Time to think outside of the box with chia seeds!
Typically, every few days, I add a couple teaspoons of chia seeds into my morning smoothies – these tiny seeds are a serious superfood that can be built into any meal for an extra burst of nutrients.
Case in point: this turnip pasta with chard, steak and a chia-chimichurri.
Chia-chimichurri. Chia-chimichurri. Try saying that 10 times fast.
What are chia seeds anyway? They are an unprocessed, whole grain that date back to Mayan and Aztec cultures, grown in Mexico!
Some say that chia seeds expand in the belly, helping us stay fuller longer and therefore, chia seeds are beneficial for weight loss. Who knows if that’s true, but chia seeds are jam-packed with fiber and other nutrients such as protein, calcium and healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
Honestly, I was surprised at how well the chia seeds worked in this recipe. The chia fluffs up the chimichurri sauce, making it much more substantial. It’s almost like you could eat this in spoonfuls!
While I plated this dish with a “drizzle” of chimichurri, when I ate it, I kept a little on the side to dip my steak in – AND, when I went to eat it, I mixed everything together so the chimichurri coated the turnip noodles.
Now, speaking of these turnip noodles: they’re cooked in the pan juices from the ribeye steaks. Why is that important? 1) It infuses them with incredibly robust steak-y flavor and 2) It means we don’t need to use any extra olive oil, saving us some fats (albeit healthy fats!) and calories!
I probably sound like a broken record, but this is definitely one of those meals where you put your fork down halfway through and go, “There’s no way this is healthy!” But it is, my friends, it is. I give most of the credit to the juices from the steak, but the turnip noodles, chard and chimichurri really work wonders together.
Instead of giving you some chia seed pudding recipe, I wanted to think outside of the box – because that’s what being Inspiralized is all about! And if you can’t find turnips, this would work equally as well with spiralized sweet potato, zucchini and parsnip.
If you’re vegetarian, ditch the steak and try a cauliflower steak instead – just cook the turnip noodles in olive oil. You won’t want to miss this chia-chimichurri!
Note: Although Bob’s Red Mill sponsored this post, all opinions are my own.
Nutritional Information & Recipe
Chia-Chimichurri Steak with Turnip-Chard Pasta
Ingredients
- For the pasta:
- 2 large turnips peeled, Blade B, noodles trimmed
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 packed cups chopped swiss chard
- For the steak:
- 2 bone-in ribeye steak
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- For the chimichurri:
- 1 cup packed fresh Italian parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 cup packed fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 seeded jalapeno pepper if you don’t like spicy, use a small jalapeno
- ¼ cup diced white onion
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Season the steak generously with salt and pepper. Add a large skillet over medium-high heat and add in the olive oil. Once oil heats, add in the steaks and sear for 5-7 minutes on each side, for medium-rare/medium. Remove the steaks with tongs and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before slicing thinly into strips, against the grain.
- While steak cooks, place all of the ingredients for the chia-chimichurri into a food processor and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust to your preferences. Set aside.
- Once steak is resting, place the large skillet back over medium heat and add in the turnip noodles, tossing to coat in the pan juices. Season the turnips with salt, pepper and garlic powder and cover and cook for 5-7 minutes or until turnip noodles cook to your preference (I like al dente.) Uncover, add in the chard and toss quickly to warm the greens.
- Divide the pasta onto two plates, top with sliced steak and drizzle over with chia-chimichurri.
comments