If you are trying to eat healthy and still get a lot of protein in your diet, flank steak recipes are great to try.  A three ounce serving of cooked flank steak trimmed of fat has just 158 calories and provides you with 23 grams of protein.  Most steak recipes that use flank steak have some sort of moist steak marinade because flank steak is much tougher than many other cuts of steak.  It is for this reason that you should also cut flank steak across the grain. (Make sure that you let it rest for a few minutes first or you will lose some of the juices!)

Today I thought I would share with you one of my favorite flank steak recipes.  It is reminiscent of a gyro sandwich, which is something I absolutely love.  I generally can’t stand anything that has so much as touched a cucumber but I love the sauce that goes with gyros.  You can mix things up and make this sauce with basil or parsley, but I really thing the cilantro in this kicks things up and really works with the steak seasoning. If you have left over dip, you can use it with vegetables or on other sandwiches in place of mayonnaise.  It is amazing how good plain yogurt can taste when you season it properly.  (I also make a Mexican version to use in place of sour cream on tacos!)

When picking flanks steaks, make sure you go with one that is bright red to ensure freshness. Also, even if you generally like your steak recipes cooked well done, it is not a good idea with flank steaks.  They are already tough enough and can get a little chewy if they are cooked too much.  Flank steak is defiantly not for those who like their steaks burnt!

Marinated Flank Steak Recipe with Pitas & Onions

Ingredients

For Sauce

1 cup plain Greek yogurt (non-fat)

1 peeled, seeded and diced cucumber

2 T finely chopped cilantro

4 tsp garlic, divided

1/8 tsp cayenne

For Steak Marinade

3  ½ T olive oil

1 tsp salt

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp pepper

1 ½ pounds flank steak

For Sandwiches

2 red onions, cut into ½ inch slices

4 whole wheat pitas

4 plum tomatoes, cut into ¼ inch slices

8 lettuce leaves

Directions

1. Place cucumber in a clean dish towel.  Wring out excess water.
2. In a bowl mix together yogurt, cucumber, cilantro, 2 tsp garlic, salt and peppers.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. Make steak seasoning by combining 2 tsp garlic, salts, pepper and oregano with 3 T olive oil.    Spread over flank steak and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or marinate in refrigerator for 4 hours.
4. Brush onion with ½ T olive oil.  Grill over medium heat for 7 minutes per side.
5. Grill flank teak over medium heat until done.  (10 minutes for rare, 12 minutes for medium rare)
6. Allow steak to rest for 3 minutes until slicing across the grain.
7. Fill pitas with steak, onions, tomatoes and lettuce.  Top with sauce.

If you have flank steak recipes (or quinoa recipes…or any other recipes…) that you would like to share I would love to hear from you!  Stay tuned for more on cooking quinoa and more!

Tagged as: flank steak recipes, Quinoa Recipes with Meat, steak marinade, steak recipe, steak seasoning