Since retreating to the suburbs last year, our family has been enjoying the convenience of more space, the luxury of our own yard and even, the simplicity of having a dishwasher! As awesome as city living is, enjoying life’s little luxuries within your own home, I have to say, is a little more than awesome.
For our first summer in the suburbs, one luxury that I’ve probably enjoyed the most has been grilling in our backyard. After 10 years of city dwelling and not being able to grill out, I’ve made up for lost time and have been grilling, what seems like, morning noon and night…and even in the rain.
Not only is grilling much more convenient in the summer, it keeps the house cooler. And since I’ve become quite the grilling queen this summer, I’ve had a great time experimenting with recipes and techniques. So, when I was asked to participate in Lawry’s Fabulous Summer of Flavor, thanks to my friends at The Motherhood, I happily obliged!
So, for this assignment, our NYC team was tasked with creating recipes that incorporate Lawry’s newest marinades–Balsamic Herb and Original Seasoned Salt– as well as Lawry’s Seasoned Salt. My family has long considered Lawry’s Seasoned Salt an essential kitchen spice, for as long as I can remember. And when I was first learning to cook back in my high school and college days, I became fast friends with the convenience of Lawry’s marinades. You can’t beat the 30-minute marinades, not to mention the savory selection.
To go hand in hand with my grilling obsession, I came up with two summertime recipes that incorporate the grill, convenience and kid-friendliness. For my Lawry’s Summer of Flavor recipes, I came up with Grilled Steak Quesadillas and an Easy Steak Salad.
Grilled Steak Quesadillas
For the quesadillas, I included steak cubes that were marinated in a mixture of Lawry’s Original Seasoned Salt marinade and the Chipotle marinade that I already had onhand. I also made a super easy, super fresh pico de gallo to sprinkle within the quesadilla. And, of course, cheese!
What I love about quesadillas is that they’re filling enough to be served as an entree for lunch or dinner, or if you like, they can be served as apps. Quesadillas are perfect kid-friendly meals because they’re finger foods and like my guy reminded me, Dora (as in Explorer) likes to make them. Um, okay!
As much as I love to cook, I refuse to cook more than one meal. I don’t agree with special meals for kids, but I do believe in getting the kids involved during mealtime. I thought getting the kid to help out with the quesadilla-making was great. Even though he insisted he does not like tomatoes, he still spread some pico de gallo amongst the cheese and ate it too. From my experience, getting kids to help out, not only curbs pickiness, but it gives kids a sense of achievement, in that they created what they are eating.
This was the second or third time I’ve done this recipe, and it really is such a fun outdoorsy, grilling-type of food. From the freshly made pico de gallo to slicing up the grilled steak, I love sitting out on the patio putting it all together. And the flavors when all put together are so, so good. Serve it all up with some guacamole, salsa, chips, and it’s a fiesta! Only thing that would’ve made this meal better would’ve some Margaritas and Sangria! YUM!
Easy Steak Salad
This Easy Steak Salad is exactly what it sounds like! I marinated some steak cubes with Lawry’s Balsamic Herb marinade. And I also marinated some veggies with the same marinade. I grilled it all up and served the grilled steak and veggies on top of a fresh green salad.
For the salad, I incorporated a few different lettuces, cucumbers and shredded cheese. I then served the grilled steak and veggies on top of the greens. The marinade was so flavorful, that none of needed more dressing. It was so good—perfect for a fresh summer lunch.
See below for the recipes and a giveaway!
Grilled Steak Quesadilla
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 lime
8 sprigs of fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
1/4 cup Lawry’s Original Seasoned Salt marinade
1/4 cup Lawry’s Chipotle Lime marinade
8 oz. steak (I prefer buying the cubes for stew)
2 cups or 1 bag of shredded cheese
6 flour tortillas (6 inch)
foil
cooking spray
Makes 3 quesadillas
I usually start the quesadilla process by making the fresh pico de gallo. Mix the diced tomatoes and onions together in a bowl, add Seasoned Salt, fresh cilantro. Squeeze the lime and add juice to mixture. Combine thoroughly, cover and place in the fridge while prepping steak.
Grill marinated steak for 5 minutes on each side, or until desired temp. I usually grill the steak until medium rare, because steak will continue to cook when grilling the quesadilla itself. Once the steak is done grilling, slice the steak to even smaller bite-sized cubes.
Gather reminder of ingredients to put together quesadillas. Start with a piece of foil, enough to cover entire quesadilla. Spray foil with cooking spray. Take one tortilla, spread a half of a handful of cheese on top, then two tablespoons of pico de gallo, then two spoonfuls of the steak. Spread another handful of cheese on top of everything, filling in any gaps. This last layer of cheese acts as the glue. Cover everything tightly in the foil, while keeping the quesadilla flat and in tact. Grill on medium for 8 minutes on each side.
Tip: Don’t overdo it on the ingredients or slack on the cheese; either way, the quesadilla will have problems staying together.
Easy Steak Salad
1 cup of chopped Romaine lettuce
1 cup of green leaf lettuce (or another type of leafy green)
1 cucumber, sliced
2 green peppers, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1/2 cup shredded cheese
8 oz. steak
1 cup Lawry’s Balsamic Herb marinade
dash of Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
Marinate steak in 1/2 cup of marinade. In separate container, marinate onions and peppers in remainder of marinade. Once finished marinating, grill veggies for 20 minutes. Grill steak until desired temp. I tend to grill these cubes until they’re medium-rare, which is usually 7 minutes on each side. While steak cooks chop greens and combine in large bowl. Top salad with cheese. Serve grilled veggies and steak on top of salad and enjoy!
Giveaway
Interested in creating some summer recipes on your own with Lawry’s? Enter to win a Lawry’s prize pack that includes their newest marinades–Balsamic Herb and Original Seasoned Salt– as well as a 16 oz. Lawry’s Seasoned Salt. To win this prize pack, just email me at jen (at) nextkidthing (dot) com, and tell me what your favorite summertime food!
Full disclosure: I am being compensated for my participation in Lawry’s Summer of Flavor via The Motherhood. As always, all opinions on NKT are my own.
