pearls and pasta: Balsamic Steak Rolls

I came across this amazing recipe on, of course, Pinterest and I've been dying to make it for weeks. I have been on my very strict diet and most of the recipes I find on Pinterest are outside of the jurisdictions of my regime. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that this fit right in! I used flank steak, which doesn't have too much fat, and a ton of veggies to stuff inside. It's very cute and I think you just might be able to get your kids to eat it! If not, then there is more for you! Like I said, I lightened up the sauce and the veggies for my version but the original version looks just as great to me (but it has butter, brown sugar, and olive oil, all of which I am not eating). Either way, this will be a FABULOUS meal that looks complex but is SO easy! OH!!! Don't forget tooth picks!

What you'll need:

For the steak

2 lbs. flank steak

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

3 tbs. Worcestershire sauce

1 tbs. steak seasoning

For the veggies

1 carrot (I bought shredded and it worked perfectly)

1 zucchini

1 bell pepper (any color is fine)

6 green onions

1/2 red onion

1 tsp. herbs de Provence

For the Sauce

Olive oil spray

2 tbs. finely minced shallots

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tbs. Stevia (or any zero calorie sweetener)

1. Prep your steak. Cut in to 8-10 slices, about 6 inches long. Salt and pepper both sides of the steak, then toss in a large zip lock bag with the Worcestershire sauce. Give it a good shake and let it sit in the fridge for an hour or so.

2. After an hour, take the meat out of the fridge so it can come to room temperature (it cooks more evenly when it is at room temperature).

3. OK...Veggie time. Slice all of your veggies into match-stick sizes (I don't have a fancy machine to do it for me so I just went for it by hand), including the green onions.

4. In a medium pan heated to medium heat, spray cooking spray and sauté the shallots. Add the balsamic, Stevia, and beef broth. Let simmer for about 10 minutes, then turn off heat to let it thicken (Don't worry, IT WILL!!!).

5. While the sauce is cooking, quickly stir fry the veggies in some cooking spray and whole garlic cloves (this just infuses the flavor f the veggies with garlic, but does not overwhelm). You do NOT want to cook them too much (they'll continue to cook inside of the steak when they're on the grill), so no more than 3 minutes.

6. Heat your grill pan time! Now, place a few pieces of each veggie inside of the steak so they're sticking out on the sides. Roll up and secure with a few toothpicks. Sprinkle with steak seasoning all over and start grilling toothpick side down.