Grilled Flank Steak, Charred Corn & Avocado with Simple Herb Sauce

Grilled Flank Steak, Charred Corn & Avocado with Simple Herb Sauce

One platter meal featuring juicy grilled flank steak, charred corn, and thick sliced avocado.

Course Main Course, Salad

Cuisine American, Mediterranean

Keyword Flank steak, charred corn, roasted corn, avocado, herb sauce, mediterranean recipe

Prep Time 2 hours

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 2 lbs flank steak
• 6 ears sweet corn shucked
• 3 medium avocados, cut in half and sliced
• 1 cup scallions chopped
• 1 cup feta cheese

Marinade

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup honey

Simple Herb Sauce

• 1 cup plain greek yogurt or sour cream I used sour cream 
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 lemon, juiced 
• 1 cup fresh basil and dill leaves, chopped & combined
• fresh ground salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Combine all marinade ingredients. Pour over flank steak and marinate for about two hours. Heat grill to medium- medium/high and sear steak for about 8 minutes on each side. Remove and let rest for about 10 minutes. 

   Combine all ingrediants for herb sauce into a food processor. Process till combined. set aside. 

   Place fresh corn on hot grill and char on all sides with grill lid closed. Remove & cool. Use a sharp knife to cut the corn off the cobb once cooled. Lay the corn on a large platter or bread board. 

   Placed sliced avocado and feta cheese on top of corn. Slice flank steak agianist the grain thinly and layer over the corn and avocados. Spinkle scallions on top and drizzle the herb sauce all over. Dig in!

PRESSURE COOKER LASAGNA SOUP {+ STOVETOP DIRECTIONS}

YIELD: 6-8 SERVINGS

PRESSURE COOKER LASAGNA SOUP

PREP TIME 15 MINUTES

 

COOK TIME 6 MINUTES

 

TOTAL TIME 21 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

SOUP:

•  1 pound ground Italian sausage or ground beef
•  1/2 cup finely chopped yellow or white onion
•  1/2 cup diced carrots (about 2 medium carrots)
•  2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed through a garlic press
•  3 cans (15-ounces each) crushed tomatoes (see note)
•  1 teaspoon dried basil
•  1 teaspoon dried oregano
•  1 dried bay leaf
•  1/2 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt)
•  Pinch of black pepper (I use coarsely ground)
•  6 to 8 cups chicken broth (I use low-sodium) (see note)
•  8 to 12 ounces (3-4 cups) bowtie or rotini pasta or broken lasagna noodles (see note)

CHEESE TOPPING:

•  1 cup ricotta cheese or blended cottage cheese
•  1 cup mozzarella cheese (plus more for serving)
•  1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
•  1/2 teaspoon dried basil
•  Pinch of salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. For the cheese topping, stir together all the ingredients until well combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 
2. For the soup, select the sauté function on the pressure cooker and cook the sausage or ground beef, onion, carrots, and garlic, for 2-3 minutes, until the meat is no longer pink, breaking the meat into small pieces as it cooks. Drain any excess grease.
3. Add the crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, bay leaf, salt and black pepper. Stir well, making sure to scrape up any cooked bits on the bottom of the pot. 
4. Add 6 cups of the chicken broth and the pasta and stir to combine. Give the bottom of the pot another good scrape (otherwise any cooked food on the bottom of the pot may alert the burn warning when the pressure cooker comes to pressure). 
5. Secure the lid and set the pressure cooker to cook on high. Use this formula for the cooking time (and read the note below): take the al dente cooking time on the pasta package, cut the time in half and subtract two more minutes. For instance, for pasta that cooks al dente in 12 minutes, the pressure cooker time will be 4 minutes. Round up for 1/2 minutes. 
6. When the cooking time is finished, let the pressure naturally release for 10-15 minutes (otherwise liquid may spurt out of the valve when releasing pressure). Manually release remaining pressure or let it naturally release all the way (pasta will be a bit softer if doing this since it will continue to cook a little as the pressure naturally releases). 
7. Stir the soup and add additional chicken broth to thin, if needed (I add about 1 to 2 additional cups). Serve the soup in bowls with spoonfuls of the cheese topping and additional mozzarella or Parmesan cheese on top.

NOTES

Pasta: I've used both bowtie (farfalle) and rotini in this soup with good results. You can also use broken lasagna noodles (don't use the no-boil lasagna noodles). The amount of pasta really depends on how thick and pasta-loaded you want the soup. I usually add the full 12 ounces and then thin the soup out, if needed, at the end with additional broth.

Pressure Release: if you know you are going to let the pressure naturally release all the way and maybe even have the soup sit on warm for a while, I would suggest a cooking time of just 1-2 minutes so the noodles aren't overly soft and mushy.

Tomatoes: you can sub out some of the crushed tomatoes for tomato sauce for a richer, slightly thicker soup.

Pressure Cooker Burn Warning: it's really important to scrape up any bits of cooked meat or other food on the bottom of the pot before pressure cooking. If your pressure cooker gives the burn warning quite often (and seems finicky), you might consider sautéing the meat, onions, carrots in a skillet on the stovetop before adding to the pressure cooker. 

Stovetop Directions: in a 6-quart pot over medium heat, cook the sausage or ground beef, onions, carrots and garlic until the meat is no longer pink (break the meat into small pieces as it cooks). Drain any excess grease, if needed. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, bay leaf, salt, pepper, 6 cups broth and pasta. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes until the pasta is tender, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add additional broth, if needed, to thin. Serve the soup in bowls with spoonfuls of the cheese topping and additional mozzarella or Parmesan cheese on top.

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GRILLED STEAK FAJITAS

Grilled Steak Fajitas

Cook Time 30 minutes  Servings  - 6 servings INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 - 2 pounds flank steak, pounded thin Marinade 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce 1/4 cup orange juice 2 tablespoons lime juice 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 teaspoon liquid smoke Spice Mix 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 tablespoon garlic powder 2 teaspoons smoked paprika 1 tsp EACH salt, chili pwdr, onion pwdr 1/2 tsp EACH pepper, cayenne pepper Vegetables 3 bell peppers (any colors) seeded and quartered 1 large red onion sliced into chunks Serving 12-14 taco size flour tortillas Guacamole or chopped avocados Salsa or chopped tomatoes sour cream hot sauce lime juice cilantro Monterrey Jack pepper Jack or Cotija cheese (optional) INSTRUCTIONS Marinate Add peppers and onions to a large freezer bag along with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Set aside.  To a small plastic bag (or sealable container), add Spice Mix and whisk to combine. Set aside. Add Marinade Ingredients to a large freezer bag and whisk to combine. Add 3 tablespoons Spice Mix to Marinade and whisk to combine. Remove 1 tablespoon of this Marinade and add to vegetables. Toss to evenly coat, seal bag and refrigerate.  To remaining bag with marinade, add steak, remove excess air and seal bag. Marinate in the refrigerator 4 hours up to overnight.  Wet Spice Rub When ready to grill, mix remaining Spice Mix with 2 tablespoons olive oil to create a Spice Rub. Discard steak marinade and pat steak dry with paper towel (just so steak is not wet, not to remove marinade/spices). Rub steak evenly all over with Spice Rub and let rest at room temperature for 30-60 minutes. Grill Steak Grease and preheat grill to medium-high heat. Grill steak for 7 to 10 minutes per side, turning once, for medium-rare. For medium or medium well, continue cooking steak over indirect flame for an additional 5-10 minutes per side, depending on thickness. Check for doneness with a meat thermometer inserted right in the middle of the steak. Thermometer should read: 135/140 degrees F for medium rare, 145 degrees F for medium. Remove steak and let rest 10 minutes before thinly slicing across the grain.  Grill Vegetables While steak is resting, grease grill again and grill vegetables covered for approximately 3-5 minutes per side, taking care not to burn them. Remove to a cutting board. Once cool, slice peppers and onions into thin strips.  Warm Tortillas  GRILL: Divide tortillas into two piles and wrap each batch tightly in foil. Grill for 3 minutes, rotating half way through.  OR MICROWAVE: Heat tortillas in the microwave by placing 2 tortillas between two slightly dampened paper towels and microwaving for 30 seconds. Place warmed tortillas on a plate with a paper towel in between and cover with a towel. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Assemble Top warmed tortillas with beef, vegetables and plenty of guacamole, sour cream and other desired toppings. Garnish with fresh lime juice.