Flank Steak and Edamame

Nothing like a good steak. Flank steak is one of my favorite meals, warm or cold. I don't usually care for leftover meat, but this is great! Great cold or on a salad the next day. If there are any leftovers! It pairs well with red wine or beer.

Flank steak is an extremely lean meat. I marinate my steak overnight in a ziplock bag. If you don't have the time, chef Paula Dean, says that 24 hours of marinating in the fridge = 1 hour marinating at room temp. I've tried it multiple times and it works great! Let it marinate for 1 hour at room temp (non frozen meat). The more time you can let it marinate, the better.

I love eating whole edamame with coarse salt. It's really sexy food! You eat it with your hands and scrape the shell across your bottom teeth to extract the bean. Scraping the coarse salt from the surface of the edamame adds just the right amount of sumthing-sumthing. I love the flavor and texture. Edamame is fun food! My 3 year old daughter even likes! As for it being Paleo - I'm not sure. Technically it is a legume. I think the most pertinent fact of eating paleolithically is that the food was something a caveman would have had access to. I think soybeans are a modern crop. But let's face it, we're in modern times. The real point is to eat real food! I know I wouldn't eat bugs or other nastiness a starving caveman might have consumed. So I looked up the Glycemic Index of Edamame and it is very low. This is good for keeping blood sugar hence insulin levels in balance. So I deem it Paleo friendly! Cue the music! And don't forget - it's super sexay (yeah, I know, I'm talking about food - I love food).

Wondering what the heck that thing is next to the raw cut of meat? It is not an ancient radius bone or crude pipe. LOL. It's fresh horseradish. I experimented by adding some fresh Horseradish to the meat marinade to give it a spicy kick. I tasted the marinade before using, and it was spicy! I was excited to see how it would work! The grilled meat did not taste spicy or horseradish-y at all. In fact I think it lent a sweeter taste to the marinade. So skip it. It's kinda of an exotic ingredient anyway (hard to find).

Most important thing, enjoy cooking, enjoy eating and live well!

Flank Steak Marinade

1/3 C. Olive oil
3 TBL White vinegar
3 TBL Lemon Juice (bottled stuff is OK)
3 TBL Soy Sauce
2 TBL Worcestershire Sauce
1 1/2 TBL fresh Parsley (or 2 tsp dried)
1 1/2 tsp salt (optional)
2 tsp dry mustard (don't skip this)
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Mix all ingredients in a mixing cup. Put meat in ziplock bag and pour marinade over meat. Distribute around meat. Marinate 24 hours in fridge or 1 hour at room temp.

Sear on grill on both sides - 3 minutes. Cook on low-med heat until done (7-10 min). Take off heat at 140 degrees (130 if you want RARE). Let REST for 5 minutes. Cut meat as thin as possible at a 45 degree angle (see photo). ENJOY!