After spending 11 years in Arizona, one of the hardest things about moving to Montana was the Mexican food… or, more specifically, the complete lack thereof.
When the boys were little and we were spending way more time in the restaurant at night, we wouldn’t make dinner until later at night, usually after the boys were in bed. I got in the habit of making one dinner for them (never anything adventurous), and then another dinner for Josh and I (usually something adventurous). Since I love to cook, it never felt like too much work, but a few things happened as a result: one, we rarely ate dinner as a family, and two, we grownups would often eat, sit on the couch for an hour, then go right to bed. Not so good for the digestion, or the waistline. Intermittent fasting? Not even on the radar.
Now that the kids are older, we have been making an effort to eat more family dinners together. One of the tricky parts has been finding food that we all like. Calder doesn’t like cooked vegetables (with the exception of roasted potatoes… and then they have to be really crispy). Hayden is way more adventurous, but still a little spice-wary. One thing I made recently that we all loved was Carne Asada. The marinade is super flavorful without being spicy, and the tomatillo sauce puts it over the top. We served it over shredded lettuce, and tossed some peppers on the grill along with the steak. I made pico de gallo with some gorgeous greenhouse tomatoes Joanne brought from Medicine Hat for me (thanks Jo!). It was just like being back at Los Dos Molinos… but without the margarita. Barkeep? I need a hook up, dammit!
- S T E A K
- 2-3 lb flank or skirt steak
- ⅓ cup white vinegar
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 limes, juiced
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- S A U C E
- 1 lb tomatillos, husk removed
- 1 jalapeno, seeded (if you like it spicy, keep some of the seeds in there!)
- a big handful of cilantro (stems are ok)
- 1 medium onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 avocado, seed and skin removed
- 1 lime, juiced
- Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag. Add the steak, and let it marinate in the fridge for at least one hour and up to 24 hours, making sure to take it out of the fridge about one hour before cooking.
- While the steak is marinating, combine all the sauce ingredients in a blender. If you have a VItaMix or a BlendTec, you don't need to chop anything; if you have a standard blender, you will want to chop the vegetables first.
- Grill the steak over medium-high heat until desired doneness is reached (remember: don't overcook flank or skirt steaks as they will get tough!) Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
- Serve over lettuce or rice, topped with sauce. Killer with sliced grilled peppers and onions, a side of pico de gallo, and some guacamole, if you're into it like we are!
Recipes adapted from Primally Inspired
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