Recipe(tried): Swiss Steak

Round steak is a good choice because it's lean, but it can be tough. I love it in an old family recipe:

Swiss Steak

1 round steak, trimmed of all fat and cut in serving portions
2 14.5 oz. cans stewed tomatoes
1 med. onion, sliced in rings
2 cloves garlic, minced
flour, pepper and oregano, marjoram or basil
3 TBS olive oil

Lay steaks out on wax paper on a sturdy surface. Sprinkle with some flour. Using a meat mallet or something else you can pound the steaks with, pound on each side until they're pretty well tenderized, sprinkling with more flour so steaks are coated.

Heat 2 TBS. olive oil on MED/HIGH in pan. Add onion and saute, breaking up rings, until softened. Push to outsides of pan and add remaining TBS olive oil. Add tenderized steaks and turn when bottom seared and flour is browned. After five minutes add stewed tomatoes, reduce heat to MED and stir up browned bits into sauce. Add garlic, a little salt to taste if desired, pepper and herb to taste. Reduce heat to LOW, cover and simmer about 30 minutes, turning after 15. Serve with pasta or mashed potatoes.

Another way I use this healthier cut of beef is to slice it into strips, marinate it in teriyaki sauce and stir fry with veggies. Cook veggies of your choice (sliced onion, bok choy or Chinese cabbage, and a red bell pepper are great) first until crisp tender and remove to a plate, then add meat strips to hot pan and stir fry for 2 minutes. Return veggies and stir in a sauce made of 1 cup water, 1 TBS cornstarch and 2 TBS soy or teryaki sauce. Heat until sauce thickens up and serve with rice. We like it with LOTS of pepper. Sometimes I throw a handful of shelled peanuts in while the meat is stir-frying.