Today I was really strapped for time, but knew I needed to try out another beef recipe and share it with you. And I’m glad I pulled it together, raced to the store before lunch to get the steak and get it marinating, as once it became time to actually make dinner, it fell into place quickly and I impressed my kids.

Oh yeah… THAT’S what I’m talking about.

This week, your Texas Beef Blogging team is preparing and blogging about healthy family favorites.

And, as I hope you can tell from my title and first photo, I made a rocking steak kabob AND fancy schamncy-looking (and tasting) mushroom rice.

So here’s the recipe and official title:

 Dijon-Wine Steak Kabobs with Mushroom Wild Rice

Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless beef round tip steak, 1
• 1/2 small red onion in 3/4
• 1 small yellow summer squash, cut lengthwise in half in 1
• 1 small red or green bell pepper, in 1

Ingredients: Marinade

• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons coarse-grain Dijon-style mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse grind black pepper

Ingredients: Mushroom Wild Rice

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups thinly sliced assorted wild mushrooms (oyster, shiitake, cremini)
• 1 package long grain rice and wild rice blend (6 ounces) (I used Uncle Bens.)

Instructions

1. Cut beef steak into 1-1/4″ pieces. Combine marinade ingredients in small bowl. Place beef and marinade in food-safe plastic bag; turn to coat. Close bag securely and marinate in refrigerator 6 hours or as long as overnight, turning occasionally.

2. Soak eight 9″ bamboo skewers in water 10 minutes; drain. Remove from marinade; discard marinade. Alternately thread beef, onion, squash and bell pepper evenly onto skewers.

3. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms; cook and stir until tender. Remove and keep warm. Meanwhile cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and butter. When rice is done, stir in mushrooms. Keep warm.

4. Place kabobs on grid over medium , ash-covered coals. Grill covered 8-10 minutes (over medium heat on preheated gas grill, 9-11 minutes) for medium rare (145 degrees) to medium (160 degrees) doneness, turning occasionally.

5. Serve kabobs over Mushroom Wild Rice.

Nutritional Information

Nutritional information per serving of steak kabobs: 360 calories; 9g fat (2g saturated fat; 4g monounsaturated fat); 63mg cholesterol; 635mg sodium; 39g carbohydrates; 2.3g fiber; 30g protein; 11.6 niacin; 0.5mg vitamin B6; 1.3mcg vitamin B12; 4.6mg iron; 31.9mcg selenium; 4.5mg zinc; 107.3 mg choline.

This recipe is an excellent source of protein, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, iron, selenium, zinc and choline.

 And here’s my confession:

I didn’t make my kebabs on the grill. My husband was working late and well, I’m still a little clueless when it comes to the whole grill thing, so I modified the recipe and cooked it in my newfangled-when I bought it eight-years-ago GE Advantium oven that cooks with light… or something like that.

I used the equivalent of a broil setting (10-10-5 if you have an Advantium, yourself.) threaded my food on metal skewers instead of wood and the beef was ready to eat in about six minutes. Really. (It’s a pretty cool oven, I have to admit. But I’m not sure if they make ‘em anymore, which is a huge shame. And I’m really digressing here.)

Oh, and another confession: I thought I had the grainy dijon mustard at home, but I did not. So I used the non-grainy store-brand dijon mustard and it still rocked.

One more thing: I couldn’t find the fresh mushrooms, so I bought dried ones (in the produce section)

and soaked them in hot water for about 20 minutes before slicing them and then heating them on the stove and adding them to the rice.

What was the result?

Let’s just say I was pretty popular at dinnertime… Ya-hooo!

Two out of three kids went to town on the kebabs and asked me to make the kabobs again, and all three loved the rice.

One (my eight year old) wasn’t in love with the flavor, but he still made it through. I don’t think he’s a fan of much tang… and the mustard in the marinade does give the steak a tangy flavor.

I loved how the flavor lasted, which was probably a result of the marinade. After the initial bite when the tang grabs you, the pepper then kicks in. We are a family who likes the spice, so I doubled the ground pepper. (I almost always do in recipes.)

This dinner was super easy to prepare and, except for the fact that you have to think ahead to marinate the beef, it took about 30 minutes from pulling out the first ingredients to putting the plates of food on the table.
Would I make it again? Definitely yes, even if one of my guys wasn’t in love. I might leave out a few cubes of beef and just give them a spice rub to appeal to him while marinating the rest next time to solve that problem and win them all over at once.

Do you make beef kabobs for your family? I’d love for you to share recipes or links to your recipes in the comments so we can all check them out.

And to see what the other Texas Beef bloggers made this week, visit June Cleaver Nirvana for a roundup of reviews (and lots of great ideas!!)

I and the other nine Texas Beef bloggers have been compensated for our participation in this promotion by the Texas Beef Council.