Steak fajita salad
28 min · 42 g protein · 490 cals / serving
Sirloin steak rubbed with chili, cumin and smoked paprika and seared hard, sliced over charred peppers and onion, black beans, blistered corn and cherry tomatoes, with a cilantro-lime vinaigrette. Crisp romaine and avocado go on at lunch, so the boxes hold for three days.
Ingredients
Fajita rub
- 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin, divided
- 1 tsp paprika, smoked if you have it
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/3 lb top sirloin steak, about 2 cm (3/4 inch) thick, patted dry
- 4 tsp olive oil, divided
- 1 large red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 large yellow bell pepper, sliced
- 1 medium red onion, sliced
- 1 cup frozen corn
Cilantro-lime vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup lime juice, from 2–3 limes, divided
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 clove garlic, finely grated
- 1 cup leaves fresh cilantro, chopped, divided
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, halved
To pack apart
- 2 large romaine hearts romaine lettuce, chopped, packed separately
- 1 small avocado, sliced as you eat
Steps
- Mix the chili powder, 1 teaspoon of the cumin, the paprika, garlic powder, oregano, 3/4 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper, and rub it all over the steak.
- Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in your largest skillet over high heat until shimmering. Sear the steak 1 minute a side, then turn the heat to medium-high and cook 4–5 minutes a side in all, until well browned and 145°F in the thickest part: medium to medium-well, just pink. Rest it on a board for at least 5 minutes (3 is the safe minimum).
- Add 1 teaspoon more oil to the hot pan with the peppers, onion and a pinch of salt and cook, tossing now and then, 6–7 minutes, until charred in spots but still with some bite. Tip them out, add the frozen corn to the dry pan and cook 3 minutes, until it blisters.
- Whisk the rest of the oil with 3 tablespoons of the lime juice, the honey, garlic, the last 1/2 teaspoon of cumin, a pinch of salt, the water and half the cilantro. Taste and add a pinch more salt if it is sharp, then spoon into four small jars.
- Slice the steak thinly across the grain and squeeze over the last tablespoon of lime juice. Divide the peppers and onion, corn, black beans and tomatoes among four containers, lay the steak on top and scatter with the rest of the cilantro.
- Pack the romaine in separate bags or boxes and add the avocado as you eat: keep the cut half wrapped with its stone in the fridge and use it within 2 days. At lunch tip the box over the romaine and shake over the vinaigrette. The steak boxes keep 3 days in the fridge.
Good to know
Can I use another cut?
Flank steak, the fajita classic, works at about the same score; skirt works too and cooks a minute faster a side. Whatever the cut, slice it thinly across the grain, which is what keeps it tender cold.
Prefer it rosy?
Take the steak off at 135°F for medium-rare, a minute sooner a side. It is the cook's choice; 145°F with a rest is the safe-temperature guidance for whole cuts.
Can I eat the steak and peppers warm?
Yes, the first night: serve them straight from the pan over the romaine. The lunch boxes are made to be eaten cold, so they need no microwave at work.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 93
- Protein
- (36%)
- 8 g
- Fat
- (33%)
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- (31%)
- 8 g
- of which sugar
- 3 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 165 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1961 kcal goes into the pot and 2383 g of ingredients comes out as about 2100 g of food: 93 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.