Mexican Flank Steak with Brown Rice

An absolute favorite of mine!! I found this recipe in a magazine a few years ago and have used it so much that the recipe has seen much better days! So I figured it was time to share it here for everyone and a place for me to store it :)

Mexican Flank Steak with Brown Rice

1 lb. beef flank steak, fat trimmed
3 dried New Mexico or California Chilies, rinsed,
stemmed, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
6 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp cayenne
about 1/2 tsp salt
2 cups brown rice
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb. red & yellow bell peppers (about 2), rinsed, stemmed,
seeded and thinly sliced lengthwise
1 red onion, peeled and slivered lengthwise
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Rinse beef and pat dry; cut across the grain into 1/8 inch thick slices and place in a bowl. In a blender, cover dried chilies with 3/4 cup boiling water; let stand until chilies are soft, about 15 minutes. Add lime juice, garlic, cayenne and 1/2 teaspoon salt and whirl until smooth. Pour over beef, cover and chill for 30 minutes.

2. In a 3 to 4 quart pan over high heat bring 4 cups water and the brown rice to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until liquid is absorbed and rise is tender to bite, about 45 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, pour oil into a 10 to 12 inch frying pan over high heat. When the oil is hot, lift beef from marinade with a slotted spoon (re-serve marinade) and add to pan. Stir until meat is no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Transfer beef to a rimmed plate or bowl. Add peppers and onion to pan; stir frequently until limp, 5 to 6 minutes. Return beef to pan along with reserved marinade; bring to a boil and cook, stirring once or twice, for 1 minute.

4. Spoon rice into four wide, shallow bowls and top equally with beef, vegetables and sauce. Sprinkle with cilantro. Add more salt and lime juice to taste.

Chili's Rellenos

I LOVE these! They are so simple to make. I love the fresh taste of Green Bell Peppers. My mom makes these two different ways. She makes them this way, how I have done. The other way is my dad's favorite and so unhealthy! I'm not a fan of the other way, she makes an egg dip, dips the bell peppers after they have been stuffed and deep fry's them. And since I don't really like them that way or know all the details to make them that way I won't list that part of the recipe. And I have to apologize I know my recipe's aren't written in the best way but seriously it is hard when the majority of it is "to your liking" :) If you have any questions or need clarification on something feel free to ask :)

Chili's Rellenos

Green Bell Peppers
Mexican Cheese, Cotija
Onions
Oregano
Jalapenos (IF you want them a little spicy)

Pick out a few Bell peppers that would be good to stuff, wash and pat dry. Then cut a slit in them from stem down to the bottom on one side.

I then take the cheese and crumble it down into a bowl, dice up some onions (in this one I just used some little green onion that we grew in our garden, you can use whatever kind you like), dried oregano to liking and some diced up jalapenos IF you want a little kick to them. Mix everything together.

Pick up your bell pepper and and give it a gentle squeeze near the slit and hold it so it will open up a little for you to begin spooning in the cheese mix. At this point you just stuff it as much as you like. I like to completely fill the cavity of the pepper.

Now the next part is by preference. You can cook them on a cookie sheet in the oven turning them occasionally. Or cook them on a skillet on the stove. You can probably see I used tin foil over the skillet, I did that because that's what I use to make my tortillas on and I hate having stuff stick to it! And then just occasionally turn them over. I have done them both ways I prefer on the stove because I am more mindful of them there and since I like mine to have a bit of a crisp left in the pepper, I feel that I can monitor that a little more closely. Jeremy likes them to be softer and I found the oven does a much better job of that. :)

If doing it in the oven I just set my oven to 350 degrees and let them cook between 1/2 to an 1 hour. Again defending on how soft or crisp you want the pepper to be. The cheese will never fully melt but will be come very soft.