May Recipe of the Month

Going to a Cinco De Mayor party this May? Maybe you are just having a few friends over for a party. Either way. This recipe makes for an amazing meal. I have referred to Simply Recipes on my blog before. I really like the website because most of the recipes are wholesome with simple ingredients and I have yet to find one that didn't taste yummy. Sometimes, on the bigger recipes sites the recipes are submitted by all sorts of people and the measurements and directions can be off and result in a less than average tasting meal. I've never used a recipe from Simply Recipes that I didn't love.

Carne Asada

• 2 pounds flank or skirt steak
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Marinade:

• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeño chile pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin seed (best to lightly toast the seeds first, then grind them)
• 1 large handful fresh cilantro, leaves and stems, finely chopped (great flavor in the stems)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 limes, juiced
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 cup olive oil

 

Lay the flank steak in a large non-reactive bowl or baking dish. Combine marinade ingredients and pour the marinade over the steak. Make sure each piece is well coated. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-4 hours.
Preheat your grill over medium-high flame (you can also use a cast iron grill pan on high heat for stove-top cooking). Brush the grates with a little oil to prevent the meat from sticking. Remove the steak from the marinade. If you are cooking indoors, you may want to brush off excess marinade as the bits may burn and smoke on the hot pan. Season both sides of the steak pieces with salt and pepper. Grill the pieces for a few minutes only, on each side, depending on how thin they are, until medium rare to well done, to your preference. You may need to work in batches. Remove the steak pieces to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the steak across the grain on a diagonal.
(Optional) Serve with warm corn or gluten-free tortillas and perfect guacamole (see below) or place over chips and melt cheese on top for some amazing nachos!

Original link here.

Perfect Guacamole

• 2 ripe avocados
• 1/2 red onion, minced (about 1/2 cup)
• 1-2 serrano chiles, stems and seeds removed, minced (I have also used a jalapeno pepper in a pinch)
• 2 tablespoons cilantro (leaves and tender stems), finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice (you can use lemon in a pinch too)
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• A dash of freshly grated black pepper
• 1/2 ripe tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped finely

Cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out avacado from the peel, put in a mixing bowl.
Using a fork, roughly mash the avocado. (Don't overdo it! The guacamole should be a little chunky.) Add the chopped onion, cilantro, lime or lemon, salt and pepper and mash some more. Chili peppers vary individually in their hotness so, start with a half of one chili pepper and add to your desired degree of hotness. Be careful handling the peppers; wash your hands thoroughly!
Chilling tomatoes hurts their flavor, so don't chop the tomatoes or add to the guacamole until ready to serve.
Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole to prevent oxidation from the air reaching it. Refrigerate until ready.
Just before serving, chop the tomato, add to the guacamole and mix.

Yield: Serves 2-4.

Original recipe found here