Summer is the perfect time for barbecue meals that are nutritious and easy to prepare. A great example of this is a fast beef and grilled vegetable dinner that can be ready in less than 15 minutes and is perfect for two people.
You will need a set of tongs to handle the food and a grilling pan made for cooking veggies in the grill.
Ingredients
- One 8 oz strip loin steak with fat trimmed – should be about 1-¼” thick.
- One each of green and red pepper- both cleaned and cut into slices
- One small red onion – peeled and cut into wedges
- 10 broccoli florets – each one should fit into the palm of your hand
- 2 large zucchini – each with the ends cut off, and then sliced lengthwise into planks
- Handful of parsley and basil
- Clove of garlic
- Dried oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparing the striploin
Preheat the grill to high heat (450 to 550 degrees Fahrenheit).
Spray the steak lightly with olive oil, and rub in your favourite seasoning – both sides.
Preparing the veggies
In a large bowl, combine the peppers, onion, and broccoli with 1 oz olive oil, 1 clove of crushed garlic, a handful of chopped parsley and basil, a pinch of salt and set aside.
On a large plate, lay the zucchini planks flat, and brush with a light coat of oil, and sprinkle on some oregano and coarse black pepper. Any Italian seasoning blend will also work well here. It’s OK to improvise!
Grilling the steak
Once the grill is hot and you have cleaned the grates with a wire brush, lay the steak on the grill at a 45 degree angle, or pointing to the 2 o’clock position and close the lid.
Grill for 2 – 3 minutes, then reposition the steak on the grill pointing to the 10 o’clock position and close the lid.
Grill for another 2- 3 minutes. This will give you those cool grill marks that criss-cross the meat!
Finally – Turn the steak over, and continue grilling for another 3 – 4 minutes with the lid closed. Your beef can now come off the grill and go on a plate. Cover the meat with a bit of foil, and set aside.
Grilling the vegetables
Vegetables are best grilled in a pan made for grilling smaller items that might fall through the grates. They have lots of small evenly spaced holes in them, and are very easy to clean.
Bring the heat down to medium (350 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit) and put the grill pan onto the grill for 1 minute.
Add the vegetable mixture into the pan and close the lid for 1-2 minutes.
Continue cooking the vegetables with the lid open, stirring frequently. Once the colours of the veggies start to deepen, you know they are starting to cook.
Depending on how crunchy you like your veggies, they will be done within 5 minutes of hitting the grill. When they are done, scoop them out of the pan, and put in a bowl.
The zucchini will not take very long to cook at all. Lay them on the grill across the grates and cook for about 1 minute on each side. This can be done once your veggies in the pan begin to deepen in colour. A set of tongs will really help out when turning the zucchini.
Hope you enjoy this simple meal from the BBQ!
Nutrition information
Serves 2. Per serving: 385 calories. Total fat: 12g. Total carbohydrates: 31g. Sodium: 169mg. Protein: 43.9g.
