Back on Track with the Taco Light!

Hola! I promised you a recipe this week so here it goes. This is so simple, so delicious, very healthy and so perfect for this time of year. Summer tends to get me and my son (the rat) terribly off track. He goes to bed and wakes up way too late, I don’t get to exercise properly because of his summer camp hours and we eat out a lot more than I’d like.

It’s September already and it’s time to get back on schedule! If you have kids you know what I’m talking about. Next week, hopefully, everything settles down a bit as the school year starts. Enjoy the taco! Beso, ciao!

Taco Light (Beer-marinated Flank Steak Lettuce Wraps)

Ever since that South Beach Diet came to be, poor little tortillas (and pasta) have been through hell. This is not my attempt to convince you of not using tortillas, my other religion, for tacos. This just happens to be a really light dish that is great for food network cooking and happens to taste really good. This little guy started showing up in “taquerias” a few years ago and has become a staple at my house and my family get-togethers. Instead of the traditional salsa, a light lime-and soy sauce pair perfectly with the beer-and-orange marinated steak. And what to drink? An ice-cold cerveza.

1 cup light-colored beer (preferably lager style) 1/2 cup soy sauce
1 orange, thinly sliced with peel
½ onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, halved and smashed
1 2 1/4-pound flank steak
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon minced, seeded Serrano chile
1 green onion, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, thinly sliced
1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated for wraps

Scatter half of the orange slices, half of the onion slices and half of the garlic pieces on the bottom of a glass dish large enough to hold the flank steak. Sprinkle the flank steak all over with salt and pepper and placed in the prepared baking dish. Scatter the remaining orange, onion and garlic over the flank steak and pour the beer over. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.

Prepare barbeque (medium-high heat) or preheat broiler. Remove meat from marinade; discard marinade. Grill steak to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Meanwhile mix soy sauce and remaining ingredients except butter lettuce in a small bowl. Transfer the grilled flank steak to a cutting board and cut crosswise into strip. Make tacos using slices of flan steak and avocados and drizzle with soy salsa.