I have a great secret to tell you about steak.

It looks fancy. It sounds fancy. It has a fancy price on many restaurant menus.

But there is absolutely a such think as a weeknight steak — because they take like 10 whole minutes to cook. And while you can spend $20+/lb. on some cuts, you can also spend $10/lb., which means for dinner for two, you’re looking at a whole $5 (plus the veggies). This one here is an example of the less expensive end, a flank steak that is fun to eat because of the way you cut it into thin strips across the bias. I like it, at least.

Now, I do think that a marinade is a good idea, but it only needs to be 30 minutes or so (and longer would be great). BUT that gives you plenty of time to wash and prep the veggies and dressing, and of course, give a bottle of red wine a little air before you pour yourself a glass. I think the ideal timeline goes like this:

1. Make marinade, add steak, put in fridge
2. Choose and open wine (in this case red would be ideal)
3. Start prepping veggies
4. Pour wine
5. Sip wine
6. Cook steak

Not only is it actually easy, it still makes a weeknight meal pretty special. I think we will be doing this more often.

Weeknight Steak Salad

Ingredients

• 1 6-8 oz. flank steak
• 2 tbsp. lime juice
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbs. sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp. fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup cucumber slices
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts
• 1/4 avocado, sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots
• 2-3 cups salad greens
• Sesame seeds for sprinkling
• 2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
• 2 tsp. of lime juice
• 1 Tbsp. best quality olive oil
• 1 tsp. sesame oil

Instructions

1. Add lime juice, olive oil, sesame oil, cilantro leaves and garlic cloves to a zip top bag with the steak. Press all the air out and marinate for 30 minutes or up to a few hours.
2. In a mixing bowl, toss the chopped cilantro, cucumber slices, peanuts, carrots with olive oil, sesame oil and lime juice. Top with the avocado slices.
3. Heat a small pan with a tablespoon of high heat oil. When it’s hot enough, a drop of water dripped in with sizzle immediately.
4. Take the steak out of the zip top bag and allow excess marinade to run off. Pat lightly with a paper towel and then salt liberally on both sides. Cook to your desired doneness – medium rare will be 3-4 minutes per side.
5. Allow steak to rest for ten minutes, then slice against the grain and add to the salad. Sprinkle with more cilantro and sesame seeds.