Lime-Marinated Flank Steak

By Jjohnsey

From the Better Homes & Gardens Healthy Cookbook. Time consuming, but good.

Ingredients

• 1 pound beef flank steak
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp snipped fresh cilantro
• 2 tsp snipped fresh oregano or 1/2 tsp dried oregano, crushed
• 1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder or regular chili powder
• 1 recipe Avocado-Poblano Pico de Gallo
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• Lime Wednges, and/or fresh cilantro (optional)
• Prep: 35 minutes
• Marinate: 1 to 2 hours
• Grill: 17 minutes
• Calories: 212
• Total Fat: 9g
• Cholesterol: 47mg
• Protein: 27g
• Carbohydrate: 8g
• Fiber: 2g
• Sodium: 282mg
• Exchanges: 3.5 Lean Meat, 0.5 Vegetable

Preparation

Step 1

Trim fat from swteak. Score both sides of steak in a diamond pattern by making shallow diagonal cuts at 1" intervals. Place steak in a resealable plastic bag set in a shallow dish.

For marinade, in a small bowl stir together water, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, oregano, and chili powder. Pour marinade over steak in a bag. Seal bag; turn to coat steak. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours, turning bag occasionally.

Prepare Avacado-Poblano Pico De Gallo. Drain steak, reserving marinade. Springle steak with salt and black pepper. For a charcoal grill, place steak on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals. Grill for 17 to 21 minutes or until medium doneness (160 deg. F), turning once and brushing with the reserved marinade halfway through grilling. Discard any remaining marinade. (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place steak on grill rack over heat. Cover and grill as above).

To serve, thinly slice beef across the grain: divide among four serving plates. Top with Avocado-Poblano Pico de Gallo. if desired, garnish with lime wedges and/or cilantro.

Avocado-Poblano Pico de Gallo. Preheat broiler. Arrange 1 fresh poblano chile pepper or 1 sweet pepper on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until skin is bubbly and blackened, turning occasionally. Carefully bring the foil up and around the pepper to enclose. Let stand about 15 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Using a paring knife, pull off the skin gently and slowly. Discard skin. Remove pepper stem, seeds, and membranes; chop the pepper.

In a medium bowl combine chopped pepper; 1 small tomato, chopped; 3 Tbsp finely chopped red onion; 1 Tbsp snipped fresh cilantro; 1/4 tsp finely shredded lime peel; 1 1/2 tsp lime juice; and 1/8 tsp salt. stir in 1/2 of a small avocado, halved, seeded, peeled, adn chopped. makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Because chile peppers contain volatile oils that can burn your skin and eyes, avoid direct contact with them as much as possible. When working with chile peppers, wear plastic or rubber gloves. If your bare hands do touch the peppers, wash your hands and nails well with soap and warm water.