Grilled Beef Pita Sandwiches with Spicy Tahini Sauce

I was given the opportunity to review "The New Sonoma Cookbook" recently.  I found this book to be chock full of beautiful pictures and delicious sounding recipes made with real food.  

I really do like the sound of these recipes; nothing too fancy, just simple, easy to find ingredients with a lot of vegetables.  Some of the things I'm looking forward to making are balsamic red onions, Spanish Rioja country soup, and tomatoes with crispy bread topping.  But the first recipe I chose is called Grilled Beef Pita Sandwiches with Spicy Tahini sauce.  I was happy to find this recipe since I had leftover tahini from when I made hummus.  

This recipe assumes you have already prepared 8 ounces of flank steak by rubbing it with a mixture of seasonings (cumin, garlic, chile flakes, salt, pepper and lemon) and grilling it.  I had already prepared that the day before so it made it really easy.

Here's the recipe for you:

Grilled Beef Pita Sandwiches

1/2 cup chopped tomato 

1/2 cup chopped cucumber

1 cup shredded romaine

1 tbsp lemon juice

4 whole wheat pitas

8 ounces leftover flank steak, sliced

2 oz feta cheese, crumbled

Toss the tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce with the lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Lightly toast the pitas and cut each in half.  Divide the sliced beef among the pitas.  Sprinkle 1/2 ounce feta into each pita.  Top with tomato mixture and tahini sauce.

Spicy Tahini Sauce

1 tbsp garlic, minced

1/2 cup tahini, mixed well

1/3 cup lemon juice (I think this may have been a bit too much)

1/4 cup water

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

1 tbsp chopped parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Combine garlic, tahini, lemon, water and spices in food processor.  Mix until smooth.  Add olive oil, pulse just to mix.  Add herbs, salt and pepper.  Thin with more water if necessary.