Chili Lime Flank Steak

This week we grilled Chili Lime Flank Steak.  It was a hit with my family!  It made enough to feed us for two evening meals (and a leftovers lunch).  The first night I served it "taco style" in whole wheat tortillas with Brazilian black beans, homemade salsa, avocado, and sour cream.  The second night I served it as part of a steak salad.  Both the taco dinner and the salad dinner took less than 30 minutes to prepare.  Here are the recipes for the black beans, salsa, and salad dressing (all loosely modified from the Our Best Bites cookbook and OurBestBites.com).

Brazilian Black Beans:

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup finely chopped onion 

• 1 lime 

• 1 finely chopped green bell pepper 

• 1-2 tablespoons canola oil 

• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced 

• 1 teaspoon chili powder 

• 3/4 teaspoons coriander 

• 1/2 teaspoon cumin 

• 1 13.5 ounce can chicken broth 

• 2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed 

• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

• Combine onion, bell pepper, and oil in a large skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until completely softened, 6-7 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, coriander, and cumin; stir constantly for 2 minutes. Stir in broth and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer briskly, mashing some of hte beans with the back of a spoon and stirring often, until sauce is thickened, 10-20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat and stir in the juice of 1 lime.

Toddler Friendly Salsa: (I usually have this on hand because Geneva will eat it by the spoonful)

Ingredients:

• 1 fresh tomato, coarsely chopped

• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes

• 1 garlic clove

• 1/3 cup roughly chopped onion (red is my favorite but green or yellow will work too)

• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder

• 1 lime, juiced

• 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro (or more to taste - I use a big handful)

• Kosher salt

• Black pepper

Preparation:

• Combine the fresh tomato, canned tomatoes, garlic clove, onion, lime juice, and cilantro in a food processor. Pulse until your desired consistency is reached. (I like mine restaurant style - in tiny chunks). Place into a storage or serving container and mix in the chili powder and salt and pepper to taste.

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2-3 juicy limes)

• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar or rice vinegar

• 4-5 garlic cloves

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 1 cup canola oil

• 1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves 

Preparation:

• In a blender or food processor, combine lime juice, vinegar, garlic, salt and sugar.  Blend until all ingredients are completely combined.  

• With the machine running, add the oil in a steady stream.  Add cilantro and blend until the cilantro has broken down but still maintains some of its texture.  

• This dressing can also be used as a marinade.

Philosophy for this Blog

A few months ago we organized a Make Ahead Mama's group in North Seattle.  This blog is meant to be a place to showcase the recipes we try, discuss how we like them, and share how we use them as part of a meal.