Garlic & Lime Flat Iron Steak

We got a couple of great grass-fed flat iron steaks in a recent shipment from Door to Door Organics, and they tasted so good in this garlic and lime marinade. We put the beef in the marinade in the morning and let it sit in the fridge all afternoon. You could also let it sit overnight. To complete our healthy Mexican fiesta dinner, we made some brown rice, vegetarian beans, peppers and onions, and sliced up some fresh avocado to go with our steak. This turned out well using the grill pan on the stove, but I am looking forward to being able to make this on the grill outside this summer and enjoy it with one of my homemade strawberry margaritas!

Garlic & Lime Flat Iron Steak

Ingredients

1 pound grass-fed flat iron steak
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp canola oil
2 tsp organic tamari
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Directions

1. Place all marinade ingredients in mixing bowl to combine. Place meat and marinade in large resealable plastic bag and let marinate in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

2. Heat grill pan with top over high heat.  Grill for 3-4 minutes per side, or until desired doneness.

(Marinade recipe adapted from allrecipes.com)

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal? Compared with conventional beef, grass-fed beef is lower in total fat, higher in omega-3 fatty acids and higher in vitamins, particularly vitamin E. Garlic contains flavonoids (a type of antioxidant), and is a great source of vitamins C and B6, and the mineral manganese. Bell peppers are one of the best food sources of vitamins A and C. Onions are rich in quercetin (a type of antioxidant) and vitamin C. Brown rice is unrefined, so contains it's original abundance of iron, zinc, manganese, selenium, antioxidants and fiber. Avocados are rich in monounsaturated fats that have been shown to boost HDL (good cholesterol), and are an excellent source of vitamins C,E and carotenoids lycopene and beta carotene, as well as the minerals selenium and zinc. Pinto beans are high in protein, iron and calcium.