Welcome to week one of Push Pull. If you want to perform at your best, you’ll need optimum fuel. So our friends at Mindful Chef are bringing you nutritionist-designed recipes, every week of your plan. Starting with Korean-style steak and veggie-friendly jerk mushrooms. Tuck in.
Korean-style steak, pickled carrot & sesame rice
Now that’s what we call K-pop! Vitamin K-rich broccoli meets sweet pickled carrot shavings and warm sesame sauce in our take on bibimbap. Flat iron steak is drenched in a sweet-sour chilli dressing.
Ingredients (serves 2)
- 1/2 red chilli
- 180g Tenderstem broccoli
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tsp oil
- 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
- 200g carrot
- 250g steamed brown basmati rice
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp tamari
- 2 tsp black sesame seeds
- 2 tsp honey
- 2 x 150g flat iron steak
- 4cm fresh ginger
Macros
112g carbs • 49g fat • 53g protein
Method
1. Leaving the skin on, grate the carrot, add to a bowl and pour over the rice wine vinegar, mix together.
2. Trim the Tenderstem broccoli and slice in half lengthways. Heat a frying pan with 1/2 tsp oil on a medium heat, add the broccoli and season with a pinch of sea salt. Cook for 3-4 mins, turning occasionally until tender, then transfer to a large plate, cover and keep warm.
3. Season the steak with black pepper on both sides. Heat a second frying pan with 1/2 tsp oil on a medium heat. Cook the steaks until golden brown, 2-3 mins on each side for medium- rare or 4-5 mins on each side for well-done. Turn off the heat, remove the steak from the pan and rest on the same plate as the broccoli and cover. Reserve this pan for later.
4. Meanwhile, heat the same pan that the broccoli was cooked in on a medium heat, then add the rice, half of the sesame oil, half of the black sesame seeds and 3 tbsp cold water. Cook for 5 mins until hot, stirring occasionally, then turn off the heat.
5. Make the chilli dressing; into a small mixing bowl add the tamari, remaining sesame oil, honey and 3 tbsp cold water. Peel and finely chop the ginger, garlic and the half red chilli (remove the seeds for less heat). Mix all these ingredients together then pour this dressing into the steak pan along with any steak juices from the plate and simmer for 3-4 mins.
6. Return the steak to the pan and coat in the warm dressing, then slice.
7. Spoon the rice into two warm bowls, top with the steak and serve the pickled carrot and broccoli alongside. Drizzle over the chilli dressing and sprinkle with the remaining black sesame seeds.
Jerk mushrooms with coconut rice & kidney beans
Who said jerk had to be chicken? Our Mindful Chef spin uses oven-roasted mushrooms and peppers instead – and serves up the Jamaican-inspired blend on indulgent coconut rice, studded with protein-dense kidney beans and spinach.
Ingredients (Serves 2)
- 120g cherry tomatoes
- 180g chestnut mushrooms
- 1 lime
- 1 red onion
- 1 tbsp jerk seasoning
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 yellow pepper
- 20g creamed coconut
- 240g kidney beans (drained)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 80g brown rice
- 80g spinach
- Medium handful of fresh thyme
Macros
147g carbs • 41g fat • 45g protein
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200C / fan 180C / gas mark 6 and boil a kettle. Add the creamed coconut to a measuring jug and pour in 450ml boiling water, mixing to dissolve. Rinse the brown rice, place in a saucepan with the creamed coconut and a pinch of sea salt, then place a lid on the pan, Simmer for 20-25 mins until the rice is cooked and the coconut-infused water has been absorbed.
2. Cut the mushrooms into quarters, dice the yellow pepper and thinly slice the red onion. Place the mushrooms, yellow pepper and just half the sliced red onion onto a large baking tray. Drizzle with 1/2 tbsp oil, then season with sea salt and black pepper. Place just half the whole fresh thyme stalks over the top and mix all together. Bake in the oven for 20 mins until cooked.
3. Peel and finely dice or grate the garlic. Remove the leaves from the remaining thyme stalks then roughly chop the leaves. Heat a large frying pan with 1/2 tbsp oil on a medium heat. Add the remaining red onion, the garlic, the jerk seasoning and the chopped thyme. Cook for 2-3 mins until softening then add the tomato puree and cook for a further 2 mins. Remove from the heat.
4. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and add to the pan. Drain and rinse the kidney beans and add just half to the pan. Return the pan to the heat and cook for a further 3 mins. Pour in 200ml boiling water, then season with sea salt and black pepper. Leave to simmer for 5 mins, until slightly reduced.
5. Place the spinach in a bowl, cover with boiling water from the kettle, stir and leave to wilt.
6. Remove the tray from the oven and add the roasted vegetables to the sauce in the pan. Cut the lime in half. Squeeze the juice from just half the lime into the pan and stir. Simmer for 5 mins.
7. Drain the spinach and squeeze out any excess water. Add the spinach and remaining kidney beans to the cooked rice and stir all together. Spoon the rice into two warm bowls and serve the jerk vegetables on top. Squeeze the juice from the remaining half lime over the rice (to taste).
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