Grilled Steak and Pasta Salad

The sun is shining, the weather's warmer and spring has sprung.

I don't know about you, but that just makes me want to sip a cold beer and grill somethin'.

I live in an apartment and don't have a grill, which makes this a little more difficult, but luckily the complex has a relatively nice brick charcoal grill. Yesterday was my first attempt at starting a charcoal fire myself and after about 30 minutes, it worked.

Threw on my favorite steak (sirloin) and paired with a cold pasta salad that I made earlier that day. Fast and no post-dinner dishes. Win.

Grilled Steak and Pasta Salad Recipe:

• MEAT (I used 2 sirloin steaks, but grilling possibilities are endless)
• salt, pepper, olive oil
• 1 pkg Farfalle pasta
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1/3 cup green peas
  
• 1 tomato, diced
• 2 cups spinach, chopped
• 2 green onions, diced
• 1/3 cup assorted olives, sliced
• 2 pepperoncinis, sliced (reserve juice for pasta)
• fresh basil
• salt, garlic powder, black and cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes
  
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• feta cheese

First, prepare your grill. If you have a gas grill, even better. If you're doing charcoal, place the coals in a pyramid stack, douse with lighter fluid, wait a minute to soak and then light. Ideally you want to light from the bottom to let the coals burn more evenly. I didn't really know what I was doing so I just added more lighter fluid here and there until the coals started turning grey. When they're smoldering, throw on your steaks. I just like salt and pepper on mine; my boyfriend adds some olive oil. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side (for rare).

Now for the even easier dish: pasta salad. Cook the pasta according to directions. Drain, pour into large bowl with a touch of olive oil to prevent sticking and let sit.

Saute the shallots in a little olive oil with some salt, pepper and red pepper flakes until caramelized. Remove from heat and toss into pasta. Add more salt and black pepper to taste, along with cayenne and garlic powder. Place in fridge for about 20 minutes to let cool. Then add the remaining ingredients and put back into fridge until ready to serve. BAM. Done.

Broccoli Beef

I love Broccoli Beef, but sometimes find the Chinese take-out varieties too drenched in sticky, flavorless brown sauce. No thank you. I purchased some wafer thin round steak at the grocery store this week (because it's super cheap), and decided to use it for some tasty Broccoli Beef. This recipe is a little different than the traditional, since it incorporates Thai chiles, lime and tomato, but I recommend.

Broccoli Beef Recipe:

• 1 lb Thin Round Steak
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/2 lime
• 2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
• 4 Thai chiles, diced
  
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tsp red chile paste
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
  
• fresh black pepper
• 1 head of broccoli, chopped
• 1/4 yellow onion, chopped

Lay the steak in the bottom of a shallow dish and tenderize with a fork. Top with the minced garlic, ginger, tomato and chiles. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy, vinegar, honey, chile paste, sesame seeds and black pepper. Pour over the steak. Squeeze the lime half over top. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let marinate for at least 4 hours.

Heat a skillet over medium-high. Lay the steak on the pan and cook until no longer pink. Remove the steak and slice on a cutting board into strips. Set aside. Add some of the marinade and the onions to the pan and cook over medium low heat.

Meanwhile, blanch the broccoli. When ready, add to the pan with the onions. Let that cook for a couple minutes and then add the meat and remaining marinade. Simmer until everything is heated through. Serve with brown rice.