Chimichurri

I'm a dipper. I'm a dipper from way back. I feel like pretty much everything is just a little bit better when it's dipped in a yummy sauce. So I'm always looking for healthy condiments to compliment my meals. In this case, the condiment MAKES the meal. 

This is my twist on a classic Argentinian Chimichurri. In Argentina there are a ton of different ways to make this sauce. It's kind of like meatloaf here in the states. Everyone has their own family recipe that gets passed down. There is green chimichurri and red chimichurri, and each one is a bit different, but this is how I like to make it.

The beauty of this sauce is that it's great with just about any meat and any vegetable. My favorite way to eat it is with a simply marinated and grilled flank steak and some mixed grilled veggies. But this chimichurri is also great with chicken, pork or fish, and it will always add amazing flavor to your dinner. This meal epitomizes a summer supper for me. It's simple, yet incredibly flavorful and really nutritious! 
 

As we finished up eating this meal, my husband said "this would have been even better with some Greek yogurt to dip it in." And he was right! That would have been delicious but I didn't think of it. So when you make this, serve it up with some Homemade Greek Yogurt seasoned with a bit of cumin and sea salt.

Recipe Yields 2 servings

Ingredients for the Steak and Vegetables:
1 pound flank steak. This means it's about 8 oz of steak per person
2 onions, cut into wedges
1 pound of button mushrooms
2 bell peppers- seeded, stemmed and halved
sea salt and pepper
2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil or ghee

Ingredients for the Marinade:
Juice of 2 limes
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
sea salt & pepper

Directions for the Steak and Vegetables:
Put the ingredients for the marinade in a shallow dish (or ziplock, whichever you prefer) and whisk them up.
Add the flank steak to the marinade and turn it around so it's coated. Cover and let marinate for at least 30 minutes, but overnight is great. If you're doing a quick (30 minutes) marinade, you can leave it out on the counter. If you're letting it go overnight, pop it in the fridge. 
When you're ready to cook the steak, pull it out of the fridge (if it's been in the fridge) and let it come to room temperature. Prepare your vegetables.
Season your steak and vegetables with sea salt and pepper
Heat your grill or grill pan over medium high heat with some coconut oil (or ghee). 
Put the steak on the grill and cook according to your desired doneness. We like ours medium rare, so that's about 3-4 minutes on the firs side, and 2-3 minutes on the second side. 
When the steak is finished, pull it off the grill and set it aside to rest. 
Add the vegetables to the pan or grill, and let them cook for a couple of minutes each side, until you have a bit of a char on them.

Ingredients for the Chimichurri:
1 loose cup fresh cilantro
1 loose cup fresh parsley
3 scallions
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/4-1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Place all of the ingredients except the olive oil in the food processor or high speed blender. With the motor running, stream in the olive oil until you reach your desired consistency. I like mine pourable. And actually, you don't even need a machine. You can just chop everything very finely and mix it up with a fork. It will taste just as fantastic.
Taste and adjust the seasoning with sea salt and pepper.
Pour it over the steak and the vegetables, or leave on the side for dipping. 
Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Or, you can pour it into ice cube trays and freeze into cubes so that you can pull it out in individual portions to dress up any weeknight meal. 

Enjoy!