One of the tasty new 'brainfood' recipesTV chef Danny Boome and nutritionist Fiona Hunter have devised for the Learndirect site I mentioned earlier this week. (You can also see the video on our Facebook page)

Personally I would buy two thin steaks rather than buy a single steak and attempt to cut it in half (not easy, even with a reasonably sharp knife). You could also use frying steak which is cheaper but just as nutritious as rump, replace the rocket with ordinary lettuce and leave out the basil to cut down the cost of the recipe.  And you could make a tuna and bean salad the following day with the leftover onion, beans and olives. (And some tuna, obviously . . . ) FB

Serves: 2
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 5-6 minutes

250-300g rump steak
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp olive oil
For the salad:
200g cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 small white onion
50g rocket
25g pitted Kalamata olives
1/2 x 400g can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp roughly chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 wholemeal pitta breads

Preheat a griddle or large frying pan over a high heat. Using a large sharp knife cut the steak in half horizontally. Season both sides of the steak with salt and pepper and drizzle with the olive oil.
Place the seasoned meat onto the griddle or pan and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side, for rare, or longer depending on how you like it cooked. Remove from the heat and leave to rest on a board for 5 minutes.

Mix all the salad ingredients other than the pitta together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Warm the pitta in toaster for 1-2 minutes, or in the microwave for 10 seconds.

To serve, cut the steak across the grain into thin strips. Open the pittas up into pockets. Divide the salad between them and top with the steak.

Fuel learning:
Red meat is an excellent source of iron which can help fuel learning by helping to make sure the brain gets enough oxygen. To work at their optimum capacity brain cells require a good supply of oxygen. Lack of iron in the diet can reduce the oxygen carrying capacity of blood which in turn reduces the amount of oxygen delivered to brain cells.

Tips:

• Pitta bread is a good thing to keep in your freezer as it defrosts quickly and can be eaten on the go.

• For a quick and easy option, try to replace the beef with strips of stir fry beef or chicken.

• If you are a vegetarian, good sources of iron include egg yolks, pulses such as red kidney beans and lentils, dried apricots, figs, broccoli, baked beans, wholegrain cereals and wholemeal bread.

If you've enjoyed this article why not visit the Beyond Baked Beans page on Facebook where you can contribute your own tips and recipes.