Grilled Balsamic Vegetables with Teriyaki Beef

Our store finally carried some baby bok choy this week. Grilling this lovely small baby choy is the perfect conduit for getting the best out of this wonderful vegetable. And to accompany the baby bok choy some grilled mushrooms and zucchini. The dinner is rounded out with sirloin tip beef that has been drenched in delicious Teriyaki sauce.

If you have never cooked with, or eaten bok choy, you are in for a treat. What bok choy is, is Chinese cabbage. The bok choy we know here in the U.S. is the variety they call chinensis which the Cantonese translation is white vegetable. This white stemmed vegetable with bright green leaves is mild in flavor and has great crunch. It's difficult to explain the flavor so I am asking you just give it a try. Packed with vitamins A and C it's good for you.

I would also like to mention that the heart association's recommendation for a protein is 4 ounces so with that being said one pound of the sirloin strips (or thereabouts) should be plenty for four people. Plus, for this dinner you have lots of grilled veggies and rice on the side.

• 1 lb. sirloin strips
• 3 baby bok choy
• 1 pkg. large crimini mushrooms
• 2 small zucchini
• Teriyaki marinade
• 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
• cooking spray

1. Prepare the sirloin strips by removing any thick silver skin that you find on the under side of the beef when they package it. If you don't remove this the meat will be difficult to chew. So take the time up front and prepare it. 
2. Marinate your meat in your favorite Teriyaki marinade for as long as you like, turning over once in a while. But marinate it for at least 30 minutes to give the time to soak in the flavor of the Teriyaki.
3. Clean your mushrooms with a dry paper towel or mushroom brush to remove any dirt and remove the stems. The stems can be saved with other vegetables to make a vegetable broth. Leave the mushrooms whole
4. Slice the ends of your zucchini. Cut each one in half. Then cut each of the halves in half again lengthwise.
5. To make the marinade for the vegetables: in a small bowl combine the balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and olive oil, crushed red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper. Whisk together.
6. Place your vegetables in a large bowl and pour the marinade over. Mix well and allow to marinate.
7. When you are ready, get your grill pan (already sprayed with cooking spray) onto your burners over high heat. Let this heat up for a couple of minutes.
8. Adjust the heat if necessary so you don't burn the vegetables, but keep it high enough to cook and get nice grill marks. Grill on both sides until the vegetables have some nice grill marks and color. Then turn the heat down to medium and grill the vegetables until they reach the tenderness you desire. I have a large grill pan but will still have to do the vegetables in two batches. As you finish one batch, place them in a large bowl covering with foil until everything is done.
9. Grill your meat last over high heat. Grill for about 2-3 minutes tops per side and the beef is cooked medium (bright pink in center).

 

Cooks notes: If you are serving rice on the side, rice takes about 20 minutes to cook. So as you start grilling vegetables begin your rice. By the time the vegetables are all grilled and the steak is grilled the rice should also be done. Turn the heat off under the rice and keep it lidded. It stays nice and hot for about 5 minutes or so.
Also, for busy working parents try this: the night before you'd like to make this, prepare your meat and the Teriyaki marinade. Marinate over night. The next morning before work, flip it over. Then do the same for the vegetables; prep all your vegetables and make the marinade. They too can marinate over night. Stir them in the morning.  When you come home from work the only thing you have to do is make rice, start grilling vegetables and then the meat. This will save you tons of precious time.

I have to admit after adding up what I spent this is not a low budget meal. I spent approximately $16.65 and feeding four it comes to $4.16 per person. One thing for sure about this dinner is, is that it is delicious and it's healthy. Plus, it is a not so ordinary everyday kind of meal. Therefore, get out of your rut (and comfort zone possibly) and make this for the family.