Kelly Dreher
Down-to-earth Diva of all things
of the dinner and drinks variety.
Grilled Steak- Directions are geared toward a medium rare steak, so tweak the times to your liking!
- Preheat the gas grill for five minutes on its highest setting
- In the meantime, rub a 1.5lb London Broil with salt, pepper and then brush with a healthy dose of extra virgin olive oil
- Once the grill is hot, brush a light coating of vegetable oil onto the grill to keep the meat from sticking
- Place the steak on the grill and close the lid - DO NOT move for THREE to FOUR minutes (depending on your preference)
- Open the grill lid and rotate the steak 90 degrees (but do not flip it) and let it cook with the lid open for ONE minute to create the grill marks
- Flip the steak, close the lid and grill for another three to four minutes
- Open the lid, rotate 90 degrees and cook for one final minute
- Remove your steak from the grill and let it rest for five to ten minutes before cutting to let the juices distribute. Don't be tempted to cut into it to see if it's done enough; you can always throw it back on, but you can't replace the moisture it loses if you cut it too soon!
- Serve by drizzling with the chimichurri sauce and hit it with a sprinkle paprika for a beautiful, smoky flavor and color punch! Cut on the bias and serve sliced.
Leftover 'Licious: I hate to admit it, but steak (especially sliced steak) doesn't keep all that well for the simple fact that when you reheat it, it loses it's pink and ends up tough and gray. But that only applies to people who didn't make this lovely chimichurri sauce, not you. This sauce would make an old shoe reheatable. That's why this combo is a win-win. Zap the leftover steak in the microwave for less than 30 seconds, depending on your preference for temperature over texture. Slather on the sauce. Enjoy in a sandwich, salad, wrap or on its own.
Note to Carnivorous Purists: I know, I know. Some kind of hard-to-pronounce green sauce on a beautiful slab of animal like that? Sacrilege! Listen, I'm not drowning a filet in my sauce! Come on!
While I LOVE steak, it's too expensive to buy the premium cuts all the time. I like to buy leaner cut, (occasionally tougher and even straight up cheap cuts!) of meat and then turn them into something more palatable and fancy. This sauce adds a nice change-up from the everyday steak, even though I have total respect for the meat's yummy natural taste. Now see here, Carnivores, something green every once in a while won't kill you, you know... :)
Chimichurri Sauce- Get that blender, girl!
Add:
1 and 1/2 ounces lime juice
1 ounce extra virgin olive oil
1 ounce white wine (I used Pinot Grigio here, but I was thinking about how nice a Sauvignon Blanc would be. Any will do though!)
3 big handfuls of cilantro (leaves and stems are both fine to use)
3 T. diced purple onion
2 T. minced fresh garlic
1/2 t. onion powder
1/2 t. garlic powder
A couple shakes of salt and pepper to taste
An optional shake or two of red pepper flake
Pulse the blender a few times to get the party started, then blend until emulsified. The end result should be a really pretty bright green color with no stems or leaves left unblended. Drizzle it over the steak. But it's so good, I smear it on the serving dish, then put it on the steak, then put more on my plate to dip it in. Oh well, at least it's good for you.
Tweaking Tip: If you find your chimichurri is runnier than you'd like, add a dash more olive oil and another handful of cilantro and blend on a higher speed. Taste it when you're done. Also, if your sauce tastes more sour than tangy to you, you can always add some more onion and garlic powder, or even a half teaspoon of sugar and blend again. Remember that the lime, wine, garlic, salt and purple onion are going to make it taste stronger, but the olive oil, garlic powder and onion powder can be added to tone that intensity down.
Leftover 'Licicous: You'll likely have a decent amount of sauce leftover after the meal too, and chimichurri is so versatile! Throw it on a boring grilled chicken sandwich, drizzle it over a salad, stir it into some fresh seafood (like shrimp and scallops) or dollop it onto an omelette and add that bright, fresh, healthy taste to anything you cook!
Fiesta Corn Salsa- A light and healthy side dish in FIVE minutes!
1 can store-bought corn
1/2 a purple onion, diced
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
2 T. lime juice
Pepper
A sprinkle of garlic powder
2 T. chopped cilantro
Combine in a bowl and stir. It's that easy! Eat as a salad, or serve with tortilla chips as a healthy dip. The blue corn tortillas look beautiful with this if you're getting fancy!
Tweaking Tip: Some people like to add canned black beans to this for a little extra meatiness, creaminess and healthy fiber. I'm not much of a bean girl, so I leave them out. If you do add them though, be sure to drain and rinse them off before adding them in. Otherwise, your salsa will look cloudier and muddier and lose that bright pop.
Leftover 'Licious: If you want to make a whole bunch of this to save for later in the week, don't add the lime juice to the extra. Since lime is an acid, it will break down the other ingredients after a day or so making the tomatoes mushy and the onions bleed purple all over the place!
Tangy lime chimichurri sauce brightens up this thick grilled London Broil with a fresh and zesty twist. Add a beautiful, light side like this fiesta corn salsa for a healthy and flavorful accompaniment that is sure to impress. Bonus! This is dinner is just as fast as it is fancy!
Grilled Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
and Fiesta Corn Salsa