Grilled Asian Flank Steak with Mango Salad

If the last couple days have not screamed "SUMMER!!!" to you, I'm not sure what will. We have been absolutely basking in the sunshine and spending every possible minute outdoors at the park or in the yard. After an afternoon of working in the garden, it seemed fitting to pull out the grill for the very first time this season and break it in. 

Yet again, the current issue of Cooking Light scored for the win. This marinade for the flank steak was to die for! My only qualm was that I felt it needed more liquid (I increased the soy sauce) and I would have left the meat in there marinating for a couple of hours had I planned farther in advance. Isla helped me make the dressing for the mango salad and, drum roll please, our very first batch of home-grown kale chips (three cheers for Fall planting!) I don't know if I was just extra hungry but that garden-fresh kale made the best chips yet! The magazine suggested serving the meat with homemade sesame wonton chips but I didn't have any wontons handy so threw together some coconut cilantro rice instead (substitute ~1/2 can of coconut milk for part of the cooking water and then once cooked, toss with fresh chopped cilantro). Delicious!

GRILLED ASIAN FLANK STEAK WITH MANGO SALAD

Yield: Serves 4 (serving size: about 1 cup salad and 3 1/2 ounces beef)

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

5 teaspoons sugar, divided

1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger

1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon lower-sodium soy sauce

1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon reduced-fat 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

PREPARATION

1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

2. Combine chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon sugar, and next 4 ingredients (through soy sauce) in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add beef; let stand 15 minutes. Remove beef from marinade; reserve marinade.

3. Place beef on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Drizzle with reserved marinade. Grill 5 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.

4. 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.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 285,  Fat: 8.4g,  Saturated fat: 2.8g, Protein: 28g,  Carbohydrate: 26.4g,  Fiber: 3.8g, Sodium: 489mg