Overgrown Mint - What to Do!

Flank Steak with Key Lime and Mint Marinade, Mango Peach Salsa and Roasted Veggies! 

Healthy and Low Carb!  

The mint in my garden is out of control! The stuff kind of grows like a weed anyway but mine is out of the planter boxes and is invading the yard! I harvested most of it to dry and use in soap and tea, and kept some fresh to use for cooking. Key limes were also on sale so I bought a pound of those and wanted to see what I could do with Lime and Mint for this weeks menu. Also, having been gone for a few days meant that all of the fresh fruit and veggies I had in the fridge were about ready to GO so I came up with some recipes to utilize the Mint, Limes and produce - I hate to waste food!

Key Lime and Mint Marinade
Ingredients:
• 1/4 C. Fresh Mint Leaves washed and chopped
• 4 Cloves of Garlic peeled and rough chopped (more if you like!)
• 1/4 C. Fresh Key Lime Juice
• 2 T. Olive Oil
• 2 T. White Wine
• 1 T. Honey
• 1 t. Chile Paste or one small chopped Chile
• 1 t. Fresh ground Pepper
• 1/2 t. Kosher Salt

Throw everything into a small food processor and blend until smooth! This marinade is great for Meat and Poultry. I encourage you to try it on fish but the flavors might be too bold for mild fish.

Score a 2.5-3 lb flank steak on both sides across the grain. Place in a freezer bag and pour the marinade over the steak making sure the whole steak is covered. Marinate for 2-4 hours.

Mango Peach Salsa with Key Lime and Mint
This Salsa goes SOOOO well with the marinated Flank Steak!

Ingredients:
• 1 Ripe Mango peeled and chopped
• 3 Ripe Peaches peeled and chopped
• 1/4 C. Fresh Mint Leaves Minced
• 1 Green or Red Chile roasted, peeled, and chopped. Any works, as hot or mild as you'd like! The Chile I used was about 2 T. chopped
• Pinch of Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste

Mix everything together in a bowl, cover and refrigerate for one hour to let flavors mix!

TIPS and CAUTIONS:

BE VERY CAREFUL when working with Chile Peppers! I like to wear gloves but if you are working with bare hands be sure to not accidentally rub your eyes or nose - it will BURN!

To Roast a Chile place it on the middle of your baking rack and roast at 400 degrees until the skin blackens and starts to separate from the flesh of the pepper. After Roasting the chile wrap it in a plastic wrap for 5 -10 minutes until it is cool to the touch. It will steam in the plastic and this will help you to remove the skin. Let the Chile cool completely since escaping steam can also burn your eyes and nose from heat and Capsaicin.

You can scrape out the seeds or leave them in. The seeds are very hot and will add a great deal of spice to the salsa.

Roasted Veggies!
You can use any Veg that you like - here is what I used:

• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• 1 Yellow Pepper
• 3 small to medium Zucchini (I think this is actually a fruit)
• 1 Sweet Onion
Toss in:
• 3 Cloves of Garlic Minced
• 1 t. Ground Rosemary
• 3 T. Olive Oil
• 1/2 T. each of Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper

Wash the veggies, de-seed the Peppers and remove the skin from the Onion. Cut the pepper and Onions into large chunks. Slice the Zucchini lengthwise.

Toss in the Oil, Garlic, Rosemary and Salt & Pepper. Spread on a cookie sheet and roast in a 400 degree oven for 25-30 minutes until the veggies are tender. If you like the veggies less cooked then try 10-15 minutes.

Flank Steak!
Let the Flank Steak come to Room Temperature and remove from the bag. Pat dry with towel paper.

Fire up the Grill and coat the rack with oil. The grill is hot enough when you hold your hand about an inch over it and you can only hold it there for about a second. Grill the steak on about 4-5 minutes on each side for medium.

You can also cook the Flank Steak in a Cast Iron Skillet on the stovetop. Get the skillet nice and hot, coat in oil and cook the steak for 4-5 minutes on each side for medium.

When cutting the flank steak to serve it is best to cut think slices across the grain. This cut of Meat can be tough if cut with the grain!

Put it all on a plate and eat it up! 

You will have lots of leftovers! Steak sandwiches anyone????