On Our Way To Crazy

Aaron and I have been trying to cook dinner at home more often. The problem is we really only have three or four things we both like and that are fairly easy to put together. So we make these grand plans to cook dinner at home, eat stir fry and green chicken for three weeks, get bored and start eating out again.

But! This time around I have been trying new things, and so far it’s been going really well. This is a recipe I got from Ellie Krieger on the Food Network. She has a lot of healthier recipes that look really good, so hopefully we’ll find some more good ideas.

This was incredibly easy to make, and so so delicious. I was really sad when it was gone. I only marinated the meat for a couple of hours (TIP: read the whole recipe in advance), and I think it will be a lot more flavorful in the future when I remember to do the meat the night before. Also I left out the shallots because I don’t really like them. Also also, I doubled the marinade/dressing recipe because it didn’t feel like enough, and I’m glad I did. We used it all.

THAI BEEF SALAD

1 pound top-round London broil or flank steak, about 1 to 1 1/2-inches thick
3 tablespoons lime juice, divided
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 1/4 teaspoons red curry paste or chili-garlic sauce
1/2 head red-leaf lettuce, torn (about 6 cups)
3 shallots, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup), divided, for garnish
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, rinsed and dried
1 cup basil leaves, sliced into ribbons

Rinse and pat the meat dry. Place in a sealable plastic bag or small glass dish. In a medium bowl combine 1 tablespoon of the lime juice, soy sauce, canola oil, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and red curry paste. Pour half the mixture into the bag with the meat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice to the bag. Seal tightly, and marinate meat in refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight, turning occasionally. Reserve the rest of the mixture refrigerated, to dress the salad.

Spray grill or grill pan with cooking spray and preheat. Grill steak until medium-rare, about 5 minutes per side, depending on desired doneness. Let rest until room temperature then slice thinly against the grain.

Combine lettuce, sliced shallot, cilantro, basil and beef in a salad bowl, reserving a few shallots for garnish. Add the reserved dressing and toss to coat. Divide salad among 4 plates and garnish with reserved sliced shallots.