This Keto Carne Asada & Chimichurri Sauce is the perfect low carb grilling recipe for summer entertaining! Whole 30, Paleo, Atkins, Nut Free, Egg Free & Dairy Free!
INGREDIENTS
For the Carne Asada:
1 pound flank or skirt steak
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons avocado oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
For the Chimichurri Sauce:
1/2 cup chopped parsley
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Carne Asada:
Combine the lime juice, avocado oil, cider vinegar, garlic, cumin, oregano, cilantro, cayenne, black pepper, and salt in a bowl or gallon sized plastic bag.
Mix well and add the steak to the marinade, turning to coat thoroughly.
Seal the bag or bowl and and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight for the best flavor.
Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking to bring to room temperature.
Prepare the grill and preheat to 450 degrees.
Grill the steaks over direct heat for 4 – 5 minutes per side, or until your desired doneness is reached.
Remove the cooked steaks and place on a clean plate or platter.
Rest the meat for 10 minutes before slicing.
Serve with the Chimichurri if desired.
For the Chimichurri Sauce:
Combine all of the ingredients in a small blender or magic bullet.
Blend for 20 seconds, or until fully combined but not completely pureed.
Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Beef, my husband’s favorite food (other than chocolate) seems to get more expensive every day. I used to buy it in bulk at Costco, but then started doing a little more price checking and sale watching and can find it at much better prices.
This is an article from a blog I read called My Recipes. I sort of doubt they are all their recipes, but that is the name.
These budget conscious cuts of beef will have you eating like royalty.
Grilling, searing, roasting, and braising are typically the best cooking methods to choose from for achieving the best flavor from your beef. When you are slicing a steak, be sure to cut against the grain. Slicing against the grain makes for a more tender and chewable bite. Give your meat a few minutes to rest before cutting to ensure optimal juiciness. By exploring more underrated beef cuts, you open yourself up to a new, affordable ways to enjoy red meat. And once you master how to prepare these cuts, every week can be beef week.
Tri-Tip
The tri-tip, is an auspicious, triangle-shaped cut of beef that comes from bottom portion of the sirloin. The tri-tip gained its notoriety from the California barbecue scene. The Santa Maria style of cooking this cut starts with a simple rub of garlic, salt and black pepper. The tri-tip tends to be juicy with a fatty exterior which forms a beautiful crust when smoked or grilled for about 40 minutes over red oak wood. The tri-tip is sliced and served with warm garlic bread, fresh salsa and pinquito beans. ( A recipe for this will follow) Purist would argue that the flavor of the meat comes from the wood chips, so no need to fuss with the barbecue sauce.
Hanger Steak
Hanger Steak might just be the most exciting pieces of beef to try on this list. It’s easily cooked in a cast-iron skillet with a quick and simple pan sear, and when paired with compound butter (recipe to follow) the notably rich and beefy flavor and juiciness shines. This cut comes from the plate primal section of the cow, which is considered the lower belly, making it a naturally tender cut. Though once a butcher’s best kept secret, hanger steak has grown in popularity in recent years and isn’t sold quite as cheap as it once was. It is usually less expensive than ribeye, and arguably packs a more sensual flavor and tenderness level.
Stew Meat
When you want to pull out your slow cooker or Instant Pot, stew meat is the cheap “go-to” cut. Stew meat pieces generally come from the neck and shoulder sections of the animal. It tends to be cut and sold in roughly 1-inch chunks, making it easy jump right into the recipe. If preparing on the stovetop, the meat usually takes 1-2 hours of gentle simmering to become tender, and longer if you’re using the slow cooker. Therefore, you’re best bet with stew beef is to plan ahead and either make it a weekend meal prep move, cut the cook time with your Instant Pot or prep the meat and set the Crockpot in the morning before you head off to work, and allow it to slow-cook throughout the day. By time you come home, dinner will be ready to serve.
Chuck Roast
Some dishes are best when prepared in their most classic and traditional form. A classic Beef Pot Roast for Sunday Supper is always popular. The chuck roast is cut from shoulder blade of the cow and is readily available in the meat section of most grocery stores. It’s one of those glorious set-it-and-forget cuts of meat that you can cook, largely hands-free in a slow cooker or Dutch oven. This works well in that Instant Pot you are starting to think about buying.
Chuck- Eye Steaks
Chuck Eye Steaks come from the same chuck primal section of a cow as the chuck roast, and is commonly known as Chuck Delmonico or the poor man’s steak given its affordability. This cut is well marbled and when prepared correctly, it’s succulent, and decadent. Not to mention, when it’s salted prior to searing, the meat forms a glorious crispy crust. Always remember to bast as you cook, as this cut tends to dry out quickly if you don’t.
Cube Steak
Cube steak is another classic, all-to-familiar cuts many of us remember from childhood, but forget to buy as an adult. This highly budget-friendly cut typically comes from the top round or top sirloin section of the cow and is pounded flat in order to tenderize the meat. The cube steak is best known for being breaded and fried to make an old-school country fried steak but is commonly served sautéed with onions and peppers, and can even used as an inexpensive swap for other steak cuts in dishes. If you’re an imaginative cook who’s dedicated to saving a money on your grocery bill, the cube steak is your choice.
FlankSteak
Flank Steak has become a great ‘go-to’ for home cooks. Flank steak is a thin, wide, and long cut of beef that comes from the bottom abdominal section of the animal. Its thinness allows you to pan-sear and cook the cut fairly quickly, and can then be sliced thinly to yield plenty of meat for tacos or sandwiches. It can be broiled on high in the oven, or sliced first and sautéed for a simple stir-fry or fajita recipe. Given its quick cook time, it’s always a good call to marinade this cut before cooking to infuse it with flavor and break down some of the tough tissue.
*****Santa Maria Style Pinquito Beans Recipe
Ingredients
1 pound dry Pinquito beans, pink beans, or pinto beans
2 strips bacon, diced
1/2 cup smoked cooked ham, diced
2 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon chipotle pepper, optional
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
Instructions
Check through beans for small stones. Place in a pot and cover with cold water; soak overnight. Drain beans and return to the pot. Cover by 3-inches with fresh cold water, and simmer for 1 hour, 45 minutes, or until tender.
While the beans are cooking, saute bacon in a saucepan over medium heat until lightly browned. Add the ham and garlic; saute 2 minutes longer. Add the tomato, ketchup, mustard, paprika, chili powder, chipotle, sugar, salt, and water.
Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes. Reserve.
When beans are ready; drain, but reserve one cup of the cooking liquid. Return beans and cup of liquid to the pot and stir in the sauce. Simmer on low for 30 minutes. Serve hot with grilled Santa Maria tri-tip.
****Compound Butter Recipe
Compound butter is softened butter, whipped with various sweet or savory ingredients. Use salted butter, so you don’t have too much salt. (Don’t add any)
Here are some ideas for Steak:
1. Smoked Paprika & Rosemary Butter
1 stick unsalted butter
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon salt
Herb Butter
1 stick unsalted butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (such as parsley, thyme, rosemary and oregano)
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
Jalapeno Lime Butter
1 stick unsalted butter
½ jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced very finely
juice of ½ lime
½ teaspoon salt
Gorgonzola Sage Butter
1 stick unsalted butter
2 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
½ teaspoon salt
Shepherds Pie is so easy to make. I had left over potatoes from a couple a nights ago, so did not them to go to waste. The recipe calls to put it in a casserole pan, but I like individual servings, so put in smaller containers, so I could freeze two for later or eat later in the week. I added mushrooms and four cloves of garlic and just cut and put in the blender to dice. Fast and easy.
American favorite shepherd’s pie recipe, casserole with ground beef, vegetables such as carrots, corn, and peas, topped with mashed potatoes.
Prep time:15 minutes
Cook time:50 minutes
Yield:Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 to 2 pounds potatoes (about 3 large potatoes), peeled and quartered
8 Tablespoons (1 stick) butter
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1-2 cups vegetables—diced carrots, corn, peas
1 1/2 lbs ground round beef
1/2 cup beef broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt, pepper, other seasonings of choice
METHOD
1 Boil the potatoes: Place the peeled and quartered potatoes in medium sized pot. Cover with at least an inch of cold water. Add a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until tender (about 20 minutes.
2 Sauté vegetables: While the potatoes are cooking, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large sauté pan on medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook until tender, about 6 to 10 minutes.
If you are including vegetables, add them according to their cooking time. Carrots should be cooked with the onions, because they take as long to cook as the onions do.
If you are including peas or corn, add them toward the end of the cooking of the onions, or after the meat starts to cook, as they take very little cooking time.
3 Add the ground beef, then Worcestershire sauce and broth: Add ground beef to the pan with the onions and vegetables. Cook until no longer pink. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the Worcestershire sauce and beef broth. Bring the broth to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes, adding more beef broth if necessary to keep the meat from drying out.
4 Mash the cooked potatoes: When the potatoes are done cooking (a fork can easily pierce), remove them from the pot and place them in a bowl with the remaining 4 Tbsp of butter. Mash with a fork or potato masher, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
5 Layer the meat mixture and mashed potatoes in a casserole dish: Preheat oven to 400°F. Spread the beef, onions, and vegetables (if using) in an even layer in a large baking dish (8×13 casserole).
Spread the mashed potatoes over the top of the ground beef. Rough up the surface of the mashed potatoes with a fork so there are peaks that will get well browned. You can even use a fork to make creative designs in the mashed potatoes.
6 Bake in oven: Place in a 400°F oven and cook until browned and bubbling, about 30 minutes. If necessary, broil for the last few minutes to help the surface of the mashed potatoes brown.
This is comfort food for a rainy cold day and enjoyed with a nice Tempornillo Wine.
