A rainy but scrumptious Cinco de Mayo

The weather is being quite unpredictable, but that is a typical New England Spring for you. I have also been so unpredictable with my posting. I don’t want to bore you with the details of my stress ridden life. My goal is to get here as much as a I can because this is a stress reliever for me. I find cooking so relaxing but have not really had the time to enjoy it. Tonight I made some time to make a meal to celebrate the holiday.  It starts with a Carne Asada Steak complimented with a Bean Guacamole Dip and Salba Tortilla Chips.  Here are the great recipes:

Carne Asada Steak

Courtesy of Williams and Sonoma Mexican

INGREDIENTS

8 unpeeled cloves garlic
3 canned chiles chipotles en adobo with 1 tsp. sauce
1/4 c. (2 fl. oz.) fresh lime juice, strained
2 T. dried oregano, preferably Mexican
Sea salt
2 lb. trimmed rib-eye or other steaks of choice, about 3/4 inch thick
Canola or safflower oil for brushing grill rack

INSTRUCTIONS

Place a comal (griddle) or cast iron frying pan over medium heat and heat until hot. Put the garlic cloves on the hot surface and toast until blackened and soft, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat, let cool to the touch, and peel.

In a small bowl, using a fork, smash together the garlic and the chiles and sauce. Stir in the lime juice, oregano, and 1 tsp. sea salt.

Coat the steaks on both sides with the chile mixture. Set aside at room temperature for 30 – 45 minutes, turning at least once.

I am going to post the original recipe for anyone who is interested. I was not able to grill outside due to the weather. I had to resort to the broiler.

Build a fire, preferably using mesquite charcoal, in an outdoor charcoal grill and let burn until covered with white ash. Leave the coals heaped in the center of the grill; do not spread them out. Brush the grill rack with oil.

Place the steaks on the grill rack directly over the coals and grill, turning at least once, until crusty brown on both sides and rare or medium-rare on the inside, 5 – 7 minutes total. Transfer to a warmed serving platter, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest briefly before serving. Serve the steaks on large individual plates and accompany with grilled onions, salsa fresca, and guacamole. Serve pot beans in bowls alongside.

I made a steak fajita with my slices of steak.

I used a La Tortilla Factory Smart and Delicious Soft Wraps. These wraps have 12 grams of dietary fiber!!  They make a great shell for fajitas.

I also made another Eat Clean recipe to compliment the fajitas.

High Fiber Bean DipBy: From Eat Clean Diet Cookbook/ Tosca Reno

Ingredients

1 x 15 oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and well drained
1.5 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
.5 small onion, minced fine
1 clove garlic, minced
Pinch sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Blend the red kidney beans and olive oil until the mixture resembles a paste. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate.

2. Enjoy this bean dip with bread, veggies, in wraps, or just about anywhere else.

I decided to enjoy my bean dip with a bit of Wholly Guacamole. This guacamole is so tasty.

Little Bean Dip Bowls

The guacamole that we sampled tonight was the ef="http://whollyguac.com/our_products/pico_style" target="_blank">Pico de Gallo Style. Holy YUM! If you love the guac this will not disappointed. The right mix of avacado and tomato goodness. My tortilla chips were in love.

I had to use my Salba Smart Organic Tortilla Chips.

What a great chip to dip with. The health benefits are also amazing because these chips are Omega-3 Enriched!

This was a great meal that the whole family could enjoy on a budget. Great flavors and nutrition that anyone can do the Salsa too!