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Chipotle-rubbed beef
51g protein the SIMPL way
"Uncompromising quality."
"The finest ingredients."
"Impeccably sourced."
It's what every Michelin-star chef demands of the foods they cook with.
And they should, because if I'm paying $400 for dinner, I want to eat fish that slept in the ocean the night before.
But all too often, this righteous message of using top-quality ingredients falls on the wrong set of ears.
Here's what I mean:
When we cook at home for ourselves and our families, no one expects culinary fireworks.
So, different standards apply to our cooking....
Which means using ingredients that a high-end chef might dismiss.
Why bother?
Because many of these overlooked ingredients contain the keys to building flavors we crave in the meal prep kitchen.
Take prepared, ready-made ingredients, for example.
You'd expect to be served fresh, handmade pasta from a Michelin-starred Italian restaurant.
But for weekday meal prep at home?
Handmade pasta's not worth the effort. Plus, dried pasta delivers excellent results.
Coconut milk?
Open a can. Unless you want to spend all afternoon grating coconut, then simmering, straining, and separating out your own coconut milk.
Tomato paste? You've got better things to do than make it from scratch.
The canned version is made with sweet, ripe tomatoes that can add a deep, rich flavor to soups and stews.
So if you think your sacrificing quality by using canned foods over fresh, that's not always the case.
...which is what I learned when I discovered chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.
Chipotle peppers don't grow on farms. Well, not exactly...
They're a prepared food.
It's the name given to jalapeno peppers that are smoked, then dried.
Although you can buy dried chipotle peppers by themselves, I like the canned version better.
Before canning, the peppers are rehydrated, then mixed with a savory adobo sauce made from tomato puree, vinegar, garlic and spices.
You can use them right out of the can blended with mayo for a dipping sauce, or as part of a quick marinade for meat, like I did in this week's SIMPL recipe:
Chipotle-rubbed beef with spiced cauliflower, brown rice, and cilantro-lime butter.
Chipotle-rubbed beef with spiced cauliflower, brown rice, and cilantro-lime butter
I whipped up this easy marinade by cooking onions with garlic and cumin, then blending it with canned chipotle peppers.
The chipotle marinade gives the beef a smoky, aromatic heat as it cooks under the broiler, before slicing thin.
It's paired with steamed brown rice that's tossed with turmeric-charred cauliflower, then mixed in a bowl with a lime-infused cilantro butter.
I used top sirloin beef for this version, although beef tri-tip would work just as well.
All together, it's a mouthwatering weeknight meal that checks all the boxes for protein, fiber, healthy, fats, and most importantly...
Flavor.
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Chef's tip: This dish took me 1 hour 45 minutes to make. But to get the most flavor from the chipotle rub, let the beef refrigerate for 3-4 hours with the rub before cooking.
Chef’s other tip: If you’re reading this and it’s still summer, fire up your grill instead of your oven broiler to get even tastier results cooking the beef.
Here's the nutrition breakdown for 1 serving:
Calories: 646
Protein: 51g
Carbs: 27g
Fat: 37g
Chipotle-rubbed beef with spiced cauliflower, brown rice, and cilantro-lime butter
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Chipotle-rubbed beef with spiced cauliflower, brown rice, and cilantro-lime butter
Cooking time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
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Ingredients:
1/2 yellow onion, diced small
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 1/2 cups brown rice, rinsed
Directions
For the beef:
Preheat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the avocado oil with the onion, half the garlic and 2 tsp salt. Cook for 3 minutes, then add half the ground cumin, and the chipotle peppers.
Cook for another 3 minutes, then add 1 cup water and purée the mixture with an immersion blender or an upright blender.
Pour the mixture out into a mixing bowl, then place the beef into the bowl. Mix with your hands until the beef is fully coated.
Set the beef on an oven pan with a rack, and spread the rest of the chipotle rub across the top.
Place the meat on the top rack of the oven under the broiler. Cook for 15-20 minutes, flipping once halfway through.
When the beef is cooked to an internal temperature of 120 degrees, remove it from the oven and let it rest.
For the brown rice:
Place the rice in a small saucepan or a rice cooker, and add and 3 cups water, 2 tsp salt, and chicken base powder.
Cover and bring it to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and seal it with something heavy. Cook the rice for 40 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. Turn the heat off and let it steam with the lid on.
For the cauliflower:
In a saucepan or saute pan, melt the butter with the remaining garlic, and remaining cumin. Cook on medium heat for about 2 minutes until the garlic is lightly browned, and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, toss together the cauliflower florets, ground turmeric, 2 tsp salt, and half the butter mixture.
Transfer the cauliflower to a sheet pan, and place it on the top rack of the oven under the broiler. Let it cook for 8-10 minutes until it's slightly charred on top.
To finish:
Stir the lime zest, and lime juice and chopped cilantro into the remaining melted butter.
After the rice has rested for 20 minutes, gently fluff it with a fork and transfer it to a mixing bowl.
Place the cooked cauliflower on a cutting board and chop it coarsely, then add it to the mixing bowl with the rice. Add the cilantro-lime butter, and toss it all together with a spatula.
Slice the meat against the grain into thin slices.
Divide the rice and cauliflower mixture evenly between 5 meal prep boxes, then top each portion with the sliced beef.
Seal the containers with a lid, and store in the refrigerator until you're ready to reheat.
Chipotle-rubbed beef with spiced cauliflower, brown rice, and cilantro-lime butter