A Grateful Meal

Father's day

Air Fryer Steak Bites

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These Air Fryer Steak Bites are quickly marinaded and then air fried for an easy weeknight meal idea that you can make in just 30 minutes.

It’s no secret around here that I’m a fan of air fryers.  As I’ve mentioned in most of my posts, an air fryer is just a counter-top convection oven that is super handy and cooks food much faster and efficiently thanks to the hot air circulating rapidly in the air fryer. It allows the steak bites to get a good sear and cook up quickly. The cooking time is less than 10 minutes, and the steak bites come out perfectly seared, tender, and flavorful.

Ingredients

Soy sauce: I always use the reduced-sodium soy sauce to have better control over the sodium in a dish. You can always add salt, but you can’t take it away salt when cooking.

Worcestershire sauce: This is a classic umami flavor that pairs perfectly with the steak.

Garlic cloves: I love lots of garlic in steak marinades, so I used three minced cloves. Feel free to adjust based on your garlic desires (or proximity to vampires!)

Lemon juice: While there is some acid to the soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce, a little lemon juice helps tenderize the meat faster, which is vital since it’s a quick marinade.

Olive oil: Fat gives flavor and texture to recipes. Sirloin steak is leaner, so it needs a little fat added. If the steak bites are coated in a bit of oil before going into the air fryer, it’ll help give a quick sear to the meat, which locks in the juices and prevents it from drying out the steak bites.

Italian seasoning: Most Italian seasonings are made from herbs like oregano, basil, rosemary, etc., which go great in this marinade. If you want to mix it up a bit, feel free to use your favorite all-purpose seasoning blend instead.

Raw steak bites in a single layer in a black air fryer basket.

How to Make Air Fryer Steak Bites

First, you’ll start by making the marinade by whisking together all of the ingredients except for the sirloin pieces. Then, you’ll put the steak bite pieces in the mixture to marinate about 20 minutes. You can do this in a shallow container or a Ziplock bag.

After, you’ll preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees. Put the air fryer bites into the air fryer (you’ll hear a nice sizzle) and make sure that they are in a single layer. If you double the recipe, you may have to cook in batches as you don’t want to overcrowd the air fryer. If you overcrowd the air fryer, you won’t get as good of a sear on the steak.  You’ll cook them for about 4 minutes. Depending on the size of your steak bites, this may give you a medium or a medium-rare cook to the steak. Cook for an additional 1-3 minutes for medium-well to well-done.

Close-up of air fryer steak bites with parsley garnished on top.

What to Serve with Steak Bites

You can certainly serve these bites with toothpicks and a dip like horseradish sauce as an appetizer, but if you’d like to serve them with some side dishes, here are a few to consider:

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Air Fryer Steak Bites

Close-up of air fryer steak bites with parsley garnished on top.

These Air Fryer Steak Bites are quickly marinaded and then air fried for an easy weeknight meal idea that you can make in just 30 minutes.

  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 7 minutes
  • Total Time: 27 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: air fryer, steak
  • Method: air fryer

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tbsp. reduced sodium soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tbsp. lemon juice (or juice of ½ lemon)
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1 lb. of sirloin steak, cut into bite-size pieces (or pre-cut beef tips)

Instructions

  1. Mix together the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic cloves, lemon juice, olive oil, and Italian seasoning in a shallow dish or ziplock bag. Add steak bites and marinate for 20 minutes.
  2. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees. Once steak bites are done marinating, arrange steak bites in a single layer in the air fryer and cook for 4 minutes (for about medium doneness – depending on size). Flip steak bites and then cook for additional 1-3 minutes depending on the desired doneness. 

Keywords: air fryer, steak

Instant Pot Carne Asada

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This Instant Pot Carne Asada is full of fresh flavors like citrus, cilantro, garlic, jalapeño, and is SUPER easy to make.

I love carne asada. Carne asada means grilled beef in Spanish. While I usually would grill my steak to make carne asada, I’m taking a slightly different approach and not using my grill. Instead, I decided to try making Instant Pot Carne Asada for those times that I don’t feel like firing up the grill, or the weather isn’t grilling-friendly. 

Platter of Instant Pot Carne Asada sliced up with cilantro garlic sauce and tacos on the side.

This recipe is super easy. It involves making a quick marinade, then cooking quickly in the Instant Pot under high pressure. The marinade helps tenderize and flavor the meat, and the high pressure from the Instant Pot helps tenderize and cook quickly. 

Carne Asada Ingredients

For this recipe, you’ll need:

  • Lime and orange juice: The acid in the citrus juice helps tenderize the meat. Plus, the sweetness from the fruit balances the acid. 
  • Worcestershire sauce: Worcestershire has an umami flavor similar to beef, which makes it perfect for including in a beef marinade. 
  • Olive oil: This gives the steak a nice coating of oil to help prevent sticking in the Instant Pot. Plus, flank steak can be lean, so the fat helps with flavor. 
  • Jalapeño: A hot pepper for a little heat. If you’re heat adverse, you can skip the seeds to ease up on the spiciness factor. 
  • Cilantro: Cilantro adds a fresh burst of flavor to the marinade. 
  • Garlic cloves: You can leave the garlic cloves whole if you’d like to make it easier or you can mince them. If you use them whole, just give them a little smash before throwing them in the marinade. 
  • Seasonings and spices: A little chili powder, oregano, salt, and pepper round out the Latin-inspired flavors.  Flank steak: Flank steak can be a bit tough, so that’s why this recipe marinates the steak for a few hours before cooking. Also, you’ll need to make sure to cut the steak into pieces that will fit in your Instant Pot – see below. 
Close of instant pot carne asada on a platter with cilantro garlic sauce drizzled on top.

How to Make Instant Pot Carne Asada

  • First, you make the marinade by combining all of the ingredients except for the steak into a large shallow dish that can be covered or a large ziplock bag.
  • Before putting the flank steak into the marinade, make sure that the steak is cut into pieces small enough to fit the length of your Instant Pot. For example, I used a little less than 2 lbs. of steak, and I only had to cut my steak into two pieces before cooking. 
  • Once you’ve marinated the steak for at least 4 hours, you’ll sear the steak in the Instant Pot using the sauté feature. Note: don’t discard the marinade!
  • After the steak is browned on all sides, you’ll add the marinade to the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for about 4-5 minutes for a medium-well steak (3-4 minutes should get you medium). Use the quick release to depressurize the Instant Pot. 
  • Allow the steak to rest for about 10 minutes before thinly slicing against the grain, meaning slice in the opposite direction of the muscle fibers. This helps break up the tough muscle of the flank steak, making it more tender and easier to eat. If you’re going to use the carne asada for tacos, you definitely want nice thin strips of meat rather than big tough chunks. 
  • After you’re done, you’ll want to drizzle some of my cilantro garlic sauce on the steak. You can check out the link or the recipe card has a link as well. It technically could be optional, but really, it’s not optional. At least in my opinion. 
Platter of Instant Pot Carne Asada sliced up with cilantro garlic sauce and tacos on the side.

How to Serve Carne Asada

Tacos are my favorite vehicle for this Instant Pot Carne Asada. I’ve included my favorite taco toppings in the notes section of the recipe. But, this steak recipe would be equally good served up on a burrito bowl, salad, or just by itself with a side of rice and beans. You really can’t go wrong any which way you eat it. 

Close up of a taco with instant pot carne asada.
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Instant Pot Carne Asada

Platter of instant pot carne asada with cilantro garlic sauce drizzled on top and a jar of the sauce on the side.
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 4 hours
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 4 hours, 5 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: beef

Ingredients

Scale
  • juice of 2 limes
  • juice of 1 orange
  • 3 tbsp. Worcestershire
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 1 jalapeño, chopped (with or without seeds) 
  • ½ cup packed cilantro
  • 3 garlic cloves (whole or minced)
  • 1 tbsp. chili powder 
  • 1 tsp. oregano 
  • salt/pepper
  • 1 ½ –2 lbs. of flank steak, cut into pieces that will fit into your Instant Pot
  • cilantro garlic sauce, for topping (optional)

Instructions

  1. Combine all marinade ingredients together in a shallow dish or ziplock bag. Add steak and allow to marinate for 4 hours in the fridge.
  2. Preheat Instant Pot on the sauté feature. Sear steak on all sides in Instant Pot (save marinade). Add marinade to Instant Pot to deglaze. Cook steak in the marinade on high pressure for 4-5 minutes for medium-well steak, then quick release Instant Pot valve. 
  3. Allow steak to rest on cutting board for 7-10 minutes. Slice against the grain. Serve with cilantro garlic sauce. 

Notes

To aim for a medium-well steak, aim for 4-5 minutes on high pressure for thicker steaks.

If your steak is thinner, decrease the time to 3 minutes for medium-well. 

If you’re making carne asada tacos – try the following toppings/fixings:

  • Extra cilantro, in addition to the cilantro garlic sauce
  • Red onion
  • Guacamole or avocado
  • Crumbled queso fresco or cojita cheese
  • Corn or flour tortillas 

Keywords: beef, carne asada, tacos, Instant Pot

Buffalo Chickpea Dip

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Who doesn’t love to pour buffalo sauce on everything? I’ll wait. This Buffalo Chickpea Dip is the perfect vegetarian cross between hummus and a creamy buffalo chicken dip. It’s a total crowd-pleaser, and meat-lovers won’t even realize that it’s a vegetarian buffalo dip.

Close up of buffalo chickpea dip surrounded by veggies and crackers on a plate.

The Easiest Healthy Appetizer or Snack

This recipe is ridiculously easy, and everyone loves it. I recently made this for a Memorial Day gathering, and it was gone in the blink of an eye. It’s a sharable appetizer that travels well and tastes great even when it’s cooled off some, so it’s perfect for potlucks, holidays, and of course, game day. It’s also perfect for whipping up a healthy snack, which is rich in protein and fiber thanks to the beans and cottage cheese. Instead of buying or making a batch of hummus, you could add this recipe to your meal prep and have something new to dip your crackers and veggies into all week long.

Buffalo Chickpea Dip Ingredients

You’ll need:

  • Cannellini beans: I know it might be surprising that the first ingredient isn’t chickpeas, but cannellini beans have a very creamy texture and make the dip super creamy and rich tasting. Chickpeas have much more texture, so you’ll fold in the chickpeas whole (not blended) right before you bake the dip. 
  • Cottage Cheese: It might seem a little odd to add in cottage cheese, but it works perfectly in this recipe. It helps hold the dip together, adds a creamy tang, and just melts right in to give a nice creamy texture along with the cannellini beans. 
  • Seasonings: Dried dill, garlic powder, and onion powder are all flavors reminiscent of ranch dressing, which is the perfect match for all things buffalo sauce.
  • Chickpeas: Chickpeas are also known as garbanzo beans. Like I mentioned before, they have a little more of a toothsome texture to them than cannellini beans, so they’re best folded into the dip right before baking for added texture. 
  • Cheddar cheese: Some shredded cheese on top makes everything better, am I right? Just a little on top makes a nice cheesy crust.
  • Garnishes: I drizzled a little bit of ranch dressing on top, but not much. You could also do the same with blue cheese dressing, but it’s optional – the dip is also great all on its own. 
  • Dippers: Of course, you’ll need foods to dip into the chickpea dip. Raw veggies like broccoli, sliced bell pepper, carrots, cucumbers, and celery are natural choices. Crackers, tortilla chips, pita, or toasted bread go great as well!
Ingredients for buffalo chickpea dip in a food processor bowl (cottage cheese, buffalo sauce, seasonings, and beans).

How to Make the Dip

As I mentioned, this Buffalo Chickpea Dip can’t be easier! It’s as easy as 1-2-3.

  1. You’ll blend all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender except the chickpeas, cheddar cheese, garnishes, and dippers.
  2. You’ll fold in the chickpeas, pour it into a baking dish, and top with cheddar cheese.
  3. Lastly, you’ll cover it with aluminum foil and bake for 20-25m minutes. 

Easy-peasy. Serve with your favorite dippers and call it a day. 

Buffalo chickpea dip with piece of celery dipped in surrounded by veggies and crackers on a plate.
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Buffalo Chickpea Dip

Buffalo chickpea dip surrounded by veggies and crackers on a plate.

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 can (15.5 oz) of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup of buffalo wing sauce (I like Frank’s Buffalo Wing Sauce)
  • 1/4 cup of cottage cheese
  • 1 1/2 tsp. dried dill
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 can (15.5 oz) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
  • 1/3 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
  • Ranch or blue cheese dressing, for drizzling (optional)
  • Assorted raw veggies, crackers, toasted bread, tortilla chips, and/or pita, etc. for dipping

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil or spray a medium baking dish with baking spray.
  2. In a food processor bowl, pulse together cannellini beans, wing sauce, cottage cheese, dill, garlic powder, and onion powder until smooth.
  3. Fold in chickpeas and pour into a baking dish. Top with cheddar cheese and cover baking dish with aluminum foil.
  4. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve with raw veggies, crackers, toasted bread, tortilla chips, and/or pita.

Air Fryer Wings with Mango BBQ Sauce

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Air fryer wings with mango BBQ sauce, cilantro, and limes.

Man, I am on a roll with these air fryer recipes! Last week was my Air Fryer Egg Rolls with Chinese Five Spice, and now this week, I’ve created Air Fryer Wings with Mango BBQ Sauce. Yep, Mango BBQ Sauce. This stuff is my jam. BBQ sauce is the epitome of sweet and savory flavors in one sauce. You can put it on just about everything, and it’s the perfect save when you accidentally overcooked dinner. BBQ sauce can save just about anything, in my opinion. Mangos have the ideal tropical sweetness that lends so well into making this BBQ sauce. 

Jar of finished mango BBQ sauce

You can use flats and/or drummettes for the wings. Drummettes are always my favorite because they’re easier to handle, in my opinion. If you want to make these for a party, such as a Super Bowl or game day party, you can make these in the air fryer in batches and keep them warm in the oven at a low temperature (200 degrees) until they’re ready to be served. This recipe makes quite a bit of BBQ sauce, more than you probably will want just for this recipe. Feel free to save the remaining sauce in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. If I am going to be making a recipe like this where I can use the sauce again elsewhere, I like to work it into my meal plan for the week. For example, you can use this sauce on the wings one day and then again later in the week for glazing salmon. 

Close up of air fryer wings with mango BBQ sauce.

You can also customize the recipe by keeping the jalapeno seeds in or out of the sauce. For all the spicy heat lovers out there (like me!), I left all the seeds in the sauce and didn’t find it terribly spicy. Keep in mind, the seeds will continue to marinate the longer the sauce sits, so if don’t be surprised if the spiciness increases as the week goes on. However you decide to serve these wings or sauce, they are bound to be a hit! 

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Air Fryer Wings with Mango BBQ Sauce

Air fryer wings with mango BBQ sauce, cilantro, and limes.
  • Author: Melissa
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4–6 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
  • ½ onion, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, chopped (seeds included, if desired)
  • Salt and pepper, as desired
  • 2 tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled and minced
  • 1 ½ cups mango, cubed 
  • 1/4 cup lime juice (juice of two limes) + extra lime slices for serving
  • 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 tbsp. brown sugar
  • 2 lbs. chicken wings
  • Fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and jalapeno and saute for 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add ginger and saute for 1 minute more. Add mango, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar. Saute for additional 1-2 minutes or until sugar dissolved. Turn off heat and set aside to cool. 
  2. Preheat air fryer to 360 degrees. Toss chicken wings with the remaining 1 tbsp. olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add to air fryer. Cook for 25 minutes or until chicken wings are brown and crispy, removing basket and shaking every 5 minutes to cook wings evenly. 
  3. While wings are cooking, finish mango BBQ sauce. Using an immersion or regular blender, puree mango BBQ sauce until smooth and no chunks remain. Once wings are done, toss with BBQ sauce. Leftover BBQ sauce can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer.  

Tomato Bruschetta with Whipped Feta Pesto

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Roasted tomatoes in a cast iron skillet with bruschetta on the side.
This post contains links that pay me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

This is such an easy tomato bruschetta recipe! Which is perfect for an easy, weeknight summer meal. I love roasting tomatoes in the oven. Rarely have I found a tomato that doesn’t taste even better roasted, even middle-of-winter grocery store tomatoes. The problem is that this summer, who wants to turn on the oven more than they have to? So with a little help from my cast iron skillet, I turned my gas grill into a tomato flavor machine.

Roasted tomatoes in a cast iron skillet

I wanted to pair the tomatoes with their natural friend, basil pesto. I wasn’t exactly feeling that just any old pesto would work here. To make the pesto feel a little extra special, I decided to marry a version of whipped feta along with the pesto. Whipped feta is one my absolute favorite small plates from Butcher and Bee in Charleston. Drizzled with honey, it’s creamy, salty, and sweet. Basically, it’s heaven on earth.

Tomato bruschetta with a bite taken

To accompany the tomato bruschetta, I threw together a quick salad and boom – the perfect summer meal. It’s basically a fancier version of pizza, but way more flavor, not to mention it’s on the table in less than 30 minutes!

Tomato bruschetta with pesto and basil on a plate
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Tomato Bruschetta with Whipped Feta Pesto

  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
  • 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp. olive oil, divided
  • salt/pepper to taste
  • 1/3 cup almonds (or pine nuts, or preferred nuts)
  • 2 cups fresh basil
  • 1/2 cup feta, crumbled
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice (optional)
  • 1 french baguette
  • additional basil for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat grill burners over medium-high heat or to at least 450 degrees. Add the tomatoes to a cast iron skillet, drizzle with 1 tbsp. olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place cast iron in preheated grill. Cook tomatoes until blistered and they begin to pop, releasing their juices.
  2. Add nuts to food processor and pulse until ground. Add basil, feta, minced garlic, lemon juice (if using) to food processor, and season with salt and pepper. Pulse until completely incorporated. Scrape down sides and drizzle in 1/3 cup of olive oil. Pulse until completely smooth.
  3. Slice baguette and toast in toaster or on grill. Spread whipped feta pesto on bread, top with blistered tomatoes, and garnish with extra basil if using. Serve.

Notes

Serves about 4-6 people. 

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Pepita and Red Pepper Salsa

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Overhead shot of bowl of red pepper and peptita salsa with chips.

This post contains links that pay me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

IM(Humble)O, chips and salsa are a staple. I’m not ashamed to admit in college I would make a meal out of Chi-Chi’s salsa, chips, and sour cream. Late night studying wasn’t complete without this trifecta. My tastes have evolved some over time, but honestly presented with this concoction, I’d do it all over again. Nostalgia has a certain taste to it.

Today, I present a type of salsa (or sauce) with a bit of a twist. One of my favorite party or gathering dips (or salsa, if you will) is to make muhammara. What is muhammara? It’s a Middle Eastern red pepper and walnut spread – it’s like hummus meets salsa with Middle Eastern flavors of spice and smoke. While muhammara can hang on it’s own, I went with a Latin spin this time. And, boy did it pay off. Big time.

Tortilla chip dipped in red pepper and peptita salsa.

In this version, roasted red peppers are still front and center of this sauce or dip, but with the inclusion of peppers in adobo sauce and peptitas (essentially pumpkin seeds) instead of walnuts this spread has seen a new Latin spin. I went for the tried and true chips and salsa route, but spread on a taco or drizzled on grilled meats a la chimichurri sauce it would be perfect. The sky is the limit for how this salsa could be paired. Now go – try this out…immediately.

Bowl of red pepper and peptita salsa with chips.

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Pepita and Red Pepper Salsa

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 garlic clove, finely minced
  • 1 lime
  • 1 cup pepitas (aka shelled pumpkin seeds)
  • 1/2 tsp. cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. paprika
  • 1 tbsp. honey
  • 1–2 whole peppers in adobo (depending on desired spiciness)
  • 1 jar roasted red peppers (12 oz. jar), drained
  • 4 tbsp. olive oil
  • cilantro, chopped (optional for garnish)

Instructions

  1. Place finely minced garlic in food processor bowl with pinch of salt and juice of half of a lime. Allow garlic to sit in lime juice and salt for a few minutes to “mellow out”.
  2. Add pepitas and pulse a few times to begin grind seeds. Add in cumin, paprika, honey, and both peppers. Blend until smooth. While motor is running, drizzle in olive oil. Serve with optional garnish of additional pepitas and cilantro. 

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Food processor

Pepitas

Roasted red peppers