Cilantro Steak with Garlic Rice Pilaf

I have a really complicated way of deciding which dish we will cook first during the week...by the meats expiration date.  Yep, that is it.  Whatever expires first gets cooked first.  I do this because I hate freezing meat if I don't have to.  Of course the stuff we buy in bulk has to be frozen, but for the fresh stuff I try to cook it before the expiration date.  I hate freezing because I always forget to get it out in time to defrost it.

I made the Garlic Rice Pilaf from the previous post that you can find here.  I decided to make it with brown basmati rice instead of white.  Traditionally you rinse the basmati rice before cooking, which we normally do, but since you put it in the pan, dry, to cook with the oil first I didn't want to rinse it.  Anybody know why you do normally rinse it?

Anyway, this was an awesome dish.  The flavor is amazing, even reheated.  It is super fast.  Just make the cilantro sauce while the meat is cooking.  We used a grill pan on the stove because the weather was gross and Alex didn't feel like dragging out the grill.

Enjoy!

Cilantro Steak

• 1 1/2 lb. flank steak
• 5 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 2 tsp. steak seasoning
• 1 1/2 cup of firmly packed cilantro leaves
• 2 cloves of minced garlic (I did three because we love garlic!)
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice (approximately 2 limes)
• 1/2 tbsp salt

Directions:

Brush steak with 1 tbsp. oil; sprinkle ~ 1 tsp. steak seasoning on each side of steak.  Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.   

Heat a cast iron grill pan over medium high heat; cook steak in pan 7 to 9 minutes on each side or to desired degree of doneness.

Process cilantro, next 3 ingredients, and remaining 4 tbsp. oil in a food processor until smooth.  Cut steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices.  Serve sauce with steak.