Beef and Sun-dried Tomato Pita Pizza

Dinner tonight was originally planned as a grill-out meal, but the rain kept us inside. This is the rainy-day-no-grill version.

This recipe has been adapted from Bobby Flay's recipe featured in The Athlete's Palate Cookbook.

Prep time: 20 minutes + 4 hours marinating time
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients.

• 8 whole wheat pitas
• 1 beef tenderloin (8 ounces)
• 1 head garlic + 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup cooked white beans (I used a mixture of navy beans and pinto beans)
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (I used about a teaspoon of dried, ground thyme)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and julienned
• 4 roasted shallots, thinly sliced*
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon honey

*I didn't realize that the shallots were supposed to be roasted until I got to the point where I was supposed to mix them with the tomatoes (that'll teach you to read the recipe all the way through first...). I preheated the oven to 425 degrees F, coated the peeled shallots in a little olive oil, and laid them on a roasting pan. Then I popped them into the oven for about 20 minutes (while the steak was in the pan) and sliced them when they were out and slightly cooled. It was kind of tricky-let's just say they didn't want to slice nicely. Also, this was a lot of shallots, and I'd definitely use less next time.


Directions.

• Marinate the beef with the head of garlic in 1/2 cup of the olive oil for 4 hours or overnight. Place the tenderloin in a large frying pan and cook on medium-high heat on both sides for about 6 minutes (each side), or less if you'd like the beef more rare. Let the tenderloin rest for a few minutes, then thinly slice.
• Puree the beans, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, 2 remaining garlic cloves, lemon juice, and thyme in a food processor until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste if necessary. Mix together the tomatoes, shallots, remaining tablespoon of olive oil, vinegar, and honey.
• Place the pitas in the oven on a low temperature for a few minutes before serving. This will allow them to warm up and toast slightly without burning.
• Spread each pita with a thin layer of bean puree, sliced beef, and tomato chutney. Serve immediately.

The pizza was very flavorful, even though we didn't grill the beef. The lemon and sun dried tomatoes provided almost a tangy taste, while the honey helped make things sweet. A word to the wise, don't eat this one on a first date. We ate a while ago but I still feel like I have garlic breath.

Our portions were filling, but this meal would be good paired with a spinach salad if you were craving something green.

Per Serving: 460 Calories          16 G Protein          48 G Carbohydrates          24 G Fat