Broiled Sirloin Tips, Roasted Broccoli Salad

Dinner: January 8, 2009
Originally uploaded by whatstepheats

I dropped the man off at Theodore Francis Green Airport yesterday afternoon for a quick business trip to Hotlanta. Hopefully the snow we're expecting tomorrow will not interfere with the 'quick' part of that equation.

I then made a beeline for the gym, where I actively participated in an hour long Pilates mat class and a 45 minute spinning class! I hadn't worked out that much all year, so I felt deserving of something more decadent than PB&J, or green eggs and ham, or Fellini's.

I'd picked up some 'singleton' provisions for cases like these, when sudden powerful hunger and/or strong inspiration loom. Last night I wasn't so much inspired as plain hungry, so a simple prep with easy cleanup seemed just the thing. The broccoli was roasted with a splash of olive oil and some garlic, and then went into a salad of baby spinach, a leftover baked potato, and some tiny tomatoes. The sirloin tips went under the broiler with nothing more than a sprinkle of kosher salt. Easy peasy.

Well, wait. Let me back this up a bit. My original plan had to do with a certain vegetable that had been hanging out in my kitchen since October - a long, curvaceous butternut squash.
I thought
I'd finally use it in a very healthy concoction including brown rice and red lentils, thereby preventing any potential unused vegetable remorse as well as creating a large batch of a healthy dish I could pick at over the next few days of dining solo, which is not my dining method of choice, to say the least. It was an attempt to assuage my spirit through the catharsis of cooking in a big pot, use up a withering squash, and make a healthy dish that our resident obligate carnivore would no doubt abhor.
Guess what? It didn't do any of the above. It tasted fine, if a little blah, and I have no doubt it will get eaten - whenever I become really hungry with no other immediate plan in sight. It just wasn't moving my spirit last night. Maybe it just needs some cheese. Or bacon. Maybe I can make it into croquettes, or soup!

So, there it is. That's the open book of my exercise and food consumption last evening.

(Anyone want to come over for some butternut squash, red lentils, and brown rice? No? What if I called it 'curried butternut risotto'? Still no? What if I bring it to you? I could pick up some libations on the way, and a dvd or two...)

Happy Friday, guys. There's a re-run of Tuesday night's 'new' Nip/Tuck that has my name all over it on FX at 10. I hope to stay conscious for the entirety of this one.