Ribeye Sandwiches

The start of NFT’z twenty months ago started a roller coaster of weight gain and loss.

I had always been an athlete, but I had very little knowledge of what foods were good and bad for me.

When I started cooking and having people over for weekly dinners, I would ask for dinner requests.

And let me just tell you, there weren’t a whole lot of people requesting leafy greens and quinoa.

Requests for things like meat loaf and fried chicken were much more common.

In addition to not knowing what was good for me and what was going to give me thighs that resembled cheese, I didn’t know anything about portion control.

What I’m getting at is that when I started cooking, I acquired a rather large spare tire. And not the kind that comes in handy when you run over a nail.

But once I started learning about what I was putting in my body and that kneading does not qualify as actual cardio, I was able to not only drop the weight I’d gained but a little extra.

The only downfall of the weight loss is that I haven’t quite figured out how to get all the proper nutrients I need. Like iron.

This leads me to the point of this long winded rambling. I now bruise like a peach.

I currently look like I was tied up. And not in a good way.

On top of that, I keep getting eaten by mosquitoes. Which causes itchy bug bites. Which I scratch. Which causes more bruising.

Do you see the slippery slope that is happening here??

So, in order to not look like the guy I’m seeing is smacking me around I am trying to eat more red meat (filled with that precious iron).

And as if I didn’t have that whole need for iron reason to eat this dish, it was freaking DELICIOUS.

You will need…

For the Sandwiches:

2 tablespoons smoked paprika

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling

3 (6 ounces) rib-eye steaks (for 4 people)

2 tablespoons sea salt

2 tablespoons cracked black pepper

4 slices provolone cheese (optional)

1 French baguette sliced long ways and then into 4 four equal pieces

For the Salad Mix:

6 ounces baby lettuce mix

3 shallots sliced into rings

1/3 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes

1 lemon, juiced

¼ cup olive oil

Salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Start by preheating your grill to 375 degrees F.

In a small bowl, mix together the 3 tablespoons olive oil and the smoked paprika.

Brush both sides of the baguette with the paprika oil mixture and set them aside.

In a medium sized bowl, mix together the lettuce, shallots, tomatoes, lemon juice, olive oil and season it to taste with the salt and pepper.

Season the steaks with salt and pepper and drizzle them with olive oil. About 1 tablespoon per steak.

Grill the steaks for about 4 minutes per side (or until they have reached the desired doneness).

When the steaks are done, remove them from the heat and let them rest, covered with tin foil for 7-10 minutes.

Slice the meat into pieces about ½ inch thick.

Pile the paprika brushed bread with a layer of the salad mix, the cheese and finally the rib-eye.

Serve that hot sandwich with a cold beer. And an extra side of iron.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela