Like red meat? These recipes build on a fresh, grilled and marinated London Broil. This will easily make three meals for two out of one good sized hunk of steak (about two pounds). “London broil” refers to a method of cooking this tough cut of lean beef that was especially popular from the 1950s through the 1970s as a way to make the inexpensive cut of meat more palatable. This first recipe is the London Broil.

Recipe #1 – London Broil

Marinade
Ingredients

4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 2-pound (or so) boneless “London Broil”
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Prep

1. Tenderize steak with a piercing tenderizer like this one Jaccard Meat Tenderizer (you can us a fork, but it’s way more labor intensive). This is a good time to get out some of that aggression you might have been bottling up.
2. Combine everything but the salt and pepper with the steak in a large zip-top plastic bag and seal. Marinate in refrigerator at least overnight turning occasionally. Let all those flavors marry and have a splendid honeymoon.
3. Preheat grill and rub with some olive oil. Grab your steak out of the bag and throw it on the grill about 4-8 minutes per side or until no more than medium rare.
4. Remove steak from grill and let it rest for about 10 minutes so all those tasty juices can redistribute throughout the meat.
5. Cut steak into thin strips slicing against the grain.
6. Reserve about 2/3 of the steak for the next two recipes. It might be hard, but you’ll thank yourself later.

Hint: if you make the garlic butter for the next recipe now, with the London broil, you can serve this with a salad and some garlic bread (remember to get the pre-sliced French bread).

Recipe #2 Open-Faced Steak and Cheese Garlic Bread Sandwiches

Ingredients
1 packet powdered au-jus mix
1 packet brown gravy mix
3 cups water
Leftover London broil (reserve the gravy and half the meat for the 3^rd recipe)
4oz cheese, shredded or sliced (can be provolone, mozzarella, or even Monterey jack)
8 slices French bread (from a pre-sliced loaf to help control bread portions)
1 Garlic Butter (recipe below)

Garlic Butter recipe

1 cup softened salted butter (you can use salt free if you’re watching your salt)
2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic (we love garlic, adjust to your preference)
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/3 cup parmesan cheese (not that powdery stuff, don’t skimp)
Sprinkle of paprika

Throw it all in a small mixing bowl and mix until smooth. Do this ahead of time so that the flavors have a chance to mingle and get good an happy together.

Prep

1. get out your meat (ha, ha) and let it sit and warm up a little.
2. combine au jus and gravy packets in a sauce pot with the three cups of water and bring to a boil (if you want to get all fancy and make your own, knock yourself out, but this is supposed to be a down and dirty quickie weeknight meal).
3. once the gravy mixture has come to a boil, reduce heat to simmering and slice your London broil pieces in half twice. Once on lengthwise and once width-wise. Add pieces to the simmering gravy.
4. Simmer steak in the gravy for about an hour or until steak pieces begin to hold the gravy and become tender. This is how you’re going to make the steak tender enough for sandwiches.

Helpful hint: If you don’t want to eat red meat three times in one week (although the portions are small) you could split the meat and gravy in two and make the second and third recipes at another time. They’re flexible like that.

5. Slap some garlic butter on those French bread slices and toss them in the oven to toast at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.
6. Once the meat is tender, add four strips or so to each slice of toasted bread being careful to reserve half for the next recipe (or not, it’s up to you, these are pretty good saniches).
7. Sprinkle or add 1 slice of that cheesy goodness on top and return to the oven, turning on the broiler, just long enough to melt the cheese.

This will yield 4 open faced “sandwiches” per person. Plenty. Trust me. I serve this with a Caesar salad or baby greens with a good Italian dressing or homemade vinaigrette.

Recipe #3 Beef Stroganof

Serves 4, you can freeze some for later…or not 😉

Ingredients
8oz uncooked egg noodles
Last of your London broil
3 fresh green onions, sliced (all of it, not just the green part)
8oz of fresh mushrooms (I use baby Portobello)
8oz sour cream
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Prep

1. cook noodles as directed on package without added salt or fat
2. while noodles are cooking, sauté onions, garlic, and mushrooms in a nonstick pan until mushrooms and garlic are tender and browned a bit. Add salt and pepper.
3. add gravy and meat mixture to the mushrooms and onion and warm through until it comes to a boil. Thicken if needed with a thick flour and water mixture (add slowly and stir constantly to avoid lumps and/or over thickening). Turn down to a simmer and add the sour cream, stirring thoroughly.
4. Serve over cooked and drained egg noodles.

Serve this with a green salad with cut up veggies in it like broccoli, carrots, snap peas, and red peppers.

Since the carbohydrates in these recipes are fairly low and controllable they are all diabetic friendly. Each is accompanied by a salad by design because in most diets, well, salads and veggies are free, and filling, and good for you! You do have to count the dressing, though. Awwwwww! Drat!

NOTE: To clear up any confusion, these recipes originate from one, single, grilled London broil. Each recipe builds upon the last giving your three different meals for the week.

If you get a chance to try these recipes please let me know how they turned out for you. If you have a “London Broil Leftover” recipe to share, please feel free!