Grilled Romaine and Flank Steak Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• Olive oil

• Kosher salt

• Ground pepper

• 2 hearts of romaine

• 2 ears of corn on the cob, husks removed

• 1 – 1 ½ lb. pre-marinated flank steak or carne asada (It’s a huge time saver to choose a pre-marinated option. Trader Joe’s Carne Asada is our favorite!)

• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

• 6 oz queso fresco or cojita cheese

• 2 avocados, pits removed and sliced

Tomatillo Avocado Dressing

Ingredients:

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled

• 1 small jalapeno seeds removed, roughly chopped

• 1/3 cup packed cilantro

• 4 tomatillos husk removed, roughly chopped

• 1 avocado, peeled and pitted

• 1/2 cup avocado mayonnaise

• 1/2 cup sour cream

• 2 Tbsp lime juice

• 1 tsp white vinegar

• 2 tsp dried parsley

• 1 tsp each dried chives, dried dill (could also sub for 1 Tbsp Penzey’s Foxpoint seasoning)

• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• ¼ tsp pepper

• ¼ tsp paprika

• 1/4 cup milk plus

Directions:

• Preheat grill to medium high heat. Ensure grill is well cleaned and scrape grates of any excess food. Spray grill lightly with nonstick cooking spray, staying 1-2 feet away as flames may flare a bit.

• Lightly drizzle corn with olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Place directly on the grill. Next to the corn, place the marinated flank steak or carne asada. Cook for 4 minutes on first side. Flip the steak and turn the corn. Cook for another 4-5 minutes. You want your flank steak to be slightly pink throughout (warm pink) as it will continue to cook a bit once you remove from the grill. After 8-10 minutes total and once you’ve turned both the steak and corn once each, remove from grill. Cover will foil and allow time to sit.

• Keep the grill on, as you will use for the romaine. Turn the heat down to medium.

• While steak and corn are resting, make dressing. Add all ingredients ex milk (garlic through paprika) to a blender or food processor and "chop" then puree until smooth, scraping sides down as needed. Add milk, a tablespoon at a time to reach desired consistency. Taste and add additional salt, pepper and/or hot sauce to taste (I always add more salt).

• Slice hearts of romaine in half, lengthwise. Similar to the corn, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Don’t overdo the oil as it will saturate the romaine. Place hearts of romaine, center side down, directly on the grill. Be careful when placing on the grill as the oil can cause the flame to flare a bit. It’s best to use tongs to place directly on the grill. This will cook FAST so don’t walk away from the grill. Allow to cook 3-4 minutes or until romaine is just slightly charred and brown. Remove romaine and cover with foil.

• Use a long knife and low bowl to remove corn from the cobs. It’s easiest to stand the cob vertically on its end and gently remove kernels from cob by pushing down and along the center of the cob. Repeat until you have removed all corn kernels. Set aside until you are ready to assemble.

• Using a cutting board and long serrated knife, slice the steak on the diagonal (across the grain), creating strips roughly ½” thick.

• Set up your ingredients (romaine, sliced steak, corn kernels, diced tomatoes, sliced avocados, cheese, and dressing) and begin to assemble. Our family loves to assemble on their own to personalize to their own tastes! If you want to get even more creative, feel free to add other toppings such as tortilla chips, black or pinto beans, cilantro, lime wedges, etc.