Monday Dinner - A Return of a Favorite

I find that I tend to make a certain meal many weeks in a row and then it disappears. This is one of those recipes. It's out of a healthy cooking cookbook and I used to make it quite often for Rob and I. I'm trying to get away from the boxed dinners and processed foods and make more homemade dinners. These steaks were just as good as we remembered. I followed the recipe almost to a T. I've sometimes made changes that made it less healthy. While Aidan and Maddie refused it, Ryan loves his steak and enjoyed it (without the tomato sauce-yuck!).


Chicken-Fried Steak Italiano (courtesy of More Healthy Homestyle Cooking)

SAUCE
2 garlic cloves, minced (I admit to using the jarred stuff)
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes (I use petite diced)
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
BREADING
2 egg whites
2 teaspoons water
2/3 cup plain dry bread crumbs (I only had italian seasoned; worked fine)
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (I substituted 2 teaspoons dried)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
4 eye of round steaks (4 ounces each), about 1/4" thick and trimmed of fat (I bought a whole eye of round roast and cut it into steaks myself)

1. To make the sauce: Coat a medium saucepan with nonstick spray and warm over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the tomatoes (with the juice), oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and chunky.
2. To make the breading: Meanwhile, in a shallow bowl, beat the egg whites with the water.
3. In another bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, oregano, pepper and paprika.
4. Place 1 steak in a heavy-duty plastic bag. Using a mallet or rolling pin, pound the steak from the center outward toward the edges to a thickness of 1/8". (I put all the steaks on a cutting board, cover it with plastic wrap and pound them.) Remove the steak and repeat with the remaining steaks.
5. Dip each steak in the egg white mixture, turning to coat. Then dip each steak in the crumb mixture, turning to coat.
6. Coat a large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and heat over medium-high heat. Place 2 steaks in the skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until tender and no longer pink. Do not overcook. Transfer to a platter. Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel and add a little more nonstick spray. Cook the remaining 2 steaks. Top with the sauce and serve immediately.

4 servings