Super foods recipe: devilled steak and peppers

A hot tomato-and-mustard coating gives plenty of "devil" flavour to lean beef. Sun-ripened peppers and onions soak up the delicious pan juices. Serve this succulent recipe with oven-roasted potato wedges to complete the meal.

For a different twist, this recipe also includes rolled oats. Because they help to stabilize blood glucose levels, oats, if eaten regularly, can lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. As part of a low-fat diet, oats can also help to lower blood cholesterol levels, which may lessen the risk of developing heart disease.

Preparation: 15 minutes

Cooking: 10 minutes

Serves 4

• 15 g (1 tbsp) tomato paste
• 30 g (2 tbsp) whole-grain mustard
• 4 thin beef scallopini, about 120 g (1/4 lb) each
• 60 g (4 tbsp) rolled oats
• 4 peppers (2 red, 2 yellow)
• 2 onions
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil or canola oil

1. Mix the tomato paste and whole-grain mustard and spread a thin layer of the mixture on one side of the beef. Sprinkle with the oats and press to make the coating. Turn and repeat on the other sides to make coated steaks. Slice the peppers and onions into long strips.
2. Heat a large nonstick frying pan over high heat. Add 15 millilitres (one tablespoon) oil, reduce heat to medium and add the steaks. Press down on the steaks gently but firmly with a spatula for three minutes, or until the oat topping is crisp and golden. Turn the steaks and cook for two minutes, or until browned. Transfer to four plates and keep warm.3. Reheat the pan over high heat and add the remaining oil, peppers and onions. Cook for two minutes, stirring the juices in the pan. Reduce the heat and cook for another three minutes, or until the vegetables slightly soften. Transfer the peppers and onions to the plates and serve.

• When time is short, serve the steaks in hamburger buns with a side salad.
•  For a spicier topping, add one crushed clove garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes to the tomato mixture.
• Use pork, veal, chicken or turkey scallopini instead of beef.
•  To make a rich mushroom glaze for this dish, sauté 240 grams (one cup) sliced or whole button mushrooms for two to three minutes in the pan after cooking the meat. Add 30 grams (two tablespoons) brandy and boil rapidly to reduce the sauce to a thick consistency. Remove from the heat and serve over the steak.

Scallopini is an Italian term for thinly sliced meat. Be sure that you buy beef scallopini rather than thin frying steaks. Beef scallopini are lean and not marbled with fat, making them ideal for coating. In addition, they don't have the chewy connective tissue that some thin steaks have, which needs to be removed before cooking.

Nutritional information: 260 calories • 13 g fat • 3 g saturated fat • 16 g carbohydrates • 21 g protein • 5 g fibre.