If you had to eat the same meal for 30 days what would you choose?

OMG; decisions, decisions.

See, I can actually do this. If I had to live on chicken soup, or say chili, or fried chicken for 30 days, no problem. Better yet tell me I can only eat ice cream and I’ll make it work for breakfast, lunch and dinner — EASY.

Oh, 30 days’ worth of Lowcountry boils. YES, please!

Wait! Pizza, yes by gosh. Pizza is definitely something I do for more than 30 days.

Let’s see, what else would I possibly consider? Hmm.

It would be easy to pick something like tacos (way too easy). As much as I like hot dogs I’m not sure I could commit to that for 30 days straight.

I think I would stick to something from my childhood. Something I asked my mom to make nearly every day.

Bistec de palomilla, con arroz y frijoles negros! (Palomilla steak with white rice and black beans).

Mouthwateringly delicious to even think about.

A palomilla steak is just top-round or a sirloin cut. The magic is that it is thinly sliced (or pounded thin, a quarter inch or less). It is marinated in lime, juice, garlic salt and pepper.

I let mine marinate overnight, but setting it aside for 30 minutes will do if you’re in a pinch. When it’s time to cook, you just need a little olive oil to pan fry the steak.

Traditionally a palomilla steak is served with finely minced raw onions and cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice (the flavor of the finely minced raw onion and cilantro adds a little texture and bite to the meal). I also like my steak topped off with caramelized grilled onions.

My mom would make the black beans from scratch which takes two days. I tend to cheat when making my black beans. But you can develop great black beans from canned options if you add the right spices. I’ve used the large can of Bush’s Black beans and have been successful in duplicating the flavor of mom’s real deal.

Add half a can of water in the pot, 2 bay leaves, cumin, salt, pepper, Badia complete seasoning (it’s like the powdered spice form of mojo), a little touch of red wine and a dash of red pepper flake. Bring it to a boil then turn the heat to medium-low or low to simmer. Let those flavors marry for at least 30 minutes.

I have my rice ready in my rice cooker.

The thin steak is tender and juicy. I plate up some rice and pour any remaining cooking oil over it. Then I pour a big scoop of black beans over my rice.

DINNER TIME!

Yes I could eat that every day!

Option B would be serving that Palomilla topped with a mountain of thinly cut fries (and I mean thin, think potato stick fries).

YES!

OMG, there used to be a restaurant in Miami that was famous for palomilla steak and fries. Lila’s steakhouse. The pile of fries was stacked so high you had to search for your steak underneath. The fries would soak up the luscious steak gravy. Ahhh, I can taste it now.

Okay I could eat my palomilla meals for 30 days, and plan to…starting TONIGHT!

What would you choose for your 30 day meal?