It's a fact, dieting rarely works. No one knows that more than I do. Over the years, I have tried just about every diet fade that has come around, and non of them has stuck with me. Every time, I end up frustrated and unsatisfied with the food I have to eat. I always end up asking my wife, “How come I can't eat an occasional steak?”
The fact is, most people can.
If you are not on a strict low fat or no sodium diet, it is easy to prepare and season an occasional 8 oz steak and love every bite. Here are a few tips that I use:
- Use you favorite steak seasoning ..that right ..You heard me! The fact is most of all the store bought steak seasonings on the market have about 40%-50% salt per teaspoon. I have done some kitchen test and have found that you can season two 8 oz Strip Steaks, or one pound of Sirloin easily with only one teaspoon of store bought Steak Seasoning. This translates to about ¼ of a teaspoon of Salt per 8 oz serving of steak...far below the recommended one teaspoon of salt maximum recommended for daily consumption. (see my earlier Blog on “Have you had your three teaspoons of salt today?”)
- Try adding reduced Balsamic or reduced Red Port Wine for added flavor. Yum...If you have never had one of these added to a steak, you have to give it a try. Its easy to do yourself , or you can buy a nice reduction at your local grocery store in the culinary spice section. I use a red port wine reduction that I get at my local store and found on line at www.adamsextract.com .
- Cut back your Steak Seasoning a little bit more and add more onion & garlic powder and black pepper. These three spices are generally the next three primary ingredients in a store bought steak seasoning after Salt and is the secret flavor of a good steak.
- Make your own seasoning blend without salt and then control the salt you add to meet your personal requirements . Here is an excellent version of a popular Canadian Style steak seasoning :
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 tablespoon fennel
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper
- Add salt to taste
