As the weather warms up I’m in the mood for bowls of fresh food with crisp zingy flavours. And this bowl ticks all those boxes. It’s also getting closer to BBQ weather and this steak would be perfect on the BBQ.

I rarely include recipes for red meat. Probably because I only eat it once every couple of weeks. But I do eat it because contrary to a lot of the content I post here I’m not vegetarian. I just eat vegetarian meals a lot. But I also occasionally eat meat and I have many friends that eat the same way so I want this bog to reflect those habits and be a realistic reflection of the way I eat. So today you get steak. You might notice the serving size is not huge as that’s all I would normally eat. Feel free to up it if you have a bigger appetite for red meat.

I’ve made this recipe with rump and skirt steak both work well as they have loads of flavor. I always trim the fat after cooking because I like that it gives the steak a little extra flavor. If you are worried about your fat in take you can trim it before hand. If it’s not BBQ weather or I can’t be bothered lighting it then I usually cook it in a cast iron pan on the stove top. You still get a good sear and caramelisation. TBH, I often can’t be bothered lighting the BBQ if I’m the only one cooking. If I have a helper I will totally send them out to the BBQ though. I’m generous like that ha.

 

I’ve tried to lighten this up a bit by not using sour cream and using my new favourite sour cream substitute, it’s lower in fat and higher in protein. It’s good old fashion cottage cheese. Every 90’s dieter’s dream haha. But it’s great in this because you get the slight cheesiness too which you want with a burrito bowl right? You just whizz it up in a blender with a little lemon juice and you have a smooth tangy sauce. Perfect!

This whole bowl is very reminiscent of my vegetarian burrito bowl but I took a short cut and used canned black beans. They were organic and took seconds to prepare and I had no regrets. They’re not the star of this show but do add extra fibre and nutrients. A little of that zingy green rice dressing on them makes them super yummy too.

You know I love making food look all pretty and arranged but you could also serve these bowl family style or actually as burritos with a nice whole grain wrap or tortilla. You do you.

Serves 4

Ingredients

600g rump or skirt steak

1 Tbs chilli flakes

1 tsp coriander seeds

½ tsp salt

1 tsp hot paprika

2 tsp ground cumin

1 garlic cove

2 tsp olive oil

 

Salsa

2 tomatoes, chopped in 1 cm dice

½ cucumber, chopped in 1 cm dice

1 red chilli, finely choppped

½ cup roughly chopped coriander

¼ cup finely diced spring onion or red onion

1 Tbs olive oil

Juice and zest of 1 lime

 

White sauce

½ cup cottage cheese

1 Tbs lemon juice

 

Green Rice

3 cups cooked brown rice (start with 1 cup uncooked)

2 cups coriander (stalks, leaves all of it)

1 small clove garlic (optional)

1 tsp chilli flakes

3 Tbs spring onion

3 Tbs olive oil

2 Tbs water

3 Tbs red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

 

1 x 400g can black beans, drained and well rinsed

 

To serve

1 avocado, finely sliced

1 tsp pa[prika

2 Tbs feta cheese (optional)

4 Tbs coriander

1 lime quartered

Directions

In a mortar and pestle grind together the marinade ingredients, excluding the oil. Once the coriander seeds are ground add the olive oil and grind to a paste. Rub the paste into the steak and set aside to marinate and come to room temperature for at least 20 minutes. You can leave it for a few hours.

Meanwhile, Prepare the salsa by combining all ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and let sit for at least 10 minutes.

Make the white sauce (your healthier sour cream substitute) by placing the cottage cheese and lemon juice in a small food processor and blending until ver smooth. Set aside.

Green rice: Place all ingredients, excluding the water, vinegar and oil, in a food processor. Blend until a paste has formed then add the liquid ingredients. Reserve 1 Tbs of the mixture and pour the rest over the rice, fluff through with a fork. Keep warm by placing a lid over the bowl or pot.

Mix the reserved Tbs of dressing through the black beans.

Cook the steak: Heat a BBQ , grill plate or pan (cast iron works well) over high heat. Once very hot add the steak. Cook for 3 minutes each side for medium rare. Rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice into .5cm strips, trimming any fat.

Assemble bowls: Place 1.2 a cup of green rice in the bottom, in a circle top with black beans, salsa, steak, and avocado. Place a dollop of your white sauce in the middle. Sprinkle with paprika and coriander and serve with a wedge of lime.

HH. x