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Rosemary-Merlot Flank Steak

5 points

If you don’t have dried Italian seasoning on hand, use 1/8 teaspoon dried basil and 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano. You can also substitute 1 teaspoon dried rosemary for the fresh. Prepare marinade up to a day in advance, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Yield:  4 servings (serving size: 3 ounces steak and 1/4 cup sauce)

1 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup low-salt beef broth
3/4 cup Merlot or other dry red wine
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Preheat grill or broiler.

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add steak; seal bag. Marinate in refrigerator 20 minutes, turning once. Remove steak from bag, reserving marinade.

Place steak on grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray; cook 6 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices; keep warm.

While steak cooks, combine reserved marinade, tomato paste, and mustard in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring well with a whisk. Bring to a boil, and cook until reduced to 1 cup (about 7 minutes). Serve the sauce with steak.

CALORIES 203 (39% from fat); FAT 8.8g (sat 3.6g,mono 3.5g,poly 0.5g); IRON 2.7mg; CHOLESTEROL 54mg; CALCIUM 32mg; CARBOHYDRATE 6.1g; SODIUM 445mg; PROTEIN 23.8g; FIBER 1.1g

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Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

Variation: VIKINGS VEGETARIAN CHILI!

Use yellow peppers and swap purple potatoes for the sweet potatoes; think of the jalapeno as Favre – just how much green do you want with your purple and gold?  And if you are purely vegetarian, obviously use the veg broth and not chicken — GO VIKES!


·    2  tablespoons  olive oil
·    1  large yellow onion, chopped
·    1  red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
·    1  green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
·    2  jalapeño peppers, diced and partially seeded – proportional to how spicy you want it!
·    2  medium sweet potatoes, diced
·    3  large garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
·    2  to 3 tablespoons chili powder
·    1  to 2 teaspoons sea salt
·    1  to 2 teaspoons ground cumin
·    1  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
·    1/4  to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
·    1  to 2 teaspoons dried basil – better yet use fresh – about 1 Tbsp
·    1/4  to 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram – better yet use fresh – about 1 tsp
·    1  bay leaf
·    1  (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
·    1 32 oz box vegetable or chicken broth
·    2  (15-ounce) cans black beans, I like Kuner’s SW style with cumin and chili spices
·    Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
·    Garnishes: chopped fresh cilantro, green onion slices

Heat oil in a heavy large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add onion. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 to 15 minutes or until tender. Add bell peppers, jalapeño, and sweet potato; cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, and cook about 1 minute. Add chili powder and next 7 ingredients; stir and cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes and broth. Simmer, uncovered, about 30 minutes. Stir in beans, and continue to cook 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf, and stir in lime juice. Garnish, if desired.

Yield: Makes about 2 quarts

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September 4, Grimentz to Zinal

Day summary:

    • 5.5 hours (Kev time)
    • 8.5 miles
    • gain 1617 m, lose 459 m

But remember that we didn’t walk all of this.

The rides on the front and back end of today made it a good test of Barry’s feet and allowed us to ease back into hiking, helping us to decide that we really could finish the trip as planned.  After Riedmatten, I had told Barry that I would be okay if we never hiked another day in Switzerland.  I’m glad that we did – it was much easier after that day, and we still feel a great sense of accomplishment from completing the journey.

Here is the journal entry for today:

Today was a pretty easy day.  We had a great breakfast at Hotel Alpina – they even had a cool set-up for making soft-boiled eggs.

We took the bus up to the Barrage de Moiry – then it was a fairly quick walk up to the Col de Sorebois – that is the top of the ski area in Zinal.  We walked down amidst cows and sheep in the ski runs, under lifts and around to make our way down to the telepherique.  It was running once an hour, so we had to wait a bit for it.  While we were waiting, Alistair and Mike (our British friends) came down the mountainside!  They had not been able to stay at the Cabane de Barrage and had to hike another 2 hours up and east to Cabane des Becs de Besson – at 3000 m!  Sounds like a horrible evening, and both breakfast and supper were minimal.  They must have hiked super-fast this morning (the only people we met who could meet or beat Kev time) – when I think about how much ground they covered compared to us today.  We waved at them on the way down – us on the tram, them scurrying down the ski slopes.

We are staying at Hotel Pointe de Zinal- it is very comfortable, with a bright room and a view of the street.  It also has a little balcony (a much appreciated clothes-drying spot).  We booked this hotel on the Internet using Coeur du Valais, but I think we wouldn’t have had any trouble finding a place to stay.  Because it is a ski resort there are lots of hotels and dortoirs.

Barry took a nap; I went down to get postcards and ran into Alistair and Mike again and we chatted for awhile.  It has been fun to talk with them because Alistair is also a physical therapist, so we can compare and talk “shop.”  We’re planning to meet for a beer at 4:30 and share maps and books (Mike has an older Cicerone guide that doesn’t describe a newer cabane that they want to hike to beyond the Hotel Weisshorn).

Barry’s feet are much better, we’ll likely get back on track and make our way to Gruben tomorrow.

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Barrage du Moiry

We took recursive photos while on Col de Sorebois!

Kev claims the views keep getting better as you descend into the valley – he is right!

Our hotel in Zinal

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Spinach Parmesan Dip+

1 point

1 teaspoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (10-ounce) package fresh spinach
1/2 cup basil leaves, loosely packed
1/3 cup (about 3 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add salt and spinach; sauté 3 minutes or until the spinach wilts. Place spinach mixture in a colander, pressing until mixture is barely moist.

Place spinach mixture, basil, cream cheese, and pepper in a food processor; process until smooth. Spoon spinach mixture into a medium bowl. Add yogurt and Parmesan; stir to combine. Chill.

Yield: 2 cups (serving size: 1/4 cup)

  • Calories: 63
  • Fat: 4.2
  • Fiber: 0.9
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Summer Peach and Tomato Salad+

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Don’t bother getting yellow tomatoes – they blend in with the peaches.  Don’t combine the basil with the dressing.  This gets very liquidy very quickly.  Serve right away – consider serving in a collander.

1/3 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
3 ripe peaches, pitted and each cut into 8 wedges (about 1 pound)
1/2 pound heirloom beefsteak tomatoes, cut into thick wedges
1/2 pound heirloom cherry or pear tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup small basil leaves or torn basil

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Combine vinegar, olive oil, honey, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle vinegar mixture over peach mixture; toss well to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and basil.

CALORIES 75 ; FAT 3.5g (sat 1.3g,mono 1.6g,poly 0.3g); CHOLESTEROL 6mg; CALCIUM 47mg; CARBOHYDRATE 9.9g; SODIUM 230mg; PROTEIN 2.1g; FIBER 1.7g; IRON 0.4mg

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Stir-Fried Chicken Salad

The pan sauce here doubles as a piquant vinaigrette for the main-dish salad. Serve with crunchy breadsticks, if you wish.

1/4  cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2  tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1  tablespoon Thai fish sauce
1  tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1  tablespoon bottled chopped garlic
2  teaspoons sugar
1  pound skinless, boneless chicken breast tenders
1  tablespoon peanut oil
4  cups mixed salad greens
1/4  cup chopped fresh basil
1/2  cup thinly sliced red onion
2  tablespoons finely chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts
Lime wedges (optional)

Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add chicken to broth mixture, stirring to coat. Let stand 3 minutes.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Drain chicken, reserving marinade. Add chicken to the pan; cook 4 minutes or until done, stirring frequently. Stir in the reserved marinade. Reduce heat; cook 1 minute or until slightly thickened. Remove pan from heat.
Combine greens and basil in a large bowl. Add chicken mixture, tossing to coat. Place 1 1/4 cups salad mixture on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons onion and 1 1/2 teaspoons peanuts. Serve immediately. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings

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Roasted Flank Steak with Olive Oil-Herb Rub

4 points

To serve two, use two (four-ounce) beef tenderloin steaks instead of flank steak, reduce the herbs to 1/2 teaspoon each, and omit the broth. Finish the tenderloin in the oven for two minutes instead of 10.

Yield:  6 servings (serving size: 3 ounces steak and about 1 tablespoon sauce)

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (1 1/2-pound) flank steak, trimmed
Cooking spray
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
Thyme sprigs (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.

Sprinkle salt and pepper over steak. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add steak to pan; cook 1 minute on each side or until browned. Add wine and broth; cook 1 minute. Spread herb mixture over steak; place pan in oven. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Serve with pan sauce. Garnish with fresh thyme sprigs, if desired.

CALORIES 167 (38% from fat); FAT 7g (sat 2.5g,mono 3.3g,poly 0.4g); IRON 1.6mg; CHOLESTEROL 37mg; CALCIUM 21mg; CARBOHYDRATE 0.5g; SODIUM 266mg; PROTEIN 23.9g; FIBER 0.1g

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Broccoli Soup

2 points

6 c small broccoli florets
2 c chicken broth
¼ c chopped onion
2 c milk
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp butter
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
dash ground mace

Combine first 3 ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.  Place half of broccoli mixture in a blender, process until smooth.  Pour broccoli mixture into a bowl.  Repeat procedure with remaining broccoli mixture.  Return pureed mixture to pan.

Combine milk and flour, stirring with a whisk until well blended; add to broccoli mixture.  Cook over medium heat 3 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken, stirring frequently.  Add lemon juice, butter, salt, pepper and mace, stirring until butter melts.

Yield: 6 servings (1 cup)

  • Calories: 91
  • Fat: 3.1g
  • Fiber: 2.3g