Active time: 15 minutes Total time: 40 minutes, plus marinating time
Quinoa is a protein-packed, gluten-free whole grain that cooks quickly, which is ideal on busy weeknights. The quinoa salad and tomato-cumin dressing can be made up to two days in advance. Skirt steak is a long, thin cut that absorbs marinades quickly and is deliciously tender as long as you cook it until it’s just medium-rare; any longer and it can become tough. Use gluten-free soy sauce to make this dish entirely gluten-free.
Peruvian Quinoa Salad with Grilled Skirt Steak
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (60ml) lime juice
- 3 tablespoons (44ml) olive oil
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 pound (454g) beef skirt steak, cut crosswise into 2 pieces
- 1/2 cup (100g) chopped tomatoes
- 1/4 cup (.5g) chopped cilantro
- 3/4 cup (127g) red quinoa, rinsed and drained
- 1 small (5-ounce/142g) garnet sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch (1.3cm) cubes
- 1 large ear corn, shucked and kernels shaved from the cob
- 2 cups (37g) baby spinach or arugula leaves, lightly packed
Directions
In a bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, soy sauce, cumin, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, black pepper and cayenne. Pour 1/4 cup of the mixture into a zip-top bag. Add the beef to the bag and marinate for at least 30 minutes at room temperature and up to 4 hours in the refrigerator. Add the tomatoes and cilantro to the remaining lime juice mixture and set aside.
In a small saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups water with the quinoa and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; stir to combine. Put the sweet potatoes and corn in the pan but do not stir. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until the water is absorbed and the grains and sweet potato are tender, 15 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the spinach and let stand covered for 10 minutes.
Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Discard the marinade and place skirt steak on the grill. Grill until the steak is medium rare (140°F/60°C), 3–4 minutes per side. Do not overcook or the meat will be tough. Transfer the steak to a cutting board, loosely cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes.
Thinly slice the meat against the grain. Arrange the quinoa on 4 plates and place the steak on top. Drizzle with remaining lime-tomato dressing and serve.
Serves: 4 | Serving Size: 3 ounces steak, 1 scant cup quinoa and 2 tablespoons dressing
Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 488; Total Fat: 24g; Saturated Fat: 7g; Monounsaturated Fat: 8g; Cholesterol: 14mg; Sodium 200mg; Carbohydrates: 46g; Dietary Fiber: 5g; Sugar: 2g; Protein 24g
