Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce and Sweet Potatoes

Fresh herbs, garlic, and lemon are combined for a zesty topper on tender grilled steaks and accompanied by luscious roasted sweet potato bites.

 

Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce and Sweet Potatoes

It's Grilling season and that's a great way to make a meal in under 30 minutes! Today we're cooking up a meat and potatoes meal Gaucho style by making a wonderful grilled flank steak topped with a tangy Chimichurri sauce along with roasted sweet potatoes. Flank steak is a long, flat cut with a significant grain running through it, and is known for its bold flavor. It is a lean cut of meat and is tender when you cut it across the grain.  One of the best benefits of a flank stead is its size.  It will feed a crowd easily.  A very versatile cut of beef that can be cooked as a steak, or cut and used in tacos, fajitas, steak salad, or sandwiches.  It's flavor is really unmatched!

Chimichurri is an Argentinian sauce that is used as a condiment for grilled meat. It's filled with fresh herbs, garlic, lemon, and a bit of heat. This vibrant green sauce is the perfect partner to the grilled flank steak. You don't want to skip this sauce as it makes the dish! Throw in a side dish of nutritious roasted sweet potatoes and you have one heck of a dinner! This dinner will be on the table in 30 minutes. Great for the weekend or a weeknight, and clean up is a breeze. But, the best part is the flavors. This combination is heavenly!

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

• fresh Italian parsley

• fresh cilantro - If you don't care for cilantro use more parsley

• olive oil

• yellow onion or shallot

• garlic

• fresh lemon

• red pepper flakes

• flank steak

• sweet potato

Substitutions and Variations

• Sauce: Chimichurri sauce can be made with only parsley.  Add more or less red pepper flakes to adjust the heat level.

• Choice of beef:  try your favorite steak instead of the flank steak.  It's great on New York steaks, Rib Eye or Sirloin.  

• Choice of protein:  Chimichurri sauce can be used on any grilled beef, chicken, pork or fish.

• Sweet Potatoes:  Make fries instead of cubes, or bake the sweet potatoes.  

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Use a food processor to make the sauce easily and quickly.

• Chimichurri sauce will keep for about 1 week in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

• Slicing the steak:  Flank steak is a tough cut of meat and to make it tender you must slice the meat across the grain.  So usually the grain runs along the longest length of the meat.  So you would place that horizontally and cut vertically through those grains in to slices.

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Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce and Sweet Potatoes

serves 4-6

1 cup fresh Italian parsley
1 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 - 2 lb flank steak
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed into small bite sized pieces
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Prepare gas grill or charcoal for medium-high direct heat cooking.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a food processor, add parsley, cilantro, oil, onion, garlic, zest, and lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper flakes.  Pulse until finely chopped.  Place in a small serving dish.  

Toss sweet potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper and place on the baking sheet.  Spread out in a single layer.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until tender and lightly browned.  Remove from the oven.

Sprinkle flank steak with salt & pepper to taste.  Grill about 6 min per side for medium or adjust time for desired doneness.  Remove to a cutting board and allow to stand 5 minutes.  Slice steak against the grain and serve with sauce.  Serve with sweet potatoes on the side.

Chocolate Chip Ricotta Banana Bread

My Chocolate Chip Ricotta Banana Bread is so tender and moist and full of banana and chocolate flavor that this may become your favorite banana bread recipe!

 

Chocolate Chip Ricotta Banana Bread

It's been a while since I've actually made a banana bread.  I'm not sure why because I love them.  We usually get a slice every time we go to a coffee shop so I decided it was time to make a really special one.  This Chocolate Chip Ricotta Banana Bread is special since it has ricotta cheese in it.  Using ricotta cheese in place of milk give you a bread that is really tender and moist. Add in that bananas and chocolate are a match made in heaven and you have one great quick bread.

We eat this mainly for breakfast but I've also been known to eat this as a snack with hot tea or coffee, and I've even made French toast with leftovers....decadent!  With just 8 ingredients and one bowl, you can have a loaf of banana bread ready to enjoy for your breakfast or anytime you choose.  Making it in one bowl makes it quick and easy to pull together.  The hardest part is waiting the 50 minutes for it to bake!  Let me tell you there is nothing better than a warm piece of banana bread with big banana flavor and gooey chocolate inside.

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

• bananas

• ricotta cheese

• sugar or sugar substitute ( I often use King Arthur's Baking Sugar Alternative)

• eggs

• flour

• pure vanilla extract

• baking powder

• kosher salt

• chocolate chips

Substitutions and Variations

• Chocolate:  Use a mix of dark and semi-sweet chocolate or leave out the chocolate for regular banana bread

• Nuts:  Add in pecans

• Fruit:  Add in strawberries or blueberries instead of the chocolate

• For more whole grains:  use wheat flour for half of the amount of flour requested

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Pan size:  use a 9x5 loaf pan for the best results

• Testing for doneness:  the bread is done when a tooth pick that is stuck in the center of the loaf comes out clean

• Cooling the bread:  Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing it.  Place the removed bread on a cooling rack to continue to cool for about 15 more minutes before cutting.

• Storing:  Store your bread in a vented plastic bag.  If it is airtight the bread will become soggy.

• Do not overmix the batter:  As with muffins you want to stir the batter just until it comes together (barely all the flour is incorporated).  If you stir vigorously you will end up with a rubbery and dense product.  A thick and lumpy batter is a good batter!

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Chocolate Chip Ricotta Banana Bread

yield:  1 loaf


3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese

1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 
1 cup  dark chocolate chips


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the mashed bananas, ricotta, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until just combined, do not overmix the batter. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes or the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Red White and Blueberry Salad

Go patriotic this Memorial Day with my Red White and Blueberry Salad.  It's filled with plump red strawberries, mild feta cheese, and juicy blueberries on a bed of spring greens to make the perfect salad!

 

Red White and Blueberry Salad

Memorial Day is a day for remembrance for those that have died in service to our country.  To many it is the unofficial start of summer and the grilling season.  To honor and celebrate those we tend to have a big outdoor feast, grilling up American favorites such as hamburgers and hot dogs with all the side dishes.  Today's recipe is my Red White and Blueberry Salad which is perfect for Memorial Day, 4th of July, or Labor Day celebrations.

A based of tender spring greens is topped with the most luscious strawberries, blueberries and crumbled feta to represent the red, white, and blue.  They are also accompanied by crunchy walnuts and slices of red onion.  Then we top it off with a creamy balsamic dressing that is to die for!  The flavors blend together so well that this will become a go to salad during the summer months when berries are in season.

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

Salad:

• spring greens

• strawberries - buy ripe juicy ones

• blueberries - fresh during the season is best

• walnuts - whole or pieces will do

• red onion

• feta cheese - I always by feta in a block and then crumble it, slice it as I need it

Dressing:

• balsamic vinegar

• extra virgin olive oil

• plain Greek yogurt

• Dijon mustard

• garlic powder

Substitutions and Variations

• Nuts - for allergies, leave them out.  Try pecans or almonds for a change

• Cheese - try goat, white cheddar, or Monterey jack.  

• Greens - spinach, red leaf, or butter lettuce would all be good choices

• Onions - leave them out if you prefer or try green onions, or a sweet Vidalia onion for a change

• Use your favorite store bought dressing

• Add protein - grilled chicken or deli turkey would turn this salad in to a meal

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Great for low carb diets as the berries are low in sugar while being rich in antioxidants

• You'll get healthy fats from the olive oil and the walnuts

• You can toast your nuts in a pan for a few minutes you'll get a deeper flavor.

• Don't care for raw onion?  Soak onion slices in cold water for 5-10 minutes will reduce the pungency

• Meal prep friendly - this would be easy to divide the salad in to containers.  Just leave the salad undressed and then place dressing in a container on the side.  If using a mason jar, place the dressing on the bottom, them place the greens on that and then layer the rest of the salad.

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Red White and Blueberry Salad

serves 4

Salad

10 oz spring greens
6-8 medium strawberries hulled and sliced
1/2 pint blueberries
1/3 cup whole walnuts
1/4 medium red onion, sliced
½ cup feta cheese crumbled

Creamy Balsamic dressing

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, I use full fat
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

In a small bowl or jar make the salad dressing.  Add all the ingredients and whisk or shake vigorously until combined.

In a large bowl or platter add your spring greens and tope with the strawberries, blueberries, walnuts, onions, and feta.  Either drizzle dressing over the salad or allow each person to dress their own.