CK's Kitchen: Gaining weight? Try 'Flat Belly,' 'Fast Metabolism' diets

Nothing sends panic into my eating habits in June quite like the turbulent onset of swimsuit season. Oh sure, I knew it was coming last month but that didn't curb my pandemic cravings for pizza, wine and everything salty under the sun. It's time to get focused on the diet again and eat healthy 90 percent of the time and indulge 10 percent of the time, instead of the other way around. Enter the "Flat Belly Diet" and the "Fast Metabolism Diet." I'm toying with both approaches to get my eating back on track but the "Flat Belly Cookbook" won out in my search for this particular night's dinner. It sounded perfectly summery and deliciously healthy: cuban steak with avocado salad. Ever since I was a kiddo, I've loved a good flank steak. I remember my mom marinating her steak in Italian dressing all day in the requisite Tupperware container designed for marinades and then sitting on the deck keeping my dad company as he grilled it to a sizzling medium rare. Mojo sauce This was my first time, however, making a Cuban mojo sauce but I liked the magical sound of it. When you combine garlic, citrus, cumin, olive oil and cilantro, anything is possible. I collected all the recipe ingredients at the grocery, including the meat, for about $30 thanks to a flank steak that weighed in at 1.67 pounds — not 1 pound as the recipe requested. I decided to double the marinade guessing that if it was as tasty as I expected, I wouldn't mind having leftovers to dress a salad or two. I only had time to marinate my steak for about three hours. It's tough being a singleton and eating on the fly 99.999 percent of time. Now you understand my diet challenges of late. Against the grain While the meat got up to room temperature, I used the 30 minutes to make the avocado salad and season a bunch of asparagus to grill alongside the flank steak. By this time, my three roomies got home and started making stir fry veggies and noodles for their dinner. You'd think it was 7 p.m. but it was 9:30 p.m. This is summer cooking at its finest! Normally I wouldn't eat this late though but circumstances and commitments made it the right time this particular night. We followed the grilling instructions to a tee, cooking for eight minutes and then letting the meat rest for 10 minutes. The result: An absolutely perfect medium rare. The marinade was fresh and so full of flavor that it wowed both the two carnivores and the two vegans. The vegans loved the avocado salad while myself and my daughter's boyfriend devoured the steak. This is a really special and delicious recipe. I highly recommend and I will be making again this summer! Cuban steak with avocado salad 4 servings Mojo Sauce ¼ cup olive oil ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 tablespoons water ½ teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon dried oregano 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Steak and Salad 1 pound flank steak 1 avocado, sliced ½ red onion, thinly sliced To prepare the mojo sauce: Whisk the oil, lime juice, orange juice, garlic, water, cumin, oregano, cilantro, salt and pepper in a large bowl until combined. Reserve ¼ cup of the mixture in a small bowl. Place the beef in the marinade, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Preheat a barbecue grill to medium-hot. Meanwhile, remove the steak from the marinade (discard the used marinade) and allow the steak to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Grill the steak over direct heat, turning 2 or 3 times, for 8 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 145 degrees for medium-rare/160 degrees for medium/165 degrees for well done. Remove from the grill and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. To prepare the salad: Combine the avocado, onion and reserved marinade in a medium bowl. Toss to coat. Nutritional Facts: Calories: 280; Protein: 24 grams; Carbs: 6 grams; Fat: 18 grams (4.5 grams). Source: Flat Belly Diet Cookbook Contact Chrissy Kadleck at ckadleck@sbcglobal.net.