Name: Grilled Beef and Tomato Avocado Rice Stack: A Flavorful, Layered Delight
Ingredients: 1 lb flank steak or sirloin (get the good stuff if you can – this is the star of the show); 2 tablespoons olive oil (the good stuff, not the cheap stuff); 3 cloves garlic, minced (or more, I won’t judge); 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (this is non-negotiable – it makes the beef amazing); 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (regular paprika works too, but smoked adds that extra oomph); 1 teaspoon dried oregano; ½ teaspoon cumin; Salt and pepper to taste (be generous here); 1 cup white rice (jasmine or basmati works best); 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth (so much better than plain water); 2 tablespoons butter (because why not?); ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley if you’re a cilantro hater); Juice and zest of 1 lime; Salt to taste; 2 large ripe tomatoes, diced (get the good ones, not those pale winter abominations); ½ small red onion, finely diced; 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced (leave some seeds if you like heat); 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice; 2 tablespoons olive oil; ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro; Salt and pepper to taste; 2 ripe avocados (they should yield slightly to pressure but not be mushy); 2 tablespoons lime juice (prevents browning and adds zing); 1 clove garlic, grated or very finely minced; ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes; Salt to taste; Cooking spray or oil for the molds; Ring molds or clean tuna cans with both ends removed (seriously, tuna cans work great); Extra cilantro leaves; Thinly sliced green onions

Description

So I was messing around in the kitchen last summer trying to impress some friends without sweating my butt off making something complicated. I had some leftover rice, a perfectly ripe avocado, and a nice piece of steak I was planning to grill. Instead of just throwing it all on a plate like usual, I decided to stack everything up all fancy-like, and holy cow – people went NUTS for it! It’s basically a vertical flavor party: savory grilled beef, creamy avocado, juicy tomatoes, and fluffy rice all stacked together with some killer seasonings. It looks like something from a fancy restaurant, but between us, it’s actually pretty simple to make.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Beef:

1 lb flank steak or sirloin (get the good stuff if you can – this is the star of the show)
2 tablespoons olive oil (the good stuff, not the cheap stuff)
3 cloves garlic, minced (or more, I won’t judge)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (this is non-negotiable – it makes the beef amazing)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (regular paprika works too, but smoked adds that extra oomph)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon cumin
Salt and pepper to taste (be generous here)

For the Rice:

1 cup white rice (jasmine or basmati works best)
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth (so much better than plain water)
2 tablespoons butter (because why not?)
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley if you’re a cilantro hater)
Juice and zest of 1 lime
Salt to taste

For the Tomato Layer:

2 large ripe tomatoes, diced (get the good ones, not those pale winter abominations)
½ small red onion, finely diced
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced (leave some seeds if you like heat)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Avocado Layer:

2 ripe avocados (they should yield slightly to pressure but not be mushy)
2 tablespoons lime juice (prevents browning and adds zing)
1 clove garlic, grated or very finely minced
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt to taste

For Assembly and Garnish:

Cooking spray or oil for the molds
Ring molds or clean tuna cans with both ends removed (seriously, tuna cans work great)
Extra cilantro leaves
Thinly sliced green onions
Lime wedges
A few drops of hot sauce (Cholula is my go-to)