Grilled Asian Flank Steak with Mango Salad

 

Y'all, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but summer is almost over. Boooooo. And so I'm milking these sunny days for all they are worth and using that grill to it's full advantage. If you need to give yours a final hurrah before tucking it away for the wet season ahead, here's a recipe for you.

 

My middle child has been acting as my sous chef this month while her older sister is in school and her younger brother is napping. The hours from 2:50 PM onward are filled with a lot of whining and crying in our house now that school has started and none of us are as rested as we should be. So, the middle one and I have taken to making dinner at 9 AM and not only is it lovely one-on-one time, but it lessons the stress during those bewitching hours (yes they definitely are plural in our house!)  

This recipe was originally published last year and it was a real hit when I presented it to my family. The baby (whose first food was beef, mind you) could. not. get. enough. meat. The marinade on this flank steak is to die for and comes together quickly. Actually, it's the perfect thing to mix up at 9 in the morning so it can spend the rest of the day marinating. We waited until right before we ate to throw the meat on the grill because it cooks so quickly but we made the salad ahead and just kept the dressing separate and tossed it in at the last minute. The salad has a lot of spunky - spicy, zesty, limey and sweet, all perfectly combined to make that cabbage come to life. YUM! The magazine suggested serving the meat with homemade sesame wonton chips but I didn't have any wontons handy so I would recommend coconut cilantro rice instead. Substitute about 1/2 can of coconut milk for part of the water in your rice and then once cooked, toss with fresh chopped cilantro. Voila! Delicious!

Grilled Asian Flank Steak with Mango Salad
(adapted from Cooking Light Magazine)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons sugar

2 Tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger

2 Tablespoons minced fresh garlic

2 Tablespoons fish sauce

1/4 cup lower-sodium soy sauce

1 (2-pound) flank steak, trimmed

3 Tablespoons lime juice

2 Tablespoons water

1 Tablespoon peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3 cups shredded romaine lettuce

2 cups shredded green cabbage

1/2 cup mint leaves

1/2 cup cilantro leaves

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 mango, peeled and diced

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Combine chopped cilantro, 2 tablespoon sugar, and next 4 ingredients (through soy sauce) in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add beef; let marinate 1 hour to overnight. Remove beef from marinade; reserve marinade.
 

Place beef on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Drizzle with reserved marinade. Grill 7-8 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from grill; cover with foil. Let stand 5 minutes; cut across grain into thin slices.

Combine lime juice, 2 tablespoons water, peanut butter, remaining 2 teaspoons sugar, and pepper in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Add lettuce and next 4 ingredients; toss to coat. Divide salad evenly among 4 plates; top evenly with mango. Serve with beef.

Serves 8