Garlic Steak with Lemon Asparagus

Some nights you do not have it in you to cook 2 separate things. This is the dish for those nights. 1 sheet pan, a little garlic, and you have a real meal on the table in well under 30 minutes. Keeping a few easy, satisfying meals like this within reach is part of what makes this way of eating sustainable, night after night.

The steak brings real value to a body managing Autoimmunity. Red meat is a source of zinc, which is involved in immune regulation and gut-barrier repair, and of iron and B vitamins your energy depends on. The asparagus alongside it adds fiber and folate, and roasting it with garlic and lemon keeps the whole pan bright and simple.

Source the beef from an animal raised well, and let yourself feel the small gratitude in that. A life is feeding you here. Before you eat, take a breath and look at the plate, the seared steak and the green spears beside it. The few seconds of presence are part of how the meal serves you.

Ingredients

• 1 pound steak
• 1 garlic clove, minced, for the steak
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 bundles asparagus, trimmed
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 4 garlic cloves, minced, for the asparagus
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 2 teaspoons lemon zest (omit both for low-histamine or interstitial cystitis)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, for the asparagus

The source seasons both the steak and the asparagus with black pepper. 'Lemon pepper' here means lemon plus black pepper, and black pepper is a seed spice that is off-limits on strict AIP, so leave it out of both. The garlic, lemon, oregano, and parsley carry plenty of flavor without it.

Method

• Heat the oven to 425 F. Rub the steak with the single minced garlic clove and the 1/2 teaspoon salt, and set it aside while the oven comes up.
• Toss the asparagus with the melted coconut oil, the 4 minced garlic cloves, the lemon juice and zest, oregano, parsley, and the 1/4 teaspoon salt. Spread it in one layer on a parchment-lined sheet pan and roast about 10 minutes.
• Lay the steak on the same pan beside the asparagus and bake 5 to 8 minutes more, flipping the steak once, until it reaches the doneness you like. Let the steak rest a few minutes before slicing.

Air fryer variation

Air fry the asparagus at 400 F for 7 to 10 minutes, shaking the basket once. For the steak, air fry at 400 F for roughly 8 to 12 minutes total depending on thickness and doneness, flipping halfway, and rest it before slicing. Cook them in separate batches since the steak and the spears finish at different times. These times are an untested conversion, so start low and check.

*Adapted from acleanplate.com*