we had tonight and we loved it so much that I'm skipping a bunch of stuff to share it with you now. London Broil, pounded and breaded in a flavorful whole grain breading and cooked to a medium-rare. It was delicious, but the mushroom gravy was the best part, and made such a great topping to the steak and potatoes.

I made mashed potatoes by boiling red and sweet potatoes. Drain and mash with a splash of skim milk and a spoonful of greek yogurt which is tangy and makes a great substitute for sour cream. I can't even tell a difference. I highly recommend this dish, give it a try!

Country Fried Steak with Mushroom Gravy
Adapted from The Best of Clean Eating, by Clean Eating Magazine

Ingredients

10 ounces sliced white or cremini mushrooms
1 lb lean round steak, trimmed of fat and cut into 4 equal pieces
sea salt and black ground pepper to taste
3 tablespoons whole wheat flour, divided
2 large egg whites
3 slices whole-wheat toast (Ezekial bread), cut into 2 inch pieces
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
3 teaspoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves minced
1 cup low sodium beef broth
1/2 cup skim milk

Directions

Using a meat mallet, rolling pin or bottom of a heavy skillet, pound steaks to quarter-inch thickness. Season both sides of steaks with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Place two tablespoons of flour in a shallow dish. Place egg whites in a separate shallow dish. In a food processor, combine toast, onion, oregano, thyme and garlic powder. Process until mixture resembles bread crumbs. Transfer crumbs to a third shallow dish.

Add steaks to dish with flour and turn to coat both sides. Shake off excess flour and transfer steaks to egg whites. turn to coat both sides and transfer steaks to bread crumb mixture. Again, turn to coat both sides.

Heat two teaspoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add steaks and cook two to three minutes per side, until brown on the outside and pink on the inside. Remove from skillet and cover in foil.

Prepare gravy. Heat remaining oil in same skillet. Add sliced mushrooms and garlic and cook for about five minutes, or until liquid is released. Add beef broth and bring to a simmer. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk and remaining tablespoon of flour. Add milk mixture to mushrooms and simmer three to five minutes, until mixture thickens. Spoon gravy over steaks just before serving.

Serves 4: 313cal, 9g fat, 27g carb, 5g fiber, 35g prot, 302mg sod

23 comments:

Liz said...

I LOVE Clean Eating magazine. I've made a ton of stuff from it lately. Totally reasonable for the real world too.

Taste and Tell said...

I would have never thought by looking at this that it's not bad for you - it looks like a complete splurge! Great recipe!

Debbie said...

Love this recipe.....looks delicious and hard to believe that it is healthy too!!! That's great!

Barbara said...

I've got to look into Clean Eating magazine. I've never seen it.
This chicken fried steak sure looks delicious! Like the idea of using whole wheat flour and ww toast for coating.

Dining Alone said...

what a great alternative way to make this, thanks for sharing.

Mary Bergfeld said...

I haven't seen the magazine but now will search it out. This looks wonderful and is so much better for you than the old standby. I'm so glad you posted this. Have a great day. Blessings...Mary

Emily Malloy said...

Perfectly comforting! Yum!!! :)

The Blonde Duck said...

I love you. I love this recipe. I'm so happy to have chicken fried steak again! (I'm big into clean eating and so is Ben now that he's lost 60 lbs!)

Erica said...

The benefits of clean eating are amazing! My skin totally cleared up too! And I felt 100% better. I've gotten away just a bit and need to focus back in!

Heather S-G said...

Oh yum! I was just thinking of country-fried steak the other day. I like this version, I may have to try it soon!

Pam said...

This recipe looks and sounds wonderful without all the guilt!

Velva said...

Teresa this looks like a great meal. I hope you enjoyed it with a glass of wine.

Keep rocking on!

Sophia Lee said...

ooh la la....that just sounds incredibly rich and fatty, so I was surprised to see the nutrition stats!

chow and chatter said...

looks so good and you can cook healthy food so well this change will be easy

Joanne said...

I think clean eating tends to be the way I eat also...with a homemade dessert thrown in once a week! This country-fried steak you've made sounds delicious. Way better to make it from scratch at home than to get it in a restaurant or from a frozen box!

Anonymous said...

Even though I am doing Paleo now, this will definitely be on my menu next week - my husband LOVES all things mushrooms!


Thanks for sharing Teresa!

The Blonde Duck said...

I hope you're having a great Thursday!

MaryMoh said...

Oh wow...I love this post. It's so encouraging to know you are on an exercise program and eating healthy :D I mostly go for badminton and like you say, I just feel so good after that. Now I am craving for your steak :D The mushroom sauce just looks SO good! Hope you have lots of fun with your exercise and healthy eating. MaryMoh at http://www.keeplearningkeepsmiling.com

Chris said...

"temporarily have said goodbye to cheese, fatty meats, "

You ARE serious about this! Not sure I could do that for too long. The mind is willing but the flesh is weak. Oh who am I kidding, my mind is in on it too :)

Taupe NY said...

I just ate lunch 5 minutes ago and yet I'm hungry all over again after reading this post! There is just something so satisfying about bread crumbly crunchiness mixed with some good ol' sauce. I think I know what I'll be requesting as part of Thanksgiving dinner :)

-Becky

Katy ~ said...

I agree..this does look like a delicious splurge! Big YUM here!

Val said...

My husband loves country fried steak and a healthy version is awesome. Your pics look amazing!

Kirsten Harr said...

I featured your recipe on my blog: http://www.theforeigndomestic.com/2012/07/from-your-kitchen-to-mine-recipes-91-95.html. Loved it!!