Latin Steak Bowl

An easy weeknight meal made up of a healthy blend of lean meat, veggies, and grains. This Latin Steak Bowl can be easily converted into a burrito as well.

Originally Posted: Jan. 19, 2022

Total Time: 1 hour

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Intro

While on one of my periodic health kicks, I came across a cookbook called The Essential Cookbook for Men. I originally thought it was going to be some sort of bro-humor joke cookbook, but it turned out to just be full of a bunch of well-balanced recipes that would be good for anyone who wanted to get in shape or who was training to be an athlete.

Anyway, one of the first things I did with this cookbook was adapt it into my own version, but subbing out some ingredients for others as well as adding some less-healthy optional garnishes like sour cream. This is an easy weeknight recipe, and if you keep it in its healthier form (i.e., lose the optional ingredients) it’s a great recipe to get all your macronutrients and build some lean muscle. It’s also high in fiber from the beans, vitamin C from the bell pepper, and healthy fats from the avocado.

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Ingredients

Main Ingredients

• 1.5 – 2 lbs. Flank Steak
• 2 15oz. cans Black Beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup Dry Quinoa or Amaranth (makes 2 cups cooked quinoa; optionally you can use 2 cups cooked rice instead)
• 1 Bell Pepper, sliced (any kind of bell pepper)
• 2 cups Broth of your choice, for the Quinoa. I like to use Better Than Bouillon, probably the beef or chicken one in this case.
• Salt & Pepper to taste, for the steak strips
• 8oz. container Pico de Gallo
• Cooking Oil
• ½ Avocado, sliced, per serving bowl

Optional, Less-Healthy Add-Ons

• Optional: Sour Cream, for garnish
• Optional: Cotija Cheese, grated, for garnish
• Optional: Tortillas, to turn it into a burrito

Homemade Pico de Gallo Option

I never make my own Pico de Gallo when making this recipe, because I’m lazy. But since you might want to, I’m including the amounts from the cookbook. Just cut them up and mix them together.

• 3 medium Tomatoes, diced
• ¼ cup Red Onion, diced
• ¼ cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped
• 1 Jalapeño, seeded and diced
• 1 Tbsp. Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice
• ½ tsp. Salt

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Equipment

• Cast Iron Skillet
• A pot to cook the quinoa in
• Large mixing bowl, to mix (almost) everything together

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Written Instructions

Total Time: 1 hour

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Prep

Slice bell pepper into 1 – 2in. stalks. Set aside.

Slice your flank steak against the grain (if you’re new at cooking, flank steak is probably one of the best cuts of beef to learn what this means). I cut it lengthwise against the grain, then I cut those strips in half or thirds to make them more bite-sized.

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Cooking Quinoa and Peppers

Cook 1 cup of quinoa with 2 cups your choice of broth for about 15 minutes, or until the quinoa has absorbed the liquid and become semi-translucent. This will yield about 2 cups of cooked quinoa. You could use 2 cups cooked brown rice here, but I’ve always found quinoa to be easier, so that’s what I do.

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Heat a cast iron skillet (or any skillet, cast iron just gives the best sear I think). Add cooking oil, then add sliced bell peppers and cook until browned, or even a little charred (that’s how I like mine). Take bell peppers out and set aside.

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Cooking Meat

Reheat skillet. Once it’s up to a good searing temperature (400°F+/204°C+), add cooking oil and then the steak strips. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and flip/rearrange occasionally to cook them evenly. Now, a lot of juice is going to come out of those steak strips while cooking, which will prevent a good, browned sear. Don’t worry though, we’ll take care of this in the next step.

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Once the steak strips are reasonably cooked and have released a lot of fluid, set them aside on a plate covered in paper towel. Pour the juices out of the skillet and give it a quick wipe-down so you have bare metal and seasoning again. Add more cooking oil. Pat the steak strips as dry as you can, then add them back to the hot cast iron. Flip and rearrange them periodically until you get a nice, crispy, browned outside, fajita-style. Once the steak strips are done, remove from heat and set them aside again.

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Finish

Rinse and drain two 15oz cans of black beans. In your mixing bowl, add cooked quinoa, black beans, bell peppers, steak strips, and Pico de Gallo. Mix until everything’s evenly distributed.

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Serve in bowls with avocado slices and (optionally) grated cotija cheese and a spoon of sour cream. These bowls can also be wrapped in tortillas if you prefer a burrito over a bowl.

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Variations

Adding a Spicy Kick

For an added kick, dust the steak strips with your choice of spice blend before cooking. Taco seasoning or Kinder’s “The Blend” would both add a nice flavor to your meat. I’ve had good results cooking bite-sized bits of steak like this in my North African Spice Blend, as it shares a lot of spices such as cumin and coriander with Latin spice blends.

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