Flat Iron Steak.  It’s a cut of meat from behind the shoulder of the cow that was orginally thought to be too stringy or tough to be utilized in any other way besides stewing.  But in recent years, the Flat Iron Steak has become increasingly popular in restaurants across the country.  I remember tasting it in a restaurant where I worked when the chef featured the steak as a special.  Then, Adam and I stumbled upon it in the grocery store a couple years ago, and we were impressed by the reasonable price for such a good-looking piece of meat.  We have had great success cooking the Flat Iron Steak, especially on the grill, and we’re always amazed by its tenderness and perfect texture.  It cooks quickly, cuts easily, and truly melts in your mouth.

I’m a believer in healthy eating, but for me, that does not mean excluding red meat.  Everything in moderation.  I don’t eat it every day.  I see it as a special treat, and I give in to my body when it craves some serious iron.  We paired our juicy steak with nutty green beans and a classic baked potato.  I only ate half of that tater- so I don’t feel guilty at all!

Since the steak and potatoes are so simple to cook, I decided to do something fun with the green beans.  Balancing time spent in the kitchen is something else I offer to my clients.  If one only has an hour a night to spend in the kitchen, I provide meals that can be effectively executed during that amount of time.  This dinner was definitely in my belly before the one hour mark.

This is a tasty variation on green beans.  The onion, garlic, lemon, and green beans typically stay the same.  But I use different nuts and herbs depending upon what I have available that week.  This time, I used almonds and thyme.  First, I caramelize onions in a pan.  I only used Olive Oil to get my onions going, as opposed to butter, because I knew I was going to put a little butter on my baked potato.   

Next, I toast up my nuts in a dry pan.

Then, I boil my beans quickly and cool them off in an ice bath to stop the cooking.

Then, when my onions are nice and soft and sweet, I add all the components to the pan and stir them together.

The result is a nutty, herby, bright flavor with crisp, al dente green beans.  

Ah, the final product.  As you can see, the steak was a perfect medium rare.  The potato, which Adam cooked in foil on the grill, was loaded with a touch of butter, low fat sour cream, and 2% milk cheese.  The beans gave lovely color and crunch to the experience.  A beautiful, classic dish with a little bit of flair.

My clients have shared with me that they are actually surprised how much money I save them at the store.  This Flat Iron Steak cost us about $9.00.  We cut it in half immediately and stored the second half in the freezer.  From the half we grilled last night, we had enough for dinner AND one serving leftover.  For $4.50, we got three portions out of it.  That’s $1.50 a portion.  Sounds unbelievable, right?  So we could go out to dinner and spend $25 a piece on a steak…or we could spend $1.50 each to eat an amazingly tender, flavorful, yumalicious steak dinner right in our own home.

And guess what I’m having for brunch?  Steak and eggs, people!  A delicacy, made affordable in the Plan to Plate kitchen.   

I hope you’ll check for Flat Iron Steak in your grocery store and have a little bit of Love Me Tender in your own kitchen.