Lighten up, Francis
It’s week two of the let’s lighten up menu. I’m not saying I have been totally good about it but I will say I have been doing better than usual. There may have been pizza for dinner one night ‘cause we had to do some laundry and straighten up the house as things had gotten way out of hand. There may also have been a hot dog at the softball game because I was hangry. (Youth sports is no place for hanger.) For the most part, we’ve been eating better.

Saturday’s fantastic weather prompted me to head outside and do some grilling. Per usual, we had a packed schedule. Thankfully, I was able to make a marinade out of stuff I had on hand. I poured it over some flat iron steaks that needed to be used, tossed them back in the fridge, and left for the afternoon. I threw the steaks on the grill when we returned for a quick dinner with some steamed rice and broccoli.

As it turned out, there were a lot of leftovers—which was a good thing if not unusual. For lunch on Monday I was able to slice up some of the meat and put it on a salad I tossed together with some spring mix, peppers, sliced red onions and whatever else I found in the crisper. What a light and tasty meal! Salad is not usually my first lunch choice but topped with the sliced meat it was the perfect meal.

Vietnamese Steak Marinade
Adapted from NY Times Cooking

This marinated and grilled Vietnamese flank steak is fantastic over a simple salad or steamed rice bowl with broccoli. It also is delicious with our recipe for Vietnamese Cucumber Salad. 

Ingredients
1/2 cup fish sauce
1 tablespoon lime zest
1/4 cup lime juice (from about 3 limes)
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 large jalapeño, seeded and sliced into coins
4 scallions, chopped
1 flat iron or flank steak, about 1 1/2 pounds

Directions
In a small bowl, combine the fish sauce, lime zest, lime juice, brown sugar, garlic, jalapeño, and green onions. Pour the mixture over the steak and let marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes (or refrigerate for up to 24 hours).

Make certain the meat is room temperature before cooking.

Heat the grill. Place your steaks over high heat on the grill and cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side, depending on doneness preference.

Transfer the steaks to a cutting board and allow them to rest for 10 minutes loosely covered in foil.

Slice the steaks against the grain and serve.