Chile-rubbed grilled steak with corn and tomato salad is a quick summer dinner that’s packed with fresh grilled vegetables.
If no one has yet come up with the idea of a post-pandemic roller coaster named after COVID-19, I’m claiming the rights here and now. A few weeks ago, our schools announced a hybrid plan that would have my kids back in school a couple days a week (the roller coaster goes up). Then, they announced we were going 100% virtual due to air ventilation issues (coaster plummets down). Reason kicks in and tells me it’s safer this way (flat, boring stretch…). So, as the final days of August tick by, we’re bracing for another undetermined amount of homeschooling… There have been some high points though.
A few months ago, my kids liked to help in the kitchen but couldn’t use a knife or manage the oven. Now, they can make brownies and muffins unattended and they can pretty much make dinner without much help (thanks to eat2explore.com). I welcome with open arms the nights they make dinner because it means less juggling for me. And on the nights when I cook, the meals have gotten simpler. There’s one meal for all of us instead of variations. This grilled steak with corn and tomato salad is a perfect example of how I cook now.
The steak has the bold flavor of smoked paprika, cumin and ancho chile powder, but there’s not a lot of spicy heat to scare off the kids. The corn and tomato salad combines the best vegetables from my CSA. The kids pick out the squash and scallions, but they eagerly eat the corn and tomatoes (and maybe a pepper or two if I’m lucky). It’s also easy enough to make in minutes. Oh yeah, and there’s plenty leftover for my lunch tomorrow , so my role as lunch lady is just a tad easier.
We got this. Bring on homeschooling, round 2. (Roller coaster goes up…)
Looking for more easy weeknight dinner recipes?
- Moroccan chicken skewers
- Beer-basted andouille and shrimp skewers
- Broccoli pasta with sausage and Parmesan
- Chili con carne
- 1 1-1/2 pound flat iron steak
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 2 tsp. smoke paprika
- 2 tsp. ancho chile powder
- 3 tsp. Kosher salt
- ½ tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 ears corn
- 1 yellow squash, halved lengthwise
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and quartered
- 1 scallion
- 1 cup mixed grape and cherry tomatoes, halved.
- In a small bowl, combine the cumin, smoked paprika, chile powder, salt and pepper. Stir in the minced garlic and olive oil to make a paste. Rub the paste all over the steak and let sit for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours. (Cover and refrigerate if leaving it more than 30 minutes.)
- Meanwhile, heat a grill over high heat. While the grill heats, spray the corn, pepper, and yellow squash with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper. Cut the scallion into 2 inch pieces then thinly slice them into strips. Soak the strips in ice water.
- When the grill is hot, grill the corn, peppers and squash until tender and slight charred. Set aside to cool.
- Cook the steak on the grill over high heat for two minutes per side. Reduce the heat to low and cook another 8-10 minutes, turning frequently, until medium to medium rare.
- While the steak cooks, cut the squash and peppers into bite-sized pieces. Cut the corn from the cobs. Combine the tomatoes, corn, squash and peppers in a bowl. Drain the scallions and toss with the other vegetables. Drizzle a little olive oil over the salad and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- When the steak comes off the grill, let it rest for a minute or two then slice against the grain into thin slices. Serve immediately alongside the salad.
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