Great Spring/Summer Dinner - Flank Steak and Corn/Black Bean Salad

Keith and I made a delicious (and affordable) dinner on Friday night that I’m excited to share with you! We marinated a flank steak using the recipe below (courtesy of one of my favorite Martha Stewart magazines, Everyday Food. Be sure to check out the series on PBS at noon on Saturdays, too!).

• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup packed light-brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
• Vegetable oil (for grates)

We “grilled” this indoors, but you can certainly use your outdoor grill or even cook in the oven or on the stove. We love using the grill/griddle for easy, year-round indoor cooking :) Keith got me the one in the photos for my birthday. This steak only needs about 7 minutes on each side for a nice medium-rare. I took the leftover marinade and put it in a saucepan, reduced and brushed the "glaze" over the flank steak as it cooked for extra flavor and moisture.

I bought a 1.3 lb flank steak that was PLENTY for Keith and I. Keith’s using the leftovers on salad this week, but if you’re serving 4, this size would be fine. The recipe calls for 2 lbs.

While the steak was marinating (about two hours, though next time I make this recipe, I’ll marinade for overnight for extra-tender meat), we went to a local bar, Thirsty Ear for a $2 draft (offered on ANY beer Monday-Friday). This bar is a comfortable, hometown spot that often has live music and a nice-sized patio … and did I mention … $2 drafts? Check them out at: www.thethirstyear.com.

One of my “famous” recipes is a corn and black bean salsa. As a side dish for the flank steak, I made a variation of this salsa and served it salad-style. Here’s what I do:

• 1 large can or 2 small cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
• LOTS of fresh cilantro (has to be fresh)
• 1 bag of frozen (or fresh if you’re feeling ambitious) corn
• 1-2 tomatoes (seeded)
• 1 jalapeno (optional)
• ½ red onion
• Juice of a lime
• 1 avocado
• Salt (add more than you think!)
• Pepper

I added a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (red wine vinegar would be excellent, too!) and a tablespoon of good quality olive oil to transform from salsa to side-dish salad. I also did a bigger dice on the tomatoes, avocado and onion.
Avocado needs citrus so it won’t brown, so add the lime juice after dicing the avocado. Enjoy! This salsa/salad is delicious on tortilla chips and on spinach to spice up a simple salad! I make it all the time and it is a crowd-pleaser. Sometimes, if I’m craving it during the winter, I’ll take a shortcut and add a few spoonfuls of fresh salsa in place of chopping tomato and onion (shh).

Coming soon: I’m very excited to try my hand at dessert; came across an interesting recipe for ricotta raspberry mousse I’m anxious to try. Check back soon!