Grilled Marinated Flank Steak (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

Karen Sorenson — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 13:00:00 +0000

My latest cooking adventure was Low Carb Grilled Marinated Flank Steak. I don’t know about you, but normally when I think of flank steak I think of a dry, tough piece of meat. Most of the time it is way overcooked and you can barely chew it. I had never actually made flank steak before, but I knew I had to do something to bring some pizazz to this ordinary meat. So, in an effort to expand my culinary horizons I decided on an Asian style marinade for the flank steak.

I used the following ingredients for Low Carb Grilled Marinated Flank Steak:

1 1/2 lb flank steak
1/2 cup coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
2 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp honey (I used sugar free)
3 garlic cloves, sliced
Juice and zest of two limes

To make the marinade, combine all of the ingredients except for the flank steak in a baking dish. Place the flank steak into the marinade and flip the steak over to cover all sides. Marinate for at least 3 hours (turning the steak over halfway through).

Preheat the grill or grill pan over medium-high heat and oil as necessary to prevent sticking.

Remove the steak from the marinade and remove any garlic that is on the steak. Grill for 4-5 minutes on each side. Let the steak rest for 5-10 minutes. To serve, slice the steak against the grain (at an angle).

Net Carb Count*:

Grilled Marinated Flank Steak: 24 net carbs (for the entire recipe–not all the marinade is soaked into the meat so the actual carb count is less)

*Note carb counts are estimated based on the products I used. Check nutrition labels for accurate carb counts.

Comments: The flavor of the marinade was perfect! It really jazzed up the ordinary flank steak. You definitely want to make sure that you don’t overcook the steak. Flank steak should be served medium rare. If you cook it any longer it will be tough and taste like cardboard…..flavorful cardboard, but still cardboard. Who wants that? Also, you want to make sure that you remove any garlic that may be stuck to the meat. If you don’t, when the steak is grilled the garlic will burn and turn bitter. Yuck! I used a grill pan, but this would be a great steak to throw on the BBQ for a weeknight summer meal. One last tip is to make sure you slice the meat at an angle and against the grain. This helps to have less muscle fiber in each bite which will make the steak tender and easier to chew. Enjoy!

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Low Carb Sushi

Karen Sorenson — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 15:01:00 +0000

My latest cooking adventure was Low Carb Sushi. One of my favorite things to eat is Japanese Hibachi. It is definitely a good place to eat low carb because you can substitute the rice for extra veggies (just be careful of sauces, like teriyaki, which could have added sugar). Lately, I like to cook at home so that I can control the ingredients I use. It’s fairly easy to replicate the stir fried meat and the fried rice, but one thing I have missed is the sushi. I noticed my grocery store had seaweed sheets so I decided to give low carb sushi a try.

I used the following ingredients for Low Carb Sushi:

1 Nori seaweed sheet
1 cup riced cauliflower, cooked
1/2 piece of smoked salmon, cut in strips
1 stalk of asparagus, cut in half

–OR–

1 Nori seaweed sheet
1 cup riced cauliflower, cooked
2 pieces of large cooked shrimp, cut in half
2 slices of cucumber, cut in half

Place the Nori seaweed sheet on a piece of plastic wrap (or a sushi mat). Spread the cauliflower rice over the seaweed leaving a 1″ border at each end.

Add the toppings to the middle of the cauli-rice. Smoked salmon and asparagus pictured below.

Using the plastic wrap or bamboo mat, roll the near end of the seaweed over the filling and continue rolling make sure the roll stays as tight as possible. Seal the end of the roll, but dabbing water on the far end of the seaweed sheet.

Using a warm, sharp knife cut the sushi into 1/2″ pieces (pictured at the top). Serve with a side of coconut aminos or soy sauce.

Net Carb Count*:

Sushi (Smoked Salmon and Asparagus): 5 net carbs (for one roll)
Sushi (Shrimp and Cucumber): 5 net carbs (for one roll)

*Note carb counts are estimated based on the products I used. Check nutrition labels for accurate carb counts.

Comments: Ok, so I’m not the best sushi roller in the world, but the result is a fantastic replacement for sushi. I used the fillings listed above, but you can use your favorite filling. It’s easy to be intimidated, but making sushi is really easy. I added 1 Tbsp of soy sauce to my cooked cauliflower (I microwaved the “rice” for about 30-40 seconds) to give it some flavor. Make sure the items you use in the filling are cut into strips and cover the width of the roll to make sure you have a piece of each ingredient in each slice. I chose not to invest in a bamboo sushi mat and use plastic wrap. The plastic wrap helps to create a tight roll so that the filling stays inside. One very important tip is to make sure you have a sharp knife. If your knife isn’t sharp it will not cut through the seaweed and the filling will fall out. Also, running your knife under hot water before each cut will help make cutting through the sushi easier. Enjoy!What’s your favorite sushi fillings?

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Asian Archives - Holistically Engineered

Grilled Marinated Flank Steak (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

Low Carb Sushi