Tropical Beef Wrap

Clay went back to the outpatient program Monday. The two-week break is over and he walked through those VA doors the same way he walked through them the first time — not looking at me, shoulders set, a man walking into something he doesn't want to do but does anyway because the alternative is worse. I sat in the parking lot for ten minutes this time instead of twenty. Progress.

Saw the doctor Thursday. Not about the lungs — not yet, I'm working up to that — but the regular checkup that Connie scheduled because Connie schedules things she wants done and then tells me about them after, which is either considerate or controlling and I've decided it's both. Blood pressure: 142 over 88, which is high, which the doctor explained in terms that I understood and don't want to repeat. Cholesterol: high side of normal, which is a phrase designed to alarm without alarming. Weight: 248, which is thirty pounds more than I weighed when I was framing houses, because framing houses burns calories and sitting on a couch burns self-esteem. The doctor said exercise. I said my back. He said walking. I said I'll try. He said try isn't a plan. He sounds like Connie. Maybe all the people who care about me are slowly merging into one person who just wants me to take a walk.

Made vegetable soup Friday because the doctor said more vegetables and less pork and I'm willing to compromise by putting vegetables in a soup and putting pork in the soup with them. Chuck roast browned first, then onion, carrots, celery, potatoes, canned tomatoes, stock. The soup cooked for three hours and I ate it and thought about walking and about blood pressure and about the difference between a man who's fifty-four and healthy and a man who's fifty-four and not quite. The not quite is what gets you. The not quite is the gap between what you were and what you are, and the gap is where the pork hides.

The soup was good — good enough that I made a second pot Sunday and didn’t mention it to the doctor. But Connie, who has opinions about soup the way she has opinions about most things, pointed out that three hours at the stove and a pound of chuck roast might not be what the man with the clipboard had in mind. This Tropical Beef Wrap was her find, which I made under protest and then ate two of, which I think settles the argument about whose idea was better. The beef is still there, the whole thing comes together in twenty-five minutes, and it doesn’t feel like a punishment — which is more than I can say for the walk I’m still working up to.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 25 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb flank steak or sirloin, thinly sliced against the grain
1 cup fresh mango, diced
1 avocado, sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
Juice of 2 limes, divided
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Salt and black pepper to taste
4 large whole-wheat flour tortillas
1 cup shredded cabbage or mixed greens (optional)

Instructions

Marinate the beef. In a bowl, whisk together olive oil, juice of 1 lime, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Add sliced beef and toss to coat. Let sit at least 10 minutes at room temperature, or refrigerate up to 2 hours.
Make the mango salsa. Combine diced mango, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, and remaining lime juice in a small bowl. Stir, season lightly with salt, and set aside.
Cook the beef. Heat a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add beef in a single layer and cook 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until cooked through and lightly charred at the edges. Work in batches if needed to avoid crowding the pan.
Warm the tortillas. Heat each tortilla in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 30 seconds per side, or wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave for 20 seconds.
Assemble and serve. Lay a warm tortilla flat and layer with beef, avocado slices, mango salsa, and shredded cabbage or greens if using. Fold in the sides, roll snugly, and serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Tropical Beef Wrap — When the Doctor Says Less Pork, You Try Beef a Different Way