Long before I became a writer, I went to cooking school. I studied traditional French cuisine, and though I love the richness and flavors of French food, my favorite is Mexican.
The bright flavors and bright colors of Mexican cuisine get my mouth watering and my taste buds jumping for joy.
In fact, I try to keep a vat of fresh salsa in the fridge at all times.
My favorite recipe is:
A delicious flank steak taco with fresh chimichurri and salsa.
Ingredients
For the steak marinade:
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 ½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 ½ pounds flank steak
For salsa:
• 6 vine ripened tomatoes
• ½ large red onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 limes freshly squeezed
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
• Jalapeno or ¼ Habanero pepper diced
• ½ teaspoon salt to taste
For chimichurri:
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
• 3-4 cloves garlic , finely chopped or minced
• 2 small red chilies , or 1 red chili, deseeded and finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon finely chopped chili)
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 level teaspoon coarse salt
• pepper to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon)
Instructions
1. To make the marinade, mix together all the ingredients in a bowl and pour into a plastic bag with a resalable mouth or an airtight container. Place the meat in the marinade inside the bag, seal and place it in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
2. To make the salsa, place all the ingredients in a bowl, season generously with salt and pepper and set aside.
3. Make the chimichurri and let sit.
4. When you are ready to serve, heat your grill until it is very hot, 10-15 minutes. Remove the meat from the plastic bag and discard the marinade. Place it on the grill grate and grill until well-seared and dark brown on one side, 4-5 minutes. Flip the steak and continue to grill until the interior meat is slightly less done than you want it to be when you eat it, 3-4 minutes for medium or 2-3 for medium-rare. Transfer the meat onto a cutting board, loosely cover with aluminum foil, and let it rest for 7-10 minutes. Slice it on bias against the grain.
5. While the meat is resting, warm the corn tortillas on the grill until they are softened, 1 minute or so on each side.
6. When ready to assemble your tacos, place a few slices of meat at the bottom of a corn tortilla and top it off with a few tablespoons of chimichurri and fresh salsa.
7. Garnish it with sliced cucumbers and cilantro leaves. Repeat the same process with the rest of the tacos and serve.
I hope you like them!
The bright flavors and bright colors of Mexican cuisine get my mouth watering and my taste buds jumping for joy.
In fact, I try to keep a vat of fresh salsa in the fridge at all times.
My favorite recipe is:
A delicious flank steak taco with fresh chimichurri and salsa.
Ingredients
For the steak marinade:
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 ½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 ½ pounds flank steak
For salsa:
• 6 vine ripened tomatoes
• ½ large red onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 limes freshly squeezed
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
• Jalapeno or ¼ Habanero pepper diced
• ½ teaspoon salt to taste
For chimichurri:
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
• 3-4 cloves garlic , finely chopped or minced
• 2 small red chilies , or 1 red chili, deseeded and finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon finely chopped chili)
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 level teaspoon coarse salt
• pepper to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon)
Instructions
1. To make the marinade, mix together all the ingredients in a bowl and pour into a plastic bag with a resalable mouth or an airtight container. Place the meat in the marinade inside the bag, seal and place it in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
2. To make the salsa, place all the ingredients in a bowl, season generously with salt and pepper and set aside.
3. Make the chimichurri and let sit.
4. When you are ready to serve, heat your grill until it is very hot, 10-15 minutes. Remove the meat from the plastic bag and discard the marinade. Place it on the grill grate and grill until well-seared and dark brown on one side, 4-5 minutes. Flip the steak and continue to grill until the interior meat is slightly less done than you want it to be when you eat it, 3-4 minutes for medium or 2-3 for medium-rare. Transfer the meat onto a cutting board, loosely cover with aluminum foil, and let it rest for 7-10 minutes. Slice it on bias against the grain.
5. While the meat is resting, warm the corn tortillas on the grill until they are softened, 1 minute or so on each side.
6. When ready to assemble your tacos, place a few slices of meat at the bottom of a corn tortilla and top it off with a few tablespoons of chimichurri and fresh salsa.
7. Garnish it with sliced cucumbers and cilantro leaves. Repeat the same process with the rest of the tacos and serve.
I hope you like them!
Unbalanced
Unbalanced Series
Book 1
Courtney Shepard
Genre: Urban fantasy, light romance
Publisher: Champagne Books
Date of Publication: June 1st, 2015
ISBN: 9781771551502
ASIN: B00Y6A2RVU
Number of pages: 224
Word Count: 75,000
Cover Artist: Trisha FitzGerald
Tagline: Four sister, one destiny.
Book Description:
Every generation four sisters with power over earth, air, fire, and water are born to fight against a fanatical, secret faith. The Order exists only to sacrifice the sisters for their power. With each success their strength and control grows. They have never failed, for their rule depends on it.
The sisters, separated at birth, are unaware of what hunts them...but they are coming.
A handsome stranger discovers Asha in hiding, and swears allegiance to her cause. She falls for him; though he is not who he says he is. Betrayed and imprisoned inside the Order, Asha is without her power for the first time in her life.
As the war heats up haunting secrets and true motivations are revealed, but the sisters must unite and override their instincts and trust the untrustworthy if they are to fight their terrifying destiny.
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/1YMFi48_zIA
Excerpt:
With a crack and
rumble, the ground surrounding the cabin broke apart and water burst from the
earth. It sprayed as strong as any fire hose up and over the cabin. The
pounding force was like a waterfall in reverse, and the flames sputtered and
died.
She had never
seen anything like it, an enormous water fountain extinguishing fire burning
that hot. The cabin door, charred and still smoking, flew off its hinges and
onto the flooded grass.
Three figures
ran out into the early morning glare. Asha took off her helmet and slouchy
hood, but her eyes weren’t playing tricks. She could see them clearly, even
across the distance, and her stomach dropped. They stopped short, facing an
army with guns raised. No.
“Fire!”
“Stop!” Her
scream was too late; the soldiers fired. She didn’t have time to act; they were
sitting ducks. She prepared for their thrashing bodies, but like a swarm of
hovering locusts, the bullets stopped in mid-air and dropped.
What? She
couldn’t get her mind around the scene unfolding before her. She’d lost control
of her body. Her muscles wouldn’t move.
“Hold your
fire,” Clay shouted, but the soldiers continued shooting.
His brothers
were the only ones not attacking. They had to be as shocked by the falling
bullets as she was. She couldn’t blame them. She was as still and as useless as
a rock, unable to move or act, only watch in growing disbelief. Three young
women stood against an army.
“Asha,” yelled
one of the girls, her eyes were even brighter green than Clay’s. “We’re your
sisters. We’ve been looking for you.”
Sisters?
About the Author:
Courtney Shepard is a freelance writer living on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia. After initially studying for a career in journalism, she switched to fiction writing.
Unbalanced is the first book in the Unbalanced Series published by Champagne Books.
