Dallas Moms Blog has partnered with Sprouts to bring you this Cinco de Mayo recipe. All opinions are 100% our own!
Cinco de Mayo is only a couple days away and I have the perfect (kid-approved!) recipe to go alongside that pitcher of margaritas you’re gearing up for. My delicious and flavorful Carne Asada complete with a Chipotle Pineapple & Green Chile Salsa. Sounds fancy right? I promise, with the help of Sprouts Farmers Market this recipe is a breeze and a total crowd-pleaser. And by crowd I obviously am referencing these crazy eating machines I call my family 🙂
I usually make this recipe using a combination of spices from my pantry and a homemade tomatillo salsa but in order to make this an easy weeknight meal I opted to pull out one of my favorite tricks – taco seasoning. If you’re ever in need of a way to cut down on prep time (I mean who isn’t?), try and go for the already packaged spices: Garam Masala, Chinese 5 Spice and yes, taco seasoning! Taco seasonings are simple a pre-packaged mixture of chili powder, garlic and onion powder, smoked paprika, red pepper – basically all this southern girl’s favorite things.
Now, you’re only going to need about 1 tbsp for this recipe so put the rest in an airtight container and use throughout the week. These are some of my favorite alternatives for taco seasoning – not related to tacos but perfect for Cinco de Mayo week:
- Mexican Corn: sprinkle a little over your corn and add in a touch of sour cream for a killer side dish
- Spiced Sour Cream: mix a small amount into your sour cream for instant mexican sour cream
- Taco Sliders: use as your hamburger spice for the patties – YUM!
- Southwestern Breakfast: throw a pinch into your scrambled eggs in the morning for a little kick of flavor (topping with some avo and the spiced sour cream is heaven)
- Make Your Own Salsa: combine a can of crushed tomatoes and add the seasoning and hot sauce to your liking
Onto this fancy sounding salsa topping. One word: Sprouts! They have an amazing collection of creative and delicious salsas that will make you fill your basket to the brim. And guess what? May is National Salsa Month so it’s the perfect time to try each and every one! This particular salsa, Chipotle, Pineapple & Green Chile is a fantastic blend of spicy and sweet. If your kiddos aren’t much for spice you can easily cut the spice down a bit by going half salsa and half additional cubed pineapple and pineapple juice – this will amp up the sweet factor and tone down the chile.
Now, since the grilling season is upon us, let’s talk about the importance of resting…the meat that is. I can not express enough how important it is to allow your meat to rest after cooking. Think about it like this: if you jump into a hot shower right after a workout you continue to kind of sweat in the shower, missing out on the benefits of that glorious shower time. This is because you haven’t allowed your body to cool down. It’s kind of the same with meat. When you cook meat, especially broiling or grilling, you’re creating a circulation of flavorful juices inside. In order to get the most flavor and not lose all those juices you need to let the juices redistribute or “cool down” just a bit. If you’ve ever cut into a piece of meat and seen a waterfall of juices come pouring out…you know what I’m talking about. NOT what you want. I know it’s tempting but give it 10 minutes, I beg you! If you’re worried about not having a hot steak, put some tin foil over it while it rests.
Finally, let’s talk about eating Carne Asada. There are so many ways! Put it over some rice and refried beans, over a fresh bed of lettuce for lunch or our family favorite, pull out those fajita fixins! One thing is for certain, you’ll never go wrong with an ice cold beer or margarita. 😉
Carne Asada with Chipotle Pineapple Green Chile Salsa
Ingredients:
- (1) 1.5-2lb Flank Steak
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- juice of 2 limes
- 1 tbsp taco seasoning (I used Sprouts)
- Sprouts’ Chipotle, Pineapple & Green Chile Salsa
- optional: can of diced pineapples in juices
Directions:
- Combine garlic cloves, white vinegar, olive oil, lime juice and taco seasoning in a bowl with a whisk. This is your marinade.
- Place flank steak in a ziplock bag and pour in marinade. Close bag and slosh marinade around to cover steak. Place in refrigerator and let marinate for at least 1 hour up to overnight. Be sure to flip halfway through marinating time.
- Set oven rack to top setting and turn broiler to high.
- Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place steak on sheet, pouring remaining marinade over top.
- Broil for 5 mins on one side, flip and broil another 5 to 6 mins. You should see a bit of charring on edges.
- While steak is cooking, if you would like to reduce the heat of the salsa, in a small bowl combine 1/2 cup of salsa with 1/2 cup of diced pineapples and mix together. You may also add in a bit of the juices as necessary.
- Once steak is done remove from baking sheet and set on cutting board. LET REST for at least 10 mins.
- Slice with the grain on the diagonal and top with salsa.
