Chili Rubbed Ham Steak with Zucchini Salsa

Dinner tonight was excellent.  A nice quick dish that takes about 15 minutes to prep and 15 minutes to cook. I changed the original recipe a bit and took out the apricot jam that went on the steak and added the cilantro.  I also used the griddle to fry the ham steaks instead of a fry pan.

Ingredients:

Salsa:
2 zucchini, diced into 1/2" to 1/4" pieces
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 small jalapeno pepper, minced
1 small bunch of fresh cilantro, minced

Ham:
2 ham steaks, about 1 pound each (or 1 larger one)
1 tbsp chili powder

Directions:

1. Rub the chili powder on the ham steaks and let them sit while doing the rest of the prep work.
2. Mix all of the salsa ingredients together in a bowl and put in the fridge
3. Grill or fry the ham steaks until done.
4. Serve immediately with the cold salsa on the hot ham.

This recipe was based on one from the Atkins Best Recipes cookbook.

Steakhouse Southwestern Steak with Guacamole

So, what do you do when you have some nice steaks ready to grill and it starts raining outside? Well, you make them inside. Here's a very simple way to make some excellent steaks inside in the oven (no, not baked steaks) with a nice guacamole to serve with it.

Steak Ingredients:
4 well marbled steaks 1" to 1 1/2" thick (Rib-Eye, NY Strip, etc)
Olive oil
Salt
Black Pepper
Garlic Powder
Blackened Seasoning
Cayenne Pepper

Steak Directions:
Take the steaks and put them on a greased broiler pan.
2. Brush on or rub in the olive oil on both sides.
3. Season the steaks as you desire. I like the combination of flavors as listed above. Use what you like.
4. Put the broiler rack as close to the broiler as you can so when you put the steaks in, they are 1/2" or less from the top broiler. I put my broiler pan on top of a second one to get it close enough.
5. Broil 1" steak on high for 4 minutes for a medium steak. More time for more well done, less time for rare. Also, take into account the thickness of the steak. More time for thicker ones, less time for thinner ones. Keep the oven door cracked open a bit when broiling as it will smoke.
6. When the first side is done, flip the steaks, touch up the oil and seasoning if you wish, and cook for 4 more minutes.
7. Take out the steak and let rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting.


Guacamole Ingredients:
4 whole, ripe Avocados
2 tbsp medium sweet onion or 1 medium scallion, diced very small
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp of lime juice

Guacamole Directions:
1. Peel and pit the avocados and put them in a large mixing bowl.
2. Smash up with a fork.
3. Add in the rest of the ingredients.
4. Mix well.

Serve the steak with Guacamole on top and you have a wonderful meal.

This recipe is based on one from Dana Carpenders 501 LC Recipe book.