May 10: Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri, Bean and Corn Casserole

Paul and I were really excited about making a chimichurri sauce, using the parsley from our herb garden (read: three pots of dying plants on our front balcony). We decided to make a grilled flank steak as our protein, and use the sauce as a marinade. I found a recipe in my fave book, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, for an easy chimichurri sauce.

To accompany the steak, we went back to the book for an Enchilada Style Baked Black Beans and Corn. (Note: the base recipe is listed at the top of the page, but we made the modifications for the version listed at the bottom of the left column for the enchilada style recipe.)

As per usual, I forgot to take photos until everything was assembled. We used a jarred salsa instead of a homemade version. We layered the salsa, the drained black beans (2 cans), the cubed Monterey Jack cheese, and topped it with the crushed tortilla chips and queso fresco crumbles. This went into a 400 degree oven.

Tortilla chips, beans and two types of cheese? Yes, please.

Paul got to work on the chimichurri sauce. He added 2 cups parsley, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 3 cloves of garlic (we used jarred minced garlic) and 1/2 cup olive oil. 
 

We spread the sauce on the steak (we had bought a 2 lb. flank steak), and let it rest for about 30 minutes, turning it periodically to coat in the marinade. 
 

I whipped up a quick avocado and mango salsa to go with the steak. The avocados were a little overripe, but they still tasted good. 
 

Ignore the brown spots. When it comes to avocados, I will eat these regardless of how brown they are.

Chopped up the mango we had...
 

I mixed everything up with a little diced red onion. 
 

Paul cooked the steak on the grill for about 6 minutes on each side. We covered it with aluminum foil and let it rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.


Extreme close-up, a la Wayne's World. Whooooooooooaaaa!

The bean and corn dish cooked in the over for about 30 minutes. We topped it with some chopped cilantro. 
 

Obligatory melty-cheese close-up...

Paul put his excellent plating skills to good use...

We really liked how this turned out. The steak was cooked to the right temperature for me, and wasn't chewy (my main gripe with rare or medium rare meats). I think were we to make it again, I would marinate the meat longer so that it soaked up more of the chimichurri sauce. 

The bean dish, albeit a little unhealthy, was pretty good. We ate leftovers with chips as a dip later in the week, and as a filling for tacos. Paul sliced up the remaining steak, coupled with the bean mix made for a tasty lunch.

We're back!!

Friends, I acknowledge I have been slacking a little with the posts. My goal was to make at least five dinners at home each week, with three to four of them being blog-worthy (or at least a part of them being blog-worthy). I confess, there have been a couple of thrown-together, reheated meals over the last couple weeks. The grocery store hadn't seen us in a while, and it was getting depressing.

However, I am re-invigorated and re-inspired by a) the amount of delicious produce I saw at the grocery store this weekend (YAY! It's summer!) and b) a slight loosening of our schedule. 
 

This photo is supposed to represent summer. Even thought it was taken in October.

Paul and I made a rather aggressive menu for this week, so get ready! (This also makes me accountable when I usually say mid-week, "Let's just get some falafel sandwiches for dinner." NO. Internet, you are my witness.)

Sunday: Grilled Beer-Butt Chicken with Baked Potatoes and Chioggia Beet Carpaccio
Monday: Grilled Lobster Tails with Mediterranean-style Bok Choy 
Tuesday: Vegetable Salad and Curried Chicken from our cooking class at Naveen's Cuisine
Wednesday:  Carrot Soup with Cilantro, alongside Brie and Spinach Grilled Cheese
Thursday: Kale Leaves with Quinoa, Feta and Tomato
Friday: Bacon. And. Pea. Risotto. (I did that for delicious emphasis.)

Here we go!