Spice-Rubbed Steak with White Beans and Cherry Tomatoes

Recipe #50!: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spice-Rubbed-Steak-with-White-Beans-and-Cherry-Tomatoes-357350

Wow, my blog just turned 50. Weird... and yet, I'm proud at the same time.

This recipe is a pretty easy, quick one if you're in the mood for such a thing. Not particularly vegetarian-friendly, but tasty for the meat-eaters out there. It's also high in fibre and low in calories since much of the flavour comes from the spices. As usual, I omitted the added salt and plumb forgot to add the pepper.

I wasn't quite sure what this recipe meant by "white beans" since there are a few different types of beans which are white: navy, kidney, chick peas are kind of white. I went with white kidney beans since they looked similar to the picture. The cans I bought were 19 oz each since they don't come in 15 oz size. Beans are good for me anyway. I couldn't find cherry tomatoes so I got a pint of grape tomatoes.

I'm not terribly well-versed in cooking meat yet so I called in the meat-a-tarian for some expert advice on the steak. I spread a little olive oil on one side, then sprinkled on the spices, and gave the chunk of dead cow a nice little massage. After it was carefully added to the heated pan, I did the same for the other side. The meat-a-tarian provided some good advice so I fed him some deceased animal as a thanks.

My beans ended up a little mushy, accidently headed toward refried, because I kept stirring them in the pan, afraid they would burn otherwise. I did add 1 tbsp of water after adding the beans since the pan was hissing in a rather menacing way. Next time, I'll add the beans, stir them in a bit with the tbsp of water, then let it all sit and warm itself instead of stirring them to death. I might add more garlic next time for a bit more kick. It's good for me too.

All in all, the meat was tender and flavourful, and the bean/tomato combination was tasty too. I also heated some peas and canned mushrooms so the dinner was heavy on the vegetables. My stomach is happy with both new recipes today.