Lime Infused Beef Stir Fry with Avocado Salad

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You are going to love this recipe for a Lime Infused Beef Stir Fry Avocado Salad which is inspired by a Cuban Dish, Vaca Frita. Instead of making the beef crispy in the oven, we stir fried it then seasoned it with fresh lime juice.  It is served with a simple Avocado Salad with thin slices of red onion. A light and refreshing dinner, perfect for a hot summer night or a cold San Francisco one.

I was inspired to make this dish after reading an article in Food and Wine magazine about Cuban Food.  I have always been intrigued by Cuban food, even though, I have never been there.  Lenny had a bad experiences with it now thinks Cuban food is only grilled cheese.  When I told him about this woman, Lourdes Castro, that I read about and that I was going to try out a recipe, he just said, “we’ll see”.

I love to hear a story about a chef who is self-taught, as I find something romantic about it.  Lourdes Castro did not learn from her mother, in fact, she said her mother was a bad cook.  She did not become interested in food until she went to college in NY and then she became a self-taught home chef.  She hosts cooking classes about Cuban Food and has written cookbooks.  She shared a recipe for Vaca Frita:  Unfortunately, when I read the recipe (or thought I read the recipe), I neglected to see that I  needed a green pepper and that I needed to boil the meat, let it marinate for an hour and a half and then cook it until crispy.  There was no way this was going to happen on a work out night so I improvised and it worked.  

I sliced the meat thinly and then I sauteed it with garlic and onions and seasoned it with lots of fresh lime juice and salt and pepper.  Then I served it alongside was a simple avocado and red onion salad along with some warmed tortillas.  The lime juice in the meat was a great compliment to the creamy avocado and red onions.  This recipe is so flavorful, very easy to make and was a big hit!  The only thing missing was a mojito!

Recipe: Lime Infused Beef Stir Fry Avocado Salad

Ingredients:

1 lb beef flank,  thinly sliced

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup fresh lime  juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

kosher salt, to taste

fresh cracked pepper to taste

2 avocados, peeled and  thinly sliced

1/2 of a small red onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

sea salt, to taste

fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

How To:

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan.  Saute the onions until caramelized, about 15 – 20 minutes.  Add the garlic, stir and cook for another 5 minutes.

Raise the heat to a high medium, add the beef, and quickly stir-fry until cooked to your liking.  Add the lime juice.  Stir and cook for about 3 – 5 minutes, until fragrant and heated through.   Season with salt and pepper.

Arrange the avocado and onion slices on a plate, then top with the beef mixtures.  Drizzle with the olive oil and vinegar.

Sprinkle with the sea salt and pepper.

Serve.

Eat.

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